Hiding From The Sheriff (A Southern Kind of Love Book 1)

by Palmer Jones

  “You don’t have to drive me.”

  “I can’t risk letting you go on a suspended license.” He reached down and plucked the keys from her hand. “You can tell me about the suspect on the ride back.”

  She followed him back to the car, her body still tingling from Cameron pressing her up against the wall and her mind still trying to catch up with their physical attraction.

  The brightness from the car light caused them both to squint. She kept her face down, realizing she didn’t have any makeup on at this point in the night. She also hadn’t considered how jacked up her outfit looked when running out the door.

  “I need you to tell me something.” His serious tone had started to grow on her. “Do you do other computer things?”

  “What do you mean by computer things?” Not this conversation. Not yet. She wanted to get closer to Cameron, but he’d never approve of her job.

  “You go into systems and can watch their security cameras. Doesn’t take a lawyer to know that’s not legal. You’ve said so yourself that you can be arrested.”

  She picked at the hem of her shirt. “No. I don’t suppose it takes a lawyer.”

  “You’re putting us in a bad spot. You’re doing illegal things in our house. I realize it’s for our benefit, but I’m trying to get a handle on the extent of what you do.”

  She closed her eyes. Not as illegal as she needed to do on her Sunflower job. Why couldn’t he be more understanding?

  “I appreciate the help, but you don’t need to try and work this investigation for me.” He pulled into his parents’ driveway, turning off the headlights partway down. Dewey did the same. He stayed at the edge of the yard while Cameron parked his mom’s car back where it belonged.

  She turned to face him, glad the overhead light remained off. “I haven’t done anything more than what I’ve told you about. But, if you give me a full listing of the break-ins, I can check other places—”

  “No.”

  “Cameron,” she pleaded, reaching for his hand. “This may be the best way to find out who it is.” Why was she begging him to let her help? She should be happy he’d given her a way out. She didn’t need to answer any more questions about computers, but this was what she did for a living. She could help. And finally, she knew who she helped. No more loneliness. At least while in Statem. “You have to trust me, Cameron.”

  He wrestled with the decision as his eyes scanned over the dark yard. “Fine,” he ground out, his eyes averted. “But only for this. If you go any further, I’ll arrest you myself to make sure you’re safe.”

  Risking it, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. The brush of his smooth cheek against her lips proved hard to pull away from, but she sat back anyway. “Thank you.”

  A dimple formed close to where she’d kissed. He cut his eyes, the green in them reflected in the porch light. “Not sure why you’re thanking me when you’re the one helping.”

  “Because you trust me enough to let me help.” She stayed close. If only he’d kiss her and put them both out of their misery. “It took more than you realize to show you and your family my computer skills.” They still hadn’t seen it all. That was for their safety.

  The playful look disappeared. “I bet Brian already knew.”

  No. Brian didn’t have a clue, but Cameron’s snarky remark put an invisible wall between them. She wasn’t getting into Brian at two in the morning.

  “Can you get me a list of the break-ins, location, and dates with times? I can try and track down security systems tomorrow.”

  “I’ll drop it off in the morning before I head out on my run.”

  “Run?” She sat up straight. “Can I come?”

  He glanced down her body like he was judging a racehorse. “Do you run?”

  “Yes.” If he’d asked nicely, she might have explained that she ran track in high school. That she’d broken the high school record for the cross country team. That fact would be nicer to prove in person.

  He shrugged. “I guess. I’ll be by in the morning.”

  She didn’t wait for a good night kiss. He still thought that she was dating Brian. She would have to take his mother’s advice and wait until the right moment to let him know.

  13

  A light mist from heavy rain clouds cast his parent’s house in an eerie shadow. Addie acted as though she took long runs every day. She looked fit, but that didn’t mean she could keep up with him. But he’d slow down, enjoy their time together, and deposit her back at his parents’ house, keeping his distance like he knew he should.

  Lacy placed two paws on his shoulder and licked his face when he took too long getting out of his truck.

  The dog needed a day out as much as he did. She bounded for the backyard in search of squirrels to chase the second he opened the door. Must be nice to have such freedom from everything. Cameron stepped onto the porch. The front door swung open before he knocked.

  Addie emerged with a shy smile. “Good morning.”

  “Mornin’.” In one subtle sweep, he sized up his running partner. She looked the part. Tight leggings, the color of a yellow highlighter. A fitted, white long sleeve shirt. Her toned legs ended with a pair of hot pink running shoes. “Cars will definitely see you coming.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to have any fashion sense since you wear a tan shirt every day of the week.”

  He motioned to his clothes. A sweatshirt that he knew would come off about halfway through the run and black running shorts. “This is high fashion.”

  “No, those are the clothes you’re about to sweat in.” She glanced at the sky. “And get wet in.”

  “What are you wearing? You’re about to sweat, too.”

  “Yes, but I will be fashionable when I sweat.”

  “You’ll be something when you sweat,” he added under his breath. “And you’re not wearing makeup.”

  She ducked her head away from him, her voice unsure. “Somehow that doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

  He reached for her arm as she tried to push past him, catching her with a gentle, unrelenting hold. “It is.” He tipped her chin up with a light finger until she looked up at him. “You’re very pretty without makeup.” Beautiful.

