Here is the rub, I don’t do serious. I do casual, I do easy, I do fun. You wanna hang out at the bar, throw darts, dance close, have a night of hot, dirty, sweaty sex? As long as everyone agrees on the rules, I’m your guy. The threat from Reece aside, Camille wasn’t someone I could ever just mess around with and walk away from, and on some level that was scaring the piss right out of me, mainly because I wanted her anyways.
Cami
“Camille have you listened to anythin’ I been sayin’?” My mother’s annoyed voice broke me from me thoughts. I looked around the room and realized everyone was looking me expectantly. I sighed, there was nothing more to do than to agree to this nightmare that me Ma had put into motion. I knew what was expected, I was to be polite to Dalton and forgiving to Sean, both of which the very idea of made me stomach churn. However, she was me Ma, and I wouldn’t embarrass her or bring on any more humiliation than Walt had already caused her.
Nodding my head, I managed a small smile as I looked at my Ma’s pleading eyes, “I got it Ma, I’ll go show Dalton to his room and then I’ll get dressed for supper.”
Ma was so pleased she stood from her seat next to Da and grabbed me in a tight hug. I pulled away as she whispered, “It’ll all workout, my dove, you’ll see.”
Sadly, I didn’t feel quite as optimistic about things like she did. But for me Ma, I would attempt to pull my head out of me arse and make her proud and that meant not ripping Sean’s bloody head off or guttin’ Dalton like a fish.
I moved to the back of the sofa and was about to tell Dalton to come along when me Da moved in front of me, he put his large hands on my shoulders and eyes a color that mirrored me own looked back at me full of concern. Dammit, I didn’t want Da to worry, if he worried, then Ma would start to worry and then she’d spend the whole night wonderin’ where she went wrong with me. Trust me at this point, it was better to fake like everythin’ was fine and fall apart later in my room while watching Downtown Abbey.
“I’ve made a lot mistake in my life Cami, I have been lucky enough that you and your mother have forgiven me, all she is asking is for you to give the man a chance to apologize. But whether you choose to forgive him or not is your choice, not anyone else’s,” he kissed me forehead and I smiled up at him, gave him a quick hug and turned to Dalton.
I couldn’t tell what Dalton was thinking, his green eyes seemed to be full something that looked a lot like pity and that just irked me to no end. Of course, Dalton must think I’m a total twit! Now,instead of looking like he wanted to throttle me he looked like he wanted to give me a consoling hug.
Stepping back from me Da, I rolled me shoulders back and threw Dalton Hudson my best, I am fucking just fine arsehole, so don’t give me that pity look, smile. Then I told him, “Come on Mr. Hudson, I’ll show ya where ya cancatch a nap and clean up, we’ve got a few hours till supper’s on.”
The man didn’t waiver in his concerned glare, he rose from the couch and grabbed his duffel bag and didn’t even look at me parents. Uncomfortable under his stubborn gaze, I turned and walked toward the stairs. At this point I didn’t care if he followed or not, I just wanted to show him his room and get to mine quickly.
I had gotten up the stairs and taken one step down the hall when I felt his warm hand grab my upper arm. “Camille,” he practically whispered as he turned me to face him.
Making my face blank, I said, “What is it, Dalton? Your room has its own bath so you won’t have to worry about sharin’ and Ma’s a brilliant cook so the food will be grand.”
I could tell by the thin line of his lips that he wasn’t buyin’ my new approach to his presence. It seemd a pity to see him scowl since he really was quite good looking.
“You don’t have to front for me Camille, I know you’re pissed! You can just be straight with me.” He still hadn’t let go of me arm, so I made one more attempt to pull out of his grasp. I didn’t like the little sparks of electricity I felt where his fingers met my bare skin.
Instead of me pulling away he used the momentum to pull me flush up against his brawny chest. Geez, either the man was sporting a serious set of abs or he had a washboard strapped to his body. I knew the second he caught me gawking because his eyes went from concern to smug.
