Vested Interest Box Set Books 1-3

by Moreland, Melanie

They exchanged a look.

  Bentley cocked his head. “Can you handle that?”

  I focused my gaze outside. “I have no fucking clue, but I know I have to do this for her.”

  Maddox chuckled as he lifted his mug. “This should be illuminating.”

  Bentley snorted. “In many ways.”

  I didn’t respond.

  They were right.

  * * *

  Cami was silent on the drive to her place, her head bowed and her eyes shut as I maneuvered us through the heavy traffic. She could have been asleep, except for the constant movement of her fingers playing with the edge of a scarf around her neck.

  We pulled up by her building, and I parked the car. There was no mistaking the nervous tremor going through her. “Hey,” I called quietly. “I’ll be right there with you, Sunshine. No one is gonna get close.”

  She nodded, still not speaking.

  I left her in the car and rounded the back, my gaze scanning the area, alert. I opened her door, held out my hand, and tugged her from the seat. I kept her close until we got to her door. We entered the apartment, and she hesitated, unsure what to do. I asked to see her boots and studied the soles. As I suspected, they weren’t torn.

  “These were cut with a knife. A sharp one. Emmy’s looked exactly like these.”

  “Do you think Louisa cut hers too?”

  I shrugged. “Easy enough to do. The boots are on racks in the hall. Someone might have interrupted her while she was cutting Emmy’s. She sliced both of yours, though.”

  “I don’t understand why.”

  “I think she’s jealous of Emmy and mad at you. Her actions are like an angry, petulant child. She lashes out. The day I met her, I thought she was all over the place emotionally.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “I wish I had paid more attention.”

  I set down the boots. “Sit down while I do a walk-through.”

  “Couldn’t I come with you?”

  Her voice sounded so stressed, I held out my hand. She gripped it tightly. Each room looked undisturbed and she began to relax. She grimaced at the occasional glimpse of the fingerprint powder on various surfaces. In her room, she shook her head. “He went crazy in here.”

  “We were able to isolate you and Dee for the most part. In here, though, he got a lot of prints.”

  “Now that we know it’s her, do we need fingerprints?”

  “We might. There could be a trial, Cami. We would need to place her here. Beyond the fact that she’d been here before.”

  She looked horrified. “I don’t want a trial. I think maybe she’s mentally unstable, but not a criminal.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  There was a knock at the door. “That will be the locksmith. Pack some clothes, and I’ll help him.”

  “Okay.”

  Aiden

  The locksmith was fast, and Cami had watched him work from the sofa after she packed a bag. I made sure to have a lock on the handle and a heavy-duty deadbolt installed, each with their own key. Once he was done and gone, I gave Cami a new set of keys, hung a set for Dee beside the door, and pocketed the third set. I wanted to talk to her super about a new front door lock, an industrial one, not easily broken, but I decided to wait a couple of days. I didn’t want to leave Cami alone in the apartment while I did that.

  We left the apartment, the door shut firmly behind us, the locks engaged. We stopped to get some groceries since I wasn’t sure what I had on hand in the kitchen.

  “Do you like to cook?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Dee is better than I am, but I can make a few good things. Emmy taught me.”

  “Oh, yeah? Like?”

  “Pancakes,” she stated. “I make great pancakes.”

  “I love pancakes. I can make bacon. I use the convection oven. It’s crispy, just the way I like it.”

  She smiled. “Breakfast for dinner?”

  “Perfect.”

  It felt strange to have her in my space, yet not unpleasant. We worked well as a team, moving around the rarely used kitchen.

  “You’re very different from Bentley, aren’t you?” she observed as she mixed up the batter, looking around the large space.

