But here, with Megan, he could let work shuffle to the back of his mind. He didn’t want to burden her with his stress, so he purposely tried to be a friend first and a cop second whenever he was with her. Added to that, he reveled in the fact she was comfortable and sleeping soundly. He wanted to be her protector, her stable force. Somehow knowing he was all of that allowed him to let down his guard just a bit.
Crossing his ankles, Cameron rested an elbow on the arm of the couch. He’d muted the movie once Megan had fallen asleep, but the flicker of the screen lit up the room. As always, when they had movie night, all lights were off.
A shrill ring pierced the silence, and Cameron jerked awake. The TV had gone black, indicating he’d dozed off for a good bit, but he didn’t really recall how long ago that had been. The ring sounded again. He grabbed his side, but Megan’s phone on the table was the one lit up. Normally his phone was the one that rang at all hours.
She was still out with her head on his lap. He didn’t recognize the number on the screen. Shocked the caller wasn’t her brother, Cameron nudged Megan’s shoulder.
“Meg.”
She groaned and rolled to her back, blinking as she looked up at him. The sight of her utterly exhausted and rumpled from sleeping on his lap shouldn’t have his body stirring. Damn that red dress from the christening and the skimpy number she’d had on earlier.
The third ring ripped through the silence, and Megan was on instant alert. She jerked up, grabbed the phone and answered.
Cameron shifted his legs to the floor, immediately getting some blood flow back. They’d obviously been asleep for a while, which was what they had both needed.
Megan came to her feet and spoke in hushed tones as she walked into the other room. He assumed it was a client. Megan often counseled long after regular office hours were over. She was so good at her job because of how caring she was, how much she sacrificed to make sure her clients’ needs came first.
Cameron got to his feet, then twisted at the waist until his back popped in all the right places. He was getting too old to sleep on a couch, a car, his office. Unfortunately, he didn’t see an end to his bad habits anytime soon.
He turned off the TV, sending the living room into utter darkness. Megan rounded the corner from the kitchen just as he started to reach over and click on the lamp, but his hand bumped the stand and sent the light to the hardwood floor. He cringed at the racket.
“Don’t move.” Megan turned on the kitchen light, sending an instant glow shining into the living room. “Let me grab my broom.”
“You’re barefoot,” he told her. “Let me clean it up.”
“You don’t have shoes on, either.” She disappeared down the hall and came back with broom and dustpan in hand. “Sit on the couch, and I’ll get this.”
Like hell. Ignoring her, he reached down to pick up the cockeyed lampshade and the remains of the lamp. The bulb and base had completely shattered.
“I’ll bring you a new one later.” He set the awkward shade and lamp guts on the coffee table and reached to take the broom.
Stepping around him, she handed him the dustpan and started sweeping. Stubborn woman. No wonder they were best friends. Nobody else would put up with how hardheaded they both were.
He squatted down and held the pan while she scooped in the shards. “At least this wasn’t a family heirloom,” he joked.
Shoving her hair from her eyes, she threw him a glance. “Funny.”
Cameron headed into the kitchen to toss the debris. As he was tying the bag, the vacuum kicked on in the living room, the occasional cracking noise indicating she was removing the rest of the slivers from the floor.
He tugged the liner from the trash can and tied it, wanting to get it out so she didn’t cut herself later. As Cameron jerked the knot in place, a hunk of glass he hadn’t seen poking from the small hole sliced through the edge of his hand.
Damn. That hurt.
He opened her back door, tossed the bag into the larger can on her patio and closed and locked the door. The vacuum shut off in the other room as Cameron headed to the sink. Running his hand beneath the cool water eased the burning sensation and washed away the mess, allowing him to see just how deep the cut was. Megan didn’t need to know he’d hurt himself. She’d make a bigger deal of it than need be.
After rinsing his hand, he examined the area further. Instantly he started bleeding again. Apparently it was deeper than he thought.
“Hiding something?”
Cringing, Cameron ripped off a paper towel, pressed it against the side of his hand and turned toward his accuser. Megan rested one shoulder against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest, and merely lifted a brow.
“Just a scratch.” That hurt like hell. Apparently he was old and wimpy. Great combo for the police chief.
Cameron’s eyes locked on to her shapely legs as she crossed the room. Damn it.
Carefully, she took his hand and pulled the paper towel away. “Oh, Cam. This needs stitches.”
She examined his hand, then brought her gaze up to meet his. In the middle of the night, with everything so quiet and intimate, Cameron knew for a fact he was starting to delve into a territory he had no business being in.
Her eyes held his, dropped to his mouth, then traveled back up. That gesture said more than any words could. But this was Megan, his best friend, the girl who’d been his senior prom date and the girl who’d sneaked out with him and his brothers that same night and got absolutely plastered near the lake.
She was pretty much family. So why was she looking at him beneath those heavy lids? Why was he enjoying this rush of new sensations, wondering if she had deeper feelings? He shouldn’t want her to have stronger emotions for him. That added complication was the last thing either of them needed.
