Changing the Rules

by Erin Kern

  “Did you come by to give a heartfelt thanks?” he asked, then strolled right past her.

  Wait, what?

  Audrey spun around, still holding Piper’s hand, and hurried after him. “Excuse me?” she called. But he didn’t listen. What a shock. “Can you please wait? Or at least slow down, because I’m wearing heels.”

  He paused and glanced at her over his shoulder, while flicking a brief glimpse at Piper. “Look, I don’t remember you, but I always use protection.” Then he turned abruptly and kept walking.

  Audrey could only stare because what?

  Was this guy capable of saying anything polite?

  Audrey stuffed back the bout of serious annoyance and plowed after him. Alexander Wang, Anna Sui, Bill Blass…

  She reached him right as he approached the fence and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. His very bulky and muscular shoulder…No, she wasn’t supposed to allow those thoughts to interfere, and she definitely shouldn’t be thinking about how solid he was after what he’d said to her.

  “What is your problem?” she demanded. “Piper isn’t your daughter, you ass; she’s your niece.”

  Cameron turned fully to face her and jabbed his hands on his hips, and gave Piper more than a fleeting look. He gazed down at the child as though mentally trying to work through the knowledge in his head. “Come again?” he questioned.

  Audrey stepped closer so Piper wouldn’t overhear. Unfortunately, all that did was give her a whiff of some seriously delicious stuff. Woodsy and spicy. “Your sister, Dianna—”

  “I was sorry to hear that she passed away,” he admitted. Something flashed across his eyes. Regret maybe? Audrey couldn’t be sure, because it came and went so fast that she almost forgave him for his shitty attitude. “Dianna and I weren’t that close,” he went on.

  She’d known Dianna and Cameron hadn’t had much of a relationship because Dianna had said as much. But he’d known he had a niece, hadn’t he?

  Cameron jerked his head toward Piper. “How’s she holding up?”

  His concern for the girl managed to break through the gruff first impression he’d given. Though Audrey wasn’t ready to let him off the hook just yet. She spared Piper a glance; she’d tugged Jellybean even closer. She was practically strangling the cat. “Pretty good, considering.” She reverted her attention back to Cameron. “Dianna left her with you.”

  Cameron blinked; then he scratched his square jaw, which was edging just past five o’clock. “Me?” he repeated. “For how long?”

  Audrey paused before answering, preparing herself for whatever reaction he’d have. “Forever. You’re her guardian now.”

  Cameron blinked again, and Audrey had the urge to knock her knuckles on the side of his head to see if he had anything going on up there. Then he laughed. As though he hadn’t been a big enough of an ass, he had the gall to actually laugh. That shouldn’t have been sexy but, dammit, it was. And a part of Audrey was more irritated with herself than the man towering over her with his form-fitting shirt, lean hips, and arrogant approach.

  “That’s funny,” he stated. “But no.”

  “What do you mean no? Dianna signed guardianship over to you, so it’s legal. Piper’s yours.”

  “She can’t be mine now,” he argued.

  “Well, she is,” Audrey insisted.

  Cameron scrubbed a hand down his face, the sounds of his whiskers grating along his palm giving Audrey goose bumps on top of goose bumps. “I don’t understand,” he finally said. “Why would Dianna do this? We didn’t even know each other.”

  Audrey had wondered the same thing for weeks. But she’d been too grief-stricken to question anything other than why Piper had been left motherless. “I don’t know,” she answered. “But she made her wishes clear. She wanted Piper to stay with family. She never told you?”

  Cameron’s dark blue gaze bore into Audrey’s, making her squirm in her Manolos. He flicked another glance at Piper. “No. Isn’t there any other family who can take her?” he asked in a low voice. “Maybe someone who knows more about kids than I do?”

  “There isn’t anyone else.”

  “What about the kid’s father?”

  Audrey peeked at Piper, who was picking at Jellybean’s ears. “He’s a shithead who took off when he found out that Dianna was pregnant. She didn’t have any siblings, and your father—”

  “I know all about my father,” Cameron growled.

