She wished she could say he was being silly to think they couldn’t kiss. A fake engagement would be no big deal. She loved Cameron and no one else, but she also loved how honorable he was. She knew he would be hands-off, not only because anyone catching them could mess up the entire ploy, but because he honored commitments—fake or not.
He released her from the hug. Taking her hand, he walked toward the other vehicle. The three men inside were studying the trees, obviously not wanting to get caught watching their boss’s kiss.
Opening the driver door, Cameron said, “Tyler, we need you.”
Tyler popped out of the car and bounced from foot to foot. He wasn’t usually a nervous guy, but his typical smile was only partially there. “Everything okay, sir?”
Tyler had been hired at the recommendation of Sutton Smith. He’d come straight out of West Point. He didn’t have the military experience Cameron or some of the others did, but he had a stable family he went to visit often in Georgia, and he was a great guy, if a little young for her. She found that a little funny. She’d been married to a man thirty years her senior; now she would possibly be engaged to one five years younger.
“We need your help,” Cam said.
“Anything, sir.”
Cam nodded. “You’re a good man.” He squeezed Kaytlyn’s hand and pushed out a heavy breath. “We need to do a very temporary arrangement. Very.”
Kaytlyn hoped it was temporary, but she was worried. Waiting on court dates and appeals could take years. She clung to Cameron’s hand. She didn’t want to pretend to be with another man, no matter how nice and smiley he was.
“What do you need?” Tyler appeared eager to please. He was a good-looking guy with dark hair and a trimmed beard and that ready smile, but the thought of even holding his hand made her stomach squirm. At least when she’d contemplated this with Trey, she knew him well and was comfortable with him.
“We need you to fake an engagement with Kayt.”
Tyler reared back. “Excuse me?”
“I know this is unconventional, but we’ll give you a large bonus at the end of the agreement, say …” Cameron glanced at Kaytlyn.
“A hundred and fifty thousand,” she said. She could easily go higher, but that was more than Tyler made in a year, so it would be a good bonus.
Tyler’s eyes bugged out.
“I’ll talk to the other security guys and explain what’s going on, but no one else can know. No one,” Cameron explained.
“But … why?”
“It’s a long story, but you remember Jacob’s daughter from the funeral?”
“Yeah, wish I didn’t.”
“If she and her husband win the lawsuits against Kayt, they’ll take everything Jacob and Kayt have worked so hard for. They’re even trying to get the baby.”
Tyler’s gaze dropped to Kaytlyn’s abdomen, then back to her face. “But faking we’re engaged …?”
“Helps to prove Kaytlyn’s in a safe, stable relationship and the baby will have a good home.”
Tyler looked at their joined hands. “Why can’t you do it, sir?”
“Believe me, I have begged for the position.” Cameron scrubbed at his face with his free hand. “But sadly, that would give Jessica more ammunition. I’m not the right one for the job. You are.”
Kaytlyn couldn’t believe this was happening. She didn’t feel right about it, mostly because nothing but Cameron by her side felt right.
“So what would I need to do?” Tyler asked.
“Hopefully we can keep it pretty simple,” Cameron said. “We’d take some pictures of you two … together.” He cleared his throat as if that was painful to say. “Leak them to the media, and it should spread pretty quick. I mean, Jacob hasn’t been gone very long; people will love the speculation and drama of it. Maybe in public you’ll have to stay close to Kayt, pretend you’re … together. At home, in the front of the staff, I guess you’d have to pretend as well to be … together.”
Kaytlyn would’ve laughed at how hard Cameron was struggling to lump her together with anyone else, but she knew exactly how he felt.
“How long do you think?”
Cameron shrugged. “I don’t know. Our lawyer is working hard, and we’re hopeful the lawsuits will wrap up before Christmas.”
“So hopefully just a few months?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll do it.”
Cameron forced a smile at him. “Thanks, man. When I knew we had to do this, I wanted someone I could trust, someone I respect. That’s why I picked you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Tyler beamed like he’d been given an honor.