“Come with me.”
Cameron blinked. “Excuse me?”
Megan smiled. “To the bathroom. You’re too stubborn to go get stitches, so I’ll fix you up with my first-aid kit.”
When she turned and headed back down the hall, Cameron released a breath he hadn’t been aware he’d bottled up. Had he been the only one thinking about what would happen if they kissed? The way she’d looked at him, his mouth, as though she wanted more, wasn’t something he’d made up. But the desire flashing in her eyes was gone in a second.
What was going on in that head of hers? More to the point, what the hell was he going to do if her feelings did match his?
“Cam?”
Pushing off the edge of the counter, Cameron moved through the kitchen. They were both sleep deprived; that was all. He’d been without a woman for so long, was so wrapped up in work, and Megan had quite a bit on her plate, as well.
Once daylight came, once reality settled back in and the ambience was gone, this intense moment would be forgotten. Wouldn’t it?
Chapter Four
Megan squeezed her eyes shut and willed her hands to stop shaking. That was a close call. She’d nearly ignored every single red flag waving around in her mind and kissed Cameron.
She’d been examining his hand one second and the next she’d found herself lost in those St. John signature blue eyes. After just coming off a phone call with one of her teen clients, Megan had wanted to lose herself in Cameron, even if only for a moment. Bad idea, bad timing.
Heavy footsteps sounded down the hall. Megan stepped aside to give Cameron room. Her guest bath was the smallest in her house, but it was where she kept her first-aid kit.
Without a word he came in and sat down on the edge of the garden tub. If she thought the bathroom was tiny before, having a man of Cameron’s size there only solidified the fact.
“I can take care of this at home,” he informed her. “It’s the middle of the night.”
Ignoring him, Megan cleaned the area, concentrating on her task and not the enclosed space or the warmth radiating from Cameron’s body...or the fact she stood directly between his spread legs and only had on a tank and a pair of old boxers.
Megan feared she’d doomed herself into the friend category for life where Cameron was concerned. She’d had feelings for him for years, yet the man was utterly oblivious.
Once the area was clean and dry, Megan quickly placed butterfly bandages over the cut. The strips weren’t nearly as effective as stitches, but she wasn’t fighting with the stubborn man. Men were like children—you had to pick your battles.
Megan turned to throw away the used supplies and wrappers, only her body and her mind weren’t in sync and she swayed slightly. Strong arms circled her waist, holding her steady in an instant.
“You okay?”
Nodding, Megan closed her eyes as his caring words and warm breath washed over her. “Yeah. The room started spinning for a second. I’m just tired, I guess.”
With a gentle power she’d come to appreciate, he eased her down onto his leg. Megan twisted to face him, wondering if this would turn awkward. She didn’t want awkward anywhere near their perfectly built relationship. They’d been friends too long to allow anything negative or evil to slip in.
When Cameron’s uninjured hand covered her bare thigh, Megan’s first thought was how she was glad she’d shaved that day...or the day before, considering it was after midnight.
Her second thought was that she hoped he didn’t feel her body trembling beneath his touch. Unfortunately, keeping her body controlled around Cameron was impossible.
“Was that call earlier from a client?” he asked, his thumb tracing an invisible pattern over her thigh.
Staring into those eyes, Megan could only nod.
“You’re working yourself too hard, Meg.” His bandaged hand slid up, pushing her hair off her shoulder and down her back. “I know you want to be there for your patients, be there for your brother, but when will you do something for yourself?”
Actually, being on his lap right now fell nicely into the “doing something for yourself” category.
“Are you the pot or the kettle?” she asked with a smile.
A corner of his mouth tipped up into a tired grin, causing the corners of his eyes to crease. “Whichever one you aren’t.”
Megan yawned. “Sorry. You want to crash in the guest room tonight?”
“I’ll just walk home.”
As Megan came to her feet, Cameron stood with her and kept a hand on her waist.
“Dizzy?” he asked.
Shaking her head, Megan started putting the first-aid kit back. “I’m fine. I’ve just not been sleeping lately and with the call and then your injury, I think my body was trying to crash before I was ready.”
Without even looking at the man, she knew his eyes were on her. She could feel them, feel him.
“Is your client all right?”
Megan thought back to the call. No matter how many years she’d been counseling, certain topics never got easier to deal with, and there were those special cases that truly touched her heart. Megan wished more than anything she could wave a magic wand and heal all the hurt she dealt with on a daily basis.
“Honestly, no.” Megan put the kit back under the vanity. She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s unstable, scared and can’t live a normal teenage life. It’s not fair and I want to go get her and bring her here. She needs love and guidance and to be able to sleep without worrying about her family.”
After taking one step, Cameron stood in front of her. His good hand came down and rested on the edge of the sink beside her hip.
“You can’t make up for the past, Megan.”
How easily this man could see through her. He knew how she equated every teen to her brother when he’d been an out-of-control hellion after their parents’ deaths. Still, the day Megan quit caring about her clients would be the day she quit her job.
