“I hear Cameron kissed you in the diner yesterday.”
Riya sputtered around the coffee she’d tried to swallow and shot a look at the woman with her, Gina Moyer.
Gina chuckled and merely passed along some napkins.
Dabbing at her chin to mop up what she’d lost, Riya shrugged. “Who told you?”
“Doesn’t matter, what does is you’re not disputing it. Are you two a couple?”
“God no, Gina. I haven’t a clue why he did that. And it wasn’t a really long kiss, more like a peck. I’m sure he would have done it with anyone who’d been near him at the time.”
“Is that what you’re telling yourself?”
“Sure, you don’t want to try and hide the doubt just a bit more in your sarcastic tone?” Riya uncapped her drink and moved the stir stick around a few times. “Or should I just pretend you mean the best?”
“By all means, pretend because we both know me hiding the sarcasm isn’t going to happen. Not to mention, I personally think that you and Cameron make the perfect couple and if you two get together we can be sisters.” A wide grin. “We could have a double wedding.”
“Stop, please stop.” She held up a hand. “We’re barely in a room together before we start fighting and you’re planning a wedding for us? That’s crazy, even for you, Gina.”
“I’m happy again, and I want you to be as well.”
“It’s a life you know, but it scares the hell out of me. And two, before you even get that look in your eye about me saying what I did, there’s nothing between the two of us like there is with you and Carter. You two have a history, have chemistry.”
“Are you seriously, sitting there telling me that there’s no chemistry between you and Cameron? Come on, Riya. I’m not dumb. Anyone can see it who’s around the two of you for more than a minute. You two can’t keep your eyes off each other, he’s forever picking on you, and—”
“He’s forever sleeping with other women,” she interrupted, wishing she didn’t give a damn who he went out with and potentially slept with.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Gina said, in a softer voice. “I think he puts on a good show but I don’t think he’s fucking each woman he takes out. He’s waiting for the right one. You.”
“Not buying it, sorry. He had me and like I told him last night, he came to my place which means I was only good for one night. If he wants a repeat, he takes them to his place.”
“Last night?”
“Yes, I was at his apartment dropping off his jacket that he left at the diner.”
Gina cocked an eyebrow.
Riya groaned. Not what she’d planned on telling anyone. “Nothing happened. I dropped it off and left.”
“Sounds to me like you’re trying to convince yourself of this. Let me know how it goes. I have to get back to work, thanks for having coffee with me and honestly, Riya. Give him a chance. He does care about you but he’s a man and a Liaci which means he’s going to fuck it up. Look at what Carter and I went through.”
“Yes, but at one time, you knew he loved you. All I know is that I was only good for one fuck. Not exactly helping my low self-esteem.” She stood and put the top back on her drink. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Have a good one.”
The women walked out together and headed in opposite directions. Riya cast a final glance over her shoulder in time to see Gina slip behind the wheel of her coupe. Facing forward once more, she walked up the street. She loved to walk. It was the time when she got to work things out in her mind. Plan new things and just lose herself in random thoughts.
Gina’s words flitted around in her head but she didn’t focus too much on them. She couldn’t. She’d given Cameron far too much of her life already, years and it was time for her to move up and on.
Finishing her coffee, she tossed the cup in the trash receptacle on the corner while she waited for the light to change. Above her dark clouds swirled and she knew in moments, she’d be soaked through.
So there’s a downside to walking all the time.
The first fat drops fell as she hurried along the crosswalk. She turned the collar of her jacket up and ducked her head. Waiting at the next light, she fought off a shiver. When the temperature had dropped so fast, she wasn’t sure but now she was wet and cold.
A large blue truck pulled up to the curb and she waited for it to move, so she could keep an eye on the crosswalk signal. It didn’t. Frustrated and more than a bit temperamental, she jerked her head up and saw the window sliding down.
“Get in here sweetness.”
How the hell didn’t I recognize that this was Cameron’s truck?
“I’m fine,” the words rolled off her tongue automatically even though she would love to be out of the rain and cold.
“You either climb in on your own, or I come around and put you in.” Behind him, cars hit their horns but Cameron didn’t move, nor did he seem bothered by the fact he was disrupting traffic. “I’m not moving, Riya so you may as well get in here.”
