Jesus, was it hot in here? Cam wondered as he checked the old thermostat on the wall of the room. When he saw the temperature was actually on the cool side he swore aloud realizing the heat was from the fever overtaking him. He hated being under the weather and couldn’t remember the last time he’d been honest-to-God sick. Being the ornery fuck that he was, he’d always held to the belief that he was too mean and cantankerous for germs to get close enough to stick. Yeah. Not so much this time.
Moments later the bathroom door swung open and out stepped the Ponytail, only this time her hair was more wet than dry and hanging on her shoulders. The sweatshirt he had given her with the faded Marine Corps logo was several sizes too large and hung to mid-thigh. The jeans she was wearing had seen better days as had the ratty sneakers on her feet. Dressed as she was, with the hair he was used to seeing pulled tight against her skull now falling about her shoulders, this Lacey looked more girl than woman. As that odd thought thumped in his brain, he also realized his insistent hard-on was heating up at the sight of her. He rationalized that it had to be the fever.
Glancing sideways at him as though unwilling to spend more than a scarce second under his regard she mumbled, “Thanks for the use of the bathroom,” while making a beeline for the door. He couldn’t believe she was going to try to slip away with damp hair and a stomach he could hear growling from across the room.
Completely ignoring her attempt to run, Cam sidestepped her escape attempt by waving the sandwich and tea at her. “Sit down and eat something before you fall down. The snack bar had slim pickings but I grabbed us a couple of sandwiches and there’s hot, sweet tea for you.” Noting her surprised hesitation, Cam motioned to a chair opposite him and away from the door as he sat down and began unwrapping one of the sandwiches.
“I’m guessing mystery meat,” he said as he tried for amiable before taking a large bite. Making a face that said, not so bad, he sincerely hoped his non-threatening manner was enough to persuade her to stay since that deer caught in the headlights look she had was rubbing at his nerves. He fully understood where the wariness and reserve came from but his curiosity and desire to get to know her better was something of a big deal. Cameron Justice didn’t want to get to know anybody better. That was until the Ponytail had wandered into his line of sight.
Her hunger won out, as he knew it would, and she slid economically into the seat he had indicated without much fuss. He didn’t think he’d ever met a woman who was this quiet and uncommunicative. Apparently, Lacey wasn’t much for conversation.
Okay, so it was up to him to make the dialogue happen. Not his strong suit by any means. Fantastic. Searching for words, he settled on an obvious question as a starter. “Is that your real name?” he asked. You’re some sparkling conversationalist, chuckled the voice in his head.
She nodded in the affirmative while popping the top off the steaming tea. Taking a delicate sip he watched her swallow as she seemed to consider what, if anything, to say. “Yes. Yes it is,” she answered slowly. “Lacey Anne Morrow.”
He watched, silently fascinated, as her tongue swiped away evidence of the tea from her lips. Her lips were fucking amazing. The fantasy filled vision of those lips opening for his cock momentarily blinded him.
Give me credit for a quick recovery, Cam thought as he smoothly continued. “Well, Lacey Anne Morrow, you’re the first damsel-in-distress I’ve ever rescued,” he told her with a completely straight face. “I take it you are.” He paused, searching for the right words. “Between places to live,” he finished while continuing to inhale the pathetic sandwich. He studied her every move and noted most of the emotions flickering across her just scrubbed face.
Taking a measured bite of the sandwich, she looked at him full on. “More or less.”
Humph. Lady of few words. When she didn’t offer anything more he kept on eating, taking in her slow, deliberate movements. While she drank the hot tea and nibbled away, he remembered what it was like, trying not to give in to the hunger he knew she must have been feeling. Noticing she was favoring her injured arm, Cam nodded in her direction and asked, “Any better?”
“Um…well, it hurts a bit but I suppose that’s to be expected,” she answered quietly with a shrug.
