by Lori Foster
Rather than address that, Cam said, “Your friend is very handsome.”
Dean gave her a lazy smile. “So I’ve heard.”
“He’s a striking man,” Lorna murmured, still pacing restlessly. “You have more friends than I assumed.”
“And that bothers you?” Dean asked.
Cam didn’t want them to start sniping at each other again. She loved Dean, but where he was young and vital and independent, her aunt was nearing sixty, and very afraid for her future. “Dean…”
“Your parents had friends,” Lorna said low. She looked up at Dean, her narrowed eyes adding extra crow’s feet to her face. “Unfaithful, lying, lewd friends.”
“Aunt Lorna,” Cam said by way of reprimand. “You can’t compare Dean to our parents. He’s nothing like them.”
Lorna’s posture stiffened. “Maybe not.”
Her admission surprised both Dean and Cam.
“It does seem you’re different,” Lorna continued. “Stronger. More resolute. But the fact remains, if you hadn’t come back, the past might have stayed buried.”
“No.” Cam refused to let Lorna fool herself. “Something like that never goes away. The uglier things in life have a way of always resurfacing, usually when you least expect them.”
Lorna actually smiled. “It appears you’re right about that.”
Again Cam felt shocked. Was Aunt Lorna finally coming to grips with Dean’s role in the family? God, she hoped so. “Please don’t let it bother you, Aunt Lorna. It’s best that we all know and deal with it now.”
Nodding, Lorna turned to Dean. “I shouldn’t have blamed you. It’s my fault, really. I didn’t handle the situation as I should have.”
His confusion plain, Dean spared a glance at Cam before replying to Lorna. “Cam and Jacki are pretty wonderful. You raised them, Lorna. That counts for a lot.”
“Yes, yes it does. Thank you.” She laced her fingers together in front of her and cocked her head in a curious way. “There was an awful lot of love talk today.”
Cam bit her lip.
Dean said plainly, “Cam and Jacki are very easy to care about.”
“And Eve?” Lorna came two steps closer to Dean. “Is it true that she factors into your plans to stay?”
Remembering Lorna’s disparaging remarks about her friend, Cam answered ahead of Dean. “Eve is a very beautiful person, Aunt Lorna.”
Lorna absorbed that with a lot of thought. “I suppose to be your good friend, she must have many redeeming qualities.”
That was as close as Lorna had ever come to being kind toward Eve. Cam blinked in surprise, and then she smiled.
Dean loved her and Jacki, and he wanted to move back home. Her aunt was softening. Finally things were coming together as they should.
If only Roger would return, Cam knew her heart would be full. But at least for now, she had hope for a happy resolution. “Let’s all go eat. I’m starved.”
Lorna fell into step beside them. “If Dean has something to tell you, I want to hear it, too.”
“Sorry,” Dean said. “But I need to talk to Cam alone.”
“No.” Lorna took up a stubborn stance. “Whatever other problems we’ve suffered, Cam is still my niece. As you already said, I raised her, I care for her. Whatever you have to tell her, you can say with me here to protect her.”
Cam didn’t blame Dean for wanting to exclude Lorna. He had valid reasons to resent her.
Sometimes Cam resented her, too.
But for the sake of avoiding further hostilities, she agreed with her aunt. “It’s all right, Dean. I don’t mind if she stays.” Cam pulled out a chair and seated herself.
With a shrug, Dean followed suit, but Lorna remained standing.
“This isn’t about our family history, Cam.” He looked grim, and that worried Cam. “It’s about Roger.”
“Roger?” She shook her head in confusion.
“He’s a saint,” Lorna declared. “A saint, I tell you. He’s taken care of us, assisted us in times of need—”
“He tampered with my tires,” Dean informed them. “He’s the one who cut through that rung on the ladder, probably hoping that whoever stepped on it would fall.”
Cam couldn’t get a single word out.
Dean took her hand. “And he shot at me.”
“Shot at you?” Cam gave a nervous laugh of disbelief. “But, Dean, Roger doesn’t even own a gun.”
