by Hadley Quinn
Ten minutes later he heard a hair dryer running. It was only on a few minutes and then he heard the doorknob rattle.
“Sorry I don’t have satellite or anything,” she said, stepping toward the bed. She was wearing a blue tank top and plaid pajama shorts, and before she climbed onto the bed with him, she flipped off the main light and turned on a lamp instead.
“I’m obviously not here for the TV stations,” he smiled, receiving her in his arms when she scooted against him.
He slid his hand behind her neck as her lips came to his. A thrill shot through him as they repeated their kiss from the parking lot, only this time she was lying against him and his hands groped her ass automatically. Holy shit, she had the nicest ass he’d ever touched. If she was offended that he was rubbing his hands over it, she didn’t show it. In fact, she was kissing him deeper, her thigh getting dangerously close to his growing hard-on.
As much as he didn’t want to stop, he pulled away and kissed her forehead to end it, and she laid her head on his chest with a soft sigh.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she murmured, cuddling close to him.
Kissing the top of her head he replied, “Me too.” He liked the way she smelled, but it reminded him of breathing in his sheets after she left town. The scent of her had lingered and he loved and hated it at the same time. He didn’t like how he felt inside after she left.
Camryn made a comment about the nineties movie that was on and nestled closer into him. Teague explained some of the background that pertained to that particular film and she listened with interest.
“You sound like a movie junkie,” she teased.
He paused briefly and replied, “Yeah, I kind of am.”
Camryn closed her eyes when he started playing with her hair. She sighed with contentment and Teague was aware of the very moment she nodded off. It was just like the night at his house and he was surprised she fell asleep so quickly.
He stayed for three more hours. He told himself he’d only watch the rest of the movie, but when it was over, he decided to watch the next one as well. At five in the morning he had to force himself to be separated from her. He tucked the extra pillow next to her and made sure she was still covered by the blanket, and then kissed her forehead and turned off the lamp.
As he made his way down the hall he heard the front door open. He watched Melanie quietly slip into the house, and since there was a lamp on in the living room, she wasn’t too startled to see him there.
She raised her eyebrows. “Sneaking out?”
“Sneaking in?” he smirked at her.
“I don’t have a curfew, Inferno. I just always hope my sister is actually getting some sleep and don’t want to wake her.”
“She sleeps like she’s in a coma.”
Melanie was clearly surprised. “Really? That’s odd. Camryn hardly ever sleeps. So why are you leaving? That’s kind of rude, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, it could be. But I already told her I wasn’t staying.”
Before Melanie could make a response, he said goodnight and let himself out. When he got to his truck, the first thing he did was pull out his phone to send a text:
I’m back. Got any work for me?
Chapter Seventeen
“Well holy shit, he’s alive,” a gruff female voice stated.
Teague was sprawled face down on the bed but pulled the pillow off the back of his head and peeked at her, trying to focus. “Oh. Hey, Kell.”
“No one said you were coming back. What’s up, Teague? You here for good?”
He rolled over and squinted at the room that’d been filling with sunlight for the past several hours as Kellie sat at the end of his bed. “Not sure. Maybe.”
“You here for something in particular?”
Stretching, he sat up. “Do I have to be? Can’t I be in my own home without reporting to you?”
She gave a short laugh. “Of course. I was just curious.” She watched him for a moment, checking him over for anything new. His chest was bare but there were no crazy tattoos or anything unusual on his body. “You okay? Last I talked to Jay you were, you know, not doing good. That was a few weeks ago. You won’t call me back.”
“I texted you back.”
“Not the same thing. Texting ‘I’m fine’ doesn’t say much. And then with my smartass brother telling me shit like you’re dressing in drag, or hitting the gay bars, or picking up prostitutes… What am I supposed to think?”
Teague smiled but didn’t give her a verbal response.
“So…you going back to work?” she asked.
“Don’t know. Depends.”
“On what? The right job?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
She paused and glanced away when she asked, “You seen your dad yet?”
“Fuck no,” he said, yanking the covers off. He climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom in his boxers.
“Do you plan on it?” Kellie called after him.
He didn’t answer for several seconds. “Probably not,” he finally said. When he returned to the bedroom, his cousin was still sitting on the bed. “You gonna talk to your dad?” he smiled.
“Fuck no,” she chuckled. “God, we’re from such a stupid family. I heard about Christmas,” she smirked. “My dad was at his finest, huh?”
“Yep. He was already drunk by the time we got there. His girlfriend is nice, but without a spine.”
“That’s what I hear. And I’m sure my dad will keep it that way. The McCallan men are such fucking studs,” she laughed sarcastically. “I can’t believe he ended up in that small cow town. Five years ago he wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere but big city.”
“Drugs and alcohol will do that to a person,” Teague said, pulling on a pair of jeans. He grabbed a t-shirt from the dresser and slipped it on. “Jay made an effort but…”
“I know,” she shrugged. “Oh well. What’s my brother still doing there? How come he didn’t come with you?”
Teague stuck his wallet in his back pocket and grabbed his keys. “I’m not sure how many days of work he decided to finish. He’s been rebuilding a Camaro and they were just about to start painting it. I caught a flight before he gave me an answer.”