  Her brown eyes widened. “You don’t have to say that.”

  “I don’t lie, Addie.”

  “Cameron?” His mom’s voice called through the screen door.

  He jumped back five steps like a teenager caught in his bedroom with a girl.

  His mom came to the door. “Remember we have that benefit dance Saturday night.”

  “I remember.” He had a lot to remember. Like keeping his hands to himself.

  His mom’s eyes flicked between the two of them. “Weren’t you going for a run?”

  She meant so much more by her statement, punctuated by a sly smile. Cameron also ignored her raised eyebrows. “Lacy is in the backyard,” he replied, hoping his tone sounded unaffected. “I have no idea if she’ll actually stay there or not.”

  His mom whistled, and the dog came bounding up. “Of course, she will. She loves me.”

  “Don’t feed her table food.”

  “I’ll let you know when you’re old enough to tell me what to do,” his mom said with such a sweet tone of voice it tugged a smile from his lips.

  Addie dropped to her knees. Lacy ran right to her. “Cutest dog ever!” She scratched her ears and belly when it was offered to her. “How on earth could anyone throw you out?”

  He squatted down next to her. “If she peed in their house as much as she pees in mine, then I have a clue.”

  Addie pressed a kiss to the dog’s forehead. Cameron felt a small bit of jealousy at the attention. He’d had a moment last night, when she kissed his cheek, that he’d almost lost his control. He’d practically pulled her across his lap, shitty boyfriend or not. Thank goodness for Dewey sitting in the patrol car right behind them.

  “She’s just a baby. Human babies wear diapers until they’re two. You can’t expect a do
g to get it overnight.”

  “I’ll be sure to send her back to California with you if she turns two years old and is still not potty trained.”

  A shadow fell over Addie’s face, but she continued to rub Lacy. “Right. Back to California.”

  The disappointment in her voice didn’t make sense. She’d done nothing but complain about not getting to work. Getting to go home should make her happy. Then, she’d see her crappy boyfriend again.

  He headed down the stairs. He’d never figure her out.

  Addie’s light footstep followed him. She jogged past him. Lacy barked and whined. Not this time, girl. He wanted Addie all to himself.

  “Are we going for a run or a walk?” She threw a cute smile over her shoulder before picking up her pace. “God, this feels good! I hope the rain holds off.”

  He ran after her. A renewed lust pounded into him with each step. The view of her in those tight pants was almost painful. Within a few more moments, he’d caught up and could watch the road ahead of them. Her pace surprised him. Not quite as fast as he usually ran, but pretty close to it.

  He thought of all the running trails they could take. Most of the trails kept to the highway. Except for one. That one swung through the woods and close to the river. An old hunting trail that Nash should have cleared for deer season. It might be a little muddy. The cutoff for the path came into view. He only had one reason for taking her that way. It was playing with fire.

  The spot was romantic.

  He grabbed her hand and turned at the trail opening. She hesitated for a brief second before catching up with him. Tree roots stuck out at odd angles waiting to trip up either of them. He pulled back on the pace.

  Her soft breath rushed in and out, but not labored. She hadn’t complained or needed to walk since they’d left home a few miles ago.

  The smell of dank grass and leaves signaled that they were close to the river bank. Cooler air greeted them the deeper they ran into the forest. The trail leveled out from a decline, and she pulled up next to him. He slowed down to a walk.

  Cameron led her across the narrow bridge spanning a small branch of the river. It was shallow, but with the rain up north, the water touched the top of the riverbank as it rushed over and around the rocks, swirling into small pools that looked inviting. The sound reminded him of the noisemaker his mom had in her bedroom. In January, the river’s temperature sat closer to sixty instead of the typical seventy-five. Far too cold for a swim.

  Halfway across the narrow, one-man bridge, he pulled off his sweatshirt. The cool mist fell over his shoulders.

  She made a little noise. He looked back at her.

  Her eyes gazed at his chest before they settled on his tattoo.

  The run in the chilly morning air brought a rosy glow to Addie’s cheeks. Her brown eyes sparkled in a way that made every part of his body respond. Her hair, wet from the light rain, appeared darker and suddenly she was the same girl he remembered.

  He didn’t move as she openly stared at his body. Warning signals fired. Distance. He needed distance between them before—

  “Cameron?” She squeezed herself between him and the railing.

  Raindrops hit the leaves and trees around them in a steady pattern as the mist turned back into a light rain. He waited for her to feed him a line and drop him. Flirt the way she’d done in the kitchen before backing away. He gripped the wooden railing behind him tight.

  Her body shifted, pressing against his.

  He tightened his hold instead of reaching for her. Boyfriend. His responsibility. Off-limits.

  The patter of rain quickened. A few large drops hit his shoulders and rolled down his back. It could have been a monsoon. Didn’t matter. Her eyes had him locked in place.

  Addie set a soft hand on his chest, her fingers caressing his skin.

  “I’m not playing these games with you, Addie.” His voice sounded stern, overcompensating.

  She pressed closer. “No games, Cameron. I want you to kiss me.”

