Tempting Cameron (10 page)

But she didn’t mind. He needed it, needed her. Needed to unload that burden he’d held on to for who knew how long. She stroked her hand over his drying hair, loving how it clung to her fingers, and she realized she was too far gone now to ever turn back.

She was hopelessly, irrevocably in love with Cameron McKenzie.

Chapter Eight

Cam walked into his parents’ house, his steps light, his mood lighter. For the first time since his accident, since hell,
years,
he felt like his old self. Unburdened, the world seemed a little brighter, a whole lot happier.

It was all thanks to Chloe—and being in his hometown. She’d healed him somewhat out on the boat last night. Sure, they’d argued, but then she’d revealed a small slice of herself he’d never seen before. Her insecurities about her family made him feel like they had something in common.

So he’d spilled his guts. She listened to his story and didn’t pass judgment, didn’t offer any sort of advice. Had merely offered her open arms to him and held him close while he absorbed her strength.

He’d be a liar if he didn’t admit he’d grown a bit misty-eyed clinging to her. He’d purged his soul and damn if that hadn’t felt good, especially when he’d done so with a woman like Chloe. She was good for him. She was good
to
him.

Jesus, he was turning into a regular sap like his old man.

With the heaviness of his confession putting a damper on his mood, he hadn’t made any moves on her last night. Thought it best to let it go. Plus, he still had a few more confessions to make before he took it any further.

He didn’t want to, but he had to come clean about the horrible things he said to her the night of her car accident. It wouldn’t be right, taking their relationship to another level without being honest. He’d never forgive himself if she found out from someone else.

But how to tell her? God, he didn’t know how to approach the subject without sounding like a complete jerk. He didn’t want her to hate him.

If he was being truthful, he wanted more from Chloe. For the first time in his life, he believed he just might be able to give his heart to her.

“Anybody here?” he called out as he strode through the living room and entered the kitchen, stopping short when he saw all his siblings with the exception of Patrick sitting at the table, their expressions somber as they watched him expectantly.

“What’s going on?” he asked warily. “Where’re Mom and Dad? I thought we were having lunch.” That had been the texted invitation from Jane when he woke up this morning.

“They’re gone.” Mindy, the second oldest McKenzie sibling and all around representative, indicated the chair next to her. “Sit down, Cameron.”

He did as she asked because hell, he always had. Mindy held the bossy older sister role, his second mother, with relish, if truth be told. She’d kept him out of trouble, beat him up on occasion, and asked him to be a groomsman in her wedding to Marty, which he’d done with a happy heart.

Now the son of a bitch left her for some bimbo he was still shacking up with, flaunting her in front of the entire town while everyone gossiped behind their backs. It was disgusting. The sadness he felt emanating from Mindy every time he saw her made him in turn sad for her.

But there was a different emotion emanating from everyone at the moment. Worry. Concern. Determination. They looked ready to tear into him. Dread settled low in his belly as he waited for the attack.

Mac sat directly across from him, and for whatever reason that pissed Cam off. He was still mad at Mac for calling last night and killing the mood. He’d had his hand on Chloe’s breast for the love of God. Had been about to see nipple when that call had come through.

Typical little brother bullshit.

“We want to talk to you,” Jane started, resting her clutched hands on the table in front of her. “We’re worried about you.”

“Worried about me? I’m great.” He hadn’t felt this good since he didn’t know when.

“We want to know why you’re not working.” Mindy got straight to the point.

His defensives immediately came up. “I’m taking a break.”

“You never take a break. You don’t talk about it. I haven’t seen you with your camera out once since you’ve come back here. What happened to you?”

He turned to look at Mindy, who sat next to him. “Nothing happened. I was sick and fucking tired of being in a warzone, okay? I needed to get out of there.”

Jane watched him with those all-seeing eyes. She’d been the rat when they were younger, always telling on him and getting him in trouble. Always knowing when he was up to no good. “You were hurt when you were over there.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” His voice rose, his blood pressure shot up.

“I talked to Chloe earlier this morning. We started talking about you and there was this hitch to her voice that made me think something was off. She sounded worried about you.” Jane pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I only got bits and pieces out of her because let me tell you, she wasn’t about to give any information up, but I put it together. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us, Cam. We’re your family.”

