by Hadley Quinn
She let out an exasperated sigh. “Give me a break, Brandon. Apparently my mom mentioned it, which she had absolutely no right to do, but I got mad at him when he told me he knew about it.”
“So he does know? Why’d you get mad at him?”
“Because,” she groaned.
“Because why?” he smiled. “Camryn, you can’t bite someone’s head off just because they care. You let that damned stubborn heart of yours lock you in and it’s not good. I know how you try to protect yourself, but you really need to give things a chance. Come on, Cam. You and I went to counseling together. You know the same psych shit that I do.”
“And you also know that we aren’t the same person, Brandon. We had different relationships with Zach, and everyone heals differently.”
“I’m still hurting too. You act like I don’t even care. I can’t even drive his truck without wanting to fall apart.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, rubbing her temples. “I don’t mean to make it sound that way. I’m just saying that it’s really hard for me to share something that I am still…so completely pissed about…” She was willing herself not to cry, swallowing down the lump that tried fighting its way out.
Brandon reached across the table for her hand. She willingly took it and his squeeze was reassuring. “I love you, Cam. And I know how much you loved my brother. What happened just…sucked. There’s no changing anything, and we can’t make each other’s hurt go away. We’ve tried. You gotta find what works for you, okay? Maybe I’m not the answer anymore.”
“What are you saying?”
He smiled and shook his head. “No, I’m not ending you and I, honey. I’m just saying that you need to fall in love with someone someday and that’s what’s going to help you heal. You’ll never forget Zach, but there are other things in life that are waiting for you. And someone else. Maybe it’s Teague, maybe it’s not, but you need to be honest with people and not try to fix everything on your own. You’ve always been so independent, and you’ve always been so strong… Just let life happen.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing,” she said quietly. “And I think that’s why I feel so…rattled.”
“Rattled?”
“Yeah, like something great is happening, but I’m so afraid and insecure that it will end. It makes me feel at war with myself all the time. I mean jeez, Teague brought Zach up first, and it would have—should have—been the perfect opportunity to just get it out there. Instead, I was caught off guard, got pissed and tried to kick him out of my house.”
Brandon attempted to hold back a smile. “Literally, right? Because I’m picturing it very vividly—”
“No, I didn’t hurt him,” she said, hiding a smile. “But oh holy crap, guess what he did to Don, my stupid fucker of a neighbor…”
She stopped short when a figure at the bar caught her eye. It was Teague, and he was leaning against it casually, just staring across the room at her. She was still holding Brandon’s hand, and instead of ripping it away from him like she wanted to do, she squeezed it tighter. The power of Teague’s concentrated gaze forced her to hold onto something for support.
“So what did he do to the neighbor?” Brandon asked. “Ow, shit, what are you…?” His eyes followed hers until it stopped at the bar. “Fuck, I’m getting my ass kicked, right?” he stated.
“No, just…” She casually released his hand and waved Teague over. She didn’t like the smirk on his face, like he’d caught her doing something wrong.
***
Teague didn’t know what the hell he was seeing as he walked over, but now he was going to play it cool like it didn’t affect him. He strolled up to their table and sat down without an invitation, sliding into the booth next to Camryn. He put his arm behind her on the seat and offered his best play-it-cool smile.
“What’s up, Brandon?” he asked with a cocky lift of his chin.
Camryn scowled at his challenging tone, and even though Brandon received it loud and clear as well, he ignored it.
“I’ll let you two talk,” Brandon said, sliding out of the booth to stand. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, selected a pair of twenties, and dropped them on the table. He smiled at Teague and said, “Dinner is on me. Order what you want.”
Brandon left, but a retort was still burning a hole through Teague’s tongue.
“Knock it off,” Camryn told him calmly. She took a sip of her water. “You need to quit with the cock blocking. It’s pointless.”
Teague was amused. “I’m sure I don’t need to cock block that guy.”
“You’re being an arrogant ass. You don’t know Brandon at all, and before you get all territorial and judgmental about my relationship with him, you should realize that he’s Zach’s brother.”
Teague’s pride faltered a bit as he studied her expression. She turned on the bench to face him better but wouldn’t look at him. She was basically staring at his thigh. He didn’t think she was upset with him, but there was still a hint of frustration on her face. Last night with Camryn had been amazing, and the morning too, and when he got a call about a family issue he needed to take care of, he missed her like crazy. She’d told him where she was for an early dinner, but he hadn’t been sure he could make it in time after his physical therapy appointment. He was happy he could, but their reunion was starting out poorly.
Camryn took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She slid her hand over Teague’s and laced her fingers between his. “Look, I don’t know what my mom has told you, but she doesn’t really know me, Teague. We’ve never been close. She was…never there for us and I don’t know why she thinks she has the right to share things about me that she knows nothing about.”
“I asked,” he said quietly. “And to be fair, she admitted everything to me that you just said. That she was never there for you and Melanie and she even said that she’s a terribly selfish person and an even worse mother.”
Camryn looked surprised that her mom would actually admit that, but all she did was shrug to agree.
