Camden's Redemption

by L. P. Dover

  “I only came here to confront dipshit for leaving me. I wasn’t planning on staying.”

  He glanced quickly at Camden and then started for the door. “I’m going to get this turned in and see what my people can find. Hopefully, we’ll hear something back soon. I’ll keep you updated. Be safe on the trip home, B.”

  “I will.”

  After he left, an awkward silence fell through the room. I could sense the anger in Camden; it was bubbling just below the surface. I knew what I wanted him to say, but it was wishful thinking. Or maybe I was just stupid.

  “Are you mad at me?” I asked, following behind him to the kitchen.

  He grabbed my plate and roughly put in the sink, the sound making my ears ring. “Nope. I didn’t realize you were going back home so soon. I just figured . . . well, I guess it doesn’t matter.” Turning around, he glared at me, his eyes stripping me to my soul. “So what was the point of coming out here if you’re just going to leave again? Is it payback for what I did?”

  “Are you kidding me? I came out here to see you, to make sure you were okay. If I didn’t, you sure as hell wouldn’t. What else do you want from me? I already know you don’t want to have anything to do with me until your case is closed. I just don’t know if I can wait that long.”

  Clenching his jaw, he gripped the edge of the counter and stayed silent. I wanted him to say something, anything . . . but he didn’t.

  Slamming my hands on the counter, I grabbed my keys and bag off the floor and backed away. “You know what? This obviously isn’t going to work. We live two different lives and look,” I said, waving my hands around his house. “You live in a fucking mansion on the beach. I’m a country girl who loves to shoot guns and get dirty. I’m not your type. I think we both know once you get your life back on track, there’s not going to be any place for me. I love you, Camden, but it looks like we don’t want the same things.”

  He turned his head and I took another step back, feeling tears burn. All I wanted was to hear him tell me to stay, that I was what he wanted. I didn’t want a vow of lifelong commitment, but at least a chance that it could actually happen. When it didn’t come, I had no choice but leave, or make a total fool of myself.

  “I’ll see myself out.”

  By the time I got out the door and shut it, I broke down in tears. He wasn’t coming after me. Deep in my heart, I thought maybe this could work. That maybe he loved me enough to ask me not to go. Taking a deep breath, I opened my car door and threw my bag in. Before I got in, Camden grabbed me around the waist and slammed the door shut, pinning me against the car.

  “Stay.”

  “What?” I gasped.

  His eyes were burning with emotion. “I don’t know why you have to be so goddamned stubborn when all I want to do is protect you. I want you to stay, Brooklyn. I want you so bad it fucking hurts. Why can’t you see that?” He brushed his thumbs under my eyes, wiping away the tears.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I saw you with those girls earlier and I got angry. Once you start fighting again, so many people will expect you to be the way you were. I don’t want to see you go back to that. That’s not the Camden I fell for.”

  “And it’s not who I’m going to be,” he thundered. “Our lives were different before. I don’t want those fake bitches, they don’t make me happy.” Grasping my face, he held me firm. “I want you. You make me happy. And I never plan on letting you go, no matter how dramatic you get.” He chuckled. “Stay with me, Brooklyn. For as long as you want to be with me, I want you to stay.”

  “What about my life and my home? Do you expect me to just up and leave everything? What if I wanted you to come back with me?”

  He smiled before bending down to kiss me. I melted and opened myself up to him. “Then I would follow you, buttercup. I came back here because I thought it would keep you safe, not because I missed my old life.”

  “But you love the ocean, the waves. I’ve seen you surf and I know it’s your passion.”

  “It is, but I’d give it all up for you. There is no you and I, it’s only we from here on out. It’s your choice, Brooklyn. Are we going to stay, or are we going to go?”

  The night passed quickly with Camden showing me the perks of living on the beach. I even had my first surfing lesson, where I learned an injured walrus could probably surf better than me, but Camden was optimistic. God bless his heart.