“So what’d you do, just up and leave? I thought you were working in a surf shop?”
“I quit.”
“And…just headed south? You got your breather?”
He barely shrugged. “Kind of. I met a girl.”
Kellie’s jaw dropped open. “A girl? Really? What’s her name?”
“Camryn. She lives in Fresno but was up in Oregon visiting her mom.”
Kellie shook her head at him. “I can’t believe you chased a girl, Teague. Oh my God. Fresno? That’s a few hours north.”
“I know.”
“So have you seen her yet?”
“Yeah, last night. Well, I got home early this morning.”
“Dog.”
He smiled as he slipped some shoes on. “Wasn’t like that.”
“So tell me about her.”
“Maybe later. I gotta meet up with Glen, but first I need to run some errands.” He playfully messed up her dyed maroon hair and said, “See ya, cuz.”
***
“Melanie!” Camryn shouted from the front room. She stood with her arms over her chest with a less-than-pleased expression.
“What?” her sister asked, entering the room. She noticed the extra visitor right away and squealed. “Ooh, he’s here! Hi, Tucker!”
“What the fuck is that?” Camryn growled.
“It’s called a dog, you freak.”
Camryn sighed. “I know it’s a damn dog, but why is it in my house?”
“Because we’re going to doggysit for the week.”
Camryn took a deep breath to keep calm. “Some guy brings his dog over, hands him to me, and says, ‘She can call if she has any questions.’ I say, ‘What the hell is this?’ and he says ‘It’s Tucker, tell her thanks again, I gotta go.’ ”
&
nbsp; “He’s going to New York for the week.”
“And he didn’t have the decency to talk to you in person when he dropped off his mutt?”
“I just talked to him on the phone. I was just out of the shower so I said to drop him off with you.”
Camryn rolled her eyes. “And when were you going to tell me this?”
“Sorry, last night was kind of crazy. I didn’t get home until after five. About the time Inferno was leaving,” she smirked.
Camryn’s interest was piqued. “You saw him leave?”
“Yep. So let’s talk about that instead…”
“No, let’s not. Tell me about this stupid dog and how you’re going to take care of it when you’re working.”
“Well, I just…figured you’d help me out.”
“Well you figured wrong. I hate dogs.” Camryn left for the kitchen and Melanie trailed behind, calling the dog to follow.
“You’ll love this dog, I swear. He’s so quiet and he listens well. That’s what I was told, at least. And he just needs to be pet once in a while. See?” She bent down to awkwardly pat the dog on the head.
“Oh, you’re a natural,” Camryn laughed sarcastically.
“Hey,” Melanie scoffed. “I’m just…not used to dogs. We were never allowed to have one.”
“I get that, but you did this because it was for a guy. Tell me about him.”
“He was cute, right?”
“Sort of.”
“Sort of? He’s super cute. His name is Henry.”
“Henry?” Camryn coughed. “Good lord, Mel. Since when are you interested in men that aren’t named Trick, or Razor, or…Douchebag.”
“You’re so rude,” she laughed. “And you should see this guy in a suit and tie—”
Camryn choked on her juice. “Are you kidding me?!”
“Hey, shut up!” Melanie laughed. “He works at the offices across the street.”
“He’s a lawyer?”
Melanie partially shrugged.
“Yeah, and how old is he?” Camryn narrowed her eyes.
“Twenty, um, something…”
“Twenty-something?”
“Okay, so I’m not exactly sure how old he is. But he’s new to the area and doesn’t know many people. He had a business trip and—”
“And you told him you’re an expert dogsitter.”
“No, just that I liked dogs a lot and if he wanted some help…”
Camryn sighed. “You have this guy’s number then?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
Camryn looked at the pile of dog items she’d dropped by the door. “Fine, go get his things organized and leave Henry’s phone number on the white board.”
“Okay. Thanks Cam!”
Melanie skipped across the room, a big brown furry ass following her when she called him.
“Do we even know what kind of dog this is?” Camryn asked, looking him over from a distance. He was entirely brown, but had the face of a St. Bernard. He wasn’t that large though, maybe the size of a Lab, but he was a cute dog.
“I have no idea,” Melanie shrugged.
“Well text or call and find out. I hate not knowing stuff like that.”
“Hey, where’d the flowers come from?” Melanie asked, noticing the large bouquet of lilies and roses by the couch. “My heavens, they’re gorgeous! I can smell them from across the room. There’s no note,” she stated, snooping through the arrangement. Camryn was already smiling when Melanie turned to face her. “Are these from Teague? Ooh, you’re so lucky!” she squealed.
Camryn had already squealed over them after they’d been delivered that morning, so she couldn’t help but be excited over her sister’s approval.
“What’d the note say? You aren’t going to keep it from me, are you?” she pouted.
Camryn lightly laughed, but Mel was actually a romantic soul like herself and she didn’t want to hide such a sweet and thoughtful gesture. “It just said, ‘Miss you like crazy, can’t wait to see you again.’ ”
“Oh my God,” Melanie gushed. “How frickin’ sweet. So is Teague coming over again?”
