by Skylar Hill
His brother’s face was like stone. “If a man like Keith Fawcett even looks in the direction of anyone I care about, there isn’t going to be enough left of him for them to find.”
James had no doubt his brother was serious. There was a thread of ruthlessness running through Aiden that no one else in their family had. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—it was one of the things that made him good at business—but when it came to protecting his family? There was no cost too great.
James understood it, now, for the first time. He understood that feeling.
Because Aiden was right: if Keith Fawcett got out and hurt Cam or Evie in any way…
Fire churned in his chest, his hand tightening around his pint glass as he thought about it. In his pocket, his phone buzzed, momentarily distracting him. He pulled it out, looking at the text from Cam:
All clear to come back, whenever you two want. Evie and I are heating up the lasagna, if you’re hungry. Xoxo
“I guess we’re good to go back,” James said, holding up his phone.
The brothers got to their feet. James tossed a few twenties on the booth to make up for the fact that they’d held up the waitresses’ table for a couple of hours, and they headed back to the loft in silence, the heaviness of what might be coming in the future weighing on both of them.
When they arrived back at the loft, music was playing.
“Is that Joni Mitchell?” Aiden asked as they walked into the living room.
Instantly, James felt more at ease. He was worried he was going to be coming back to doom and tears, a broken and sobbing Evie, or maybe even broken and sobbing Cam. Instead the energy in the loft felt strangely calm.
“We’re in here,” Cam called from the kitchen.
Evie was perched on the kitchen counter, a plate of mostly-eaten lasagna on her lap, as Joni sung about stardust. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red, but she smiled when she saw the two of them, and it didn’t waver. “This is some excellent lasagna, guys,” she told them.
“We’re very impressed,” Cam added. She’d also clearly been crying, and the circles under her eyes worried him—she needed her sleep—but there was a determined strength in the way she was holding herself.
“Secret’s in the sauce,” James said, taking the clear hint that neither of them wanted to discuss Keith or the parole hearing any further tonight.
“We picked up some gelato for you on the way back.” Aiden held up the bag. “Six flavors.”
“Please tell me there’s a salted caramel one in there,” Evie said.
“Get some spoons, and we’ll see,” Aiden said.
Evie jumped off the counter, putting her plate on the counter and grabbing the spoons before following Aiden into the living room.
James held his hand out for Cam. She took it, letting him pull her to his side. She leaned into him, her eyes closing like she could finally breathe deep for a moment.
“How’d it go?” he asked now that they were alone.
“A lot better than I expected,” Cam said, sounding relieved. “She… she got angry.” She smiled a little at the surprised expression on his face. “I know it seems a little weird that her getting angry is a good thing. It’s just that Evie’s big problem back when she was younger was bottling stuff up. She’d just push stuff down, never talk about it, and she’d lose herself in her projects. But then, when she finally came up to breathe, all those things that she’d been bottling up? That she’d been distracting herself from? It just exploded. Therapy really helped with that and teaching her how to avoid going down that path, but I was so worried…” She shook her head, stopping herself. “There’s no need to worry,” she said firmly. “Evie is right. She can handle this. She’s a grown woman. I need to start treating her like one. It’s just hard.”
“You’re an amazing sister,” James assured her. “She knows you just want the best for her.”
Cam rested her head on his chest, her eyes drifting shut. “You’re so comfy,” she said. “I just want to stay here and never move,” she sighed softly.
His arms tightened around her. “Me too,” he said. “But if we don’t move… Aiden and Evie get all the gelato. And I have it on good authority there is a pint of salted caramel gelato in there.”
Her eyes snapped open. “Oh, well, then,” she shot him a mischievous look, her eyelashes fluttering. “Bet I can beat you to the living room.”
Before he could even react, she dashed out of the kitchen, and he had no choice but to follow her, laughing, and loving her more than ever.