  By the end of the night, the decision was made; I would stay in Malibu. Was I going to miss my home? Yes. But I could never ask him to leave everything behind for me. What did I have in Charlotte? Nothing, besides my brother and a couple of friends. My sister was gone and my parents were too hung up in their grief to notice me. I wouldn’t be missing a damn thing back home other than my land and traipsing through the woods.

  My flight was scheduled to leave in four hours and I was going alone, but after I resigned from the department and handled my business, I was heading straight back to California. As soon as I took a shower and got dressed, I was leaving him . . . again. The sinking feeling in my gut scared me.

  Taking a deep breath, I blew it out as the steamy, hot water rained down on my face. I jumped when Camden’s hands came down on my shoulders. I wasn’t expecting him to join me.

  “Hey, it’s just me,” he laughed. Shutting the shower door, he turned me around to face him. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I breathed. “I’m fine. Just a weird feeling is all.”

  Smirking, he grabbed the bar of soap and slid it across my breasts, massaging them. “It’s because you don’t want to leave me. You can admit it.”

  I smacked him on the arm and smiled. “Tis true. I don’t want to leave, but I have to. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  He slid the bar of soap down my stomach to my thighs and slipped his finger across my clit, making me jump. “And I’ll have a surprise for you when you come back.” Washing the soap off my body, he spread my legs, setting my foot up on the marble seat. Starting from my thigh, he kissed his way up my leg and brushed his tongue across my slit before delving deep, penetrating me. My hands branched out to hold onto the wall to keep my balance.

  “Hopefully, this will be my coming home greeting when I get back,” I moaned.

  “Oh no, buttercup. You’ll be getting a lot more than this.” Slowly, he trailed his lips up my stomach and to my breasts, biting them instead of sucking. It hurt, but it also felt so damn good. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  Picking me up in his arms, he pushed me against the cold wall and hooked his arms under my knees, spreading me wide. Grinding his cock along my center, he asked, “What about this?” Slamming home, I screamed as he filled me up, stretching me.

  “Oh my God, yes,” I cried. Over and over, he thrust into me, each one harder than the last. My clit throbbed, my body tightened and I could feel his control slipping away. “I’m so close,” I moaned.

  Growling low in his chest, he bounced me up and down, harder and faster. Once his lips closed over my nipple and sucked, I knew I was done for. I screamed out my release and raked my nails down his back, riding the tremors of my orgasm as he came inside me. Letting my legs drop, he leaned into me, his chest rising and falling with his rapid breaths.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” he asked, kissing my neck. “You teased me with coming and now I have to let you go.” Gently, he pulled out of me and grabbed the bar of soap, rubbing it along my body again.

  “I’ll be back before you know it. What if I get back and you get tired of me? What if things change?”

  After he washed my body, he took my face in his hands and shook his head. “That’s not going to happen. We’re going to change, but we’ll be changing together. Are you sure you can handle my past? It’s not going to be easy. I want you to be sure this is what you want.”

  “It is,” I said, taking the soap from him. I washed him too, making sure to put extra attention on a certain area. Once we were both cle
an, he shut off the water and we got out.

  “What are you going to do about your land? Will you sell it?”

  Grabbing a towel, I dried off and wrapped it around me. “Probably. I’m sure it’ll go really fast once I put it up on the market. I’m going to miss it though.”

  “You don’t have to do this. Why don’t you keep it?”

  We moved to the bedroom and I threw on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt for the plane ride home. “I can’t,” I murmured sadly. “I won’t have the money to keep it up. Once I resign from the department, I’ll have to find another job.”

  That was the one thing I wasn’t looking forward to . . . finding another job. Sometimes women in my line of work weren’t respected like the men. I was lucky to have my brother and close friends with the guys back home. “I guess I could always see if Mason would take me on as a partner of sorts.”

  Camden scoffed. “Really? You’re worried about money? That’s the last thing you need to be stressed about. I can help you, Brooklyn.”

