Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Cameron
No idea what possessed me to show up on a gorgeous stranger’s doorstep tonight, but here I was, making myself comfortable on her couch, asking to hear her life story.
It could have been the fear still coursing through my veins, feeling a lot like adrenaline, after my sister’s abduction.
It could have been the fact I hadn’t been able to get Rylee’s unforgettable doll-face out of my head since I laid eyes on her.
Or it could have been my years in law enforcement, and that finely tuned radar that always tipped me off when someone needed my help.
“You don’t have any siblings?” I asked, easing into the conversation about her childhood, sensing the haunted look in her baby blues was rooted that far back.
She shook her head. “Uh no, according to my mama I shouldn’t have been born either.” She winced and I reached for her hand. “Sorry, she’s been out of my life for a while. It shouldn’t matter anymore.”
I’d met dozens of young women like Rylee over the years, in my line of work.
Who felt abandoned by their parents and didn’t have anywhere else to turn.
Some wound up selling their bodies or getting into abusive relationships.
Thankfully, Rylee had a talent that took her far away from the hell she’d grown up in.
“But it does matter,” I said. “Hearing that from your own mother, how can it not?” I wanted her to know that I heard her and understood, because I’d been the shoulder a lot of young girls had cried on when they’d had no one else to turn to.
She closed her eyes and I could tell she was drawing on some inner strength that had been honed long before it should have been. “She was a drug-addicted mess,” she said, shaking her head in disgust. “She was right, she never should have had me.”
“But I’m glad she did.”
I’d never even heard this woman’s name until earlier tonight, but I was sincerely grateful her mama had done one right thing in her life, by bringing this girl into the world. And giving me a chance to meet her. Because this starlet was making me feel things I hadn’t felt in years.
“Why?” she asked, looking wary.
She’d been so honest and vulnerable with me, I had no choice but to do the same. I had a feeling real and raw emotions would be the foundation of this relationship, if it was allowed to build beyond tonight.
“If she hadn’t had you then we wouldn’t be sitting here. I wouldn’t be wrestling with these feelings that are making me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a hell of a long time.”
Her smile was slight when she said, “I like that I’m not the only one. Tell me about your ex. The one who cheated on you.”
I didn’t have to ask her how she knew about that. Obviously, my little sister with the big mouth had filled her in.
“Since you’re willing to open up about your past, I guess I have to do the same, huh?” I sighed and stretched my arm across the back of the sofa behind her head. “We’d been dating a couple of years—”
“What did she do?”
“Managed a bank.”
She fake-yawned behind her hand before grinning at me. “Sorry, go on.”
“I was into her.” There was a flash in Rylee’s eyes I couldn’t decipher. “Thought I might marry her. Then I found out she cheated on me with one of my deputies.” It still stung to think about that betrayal. “So, I ended it.”
“And she let you go just like that?”
I shook my head. “No, she’s still trying to get me back.”
Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes narrowed before she reached for my phone in the front pocket of my jean jacket. “Does she follow you on social media?”
“Uh yeah, why?”
She passed me the phone and instructed me to “Unlock it.”
I didn’t even question her, just did as she asked, which was unlike me.
She snatched the phone out of my hand and climbed into my lap. Her arm was around my neck, and she snapped a few pics of us, with her cleavage on full display, before she had one she was satisfied with.
Instead of reclaiming her spot, she let her gaze drift to my lips and shifted in my lap, knowing exactly what she was doing to me. “She can’t have you back. Post that pic and tag me in it. She’ll see it.”
I wasn’t into playing games, but I was tired of my ex thinking I could just forgive and forget her infidelity. “What should I say in the post?”
She bit her lip and said, “Pull it up. Let me decide.”
I uploaded the pic and handed her my phone.
I couldn’t believe how much trust I was placing in this beautiful stranger.
I was an elected official, and a lot of the people who voted for me followed me on social media to hear updates about the events affecting their lives.
But my personal life had always been fodder for the local gossip mill and I knew if rumours started swirling about me hooking up with a gorgeous, much younger, country singer the questions would start rolling in.
A slow smile spread across her full lips as she typed, and I was awestruck by how stunning she was.
This girl had curves for days. Like a sexy pin-up from a bygone era that fueled every male’s fantasy.
And she was sitting in my lap, posting pics to send a message to my ex-girlfriend? Pretty sure this wasn’t my life.
“There.” Looking proud of herself, she passed the phone back to me after she’d already posted it. “Pretty sure that’ll do the trick.”
I laughed when I read the message. My girl’s worth the drive to Nashville. @RyleeClark #fallingforyou #justus #newchapter #thisfeelsright
“You’re good, I’ll give you that.”
She wiggled in my lap with a saucy smile. “You have no idea.”
“Girl, you better get up.”
She was too damn young for me to be playing these games.
According to my sister, Rylee was twenty-four.
I was thirty-six. And sure, I’d suggested a few days of fun, but the more I learned about her, the surer I was a few days wouldn’t be enough.
And I didn’t mess around with women outside of my decade.
She bit her lip, looking too sexy for my sanity. “What if I don’t want to?”
“Then you’re asking for trouble.”
“Hmmm.” She traced my lips with her fingertip. “Maybe I’d like to get into trouble with you, Sheriff.”
“You’re too young for me, Rylee.” That didn’t stop me from sliding my hand up her bare thigh, resting on her hip.
“You said something about that earlier,” she said, looking amused. “Yet here you are. And I could have sworn I heard you mention something about a few days of fun before you have to go back home?”
“Yeah, that’s probably not a good idea.” She started popping buttons on my shirt and that probably wasn’t a good idea either, but I wasn’t stopping her.
