Under His Protection
Page 18
From hooded lids he could see something akin to fear etching sharp lines under Elijah’s cheeks and emphasizing the dark shadows under sunken, tired eyes.
Camden patted the empty space on the bed next to him and gestured for Elijah to sit there. “Come here. Tell me what I missed while—”
“I thought they shot you in the head, Camden. With all the blood on your head, I thought I was going to lose you.”
“Elijah….”
Elijah sat next to him, lacing his fingers through Camden’s, and held Camden’s hand close to his heart. “I couldn’t breathe, baby. I couldn’t breathe when I saw you slumped over my mother so limp and lifeless.”
A flash of the moments leading to his fall brought Evelyn Stephenson to the forefront of his mind. She was afraid, frozen, unable to move to safety on her own. “Your mother, she’s all right?”
Camden held his breath as he waited for Elijah’s answer. If he’d done anything to harm her, Camden could never forgive himself.
Elijah nodded and kissed Camden’s hand. “Because of you, yeah.” Camden released the breath he was holding and said a silent prayer of thanks as his heart slowed to a normal pace. “They kept her overnight for observation because of a previous heart attack. She’s got a couple of bruises from the fall, but she’s otherwise okay. They’re releasing her later today.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. We’re both fine.”
Elijah didn’t seem to share Camden’s easy assessment of the events. “Things could’ve ended differently for everyone involved, Cam. I could’ve lost one or both of you. It made me realize what’s important.”
Elijah moved closer, touching his forehead to Camden’s as he closed his eyes. “You’re what’s important, Cam.”
Camden smiled at the shortening of his name. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard Elijah use it, but somehow it was more profound, its significance resting like a comforting weight on Camden’s chest. “‘Cam’? I guess we really are at the cute name part of our relationship.”
Elijah’s smile was the only acknowledgment he offered of Camden’s observation before he continued. “Having you in my life, creating the relationship we spent the weekend pretending we had, that’s what’s important to me.”
Elijah pressed a sweet kiss across Camden’s lips and tightened the grip he had on Camden’s hand. “Being with you is all that matters. Loving you is all that matters. I know I was an asshole to you when this case started, but if you give me the smallest chance, I promise—”
Elijah didn’t get to finish his sentence before Camden placed his free hand around Elijah’s neck and pulled him hard against his lips. Camden didn’t know what he’d done to deserve Elijah’s affections, but he knew enough to realize he wouldn’t turn them away for anything or anyone in the world.
Elijah’s lips parted and allowed Camden the access he craved. He was stuck in a hospital bed and nursing the mother of all headaches. But in this moment where Elijah laid bare his soul, Camden would’ve tolerated any amount of discomfort to be with him like this.
“You never have to apologize for anything that happened between us, then or now. I was the one who fucked it up with my cowardice.”
Elijah tried to interject, but every time he attempted to speak, Camden would kiss him. It wasn’t the most mature way to deal with the situation, but it worked. Elijah eventually gave up and returned Camden’s kisses instead.
“I have spent my entire life living by my father’s rules. So afraid of disobeying him I let the best thing that ever happened to me walk away. No more. Leaving you again isn’t an option.”
Elijah chuckled and stole another kiss from Camden. “Good, because if I have to cuff you to the bed to make certain you stay near, I will.”
Camden eased away from Elijah, letting his heavy head fall gingerly against the pillow. “I didn’t know bondage was your kink, Lieutenant.”
Elijah winked an eye as a broad smile swept across his face. “That’s what happens when you don’t give a guy the chance to show you more than a night.”
Camden raised one hand in the air and placed the other over his heart. “I promise I will never make that mistake again. You’re stuck with me.”
“Good” was Elijah’s only response before he leaned in for another kiss. They were in a hospital room, making out like teenagers, and things had never aligned more perfectly in Camden’s life than in this mundane, yet probably inappropriate, moment.
He should probably care about things like the medical staff walking in and witnessing this sweet and playful moment between the two. But somehow, with Elijah’s lips touching his, Camden couldn’t find a give-a-damn to offer.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Camden swore under his breath. Whoever was interrupting this moment was risking life and limb, even if they didn’t know it.
Camden managed to mutter, “Come back later,” between the soft presses of his mouth against Elijah’s.
“Camden!”
The familiar rigidity in that voice forced a cold chill to travel down Camden’s back. He’d heard his name called like that countless times before. That specific mixture of disappointment, shock, and judgment could only be produced by one person.
Camden broke away from the inviting feeling of Elijah’s mouth on his and pressed his head against the pillow on the elevated back of the bed.
“Cam, you know this man?” Elijah’s voice, full of concern and a hint of protectiveness, warmed Camden’s heart as Elijah moved from his perch on the bed and stood up facing their uninvited guests.
“I should say he does. The question, young man, is who are you and why are you mauling my son in his hospital bed?”
SHIT! So, this was the famed Judge Warren. He was every bit the menacing picture everyone warned Elijah of. As tall as both Elijah and Camden, with broad shoulders and an otherwise lean frame. The small-rimmed glasses he wore gave the angles of his face a harsh, authoritative look that probably would’ve made Elijah piss himself if he hadn’t been raised to believe every man was his equal.