  I wrapped my hair up into my towel and shoved my dirty clothes into my bag. “Thanks, but how do you plan on doing that? I’m not going to just take your money.”

  He tossed his towel onto the bed and stood gloriously naked in front of me. “Who said anything about taking it? I’m going to make you work for it.”

  Laughing, I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bed. “I am not going to be your private whore, Camden. Besides, you don’t have to pay me to have sex with you. I kind of like it.”

  He winked and slipped on a pair of boxers and jeans. “I’m glad you assume that’s what I was offering. You couldn’t have it more wrong, sweetheart. What would you say about working for me?”

  “Doing what?” I asked incredulously.

  Stalking over to the bed, he pushed me back onto it and covered my body with his. His skin was still warm and wet from the shower. “By being my bodyguard,” he replied.

  I burst out laughing so hard, my side ached. “You’re joking, right?” When I looked up into his gaze, I knew he wasn’t. What the hell was he thinking? “Holy fuck, you’re being serious.”

  “Are you interested?”

  “Camden, look at you,” I said, “You’re twice the size of me with muscles bigger than my thighs. How the hell could I protect you?”

  “It’s not just from people who want to hurt me, buttercup. You’d have to stay with me twenty-four seven. That means with every single woman who comes my way, you’d have full rein to tell them to fuck off. That’s what you wanted to do to those girls yesterday, isn’t it?”

  “Oh my God,” I gasped. “Yes, I did, but I’m not a jealous psycho. I know you wanted to do the same when Blake came near me.”

  His eyes crinkled mischievously. “Then I guess we’ll both benefit from this. You can keep the women away from me and I can keep the men away from you. No one will be stupid enough to try to hit on you with me around.”

  “Ahh,” I shouted, pushing him off of me. Chuckling, he helped me off the bed and put his arms around me. “So that’s why you want me with you. It’s so you can keep men away from me.”

  “Is that so bad? I can’t have just anybody trying to make a move on what’s mine.”

  I looked over at the clock and time was slipping away from us. Sighing, I said, “I have to go. But I promise I’ll think it over and give you an answer when I come back.”

  He held me tighter. “Think hard, buttercup. The benefits will surely be worth it.”

  Lifting up on my toes, I kissed him long and hard, knowing it was the last one we’d share for a while. “I promise.”

  Camden picked up my bag and I followed him down the stairs and out the door to my car. He put my bag in the backseat and opened my door for me. “I love you.”

  I hugged him quickly and breathed him in. “I love you too.” Once in the car, I lowered the window.

  “Call me when you land so I know you got there safely.”

  “I will.” I pulled out of his driveway and glanced in my rearview mirror until he disappeared from view. The airport was only a thirty minute drive away and when I got there, I turned in the rental car and went to my terminal. There was still an hour before my flight so I sat down and played some games on my phone, until a phone call came through. It was my mother.

  Reluctantly, I answered. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Brooklyn, honey, how are you?”

  Sitting back in my chair, I smiled thinking about Camden. “I’m doing great. I’m moving to California.”

  “You’re what?” she gasped.

  “I figured it was time for a change of pace. I sure could use it right about now. Please don’t tell me you have a problem with it.”

  “Well, I have to admit, it’s kind of a shock, but I want you to do what makes you happy.”

  “Really? Are you sure this is my mother? Because you sure as hell don’t sound like her.”

  She actually laughed, which was foreign to my ears. I hadn’t heard that sound in months, even if it was a sad laugh. “It’s me, I assure you. I’m calling to apologize for the things I’ve done and said to you and your brother. The past few months have been . . .” Her voice quivered and she sniffled.

  “Mom?”

  She sniffled again and cleared her throat. “I just . . . keep thinking about the way I mistreated you, and it breaks my heart. I didn’t realize I was being so horrible until I decided to get help.”

  “What do you mean help?” I asked.

  “Therapy. Your father and I have been meeting with a therapist a couple times a week. I miss your sister and I will always miss her. I only wished I didn’t let her passing take me away from those I love. Do you think you could ever forgive me?”

