From Best Friend to Bride

by Jules Bennett

  Movement in the house made him focus on the darkness instead of his wayward thoughts. Bare feet slid over the hardwood. The refrigerator door opened, closed, followed by the sound of a cabinet being shut softly. She was trying to be so quiet, but he wasn’t sleeping and he was trained to hear even the slightest disturbances.

  This new tension that had settled between them wasn’t going anywhere. She may have tried to act calm after what they’d shared, but he knew her well enough to know she was anything but. Her nerves and emotions were just as jumbled, just as buzzing, as his were.

  With a sigh, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Might as well face this head-on. He didn’t want uneasiness to become an uninvited third party in their relationship. Maybe she really was just dreaming, but the way his body responded, the way she’d been jittery afterward, told him there was more.

  He padded his way down the hall, his eyes adjusting to the darkness in his familiar surroundings. The living room was empty, so he turned toward the kitchen, where he saw her. Leaning against the counter, looking out onto the backyard, Megan held a glass in her hand. Cameron studied her in a new light. He couldn’t deny her beauty, with her perfectly shaped curves and hair that tumbled down her back. Those green eyes could pierce you in an instant, and now he knew that mouth could render a man speechless.

  Still clutching the glass and staring, Megan hadn’t moved one bit since he’d stood here. Something, or someone, consumed her mind.

  “Who is he?”

  Megan jumped, turned and the glass she’d been clutching dropped to the floor with a crackling shatter.

  “Damn it.” He started to move forward but stopped. He reached around the doorjamb and flicked on the light, blinking against the bright glare. “Don’t move. Neither of us have shoes on.”

  First the lamp at her house and now this. They hadn’t even delved into relationship territory, and already things were breaking all around them. A metaphor for things to come?

  He ran back to his room and shoved his feet into a pair of tennis shoes at the foot of the bed. When he got back to the kitchen, Megan was bending over, picking up pieces of glass.

  “I told you not to move,” he growled, not knowing which situation he was angrier at.

  “I didn’t take a step. I’m just picking up the large pieces.”

  He jerked open the small built-in utility closet and grabbed the broom and dustpan. After sweeping up the majority of the glass, Megan set the shards she’d held into the dustpan, too.

  After dumping the mess into the trash, he went back and scooped her up into his arms without a word.

  With a squeak of surprise, Megan landed against his chest and he had no idea how to react to the fact his body warmed and responded with her against him once again.

  “This is overkill—don’t you think?” she asked, sliding one arm around his neck.

  “I need you out of the way so I can get the rest and you’re not wearing shoes. So no, I don’t think it’s overkill.”

  He deposited her on the couch in the living room and made his way back to clean up the water and make sure all the fragments were swept up. Several minutes later, he headed back into the living room to find Megan gone.

  Heading down the hall, he heard water running from the bathroom. She’d left the door open, allowing the light to spill into the hallway. When he peeked into the room, Megan was at the sink, holding one hand under the water. Blood seeped to the surface of her palm as soon as water could wash it away.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’d cut yourself?” he asked.

  “Like you told me the other day?” Throwing him a glance over her shoulder, Megan shrugged. “You were cleaning up the mess. Seriously, it’s very minor. I could use a bandage, though.”

  Stepping forward, Cameron reached around, shut the water off and held on to her wrist to examine her hand. Her hair tickled the side of his face, and the pulse beneath his fingertips sped up. Gritting his teeth to shove aside any emotions outside the friend zone, Cameron inspected the injury.

  “It is small,” he agreed, still inspecting the area.

  She glanced up, catching his eyes in the mirror. “It just needs to be cleaned up and a bandage. I wasn’t lying.”

  When he continued to stare at her, she merely quirked a brow. Damn woman would make a nun curse like a sailor.

  “Sit,” he said, pointing to the toilet lid. “It’s my turn to take care of you.”

  Grabbing the first-aid kit from beneath the sink, he shuffled the supplies around and found what he needed to fix her up.

