From Best Friend to Bride

by Jules Bennett

  “I’m thinking of a few names,” Megan said through gritted teeth. “None of them are for her, though.”

  Cameron swatted her arm. “See? You’re already thinking of the lamp as her. You’ll have her named by the end of the day.”

  Another unladylike growl escaped Megan as her eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t you have a city to protect?”

  More so now than ever, yet he found himself not wanting to leave. This was the first time in a while he actually smiled for good reason. Added to that, he felt they needed this ridiculous moment after way too many close calls. His control was about to snap.

  Even if he had wanted to risk their friendship and delve into a more intimate relationship, he couldn’t ignore the flashes of his old partner that ripped through him. The man had been married to his job and he’d had a beautiful young wife at home. Now she was a widow. Cameron tried to check in on her from time to time, and he would never forget her face when she’d learned her husband had been killed in the line of duty. Killed by a bullet meant for Cameron. The guilt used to eat at him, but now he realized he would’ve done the same thing. Jumping into the line of fire wasn’t something you thought about, you just did it.

  “Cam?”

  Megan’s hand on his arm and her soft tone pulled him from his thoughts. “Yeah. Sorry.”

  “You left me for a minute.” Her arched brows drew in. “You can talk to me. I know you can’t discuss open cases, but you can at least get out some frustration.”

  No, he couldn’t because the second those words left her lips, he found himself studying her mouth. The very thought of kissing her should have made awkwardness rise to the surface, but he found himself curious how she would taste, how she would respond. There was only one way to get her out of his system.

  “I’m fine,” he assured her. Well, as fine as he could be considering he was now fantasizing about kissing his best friend and keeping the fact that her brother was in way over his head with drug runners a secret. “I need to get going.”

  Megan reached out, wrapping her arms around him. She held on tighter than usual and damn if that didn’t send a shot of arousal straight through him. Cameron slid his arms around her waist, loving how she just knew when he needed a connection most.

  “Be careful,” she whispered just before she stepped back. “I know you’re working on a big case, but promise me you’re cautious.”

  Cameron swallowed, hating the worry that settled in her bright eyes. This was the reason he wouldn’t subject her or any other woman to his line of work.

  “I promise,” he told her. “Text me and tell me what you name her.”

  Megan’s eyes darted to the dragon lamp and back to him. “Distracting me from worry won’t work.”

  Cameron gave her shoulder a squeeze and headed to the door. “No need to worry. Call me if you need anything.”

  “You know I won’t call you.” She smiled and tipped that adorable defiant chin up a notch. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  Yes, but she didn’t know what she was up against if her loser brother opted to somehow use her in his latest dealings. Cameron had to be on full alert because the likelihood of Evan trying to get something from Megan or bringing the rest of the cronies into her life was viable. Cameron might be watching the entire city, but his focus was zeroed in on keeping Megan safe and oblivious to the activity hitting way too close to home.

  Granted, this was a small town, but that didn’t mean evils wouldn’t try to reach their arms in and infiltrate anyone who proved to be an easy target. Cameron wouldn’t allow his town to be overrun by corrupt, illegal activities as long as he was chief.

  Cameron headed back to the station, where he would be meeting up with an FBI agent to discuss the case. Too often cops developed inflated egos and didn’t want outside assistance. Cameron wasn’t that stupid. When the FBI had come in, he had welcomed the extra help. He’d do anything to keep his town safe, to keep drugs from filtering into the schools and homes of innocent, unsuspecting kids.

  He wasn’t naive enough to believe he could stop all drug trafficking, but he was damn sure going to stop this group from bringing shipments into Stonerock. Every bust, every seller taken off the streets, could possibly be saving someone’s life.

  Cameron couldn’t wait for this case to wrap up. They had a good amount of evidence so far, but they needed a bit more. An undercover FBI agent had been placed deep in the runners’ inner circle months ago. Another reason Cameron was elated to have them all on board.