Chapter Seventeen
Cam
It had been a week since she had told Evie. Her sister, typically, had thrown herself into her work. Her senior project was consuming all her time, and she’d spent a bulk of the waking hours in the basement lab of Green Valley Industries, working her scientific magic.
Cam couldn’t exactly blame Evie. She’d done her share of frustrated sketching in the past days, drawings that were all dark lines and angry slashes. She had meant to get in a workout—she felt the desperate need to punch something—but she hadn’t found the time yet. She had spent three days straight yanking carpet tacks out of the upstairs of Exile Ink, something that had left scratches on her fingers and hands, but had been strangely cathartic the longer she did it. She had always been into do-it-yourself stuff, mostly out of necessity, but working with James and Aiden and the rest of the crew on the warehouse had been an entire experience. To take the bones of something old and in disrepair and make it into something beautiful and new was a journey, a rewarding one that soothed her soul more than she had expected.
It was like helping build a home for her artistic side, piece by piece. She’d spent so long sketching in crammed corners, relegated to the back of tattoo shops, never in prominence, never having a room of her own, so to speak.
And now she was able to not just carve out her own space, she was helping to build it.
Her heart was in that place now, just as it was in James’s careful hands. It should have scared her; months ago, even weeks ago, it might have.
But the events of the past two weeks had taught her a valuable lesson: It was time to stop being the lone wolf. She had people who loved her, who wanted to help her and Evie.
It was time to remember what it was like to have people on her side. To have a family. It was different than the one she had before, but that didn’t make it lesser.
She had love, friends, and family surrounding her. And it was so much better than standing alone.
So she was going to embrace it instead of fearing it. She was going to let it heal her instead of running from it. Because it was the life she wanted, the one she’d fought for. And she would be damned if Keith took it away from her.
“You okay?” James asked.
She glanced across the car to him. “Yeah,” she said. “Sorry. Just lost in thought.” She looked out the window, frowning. “I thought Tasha’s new place was on the east side of town.”
“I just need to run a quick errand,” James said as he pulled the car to a stop in front of a gorgeous Craftsman-style bungalow. There was a FOR RENT OR SALE sign in the front yard. This was definitely not Tasha’s house. She raised a questioning eyebrow as his mysterious expression deepened. She knew that look. He always got that look before he surprised her with something. The first time, it’d been when he took her to the warehouse that would soon be Exile Ink. The last time, he’d swept her off to the coast for a weekend. They’d stayed at an inn that had its very own lavender farm, and the rolling hills of purple and gray had been breathtaking. She’d painted for hours that weekend, James content to sit next to her, alternating between reading and sketching himself.
The house was painted a buttery yellow, the red brick steps leading up to the porch a lovely contrast. Cam felt a creeping suspicion as James got out of the car and circled around to open her door for her, but she didn’t dare voice it. It would be so embarrassing if she was wrong.
But if she was rig
ht? Her heart leapt, her entire body shivery at the possibility.
“You know, this is becoming a habit,” Cam said, keeping her smile coy as she followed him inside. “Taking me to abandoned properties.”
“Last time it worked out,” he said over his shoulder, drawing her farther into the house, into the living room where he flipped the lights on.
She looked around, taking in the polished wood floors, the expanse of windows, the high arch of the ceiling, and the exposed beams that gave the room an open, airy feel. It was beautiful—spacious, but cozy. And she could tell from the windows that the light would be incredible in here.
“Are you and Aiden investing in rental properties now?” she asked, trying to keep her voice casual. “I know Lydia has a few.”
“Do you like it?” James asked.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said. “You could easily get a family in here. Lydia says it’s best to get a family renting. They don’t cause as much trouble.”
James laughed. “I think it depends on the family.”
“True,” Cam said, running her fingers over the volcanic stone mantelpiece. “This is so prehistoric,” she said. “I love it.”
“Locally sourced, apparently,” James said.
“Are you going to buy the place?” Cam asked, peering into the dining room. “Oh, there’s a window seat. How cute.”
“That depends,” he said.