  The ticking in his jaw gave Audrey the hint that his parent-son relationship with his old man was a sore one. Given how Dianna had come into Cameron’s life, Audrey wasn’t surprised.

  “Okay, then,” she replied, trying to regain her train of thought.

  Cameron blew out a sigh. “Look, I can’t have a kid in my life right now. You need to find someone else to leave her with.”

  “I’m getting the impression that you think I’m asking you to take her,” Audrey snapped. “See, I have a document signed by Dianna and notarized stating you are Piper’s legal guardian until she turns eighteen. I don’t have the authority to ‘leave her,’” she said, using air quotes, “with anyone else. And even if I did, I couldn’t, because there isn’t anyone else.” She poked him in the chest with her index finger. “You’re it.”

  “I’m sorry, but no,” he finally said.

  Oh, dear God, the man was going to be the death of her. Like slow, painful, agonizing death, and he’d probably watch her go down with a smile on his too masculine, too handsome face.

  Audrey pulled a deep breath and forced herself not to strangle his thick neck. “Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera,” she whispered to herself, hoping the gods of fashion could steady her boiling blood. “Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix…”

  “Uh-oh,” Piper whispered.

  Cameron shot an alarmed look at the kid. “Uh-oh, what?”

  “You upset her,” she told her uncle.

  Cameron scratched the side of his face. “I what?”

  “Christian Louboutin, Coco Chanel…” Audrey went on.

  “She says people’s names when she’s upset,” Piper explained.

  Cameron turned his narrowed gaze on Audrey. “You know, most people just count to ten.”

  “I’m not like most people,” she told him.

  One of his brows quirked. “I’m starting to realize that.”

  They stared at each other for a moment, like two cage fighters waiting for the other to go down, the air around them crackling with the kind of crazy tension that would send some people running. Audrey had never been one to admit defeat, and she was starting to realize Cameron wasn’t either. So where did that leave them? Audrey couldn’t return to Boulder with Piper, and the little girl didn’t have anywhere else to go. Somehow she needed to convince Cameron to accept her.

  He flicked a glimpse at his sports watch. “Look, I’m late for a meeting. Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll text you later.”

  Audrey recited her number while he punched it into his phone. “But don’t text me. Just call.”

  Cameron slid his phone away. “What kind of phone doesn’t have a texting feature?”

  “Mine does,” she said. “I just don’t like to text.”

  “But texting’s easier,” Cameron pointed out.

  “I don’t like typing with my thumbs. It’s annoying. Just call me.”

  One side of his mouth twitched. Was he laughing at her? “So what do you do when someone texts you?”

  “I call them back.” Why was this a hard concept to understand? Then she stuck out her hand, determined to bring some sort of civility to this encounter. And also because she’d neglected to introduce herself or Piper. “I’m Audrey, by the way. I would say nice to meet you, but it really hasn’t been all that nice.”

  Cameron glanced at her hand, as though he didn’t want to touch her, and after he wrapped his larger palm around hers, Audrey understood why. Holy mother of all tingles. The man had a firm grip with long fingers and a rough palm that scuffed against th
e softer flesh of her hand. While he held on longer than necessary, Audrey combated images of his hands sliding into her hair, or maybe skimming down her arms. Yeah, he probably knew how to use his hands to his advantage. Make a woman’s breath hitch, or her eyes drop closed.

  Stamina of a porn star.

  The women’s conversation slapped Audrey with a reality check. The fact that two strangers so freely discussed Cameron’s bedroom performance spoke to what kind of man he was. A man whore, as her best friend Roxy would say. As in, trouble. As in, Audrey needed to stay the hell away.

  But how was she supposed to when he looked at her like he wanted to smear whipped cream all over her?

  “No, you’re right,” Cameron responded, shattering Audrey’s thoughts. “It hasn’t been nice.”

  Audrey gritted her teeth against his sarcasm and shifted her attention to Piper, who’d been unusually quiet. “And this is Piper.” And then she added with a whisper, “Don’t talk about her mom.”