“By the second day after you left, I was really worried about you,” Teague continued. “I went over to your mom’s to get your phone number so I could at least call to check on you. We just…started talking. She told me how much like your dad you are—closed off and reserved sometimes—but she mentioned that you’d been through something pretty devastating. I begged her to tell me so I could just…know you, I guess. I didn’t realize it was…something like that.”
“You didn’t realize that my fiancé was killed overseas?”
He took in a slow breath of air and released it. “Every time you put up a wall, I only thought someone had broken your heart. No, I didn’t know he died.”
Grabbing her water, she took a slow drink. Then she started scooting across the booth, even with Teague sitting in her way. Trying to push him out she said, “Can we get out of here?”
He got up quickly and took her hand. When they stepped outside, Camryn took in a deep breath of air and let it out with an uneasy chuckle. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have done that in public like that.”
“Don’t apologize, hon. You’re fine.” He put his arm around her as they walked to his truck. “I know that was hard for you. Thanks for telling me.”
She hadn’t told him much but she nodded, and when Teague unlocked the truck, she turned to him and said, “This is kind of an adjustment for me, Teague. You and me. And I want you to know that I’m really happy about it. Honestly. I just…I’m in a transition phase, maybe? I know that sounds really lame but please be patient with me.”
Teague felt grateful that she was willing to forgive him so easily over how he reacted in the restaurant. He didn’t regret his caution, but he didn’t like making Camryn feel insecure. “There’s no rush,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “Let’s just go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with, okay?”
She gave him a soft smile and nodded, and once they were on the road, they traveled in silence for a minute. Teag
ue thought maybe she was still feeling emotional about sharing her life with him. Hell, maybe she even resented the fact that she told him all that. He’d been an ass about Brandon, and she probably felt forced to shut him up by putting him in his place.
Teague reached over and took her hand. “What do you feel like doing, Cam?”
She looked at him and finally smiled. “Honestly?”
With a shrug he answered, “Yeah, of course. I asked, right?”
“Well, I want you to teach me how to surf.”
His excitement wavered but he remained neutral. “It’s evening. And we’re a few hours from good waves.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “What if we head for the beach tonight, stay somewhere, and you can teach me in the morning?”
Licking his lips, he made a turn for her street. He didn’t mind taking her to the beach, but he had no interest in taking on any waves. “Okay, if that’s what you want,” he found himself saying. Just seeing the smile on her face completely numbed his brain to anything rational and he also added, “Why don’t we just stay a few days? You don’t have that dance thingy until Saturday, right?”
“Sunday.”
“Even better. So?”
“Melanie’s staying in San Diego for the week.”
“And…?”
“The dog? Oh God, and the damn bird,” she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, guess I can’t leave since Melanie is petsitting. And normally my friend Mimi would take the bird but she’s out of town until next week.”
Teague was annoyed with Melanie for just that reason. She took advantage of Camryn all the time. “We’ll just bring ‘em. The dog can take the backseat, and Fucktard can have the very back.”
Camryn laughed. “Why is it so much funnier hearing you call him that? But do you think the cage will be safe in the back?”
“I think so,” he nodded. “We’ll cover it and tie it down.” He pulled into her driveway and set the truck in park. “Well? What do you think? Take the kids on a road trip?”
“Oh my lord, our first road trip together and we’ve got a dog I don’t like and a parrot I dislike even more. Oh crap! We can’t take a bird and a dog into a hotel, can we?”
“Nah, we don’t have to worry about that. We’ll stay with my cousin.”
“Which is where?”
“Camarillo.”
“And you don’t feel bad about bringing a dog and a bird into the home?”
“Uh, nope. It’ll be okay.”
“I’m not sure, Teague. This dog… Maybe I should just put him in doggy care or something. I’m sure a kennel would take care of him better than I could.”
“I’ll tend to the dog, so don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s grab your stuff. We’ll get there in time to watch the sunset.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Camryn took a deep breath of ocean air and slowly released it. It felt so good to be at the coast, and even though it was still January, she’d take California sun in a heartbeat.
Something nudged her leg and it brought her back to reality. The dog had dropped the stick for her again, so she snatched it out of the sand and threw it as far as she could. She watched Tucker sprint toward the water and snag it before it could be pulled out to sea. Glancing toward the parking lot, she saw that Teague was still on the phone as he stood in front of his truck speaking to Jay. They’d already stopped in Camarillo to drop off her things—and the stupid bird—and Teague was more than happy to bring her straight to the beach to watch the sunset.
Her leg was nudged again. Looking down at the dog she smiled and said, “Okay, okay,” and picked up the stick again. While he retrieved it for the tenth time, she wandered closer to the Pacific, kicked off her shoes, and rolled up her pants to wade in the water. She’d tried standing in the water when she was up in Oregon and almost froze after two seconds. The water was still cold here, but it didn’t bite her skin as harshly.
Suddenly a splashing of saltwater sprayed over the front side of her as the dog came prancing by, dropping the stick again.
“Thanks, Tucker. I wanted to get soaked, you know.”