“Elijah Stephenson, this is my father, Judge Michael Warren, and my mother, Gertrude Warren.” Elijah blinked at the introduction of Camden’s mother. The judge sucked up so much attention in the room, Elijah had hardly noticed the small-framed, petite woman who stood next to her husband.
“Mother, Father, this is Lieutenant Elijah Stephenson.” Camden snaked his hand around Elijah’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze as he looked up at him. “I guess the phrase ‘my boyfriend’ sounds a little juvenile, considering our ages, but for lack of a better term, that’s what he is. He’s mine.”
The possessiveness that colored Camden’s voice made Elijah’s chest swell with pride. Hearing Camden claim him in front of the very people whose feared opinions had been the thing to drive him away from Elijah in the first place made any doubt Elijah had that they wouldn’t make it dissipate into thin air.
In that moment, Elijah realized he didn’t need to be Camden’s protector, because Camden was his.
“Obviously your head injury is more significant than the doctors diagnosed,” Mrs. Warren huffed, passing a dismissive, gloved hand in the air. “You can’t just claim strange men as your love interest, Camden.”
“He’s not a stranger, Mother. I’ve known him for five years.”
Elijah almost laughed out loud at the secret glances passing between both of Camden’s parents. Their unspoken displeasure was painted across their stiff faces in bold colors.
“Mr. Stephenson, is it?” Camden’s father’s tone was condescending at best, outright rude at its worst.
“Lieutenant Stephenson, NYPD,” Elijah corrected him. The badge hanging from his neck should’ve been enough to show his rank. But Elijah didn’t like people who tried to belittle others, just because they were too busy being impressed with their own titles. This man might have more money than Elijah ever would, but he wouldn’t disrespect his badge, even if he was a fancy-ass judge.
“Sir, no disrespect—”
Camden placed a firm hand on Elijah’s forearm, drawing his attention away from the judge. “It’s all right, Elijah. I need to talk to my parents.”
“You sure?” Elijah removed his arm from Camden’s grasp to run his fingers through Camden’s hair. “You don’t have to do this alone, Cam. Never again.” Elijah wasn’t certain what the deal was between Camden and the judge, but his protective instincts flared in front of the man.
“It’s fine, Elijah.”
There was pleading in his voice that made Elijah relent. As much as he wanted to protect Camden, especially from this man whose very presence seemed to suck the joy out of the room, Camden had to fight his own battles if he were ever to break free of his father’s hold.
Elijah nodded. “I have to check in on my mom. Her discharge papers should be ready by now. Once I have her settled at home, and I change my clothes—” Elijah leaned down to kiss Camden before facing the judge. “—I’ll be right back.”
In his peripheral vision, Elijah could see Camden’s mother nervously playing with the cuffs of her jacket as she stood off to the side. The judge, however, didn’t blink. He stood silent, watching as Elijah made his way to the door.
Once through the doorway, Elijah kept walking until he was standing in front of the elevator. He gave a hard two-fingered punch to the Down button twice. He recalled his boss’s words with extreme clarity and repeated them when the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
“Right hand to God, I cannot stand rich people.”
“CAMDEN, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m fine, Father. Thanks for asking.”
“Don’t be a smartass, Camden. You kissed that man in the open where anyone could see. Are you determined to ruin your chances for running for public office?”
Camden rested his head against his pillows and rubbed his temple. He’d been in his father’s presence all of five minutes, and already the pain slicing through his head was doing its best to return.
“I fail to see how kissing someone I care deeply about will negatively impact my ability to run for office. He’s a decorated police officer, for God’s sake, Father. You can’t get better PR than that.”
“Camden, we’ve been over this. Marrying the right man will secure your political future. We agreed the senator’s son was the best candidate for the job.”
“You agreed, Father.”
“Camden, don’t speak to your father that way. He’s only trying to do what’s best for you.”
Camden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was used to his mother agreeing with whatever mandate his father issued. It was probably the reason they’d been married for over forty years. She backed Judge Warren no matter how insane his schemes for power were. What Camden wouldn’t give for her to have ever supported him with the same ferocity.
The memory of Elijah standing here only moments before ready to stand at his side, to put himself in between the threat he perceived from Camden’s father, made joy bloom inside him. His unanswered longing for his mother to take his side once was gone. He had Elijah’s love now. That was enough.
“What is best for you is to marry someone with the same standing in the world. As lovely as I’m certain this young man is, he can’t turn an election in your favor, Camden. I won’t allow it.”
This was the part in the story where Camden always acquiesced, giving his father whatever he was demanding at the moment just so he wouldn’t have to face his father’s wrath and disappointment.
But those days were over. He’d faced the worst yesterday and he’d survived. His father’s disappointment didn’t even come close to the things he was afraid of anymore. Now that he had Elijah, the only thing he feared was losing him.
“You won’t allow it?” Camden snapped.
His father stood taller, folding his arms over his chest to assert his authority in the room.
