Chapter Twenty-Five

Cameron

“Let’s roll, kid!” I hollered at Ella for the third time.

She was taking her sweet time getting ready for school this morning. I had to get to work and didn’t want to be late. Yesterday had been a long day, and I had a feeling today was going to be just as long if I got pulled onto the Cooker task force again.

I finally manage to get Ella loaded in the truck. As usual, I glanced over at Scarlett’s house. Her car was in the driveway, but her curtains were pulled tight. I assumed she was sleeping in. I had meant to talk to her last night after work but had gotten home too late.

“Am I staying at Grandma’s tonight?” Ella asked.

“Yep. They have big plans for you tomorrow.”

She clapped her hands. “We’re going to a museum.”

I chuckled. She was one of the few five-year-old girls on the planet who got excited to go to what I felt was a boring museum. I was glad my parents were taking her and I didn’t have to.

When I got to work, I found Noah in the break room, chomping down on a chocolate-covered donut complete with sprinkles.

“Hey,” he said, rubbing his eyes and stretching. “Heard you had a late day yesterday.”

I nodded and grabbed a maple bar from the box of donuts on the table. “We did. Sucked. We didn’t find a damn thing. This guy is a ghost. I’m convinced he purposely drops leads just to watch us chase our own tails.”

“I’m sure that’s exactly the case,” Noah agreed. “So, did you talk to Scarlett last night?”

“No. She’s not my girlfriend,” I said with frustration.

I knew Noah thought I should find myself a good woman, and I knew I probably should, but I wasn’t up for another one of his pep talks.

“I saw her yesterday.”

I looked up to meet his eyes, my donut halfway to my mouth. I could tell by the serious expression on his face that it wasn’t a chance meeting at a coffee shop or something.

“What happened?” I asked, almost afraid to know. I immediately regretted not stopping by her house to say hi last night or checking on her this morning.

“She’s okay,” he assured me right away.

“Okay,” I said, drawing out the word, waiting for him to tell me more.

“I pulled her over for reckless driving yesterday. She said her ex-boyfriend was following her. The little rat had the nerve to drive by while I was standing there talking to her,” he said, his jaw tight.

“Shit,” I muttered. “I thought that guy was gone.”

“We got her a TRO.”

“Really? How’d you pull that off?”

He grinned. “I know people,” he said with a wink. “Not to mention her statement of past events was about five pages long. It didn’t take much to convince the judge. She doesn’t like DV situations.”

“You got lucky. Who was it?” I asked, already knowing the judge who signed the order.

Noah smiled. “Judge Jones.”

I rolled my eyes. Judge Jones was one of the younger judges in the county. She was also very pretty. Noah had hooked up with her before she’d gotten her seat on the bench, and the two had maintained a friendly relationship.

“Thank you for doing that. I’m going to give her a quick call. I’ll be back in five,” I said, checking the clock to make sure I had the time.

He grinned. “Tell her I said hi.”

I walked outside and called Scarlett.

“Hey,” I said when she picked up the phone.

“Hi,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

“I just talked to Noah. He told me about what happened yesterday,” I blurted out. “Are you okay?”

She sighed. “I’m fine. I thought he was going to let me tell you.”

“I’m glad he did. I meant to get over there last night, but I was stuck at work long past the end of my shift.”

“It’s okay. I know you have work. I don’t expect you to babysit me and drop everything and run to my side when I get a little freaked out.”

“I’m sorry he’s back. The little weasel needs to get his ass beat,” I growled.

She chuckled. “Aren’t you supposed to uphold the law, not encourage the law to be broken?”

“This is different.”

“I feel better now. The next time I see him, or he calls, I can call the police and hopefully get his ass arrested,” she said with firmness.

“Good. So, my parents have Ella tonight. Do you want to go out?” I asked, a little nervous she would shoot me down.

“Hannah will be here. She broke up with her boyfriend and is coming to stay for the weekend.”

“I can ask Noah to come along and we’ll make it a foursome,” I said hopefully.

She giggled. “That sounds good. That’ll take her mind off Jake.”

“Perfect. We should be off by five today. I’ll give you a call when we’re off,” I said, excited about our date.

I hung up and jogged back inside, barely sliding into the briefing room before it started.

Noah leaned over. “Everything all good?”

I nodded. “Yep. We’re going out tonight, all of us. Her friend is staying with her for the weekend.”

Noah groaned.

I smiled. “Her newly single friend.”

That changed his demeanor in an instant. “Thanks, man.”