“I’m not frontin’ I am trying to not embarrass me Ma! She’s been humiliated enough so fer her sake I will sit at the damn table and break bread with a man who’s penis I have often hoped would just fall off,” I pushed against his chest to put some distance between us but the behemoth didn’t budge. “And as for you, I promised Synclair a grand wedding and if that means I need to be kind to you while you build the gazebo I designed then I can do that too.”
Uh oh, the man looked like he was about to explode, he lowered his head so we were nose to nose when he spoke. “I call bullshit and if your parents aren’t going to stand up for you against that douchebag, then I will.”
Now I was truly good and pissed. Just what gave him the right to come into me house after one day and decide he was going to save me from everyone? I had been navigatin’ the waters of this household on me own fer a long time, he thought after being here one bloody day gave him the right to decide what was best for me? Fecking arrogant American!
“Listen here boyo,” I hissed as I shoved him with all me might away from me toward the wall. I must have caught him off guard because he let me go and stumbled back before getting his footing. “I don’t need you to save me and I sure as hell do not need your pity, I’m not conductin’ interviews for a white knight Dalton and if I were you would be the last name on the bloody list,” I whisper yelled so that he knew I was pissed but not loud enough to alert me parents.
Normally I’m not one to back down but when Dalton thundered toward me I backed up until it was me own back that was flush against the wall, the wild look in his eyes both scared me and made me knickers wet. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t afraid that Dalton would harm me, I knew he was an honorable man it was how he made me feel when he was in my personal space that frightened the hell out of me.
He dropped his duffel bag and placed his hands on either side of me head and placed his forehead on mine. The man was always touching me, always in me personal space. It made it heard to breathe. After a moment, all you could hear was me panting and I swear my heart was beating so loud my own ears could hear it. Just when I thought I was goin’ to go crazy from the silence he kissed me lips. It was a quick kiss and it was over before I could even protest it’s beginnin’.
“No Camille, I am not a white knight far from it, and I’m not here to save you sweetheart,” he lifted his head from mine and crowded me against the wall by pressin’ his body against mine. Just when I started to lose my senses and melt into the heat of his body, including that- Oh my God the man must be huge- erection that was pressin’ into my belly he spoke, “But before I leave this country Camille, you will be saving yourself, darling.” He pulled away, and I was so lost in my own lusty sensations that I groaned aloud. He kissed me forehead and asked me which room was his.
I leaned back against the wall for support and pointed to the room at the end of the hall. I knew by the triumphant smirk on his face that he knew exactly how he had affected me. What was it about him that made me belly flutter? Whenever Sean had kissed me I had felt sick, like I was going to wretch if he didn’t stop. Not so with Dalton, in less than six hours of being in his company I was already out of sorts.
As I watched him saunter to his room, I rolled my eyes as he whistled the song, Brown-Eyed Girl, I was going to point out me eyes weren’t brown when I heard him sing the song as blue-eyed girl again in a terrible off key voice.
Dalton Hudson was like a force of gorgeous nature, and I needed to learn to steel myself against the feelings he stirred in me, but as he turned and winked before lettin’ himself into his room, I found myself smiling back at him while shaking me head. In. So. Much. Bloody. Trouble.
Dalton
SHIIIIIIIIT! I mean what the hell am I doing? I was tw
o seconds from grabbing the little hellion, throwing her over my shoulder and making sure she was screaming my name so loudly that when that bastard Sean showed up for dinner he’d be greeted with the unmistakable sounds of what a woman sounded like when she was pleased over and over again. Not that the little prick had ever heard a woman make those sounds but that wasn’t as disturbing as the fact that I wanted to hear Camille scream my name from the rafters of this cozy farmhouse.
I needed to keep it together, I had meant what I had said. I wasn’t trying to save Camille from the world, but I did want her to learn how to take control of her life for herself. I didn’t even want to explore why this was so important to me. Maybe it was the fact that Walt had cast her aside for his new son or the fact that her mother was still trying to set her up with a man that didn’t deserve her; but whatever it was, it just rubbed me the wrong way. The hell if I was just going to sit by and watch everyone crap all over her life. I’d fight for her until she was willing and able to do it for herself and then I’d go back to the states, and I’d do it without sex. Of course, I was open to kisses and even a little downtown action, for her of course, not for me. I was going to help Camille get back her life, even if I had to fight her to do it.