His head was reeling. Chloe had told Jane about their private conversation? Why the hell would she break his confidence? “I didn’t want to worry you all,” he muttered, staring at the table blindly. Refusing to look at them, see the pity and concern on their faces.

He couldn’t deal with it. Not now, maybe not ever.

“We’re
supposed
to worry about you,” Mindy said softly, reaching out to rest her hand on his. “We want to take care of you but you make it awfully hard, always running away from us.”

He ran because they stifled him. The entire town stifled him. Coming back had been a mistake. He’d known it from the start and somehow let a pretty little dark-haired woman convince him otherwise. She was just like all the rest—untrustworthy.

The realization broke his fucking heart.

“I appreciate your concern,” he said tightly, his gaze still glued to the tabletop. “But I’m fine now. The injuries I suffered were minor.”

“How minor? Chloe refused to tell me. Said that was your story to confess,” Jane said.

“Broke my leg and screwed up my knee,” he said tightly, his jaw hurting, he clenched it so hard.

“Minor.” Jane shook her head. “Sounds serious to me. And I thought I noticed you limped sometimes.”

“It hurts occasionally.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”

“I wish you would open up to us and tell us what you’re feeling, how you’re doing. Why you’ve given up on your career and come back home,” Mindy said. “Not that we don’t love having you here with us, Cam, because we do, but…what exactly are you doing?”

“Yeah,” Mac suddenly said, his voice full of anger. “If you plan on leaving soon, then you should stop wasting your time with Chloe. You’ll just end up breaking her heart. Why are you with her?”

“Mac,” Mindy warned but it was too late.

Cam finally lifted his head, sending a death glare in Mac’s direction. “It’s none of your damn business.”

“Cam,” Jane admonished. “Honestly, we’re all wondering the same thing.”

“I’m the only one with the balls to ask,” Mac added icily.

“We’re friends,” he said, clenching his teeth. “Close friends.”

“If you break her heart, I’ll break your face,” Mac said. “I won’t stand by and let you use her as your sexual plaything. She deserves better than that.”

Cam stood, his right arm cocked back, fist clenched. Ready to lay the blow his brother undoubtedly asked for. “It’s not like that, asshole. Not that I need to explain myself to you.”

Mac stood as well, rounding the table so fast both women gasped in shock. He got right in Cam’s face, his expression full of fury. “Then what’s it like, huh? I’ve seen you with her. Wrapped around her like a pretzel, your tongue down her throat.” At Cam’s shocked gaze, Mac nodded. “Yeah, I saw you two here in the house on the Fourth. Dragging her into a closet for God’s sake. What’s wrong with you? Embarrassed to be seen with her?”

That was it. Cam lunged for his little brother, his fist landing on the edge of Mac’s jaw, sending him sprawling. His sisters leapt to their feet, Jane reaching Mac first, holding him down when he would’ve sprang to his feet and gone after Cam. “What is wrong with the two of you?” she yelled.

“He’s jealous.” Cam pointed at Mac, who glared at him, struggling against Jane’s grip, which appeared surprisingly strong. “He had his chance with Chloe and he missed it. Now he’s trying to break us apart.”

“So you two
are
seeing each other,” Mindy breathed. “I heard rumors but I didn’t believe it. Oh, Cam.”

“Don’t ‘oh, Cam’ me.” He whirled on Mindy, sick and tired of everyone’s judgment and worry. “Chloe’s a grown woman. She knows what she wants.” And she wanted him, even though she’d caved to Jane and gave away too much of his secret.

The pain in his chest nearly took his breath away.

“I’m not jealous, you asshole.” Mac shook Jane off him and stood, gingerly touching his already bruising jaw. “She’s one of my best friends. And you’re my womanizing brother. I don’t want her to get hurt. Because let’s face it, you’ll hurt her. It’s what you do best.”

“Whatever.” Cam shrugged away from Mindy’s fluttering hands and turned on his heel, headed for the door. “I’m out of here. I don’t need this ambushing bullshit.”

“Out of here for now, or out of here for good?” Mindy called as he walked away. “Running again as always, right, Cam?”

He stopped, breathing harshly, his knuckles stinging from making connection with Mac’s stupid, smug face. “I’m not running away.”

