55. Chapter 55
Chapter 55
We turned to find Cam standing in the arched entryway leading to the kitchen, his fists clenched at his sides. And he was pissed.
“Cam…” I said, stepping in front of Mallori.
“Mind telling me why you had your hands all over my cousin’s ass?”
Okay, fuck. Just tell him. “Because Mallori and I are together now,” I stated firmly.
“Together?” he asked incredulously. “You mean you’re fucking her.”
I didn’t say anything because it was true. I fucked my girl every single day, sometimes multiple times. But that word didn’t even come close to describing our relationship.
My friend took a step closer, and I was on high alert. I was a good fighter, great even, but Cam was a skilled martial artist and fucking lethal.
“After everything she’s been through, you took advantage of her.”
“Cam, shut up,” Mallori said. “It’s not like that. ”
She tried to step around me, and I put my arm out to stop her, leaving me open for the right hook that connected with my jaw. Fuck, this guy can throw a punch.
Working my chin back and forth, I held up my hands, palms out. “Cam, just listen to me. It’s not what you—”
His left leg snapped up, but this time I blocked it. “Stop it! I’m not fighting with you.”
“Oh, she’s not worth fighting for? You asshole. I fucking trusted you with her.”
“What the hell is going on in here?” Cam’s dad bellowed, running into the room.
“This prick has been fucking Mallori.”
Sean’s eyes shifted to me and narrowed, and goddammit, there was no way I could fight both of them. But when Cam lunged for me, his dad got in between us.
“Stop it, son.”
“Move, Dad,” he seethed, bouncing on his toes, ready for action.
Sean bowed up his chest and faced his son. “This is not the way to handle this. You may be some badass fighter, but I will knock your damn block off if you don’t cool your jets.”
Shiloh ran into the dining room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Why is everyone yelling? I swear, if you wake Bella up, I’m leaving the house and you guys are taking care of her.”
Sean lowered his voice when speaking to his daughter-in-law. “Shiloh, honey. Take your husband into the kitchen and pour a pitcher of water over his head.”
Her eyes flitted around the room, her confusion evident. “Cam…”
He closed his eyes at the sound of his name from his wife’s lips .
“Cam, come with me, and explain what’s going on,” she said softly.
He nodded but left with one last parting shot as his blue eyes burned with hatred. “She’s not one of your sluts, you piece of shit. She’s way too good for you.”
Ouch. It hurt because it was true.
Sean approached his niece, “Mallori dear, do you feel safe leaving with Hawk?”
She scoffed. “Of course, Uncle Sean.” She wrapped an arm around my waist. “We’re in love.”
He looked up at me. “Son, do you love my niece?”
“More than anything, sir,” I said, a little breathless as the adrenaline pumped through my system.
“If you hurt her, I will end you. Better yet, I’ll set Cam loose on you.”
I smiled at that, unable to fault him for protecting his niece after everything he’d heard today.
“I understand, Sean, and I would never hurt Mallori.” I looked down at the woman beside me. “She’s my entire world.”
His smile was sad and distant. “Ah, I remember that feeling. My Deana was my world as well.” He looked back and forth between us. “Her family wasn’t thrilled with me at first, but they came around.”
“I didn’t know that, Uncle Sean. How did you convince them?” Mal asked.
He lifted his chin. “I proved it to them. Every single day, I treated Deana like the treasure she was, and they eventually came around.” His gaze shifted to me. “That’s what you’re going to have to do with that hot-headed son of mine. I’ll have a talk with him, but ultimately, that responsibility lies with you. Don’t fuck it up. ”
I chuckled at his candidness. “Yes, sir. That’s my plan.”
He breathed out a weary sigh. “Okay, you two scoot on out of here. I’m going to see if my beautiful daughter-in-law has straightened out my idiot of a son yet.”
Mallori was sitting beside me on the couch, and we were watching yet another Chuck Norris movie. I didn’t even know which one because my mind kept going back to all the words Cam had said to me earlier.
She’s not one of your sluts, you piece of shit. That one didn’t bother me as much as the others because I knew in my heart that Mallori was unlike any woman I’d ever been with.
She’s way too good for you. He was spot on with that comment. Who was I to deserve someone like Mallori Fitz? My sour mood sank even further.
You took advantage of her. Did I? Looking back, she was so vulnerable when we first got together. I was older and more experienced, and I should have fought harder to resist her. Could it be true?
“No,” a sweet voice said, and I looked down at my Little Bee. I hadn’t even noticed she’d turned off the TV and was studying my face.
“No, what?”
“No, you didn’t take advantage of me, baby.” I stared at her in awe. How the hell does she do that? Again, she answered my silent question. “I can read you like a book, Gentry. I’m an adult and perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Cam is a moron. ”
Voicing my deepest, darkest concern, I kissed her softly on the lips. “I love you so fucking much, but is that enough, Bee?”
“It’s all I need,” she said, caressing my jaw. She drew back her hand when I winced a little. “Does your jaw still hurt?”
“It’s not too bad.”
Swinging a leg over until she was straddling my lap, she purred, “Want me to kiss it better?”
