Two Years Later…

Powers Sheriff’s Department was deserted, and the cells downstairs were empty. Camden stood outside, his uniform shirt sticking to his skin from the late Summer humidity and he watched Heidi’s Diner across the street. The place was packed with the Crews, the men and women he felt he’d become friends with over the last year or so since he’d left his job with the Georgia State Police. He missed his team and the constant chaos, but the small-town pace had its charm too.

The Brawlers, Twirled World Ink, and Executioners Crews, along with Trenton Security laughed. He kept up his internal debate about whether to walk over and join them there, but the sight of two of the group forced him to stay away. Sin and Saint Gant set their sights on him before he’d even taken over the job there.

The night at Brawlers they’d come up to him and invited him home still clear in his mind. The invite had pissed him off, but part of him had regretted not taking them up on the offer. They were beautiful, and he’d wanted them from the moment his gaze fell on them across the Brawlers’ barroom. His resolve quickly eroded the longer he was around them. They’d crashed out at his place the night of King and Linc’s wedding. He’d watched them sleep. Tucking the blankets around them every time they’d slipped. They’d been so beautiful cuddled up together, but so damn young.

They’d never want what he had in mind for them. Fuck, he didn’t even know what he wanted. His brain swirled in a chaotic maelstrom of fucking them into his mattress and also having them in his house—curled up with them on the couch. All that couple shit he’d avoided in the past.

Going home to an empty house killed him every night, and that hadn’t been an issue before. He hung around the station, made excuses to himself, but it all came down to he didn’t want to go home alone anymore. That meant giving in, but he had to be strong. The weight of the twenty-two-year age difference still caused him to feel like a dirty old man. There was almost the same difference in age between his friend Bull and the man’s husband, Gregory. If anything, Bull and Gregory proved it could work.

Ellison, Saint, was beautiful with an innocence that called to him. His baby blue eyes seemed to be haunted by a past no one talked about. Eric, Sin, always had an in your face attitude. Fearless, yet vulnerable at the same time. He wanted to take care of them. Make sure they were always happy and content. They were blond, blue-eyed and femme. His temporary partners in the past were as muscular and masculine as him. Sex always seemed like a fight for dominance.

He jumped as his phone rang. He tugged his from his pocket and connected the call. “Pelter.”

“Camden, must you always answer the phone that way. It doesn’t show proper breeding.”

He mentally groaned at his mother’s voice. Sheri Pelter was probably still in her business finery, perfect from her styled black hair to her thousand-dollar suit to her stilettos. She’d be sipping her pre-dinner martini and waiting on the housekeeper to set the table.

“Hello, Mother. I thought it was a work call. How are you and Father?”

His father probably had his secretary bent over his desk as he pounded one out before coming home. His mother didn’t care about his father’s affairs as long as they lived the perfect lie at the country club.

“He phoned to say he was just about to leave the office.”

Of course he did. Camden kept his snark in check. He promised himself to always be monogamous—he wouldn’t be like his parents.

“What do I owe for the unexpected call?”

“I know Christmas is months away, but I wanted to make sure that you would be home this year. I know you spent last year with Eugene.”

He bit his lip to keep from snorting at Scary being called Eugene. He’d mention that next time he saw his beast of a cousin. But the disgust in her voice tempered his amusement.

Over the years, he’d compared himself to his cousin. Camden’s father and Scary’s mother were half-siblings. Scary took after his mother, but Camden got his dark complexion from his mother. Everyone was shocked to find out they were related when he’d come to town. They really looked nothing alike.

“I don’t know. I’d have to make sure to have a replacement, and Wren has husbands and a family at home. The rest of the deputies do too.”

“They work for you, Camden. I expect you to come home. I’ll need you home early so that we’ll have time to fit you for an acceptable suit. Also, make sure you shave.”

He brought his hand up to tug at his long goatee. It was a leftover from his undercover days. He couldn’t remember the last time he was without facial hair. He’d also spent a months’ pay on the last suit he’d bought. After forty-five years, it didn’t come as a surprise his parents found him lacking since they had from him enlisting to taking a job as a small-town Sheriff.

“Could I bring a date?”

“Will your date be female?”

“You know it wouldn’t be.” He gritted his teeth and dropped his head back. He’d come out the day before he’d enlisted. He was told they didn’t care who he fucked as long as he didn’t flaunt it, but he knew they expected him to bring home a wife and breed the next generation of Pelters.

“Then I’ll have to decline an invite of a guest.”

Wouldn’t his snobby mother love to know his current interest consisted of not one man but two? He could already anticipate the meltdown, she wouldn’t do it in public because that would be vulgar behavior, but she’d make him and his date or dates pay dearly behind closed doors. He was almost tempted to see if he could find a male date, maybe not the twins. Yet Little, one of Linus’ guys was a troublemaker, would jump at the chance to crash a country club Christmas dinner. The thought of it amused him more than it should and way too tempting.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He didn’t want to fight, so he let it go.

“Your father just arrived. I’ll let you return to your duties, and I expect you to inform me of when you’ll arrive for the holidays.”

She disconnected the call without a bye or an I love you. Camden shoved his phone back into his pocket. When he thought back on his life growing up, he couldn’t remember either of his parents saying they were proud of him or that they loved him. He’d received all that from his paternal grandmother. He missed her. She’d taken care of him and Scary. While Scary had a loving parent, all he’d had was disinterested ones, but a loving grandmother. She’d given him all the love he had ever needed until she was gone and he was back to being that ignored rich kid. Envied for what he had, but wouldn’t all those jealous fucks loved to have known just how miserable it was being him.

His stomach growled, and he snarled. He debated whether to just grab something from the vending machine inside or go out to the highway to grab some fast food.

He groaned, there was a perfectly good restaurant across the damn street. Two pretty little blonds weren’t going to make him run like a goddamned coward. No matter how big of one he was. He was terrified, and he was going to give in, he just wondered how long he could hold out.

He crossed the deserted street and walked straight into chaos. Everyone called his name and waved, and Heidi nodded and went to put in his usual order. He loved it there no matter how lacking his parental units found him.