“Really? Because it feels like you think it’s a really good idea.”
I couldn’t have hid my body’s reaction to her if I tried. And when she started kissing my neck, running her small hand all over my chest, my jeans got a hell of a lot tighter.
I tipped my head back, trying to remember all the reasons this was wrong.
She was too young. Probably too famous. Had too much baggage from a messed-up childhood.
Didn’t live in my state, much less my zip code.
Wasn’t into relationships. But damn, she was weakening my resolve one button at a time.
And by the time she got to my belt buckle, all those reasons didn’t matter.
I wanted this girl. Even if I could only have her for one night.
The sound of my zipper snapped me out of my lust-induced coma and I curled my hand around her wrist. I could tell she was waiting for me to reject her, like the little girl in her still expected to be told she wasn’t enough.
But I had no intention of rejecting her.
I’d make her feel like the chosen one by the time I was finished with her.
“Rylee,” I whispered.
“Don’t,” she said, jumping up. “Don’t tell me you can’t do this or that you’re sure I’m a nice girl, but—”
She was all riled up, so I stood, placing my fingertip over her full lips. I took it away slowly, waiting to see if I’d earned her silence before sinking my hands into her hair, tipping her head back, and kissing her… first to gain her permission, then to gain her submission.
I teased the seam of her lips with my tongue before she opened for me. And man, could she kiss. I was drunk on the slow slide of her tongue as she purred in my mouth while pushing my shirt over my shoulders and scraping her nails along my back.
Done playing nice, I tossed her over my shoulder, making her yelp, before making my way down the hall. “Which door?”
She giggled. “End of the hall.”
I set her on the bed and reached for my belt buckle when her phone rang on the nightstand.
“Ignore it,” she said, reaching for the hem of her tank top and hauling it over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra and I was already salivating.
The phone rang again and I made the mistake of glancing at the screen. “Uh, Rylee. You better get that. It’s the hospital.”
She shot up before snagging her phone. “Hello. Yes, this is she.”
I took a step back to give her some privacy, hoping she could handle the news. For reasons I couldn’t explain, I was becoming way too invested in this girl’s feelings.
“Um, okay. Yes, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling.” She swiped to end the call and heaved a sigh as she threw her phone on the bed and fell back on the mattress. “I don’t believe this.” She covered her face with her hands.
I reached for the throw blanket at the end of the bed, covering her with it, because I may have shifted into cop mode, but I’d have to be a blind saint not to react to the sight of this woman half-naked.
“What is it?” I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed as I reached for her hand.
Her big blue eyes were brimming with tears and it hit me hard. “My mama had a heart attack.” She shook her head, sniffling. “She’s been incarcerated. I haven’t seen her for years.”
I closed my eyes, trying to find the words that never seemed to fail me when on duty. But this was different. I’d shed the badge along with my restraint when she kissed me and now, I had to fight to get it back.
“She was an addict. And she got mixed up in a drug ring, as a runner. It wasn’t her first offense, so she got twenty-five years.”
I couldn’t imagine baring my soul to someone I’d just met. She was brave as hell, and that made me respect her even more.
“How old were you when she went to prison?”
“Almost ten.”
“Did you stay with family or—”
“No family.” She cleared her throat. “I went into foster care. Never stayed anywhere for more than a year.” Her harsh laugh was laced with a broken sob when she said, “No one seemed to want me to stick around any longer than that.”
“Ry…” I laid down beside her, pulling her into my arms. I just held her while she cried, knowing she probably needed the comfort more than she’d admit. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” I kissed the top of her head, feeling a surge of protectiveness I’d never felt before.
In my line of work, I’d taken a vow to protect people. But this was different. It was personal. And felt visceral.
“I have to get to the hospital.” She sat up, swiping at the tears on her face. “I’m sorry our night was ruined.” She glanced at my chest and sighed. “Really sorry. A night with you was just what the doctor ordered.”
I smirked, but the amusement was laced with a heaviness because I could feel her inner turmoil. “Let me take you to the hospital.”
“No.” She shook her head firmly, causing her curls to bounce, before she reached for her tank top and tugged it over her head. “You’ve been through enough tonight. I can handle this on my own.” She shrugged. “I’ve been handling life on my own forever. I got this.”
“Hey.” I moved to the edge of the bed, opening my legs so she could stand between them, while I planted my hands on her hips. Looking up at her, feeling the squeeze on my heart, I said, “Let me go with you. I want to make sure you’re alright.”
She caressed the side of my face and whispered, “You’re a really good man. Your ex must have been crazy to cheat on you.”
I wasn’t thinking about my ex-girlfriend tonight. I was thinking about Rylee, and how different she was from any woman I’d met before. She was steel cloaked in satin. All hard edges hiding an inner sweetness she was afraid to reveal.
“You need someone tonight.” My look dared her to argue, but she didn’t. “And I want to be there for you.”
Her hands rested on my shoulders when she said, “I know you must have this rescuing-damsel-in-distress complex, given what you do for a living—”
“This has nothing to do with my job.” I stood, tracing her jawline with the back of my fingers as I watched her eyes close.
“This is just me wanting to be that shoulder you need tonight.” She could pretend she didn’t need anyone, but I heard beyond the words she was afraid to speak.
I saw beyond the guarded look in her eyes to the haunting beneath.
She rolled forward on her tiptoes to kiss me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Why do you want to do this?”
Since she was a foot shorter than me, I picked her up around the waist so we were eye-level before I said, “Because you need someone tonight. And I want to be that guy.”
Rylee nodded, but I could still see her wrestling with her feelings when she said, “I want that too.”