Rising from the table Cam grabbed his overnight bag, fishing around until he extracted a container of analgesics. Tipping out two tablets on the table next to her he said, “Take those for the pain.” Retreating to the bathroom, he returned seconds later with a tear sheet of meds. Handing her the sealed antibiotic pill he murmured, “Just in case an infection sets in.”
When she eyed the pills with clear skepticism, he handed her the blister pack so she could see for herself that he wasn’t fucking around. Some serious shit had to have visited this girl judging by the way that she reacted to every little thing. He wondered if she would have eaten the sandwich if he hadn’t dug in first.
The minutes ticked by in silence as they finished eating and then sat back to finish their hot beverages. Cam was going over the options of what he wanted to say and do next as Lacey wrapped her hands around the container of sweetened hot tea. She was very good at not looking in his direction, a fact that was starting to make him uncharacteristically edgy. Glancing at his watch, Cam marked the time and made a quick decision on how to proceed.
“Look, I have to go out for a while so you’re welcome to hang out here and grab some sleep if you want.” When she finally looked at him her face was closed but the way she fidgeted told him she was uneasy. When she glanced at the door he figured she was considering getting as far away from him as possible. He understood. She had learned the hard way, no doubt, to depend only on herself and not to trust anyone else.
Rising to his feet, Cam made to leave the room before she bolted. “I’m checking out some property an hour north of here,” he told her while pointedly looking at his watch. “You’ll have the place all to yourself for hours.” Catching her guarded expression, he hastily added, “Really Lacey, I’m no threat. Just trying to help.”
The shrug of his shoulders and the way he kept his distance must have eased her fears because she nodded shakily while biting her lip, a hopeful sign that she was going to accept his offer. Mentally adding to the win column, he deliberately ignored that she still wasn’t completely at ease around him.
Grabbing his keys and cell phone, Cam slid on an old leather jacket and reached for his sunglasses. Remembering the granola bars he had pocketed earlier, he tossed one for her on the table with a nod. “For you,” was all he said. Surprisingly, he wished she would talk to him. Not known for being particularly loquacious, Cam spent a good deal of his time in silence preferring the sound of his private thoughts to the inane chatter of others. Hoping for some chit-chat with a total stranger was throwing him off.
“I’ll be back around nightfall. The door will lock behind me. Try and relax Lacey, and if that arms starts to bother you take some more pain medication.” She attempted a half smile but it didn’t stick on her face for more than a second. Poor kid, he thought. She didn’t deserve to be so suspicious of basic human kindness. Cam almost laughed out loud at that. He was known for a lot of things but being a purveyor of humanity wasn’t one of them.
As he made for the door, he turned around and looked at her one more time. “Get some sleep. You look beat. We’ll talk when I get back.” With that, he swept out the door and climbed in his truck without looking back. He really did need to check out the fifty-acre farm he’d arranged to tour. Buying property in the mountains was a new whim he’d been tossing around for months. Unfortunately for him though, he really was starting to feel like warmed over shit as his temperature climbed.
“What fucking ever,” he mumbled out loud as the truck backed from the parking space. Mind over matter. No way was some annoying bug going to take him down. And with that, he hit the highway and started driving.
Lacey peeked cautiously through the curtains as her rescuer drove his truck out of the parking lot, and headed north toward
the main highway that would lead him out of town. An abundance of caution kept her rooted in that spot scanning the area around the motel for several long minutes before she finally stepped back from the window, heaving a deep sigh.
She didn’t know what to make of him. Beyond thankful that he appeared in time to thwart a bag snatching that had gotten out of hand, he had also sort of frightened her with a dark knight quality that stole her breath.
Besides the obvious fact that he was big, solid, and muscular, he had an intimidating presence that drew in rather than repelled her interest. Vivid green eyes with abundant dark eyelashes on a handsome face covered in several days’ stubble, he was definitely a looker. The man had a double dose of bad boy sex appeal going on as well. The shaggy black hair in need of a trim only added to his attraction.