I turned my cheek, and she pressed light, sweet kisses across my jaw. “We could play naughty nurse,” she suggested, rocking her hips over my crotch.
Tightening my arms around her, I buried my face in her neck because I didn’t want to see her disappointment. “Not tonight, Bee. I really just want to hold you right now.”
“Should I tell you a Chuck Norris fact to cheer you up?”
I smiled. “Yes, please.”
“Did you know cats say they have Chuck-like reflexes?”
That made me chuckle, and I hit back with one of my own. “I heard when Chuck Norris gets in the ocean, sharks get out.”
“I like that one,” she told me, resting her head on my shoulder. “Please don’t be upset. Cam will come around. He has to.”
“I know,” I murmured.
And yet I can’t stop hearing those internal voices. The ones telling me I’m no good for you.
I managed to make it through the next morning at work without seeing Cam, but a little before noon, someone knocked on my door .
“Yeah?”
He poked his head inside. “Can I come in?” At my hesitation, he went on. “I just want to talk. No fighting.” He shook out his hand “Your big ass jaw made my knuckles hurt.”
I almost smiled at that. “Okay, come in.”
He sat in the chair across from me and stared at the Dallas skyline through the window behind me for a long moment before turning his blue eyes to me.
“I was informed by my wife and father that I’m a sucky listener.”
“And an asshole.”
“They might have mentioned that too.” He rubbed a hand over his hair and sighed. “Will you tell me about you and Mallori? Like, the whole story. I need to understand.”
I started talking, telling him how we started out as friends. I admitted that I’d been attracted to his cousin, but I’d never acted on it. Then I got to the part about Mallori catching me in the Den of Sin with that other woman.
Cam held up a hand, his face gleeful. “Wait, so Mal sprayed you in the face with pepper spray?”
“Yes,” I said dryly, and he howled with laughter.
“Oh my god, that’s fucking classic.”
“So happy I can amuse you,” I deadpanned. “Shall I go on?”
“Please do,” he said with a grin.
“After I sent the other chick home, Bee and I started talking. She told me about Moreau, and I told her about… about some stuff that happened to my sister.”
Cam’s face fell solemn. I’d never told my friends about my personal life. “I’m sorry if someone hurt your sister. ”
“Thank you. I handled it before it got too far, but that’s a whole other story. Anyway, Mal kissed me, but it didn’t go any further just then. I think our feelings really grew a lot that night though, and things progressed after that.”
“Do you take her in the Den of Sin?” he asked, point blank.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Do you still take your wife to that sex club?” His mouth dropped open. “What two people do together isn’t anyone else’s business, and I won’t answer questions about that. The only thing I’ll say is that I’ve never taken advantage of Mallori, and I never will.”
That had stewed in my brain all night, and until I said the words aloud just now, I hadn’t been sure if I believed them. But deep down, I knew they were true.
“Everything we’ve done has been consensual and mutual, just like the kinky shit you get up to with Shiloh. You would never hurt your wife, and I would never hurt Mallori. Ever.”
“Understood,” he said, properly chastised.
“I have no idea what she sees in me, Cam, but I’m the luckiest bastard in the world because she loves me.”
He glanced down at the new ink on my hand, between my index finger and thumb. It was a small bee with a dashed ring around it. I’d kept it covered yesterday until we could tell the family about us. And then everything had gone to shit.
“You really love her,” he said, staring at my tattoo.
“I really do, and for some crazy reason, she loves me back. I never thought that would happen to me. It’s easy to love someone for their strengths, but it’s damn hard to love someone for their weaknesses.” I pounded my fist against my chest. “Mallori loves me for both. ”
Cam’s eyes dropped to the floor before lifting back to mine. “I’m sorry, Hawk. I never should have said the things I did to you yesterday. You really are one of the most honorable men I know, and… and I’m happy Mallori found a man who will respect her and treat her right.”
Relief flooded through me. “Thanks, man.”
“You want to go get some lunch?”
I stood and dug my keys out of my desk drawer. “Yeah, let’s go.”
To my surprise, Cam pulled me into a strong hug, his hand patting my upper back. “I’m sorry I haven’t been a better friend to you, Hawk. I know we’re all kind of quiet about our pasts, but you can tell me about your sister if you want. And whatever happened with your parents.”
I nodded, emotions clogging my throat. “Yeah, I’ll tell you.”
The door swung open, and I saw the flash of a camera. Fucking Bode.
“Hey guys, Cam and Hawk are enjoying a bro hug,” he called down the hall. “Come look.”
Woody appeared instantly and made a little cooing noise. “That’s so sweet. Now I’ll bet Cam is going to braid Hawk’s beard.”
Breaking the hug, I took a step back and shook my head at Cam. “We really need new fucking friends.”
When we climbed into my truck, Cam buckled his seatbelt and eyed me across the cab. “We need to talk about something else too. ”
“Great,” I deadpanned. “What now? You want to know our favorite lube flavor or something?”
“Stop. Talking,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “I was talking about Moreau.”
I grinned at my friend and cranked the truck. “I already have a plan in the works.”
He held out a hand, and we slapped palms before tightening into a grasp. “I’m in, brother. Just tell me what to do.”