Chapter 2 #2
“I understand,” I said, and I did. Truth was, I did rely on my brothers too much; I knew that.
Being a trauma surgeon meant that my day-to-day was unpredictable and often long—incredibly long.
I was lucky enough to have Noah, who immediately stepped up to help with childcare after my divorce from Korey.
During the off-season of his football career, Noah welcomed Chloe to spend so many days and nights at his apartment.
And then, when his girlfriend recently gave birth to a baby girl, making Noah too busy as a dad to call in for uncle duty, Blake had shown up in Boston to take over.
I knew there were other reasons why Blake moved to the East Coast, but it didn’t matter.
He was here, and I couldn’t thank him enough. “I’ll talk to them.”
“I can say something, too,” Mr. Bryant said. “If you think it would help them to hear it from me.”
I shook my head. “I wouldn’t want to subject you to that.”
Blake and Noah were not going to take the concept of backing off well, but they’d do it if it meant there were better chances for Chloe.
He shrugged. “I’m a lawyer. I’m no stranger to having difficult conversations.” His eye contact suddenly intensified, and I realized that his declaration about difficult conversations was actually more of a warning. “But I don’t have to be your lawyer.”
I blinked.
And then blinked again.
“If it would make you more comfortable for me to pass along your case, I can,” he added.
“Why would that make me more comfortable?”
He raised a brow. “You really want to keep playing pretend? During the night that we spent together, I didn’t exactly get the impression that you were the kind of woman who did that. Outside of the fact that you lied about your name, that is.”
My jaw dropped, both in surprise and automatic defense, and Cameron seemed satisfied by my reaction. I must have made it clear that I remembered exactly who he was. That I had been playing pretend. Something I’d only been doing because he was.
As mortified as I was, I also felt relief. He hadn’t forgotten me.
But we needed to clear some things up.
“We did not spend the night together.” I lowered my voice in case my brothers could hear our conversation through the door. Construction companies these days used cheap-ass materials. “We shared a few drinks, that was all. Are there rules about lawyers sharing drinks with prospective clients?”
Cameron’s gaze flared at my words, my choice to reduce the evening to drinks.
But I didn’t need him to know that I’d been thinking about that night, replaying the hot touches and heavy breathing in my head for weeks now, wondering if I’d done the right thing by pushing him away.
I didn’t need him to know that it was the closest I’d come to a man in so very long, and it did something to me.
Whereas to him, it was probably just another night at the bar.
A man as good-looking and educated as Cameron Bryant probably had his pick of the litter when it came to last call at the bar.
“There aren’t any rules against it,” he answered, no longer seeming amused. “Especially if they don’t…do it again.”
I nodded and clasped my hands in my lap. “Then I think we are fine to proceed as is, Mr. Bryant.”
He perused my face for a moment. Finally, he replied, “Okay, Dr. London.”
I cleared my throat. “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s fine to call me Natalie.”
“Natalie,” he repeated, emphasizing the name that wasn’t the one I’d told him the night we met.
“You told me your name was Cam,” I countered, realizing how ridiculously childish I sounded a little too late.
“It’s a nickname,” he said in a deadpan. “It’s a shortened version of my name. And you’re welcome to call me that or Cameron, either one.”
I sighed, feeling like I owed him an explanation and hating that I felt that way. But I didn’t want this client-lawyer relationship to have a rocky start. Well, more of a rocky start, anyway.
“I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I don’t give things away freely anymore.
Not even my name, if I don’t feel like giving it,” I said.
The intensity of Cameron’s eye contact unnerved me slightly, so I looked around the room instead, taking in the certificates on the wall, the photographs of his family on the bookshelf, and the orderly way he aligned his pens on his desk, like they were silverware beside a dinner plate.
Cameron huffed a laugh. “And you shouldn’t.”
I frowned and looked back at him. “I apologize if you feel I deceived you or led you on, but—”
“No, that’s not it at all,” he interrupted, shaking his head.
“For the purpose of the case, I just don’t want you to think that I’m always like that,” I explained.
“Like what?”
“Like the kind of mom who regularly spends the night away from her daughter, going to bars, getting drunk, pretending I’m someone else, and dancing with strangers.”
The corner of his mouth tugged upward. “Ah, so you admit there were drinks and dancing.”
I pursed my lips. “That is not the point here.”
There were drinks and dancing and his hands in my hair, but that wasn’t me. I’d wanted it to be me, wanted to be ready for it to be me, but I wasn’t quite there yet.
“I don’t think that,” Cameron said with a sigh. “Trust me, Natalie. It could not have been more obvious that you don’t normally do that.”
“Right.”
I flushed, heat once again rising to my face.
Of course it was obvious that I was inexperienced and out of practice.
I knew that wasn’t exactly my fault, but still.
It didn’t feel like great encouragement, considering I’d been contemplating all day whether I should accept a date with some guy I matched with online.
Josh had been pestering me for over a week.
And like I said, I really wanted to try the dating scene again, longed to be ready for it.
I didn’t need men to make my life into a fuller version than it was because Chloe and I—we were happy.
But I wouldn’t mind dipping my toes back in the water.
To make matters worse, Cameron seemed to have clocked my embarrassment, a sympathetic expression overcoming his handsome features.
