From Best Friend to Bride (10 page)

With a howl, he dropped her arm and covered his face. She shook out her wrist and glanced over her shoulder to Evan.

“Get in my car,” she ordered, her gaze volleying back and forth between her brother and the man who would no doubt be angry. She didn’t want to be there when he decided to retaliate. “Now, Evan.”

“I can’t.”

Another man seemed to materialize behind Evan. This man held a gun...pointed at her. The hulk behind her gripped her arm once again, this time tighter as he yanked her back against his chest.

“They’ll kill us if we don’t do what they want,” Evan told her. “I had no clue they were setting me up, Meg. I’m sorry.”

Apologies could wait. Right now she needed to figure out how to get them out of here without getting shot. “What do you want?” she asked, still trying to keep her voice calm though she was anything but.

“Your brother here owes us twenty thousand dollars,” the man behind her stated, his hot breath against her cheek making her gag. “And after that stunt you just pulled on me, I’m adding another five K.”

Why hadn’t she paid more attention to her brother? Whatever mess he’d gotten wrapped up in had apparently been going on awhile if he owed that kind of money. Still, all that could be dealt with later. Right now she needed to figure out a way to survive the night. She wanted Cameron. He wouldn’t be afraid; he would arrest these guys and save her and Evan. But Cameron wasn’t here, and she’d have to fend for herself.

“I’m sure you know I don’t have that much money on me,” she told them, her eyes darting to the gun still aimed at her.

Sirens filled the night, and Megan nearly wept with relief. She forced herself to keep in mind her surroundings and the men who were threatening her. She may not be a cop like Cameron, but she’d counseled enough addicts to know that if they were high, they didn’t care who they hurt. They had nothing to lose. Which meant she was expendable.

Before she knew it, the man behind her let go, causing her to stumble back from the force of his departure. The man with the gun patted Evan on the shoulder as if they were the best of friends.

“Come on, man.” The guy shoved his gun in his waistband. “You ain’t waiting to talk to no cops. You’re with us till you pay up.”

Evan threw her one last pained look and mouthed “sorry” before turning and running off into the night with the men who’d just threatened their lives. With shaky knees and tremors overtaking her body, Megan sank to the cool concrete. Moments later, a cruiser pulled in, too late to save her brother.

Chapter Twelve

N
ever in his life had fear crippled him to the point of losing control and being ready to throw it all away.

But the sight of Megan in the clutches of notorious gang leader “The Shark” was an image that would haunt him forever.

Then the gun had appeared, and Cameron had to get a patrol car sounding that second. He knew those guys. He knew they wouldn’t shoot Megan unless provoked. The siren did its job and the criminals fled—including her lowlife brother. Cameron wanted to get ahold of that man and punch him in the face for not protecting his sister.

What the hell had Megan been doing there, anyway? His heart had nearly exploded in his chest when he saw her black SUV pull into the lot. He’d gotten a good look at her sexy little dress and cowgirl boots, showcasing those shapely legs. But even that punch of lust had vanished the second those dangerous thugs had surrounded her.

Now, an hour later, Cameron stood on her porch. He knew she was inside because his officer had told him he’d driven Megan’s car home while another officer drove her in his cruiser. She was too shaken up, too scared to drive.

Cameron slid his key into her lock and let himself in. The second he stepped over the threshold, he called her name, not wanting to alarm her because he’d come in the front door and not the back as he normally did.

He heard the sound of her boots clicking over the wooden floor from the rear of the house. Megan came down the hallway, her arms wrapped around her midsection, her face pale.

For her fear alone he vowed to get enough evidence on these guys to put them away for a long, long time. Right now, though, he wished he wasn’t on the right side of the law. He wished more than anything he could track them down and beat them within an inch of their lives, forgetting about the justice system altogether and saving the taxpayers’ dollars.

“I knew they’d call you.” She pasted on a smile that fell short of convincing. “Did they find Evan? I’ve texted and called him, but...”

Fury threatened to take over. She was worried about Evan? After a man had held her at gunpoint while another practically held her captive?

“My officers were more concerned with you.” Only because the FBI was still out there right now keeping an eye on the traffickers...and because Cameron had told his two officers to make sure Megan was watched until he arrived. “Evan is a big boy.”

Anything else he said would be out of anger, and the last thing he wanted to do was fight. Between the way her vulnerability had settled between them like a third party and the way that dress hugged her body, Cameron was having a really difficult time prioritizing his emotions.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step forward, then another, until he was within reaching distance. But he fisted his hands at his side. “My officers told me you weren’t hurt, but I needed to hear it from you. I needed to see you.”