Now the only problem was how to get the wily woman to trust me. It was evident she had major and understandable trust issues, so I was going to do what I had never even contemplated doing before, I was going to be a friend, a damn good friend, a trustworthy friend. I smiled as I walked into the bathroom and stripped off my clothes to shower. Friends. I liked that, friends with a few benefits I could handle. I could do this, I was more than just a player. I had lots of friends, sure most were men as the women usually involved sex, but how hard could it be? I would treat her like one of my guy friends, except with the occasional kiss here and there. Hey, don’t look at me like that, I’m not a complete dog, I could do this and I would do this. Again, hard could it be?
This was hard, this was way freaking harder than I thought it would be. After a shower and a quick nap, I came down the stairs to see Camille’s ex-boyfriend walking through her front door. He was sporting one gorgeous black eye, courtesy of yours truly. That’s right pretty boy, explain that lovely shiner! I was smirking when he looked up to see who was coming down the stairs. No doubt he was hoping I was Camille, the fake smile was replaced with a stunned horror when he realized the person coming into the room was the same person who had laid him flat a few hours ago.
“Sean, this is Dalton Hudson, he’s come from the states to build Synclair’s weddin’ gazebo,” Kathryn introduced us. I shot out my hand and grabbed his in a crushing grip when he barely moved his arm from his side. I squeezed hard while maintaining a friendly smile.
“I know you two had a bit of a spat and bumped knuckles, but I’m sure whatever misunderstandin’ took place, Cami would want you two to be friends,” Camille’s mother voice held the threat. We would all be getting along in her house and since I was raised to respect someone’s rules in their own home, I wasn’t going to be the one to cross her. However, that didn’t mean I was going to make limp dick’s quest to get Camille back easy. “Of course, I’m sure I just misunderstood Sean’s intentions. I know he would never lay hands on a woman,” I watched his face as he tried to control his anger. Yep, the guy was a powder keg, it wouldn’t take much to set him off.
“Of course, of course, it was exactly that, just a misunderstandin’ I would never raise a hand to Cami. I’ve known the bird me whole life,” his nervous laugh and the fact that he reminded everyone how long he had known Camille just told me how full of shit this guy was.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Jack boomed from behind Sean. I watched the man’s eyes go wide when he realized that Camille’s father was standing right behind him. “Because if you had raised a hand to my daughter, I would chop it off and beat you to death with it.”
I watched Sean turn and face off with Jack. Jack’s eyes were serious, and I was sure that if Kathryn and Sean’s mother were not standing two feet away, Jack would’ve clocked the asshole.
Sean, true to his ass kissing nature, thrust out his hand quickly and grimaced when Jack grabbed it in a grip at least twice as hard as mine had been. I smothered a laugh as Jack pulled Sean forward and whispered loud enough that I heard him threaten pretty boy, “If I ever hear that you even breathed in a way that hurts my daughter I will end you and if you ever raise a hand to her, I promise you they will never find your body.” With that he clapped Sean on the back and announced loudly, “Fine to meet you, son, let’s eat.”
Kathryn and Sean’s mother, both who had missed the whispered threat, beamed as they the followed Jack into the dining room, apparently thinking that Sean and Camille were on the road to reconciliation.
“Kathryn, you didn’t tell me how fine looking Dalton was and all the way from America to build a gazebo too.”
I smiled my most charming grin at the older woman who chose to sit next to me on my right. The way Kathryn had us arranged Sean was to my left and then the empty chair to his left was obviously for Camille, who had yet to make an appearance.
“Och, where are me manners? Dalton, please forgive me, may I introduce me oldest friend, Briona Walsh, Sean’s mum,” Kathryn practically sang. The woman was definitely in her element, any minute now she was going to break out with tea and crumpets. Which would be great, if I knew what a crumpet was.
“Nothing to forgive Ms. McDougall,” I told her in a cheery voice. Yep, rule number one, always make the mother like you and by the time I was done Kathryn was going to like me so much she’d forget Hollywood boy even existed.