Cameron nodded, but then his voice became louder and stronger. “And if you look at or touch Kayt inappropriately, I will slit your throat.”
Kaytlyn shook her head. Cameron and his threats. Yet she secretly loved his intensity.
Tyler gulped. “Yes, sir.”
Cameron looked back at her. “Here’s to getting through the next few months without me slitting his throat.”
Kaytlyn laughed. She couldn’t help it. Cameron laughed with her, though it was obviously strained. Tyler gave a nervous chuckle, but he understandably didn’t think it was funny, as it was his throat that might be slit.
Her laughter faded away as she contemplated. Three more months without kissing Cameron. He had impressive self-control, but she wasn’t quite sure how she would survive. She would have thought those kisses could sustain her, but they already just left her wanting more.
Cameron gave her a grim smile, and her heart leapt for him. Three more months. She was going to have to pray hard, and maybe somehow she’d make it through.
Chapter Twelve
After they made the agreement, Cameron forced himself to position Kaytlyn and Tyler so it looked like they were holding hands or staring into each other’s eyes in the very trees where he’d given her the kisses to end all kisses. He dreamt about those kisses almost every night.
Kaytlyn had sent the pictures to some trusted media sites, saying that while she didn’t want to hide anything, she’d grown to trust and love one of her security personnel through the long months of Jacob’s illness. Cameron liked that at least that part was true. The pictures had exploded online with all kinds of speculation about Kaytlyn, Jacob’s foundation and companies that were now in her name, the lawsuits that had been made public from Jessica’s and Peter’s lawyer, the baby she was expecting, and of course when or if she would marry her new man.
Two and a half miserable months passed, and around Thanksgiving time, they put a diamond ring on Kaytlyn’s finger and sent around more pictures of the newly engaged couple. The media was surprisingly supportive and kind to Kaytlyn. Cameron thought it was because she was so angelic that no one could hate her—except for Jessica and Peter.
Luckily, they were pretty reclusive and rarely left the mansion, so they could stage most of the time that Kaytlyn had to be close to Tyler. Cameron kept track of her through cameras, watching as she worked long hours, took her meals alone, and slept more than usual. He wondered if she was worn out from the pregnancy and all she was trying to accomplish before the baby came, or if she was as depressed as he was.
Cameron missed her. It was an awful ache that felt like an elephant sitting on his chest. He’d forced himself to rearrange the schedule so he wasn’t her direct guardian. He couldn’t stand to love her like he did and be close; any fool would notice a touch or a longing look between them. To do this stupid fake fiancé right, he’d realized he’d have to keep his distance, because he didn’t want to slit Tyler’s throat, not really. Okay, maybe occasionally, when he saw them holding hands.
Luckily, there’d been no signs of physical threats from Jessica or Peter. They seemed to be keeping busy with life, waiting on the lawsuits to come to fruition. They had a court date of December third. The judge, luckily the same one Larry had spoken with, hadn’t been reassigned, and would rule on all counts that day. The end was in sight. Cameron prayed it was a
good end. He knew Jessica and Peter wouldn’t go down easily, but he thought it was mostly about the money for them. Protecting Kaytlyn’s child was much more important to him, and would probably be the tougher battle with those papers she’d signed.
He tried to think positive thoughts. He’d assigned Tyler to stay by Kaytlyn’s side as much as possible. They tried to act like they were flirting or talking around the staff, and it made Cameron’s stomach tie up in knots. He got through the days a little easier when he focused on monitoring security for the rest of the property, training and working with the security guys who were off duty, and exercising extra hours to burn off the frustration—lots of extra hours.
He hadn’t moved his rooms, though, and he was still sleeping in the suite next to Kaytlyn’s. It soothed him somehow to know she was close, even if he wouldn’t let himself do anything about it. Sometimes that struck him as so idiotic. Why couldn’t he sneak into her room to hold and kiss her? No one would know.