Her stomach leapt. Had she been right?
“On?” she asked, trying to stay casual.
“If you want to live here with me.”
She had been right. Something happy and warm filled her, only for it to be replaced with cold reason. “If this is about Keith—“ she started.
He crossed the room, taking her hands in his. “No,” James said seriously. “Cam, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it wouldn’t be a load off my mind if you were living with me. I’m worried about what might happen to you. But that’s not what’s motivating this. I was thinking about asking you even before all this happened. I had planned on doing it when the studio opened, but now… I don’t want to wait anymore, for a million reasons. I want you with me because I love you. I fucking hate waking up in the morning without you there. I’m always reaching for you on your empty side of the bed, it’s pathetic.”
Her eyes filled with tears but they were happy ones. “I… may do that too,” she said.
“Oh yeah?” he asked, his voice deepening as he drew her close.
“I don’t like waking up without you, either,” she said. “And you make better waffles than I do because you won’t tell me your secret ingredient.”
He kissed her temple, then her cheek, then the corner of her smiling lips, sending shivers through her with each gentle touch.
“You know, if you were living here with me, I could be convinced to let you in on the secret of my special waffles,” he said.
She shook her head, her eyes widening in pretend shock. “Are you resorting to bribery already?!” she mock gasped. “I haven’t even given you an answer.”
“What can I say?” he nudged his nose against hers. “I’m determined.”
She closed the space between their lips, her hands cradling his face as they kissed. When they finally pulled apart, she felt flushed and breathless, more happy than she even knew what to do with. Times were hard, and the future was uncertain. But she loved this man. With him by her side, she felt like she could conquer anything. And now he was offering to build a home together.
“Yes,” she whispered, their foreheads still touching, her arms around his neck as he held her close. “Let’s move in together. I want to make a home with you.”
He kissed her again, the rush of it, the rush of the future she saw for them, filling her body. His hands clamped down on her hips as the kisses turned hot and slow, their bodies pressing together tight like even their clothes were too much between them.
“I think,” James murmured against her lips, letting out a little laugh when he squeezed her ass and she gasped. “I should show you the bedroom.”
Cam smiled, anticipation filling her.
He really did have the best ideas.
Fin…for now
Would you like a special bonus epilogue about James and Cam moving in together? Just click here.
James and Cam’s love story concludes in SOMETHING REAL. As the opening of Exile Ink—and the probation hearing date—looms, can James keep Cam from breaking under the pressure?
The exciting conclusion to James and Cam’s love story!
James McGowan has it all: a business on the verge of opening to great success, talent and sinful good looks, and a sweet and sexy woman who worships him almost as much as he worships her.
James and Cam are stronger than ever as the launch of Exile Ink, the tattoo studio they’ve built together, draws near. But their happiness is marred by another, much more dire event: the probation hearing for her mother’s killer. It’s hard to think about ink, art and forever when the man who caused Cam so much pain might soon be free.
With their future threatened, and Cam on the verge of breaking, James is determined to protect the woman he loves at all costs—even if it means taking justice into his own hands.
Buy the book here.
About the Author
Skylar Hill writes steamy romance about once-in-a-lifetime love.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her very own lumberjack/soulmate. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking one of the trails around her beautiful city, or in a cafe, drinking chai lattes and eating way too many cinnamon rolls. She has several tattoos, but in places only her husband gets to see!
She is currently hard at work on her next steamy story.
For sneak peeks, bonus scenes, updates, giveaways and truly decadent hot cocoa recipes, sign up for Skylar’s Newsletter here.
To connect with Skylar
@skylarwrites
skylarhillwrites
www.skylar-hill.com
Also by Skylar Hill
Steamy Standalones
For Keeps
All Worked Up (Coming in May)
The Exile Ink Series
James and Cam:
Something New (Book 1)
Something Right (Book 2)
Something Real (Book 3)
Aiden and Lydia:
Just One Night (A Prequel Short Story)