“Not a regular gun, maybe. But this was a paintball gun. And trust me, it wasn’t a damn toy. It was powerful enough that if one of the paintballs had hit me in the head, it could have killed me.”
“But…” None of it made sense to Cam. She turned to Aunt Lorna, who stood there in shock as well. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’m sorry, Cam.” Dean gently squeezed her fingers. “I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t know who else it could have been. Roger knew I was going to see Eve the night my tires were destroyed in front of her house. He knew we were working on the roof, and he has access to your home, so getting to the ladder wouldn’t have been a problem. And it was at his hotel, where Roger would know my whereabouts, that Gregor and I were shot at.”
Refusing to even think of Roger doing such a thing, Cam shook her head. “There has to be some other explanation.”
“On the surface, it all sounds like circumstantial evidence. And when Roger comes back, I’ll be willing to talk to him. But he left town right after the last incident.”
“Because I refused to marry him.”
“Or because I called the cops.”
Lorna stepped behind Cam and put a hand on her shoulder. “I think you should go, Dean. You’ve upset her enough.”
“No.” Trying to pull herself out of the fog, Cam patted her aunt’s hand. “This is Dean’s house, too, remember.”
“One thing at a time, hon.” Dean stood. “Promise me that if, or when, Roger contacts you, you’ll let me know.”
“I don’t know….”
“I’m not going to attack him, I promise. I just want to talk to him. If I’m off base, then Roger can clear this all up in no time, and I’ll gladly apologize to him. But until then, I want to know that you’re not alone with him.”
To her disbelief, Aunt Lorna agreed with Dean. “It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, dear. And once Dean talks to him, we can put this nonsense to rest.”
“All right. I’ll let you know if I hear from him.” Cam prayed that would be soon. She couldn’t bear the thought of Roger never returning to her.
Dean nodded in satisfaction. “Now.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “Since I’ll be moving to Harmony, and because I intend to handle any financial difficulties you’ve had, I’d appreciate it if you’d show me all your records.”
Cam looked up at Aunt Lorna. “Aunt Lorna has always taken care of our money, so you’ll have to work with her on that.”
“I’m good with numbers,” Lorna said.
Smiling, Cam agreed. “It’s been very helpful to us, not to be bothered with bill paying and balancing budgets and all that.” Cam prayed that Dean would understand. Her aunt needed a solid role in their lives, one that gave her importance and allowed her to contribute.
“I can walk you through everything,” Lorna said. “Just let me know when you’re available.”
To Cam’s relief, Dean nodded. “How about tomorrow afternoon?”
Lorna nodded. “That would be fine.”
“Thanks.” Dean bent and put a kiss to Cam’s cheek. “I need to get going now.”
Concerned that her aunt might have run him off again, Cam said, “What about lunch?”
Dean winked. “I’ll grab something on the road. Today I’m getting my stitches out, and then I have a date with Eve.”
“Oh.” Cam grinned, too. “Well, then, I’ll probably see you tomorrow afternoon.”
CHAPTER 21
BEFORE Dean made it completely up the walkway, Eve had her front door open. She must have been waiting for him.
She’d changed from her work clothes into a casual T-shirt and jean shorts. Her hair hung loose down her back. Her feet were bare, and Dean could see that she’d skipped wearing a bra.
After one look at the anticipation on her face, Dean knew it’d be a very close thing.
He didn’t slow his approach, didn’t say a thing. When he reached Eve, she threw her arms around his neck, and Dean backed her into the house, then kicked the door shut behind him.
Catching her beneath the bottom, he lifted Eve up and she wrapped her legs around him. Locked together, he walked them into her bedroom.
Other than their heavy breaths and an occasional soft moan or sound of pleasure, the room was in silence. For the longest time, Dean held her against him, kissing her, gliding his hands over her back, that lush bottom, lower.
Eve arched against him and freed her mouth. “I can’t wait.”
“You don’t have to.” He lowered her feet to the floor and skimmed the shirt off over her head. With an arm behind her, he pressed her upward and took one nipple into his mouth.