  He took a seat on the edge of the tub and balanced the supplies on his thigh. With careful movements, he uncurled her fingers and examined the cut again. It was bleeding pretty good, but it wasn’t deep at all.

  “I’m thinking you and I need only plastic, child-safe things in our homes,” she joked.

  “At the very least, we should stop handling glass in the middle of the night.”

  Cameron appreciated her attempt to lighten the mood, but he’d come out of his room for a reason and he needed to get this off his chest.

  “Why couldn’t you sleep?” he asked, keeping his eyes locked on his task as he swiped her palm with gauze.

  “Insomnia has become a close friend of mine lately.”

  That was something he definitely understood. Still, she’d been sleeping just fine earlier in his bed.

  “I’ll make sure your door is fixed so you can sleep in your bed.” Confident the bleeding had slowed enough not to come through the bandage, Cameron held a fresh gauze pad over the cut and applied pressure. “I’m sorry I startled you earlier.”

  Her hand tensed beneath his touch. “What were you asking me when you came into the kitchen, anyway?”

  Keeping his thumb over the pad, he lifted his gaze to hers. Those bright green eyes outlined by dark lashes held him captivated and speechless for a second. “Nothing. Forget it.”

  “You asked who he was,” she went on. “What he are you referring to?”

  Knowing she wouldn’t back down, Cameron opted to face this head-on as he’d originally intended. He was chief of police, for crying out loud, yet the thought of discussing another man with Megan had him trembling and nearly breaking out into a sweat...not to mention ready to punch someone in the face.

  “I wanted to know who you were dreaming about.”

  Megan lowered her lids, took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m not sure you’re ready for that answer.”

  Not ready for the answer? What was she about to tell him? Was she fantasizing about someone he didn’t care for? Cameron got along with nearly everybody on the right side of the law.

  “It’s none of my business,” he repeated, not sure he was ready for the answer, either. “The way you kissed me...”

  Megan stared at him as his words died in the crackling air between them. “I was dreaming of you.”

  * * *

  Nerves and fear settled deep in her stomach as if weighted by an anchor. She kept her gaze on his, refusing to back down or show weakness. He wanted the truth—he got it. Now they would both have to deal with the consequences because she’d just opened a door and shoved him right on through into the black abyss. Neither of them had a clue what waited for them.

  Cameron’s warm hand continued to hold hers, protecting her injury. He clenched the muscle in his jaw as if he was holding back his response. Not knowing what was going on in his head was only adding to her worry.

  “Say something.” She tried for a smile but swallowed instead, blinking as her eyes began to burn with the threat of tears. Oh, no. She wouldn’t break down. Not here, not now. “It was a kiss, Cam. No big deal.”

  Okay, so she’d tried to be strong and not back down, but right now, in the wake of his silence, she figured backpedaling was the only approach.

  “Don’t lie to me,” he commanded. “I was on the receiving end of that kiss, and it was definitely a big deal.”

  Megan pulled her hand away
and got to her feet, causing him to scoot back and try to catch all the supplies from his lap before they scattered to the floor.

  “I was still asleep, Cameron. I was in your bed, surrounded by your scent. I can’t help what I was dreaming.”

  Lifting the pad from her hand, she studied her palm. The cut only stung a little, not enough to keep her focus off the fact she was in this minuscule bathroom with Cameron and she’d just told him she’d been fantasizing about him. There wasn’t enough air or space because he came up right behind her, practically caging her in between his hard, broad body and the vanity.

  “So you’re saying if I kissed you now that you’re fully awake, you wouldn’t respond like earlier?”

  His bold, challenging question had her jerking her gaze up to meet his in the mirror. Slowly turning to face him, brushing against every plane of his torso in the process, Megan clutched her injured hand against her chest. Though the cut was insignificant in the grand scheme of things, holding on to it gave her a prop she needed to calm her shaky hands.

  “It’s late...or early,” she told him. “Let’s forget any of this happened and try to salvage what’s left of the night. We both need sleep.”

  He braced his hands on the sink, officially trapping her in between his arms. “You’re not a coward.”

