by Tory Baker
“Sounds good. You want me to take it to the Honda dealership or to Beaumont’s Automotive?” he asks.
“Beaumont will work. Do I need to follow you, or will you leave my information with them and they’ll call me?”
“I have a form in my truck. Let me grab it for you. They can call you and let you know the damage. I don’t think there’s any salvaging that tire though,” he admonishes.
“Nope, I don’t doubt that either. Thank you for your help. I appreciate it.” Bobby shakes my hand, grabs the form, and I fill it out. This way, Cam’s car will be as good as new by the time she gets out of school tomorrow. If I had it my way, this car would be at the scrapyard, and she’d be in a bigger vehicle than the two-door coupe she owns now. She needs an SUV, something bigger and safer than the fifteen-year-old metal heap she’s driving now.
When I finish the paperwork, Bobby is done loading up Cam’s car and heads off. This leaves me with nothing to do but return to my hotel room.
It’s not until I’m on my way back that I look up and see what they have for security cameras. I didn’t want to be obvious in front of Cam or Bobby, but now that I’m on my way out of the employee garage, I can take every single one in. I see them in the corners, but other than that, there aren’t any others.
“This place is a damn nightmare of epic proportions,” I grouse to myself, once again. I know what I’ll be doing when I get back to my room. Though I’m sure it won’t show anything.
I’m upstairs in less than ten minutes. I grab my laptop, which seems to be getting as much use as it did at Nighthawk Security. At least, this time, I’m doing something I want to do.
I pull up my software to hack back into the hotel, this time going for their security instead of human resources. It doesn’t take me long to pull up the feeds. The hard part will be pinpointing the time. Cam was with me all day, for more than eight hours. I rub my hands down my face, grab a bottle of water, and settle in for a long night.
When I see the lighting in the parking garage, I already know the security feed is going to be nothing but garbage. “Jesus, what’s the fucking point?” I say to my laptop. I speed things up until I see people walk in and out of the elevator or stairwell. I can see hints of shadows, but other than that, it’s useless.
I sit for what seems like hours, and when I look at the time on my phone, I see it’s one o’clock in the morning. I’ll have to work on this tomorrow night. As much as I want to leave this up and running, I can’t. I back out of their system, clean my tracks, and close my computer.
The feeling of restlessness takes over my body, my mind not shutting down. It’s going over so many different scenarios. Does she have an ex-boyfriend? All of her pictures on her social media point to an obvious answer. No. That leads to the next possibility. Was her car in the wrong place at the wrong time? Truth be told, that’s what I’m hoping and praying for. It also leads to the last possibility. Does someone have a vendetta when it comes to Cam?
What would have happened to her if I wasn’t there tonight with her? Would she have walked home or called a cab? That thought makes my gut sink. There are too many variables that could go wrong at any time of day, but add into it being dark out? Anything is possible.
Needing to take a deep breath, I make my way to the sliding glass door. Maybe the salt air will clear my mind enough to get me a few hours of sleep tonight. For some reason, I doubt that will happen.
My thoughts take me back to earlier today, the way Cam smiled when I did something small for her. Hell, even opening the door for her gave her a look of pure joy. The way she came apart on top of me in the truck, I want her more than ever. This going slow shit is going to be hard, but for Cam, I’ll do it.
I sit on the couch, going over everything I need to get done first thing in the morning. Cam’s car is first, and then I’ll make a few appointments to look at some homes. Though something tells me the first one Cam and I saw will be the one I pick. Her face lit up when she saw the yard and how it was on the water. Yeah, I already know what will happen if I get my way. Cam won’t ever want or need to leave my side once she’s firmly entrenched in my life.
The salt air does what I need. I close everything down, shower, and slide into a bed that isn’t mine without the woman I want curled into my side. It doesn’t stop me from dreaming of it, though.