Her fingers clenched in his hair.
She smelled of soap and lotion and of Eve, a combination guaranteed to make him nuts. When he switched to the other nipple, she groaned and then attacked the snap on his fly.
Dean caught her hands. “No, honey. Not yet.”
“Dean—”
“Shhh. Trust me.” Still holding her hands, he walked her backward to the bed. When her legs bumped into the mattress, he urged her to lie back while he came down over her with his knees braced on either side of her hips. He kissed each of her palms—then pressed her hands above her head.
With a submissive moan, Eve turned her face to the side and closed her eyes.
Taking his time, Dean surveyed her body. She was so pretty, so sexy. But more than that, she was his. And he’d known it almost from the moment he spotted her in Roger’s bar.
Leaning down, he kissed a trail over her soft skin, from her shoulder to her right breast, her ribs to her hip bone. Eve squirmed, but otherwise stayed still. Utilizing slow precision, Dean moved to her right side and peeled away her shorts and panties.
His hands resting lightly on her waist, he said, “Open your legs for me.”
She did, but not far enough to suit him. Dean lifted her left leg until she bent it, then pressed it outward, leaving her sprawled and open and so very tempting.
Breathing deep and slow, Dean teased his fingers from the inside of her knee, up, up, until he touched her silky lips, now wet and hot, softly swollen. Easing himself down on an elbow beside her, he watched her face while he fingered her.
When a careful touch made her shiver, then moan, he smiled. “You like that, don’t you?”
“I like you.”
Carefully Dean worked two fingers into her, as deeply as he could. “Do you more than like me?” She started to reach for him, but he said, “No. Stay still and just let me enjoy you. I feel like I’ve been waiting a lifetime.”
Her lashes lifted, and she stared at him with smoky blue eyes. “Yes.”
“Yes what?”
“I more than like you.”
At her admission, tension gripped him. Dean took her mouth again, sinking his tongue in just as he worked his fingers in her. He could feel her muscles tightening around him, and he withdrew, then worked a third finger in. Her excitement slicked the way, dampening his hand, filling the room with her scent.
Her breaths came faster, hotter.
Unable to resist any longer, Dean leaned away from her, met her disappointed gaze, and lifted his fingers to his mouth. His eyes closed at the taste of her, then opened again so he could see her every expression.
Face flushed, Eve watched him with excitement.
“I want more, Eve.” He bent to kiss her belly. “I want everything.” He moved lower.
Eve pressed her legs apart, taut with anticipation.
Clasping her knees, Dean opened her wide, and after one mind-numbing look, he covered her with his mouth.
She cried out at the contact, cried out again when his tongue curled around her, stabbed into her, licked deeply and softly over her.
Knowing he’d lose it any second now, Dean put her legs over his shoulders. Using his fingers to open her a little more, he drew her distended clitoris into his mouth and suckled softly.
In seconds she was coming, riding up against his mouth, twisting on the bed. Her hands again locked in his hair as she ground out a climax, crying, moaning, then sinking slowly back to the mattress. Little aftershocks kept her trembling. Her skin was dewy, warm.
Dean reared back and shucked off his jeans. Eve lay there, spent, smiling, and content. He barely had enough forethought to find a condom before he pressed into her, clenching his teeth against the incredible pleasure of it.
The first stroke took him deep, and he locked her close to his heart, holding her too tightly but unable to loosen his hold.
Eve wrapped her legs around him and made soft, soothing sounds in his ear. Dean rode her hard, nearly violent in his need, but she stayed with him, moving with his rhythm, and when he threw his head back and shouted out a release, Eve stroked his chest and watched him.
After collapsing beside her, his limbs still throbbing and his cock still wet from her, Dean knew he wanted to do it again. Every night, maybe a lot of days, for the rest of his life.
AT almost nine, the phone rang. Languid from repeated lovemaking, Dean watched as Eve crawled out of the bed, naked and rosy from head to toe, thanks to his beard shadow. She lifted clothes and hunted through sheets and blankets in the destroyed bedroom before finally locating the phone beneath a chair.