  “No, I’m not. But this little exercise is ridiculous.”

  Lowering his lids, he stared at her mouth. “Then this won’t be a problem.”

  His mouth slid over hers, and Megan pulled up every ounce of self-control to keep from moaning. Earlier she’d been half dreaming when she’d kissed him, but now she was fully awake and able to truly enjoy how amazing her best friend was in the kissing department.

  Even though he was demanding and controlling, Cameron somehow managed to also be gentle with his touch. One strong hand splayed across her back, urging her closer. Her injured hand remained trapped between their bodies, and she fisted the other at her side because she didn’t want to show emotion, not now. As much as she yearned to wrap herself around him and give in to anything he was willing to offer, she wasn’t ready.

  Cameron nipped at her lips, easing his way out of the kiss. But he didn’t stop. No, the man merely angled his head the other way and dived back in for more.

  The way he had her partially bent back over the vanity, Megan had to bring up her good hand to clutch his bare shoulder. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been so thoroughly kissed. No matter the time, she’d certainly never been kissed as passionately, as intensely, as now. Even those kisses that led straight to the bedroom had never gotten her this hot, this turned on.

  Cameron fisted her T-shirt in his hand, pulling it tighter against her back as he lifted his head slightly. His forehead rested against hers.

  “You’re awake now,” he muttered. “Feeling anything?”

  Because she needed to think, and she knew he needed to think, Megan patted his shoulder and smiled. “You’re a good kisser, Cam. No denying that. But I’m not dreaming anymore.”

  Cameron stepped back, hands on his narrowed hips where his shorts were riding low. “Tell me that didn’t make your body respond.”

  She knew for a fact his body had responded, but she wouldn’t be so tacky as to drop her gaze to the front of his shorts. They both knew she was fully aware.

  Cameron had never even hinted he wanted to kiss her before. And even though she knew she should take this chance to tell him how she felt, she found herself lying to his face to save hers.

  “Like I said, you’re a great kisser,” she told him. “But I’ve had better.”

  With that bold-faced lie, she marched from the bathroom and straight to the sofa, where she lay down facing the back cushions and covered up with the throw. Megan wasn’t quite sure if she’d put this experiment to rest or if she’d awakened the beast inside Cameron.

  She had a feeling she’d find out soon enough. Thrills of anticipation coursed through her at the prospect.

  Chapter Seven

  Cameron needed this break. Between work and keeping track of Evan at various late-night meetings and that semierotic evening spent with Megan, he was about to lose it.

  Drinking a beer on Eli’s new patio with his brothers while their wives sat in the house discussing babies or shoes or some other frightening topic was exactly what he needed to relax.

  Of course the incident with Megan had happened only two days ago and he still hadn’t been able to get a grasp on how much that kiss, both kisses, had affected him.

  “We’ve lost him again,” Eli mocked, pulling Cameron from his daze.

  “He’s still working in his head.” Drake took a pull of his beer, then let the bottle dangle between his knees. “You’re off the clock right now. Enjoy it.”

  Cameron rested his forearms on the edge of the deck railing and glanced out into the wooded backyard. Eli had built an addition on his home and then added the deck. He and his wife of nearly a year, and their baby, lived in their own little corner on the edge of town.

  Drake, with his new bride and adorable stepdaughter, was embracing family life, as well. Drake had even mentioned how he and Marly wanted to try for a baby of their own.

  Cameron couldn’t be happier for his brothers, but they could keep their minivans, grocery lists and scheduled bedtimes. That wasn’t a lifestyle he saw himself settling into anytime soon...if ever.

  “I’m not working in my head,” he defended himself. “I’m just enjoying listening to you two go on about recipes and paint swatches like a bunch of old ladies at a hair salon.”

  “Someone’s grouchy,” Eli muttered.

  “Maybe he doesn’t have a recipe worth sharing and he’s embarrassed,” Drake added with a low chuckle.

