by Sara Dailey
So, I bypassed my parents’ room and headed upstairs to my spot and hung out in my window seat to let my eyes and my mind do their thing.
The next thing I remembered I was being jerked awake by the sound of Gavin’s voice. “Cami, are you up there? Cade’s on the phone.”
I guess I did need a nap after all. As I wiped the sleep from eyes, I stumbled over to the stairs and found Gavin holding on to the railing about halfway up the stairs as if he didn’t feel comfortable coming all the way up. With a half-smile, he held out his phone.
As soon as the phone hit my ear, I started to report the good news but was quickly cut off. “Hey, Cade. I made some progress today—”
“Cami, we have a problem. It’s Aiden. I can’t believe we didn’t think of this before, but he’s getting sick because…”
“Because Teagan’s not there,” I finished for him when he couldn’t seem to find the words.
CHAPTER 17
Gavin
Not feeling real comfortable about eavesdropping on Cade’s call, I went back to my little home after handing Cami the phone, but I knew something was wrong. Cade’s voice was tense, and he was more demanding than usual. I was hoping that Cami would let me in on the news, but whether I liked it or not, I was still an outsider, so I wasn’t sure she’d include me at all.
A few minutes later, when I heard the door unlock, a smile crept across my face, but it didn’t stay long once I saw Cami standing in the doorway. Looking completely wigged out, she marched toward me, handed me back my phone, and said, “We have a problem.”
“I figured. What’s going on?”
“You know Aiden is mated to Teagan right? Well, he’s there and she’s here. And now he’s getting sick.”
“Already?” I asked. Cami didn’t say anything. She just nodded her head. “Man, that’s fast. That mating shit sucks.”
Cami breezed past me and took a seat at the small table in the middle of the room. “No shit. We’ve got to a get a plan together. The longer Aiden and Teagan are separated the worse he’s going to get,” she said as she leaned back in the chair. “I know I can get her off the estate; it’s just figuring out how to do it with no one realizing that she’s gone. It’ll be pretty obvious if one of the two humans on the estate goes missing.”
“Yeah, I’d say that’d be kinda obvious. Maybe we sneak Aiden back on to the estate? He could stay here in the safe room too.” I suggested.
“Oh, I just don’t know,” Cami huffed, stretching her arms over her head giving me the sexiest view of her tight little stomach. “Did I tell you that I was able to talk to Gage and Shari about Cade and the others today during rec time? And Gage was able to talk to Sammy and Ryder.”
I felt my face grow hot as it twisted into what I could only imagine was one hella-angry scowl. Was she freaking insane? Putting us all at risk by blabbing about Cade in broad daylight with guards everywhere was beyond nuts. What if someone heard? Not to mention the fact that the more people that knew, the greater chance we’d have of getting caught. Unbelievable! I covered my mouth with my hand before I said something I’d regret and then moved as far away from Cami as I could in this small-ass room.
“What? Jesus,” Cami asked.
I took a couple of deep cleansing breaths as she walked toward me. Then I turned to face her but continued to back away as the words just started spilling out of my mouth. “I can’t for the life of me figure out why you would choose to tell everyone about Cade while surrounded by people who would kill you if they heard. It’s just ridiculous! I get that you think that you’re invincible, but don’t you ever think about other people? The guards could have heard you. What if one of your friends tells someone else and word gets out to the wrong people? Or what they know gets them killed? How would you feel then?”
As I took a moment to catch my breath, I noticed the paling of Cami’s complexion. Her hands were clenched in tight fists, and her jaw was even tighter than before. She opened her mouth to let me have it. “You’re overreacting and being an ass. I’ve already told you that we have to do something. We can’t just sit around and do nothing,” she fumed.
I turned away from her and ran my hand through my hair, trying to get my temper in check.
“Don’t walk away from me. Listen, maybe you don’t have the balls to do anything about our situation, hell maybe you like being trapped in this little room, but I will do something. I won’t watch my pack fall and do nothing,” she yelled.