She moved closer. “I’m soaking wet, I’ll ruin your interior.”
“If I have to get out of here and put you inside, then I’ll be wet too, and you’ll have to dry me off.”
If it was a threat or a promise, she wasn’t sure and while she would love to have her hands on him again, she didn’t think her heart could take it. So, she grabbed the handle and opened the door, climbing up.
Cameron had shut the window before she could close the door, blocking out even more rain from slamming into her.
Trying her best not to chatter her teeth when the heat hit, she swallowed and buckled her belt.
Cameron reached behind him to the backseat and tossed a towel at her then drove off.
“Thank you,” she forced out between the clacking of her teeth.
“Stubborn,” he muttered, reaching out and turning up the heat.
She burrowed her face in the towel, allowing herself a few seconds to inhale his scent and make it seem as if she were simply drying off. Damn, he smelled good.
It took her a moment to realize this direction not only wasn’t the way to her place, but it was to his. “You can just drop me off here,” she prompted.
“No.”
She snapped her gaze to him and found him watching the road but there was a tic in his jaw.
What the hell is he so upset about?
Riya ran the towel over her arms, soaking up the liquid hanging out. By the time, he pulled up to his apartment she had stopped shivering.
“Wait,” he ordered before climbing out.
It barely sunk in when he opened her side, with an umbrella, and reached around her to unlock her belt, since she’d yet to do that. His dark hair brushed along her face as he leaned in and she bit the inside of her lower lip to keep her whimper contained.
The moment she was free, he grasped her upper arm and escorted her out of the truck and to his place. He only released her when they got inside the building and he folded up his umbrella.
Cameron remained silent as he unlocked the door to his place and propelled her in.
Sure, she’d just been there last night but it didn’t stop her mind from whirling with the possibilities of what could happen here. What had happened here with many other women that weren’t her. Anger began to grow as she had to take a deep breath and calm down.
He pushed her to the bathroom and inside the spotless room was a huge, gorgeous shower. “Warm up. I’ll leave some clothes for you to change into.”
She shook her head and tried to back out of the room. “I don’t need to shower here. I just need to go home.”
“You’re damn near freezing. That cold front came in and lowered it below freezing. It’s going to be snow before long. You’re colder than you know. Either you do it, or I will.”
She met his gaze. “What? You going to strip me and put me in the shower?”
His gray eyes were blazing as he stared back at her. “Do you really want to challenge me on this, Riya?”
Part of her did, just to have his hands on her once again. But she wasn’t about to scheme just to have a man touch her. Even if it was the man, she’d dreamt about and longed for when she was allowed private thoughts.
“Well?” Cameron stepped closer to her.
Then Riya had to tip her head back to maintain eye contact. So this is how a deer feels being hunted and cornered by a predator. She gulped and shook her head. “Not necessary. Wouldn’t want you to have to touch me and all that.”
Poke. Poke. Poke. For whatever reason, she just couldn’t let it go and felt the need to jab him.
Dangerous warnings flashed in his gaze and his nostrils flared. “Go shower before I show you just how much I want to touch you again. I meant every word of what I said when I told you that before, I always want you to come and I wasn’t lying.”
Her insides quivered at his deep timbre and she gulped before glancing pointedly from the door to him and back again.
He took her silent order and backed out, closing the door behind him.
Riya opened the shower door and turned on the water. Part of her wanted to lock the door but part of her didn’t. However, eyes on the door, she stripped quickly and stepped beneath the heated water falling. Instantly, a groan fell from her lips.
Okay, so the man was correct, and she needed to get warmed up. This…this was divine. She kept an eye on the glass for the first few moments then just shut her eyes and enjoyed the heat. It was clouded glass and to be honest, the man had already seen what she had to offer.
αβ
Cameron opened the door slowly after knocking lightly on the hard surface. While he didn’t expect an answer, he didn’t want to just barge in on her. Okay, so perhaps he did but somewhere in the depths of his caveman mind, there were remnants of something his mother called manners.
