From Best Friend to Bride (5 page)

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

T
he 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. Yes, 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 than 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

H
ow 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?

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.