Those bright green eyes seemed even more vibrant than usual. Cameron didn’t know if he was just now noticing or if she’d done something tricky with her makeup. Regardless, the way she watched him, the way she seemed to be holding herself back, had him nearing the breaking point. He’d been holding on by the proverbial thread for so long now; it was only a matter of time before he fell.

Megan reached up, shoved her hair back from her face. “I’m fine.”

Her action drew his gaze to her arm, to the fingerprint-size bruises dotting her perfect skin. Cameron clenched his teeth, reining in his anger because none of this was her fault and he wouldn’t make her the target simply because she was the only one here once the rage fully surfaced. The only thing he could fault Megan with was having a kind heart and wanting to help people who would continue to stomp on her and use her.

Cameron gripped her wrist in one hand and slid a fingertip from his other over around the marred skin. “You’re not fine. This never should’ve happened.”

He’d cursed himself for standing by and watching as events unfolded, but had he gone charging for her as he’d wanted to, as his heart told him to, his cover would’ve been blown and she would have known the cops were watching Evan.
Cameron
was watching Evan.

That heavy ball of guilt was something he’d have to live with. If there had ever been any doubt before, tonight just proved that he would choose his job first every single time. He hated himself for it, but that’s how he was made up.

“They’re just bruises,” she whispered, her eyes still on his.

Goose bumps raised beneath his fingertips as he continued to stroke her skin. “I don’t like them.”

Megan placed a hand over his, halting his movement. Her lids closed as she whispered, “Please, Cam. I just...”

Bowing her head, Megan sighed.

“You what, baby?”

“I wanted you to come,” she muttered beneath the curtain of her hair that had cascaded around her face. “I wanted you here because I knew I’d feel safe. But now that you’re here, I can’t let you touch me.” Slowly lifting her head, she brought her eyes up to lock on to his. “It makes me want things. Want you.”

Damn it.
There went that last thread he’d been holding on to.

Cameron stepped into her, trapping their hands between their bodies. The tip of his nose brushed against hers, leaving their mouths barely a whisper apart.

“You are always safe with me,” he told her, slowly moving his lips across hers with the lightest of touches. “And tonight you’re mine.”

“Just tonight,” she agreed. “We don’t need to put a label on it, and I don’t want to think beyond now.”

Cameron captured her mouth, completely ignoring all the warnings pounding through his head. Totally shoving aside all the reasons this was a terrible idea: the investigation, the risk of losing his best friend and the fact he’d just admitted to himself that his job would always come first. All that mattered was Megan and this ache he’d had for her for years. It wasn’t going away no matter how noble he tried to be. His hormones didn’t give a damn about his morals or standards.

Megan’s mouth opened beneath his as she tried to pull her hands free. Cameron was quicker, holding them firm as he broke from the kiss.

“You’re mine,” he repeated, nipping her lips, her chin, trailing a line down to her collarbone. “I don’t know why you have on this dress with these boots, but it’s driving me crazy. Tell me you weren’t on a date earlier.”

Tipping her head back, arching into him, Megan let out one of those sweet moans he was starting to love. “No, no date,” she panted. “I was out with Nora and Marly.”

The fact she was out with his sisters-in-law thrilled him because if she’d been out with a guy, Cameron would’ve had to admit jealousy.

Cameron released her hands and slid his palms over her curvy hips. He gripped her and pulled her pelvis flush with his as he continued to rain kisses along her exposed skin just above the dip in her dress. Just above the perfect swell of her breasts.

Megan wrapped her delicate fingers around his biceps and squeezed as he yanked down the top of her dress. Material tore, but he didn’t care. He’d buy her a new one.

“Cam.”

He froze at her plea. “Meg, I’m sorry. After what you went through tonight, I wasn’t thinking.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “I wasn’t complaining. I know you’d never hurt me.”

Seeing her lips swollen from his kisses, her neck and the tops of her breasts pink from arousal, an instant flood of possessiveness filled him. The only mark he ever wanted on her was from him, from passion.

“If you keep this up, I don’t know how much longer I can stand.” Her arms slid around his neck as she rubbed her body against his. “You make my knees weak and we’re still fully clothed.”

“I’m about to fix that problem.”

He unbuckled her belt and let it drop with a clatter to the wood floor. He gripped the hem of her dress, yanked it up and over her head, then tossed the unwanted garment aside.

The sight of her standing before him wearing a pale pink bra and matching panties along with those cowgirl boots was enough to make his own knees weak.

Megan reached for his shirt, but he pulled it off before she could touch him. In record time their clothes were mere puddles on the floor. From the way her eyes kept sampling him, Cameron knew if he didn’t try to keep some sort of control, this night would be over before he could truly enjoy it.

“I’ve waited to see you look at me like that,” Megan told him, rising up on her toes to kiss his jawline. “Like you really want me.”