  “If you can promise it won’t happen again, of course. But if anyone deserves an apology, it’s Jason.”

  “I know,” she cried. “Your father and I are driving up your way in a couple of weeks. I wanted to do all of this in person, but I couldn’t wait another minute. Do you mind if we come over? Maybe have dinner together?”

  “I’d like that. Just let me know what day you’re coming and I’ll make sure to be there. I’ve missed you and the talks we used to have.”

  She sniffled again and blew her nose. “I do too, honey. I have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Yes, you do, but I look forward to it. I love you, Mom. Tell Dad I love him too.”

  “I will. And we love you. See you soon.”

  After we hung up, I immediately dialed my brother’s number to tell him the good news, but was cut off with an incoming call. “Mason, what’s up,” I answered.

  “Where are you?” he asked impatiently.

  “I’m about to get on a plane and head home. Is something wrong?”

  “I know who’s after Jameson. Get back to him, now. I’ve tried calling him but he’s not picking up the goddamn fucking phone! I’m trying to get there but I’m stuck in traffic.”

  “Fuck,” I hissed. “Who is it? Did your people identify him on the video?”

  “Yes, and here’s the thing . . . he’s gone. I don’t know where he’s at, B.” Stomach clenching, I rushed out of the terminal to the exit. I knew something was wrong; I could feel it earlier. “I’m sorry, B. You’re not going to believe who it is.”

  “WHERE THE FUCK is my phone?” I grumbled, frustrated. I’d thought I left it on the nightstand beside my bed but it wasn’t there. After searching around my room for what felt like a goddamned year, I gave up and continued my search downstairs. Nothing. Now was the time I really wished I had a house phone instead of just a cell.

  A noise from upstairs caught my attention. It almost sounded like footsteps, but it stopped all too quickly. There was one time a little over a year ago when a girl broke into my house. I found her in my room, going through my things, naked. One thing led to another and I ended up fucking her. That was her goal anyway. Needless to say, she tried to break in again shortly after and I’d had enough. I had to tell her to fuck off or I w
ould turn her in to the police for breaking and entering. Yet another reason I needed to get the hell out of this house.

  As quietly as I could, I walked up the stairs and checked the first bedroom. Nothing. Then I opened the door to my old room and didn’t find a thing. Everything was clear but I still had one more room to look in. It was the last bedroom on the left. The door was shut so I opened it and stormed inside. Again, nothing. Nothing was out of place. What the hell did I hear?

  Releasing a heavy sigh, I turned on my heel and headed back downstairs. I was seriously losing my fucking mind. And where the hell was my phone? Maybe I left it outside . . . Opening the back door, a voice called out.

  “Going somewhere?”

  Jerking around, I slammed the door and glanced around the room. There was someone in my house, but I couldn’t see where or who they were. And it wasn’t a female. “Who are you?” I growled.

  “What, you don’t recognize my voice?”

  I’d heard it before, but couldn’t tell which cocksucker it was. All I knew was that it was one of the guys from Charlotte. The time had come. “Why don’t you stop being a pussy and show yourself? It took you long enough to come after me.”

  He came out of the shadows. It was Gabe. In his right hand was a fucking gun which was pointed at the ground. “What can I say? I wanted to make you sweat. Why don’t you come away from the door so we can have ourselves a chat?”

  He was too far away for me to fight him so I did what he said and joined him in the living room. “Who exactly are you?”

  Taking a seat on the armrest of the couch, he smiled and pointed to his face. “You don’t see the family resemblance?”

  The more I looked at him, it all started to fall into place. He had the same dark eyes and crooked smile. How the hell did I miss it? “You’re Scar’s brother?”

  “Half brother, actually. I guess you were too hard up over B to notice. At least I don’t have to worry about that much longer.” Before I could lunge at him, he pointed the gun at my chest. “I don’t think so, Striker.”

  “You stay the fuck away from her,” I hissed.