  Cameron turned, flipping his brothers the one-finger salute. He missed getting together with them. They used to try to have a cookout or something once a week, especially since Eli’s deployments were over and he was officially a civilian now, but Cameron’s schedule was anything but regular. He hated putting work ahead of his family, but sometimes he couldn’t help the matter. The criminals didn’t seem to keep nine-to-five hours.

  “Oh, hell,” Drake whispered as he sat straight up in his deck chair. “You’ve finally got woman issues.”

  Eli’s head whipped around, his gaze narrowing on Cameron. “Seriously? Because if you have woman issues, that means you have a woman, which is a damn miracle.”

  Finishing off his beer, knowing full well he needed something stronger to get into this discussion, Cameron tossed his empty bottle into the bin.

  “I don’t have a woman,” he ground out, dropping onto the settee. “I have a headache over one.”

  Why did he have to go and issue Megan that challenge? Why did he have to push her into proving she was lying? Because all he’d gotten out of the deal was a hell of a great kiss, sleepless nights full of fantasies fueled by his best friend and a whole lot of anger with himself for crossing the line.

  His own issues aside, how could he actually move to another level with Megan knowing her brother was well on his way to prison? Hell, Cameron was having a hard time keeping that bottled up now, and they were just friends. How could he keep secrets if he allowed intimacy to slip into the picture?

  “Who is she?” Eli asked. “Oh, is it the new lady in town that lives out behind the grocery store? I hear she’s single and if those tight-fitting clothes and spike heels aren’t an invitation—”

  “An invitation to what?” Nora asked from the patio door with her arms crossed over her chest, a quirked brow and a knowing grin on her face.

  Eli cleared his throat. “Hey, babe,” he said, crossing the wide area to wrap an arm around her waist. “I was just thinking about you.”

  She swatted him in the stomach. “If you think I’ll ever dress like I work a pole every night, you’re insane.”

  Eli groaned. “Please, don’t mention a pole.”

  Cameron and Drake exchanged a conspiratorial look before they busted out l
aughing. “Still scarred from the image of Maddie Mays?”

  Squeezing his eyes shut, Eli shook his head. “I’m trying to forget, but she was in again yesterday. Why does she always bring up her workout regime with me?”

  “Because you’re her doctor,” Cameron smirked, enjoying the idea of his brother in such an awkward position. “Aren’t you sworn to secrecy? I don’t think you should share such things with us.”

  Eli blinked, narrowing his gaze. “If I have to suffer at the image, then so do you two.”

  “Mad” Maddie Mays had seemed to be a hundred years old when they were kids. At this point she may have been the same age as Noah and survived by hiding out on the ark. She’d never been a fan of the St. John boys and found their shenanigans less than amusing. More often than not, she’d chased them out of her yard wielding a rolling pin, baseball bat or sometimes both to really get her point across.

  Now with Eli taking over their father’s clinic, Maddie had no choice but to associate with at least one of the St. John boys, unless she wanted to find a doctor in a neighboring town. Apparently she’d warmed up to Eli. Perhaps sharing her unorthodox exercise routine was just her way of getting back at him for being a menace as a kid.

  “If you guys are done discussing that poor woman, I wanted to know if you all had mentioned date night to Cameron.” Nora took the bottle from Eli’s hands and took a drink.

  “What date night?” Cameron eyed his brothers. “You two aren’t my type.”

  Nora smiled. “Actually we were wondering if you’d like to play the cool uncle while we went out. I was hesitant to ask you, but Eli and Drake assured me you wouldn’t mind if you weren’t busy.”

  Stunned, Cameron considered the idea, then shrugged. “Sure, I can do it.” He’d just schedule the diaper changing and mac-and-cheese dinner around watching for drug smugglers. “How hard can watching a baby and a six-year-old be?”

  His brothers exchanged a look and nearly turned red trying to hold back a comment or laughter. Oh, they think I’m not capable? Challenge accepted.

  “Seriously?” Cameron went on. “You’re already thinking I’m going to blow this? I run a town, for pity’s sake. Surely I can handle two kids.”