Looking around the motel room she noted that except for the pile of clothes on the floor in the bathroom, he was as neat as a pin. The somber, dark-haired man who just left was nothing like any who had passed through her life before. Her neglectful father had been an indifferent slob, and the uncle who had nearly destroyed her life had been nothing short of a slovenly pig.
Thinking about her two worthless relatives was a reminder of how rough the last couple of years had been. Technically speaking, she became a runaway when she fled south Florida at seventeen. In the five years since then, she’d been living hand-to-mouth, performing odd jobs, doing seasonal labor, and surviving by sheer luck and gritty determination. When she could, there were short-term motel rooms like this one, but mostly she’d been surviving in campgrounds, the occasional overnights in church run missions, and a youth hostel in the city.
Relying on her gut for instinct, something that had served her well all these years, she decided to see where this chance encounter would lead. Trust was not something Lacey had much success with but the way his presence seeped into her veins with a surprising warmth and ease fueled her leap of faith. He didn’t look like a Cameron but he said that was his name and she couldn’t deny there something special about him.
Her arm ached and she was feeling drained by the tumultuous hours that had just passed. Stretching her limbs, Lacey tried to pull herself together, forcing some of the day’s tension to recede. If her rescuer would be gone for hours, she was going to take advantage of the opportunity to crash in safety and comfort. It seemed weird to sleep in a strange man’s bed so she plucked a pillow from under the coverlet and instead settled down on the lumpy sofa.
She was exhausted from the earlier turmoil, but even so, she didn’t immediately drop off to sleep. Instead, she saw in her mind’s eye the vision of a tall man with shaggy black hair and unusual green eyes under dark brows that made him look fierce and dangerous. His mouth re-formed time and time again in her thoughts as she struggled to find sleep. Her savior had a full bottom lip and sensuous heart shaped top lip that made her think of things she had no business contemplating. Things like how it would feel to be kissed by those lips. Words like devoured and consumed filled her brain while warmth spread slowly through her nervous system.
At twenty-two years of age, she felt aged beyond mere dates on a calendar. Even so, she’d never been kissed. Never felt the warmth of a lover’s embrace. Never wanted to either, at least not up until this second, a realization that rocked her world.
How could she sleep when her thoughts were full of the devastatingly handsome hero who oozed masculinity and raw desire? He’d been uncommonly kind to her yet something else lurked just below the surface. Something dark and serious. He had eyes that saw too much, as if he could click into her private thoughts at will. Maybe he had his demons too, just like she did, and maybe just like her he was emotionally damaged and trying to make sense of what life had put on his plate. Whatever. He was as much a mystery to her as she was to him and with that last thought Lacey drifted off.
She must have slept like the dead because it was well after nightfall when she roused. Being in an unfamiliar setting had her jumping straight up and off the sofa before she remembered where she was. Darting quickly to the curtain-covered window she peeked outside noting that Cameron’s truck had not yet reappeared. True to his word, he had been gone for hours and a quick glance at the clock on the bedside table told her he’d likely be returning soon.
Spying the granola bar he’d left on the table, Lacey inhaled the delightful treat as she replaced the pillow on his bed and out of habit, checked her old backpack to make sure her meager belongings were okay.
There was only so much walking in circles Lacey could do so she turned on the TV, clicking through the channels to find the local weather report. With summer a fading memory and autumn in full swing, it wouldn’t be too long before the weather would turn cold. Which reminded her that it was probably time to head south to a warmer climate where she’d be better able to survive through the winter.
She would avoid going anywhere near Florida of course, a place she’d come to hate with a passion as unbidden memories of her former life there flashed in her mind. Maybe she should buy a bus ticket to Georgia or Texas. She had saved enough doing summer work to do just that. Her goal was to find a job and a cheap room in a new town where she could build a life.
That thought was barely spent when she heard the low rumbling sound of a big vehicle outside the motel room. Standing up, she wiped the crumbs of the granola bar from her lips and made for the door to check and see if it was her mysterious rescuer returning.