I chuckled. Noah was quite the ladies’ man. He certainly didn’t need my help to get a woman, but I had seen the way he’d looked at Hannah. She’d been the forbidden fruit he couldn’t have. Now that she was single, she was his for the plucking. Hannah had no idea how charming Noah could be when he wanted. She was a little spitfire, but Noah would disarm her; of that I was certain.

Being back on patrol was nice and comfortable, but I missed the excitement of trying to track down The Cooker. Now that I’d had a taste of it, I wanted more.

“I think I may try to go for detective,” I blurted out to Noah.

“Really? It’s about damn time.”

I nodded. “Yep. I like being on the streets, but I like the investigation side of things. I like being more involved in a case and seeing it through to the end.”

“I think it’s great, man. I really do. Maybe I will too. I’m thinking about going into SVU,” Noah said as we headed back to the station at the end of our shift.

“SVU? That’s a huge responsibility.” I shook my head. “You know how many guys burn out of that unit within a year or two. That is the worst of the worst.”

“I know, but I want to help those who need it the most.”

“It’s very noble. I admire you. I couldn’t do it. I’m thinking I want narcotics or maybe homicide.”

Noah laughed. “Because homicide is so much easier than SVU.”

“Homicide, the victims are dead. I don’t have to see their faces or hear them describe the horrors they’ve been through,” I reasoned.

I pulled into the station, and we parted ways with the promise to meet up in a couple of hours at our usual hangout. I would be bringing Scarlett and Hannah with me. I didn’t want her alone, even if her friend was with her.

I knocked on her door after showering and getting ready for our night out. “You ladies ready? I’ll be your escort tonight,” I said with a smile.

Scarlett smiled back. “I think we are. I’ll order an Uber.”

Hannah seemed to be in good spirits despite her breakup. I gathered it had been a long time coming and it was more of a relief than something to cry about.

“There’s Noah,” I said, pointing out the tall man in the corner of the room once we’d arrived.

We made our way over, and Noah immediately focused on Hannah. We were at the same club we had run into Isaac. I was almost hoping the guy would show up. I wanted to be able to haul his ass to jail.

“Dance with me,” Noah demanded, taking Hannah’s hand after we finished our second round of drinks.

“We’ll hold the table,” I told him, happy to be alone with Scarlett.

“She seems much friendlier tonight.” Scarlett smiled. “I think Noah may have worn her down.”

I laughed. “It doesn’t take much for him. I don’t know what it is, but the ladies tend to flock to him.”

She shrugged. “I don’t.”

“That’s because you’re special, and you’re with me,” I said in a husky tone.

Her eyes dropped to my mouth, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. I was dying to kiss her. I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, hoping it would satisfy the need. It didn’t. It only amplified it.

“We should probably talk about where this is going,” I mumbled, the desire between us making my body feel hot.

She nodded. “Probably.”

I watched her shift in her seat and knew she was just as fired up as I was. The sexual chemistry was intense. It made it difficult to think straight whenever she was around me. I found myself thinking about her more and more every damn day.

Hannah and Noah came back to the table. The heated looks between them told me Noah wasn’t going home alone.

“Our turn,” I said, grabbing Scarlett’s hand and taking her out to dance.

It felt good to have our bodies pressed together, slow dancing to a slow country song. Our bodies melded, and I felt the familiar desire spiraling through me.

“Want to get out of here?” I whispered.

She nodded. “I do.”

“One more drink, and then we make our excuses?” I asked.

She smiled. “Sounds good.”

When we got back to the table, we didn’t have to worry about making an excuse.

“We’re going back to my place,” Noah announced.

Hannah and Scarlett exchanged a look. Hannah smirked. “Oh please, I saw you two out there. You guys are going to spontaneously combust if you don’t get out of here.”

Scarlett laughed. “Fine.” She looked at Noah. “Be good.”

“I guess we’re all out of here then,” I announced.

We ordered two separate cars and finished our drinks while we waited for our rides.

“Ours is here,” I told Scarlett, grabbing her hand and practically dragging her out of the bar. I felt a bit like a caveman dragging his woman back to his cave. I couldn’t wait to get her alone and naked.

I could barely keep my hands off her in the back of the car. The driver kept watching us in the mirror. I glared back. By the time he dropped us off in front of my house, I was ready. I didn’t think there would be any time for foreplay. I wanted to bury myself inside her, to claim her and make her mine.

That was a discussion we needed to have. I needed to figure out where this was all going. We burst through my door, and all thought of talk evaporated nearly as fast as the clothes that were hitting the floor. There was no way we were going to make it to my room.

“Cameron,” she said in a plea.

I understood. I lifted her up and dropped her down onto my waiting cock and fucked her hard against the front door.