I turned back around and glared down at her little five-foot-nothing frame. “Are you serious? You think I like being trapped here? I’m not too scared to do anything. I’m just trying to be smart about this. The more people who know, the greater the chance of getting caught.”
Her dark brown eyes shot daggers right back as she puffed up her chest like a damn blowfish and crossed her arms. “Stop acting like I’m a complete moron. I’ve kept my eyes open, and I’ve seen holes in your dad’s security. There is a way off the estate. I just have to make my move.”
Shit! Now, that freaked me out. What was she going to do? When I didn’t say anything, she huffed and threw her hands in the air. “I can’t talk to you!”
I have no idea what came over me, but as Cami walked past me, I reached out and grabbed her arm. She swung around to face me, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and crashed my lips into hers. I think I was just as surprised by my actions as she was, but I figured I might as well run with it.
I turned us around and backed Cami up until I felt the wall right behind her. I pulled my lips away for only a moment, but in that moment everything changed. I looked at her hooded eyes, her swollen lips, her chest rising up and down, and I softened inside. When I kissed her again, it was gentle this time, and I slowed everything down, taking my time feeling the warmth of her mouth. Her lips parted, and I slipped my tongue past them so that I could taste her fully. Once her tongue found mine, my body melted into hers. I knew she could feel how much I wanted her, but I didn’t pull back. I wanted her to know how much she affected me.
I ran my hands up and down her sides, letting my thumbs graze her stomach. I reached around and cupped her ass, pulling her even tighter against me. A small moan escaped our lips nearly simultaneously. It was that sound that sent us both into a frenzy of need. Finally, Cami put her hands on me. She slid her hands up the back of my t-shirt and dug her nails into my skin as she devoured my mouth.
I wanted to look at her again. I wanted to see all that need on her face and know that I put it there, but pulling away was the worst mistake. As soon as our eyes met again, she pulled her hands out of my shirt and pushed me away. I stumbled back, and we stood staring at each other for a moment before she turned around and walked out of the room without saying a word.
Holy shit! That kiss…that kiss was fan-fucking-tastic. I was so worked up I could barely walk, but I needed to see Cami, so I stumbled over to the TV screen. But I wasn’t planning on spying on her in like a creeper way. I just needed to see her face, needed to know what she was thinking. When she pushed me away, I couldn’t tell how she felt about what had happened between us. I couldn’t read her, and I needed to know.
When I turned on the surveillance camera in her room she had just walked in. At first she looked angry, slamming her door shut and stomping over to her bed. She threw herself down and covered her face with her pillow. I wasn’t prepared for the feelings that bombarded me when I saw how upset she seemed. Here I was completely amped, and she looked like she was crying into her pillow. My first instinct was to run up there and tell her I was sorry and that I would never do that again, but that would only make me look like more of an idiot.
So, I fell back into the chair simply devastated, but then I saw her begin to kick her legs around in the air. She looked crazy. I mean, she was lying on her back and kicking her legs around like a cockroach. I leaned forward, puzzled over what I was watching. Cami pulled the pillow off her face, and I couldn’t help but laugh. She
was smiling from ear to ear, and she looked so happy…perfectly happy as she clutched the pillow to her chest.
CHAPTER 18
Kendall
Bored out of my mind and looking for something to do, I was on my way to Becca’s when I heard it. An earsplitting sound I never thought I’d actually hear stopped me dead in my tracks, and I watched as the CH guards froze as well and listened intently into their earpieces. The Red Ridge Pack’s emergency sirens blared throughout the estate, and in all the years I’d lived here, I’d never heard them before.
It wasn’t until people began to peek their heads out of their doors and the CH guards shouted orders for everyone to stay where they were until instructed otherwise that I managed to convince my legs to actually move. Needless to say, my insides were in total freak-out mode as I sprinted to the lodge to find out what was going on.