He leaned back in bed and shook his head. He and the good Lord and Jacob would know. Kaytlyn was engaged, and they were both focused on protecting the foundation and the baby and Jacob’s legacy. Someday soon, the timing would be right. He just wished it would be really soon.
He drifted off to sleep, dreaming of those kisses in that meadow in Colorado.
A strangled scream woke him. His vision was blurry as he leapt out of bed and hurtled himself toward the door. Kaytlyn!
Dodging to the next door over, he burst into her room. “Kayt!” he called urgently.
He heard a whimper. His eyes were still gritty, but he could see, and as they adjusted to the dimly lit room, he could tell she was still in bed. Keeping one eye on her, he hurriedly checked the rest of the suite, the bathroom, and the closet. There were no other threats. Was she having a nightmare?
Easing close to her bedside, he let himself look at her as she slept. She was absolutely gorgeous in a white tank top with her long blond hair tousled, and the white bedding reminded him of how close to an angel she was. As he stared at her, his thoughts were nowhere close to angelic, and he forced himself to slowly back away, though every male instinct was saying to sit on the edge of the bed and cradle her in his arms.
Her face twisted in fear and then she cried out, “No!”
Cameron startled. He stepped closer. Should he wake her?
“Please,” she whimpered, twisting in the sheets. The outline of her baby bump was revealed, another curve that he loved about her. Thinking about the baby itself still felt surreal, but he kept hoping he could be the little one’s father.
Cameron let himself sit on the edge of the bed like he knew he shouldn’t. He reached out to gently touch her arm. The smooth skin under his palm was so appealing, so irresistible. He found himself leaning even closer and placing both of his hands on each of her upper arms.
“Help!” she suddenly shrieked. “Cam!” The wail of his name pierced through him.
Cameron wrapped his hands around her shoulders. “Kayt, Kayt! Wake up!”
Her head thrashed and she was back to whimpering, “No, no, no, Cam!”
“Kayt! You’re having a nightmare. Wake up.” He lifted her up off the pillow, sliding his hands behind her back and her body against his chest. “Kayt, it’s me, it’s Cam. Wake up!”
Her eyes flew open and she stared up at him. “Cam?” she whispered.
He let out a breath of relief. “Yes, it’s Cam. You’re okay. It was just a nightmare.” But his heart was thumping wildly. He wasn’t sure if it was from the concern for her and what must’ve been a horrible nightmare, or if it was simply his body’s reaction to having her in his arms again.
“Oh, Cam. Thank you.” She leaned into him, her arms coming around his back to cling to him and her head fitting in the crook of his neck like it was designed for her.
“What was it, love?” he asked, wincing as soon as the words left his mouth. He didn’t want to make their separation harder on her. For over two months, they hadn’t touched or kissed, and now he was right back on the verge of declaring his unending devotion.
“You … Peter hired some men to torture and kill you and made me watch.” Her eyes traced over him. “But you’re here. You’re okay. He won’t hurt you.”
He smiled. “I’m here, Kayt. No one’s going to hurt me, and I’ll always be here for you.”
She stared at him, her blue eyes uncertain and vulnerable. “Will you?”
“Of course.”
“Then be there for this.” She pulled herself up and kissed him.
The kiss was fierce, needy, and incredible. Cameron heard some very quiet voices in his head telling him to stop, but he had no such inclination. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her up against the headboard, and leaned in, kissing her with all the passion he’d been storing up the past two months. He’d ached for her, and right now he was going to show her exactly how much he’d missed her.
Kaytlyn felt the incredible warmth and pressure of Cameron’s mouth coming down hard on hers and his upper body pressing her into the headboard. She held on tightly to his muscular back and continued to receive and give kiss after kiss. She loved him, and she’d missed him so horribly these past two months. She knew he’d kept his distance so they could accomplish the fake fiancé ploy with Tyler, but she’d hated every single second without him.