And she was wearing a white shirt, of course. At least it was just a speckling of drops across her chest and not a complete drenching. Rolling her eyes she threw the stick again, and then walked the same direction through the water to follow him. The dog came splashing through the ocean again, but she didn’t care any more since her clothes were already damp. They continued this routine a few more times, but then she was curious to see how far Tucker would go in the ocean.
She tossed the stick into the first wave and the mutt jumped into it head first. He came swimming out of it, proud as hell to be holding the stick in his mouth as his paws hit sand and came toward her. He was absolutely dripping from head to toe.
“Teague is going to kill me,” she smiled at the dog as he shook off briefly before dropping the stick once more. She couldn’t imagine Teague wanting this wet thing in his truck, so she hoped Tucker was okay with riding in the very back.
Camryn tossed the stick another time and glanced at the parking lot again. Teague was still on the phone, slowly pacing back and forth in front of his truck. When she turned toward the ocean, the water had crept up on her. She couldn’t see the dog either as she took a couple of quick steps backwards to avoid the wave crashing into her thighs.
She hit something and tumbled over it backwards, fully submersing herself in the two feet of water. “What the fuck!” she gasped, quickly scampering to her feet. It was the damn dog, and he stood there wagging his tail as he barked for her to pick up the stick. “Thanks, asshole,” she growled, wringing her hair out. She wiped under her eyes, sure that mascara was now smudged on her face.
Tucker picked up the stick and dropped it in front of her again as she walked toward the beach. This time she threw it to the sand instead, and she noticed that the trio of young guys that had been playing catch with a football nearby had stopped and were all gawking at her. She even heard one of them chuckle “Nice,” as he stared at her chest.
She could only imagine.
Turning to head away from them, she almost tripped over the dog again. And by then, Teague was already on the beach looking her over with a smile on his face as he approached.
“I’m thinking you know exactly how to turn me on,” he told her, eyeing her lacey white bra through her top.
“Yeah, you and everyone else,” she grumbled, picking up the stick for the dog.
He cast a silent warning to the guys staring and they immediately turned away and resumed playing. Camryn began walking to purposely leave the embarrassment behind.
“I’m sorry about the dog,” she said. “I’m sure you didn’t want him to get wet and sandy to mess up your truck, so hopefully he knows how to ride in the bed.”
He shrugged with indifference. “Not a big deal. If it meant seeing you topple over him into the water, it’s worth it,” he added, trying not to laugh.
“Hey!” she squealed, giving him a shove. “That was not cool!”
His eyes shot to her chest. “Hmm, looks a little chilly to me.”
Her hands flung to her breasts to cover them.
Teague stopped her and pulled her close to him, crushing her wet chest to his as her arms automatically wrapped around him. “You are so hot when you’re mad,” he told her. He pressed his lips against hers, obviously not caring if anyone was watching him thrust his tongue into her mouth. When they finally came up for air he said, “I think you need a hot shower.”
“I think you’re right, intern. Let’s go.”
***
Teague grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her to the parking lot. The dog followed automatically, even bringing the well-used stick with him. He didn’t even care about how wet and sandy Tucker was but loaded him into the very back.
The last five minutes of the twenty-minute ride back to the house was torturous as Camryn kissed Teague’s neck and face, and stroked his massive hard-on. She’d just started to unzip
his pants when they pulled into the driveway of the four-bedroom home. Teague put the dog in the backyard for the time being and carried his girl to the master bedroom.
“I’m full of sand,” she smiled through his mouth as he continued to kiss her and remove her clothing. They’d made it to his squeaky-clean bathroom and Teague was stripping off her underwear as his pants dropped to the floor.
“That’s why you need help showering,” he answered.
“We’re getting sand all over the place,” she said as he removed her bra. He flung it to the floor, pushed her up against the wall next to the walk-in shower, and reached in to turn it on.
“I don’t care about the sand,” he answered. Her skin was cold from being in wet clothes and he put his warm hands over her breasts.
“That’s kind of rude, isn’t it?” she panted, continuing to kiss him. His cock was fully erect, smashing against her stomach, and she reached down to caress it.
He sucked in a breath of air but dropped his hands from her chest and placed them against the wall. “It’s rude to touch you?” he wanted to clarify, groaning when she fisted him harder.
“No,” she chuckled. “Getting sand all over someone’s house like this. I mean I’ll clean it but—”
“It’s my house, doesn’t matter,” he breathed heavily. He reached into the shower, felt that it was warm enough, and pulled her in with him.
“This is your—?”
He silenced her with his fingers between her legs, stroking her inside just as fervently as he kissed her.
“I own it…let my cousin stay here…while I rented the house…in Oregon,” he panted in between kissing her mouth and banging her with his fingers. She was gripping his dick pretty firmly with a consistent tempo and could have gotten him off pretty easily that way. But he was holding back so he could be inside her again.
He hooked one of her legs around him and replaced his fingers with his cock. Camryn let out a low moan as he pushed all the way in, and her nails dug into his back even harder as she kissed him deeper. Their time in the shower the night before had been a lot slower and a little more sensual than this, but neither could deny the hasty need they each felt this time.