  “But—”

  “You know more about me than I’ve ever let any other man see before. It’s not everything, might never be everything, but it means something to me. And, right now, I want you to kiss me. I can’t leave Georgia with that regret.”

  Could he go against everything he stood for and take what was offered for once in his life?

  He cupped her cheek. His thumb grazed along her temple, damp with sweat and rain.

  This one moment had kept him up late at night.

  Forbidden.

  Against all the rules. But, if he kissed her, he would never regret it.

  “You,” he hesitated and licked his lips, tasting the rain. “You have a boyfriend.”

  She rose on her toes, their lips a breath away. “I broke-up with him yesterday.”

  And then he was kissing her. He didn’t know when it happened, or who closed the distance first. Hell, maybe they both went at each other. They fit together perfectly, her soft lips as greedy as his.

  Brian was out of the picture. There were plenty of other reasons that this was wrong, but those he’d deal with later.

  God, she tasted sweet. His hands found her hips, locking her against him. His control frayed at the edges. The weak, old bridge they stood on might not be up to it if he did run his hands over her body and let go of his restraint.

  She didn’t seem to have the same reservation. Her fingertips grazed over his chest, now slick with rain, and down his abs.

  Addie trailed her lips along his jaw. Her teeth grazed along his ear lobe before she dropped from her toes and pressed a kiss to his chest.

  “Addie, we should stop.” His rational brain finally showed up and made a coherent thought.

  “Are you going to say you don’t want this, too?” She kissed the other side of his chest, a smile in her voice. “Because I’d have to call you a liar from what I’m feeling.”

  “I don’t lie.”

  Her brown eyes hovered somewhere between disbelief and amazement. “You said that before.”

  “I mean it.”

  “Never?”

  “Never.”

  She slid her hands over his shoulders and rose on her toes. His arms wrapped around her body. Pushing her away should be his goal, not drawing her closer. Not loving every second he knew wasn’t his to take.

  “I don’t want to stop.”

  Shit. “Addie.”

  “Cameron.” Her lips brushed over his and the first shred of his control unraveled.

  He cradled the back of her head, increasing the pressure of their kiss. A first kiss should be sweet and tender, but that proved impossible. His lips possessed hers with a roughness he’d never felt before. A need to take.

  “Addie.” He released her body. “We can’t do this. You’re still my responsibility.” He backed away. “I won’t lie and say I don’t want you, but I have to consider this from a rational point of view.”

  He walked away from her, making it one of the hardest damn things he’d ever done.

  She caught his arm and twirled him around to face her. She planted her hands on her hips. Her lips were pink, swollen from their kiss. “So that’s it? One amazing kiss and we’re done?”

  He winced and ran his sweatshirt over his head to soak up the rain. Amazing didn’t begin to describe that kiss. Did she think this was easy for him?

  “We need to get going before the rain picks up.”

  She waited for a beat before tossing her hands in the air. “Fine. You want to run instead of kissing me senseless again, let’s run.” She pushed past him and started to jog. Once they broke clear of the woods and back onto the highway, she picked up her pace to the point that he had to concentrate on running and not on the feeling he’d let his one chance with her slip away.

  That one chance shouldn’t even exist.

  The rain slacked off, back to the fine mist from earlier, and Cameron’s lungs burned from exertion. At the edge of town, they paused on the street corner for a tractor-trailer t
o pass.

  He leaned over his legs, supporting himself as he gulped in large amounts of air. She’d almost killed him those last two miles. He checked his running watch. At the end of a nine mile run, she’d pulled out two sub seven-minute miles. Those long, lean legs were more than for looks.

  “You run track or something?”

  She walked back and forth on the corner, glancing at her own watch. “Yeah.”

  “Damn.” He straightened, holding his arms over his head. “Could’ve warned me.”

  She rolled her eyes and shook one leg at the time before holding onto the light pole and stretching her quads.

  Now that they weren’t pressed up against each other, and his brain was functioning back at a normal level, they could talk about her break-up with Brian. Sort through this entire situation before they both went too far.

  “Want to get something to drink?”

  She shrugged. Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip. He’d walked away from her. From those lips.

  He pulled on his sweatshirt. This was, by far, the most interesting situation he’d ever been in. A woman exacting revenge on him not kissing her more by almost killing him with their run and pouting when he offered her something to drink.

  The light changed. Cameron grabbed her hand and tugged her into the crosswalk. Ms. Iris’s restaurant, the Daylight Diner, would be empty this time of day. He could persuade Addie to open up there, talk about this thing between them and understand why he couldn’t go any further with it. That kiss in the woods replayed in his mind, like a repeat loop that might never stop. God, he wanted more.

  The doorbell jingled above them as they walked into the overly warm diner.

  “Mornin’,” Becky called out from the corner of the room. She straightened, watching Addie a quick second before a calculating expression appeared. The diner wasn’t the best place to bring her, after all.

  Cameron motioned to the counter, ignoring Becky’s interest. “We can sit here.” Not that he could keep Becky away from Addie. His childhood friend had a way of nosing into everyone’s busy life. Strangers included.

  Addie hitched herself up onto the worn, orange stool.