  I laughed and slid the pan of bacon into the oven. “As we discussed before, Bentley is used to the finer things in life. I like it simpler.” My loft was spacious and open, the ceilings soaring to twenty feet with huge windows. Overhead beams and floors made of wide oak timbers gave it a rugged look. The only walls were for the bathroom and massive bedroom, and they were all unadorned. The rest of the space was open-concept, a living and entertainment area on one side, the long kitchen with a polished concrete counter that separated the area, and my workout corner. Unpretentious and uncluttered, just the way I liked it. I didn’t need a dining room, an office, or a lot of furniture. I had learned to like high thread-count sheets and thick towels, but otherwise, I kept things simple. I glanced at Cami. “Too sparse for your taste?”

  “No, it suits you.” She tested the griddle I’d insisted on buying at the store. “I like it,” she added. Unable to resist, I wrapped my arm around her waist for a quick hug.

  “Good. Because you’re stuck here with me until I say otherwise.”

  She turned away, but I saw the flush on her cheeks.

  She was right. She made awesome pancakes, and I ate eight, along with a plate of bacon. I had been afraid I wouldn’t be able to get her to eat, but the longer she was in my company, the more she began to relax. She ate the two pancakes I slid onto her plate and a couple slices of bacon. At least it was something.

  She was quiet most of the night, and I’d heard her crying when she spoke with Dee. As they talked, I kept myself busy working out to give her some privacy. When she was done, she looked exhausted. I decided we both needed an early night and grabbed some extra pillows and blankets, telling her to take the bed.

  Cami passed a weary hand over her face. “I’m not taking your bed, Aiden. I’m fine on the sofa. Don’t give me the ‘I promised your sister to look after you,’ thing again either. Dee would agree with me. I fit way better on the sofa than you do.”

  “I’ve slept on that sofa many nights. It’s perfectly comfortable,” I insisted. I was worried she was going to pass out right in front of me; she looked pale and drained. I needed her to stop arguing and to accept the care I wanted to give her.

  She smiled and took the bedding I had in my arms. “Good. If it’s that comfortable, then I’ll sleep well.”

  “Jesus, you are frustrating.”

  “Hello, pot,” she muttered.

  I chuckled since she had me there. We were both stubborn.

  I was about to argue with her, then changed my mind. She was stressed enough.

  “Why don’t you have a bath?” I knew she loved to soak in the tub. “Mine is big with jets, and I’ve never used it.”

  “Not a bath guy?”

  “No. It was here when I bought the place. Part of the design.”

  “I’d like that.”

  I headed to the bathroom, started the water going, and grabbed some towels. “I don’t have any stuff—girlie stuff—for the tub,” I told her.

  “It’s fine. A nice soak will be great. The jets should feel good.”

  I turned on the small radio, letting the music fill the room. I caught sight of her in the mirror, the slight haze on the glass making her look even sexier than usual. I headed to the door fast before I did or said anything I regretted.

  “Call me if you need me.”

  “Okay.”

  I left her, pulled the door shut, and went to call Reid.

  “Hey,” he answered. “I just emailed you everything I found. I got her address, cell number, even her shoe size if you want, which I might add, is not the same as Cami wears. There’s no incidents listed on her school records. Her grades are average. She misses a lot of days, though. I did some digging, and there are some blank spots in her history. In fact, quite a few of them. I’m goin
g to do some more searching tonight.”

  “Her family?”

  “Divorced. Bounced between her parents. Looks like the father pays all the bills.”

  “No siblings?”

  “She had an older sister named Jessie. She died five years ago.”

  “How?”

  “She drowned.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Think that’s relevant?”

  “It could be.”

  “Okay, I’ll keep digging. My dinner is here.”

  “What’s on the menu? Pizza? Sushi? Thai?”

  “I got a bucket of wings and some cold beers with my name on them. And on the TV? Dude, I’m spoiled for choice. Baseball, hockey, basketball. All that and permission to do some hacking? It’s a fucking banner night in Reid Matthews’s world.”

  “Okay, my man. Let me know what you find. No matter what time it is.”

  “Will do.”

  I hung up with a grin. The kid always made me smile.

  I entered the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of open wine, and poured a glass. At the door to the bathroom, I knocked, waiting for Cami to tell me to come in.