Chapter Ten
Cameron
I kicked ass on my clinical today. I wasn’t sure what would happen after last night, and then with only getting an hour to study before Easton got to my place earlier today. True to my word, I had a cup of coffee ready to go for him.
On the way to school, he let me know where my car was, and he was hoping it would be ready by the time he picked me up after school today. Though that just isn’t my luck. I’m returning to my house with Easton, empty-handed as far as my car is concerned. It sucks, but there isn’t much I can do about it.
“You want to come in while I change? I won’t take too long,” I offer.
“As much as I’d love to come into your house, I can’t. Not yet, at least, especially knowing you’re changing in a room that only has a door between the two of us.” At the heat behind Easton’s words, and the way I can see his green eyes smolder, I don’t push the subject.
“In that case, I’ll be right back.” I kiss the underside of Easton’s jaw before jumping out of his truck, closing the door, and rushing inside my house.
Today, I had to wear my school uniform—shapeless, dreadful blue scrubs. Oh well, I’ll have to get used to it. Well, maybe not the color, but definitely scrubs.
I change into a pair of nice jeans, forgoing the ones with ripped up holes like I usually wear. I find the nicest tank top I own and grab a cardigan because, let’s face it, I’m always cold. Easton seems to always have his air conditioning one notch above freezing. What I refuse to budge on are my white canvas sneakers. My feet can’t take anything that will kill them today. I’m in and back out of my house within ten minutes. From there, we’re off to the first house on Easton’s list.
“This is nice,” I tell him as we pull up to the house. It isn’t the one I expected to see first. He must have found a few last night after he dropped me off.
“It looked better in the pictures. I’m not sure I want to tackle what all this could entail.” Siding is hanging off the side of the house, the roof has clearly seen better days, and the yard is months overgrown.
“Maybe the inside is better,” I offer with a shrug of my shoulders. We get out and head up to the front steps.
“I highly doubt it. I’m beginning to think I got catfished from their website.” He has the access code to the front door, so he opens it up, and he’s right. It’s a train wreck. This place hasn’t been touched in decades.
“Hmm,” I mumble, before saying, “Does it at least have a view?” I follow Easton as he goes toward the back of the house. There isn’t a view, not even a window.
“Nope, I’ve seen enough. This will cost twice the amount of the place alone to get it where I want it to be.” He takes my hand in his, and we leave the house, going to the next on his list. This one is way too modern for his taste. We leave as quickly as we came.
I have to agree with him on the modern vibe; Easton seems to like the more laid-back appeal, even if he does rent a penthouse that costs a ridiculous amount of money a night.
The last place we stop at is the house I loved the most when we were looking last night.
“Oh, Easton.” I sigh out loud. I have no right to sway his opinion, but I can’t help it. This place is amazing.
“I know. It’s the one I have my heart set on, too.” He helps me out of the truck, and we take in every inch of the front yard then meander our way through the back yard. It has a built-in fire-pit with furniture set up, enough grass to have a couple of kids running around, and even enough room for a dog. There’s a small pathway to a covered dock, but no lift like Easton explained.
“I’m not sure that I care what the insid
e looks like at this point. The outside is what has me sold.” My voice is still in a state of awe. Easton comes up to me. His hand finds the nape of my neck, and our lips meet. The way Easton kisses me, it’s like he’s making love to my mouth, soft and sweet. I get lost in him every single time. When he pulls away, I’m yearning for more.
“Let’s go check on the inside, but if it’s anything like the outside, I’ll be making an offer today.” We walk toward the house, taking everything in. Once we go inside, we see the open floor plan, leading to a kitchen that’s a dream by anyone’s standard. The upstairs is just as amazing. Easton decides he’ll be making an offer as soon as we get back to the hotel. I can see him living here, and part of me can see myself living with him.