Stepping into the bathroom, he couldn’t help the swiftness in which his gaze snapped to his large shower. One of the reasons he’d rented this place was the size of the walk-in shower. All he could see now was her figure, faintly in the swirls of steam billowing up from the water and hiding her most efficiently.
Not that I need to see her because there’s no way I will ever forget that body. Those curves. That perfection.
Although, this fact didn’t stop his desire to see it all over again. His cock hardened and pushed against his jeans. Setting down the clothes he’d chosen for her on the corner of the sink, he backed out before he did something stupid like joining her.
He had to be better this time. He needed to do what was necessary to keep her. This time around would be different. Therefore, he slipped from the room and made his way back to his, where he changed out of his own wet clothing into something dry and warm. Then he popped on the television and flipped it to the news, checking on the weather.
This cold front had done a number on things and they were expecting snow within the hour. Not just flurries but a heavy accumulation. Cameron moved to the window and stifled some laughter.
“Well, they were a bit off of about when it was going to start. The rain has already turned to snow.”
He heard the shower cut off and he reached for the remote to do the same thing to the television. Departing his bedroom, he went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, figuring she would want something warm to drink next.
He did a quick scan of his place, wondering what she would think of it. Last night, she hadn’t done all that much looking around.
Cameron sensed her before he saw her. He finished with the coffee pot then turned to look at her. His heart jumped and threatened to burst out of his chest. Abso-fucking-lutely adorable. That’s what he thought when he saw her in his clothing.
His gray fire fighter shirt hung over her curves and his sweats, well, she’d rolled them up both waist and legs just to keep them on.
God damn, he wanted to kiss her. “Feel better?” he asked, voice a bit more graveled than normal.
“Much, thank you. It wasn’t necessary though. I need to get home.”
“It’s already begun snowing and they’re calling for quite a bit.”
Her eyes grew round. “Well, I can’t be stuck here.”
“What’s wrong with my place?”
“You think I would want to be here while your neighbors come over for whatever they come here for?”
He tsked. “You’re sounding jealous, sweetness.”
“No, not jealous. Just wanting to be at my house.” She smoothed her hand down the front of his shirt, accentuating her breasts. “I can call for a taxi it’s no bother and I promise to have these back to you soon.”
“I’ll take you home. Just let me get some coffee for us. Or are you too good to drink that with me as well?”
Her gaze dropped to the floor and he nearly felt bad. But come on now, he was being a gentleman, couldn’t she forget about their past and just move forward. Preferably with him at her side?
“I’m sorry. It’s just been a long day.”
He stole a glance at the clock. Not much after two. “What’s going on?”
“Never mind, just some things I have to deal with but I can’t until I get home.”
He fixed two travel mugs, well aware about how she liked her coffee, and handed one to her.
“Thank you but this isn’t necessary.” Even despite the words, she didn’t return the drink to him.
“I’m going to turn you over my knee if you keep saying that, Riya. It is necessary. I couldn’t let you walk home in that. Hell, it would have turned to snow on you and you’d be sick.”
“What about you?”
He sipped some of the hot drink. “What about me what?”
“Your arm. Are you sure you should be driving? In fact, where’s your sling?”
“I took it off. It got bothersome and I have my other hand for driving.”
“Don’t you have a stick shift?”
“Yes.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Want to shift my stick for me?” He watched her try to contain the laugh but her entire face lit up and her eyes sparkled.
“There’s just something wrong with you,” she said shaking her head. “I just have to grab my clothes and I’ll be ready to go.”
She was back before he knew it and he swiped his keys and led the way back out into the steadily falling snow. The accumulation was piling up faster than they’d mentioned.
“You should just let me walk home.”
“Get your ass in the truck,” he growled holding the door for her.
“I don’t want you to get stuck.”
Dipping his head, he inhaled as her hair brushed by him. “I couldn’t think of a better place to be stuck than with you, Riya.”
Her entire body stiffened and he knew precisely where her thoughts had travelled. Down the same road, his had been constantly. Cameron slammed the door and hurried around to the driver’s side. This weather was going to get ugly fast.
Riya lived on the other side of town from him and on a good day, it took him about fifteen minutes to get there. Tonight, it took him closer to forty-five and the conditions weren’t getting any better. Part of the tie was that he’d stopped to assist a few people who’d slid off the road.