He said they’d talk when he returned, something that Lacey wasn’t good at. She’d always found quiet safer than being a motor mouth. Sliding the security chain free, she cracked the motel room door before moving herself to the other side of the room as she waited for him to appear once again.
A wayward thought danced in her mind. She’d been yearning for a friend, someone she could try her hand at trusting. Had that person magically appeared in her life in the form of the silent, brooding enigma who had shown her unusual kindness on what was one of the worst days of her life? As she waited for whatever happened next, the old maxim – Be Careful What You Wish For – washed through her mind. Hmmmm.
Relieved to have made it back to the motel in one piece, Cameron sat in the cab of his truck for several minutes while he struggled to pull himself together. The property tour had gone reasonably well but as the day wore on, he had gotten sicker and sicker. A climbing fever and an uneasy rumbling in his gut made the last hour and a half as he navigated the mountain roads sheer torture. Twice he’d had to pull over when his stomach turned on him. Puking out his guts along the side of the road hadn’t exactly been a party. He wasn’t so sure when he got out of the truck that his legs would carry him to the room.
Lacey and her ponytail had been front and center in his thoughts all day. He hoped she’d still be there when he got back because Cam was pretty sure if she wasn’t, he’d be tracking her down in a heartbeat. Something about the woman-child got to him in a way that he didn’t want to examine too closely. He’d been entranced by her baby blue eyes and seduced by the sound of her voice almost from the first second. She was an unexpected breath of fresh air in his stagnant, walled-off emotional life. He tried convincing himself that admitting his life was less-than-satisfactory had to be because of the fever.
Trembling fingers that didn’t seem to want to do his bidding fumbled with the keys in the ignition before he pushed open the truck’s door with his foot and tried swinging himself free of the cab. A long string of pithy swear words lit up his mind but stayed unspoken since he sincerely doubted he had the strength to do anything other than groan. The terse “Fuck” that did find its way from his weakened vocal cords was all he could manage when he leaned against the side of the truck and waited for the world to stop spinning.
Staggering to the door of his motel room, Cam was surprised to find it unlocked and slightly ajar. Relief surged through him knowing that the Ponytail was on the other side of the door. When his stomach made an unfortunate series of spasms and lurches, he picked up speed, r
ushing through the open door and charging toward the bathroom before he embarrassed himself by vomiting all over the motel room floor.
Even sick as a dog he made note of the blonde haired, freckle-faced girl he’d left earlier in the day watching him in silence as he made it to the bathroom. Slamming the door shut a mere second before it was too late, he surrendered to a violent case of the pukes that left him shaking and weakened under the blinding glare of the way-too-bright bathroom lights.
Lacey was right there when he came out of the bathroom, helping him stumble to the bed. He collapsed as powerful body-shaking chills swept through him. After that, everything became a blur. Somehow he managed to yank his t-shirt over his head and shuck off his jeans. The last thing he remembered before passing out was the concerned expression on a freckled face that reminded him, for once, he was not completely alone.
Holy cow, Lacey thought. He’s a mess. She’d been stunned when her dark angel lumbered into the room, just barely making it to the toilet before throwing up. By the time he crashed down on the bed, his body was shaking uncontrollably with chills as he fell into the sleep of sickness. Well, looks like one good turn deserves another, she mused because clearly, her rescuer was more than just a tad under the weather. Judging by his pallor and the way he was shaking, a serious case of the flu was having its way with him.
Switching into angel of mercy mode, she put her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. He was burning up. She marveled at his ability to drive in this condition, much less find his way back to the motel in one piece. She needed to get him comfortable and under a pile of blankets before that fever got completely out of control.
Trying to be clinical, Lacey took in the sight of his half-naked form. After shedding his clothes, Cameron was left in just a simple pair of snug cotton boxer briefs that did little to cover his masculine attributes. And, dear God, did he ever have attributes.
Broken Justice (Justice Brothers) Page 4