Forcing that from her mind, she happily concentrated on his mouth, righting the wrongs of the time they’d had to be apart. His lips were firm, demanding, yet somehow tender. She knew Cameron would always have her best interests in mind, and he understood that right now, her best interests lay in his thorough and wonderful kisses.
When he finally drew back, they were both breathing heavily. Kaytlyn was ready to take some deep breaths and move in for round two.
Cameron’s hands came to her face and he cradled her jaw, staring deeply at her. “Ah, Kayt,” he murmured. “I’ve missed you. I can’t even tell you how much—”
Kaytlyn wrapped her arms around his biceps and kissed him in response, trying to show him through her kiss how much she’d missed him. Only a couple more weeks until the case was hopefully over, and then she would be done with the farce of her engagement. She was going to propose to this man, and they were going to fly to a tropical island and be married immediately. The thought brought a warm flush, and she clung tighter to him and deepened the kiss.
Cameron did the last thing she’d imagined he would do: he broke the kiss and leaned back. Staring at her with eyes full of desire and need, he shook his head firmly. “We can’t, Kayt. Soon this will all be over. Right now, I need to keep my distance.”
With those awful words, he pulled away from her and stood next to the bed.
Kaytlyn felt bereft, dejected, and angry. She stood right next to him and wrapped her arms around his strong back, laying her head against his warm chest. She absolutely loved when he wasn’t wearing a shirt. “Keep your distance?” she demanded. “Has anything ever felt this incredible, this right to you?”
Cameron let out a groan and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and making her heart leap. He wouldn’t push her away. He loved her too much.
“No, Kayt,” he whispered, tenderly kissing her forehead. “Nothing ever has.”
She looked up at him. Her eyes stung with tears of relief, joy, and the pain of the past two months—no, the past five months—but everything was right when she was here in his arms.
His eyes swept carefully over her face. “But that doesn’t mean this is right.”
Kaytlyn’s stomach dropped.
“We’re almost there, love. We’ve both been so strong, waited so long. Two more weeks and the court will rule. Either way, we’ll deal with their ruling, even if it means I take you away to some deserted island where Peter and Kaytlyn will never touch your baby. Either way, we can be together. It’ll be that much sweeter because of our wait.”
Kaytlyn blinked away the moisture in her eyes. Cameron loved her so much he’d r
un with her to protect the baby. She loved him back and tried to be strong like he was. “As soon as it’s over, we’re flying to Aruba and being married on the beach.”
He let out another groan and gave her one quick, tender kiss. “We’ll have a Christmas wedding.”
“Christmas?” She shook her head. “I’m talking December fourth.”
Cameron chuckled. “I like the way you think.”
“You just like me.”
“Yes, I definitely do, but I’ve got to get out of here before I start thinking about being married to you.”
Kaytlyn drew in a deep breath, knowing exactly how hard this was for him. She forced herself to release her grip on him and step back.
Cameron stared down at her, his blue eyes full of longing. “Two more weeks,” he said. The promise in his words made her stomach flutter and her heart beat harder. “We can do this.”
Kaytlyn nodded, forcing a brave smile. “Two more weeks,” she repeated. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He looked like he wanted to kiss and hold her again, but instead he spun on his heel and marched out of the room.
Kaytlyn watched his broad, muscular shoulders clear the doorframe. He looked so good, she wanted to run after him and just touch and kiss him one more time. Instead, she collapsed on her bed, burying her face in the pillow as the tears leaked out. Two more weeks. Could she make it two more weeks without him?
She turned onto her side and wrapped her hands around her small baby bump. She’d started feeling slight motions from within. She’d decided not to find out the sex, but in her heart, she knew it was a boy. She cradled the baby and let the tears run. “I promise to protect you and put you first.” The baby was the only thing that could get her through and help her to be strong when all she wanted to do was run into the room next door, kiss that spectacular man, and forget every promise she’d ever made to anyone but him.
Her Loyal Protector: A Strong Family Romance Companion Novel Page 10