Pulling into the parking space beside her car, he idled the truck.
She opened the door and hopped out. “Be careful getting home, Cameron. Thank you for the ride.” A brief pause. “And the clothes. Shower too.” Riya shut the door and was gone seconds later, vanishing amidst the heavy flakes falling from the sky.
Hand on the door, he was moments from heading out after her when his CB came to life announcing a fire. Shifting into gear, he backed out of the spot and headed to where he was needed most. Arm pain or not, he wasn’t going to sit idly by while his crew were out fighting fires in this weather.
A lot of people thought it would be easier on snowy cold nights but it wasn’t, not by a long shot. Cameron pushed his truck as fast as he dared through the town until he reached the firehouse. Coffee in hand, he ran inside.
“What’s up, Chief?” he asked the bald-headed man who was the first one he saw.
“We’re getting emergency calls to help stranded motorists then we get a call about a warehouse fire. I swear, if your sister-in-law hadn’t caught that arsonist, I would think he’s striking once more.”
Cameron didn’t bother correcting him in that Gina and Carter hadn’t gotten married yet. “I’d had that same thought. A lot of abandoned places going up at the most inopportune times.”
“See what she says about it later. Right now, we have a date with a red-hot woman.”
“Right behind you, boss.”
“And you’re not going in, Cameron. I know about your shoulder and that it’s still not back to one hundred percent.”
“Fuck,” he swore. He wouldn’t fight it. “I’m where you put me, boss.”
“If only that were the truth,” Hammond muttered.
Cameron knew he got on the man’s nerves and pushed him at every turn, but he wasn’t at peak condition and wouldn’t risk the lives of the men he served with. He could still go and help however, so he would be there, out in the cold and snow with them.
He claimed his seat on the engine as it pulled out from the house. The men with him were yawning and talking shit about the weather. Cameron kept to himself and thought about the woman he’d left outside her own place. A place he’d been inside of once but could draw an exact replica of it, he replayed his time with her so much in his head. Hell, if she hadn’t moved her dishes around he knew where all of them were and in which cupboard.
Pathetic?
More likely bordering on stalkerish, if he wanted to think about it but he didn’t. He’d memorized every second he’d spent with her and wanted a repeat. Ignoring the cold, he stayed by the truck and watched his teammates go in and out of the burning building. As he watched the gauges, he thought about the arsonist.
There were definitely some things to think about and he had to get it figured out because the one thing they didn’t need was more fires like this, especially when it involved cold weather. Another explosion rocked the building and he tensed, his need to run toward the danger almost overwhelming his common sense of not getting in the way because of his injury.
Men shouted, hoses sprayed, and all he could do was watch and wait. The snow worsened as did the cold. Whatever the fuck was going on with the weather it wasn’t expected and they were going to be in trouble. They had one plow in town and Old Man Flarretty wasn’t exactly spry any longer. They were used to cold, sure, but not the snow. Especially, not like this.
When they finally managed to wrangle the blaze under control, five hours had passed. The hoses had begun to ice up, while they were all cold and uncomfortable. On the plus side, there had been no major causalities and the fire was not posing any serious threat at the moment.
His chief looked at him and jerked his head. “Go home, Liaci. You’ve done all you can. Heal up and be ready.”
Brushing away the fat flakes hitting him in the face as the wind did another directional change, he nodded. “As you say, boss.”
Turning the job over to another, he said his farewells and climbed up in his truck. As it idled, warming up, he wished his shoulder were better. It was his job to be out there with them, not safe and cloistered in his house. That wasn’t what he joined for.
Shifting, he rolled his truck by slowly until he got back onto the road. The snow still came down fast and thick, there were over six inches on the surface already.
This is going to get ugly. Maybe I should stop at a store and pick up a few things.
He wanted to be helping fight the fire but purchasing groceries was important too, as he didn’t have that much in his place. So he headed to the nearest all night grocery and pulled into the nearly empty lot. Shoulder aching now that it had gotten out of the cold, he sighed and did his best to ignore it. Climbing down, he slogged through the parking lot and inside the building.