“I can’t,” she agreed, trying not to think about how close he was, how his breath tickled her face or how his body was nearly covering hers. “But I can help one person. I can help steer them toward a better future.”
Cameron wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his hard chest. Tilting her head to rest her cheek against him, Megan inhaled the familiar masculine scent. What she wouldn’t give to be able to wrap her arms around him and have the embrace mean so much more than friendship. An embrace that led to something intimate, something that would take them to the next level.
“Why don’t you concentrate on getting sleep for what’s left of the night?”
Megan eased back and smiled. “You sure you don’t want the spare room?”
Cameron shook his head and took a step back. “I need to be back at the station early. I’ll just head home.”
A sliver of disappointment slid through her, but Megan kept smiling. Seriously, if he stayed it wasn’t like she’d make a move, even though she’d thought she was ready to admit her feelings. Why couldn’t she be more forward about what she wanted? She admired women who targeted a man and went after him.
Megan walked him to the door, rubbing her tired, burning eyes. “If that hand still looks bad by afternoon I want you to think about getting stitches. I’m not a nurse, you know.”
Cameron glanced down to the bandage and shrugged. “It’s not my shooting hand. I’ll be fine.”
Rolling her eyes, Megan reached around him and opened the front door. The living room and foyer were still only illuminated by the light spilling in from the kitchen.
“I have a crazy schedule the next couple of days, but I swear I’ll get that lamp replaced.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Megan covered her mouth as another yawn slipped out. “I’ll just take one from the spare room until I get to a store. No big deal.”
The screen door creaked open as Cameron stepped onto her porch. A cool breeze drifted through as he turned and studied her once more. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he ended up tightening his lips. Megan wanted to know what he was thinking after they’d shared those intense moments.
Finally he swallowed and nodded. “Lock up behind me.”
Megan reached for the screen door to prevent it from slamming. “Always.”
* * *
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Cameron crossed his arms over his chest and stood back, admiring the gaudy gold dragon lamp he’d found on his lunch break at one of the antiques stores in town.
“What?” he asked, pretending to be offended. “It puts out more light than the one you had—plus it was only eight bucks.”
Megan laughed. “You got screwed if you paid more than a dime for that hideous thing.”
“So you’d rather pay more for something that does the exact same thing?”
Megan stepped closer, bending down to inspect the new piece. She wrinkled her nose, squinted her eyes and her mouth contorted into an expression that looked as if she’d just inhaled the sickening aroma of a sewer plant.
This was the exact reaction he’d expected...which was why he’d bought the ugly thing.
“You did this on purpose,” she accused, turning her scrunched face to him. “You know how I am about gifts, and you know I’ll keep it just because you got it for me.”
Cameron shrugged. “Maybe. Do you still have that unicorn salt-and-pepper-shaker set?”
Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms and mirrored his stance. “You know I do. I just don’t get it out of the cabinet.”
For years he’d randomly bought her tacky things from time to time just for a laugh. He knew how she treasured every present because she hadn’t had much growing up and gifts were few and far between. Megan had a loving heart, and she’d never give away something someone bought her.
And now this tacky dragon lamp, with the light shooting out of the open mouth directed toward the ceiling, adorned her neutral-to
ned living room. A dragon that projectile vomited light? This was a new level of tacky. Cameron had to really bite the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting out laughing.
“I thought you were too busy to see me today.”
The list of things Cameron needed to do flooded his mind. Tonight he’d be staking out another parking lot, waiting for the familiar crew of drug runners to pass through. Cameron only hoped Evan wasn’t with them this time. He truly hoped Megan’s brother would get away from that crowd. This case would not have a positive ending, and Cameron didn’t want to arrest Evan and help convict him of a felony. That crushing blow would kill Megan.
“I’m on my way back in,” he told her. “But when I saw this, I just knew you had to have it. I couldn’t wait to see your face.”
“There will be retaliation,” she promised with a gleam in her eyes.
“I can’t wait,” he retorted, laughing.
Rain started splattering the windows as the gray clouds moved over the sun, blocking out the natural light.
“Got this lamp in just in time,” he said, not even trying to hold back his grin. “It’s supposed to storm all night. It’ll be good for you to sit in here and read.”
“I’d hate for the power to go out and my lamp to have some malfunction due to the storm.”
Cameron patted the top of the beastly thing. “This is an antique. I’d say she’s been around through many storms. Don’t worry.”
“She? You’re giving that thing a gender?”
Cameron may have initially been drawn to the lamp because of the shock factor and the entertainment value of presenting it to Megan, but there was more. After he’d gotten over the amusement, he realized in some weird way, this dragon reminded him of Megan. Sturdy and fierce. Of course, if he mentioned any of that to her she’d probably launch the heavy atrocity right at his head.
“You can give her a name,” he added, just wanting to get under her skin. The unladylike growl was perfect. “Think about it. No need to call her anything right now. You’ll want to acquaint yourself.”
From Best Friend to Bride Page 4