I busted through the door just as an announcement was being made over the estate-wide intercom for all members of the Red Ridge Pack to report to the lodge immediately. It appeared a search team was being assembled, so I hurried over to Drew dead-set on getting some information. “Drew, what’s going on here?”
He sighed as if I was wasting his time and then grabbed me by the arm and led to over to a hallway. “Babe, I don’t gotta lot of time here. Someone escaped. A Jake Larson? We figured a few members might be getting a bit too comfortable here, so after some of the houses were randomly searched we sent another guard or two to search again a few minutes afterwards, to see if we would catch anyone sneaking out. Of course, we targeted houses with guys like Larson living in them. You know, rule-breakers, risk-takers. Looks like our efforts worked.”
“So what now? Are you going out to find him? I want to go! I know this land better than any of you. I can help.”
Peering over my shoulder to watch as the members of Red Ridge filed in, Drew let out a deep breath. “Look, they’re bringing everyone in for a head count to make sure no one else has escaped. Then, they are sending them back home, with the exception of Larson’s family, and putting everyone on lockdown until further notice. We will need your help here at the lodge.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, but thankfully resisted the urge to stomp my foot. “You can’t be serious. Why the hell can’t I help with the search? I’ve lived here my whole life. You can’t tell me that I wouldn’t be an asset out there!”
Drew ran his hand through his hair and looked away. “Look, it’s not going to happen. My father said no. He wants you here. He thinks you’re just too close to this place…to these people.”
“What? You know that’s bullshit! Maybe you should tell your father to go screw himself!”
Before I even had a chance to react, Drew had grabbed me by my arm again and was dragging me further down the hall and then shoving me into a dark room. I heard him kick the door shut with his boot, but I could barely see a thing as my eyes tried to adjust to the dark. He forcefully spun me around until my back was shoved up against the door, and then his body was pressed up against mine.
He held my chin up in his hand and his lips were only a breath away when he finally spoke. “Listen baby, you know I can’t do that right now. As much as I want to tell my father to go fuck himself sometimes, you know I can’t. Do you hear me? Not yet. But soon, baby, soon, it will be me and you leading this pack. The largest pack in New Mexico.”
Grinding himself against me harder, Drew whispered, “Do you feel that, baby? Do you feel how hard that makes me just thinking about it?” And then his lips were on mine, consuming me whole like only he could.
CHAPTER 19
Cami
Stumbling home in yet another daze of FML, I was terrified to return to the scene of the crime—I mean kiss. I’d stayed locked in my room all morning avoiding what was sure to be one hell of an awkward encounter until the emergency sirens began blaring throughout the estate. Thankfully, Gavin was smart enough to stay locked inside the safe room even though I was quite sure it was killing him. But, at least he had the luxury of the surveillance system on his side.
Once it was announced for us all to be herded into the lodge like cattle, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely petrified. Not once in my entire life had the emergency sirens gone off on our estate, and I couldn’t imagine what could have possibly happened to trigger them. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that I wasn’t the only person in our pack who was plotting to escape. I mean, it wasn’t like we’re all a bunch of sheep around here, but it’s amazing how easy it is to be ruled by fear, especially when your captors prove early on that they won’t tolerate defiance of any sort. Two of our members were killed in cold blood that first night.
What I couldn’t figure out was how on earth they figured out Jake was missing so quickly, but from what little their alpha told us, it didn’t sound as though he’d been on the run for long. Within ten minutes or so, he had filed us all in, had his men make their head count, and informed us that Jake was missing but would be found before the day’s end. Then, before we were dismissed, Nathaniel, in an eerily calm tone, informed us that we were all on lockdown until further notice, and if we took “one single, solitary step” outside of our homes that we would be shot on sight.
Gavin was waiting for me in the chair that sat in front of the surveillance screens when I opened the door to the safe room. The chair was spun around, facing the closet door, and his hands were locked behind his head. There was a smirk on his face, which was annoyingly sexy. He sighed, exposing a tiny sliver of his tight abs, and said, “So, we’re on lockdown. Whatever are we going to do with ourselves?”