Chapter Eleven
Easton
One Week Later
It’s been a few days since I’ve seen Cam, and a lot has happened. The offer on the house I wanted went through, and I just closed on it after rushing the sale. I wanted Cam to be with me when it happened, but she’s been slammed with clinical after clinical this week. As much as it sucks not to see her, I know she’s needed to study. But today, I finally get to see her. I’m meeting her at her place when she gets out of school. The only thing is I’m early, and I’m not at all impressed with what I find when I get to her house.
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter as I take in her front door, which is standing wide open. I make sure I have my gun on me and call Slade for help before I go in.
“Yo,” he answers right away.
“I might need back up down here. I got to Cam’s place, and it’s trashed. I’m walking in now. Do you have anyone in Alabama?”
“Shit. Give me two minutes, and I’ll call you back.” Slade hangs up. He knows how deep I’m in with Cam already. All he did was chuckle through the phone and wish me good luck.
I take my gun out, slowly peek inside her house, and what I see stops me in my motherfucking tracks. Someone has spray-painted ‘SLUT’ on her wall in bright red. I make my way around the whole house, clearing it before Slade gets a chance to call me back. I really wish I could shield Cam from this. I step outside her house as my phone rings.
“Hello,” I answer without even bothering to check to see who’s calling me.
“Hey, a man by the name of Mac will be there. He’s the sheriff of the county where you are. I already warned him you cleared the place, and you didn’t leave prints anywhere. He’ll be there in about five minutes. If you need Drake, Bridger, or me in Alabama, don’t hesitate to call,” Slade says through the phone.
“I appreciate it. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks again, Slade,” I respond, and we hang up. Flashing lights come barreling down the road faster than I expected. I guess Beaumont doesn’t screw around. When the sheriff gets out of his car, I can see his name coincides with him. He’s every bit of two-hundred and fifty pounds and solid like a Mack truck.
“Sheriff Mac. Slade called and said we have a bit of trouble, which is weird in this part of town.” He extends his hand to me.
“Easton Reid. I pulled up to her house like this. Cam’s not home yet, but she will be soon.”
“Let me take a look around, and then I’ll see if we can get a few boys to come and take some prints.” He tips his hat, excusing himself. I stay back. I don’t want Cam inside her house, not if I can help it.
Shit, I’ll just buy everything new that she needs to shield her from this mess. Not that she’d let me. When Cam’s car was fixed, I went ahead and had it serviced. She was not impressed. That led to our first semi-argument. I hate that she was upset, but I felt the need to make sure it was safe for her to ride in. It was either that or buy her a brand-new car. She shut up after I told her that.
As soon as I see Cam’s car turn the corner, I brace myself. I don’t know what to expect. She’s so strong, but this could be the one thing that could wreck her. I see the look of panic on her face as she parks in the driveway behind my truck. After making my way to her, I help Cam out of the car.
“What the hell?” she says above a whisper.
My hands find her cheeks, not letting her go as I tell her the truth. “Someone broke in and trashed the place. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it’s not bad. It’s probably worse than you think.”
Tears are streaming down her cheeks. “Who would do something like this? First, my tire, and now this? I stay to myself, Easton. Hell, I don’t even have girlfriends, and you’re the only man I’ve been with in any romantic capacity,” she mumbles.
“I’m not sure, and it guts me that I couldn’t figure it out right away. We’ll have to wait and see what the sheriff has to say and go from there, but Cam?”
“Ugh, something tells me it’ll be just like my car. A big fat zero in any news whatsoever.” Cam reported it to the hotel. A shit ton of good that did. I think I did more than they even attempted.
“We’ll get through this together, I promise. There is something else. You can’t stay here tonight, probably not for a few nights.” I see Cam’s shoulders deflate after that. It’s as if she’s given up her fight. That’s okay, though; I’ll fight enough for the both of us.
“I’ll have to get a hotel room. Where’s the irony in that?” She laughs through her tears.
“Nah, you’re staying with me. I’m not taking no for an answer. After this week, I’ll be in my house, and if you need a place to stay, you’ll be there. Okay, baby?”