“Natalie—”
“So, what are the next steps?” I interrupted. “For the case.”
Cameron mulled over his response for a moment, a muscle jumping in his jaw as he assessed me. I had no idea what he was looking for, but eventually, he came to some sort of internal decision. He stood, walked around to the other side of the desk, and leaned back against it.
“When you originally reached out, you mentioned that Mr. Abrams has been sending you emails with some of his demands,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that made it very hard not to look at the way his crisp, tan suit stretched across the muscles in his upper arms.
I nodded, unable to talk as I looked up at him. He felt larger than life, taller than Noah or Blake. And without his desk between us, I felt like another layer of my defense had been stripped away.
“Can you send them to me?”
“Of course.” I scrambled to get my phone out, opening my email and—
“Oh my God.”
The room filled with the sound of a woman’s moan, followed by a man’s grunt, and then a high-pitched whine. And panting, there was panting, too. Right before the distinct slapping of two people’s bodies while—yep, you guessed it—fucking.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
“Oh my God,” I echoed in a gasp, but it was anything but sexy. Terrified would be more accurate. Humiliated. Again.
My fingers shook as I tried to swipe up on the video, trying to get it to disappear. But it took way longer than I should have, and I sank lower in my seat, wondering how the hell this day could get any worse.
“I am so sorry,” I impressed, beyond mortified.
I attempted to find the emails from Korey, refusing to look at Cameron.
My body was so hot, it felt like I might melt into the chair, become one with it.
“I made the mistake of telling my friend about my therapist’s suggestion to become more in touch with myself before trying to date again, so she started sending me all these videos.
I don’t really think that was what my therapist meant, but my friend, she’s a real free spirit, and—”
“Natalie.” Cameron’s calm voice interrupted my rambling. “It’s okay.”
It was not okay.
At the moment, I wanted to strangle Ellie. Even if it wasn’t her fault, but mine for not closing out of that properly.
I found the emails I was looking for, forwarded them to Cameron’s address, and then looked over my shoulder, checking on my brothers.
“They didn’t see,” Cameron assured me.
He seemed to be right; Noah and Blake stood facing each other in the hallway, talking. Not really paying attention.
“And even if they did, I’m pretty sure they’ve watched equally…descriptive things in their lives,” he added, obviously trying to make me feel better.
“Maybe,” I huffed, not wanting to think about my brothers and their porn-watching habits. “But if they have, I’m sure it has nothing to do with their lack of a sex life, considering they’re both with the women of their dreams.”
Blake eloped with his best friend about a month ago after pining over her for years. I was happy for him, for both him and Noah, but couldn’t help wondering why I couldn’t get their luck in the dating department. I was more on par with my younger brothers, longing for things I couldn’t have.
I finally looked up at Cameron to see him staring at me funnily. And that was when I realized that, on top of everything else, I’d admitted to having a nonexistent sex life.
Excellent.
I crossed one leg over the other, trying to look nonchalant even though I felt anything but.
I wore a dress today when I rarely wore dresses.
It was usually sweats or scrubs for me. Maybe a pair of jeans and a top if I was feeling ambitious.
But I’d wanted to appear professional, somewhat put together, for our meeting.
I was afraid that was not the impression I was making to Cameron.
His eyes flicked to my lap, where the slit in my dress seemed to have widened when I repositioned, exposing my bare thigh. I felt the warmth of his gaze on my skin and took a shaky breath.
Clearing my throat, I said, “If you’d rather pass me off to another lawyer, I’d understand.”
He lifted his gaze again, but it felt more like he dragged it, like his eyes could do what his hands did that night, touching every inch of me and creating a path of heat. When he spoke, his voice had a surprising roughness.
“That would depend on why you think I want to do that.”
“Just so you don’t have to deal with me.” I waved my hands around, very nondescript-like. “This.”
He looked over me another time, his lips forming a slight frown. “What if I want to deal with you?”
My stomach did a little flip, interpreting things that weren’t really there.
“Then I would appreciate any help you are able to give me,” I said sincerely. His gaze burned and then cooled a little when I added, “And Chloe.”
“Of course.” He clapped his hands together and strode to the door, opening it for my brothers. They immediately filed back inside. “Then I would be honored to help you kick your ex’s ass in court.”
“Fuck yeah,” Noah cheered, dropping down into his seat again.
“I’ve been waiting to kick his ass somehow,” Blake muttered dryly, drawing up on my other side.
Cameron just met my gaze with a slightly amused expression.
“I’ll talk to them,” I mouthed.
But he just flashed an understanding grin.
And I almost collapsed on the spot, struck dead by his dimples.
This was probably a mistake.
But there were a few more facts I’d discovered today, compounded with what I’d already learned about Cameron Bryant the night I met him.
He was respectful, but didn’t appear to coddle. Not only did he understand boundaries, but he followed them once they were laid out. And he had enough of my brothers’ trust that they willfully walked out of the room without causing a scene.
I needed a new lawyer. The one I previously worked with was good, but he was no longer practicing. And I couldn’t afford to take the time to find another one.
So now all I had to do was forget how close I’d been to kissing Cameron Bryant.
And never, ever think of it again.