“Hello?”
Dean watched her face, the way her lips moved when she spoke, the tilt to her head, how her slender fingers tucked her tangled hair behind her ear.
Getting knocked out was nothing compared to this.
He loved her so damn much, it hurt all over, sharper than any physical pain, more consuming. His unending desire for her was like a live throbbing in his heart, his head, his muscle and sinew. Even after repeated lovemaking, he needed to breathe her in, taste her again, touch her and hold her, and just be with her.
So many things that she’d said or done affected him deeply. Rather than think him foolhardy at fourteen, she’d labeled him noble. From the beginning, she’d known how he would react with his sisters, when he hadn’t had a clue.
She’d expected a lot of him, all of it good.
How could he not love her?
As Eve spoke into the phone, Dean paid little attention to the words. He was only aware of the feelings flooding through him, so full of clarity for the first time since returning to Harmony.
When she hung up, he watched as she crossed to his side of the bed and seated herself on the mattress. “Dean?”
“Hmmm?” He reached up and touched her breast. Not because he wanted to make love again, although he did. And not because she was naked.
She was so damn sexy, she stole his breath, but even that didn’t factor in. He touched her because he could, because she was his even if she didn’t know it yet.
“That was Lorna.” She frowned as she said that.
“Anything wrong?”
Her gaze met his, and he knew the answer before she spoke. “Roger called and asked Cam to meet him at the hotel. She left already.”
Dean shot upright on the bed. “She did what?”
“Lorna said that you told Cam to call you before meeting with Roger, so she wanted you to know.”
Dean was already off the bed and hunting for his jeans. “Son of a bitch.”
Eve helped him in the search. “Do you really think there’s any danger?”
“I don’t know.” Fuck. Where was his cell phone? His wallet? “I need my keys, damn it.”
His urgency rubbed off on Eve. “I’ll come with you.”
Dean grabbed her shoulders. “No. I don’t want you anywhere near Roger. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“But—”
“Not now, Eve.” He released her and stepped into his pants. “Not this time.”
He found a shirt and yanked it on over his head, then shoved his feet into untied athletic shoes. Turning, he found Eve scrambling into her own clothes. “You’re not going.”
“You’re not my boss.”
Dean paused, determined to make her see reason. Only there wasn’t any time. He drew a breath, striving for patience. “Usually I think this pushy need you have for butting into my business is cute.”
Eve paused, staring at him in disbelief and hurt.
“This time, there’s nothing cute about it. Be smart, will you please? You’re holding me up, when Cam could be in danger.”
“If you really believe that, call the police.”
“And tell them what? That I suspect her fiancé of foul deeds? Don’t be dumb.”
Her back went stiff. “Dumb?”
Hell, he hadn’t meant to insult her, but he did not have time for this. “Damn it, Eve—”
She bent, picked up his keys, and tossed them to him. “Go.” She dropped to sit on the edge of the mattress. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
That sounded more like a threat than a promise, but Dean nodded and trotted out the door. “Thanks.”
He’d apologize for the “dumb” comment when he returned. Surely she already knew he didn’t mean it that way.
By the time Dean pulled into the hotel parking lot, he’d put most of his worry about Eve from his mind. She was a reasonable woman who wouldn’t hold one misstep against him. Would she?
Then he saw Roger. And Cam and Jacki. And Gregor trying to get to Roger…sort of. If Gregor had really wanted Roger, Cam and Jacki couldn’t have held him off.
Dean jerked the car into PARK and stalked toward them. “Back off, Gregor.”
Gregor yelled, “He still thinks Jacki should get a boob job.”
Roger, more irate than worried, said, “I do not. I said if she wanted one, I’d help her.”
Jacki smacked at Gregor, shoved against him, even pinched him once. But Gregor just kept easing closer to Roger in an intimidating fashion.
Frantic, Cam met Dean halfway. “Please call a halt to this, Dean. Please.”