  All they had to do was wait on his signal, and then the group would be taken down.

  Glancing back at Megan’s one-story cottage, complete with cheery colorful flowers and a yellow front door, Cameron only hoped he could save her from the pain of seeing her own brother in prison. Unfortunately, Cameron didn’t think that was possible.

  Chapter Five

  The storm had ripped through the night, putting off the surveillance. Cameron and a few other officers and FBI agents had waited around the station, hoping the storm would pass. Unfortunately, with lightning bolting across the sky and claps of thunder raging at the same time, even the dealers weren’t stupid enough to be outdoors.

  At around three in the morning, Cameron headed home, ready to get a few hours of sleep before coming back. Their informant had told them another meet was scheduled to happen in three days. Cameron honestly thought of taking a day off to do absolutely nothing. He was running on fumes. All he wanted to do was fall face-first into his bed and sleep for a good solid eight hours. Was that too much to ask?

  He and the other agents and officers were convinced it would only take one or two more meets before they could bring the group down. The day wouldn’t come soon enough.

  His headlights cut through the darkness as he pulled into his drive. He needed a shower and a bed. He actually needed food, but that would have to wait. He was too exhausted to even pry open a package of toaster pastries at this point.

  After letting himself in the back door, he removed his shoulder holster and gun. After carrying it through the darkened hall, he stepped into his bedroom and placed the gun on the dresser just inside the door. Turning around, he went into the bathroom directly across the hall from his room.

  The shower was quick, hot and enough to loosen his sore muscles and have him one step closer to falling into oblivion as soon as he slid between his sheets.

  Wrapping the towel around his waist and tucking the edge in to secure it in place, Cameron padded back across the hall. He kept his blackout shades pulled at all times, seeing as how he never knew when he’d get shut-eye and he wanted to keep the room nice and dark. Of course tonight, with the storm, the moon wasn’t even out to offer a glow.

  Cameron jerked off the towel and hung it on the closet doorknob. Shuffling toward the king-size bed, Cameron nearly wept at the thought of falling asleep. Now, if he could stay asleep that would be a miracle.

  Jerking back the covers quickly revealed two things: there was a woman in his bed, and there would be no sleep tonight.

  * * *

  His hands glided over her bare skin, sending ripples of satisfaction coursing through her. Finally, after all these years, she would finally know what making love to her best friend was like.

  A soft groan escaped her lips; her body arched in eager anticipation.

  “Megan.”

  Even his voice aroused her. That low, throaty tone. She’d imagined him growling her name while looking into her eyes as his body leaned over hers.

  “Meg.”

  The firm grip on her shoulder had her lifting her lids, blinking. Darkness surrounded her, but the shape before her was so familiar, so close. She reached up, slid her hands over his stubbled jaw and pulled him down. Her mouth covered his and for a second she wondered why he wasn’t responding.

  The thought was fleeting as Cameron’s hesitant state snapped; his hold on her shoulders tightened. His mouth opened, his tongue plunging in to tangle with hers. Ye
s, this is what she needed, what she craved.

  The weight of his body pressing hers back into the bed, the sheer strength of this man, consumed her in every single way and made all her fantasies seem so minor in comparison.

  The euphoria of coming from a dream into reality—

  Megan froze. Dream into reality? Oh, no. She had been dreaming earlier...now she wasn’t.

  As if sensing her detachment, Cameron stilled and lifted his head. She lay on the bed, the top half of his body covering hers, the tingling sensations still rippling through her as she focused back on the cold, harsh reality.

  “Cam?”

  “Yeah.” His husky voice did nothing to rid her body’s ache. “Um...sorry. That was...I don’t...why did you kiss me?”

  With her palms plastered to his bare chest—his bare, damp chest—Megan closed her eyes and battled with telling the truth or saving her pride.

  “I was dreaming.”

  Pride won out. How could she tell her best friend she’d been dreaming of seducing him and fully succeeding? How could she tell him that for years she’d dreamed of taking control and making him see just how amazing they’d be together?