  “I brought you a glass of wine,” I explained as I went in, freezing in place.

  The room was steamy and smelled of my soap. Cami was sitting in the tub, her knees drawn up to her chest, the swells of her breasts visible. Her skin glistened with moisture. She had her hair tied up on the top of her head, long pieces escaping and hanging down her neck. The small group of freckles at the base of her neck was a beacon, and I kept staring at them.

  She held out her hand for the glass. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah,” I sputtered, unsure why my brain no longer worked. “No problem. I, uh, thought you’d like it while you were in the tub.”

  “I would,” she agreed.

  “Okay.”

  “May I have it?”

  I looked down, seeing I was still holding the glass. “Right. Sorry.” I stepped forward, handing her the glass, trying not to stare but finding it impossible. She was a siren. My pants felt uncomfortably tight, and I realized why my brain wasn’t working. All the blood was pooled in my cock. Regardless of what else was happening, the bottom line was I wanted her. Despite everything I said, how I acted, there was no denying that fact.

  “Aiden?” she asked, her brow furrowed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  I wanted to drag her from the tub. Fuck her on the floor, then carry her to my bed and do it all over again. Help her forget today and the stress of the recent events.

  But I couldn’t take advantage of her that way.

  “Nothing. Sorry I interrupted. You’re taking my bed by the way. I’m not arguing about it anymore.” I backed away, shutting the door behind me with a little more energy than necessary. I had to force myself to pull my hand off the doorknob and walk away, my dick screaming at me to turn around.

  How was I going to handle this for the next few days?

  “Illuminating,” Maddox had said.

  Fucking right.

  * * *

  After Cami was settled in my room, I had a shower. A cold one. I dragged on some sweats and towel-dried my hair. As I went past my bedroom, I looked in to make sure she was all right. Cami was leaning against the headboard, her knees drawn up the way they had been in the tub. Her Kindle was open, but she wasn’t reading.

  “Okay, Sunshine?”

  She offered me a wan smile, but I could see something was wrong. I entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong?”

  “I feel…odd.”

  “It’s nerves.” I rubbed her leg. “You’re perfectly safe here.”

  “I know. It’s just…”

  “I know. It’s been quite the day.” Wanting to distract her, I pointed to her Kindle, recognizing the cover that was on the screen. “I just bought that book on audio. Is it any good?”

  “I haven’t started it yet.” Her face brightened. “I could read it out loud for you. I know you like that.”

  “You remembered that?”

  Her fingers traced the Kindle, her voice soft in the room when she replied. “I remember everything you tell me.”

  That strange and overwhelming feeling hit me again. Why did it feel so right sitting there? She was perfect in my bed, and the thought of being with her, listening to her lovely voice as she read to me, was too much to resist.

  “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  It worked. Her sunshine smile broke through, lighting her face and making her eyes happy for the first time all day. She scooted over and pulled a cushion to her lap, patting it in a silent invitation.

  Knowing I was playing with fire, I lay down, resting my head on her lap. She began to read, and I shut my eyes in satisfaction. I was correct. She had the perfect voice for reading—not too fast or loud, but a flawless level and tone. I found myself smiling when she tried to deepen her voice for the male parts and chuckled aloud when she added in a sound effect. As she read, we both relaxed. I felt the tension ease from her body, and when she gently began to run her fingers through my hair as she read, I was a goner.

  I had missed her easy affection—and her touch. Aside from the occasional backslapping hug from Bentley or Maddox and the motherly ones Sandy dispensed, I was never touched. I didn’t like it, yet when it came to Cami, those rules flew out the window. Her touch was different. Why or how, I didn’t know, but it simply was.

  With a groan, I wrapped my arm around her legs and settled closer. What it meant, or how I would deal with it, I would figure out later. For now, I was too content to worry about it.

