Beneath His Darkness (Healing Hearts #3) (25 page)

I’m going to kill him.

“Where is Tucker and what the fuck did he do to her?” I spit my words at Eddie.

“Calm down, Grant.  You have the wrong idea here.”

“Do I?  I see a girl here, crying her eyes out.  Three of you left and only two of you came back.  I mention Tucker and she starts crying harder.  You tell me what I’m supposed to think.”

“I understand it looks bad, but I promise you, it’s not what you’re thinking.”  He holds his hands up in a placating gesture, but all it does is piss me off more.

“Of course you’d say that.  He’s your best friend.  Where is he?”  I ask again.

Eddie’s phone rings.  He looks at it and holds a finger up to me.  The fuck?  He’s seriously blowing me off for a call right now?

“Tuck, tell me you found her.”  Silence.  I can only assume the asshole is telling him about whomever she is.  “Yeah, yeah, man, I can get you that video.”  More silence.  Video?  What the fuck is going on?  “I’m with Cammie right now.  So is Grant.  We’ll help calm her down.  Don’t worry, Tuck.  She’ll be okay.”  Silence again.  So he does know what’s going on with Cammie.  Just like I thought.  “I’ll have the video to you in five to ten.  Good luck, man.”

Eddie hangs up and stares at me.  I can see him contemplating something.  Finally, he sighs and runs his hand down his face.  “Can you stay with her for a few minutes until I get back?  There’s something that needs to be cleared up.  It will help Cammie, too.”

I think he adds in the last part because he can see me giving him the
what the fuck game are you playing
look.  I nod and he walks over to Cammie.  He whispers something to her and then walks away.

I finally look at her, really examine her.  Her shirt is disheveled.  The buttons aren’t matched up correctly.  Her hair is out of sorts and her lips…her lips are swollen.  My heart plummets from my chest.  I wouldn’t take her virginity, so she decided to let another man take it…possibly two.  And now, I’m expected to comfort her.

I feel like getting sick again.

“His girlfriend walked in,” she whispers.

“What?” I ask, not really sure what she said.

“Adriana.  Tucker’s girlfriend.  She walked in on us.”  She starts crying again.

That son of a bitch went after Cammie when he has a girlfriend?  “Ahh!” I scream and with no thought at all, throw my fist through a window of the break room.

“Grant!  Oh my God!  Are you okay?  Are you bleeding?”

She’s trying to examine my hand, but I’m so beyond angry I can’t feel pain or anything else.  She fucked Tucker.  TUCKER!  The person who has taken everything else in my life took Cammie, too.  I want to scream, to cry, to disappear into the floor.  I just want to stop feeling the ache that has taken up residence in my heart.

A smashing sound reverberates all around me as I punch my other hand through another window.  I want to destroy everything in my path until this pain goes away or until I find Tucker and smash his skull into nothingness.

“Grant, stop!  Why are you doing this?”

I look at her, at the tears streaming down her face.  I want to cry, too.  I want to cry for all I’ve lost.  I want to cry for all I can’t have and I want to cry for what she gave away today.

“How could you fuck Tucker?  Tucker?  Was it to punish me because I turned you away?  Were you trying to hurt me, Cammie?  If that was your goal, then congratulations, you win.”

I turn around and start walking away from her.  I can’t watch as it sinks in that I care about her.

“I didn’t fuck Tucker or anyone else, for that matter.  The only person I ever even came close with is you.”

I turn around so fast, I almost knock her over.  I hadn’t realized she was following me.  So consumed in my thoughts, I wasn’t paying attention to the sound of her voice.

“You said his girlfriend walked in on you.”

She gives me a weak smile and shakes her head like I should know better than to doubt her.  “She did.  She walked in on us practicing our intimacy scene and assumed Tucker was cheating on her.  She took off and now he’s out there looking for her.”

“But you were so upset.”  I’m confused by her reaction and Eddie sending the crew home.

“I thought I was responsible for my friend and his girlfriend breaking up.  Of course I was upset.  He loves her.  I don’t ever want to be the one that comes between that.  The look on his face when she ran out…he was devastated.  I’m sure it’s how I felt when you stopped being my friend.”

Ouch.  I keep saying I won’t let her get to me, but she does.

“Cammie, I—”

“Don’t.  Please, Grant.  Don’t tell me all the reasons you’re bad for me.  I know all the reasons you’re not.  I trust my gut and I miss my friend.  Can we go get your hands cleaned up now?”

I just nod at her because I don’t know what else to say.  She’s not going to let me push her away and I don’t know that I want to anymore.

We walk into the break room and I wince at all the glass on the floor.  Eddie is going to be pissed when he sees what I did.  He’ll be more pissed when he finds out why.  Oh well, guess I’ll offer to pay for them and see if that smoothes everything over.

My hands aren’t too bad.  Nothing that requires a hospital visit or stitches.  After cleaning me up and bandaging a couple cuts that are a little deeper, Cammie and I set to work on picking up the glass.  Eddie walks in while we’re mid-clean.  I wait for the screaming to start, but instead, he asks Cammie how she’s doing.  She says she’s better thanks to me and he nods in my direction and walks from the room.  Maybe he’s waiting to talk about it when she’s not around.