  “That was one hell of a dream.” He eased himself off her, and as her eyes fully adjusted to the darkened room, she realized he wore... Oh, mercy. He wore absolutely nothing.

  Embarrassed, yet incredibly still aroused, Megan shoved her hair away from her face. “I didn’t want to bother you at work and I thought I’d be gone by morning since I figured you’d be out all night.” She realized she was rambling, but nerves had taken over and she’d lost all control. As she rambled, though, it gave him time to retrieve a towel from the closet knob and secure it around his waist. “I couldn’t sleep at my house and had you been home I would’ve taken the couch, but since you were out...”

  Cameron smiled as she trailed off, and she figured she sounded as nervous as she felt. Silence settled between them, and he crossed his arms over his chest, as if wearing only a towel was the most comfortable thing in the world.

  Was he not affected at all by that kiss? She knew for a fact he’d been somewhat aroused when he’d been on top of her, but now he merely looked at her with that lopsided grin she’d come to love.

  “I don’t mind a bit that you came here,” he informed her. “But what was wrong with your house?”

  Restless on so many levels, Megan came to her feet and started smoothing out the covers. “My back door had been tampered with and the lock was broken. I wasn’t comfortable sleeping there. I didn’t figure you’d mind.”

  “What the hell, Meg?” Reaching around her, he clicked on the bedside lamp. “Someone broke in and you were afraid to call my cell?”

  “I wasn’t afraid,” she defended herself, testing every bit of her self-control as she kept her eyes on his and not on the stark white towel riding low on his hips or the sprinkling of dark hair across his bare torso. “I knew you were busy and...can you put some pants on? I can’t talk like this.”

  A corner of his mouth kicked up into a grin. “You’ve seen me in swim trunks, Meg.”

  Yes, but in those instances he hadn’t just been lying on top of her, kissing her back as if she were his next breath of air. Would her lips ever stop tingling from all that heat? His body’s imprint was permanently ingrained onto hers.

  Her eyes darted to the bed, re-creating an image of how close she’d been to attaining her greatest fantasy. When she glanced back up, Cameron’s jaw was clenched, his eyes holding hers as if he knew exactly where her thoughts had traveled and he was having a hard time keeping his own from going there.

  “It’s not the same,” she whispered.

  With a nod, he turned, pulled a pair of shorts from his drawer and slid them on beneath the towel. With a flick of his wrist, the towel came off and he hung it back on the doorknob before he crossed the intimate room to stand within a breath of her.

  “Now, tell me what the hell is going on. What happened at your house?”

  Megan pulled in a deep breath, giving herself an extra minute to figure out how to control her emotions and get back on track to where their conversation needed to be.

  “My back door had been kicked in or something. It was open and the lock was busted.”

  Cameron raked a hand over his still-damp hair and muttered a curse. “You’ll call me next time anything happens. Me, not the department, not another officer. You’ll call my cell.”

  A little surprised at his demanding tone, Megan propped her hands on her hips. “What would you have done? Left whatever you’ve been working undercover on for months?”

  His narrowed eyes held hers as he eased forward just enough for his bare chest to brush against her. “Yes.”

  He’d put work second? That was a first. Work never came after anything for Cameron. He took pride in keeping his town’s reputation favorable and the crime rate low. To know he would’ve dropped everything for her caused a new warmth to spread through her, overlaying the previous heat from their intimate encounter moments ago.

  “I didn’t need to call you for a busted door,” she said. “I knew you’d look at it sometime in the morning. I just wanted to sleep. Like I said, had I known you’d be home, I’d have taken the couch.”

  While his small cottage had two bedrooms, the second bedroom was full of workout equipment that aided in bulking up his already magnificent physic.

  “I’ll take the couch,” he told her. “Go on back to sleep.”