With a shrug Camryn brushed her chicken breasts with marinade. “I don’t know. He said he had some stuff to do today.”
“While he’s down here visiting you?”
“He’s got family down here. I know Jay’s sister lives somewhere nearby, at least. Teague’s cousin.”
Melanie sat on a stool at the counter. “Tell me about last night, Cam. Please?”
Camryn faced her sister, fully aware that Melanie was dying to know. She felt like sharing too, but didn’t know where to start. “Well, he was kind of bugged that I left Oregon without saying goodbye.”
“He had good reason.”
“I know. I apologized.”
“And?”
“And?”
“You let him kiss you, Camryn. That is…so huge. You said you were never going to kiss a guy unless—”
“You don’t have to remind me.”
“Just stating the obvious. So tell me why. What makes him worthy?”
“I don’t know if he is.”
“Pssh, come on, Cam. You let him kiss you. I know your ‘rule.’ You’ve known guys a lot longer and never let that happen. Not even Brandon. And yes, I know you and Brandon have a special agreement but… What’s different about Teague?”
“I don’t know,” Camryn shrugged honestly. “He’s just… We just… Fit.”
Melanie placed her chin in her hand and watched Camryn slice vegetables for a minute. “So what was it like to kiss him?”
Camryn smiled and her heart thumped automatically. “Amazing.”
Melanie grinned big and Camryn knew she was sincerely happy for her. “Well I like him,” Melanie decided. “He seems very…real. Kind of a smartass, but he seems to respect you. And good lord if he spoils you with beautiful stuff like that,” she gestured to the flowers, “keep him around no matter what.”
Camryn chuckled at her sister’s tease, but she agreed with the part about Teague being respectful—especially after last night and his decision to not go for the score. After how easily they clicked, Camryn was surprised. She hadn’t slept with anyone since Zach, and even though she felt she was finally ready and wanted it to be with Teague, it still scared the hell out of her.
“So what does Brandon think?” Melanie asked.
Camryn somewhat snorted. “I don’t know. He’s probably relieved. Finally got some sucker to take me off his hands.”
“Ha, I doubt it. Brandon loves you a lot and he wants to make sure you’re looked after.”
“I don’t need looked after.”
“Everyone needs to be looked after. But because of what Zach told him, he feels obligated as the big brother. But even though the two of you aren’t compatible in the way you and Zach were, you and Brandon were still good for each other.”
“I know.” Camryn thought of Brandon’s text last night, making sure she was okay and wondering where she was.
Then she started to think about Teague again. She’d had his number for the last two weeks and hadn’t used it once. She grabbed her cell phone and headed for her room to find her “Christmas gift.” It was kind of a significant moment, pulling it out of her nightstand drawer and inserting Teague Chandler and his number into her phone. She marked it as a “favorite” and decided it eventually needed his picture to go with it. He was too beautiful to not have his face on her phone.
She simply texted I miss you too, in reference to the note that was with the flowers, and sat on her bed to wait for a reply. It came a minute later.
Is this Tiffany? Megan? Ashley? Holly? Jennifer? Samantha? Lindsey? LaToya??????
Camryn laughed out loud. What a smartass.
She replied: I’m the one you sent the most gorgeous arrangement of flowers to a couple hours ago.
Teague: Hmm, still doesn’t narrow it down…
Camryn shook her head, thoroughly amused: Oops, sorry. I guess those were from An
tonio. My bad.
Teague: Hey now!!
She smiled just as another text came through.
Teague: Just a sec, got something to send you…
She waited, and when another text came with a picture attached, she sighed pathetically as she stared at it. It was the picture that Teague took at the beach—their names in the sand with a heart around it.
She was about to text a response when her phone rang with a call from him instead.
“Ha, I called you first,” he joked.
Just hearing his voice again made her smile. It was so appealing it even made her pulse race. “Hey, I messaged you first,” she replied lamely.
“Pssh, a text?”
“I didn’t want to bother you if you were busy.”
“Hey, I’d answer your call no matter what.”
In her head she heard herself go “awwww.” Outwardly she said nothing.
“So what’re you up to?” he asked.
“Um, was just making something for dinner. You want to eat with me or are you still busy with stuff?”
“I’d love to eat with you. I’m still a couple hours out, though.”
“You mean until you can be available, or you’re actually a couple hours away.”
“I’m on my way north to see you. Right now I’m about ninety minutes away.”
“Where’ve you been? Is that where your cousin lives? Teague, you know you could have just stayed here—”
“I know, but there were things I had to do down here. I’ll explain when I get there and we can talk about it.”
She wasn’t sure what to reply but just agreed. They talked for a few more minutes until Camryn insisted he should put his phone away while he drove. They hung up, and that’s when Melanie came flying into her room with an old tabloid magazine and slapped it on the bed in front of her.
“I knew he looked familiar!” she screeched, bouncing up and down.
Camryn jumped back, startled by her sister’s boisterous entry. But then she leaned forward to get a closer look at the photo and she raised her eyebrows.
There in front of her eyes wasn’t a photo of Teague Chandler, but of Teague McCallan.