  Hours later, I woke, confused. The bedside light was still on, but the faint rays of dawn were spilling through the windows. I looked down in confusion. I had fallen asleep on Cami’s lap, but somehow in the night, we had moved and twisted. She had draped herself across my chest, and her warm breath drifted over my skin. My arm was around her, holding her close, and my hand was fisted in her long hair. I had slept through the night—no nightmares disturbed me, as if her being with me was a sort of talisman. She had slept as well, and I wondered if my closeness helped.

  Unable to resist, I ran my hand over her head. Her eyes opened, green pools of light, groggy and blinking as she woke.

  “Hi.” I grinned, feeling more rested than I had in weeks.

  “Hi.” She quirked her eyebrow. “I guess we both fell asleep.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Are you mad?”

  I stroked her cheek. “No. I slept well. That’s a rare thing for me.”

  “I didn’t think I would sleep at all, so it’s good for me too.”

  I tweaked her nose. “Good. We need to get up and figure out the day.”

  She sat up and stretched, the action causing her tank top to lift. I could see her nipples through the thin material, as well as the smooth skin along her stomach. I tried to ignore the way my dick stirred at the sight of her sensuous beauty.

  I slid out of bed, turning my back and subtly adjusting myself. I inhaled deeply and casually picked up the towel on the floor, holding it in front of me as I turned around.

  “I’ll take you to school and check out your locker. I’m going to talk to the director and see if I can locate Louisa.”

  “You’re not planning to sit in during my classes, are you?”

  “No. But I’ll be close.”

  “You’re a lot less likely to blend in than Joe or Simon was for Emmy.”

  I leaned down, my face level with hers. “That’s the point, Sunshine. I am not trying to blend in. Louisa isn’t getting near you ever again.”

  She swallowed. “All right,” she responded, her voice breathy.

  “Okay. Now get ready.”

  I had to leave the room before I gave in to my desire. I wanted to push her back on the bed, make her forget school, forget Louisa, and have her screaming my name in that breathy voice.

  However, it wasn’t happening. It wouldn’t be fair to her to lead her on or to take adv
antage of her when she was vulnerable. She would hate me even more later.

  I gripped the edge of the sink, staring into the mirror, wishing things were different.

  Knowing I was too weak to change them.

  Aiden

  The next few days were tense. Louisa never showed up for classes. She wasn’t at her apartment, and her cell phone number went straight to voice mail. I had Cami leave her a message, asking to speak to her, hoping she would return the call so we could trace her location. However, she never called back, which frustrated me. It was as though she had disappeared. I checked Cami’s place, but the door remained locked, and no one had seen Louisa.

  The school was cooperative, allowing me to hang around while Cami was in her classes. I spent a lot of time in the cafeteria, passing the hours with my computer. I was in constant contact with Bentley and Maddox and worked on the items they forwarded to me. I checked on Cami often. She tried to ignore the whispers and stories she heard, but I knew she found it taxing and hated the attention my presence brought. Emmy stayed close, which helped, but I remained closer.

  Cami was exhausted when we returned to my place every night, and we fell into a pattern. After an easy dinner, she would have a bath, speak with Dee, then she would read to me. Inevitably, I would fall asleep, waking up in the morning with her draped over my chest, me holding her close. We would stay connected for a short time, then separate and begin another day.

  Friday morning dawned bright and sunny. Cami lay on my chest, silent but awake. I twirled a piece of her hair in my fingers.

  “I spoke with Louisa’s parents yesterday.”

  Cami rolled her head to face me. I felt the tension creep into her body at just the mention of Louisa’s name.

  “Oh?”

  “Her mother hasn’t seen her daughter in two years. Apparently, Louisa witnessed her sister’s death, and she has never gotten over it. Her mother says she changed from a happy, normal girl to being emotional, prone to outbursts, and secrecy. Everything had to be perfect and in its place. She had a system for everything, and when it didn’t work, she became ‘unhinged.’” I studied the curl I had wrapped around my finger. “Her mother informed me it had become too much to handle, and she washed her hands of Louisa. She sounded rather blasé to me. I don’t think she’d be mother of the year in anyone’s books.”