He was making light of the situation and…flirting? My God, how did he do that? My legs felt like Jell-O, and I wanted to jump on his lap and force him to kiss me again. But now was not the right time to be flirting. “This is not funny, Gavin! One of our members escaped and is probably going to be captured by your crazy pack and who knows what they’ll do to him!”
His hands came out from behind his head and landed on his knees, but he kept his eyes on me. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I was just trying to make you smile. You don’t do it near enough, you know.”
Then he smiled, not only with his kissable lips but with his dark eyes too, and it made me smile back. A stupid, girlie oh-my-God-you’re-so-hot-I-want-you-so-bad smile, which made me hate him even more. Damn him!
With a quick pivot-turn towards the door, I said, “Anyway…I don’t know what you’re going to do locked in here by yourself, but I’m going to make myself something to eat. I’m starving. I’ll drop you off some food in here in a few.” I was determined to get the hell out of there before he shot me another panty-dropping smile, because I would actually jump in his lap like a crazed, lust-sick fool.
But no! Mr. Bound and Determined seemed bound and determined to make me as uncomfortable as possible today. Before I could even get out the door, he was on my heels following me out. “What…I mean where are you going? You need to stay in there! Don’t you ever do what you’re supposed to?”
He glided past me, his body grazing right up against mine, his intoxicating scent assaulting my sensing, and said, “Now, where’s the fun in that?”
He was going to be the death of me. And now I was following him! “Seriously, Gavin. You need to stay in there. You are such a pain in the ass!”
He came to an abrupt halt and turned around, causing me to run into him. I bounced off of him like a ball and stumbled back a few steps. He latched on to my arms to steady me, setting off every nerve ending in my body.
He smiled down at me again with that damn twinkle in his eyes. “How about this? I’ll make a deal with you. You let me out of my little prison for a few minutes, and we make some lunch together. Then, instead of you dropping off my food, you actually eat with me, and in return, I will provide you with some outrageously entertaining company. I found some playing cards stashed in a drawer. I see a very competitive game of gin rummy in our future.”
I took a step back, desperately ne
eding some space before I did something stupid like, like I don’t know, push him back on my mother’s bed, strip him naked, and lick every inch of…My God! What is wrong with me?
Unable to stop them, my naughty eyes shifted toward the bed. Damn it! Finally, I started to speak, to tell him just how bad his idea would be, but Gavin quickly cut me off. “Okay, I can see you’re hesitant.” Oh, if he only knew. “But, before you answer, I also saw a DVD of The Breakfast Club in there. Come on, an ’80s cult classic, a few exciting games of rummy, and stimulating conversation with yours truly? How can you pass that up?”
Before I had the chance to answer one way or another, Gavin turned and took off toward the kitchen. Without looking back, he said, “Did I mention I’m not taking no for an answer?”
CHAPTER 20
Gavin
Cami decided that she needed real food for lunch so she whipped us up some spaghetti with meat sauce. I would have loved to stay in the kitchen and watch her cook, but of course she threw a hissy fit about me being out of the safe room. So, like a good little boy I went back to my prison.
It was okay though; my imagination was enough to have me completely worked up. I pictured her in the kitchen wearing those tiny little sleep shorts with her thin pink tank top pulled snuggly over her ample breasts. I thought about her bending over to get a soda from the refrigerator. I watched in my mind as she oh-so-sexily popped the top, lifted the frosty can to her pouty lips and let the sweet, bubbly beverage fill her mouth.
I was so lost in my own Pepsi fantasy that I almost didn’t hear Cami walk in carrying a plate full of spaghetti. Seeing her after that amazing daydream sent a wave of need through me that I couldn’t ignore. When she handed me my plate, I took it in one hand and took her in my other. Pulling her to me, I put the plate on the table next to me and wrapped both of my arms around her and held her surprised gaze.