  Oh, sure. As if she could crawl back into that bed after what had just happened. She’d had a hard enough time getting to sleep in the first place because she’d nearly suffocated herself by burying her face into his pillow and inhaling that familiar masculine scent. She really needed to get a grip before she made a complete fool of herself.

  “I’ll take the couch.” She smiled up at him, hoping the friendly gesture would ease the tension. Granted, the tension was most likely all one-sided. “You’ve been up long enough and there’s no way you’ll fit.”

  “What kind of gentleman and friend would I be if I booted my best friend to the couch?”

  Best friend. Had he thrown those two words at her to remind her of their status? Had she completely freaked him out when she’d attacked him, rubbed herself all over him and claimed his mouth? Part of her was mortified; the other part of her was a bit relieved she’d finally kissed him. She’d not only kissed him, she’d full-out devoured him. But now she knew how he tasted, how he felt. That knowledge was both a blessing and a curse.

  “I either take the couch or I head home where it may not be safe.”

  True, she wasn’t fighting fair because no way would he let her go if he thought for a second she wasn’t well protected. He studied her for a moment, and Megan tried not to look away or fidget beneath that hypnotic gaze. Would she ever stop tingling? Would she ever forget how perfectly his body felt pressed against hers? She hoped not. Those were memories she’d want to relive over and over for as long as possible.

  “You’re stubborn.”

  Megan shrugged. “One of my many talents,” she told him, patting his bare shoulder because she was having a hard time resisting all that glorious skin mere inches away. “Sleep tight.”

  Inching around him, inhaling that fresh-from-the-shower scent, Megan made her way out of his room and headed to the couch. She may as well just head on home because there was no way she could sleep now, not after that kiss. But she would stay. If Cameron knew she was home, he wouldn’t rest, either, and he desperately needed to before he worked himself to death.

  Megan pulled a blanket from the back of the couch, fluffed the throw pillow and lay on her side, facing the hallway. The darkened space offered nothing of comfort or peace. The silence was equally as empty.

  Was Cameron already lying in bed? Had he already slid between the sheets she’d just come from? Had that kiss even made an impact on him, or was he completely repulsed at the fact his best friend had tried to consume him?

  More t
han likely the man’s head had barely hit the pillow before he was out. At least one of them would get some sleep tonight.

  Chapter Six

  How the hell could a man rest after finding a woman in his bed, being kissed in such an arousing way by said woman and now smelling her fruity scent on his sheets?

  Cameron laced his fingers over his abdomen and stared up at the ceiling fan. Whoever Megan had been dreaming about was one lucky man. The way she’d all but plastered her curvy body against his had him instantly responding. Hence the problem with sleeping. How the hell did he react to this? For a few brief moments, he’d found something with Megan he’d never experienced with any other woman. Ever.

  What was the protocol for discovering your best friend kissed like every man’s fantasy? He knew he’d wanted her on a primal level, but to actually have evidence of the fact only added to his confusion.

  This was Megan, the woman who knew all his secrets, all his annoying quirks. They’d been through everything together from riding their first rollercoaster to her brother’s ups and downs.

  She was like family, only he was feeling close to her in a way that had nothing to do with family. He’d secretly hoped if he ever got his hands or lips on her, he’d get her out of his system because he’d feel nothing. Unfortunately, that was completely the opposite of what had just happened. He felt too much, too fast.

  Cameron’s body still hadn’t settled back down, and it wouldn’t anytime soon. Who the hell had Megan been dreaming about? She wasn’t dating anyone, unless she was keeping it a secret.

  Damn it. Jealousy was an ugly, unwelcome trait.

  Swiping a hand down his face, Cameron cursed himself. Here he was, dead on his feet, unable to sleep for fantasizing about his best friend dreaming about a mysterious man. How messed up had his life become in the past hour?

  Licking his lips, he still tasted her. He couldn’t want more. Wanting anything more from Megan was out of the question. Their friendship was solid—why mess that up just because she kissed like every dream he’d ever had?