“God, Easton. I don’t want to be a burden on you. I’ll be fine. Maybe I can just clean up my place and sleep here,” she rushes out.
“Cameron, even if we could clean it all out in one day, paint, and take care of everything, I’d never let you stay in a place that’s been broken into. I need you to stay with me. Sleep in the bedroom, and I’ll take the couch or the spare room. You’re coming with me, baby, even if I have to cart you off.”
Our conversation gets cut off with the sheriff joining us. He tells Cam what he’s found, which is a whole lot of nothing. He’ll have his crew come out to dust for fingerprints, and she’s not allowed in yet. Thank God, he said that. I’m sure that would have been another argument on our hands. He ends with, “I’ll call you if we find anything in the next forty-eight hours.”
That was two hours ago. I followed Cam to the store, not letting her out of my sight while she grabbed a few things to hold her over until we can see if anything is salvageable in her house. She didn’t mess around, though that could be because she was mentally and emotionally drained or that I was with her. Now, the two of us are on the balcony, and she’s cuddled into my side with a blanket across our laps, and she’s quiet. Too fucking quiet if you ask me, so I ask the obvious, “Are you okay?”
“No, but I will be. Thank you for bringing me back with you. I know I was reluctant at first. I’m stubborn, and I’m not used to having someone to lean on,” she admits.
“Baby, you have to know by now. I’ll be here for you every step of the way. You and me, we’re a team. I’ll be your shelter through the storm, and that’s what this is. A storm we’ll get through together.”
“God, I could fall in love with you so easily, Easton Reid.” Her lips graze the underside of my chin, something I know she loves to do. Even when she isn’t aware, she’s doing it.
“I guess it’s a good thing I am falling in love with you then,” I tell her, moving my lips to hers. I tease her until she’s writhing against me, and this time I know I’m going to make her mine. With that thought in mind, I pick her up, her legs wrapping around my waist as we head to the bedroom. Her lips don’t stop moving, grazing from my lips to the hollow of my throat. This woman owns every piece of my body and soul.
Chapter Twelve
Cameron
When Easton brings me into the bedroom, I slowly slide down his body. I know this is the night I’m giving Easton a special part of myself. Nothing could keep me from doing this, though. I want Easton. For the first time in my life, I’m going to be greedy and do something I want and need.
My hands fumble with his shirt buttons, trying to undo them, wanting to feel his warm skin against my own. He feels my hands trembling and takes a step back. I watch as he discards his shirt before moving down to his pants. When he reaches his boxers, I see how much he needs me. They show everything, literally every single inch.
I’m feeling brave, so I walk closer to Easton. My hands go to his chest, and I revel in the sensation of his skin against the palms of my hands and the way his nipples pebble. At his sharp intake of breath, I skate a path down until I reach the waistband of his boxers. Right when I’m at my intended destination, Easton holds my hands.
“Not yet, baby. First things first. I want to slowly undress you. Then, I’m going to taste every sweet inch of you until I’ve had my fill.” His hands go to the bottom of the t-shirt I’m wearing, and I lift my arms as he pulls it off. I’m aching with need. Ever since that moment in his truck, I’ve been like this, wanting Easton. When his voice is raspy or his eyes smolder when he looks at me, it fills me with want. He helps me slide out of my pants; I’m cursing the fact that today I had to wear my scrubs because of clinicals. Though it could be worse, and I could be wearing skinny jeans; that would be a whole lot of shimmying and shaking going on to get them off, and nothing says sexy like your lady bits jiggling and a breast popping out of your bra. So, I guess it all worked out in the end.
I laugh when it’s said and done. Easton, though, is steady as a rock. I’m standing before him in my white cotton bra and underwear, the least sexy of anything I own, never anticipating today was the day I’d give myself to Easton.
“Cam, baby, you’re so beautiful you take my breath away, stealing it right from my lungs, but God, when you give it back, it’s like my whole soul is full for you,” he groans.