After sitting on the bench for most of Camden’s life, Michael Warren accepted that his word was the literal law. Being challenged wasn’t something his father was used to. And if the involuntary tick visible at the base of his father’s jaw was a sign, Camden suspected he wasn’t too thrilled with being defied now.
“I love him, Father. I will not give him up again for you or your political aspirations for my career. Leave us alone. My relationship with Elijah is not up for discussion.”
His mother moved closer to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Camden, you’re obviously not feeling like yourself. Maybe you should rest before making any rash decisions.”
“Stop babying the boy, Gertrude. If he thinks he’s man enough to make his own decisions, let him.”
His father placed both his hands on the footboard of the bed, his knuckles blanching white as he tightened his hold. “You want to make your own choices, fine. You’d just better be ready to live with the consequences.”
His father released the footboard and walked toward the door, glancing over his shoulder at Camden’s mother. “Come, Gertrude; it’s obvious we’re not needed here.”
His mother followed behind his father as she always did, leaving him alone in the room. He should have been relieved to be rid of his father’s judgmental gaze and his overbearing need to plan every detail of Camden’s life. But sitting there alone in his room, the only thing he could feel was dread.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“CAM, baby, you’re supposed to be resting.”
Camden didn’t bother to respond to that comment. Since they’d exchanged test results last night, Camden’s enthusiasm to experience Elijah in all ways with no barriers between them had given him many naughty motivations.
His lips met the hand he currently had wrapped at the base of Elijah’s cock, and Camden released a moan filled with equal parts pleasure and amusement. The truth was with his mouth currently filled with Elijah’s cock, he couldn’t do more than make unintelligible sounds if he wanted to. From Camden’s perspective, the wasted energy he’d use trying to explain why Elijah’s concerns were baseless would be better spent trying to give him the best blow job of his life.
Elijah’s hips moved in an erratic rhythm, attempting to both chase and retreat from Camden’s ministrations. If Camden needed any indicators he was good at putting his mouth to work, Elijah’s body language told him everything he needed to know.
Elijah’s fingers were curled in Camden’s hair, tugging in an almost painful grip as Camden’s mouth slid down the impressive length and girth, swallowing the tip in the back of his throat.
Elijah’s body tensed beneath Camden’s, his body racked with powerful spasms. He swallowed once more, working the muscles in his throat, demanding Elijah’s surrender to his touch.
Within seconds, Elijah relented and flooded Camden’s mouth with his essence. Camden drank with enthusiastic pulls of his cheeks, determined to drain Elijah of every drop of his cum.
As Elijah’s body went limp underneath him, Camden heard Elijah’s breath audibly catch as Camden used his tongue to swipe at an errant drop hanging perilously from his bottom lip. The man had just spent moments before, but the hunger that rose in the depths of his coal eyes made Camden shiver with need.
“I swear to God, if I were closer to twenty than forty, your ass would be in so much trouble.”
Camden’s lips bent into a knowing smile. Even though Elijah was closer to forty, his lovemaking always left Camden tender and exhausted in the best of ways. “I’d do my best to explore that theory at length, but I need to go home and get work clothes. The doctor signed off on my return. It’s time for me to finish this business with the Path so we can move on with our lives.”
He turned to sit up and get out of the bed, but Elijah’s hand on his back stopped him. “I know you don’t think you’re leaving this apartment until I return the favor.”
“I can finish in the shower. Just cat
ch a nap before you have to check on your mother.”
The word “Nope” coming from Elijah’s mouth was the only warning Camden had before he found himself on his back underneath him.
Camden chuckled as he squirmed beneath Elijah, loving the feeling of his smooth skin warming Camden’s body in all the right places. “I can see there will be lots of late starts to our mornings together.”
Elijah nodded, his long locs cascading over his face and shoulders, teasing the skin on Camden’s chest. “You’d better believe it, Mr. Executive Assistant District Attorney. Something we’re gonna have to work on if I’m punching a clock at the precinct instead of working cases in the field.”
Camden tucked Elijah’s hair behind his ear, then cupped a careful hand to his cheek. “You’re still taking the cybercrimes position? I thought you’d want to go back to the field?”
Still smiling, Elijah shook his head as he spoke. “There was a part of me that wanted to go back to busting heads and being a hero. I’ve done that for fourteen years. It’s second nature to me. But then I thought about how little I’ve seen my family over the years. The inconsistencies in my schedule have caused me to miss a lot of important moments. Now that you’re here with me, I’ve decided I don’t want to miss any more.”
Tightness bloomed in his chest at Elijah’s admission. His entire life had been built around someone else’s needs and desires. But now, he’d stumbled upon someone who would willingly rearrange his life for no other reason than he wanted to make time for Camden. Too emotional to speak, he pulled Elijah to him and held him close. And if he had his way, he’d keep him close for the rest of his life.
CAMDEN stepped outside of Elijah’s Brooklyn apartment and smiled. He’d started his day an hour later than he’d intended, but after a pair of delightful orgasms, Camden wasn’t all that concerned with keeping his schedule.