“Och now, I told ya earlier ya cheeky lad, call me Kathryn, calling me Miss makes me feel old,” The woman giggled and blushed.
Okay here we go, time to turn on the charm, “You’re right, and Kathryn is such a beautiful name that you may get sick of me using it I like it so much,” I turned to the attractive woman to my right. Sean’s mother was practically drooling. Not that she hadn’t retained her looks from her younger years, with her short blond hair and big blue eyes, the woman looked good for her sixties. “And you two women could pass for Camille’s older sisters, you’re definitely still in the sexy category.”
I kept my face completely sincere while I heard Sean physically gag and Jack chuckle. I knew he wasn’t buying my crap, but I also felt like he was on my side. I didn’t think he wanted Camille to get back together with asshat any more than I did.
“Jesus Dalton, you keep spewing that crap and yer eyes will turn brown fer certain,” Camille called from the doorway.
I turned my head to make a quick retort, then stopped dead when I saw her. She was wearing a short black skirt, paired with a pair of –dear god have mercy- fuck me heels and a v-necked off the shoulder sweater that clearly showed the swell of her creamy white breasts. Her hair was pulled back in her typical headband, but her brown locks were curled and cascaded down her back, she had just the barest touch of makeup on and whatever mascara she was wearing made her blue eyes smolder.
I placed the linen napkin in my lap to cover my reaction to the stunning woman who was smirking at me and wanted to gag when Sean leapt up from his chair to grab Camille’s hand.
If the forced smile on her face was any indication, she likened seeing him to a dentist appointment.
“Sean how sweet of you to come and visit,” she replied with a voice that dripped with false cheer. I could see her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
She spared me one small glance and then looked past me to Sean’s mother. She pulled her hand from Sean’s and embraced her, as soon Briona had taken her seat she walked past me and was about to pull out her chair when I jumped up and grabbed it out of her hand. Sean, the idiot, had returned to his seat and didn’t even have the manners to pull her chair out for her.
“Allow me gorgeous,” I told her as I pulled slowly pulled the heavy okay chair back. She looked startled but recovered quickly and gave me a small, yet confused sm
ile. As soon as she was seated, I returned to my own chair and flashed a smile at Sean’s mother. Score one for the yank! Take that Sean! My mama raised this man with charm and manners, punk!
“Dalton was just about to tell us about the gazebo he’s come to build,” Kathryn announced with a very pointed look at Camille. My guess is that she was making sure Camille was on her best behavior with Sean.
“Well,” I started. Then looking right at Sean, “it was Camille’s design, as soon as Synclair showed it to me I knew I had to build it,” I chuckled inwardly when Camille choked on the water she had just begun to drink.
“It was just a sketch that I drew one afternoon, it’s Dalton’s expertise that will bring it to life,” I heard Camille tell everyone. Why was she down playing her design? Grrr…Just no!
I was about to call bullshit when Sean opened his damn mouth, “More of your chicken scratch Cami? Come on now, I thought you had given up the colorin’ ages ago. I mean I still have the drawin’ you did of that house you wanted, it’s buried in some of me papers.”
I heard Camille’s chair move back followed by the distinct sound of a fist hitting the table.
“You’ve got to be puttin’ me on right now Sean. Are ya shittin’ me?” She asked him, completely ignoring her mother’s admonishment for swearing. “I worked on that ‘chicken scratch’ as you call it for over a year, it was part of me grade! It wasn’t a house that I wanted to buy, it was a house I designed, a house that I could call me own, how dare you call it colorin’!” With her hands on her hips, Camille’s eyes blazed with fury as she stared down asshat. Finally, she was taking a stand. Damn, she was hot!
Cami
“Cami, what do you mean the house was part of your grade? I thought you had taken teaching courses?” Da asked me, his eyes were bright with mischief.
Bollocks! No one knew I had taken Architecture classes along with me education degree. No one except Sean and he was smiling like the cat that just ate the canary.
Lucky Charms: A Hudson Family Series- Book 3- Dalton and Cami Page 5