  Cameron squatted to Piper’s level. “Hi, Piper,” he said to the girl. “I’m your uncle Cameron.” Piper nodded, and Cameron reached out to finger Jellybean’s scruffy leg. “And who’s this?”

  Piper hugged the stuffed cat closer. “Her name’s Jellybean. She’s a cat.”

  Cameron offered a smile, and Audrey’s heart just about flipped out of her chest. “Is she your travel buddy?”

  Piper nodded again. “She’s my best friend.”

  Audrey’s heart went from tumbling all over her chest to constricting with pain. Jellybean had been with Piper since she’d been a baby, and now was the most constant thing in the child’s life. The knowledge that a stuffed cat was Piper’s best friend only reminded Audrey of how much the little girl had lost. Her mother, then moving away from her neighborhood and friends. Now her only friend in the world was a stuffed cat that smelled like chicken nuggets.

  No, she has you.

  “She keeps you safe, huh?” Cameron questioned.

  Piper blinked those big green eyes, then gave a tiny nod.

  Cameron pinched Piper’s chin. “She’s a special cat, so keep her close.”

  Piper nodded again, and Cameron stood. But the man didn’t just stand. He unfolded with a gentle grace that shouldn’t exist in a man of his size. His muscles shifted and flowed with his movements as easily as water cascading over a boulder.

  And why did she keeping thinking things like that instead of reminding herself of how annoying he was?

  “I’ll be in touch,” he informed her before turning and stalking away.

  Audrey stood on the now empty field, gaping after the man who’d visibly softened for his niece, giving her a moment’s hope that he wasn’t the ogre she thought he was, then dismissing them with a single curt statement. The man was probably used to giving orders and people jumping to do his bidding. She had no such plans to do any bidding for Cameron Shaw. The only thing on her agenda was getting Piper settled with him so the girl could work on healing and realizing she still had family who loved her.

  She took a hold of Piper’s fragile hand and led the two of them off the field. “See?” she asked the girl. “That wasn’t so horrible, was it?”

  But Piper didn’t respond, and Audrey had the feeling that she’d been just as horrified as Audrey had.

  Three

  Cameron Shaw sat on the other side of the desk from the athletic director, Drew Spalding. The two men hadn’t bothered to hide the loathing that had gone all the way back to their competition on the high school football field.

  After high school, the two had gone their separate ways, and Cam had been happy to leave the prick behind. But a few years ago, old animosities had resurged when Cameron had an affair with a woman he only later realized was Drew’s wife. She’d worn no wedding ring, made no mention of a husband. Needless to say, the second he’d learned her identity, he’d immediately broken things off, despite her desperate pleas otherwise.

  A few months later Drew’s marriage had ended, and he’d blamed Cameron for its demise.

  That, in a nutshell, explained why Drew tried to drill lasers into Cameron’s head every time the guy looked at him, as though he wanted Cameron to drop dead.

  Drew hung up the phone call he’d been on and leaned back in his chair. He pinned his dark, soulless eyes on Cameron, probably trying to intimidate him. “I don’t like you bringing JV players to the varsity team.”

  Okay, then. Guess they weren’t going to beat around the bush. Fine with him. “Your displeasure is noted,” Cameron commented.

  Drew stared for a moment, then apparently decided to try a different tactic. “Do you think it’s in the team’s best interest to be starting younger players?”

  In the beginning of the season, a few of their starters had injured themselves, forcing Cameron and Blake to be creative with their backups.

  “I think it’s in the team’s best interest to have our best players starting,” he informed Drew. Cameron placed his hands on the arms of the chair and motioned to leave. “Is that all?”

  Drew held his hand up. “Not so fast. I have a message here from a man named Heath Junger. I believe you’re familiar with him? He called to discuss your current contract.”

  Well, shit. Heath Junger was the athletic director in Denver who’d offered Cameron the coaching position. But they’d already offered him the job, meaning they’d already checked references. Drew knew Cameron was contemplating leaving, so the news was no surprise to the man. In fact, Cameron wouldn’t be surprised if Drew had gone out and bought himself a cake to celebrate.