“You always run away.” Jane sounded furious. He heard her footsteps, felt that surprisingly tough grip jerk him around so he faced her. “And you hide. You’re a great hider, you always were. We’re sick of it.
I’m
sick of it.”

“Is that why you always ratted me out, Janey?” he taunted. “You were just as bad, always keeping your emotions close to your chest.”

She stared at him, her green eyes so much like his. “At least I’ve learned from my mistakes and face my life head-on versus running away from it all the time.”

Her words were like a physical blow. Nailing him in the chest with such force they took his breath away. His sister was right. He hadn’t changed, hadn’t grown up while everyone else had. Without another word, he left the house. The house he grew up in, the siblings he loved and abandoned when he graduated high school and never looked back.

Climbing into his beat-up Ford truck, he started the engine and tore out of there. He wasn’t fit for company, would tear off the head of anyone dumb enough to approach him. He’d go back and apologize later, even to Mac. Especially to Mac.

But for now, he wanted to be alone.

He blew through town and headed out to the lake road, taking the curves at breakneck speed. Ended up in the dusty gravel parking lot of The Tree. This time of afternoon only the hardcore locals were there, and not very many of them.

Perfect.

Storming into the bar, he found a small table in the back corner of the cavernous room and ordered a Jack and Coke from the hardened waitress. Anger still simmered just beneath his skin. Disappointment over Chloe’s seeming betrayal lingered deeper, making his tense muscles ache.

When the waitress brought his drink, he grabbed it from her, downed it with one gulp, and asked for another. “A double,” he added.

Giving him a skeptical glance, she turned without a word and brought his double minutes later, accompanied by a second one. “Just in case,” she said as she set them in front of him.

He nursed the second one, much like he nursed his anguished thoughts about Chloe. Damn it, he needed to end this. He was getting too close, falling for her, and when he did that sort of thing, he opened up. Became vulnerable.

And she stabbed him right in the heart, going straight to his sister who in turn blabbed to the rest of his family. When it came to ferreting out secrets, Jane was an expert. Big mistake for Chloe to whisper even a hint to her. Huge. Probably his parents knew now too and damn, he did not want to deal with his mom about this. She would flip.

He chugged the rest of his drink, blocking the image of his mother wanting to make sure he was all right. She hovered enough already.

Cam didn’t know how long he stayed in that dark corner of The Tree, but eventually the place started to fill up with a few just off the lake types and some just off work types, most of them male, though he spotted two women eyeing him from a few tables over.

He ignored them, more than a little drunk. Damn, he couldn’t drive home. Vargas would nail him for sure if he didn’t wreck going around a sharp corner first.

Cam frowned. Wrecking around sharp corners made him think of Chloe and that made him think of interrupted foreplay and warm, soft skin, quivery breaths and pink tongues and holy shit.

He broke out in a sweat, drained what was his fourth glass of Jack and Coke—or was it his fifth?—and wished she was with him. Right here, right now. So he could lose himself in her. Just once, just so he’d experience what it was like. Sex with Chloe.

And then he’d leave. Bail out on this town and her and his family because that’s what he did best. He didn’t do well under emotional pressure.

He snorted. That was an understatement.

Work pressure, sure, he could handle it. Mostly.

Hell.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, saw that the two women were now approaching, come-hither expressions on their overly made-up faces. Were they local? They sure didn’t look local.

“Hey sailor,” one of them said and he barely restrained himself from laughing at the lame pick-up line. “You look a little lonely.”

The other woman smiled at him, revealing a smudge of bright pink lipstick across her teeth. “Want some company?”

“I appreciate the offer but uh, I prefer to drink alone.” Damn, he wished he could call someone to get him out of here. His brother was off the list. So were his sisters. And hell if he would call Chloe; he was still mad at her.

Might take out all this passionate rage still simmering inside him on her the minute he saw her.

By attacking her.

“Aw, are you sure?” Lipstick Teeth asked, her overly pink lips formed into a glossy pout. “We’d love to buy you a drink.”

He bet they would. Get him stone cold drunk and then try to maul him. He knew the type. He’d encountered them before, might’ve indulged with a handful of them, too. Back in his I’m-a-callous-jackass-and-would-screw-anything-that-moves days.