She was killing him. With the way the lace from her bra pressed against his bare skin, her raw, honest words and the delicate way her mouth cruised over him, Megan was gradually overpowering him.

Gliding his hands around her curves, Cameron lifted her until her legs went around his waist. The leather from her cowgirl boots rubbed his back, but the fact he finally had this woman wrapped all over him overrode his discomfort.

“I’m too heavy for you,” she argued, nipping at his ear.

Palming her backside, his thumb teased the edge of her lacy panty line. “Baby, you’re the perfect weight for me,” he growled as he headed toward the living room and the L-shaped sofa. “Absolutely perfect.”

Without easing his hold, Cameron settled her onto the corner of the couch as his lips took hold of hers once again. He could kiss her forever.

Too bad he couldn’t do forever. Selfishly, he was doing now, tonight, and he’d hate himself later for taking advantage even if she had given him the green light.

Megan’s legs fell away from his waist, her boots landing on either side of his feet. Cameron eased back, picked up one leg at a time and pried off her cowgirl boots. She watched him beneath heavy lids, her chest rising and falling as she licked her lips in anticipation.

Coming to his full height, Cameron stared down at this magnificent woman practically laid out for him. His throat grew tight with emotions...emotions he could certainly identify but he couldn’t allow to take over.

“You’re stunning,” he told her, completely taking in the display.

Without a word, Megan sat up, reached behind and unfastened her bra. After sliding it down her arms and tossing it to the side, she hooked her thumbs beneath her panties and slid them down, never once taking her eyes off his. The minor striptease was the most erotic moment of his life, and it had lasted all of ten seconds. Megan had a power over him that no other woman could match.

“Tell me you have protection,” she whispered as she reached for him. Flat palms slid up over his chest and around his neck.

Cameron allowed her to pull him down, and he loved the feel of her beneath him. He had to remind himself not to get used to this, not to want this ever again.

“I don’t have anything.” One fingertip slid up and over her breast. “But I’m clean. I have regular physicals for work and I’ve always used protection. It’s your call.”

* * *

“I’m clean, too, and I’ve always been protected.” Megan smiled, wrapping her legs around Cameron’s narrow waist once again. “So what are we waiting for?”

The darkness that had settled into Cameron’s blue eyes revealed so much. Who knew her best friend had a possessive streak when it came to intimacy? The way he held her, spoke to her, dominated her, thrilled Megan in a way she’d never before experienced and she knew without a doubt that this was it for her...
He
was it for her. No other man would compare with Cameron St. John.

She wanted to lose herself in him, wanted to forget all the ugliness and worries in her life. She wanted him to show her how beautiful they could be together because her fantasy had already paled in comparison.

“Tell me what you want,” he murmured against her lips.

She trembled beneath his touch. No, that wasn’t her. Cameron’s hands were shaking as he slid them over her breasts.

Framing his face with her hands, she held his gaze. “You’re nervous.” She didn’t ask and she wasn’t making fun of him.

Cameron closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers. “Nobody else has ever mattered this much.”

Megan didn’t know what to say to that revealing piece of information, so she tucked it in the back of her mind. Stroking his bottom lip with her thumb, she kept her eyes on his.

“I want anything you’re willing to give,” she said, answering his earlier question. “Anything you want to do.”

A low groan escaped him. Then, as if some invisible barrier broke, Cameron consumed her. His hands took journeys all over her body, leaving goose bumps in their wake. That talented mouth demanded kisses, demanded passion.

Cameron settled himself between her legs, gliding one hand down her quivering abdomen to cup her most aching area. Megan tilted her hips, ready to burst for just one simple touch. She was officially at his mercy.

Easing his hand away, he held on to her waist. “Look at me,” he demanded. “Only me.”

“Only you.”

As he slid into her, Megan gasped. Every dream, every waking fantasy she’d ever had about her best friend, didn’t prepare her for the onslaught of emotions, waves of pleasure and such an awakening. They moved together as if they’d been made for each other, as if their bodies automatically knew how to respond to each other.

Cameron’s arms wrapped around her as he lifted her off the couch. Still connected, he turned and sat, leaving her to straddle him...surrendering all power and control to Megan.

In that moment, she knew he loved her. He may not say it, he may not want to face the fact, but there was no way this man could look at her, make love to her, as if she were the only woman in the world and not love her.

Ripples of pleasure began to build, each one stronger than the last. Megan wanted to be fully fused with him when her body flew apart. Gripping his shoulders, she leaned down and claimed his mouth. Seconds later spasms took hold. With one hand firmly against the small of her back and the other cupping the nape of her neck, Cameron held her tight against his body as he stilled and trembled right along with her.

Moments after they fell over the edge together, Cameron still held on to her, still commanded her lips. The man wasn’t done just because his body had hit the finish line.