  Cameron bided his time and waited for Drew to get to the point. “Apparently they’re so desperate to have you, he doesn’t want to wait until next season. He wants to bring you in now.”

  What the hell? “Why didn’t Heath talk to me about that himself?”

  Drew gave a careless shrug. “He wanted to see if I’d release you from your contract early. I haven’t called him back.”

  “But their current coach isn’t retiring until the end of the season,” Cameron pointed out. And why wasn’t he more excited? This was what he’d wanted, to get out of Blanco Valley and coach his own team. What did it matter if he left now or later?

  Audrey and Piper flashed through his mind, whispering that he couldn’t just up and go. Dammit, this was why he didn’t want anybody depending on him. He wasn’t in a place in his life where he could care for a kid. He lived for himself, and he liked it that way. Somehow he needed to make Audrey understand that.

  “All you have to do is say the word, and I can have you gone,” Drew offered.

  Yeah, he just bet Drew would do everything he could. Problem was, Drew was a slimy bastard and Cameron didn’t trust the guy as far as he could throw him. Drew would find a way to sabotage the opportunity for Cameron, then turn around and fire him at the end of the season, and Cam would be up shit creek.

  “Don’t do me any favors,” Cameron told him.

  Drew’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “Sure? It’s really no trouble.”

  Slick asshole. Cameron stood, then leaned over Drew’s desk and got in the man’s face. “I would love nothing more than to stay for the rest of the season and make your life a living hell.”

  Drew’s face turned a nice shade of strawberry red. “Be careful, Cameron. I can ruin this opportunity before it even gets handed to you.”

  Cam stood and shrugged off Drew’s veiled threat. Drew wasn’t going to do shit, because he wanted Cameron gone too badly.

  “Am I going to go with my uncle now?” Piper asked as Audrey parked the car in front of a place called the Bobcat Diner, where Cameron had asked her and Piper to meet him for dinner.

  The thread of fear and uncertainty in Piper’s voice tugged at Audrey’s heart. Since Dianna had died, Audrey had tried her best to cocoon Piper from more grief and insecurity. Sometimes she felt like she was fumbling around in the dark, because Piper would look up at Audrey with such unadulterated trust. But the thing was, Audrey didn’t know
what the hell she was doing. Sure, she’d been around Piper enough in her six short years, but raising a kid? Being with one all the time, taking care of her every need? The whole process was still a learning curve for her, but she didn’t want to let Piper down.

  Audrey got out of the car and opened the back door. “I told you I’d be with you a little while longer, and I meant it,” she assured the girl as she unbuckled Piper’s seat belt and helped her climb out of the car. “Hey.” When Piper glanced up, Audrey pinched her chin. “You trust me, right?”

  Piper hopped out of the car and nodded. “Yep.”

  “I’m not going to go home until you’re comfortable with your uncle Cameron.”

  They entered the diner, which was about half full of people eating an early dinner. It was just past five o’clock, and Cameron was already there. Audrey attempted to steady her pulse as he watched them approach from his casual sprawl in a booth. One heavy arm was draped along the back of the booth, and one hand was loosely cradled around a glass of soda. He’d removed his ball cap, revealing rich, too-long dark hair that made Audrey’s fingers itch just looking at it. His gaze tracked hers with a steady perusal that made her feel like an organism under a microscope.

  The man had some serious intensity that probably drilled fear into the hearts of his players.

  As they approached the table, his attention briefly touched on Piper. His eyes softened for a second, but long enough to have Audrey wondering. Maybe he wasn’t the hard-ass he wanted her to think he was? Maybe there was hope for him after all?

  “Have any trouble finding the place?” he asked as he lifted his glass for a sip.

  Audrey opened her mouth to answer, but was momentarily distracted by his throat muscles. How could a throat be sexy? She’d never noticed a man’s throat before. But something about the way Cameron sipped his drink, slow and unhurried, carefully swallowing each sip before taking another. Yeah, something about that was just…worrisome for her.

  One of his dark brows lifted when she didn’t answer. “Audrey?”

  She blinked herself out of her trance. “Sorry. And no, it was no trouble.”