“I’ve been missing movie night,” Cammie says.  “I just happen to have the rest of today off if you’re not busy.”

“Your place or mine?”  I ask before I can think through whether this is a good idea or not.

“Yours.  You have a bigger TV and your couch is way more comfortable.”

I smile.  This is the Cammie that makes being friends so easy.  “Why don’t you head to my place and I’ll go pick up something for us from
Joe’s.
  I’ll call ahead and tell the guy at the desk to let you go in.”

Her returning smile makes me feel like my world has just been made right.

I make sure Cammie is in a cab and head back inside to talk to Eddie before I leave.  I want him to know I’ll pay for the damages.  He tells me he knows I would, but not to worry about it.  Taking care of Cammie was more than enough.  I head for
Joe’s
with a lightness to my step I can’t remember ever feeling.  I may not be a fan of Eddie Carmichael, but I’m glad Cammie has him for a friend.

There’s Something About Joe
’s is packed, as usual, so the cab driver struggles to find a parking spot.  I tell him to drop me off a road up and I’ll walk from there.  I even give him a bigger tip than I normally would.  I’m feeling…I don’t know what the feeling is, but I hope it sticks around for a while.  I don’t have the urge to hurt anyone and I feel positive.  I just want to get lunch and head home to spend time with my buttercup.

Walking down the sidewalk, I window shop, which is something I never do.  Normally when I walk these streets, I’m watching Tucker or someone who can get me information on him.  I never take the time to enjoy what Vancouver has to offer.  But now, I want to see what’s here, see where I can bring Cammie for day outings, and nighttime fun, too.  I can’t believe I ever thought it was a good idea to kick her out of my life.

I’m passing the alley between a dress shop and
Joe’s
when I see…was that?  It couldn’t be.  Curiosity gets the better of me and I turn around and head down the alley.  Sure enough, Victoria is standing against the building, looking like she’s just been spooked.  I know I’m the last person she would want to come to her rescue, but I don’t see anyone else swooping in.

“You alright, Vic?”

Her eyes fly open and she glares at me.  If looks could kill…

“What are you doing here, Grant?”

“I was just walking by and saw you here.  You looked like something had you on the run so I thought I should see whether you were okay.”

“And since when do you give a shit about me?”

Touché

“Guess you’re fine, so I’ll leave you be,” I say as I start to turn away.

“What did I ever do to you?  Why did I deserve what you did to me?”

My shoulders slump.  So much for the good day I was starting to have.  “Nothing.  You did nothing, Vic.  You didn’t deserve any of it.”  I try to walk away again.

“Then, why?”  I hear the hatred in her tone and I can’t explain it, but it hurts knowing she hates me.  I may have gotten angry at her, at her weakness for Tucker, but I cared for her and I still do.  I want to see her succeed in life.

I turn to face her.

“Because, you deserved better than what he was giving you and I wanted you to open your eyes.  You’re a strong woman who he made weak.  You’re beautiful, but he turned you into an accessory.  You should never be an accessory.  You stand out on your own.  And because I hate him.  I wanted to take you from him.  I was selfish and used you to knock that prick off his pedestal.  You want the truth, there it is.”

“I loved you.  You know that, right?  And you never cared about me.  You just let me think you did.  Do you have any idea how much that hurt?”

I want to let her continue believing that I never cared in any way, but Cammie has changed me.  The old me would squash any hope she ever had, leave her feeling nothing but anguish, but the man I’m becoming can’t do that to the people I care for.  I need her to know that although I never loved her, I did care.  I still do.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Vic.  I did care for you.  I still care what happens to you.  I’m sorry I didn’t love you and I’m sorry for what you went through.  Had I met you in a different time in my life, I think things would have been very different between us.  I think we would have been friends.”

“If you really felt that way then why did you hurt me so much?”  Her eyes are misting over and I hate that I’m hurting her again.

“I needed to take down Tucker more than I needed to spare your feelings.  He needed to learn that you were not a suit to be pulled from the closet when there were functions and showed off at will.”

“How do you think you’re any better?” she hisses.

“I don’t, but I see that I’m a bastard.  I’m sorry, Vic.  I really am.  I’m sorry that you fell in love with me and I’m sorry I couldn’t love you back.  I’m sorry you got hurt.  You never deserved any of this.  If it means anything, I’m glad you found Joe.  He’s a great friend.”

“What the hell does he have to do with any of this?” she asks, clearly confused.

“He’s dug in to me a time or two and I’ve deserved it.  I’ve never been ashamed of anything I’ve done in my life.  I’ve never regretted anything.  I always felt that regrets are for idiots trying to find reasons to blame their shortcomings on others.  But, I regret hurting you.”

I walk away from her, my apologies all said.  She can do with them what she will. 
Damn, Cammie is weakening me.

“Grant.”  I stop, but don’t face her.  “This doesn’t make us square.  Tucker is at
Joe’s
right now with the woman he belongs with.  I’m not telling you this so you can go start shit.  It’s the opposite, actually.  You stay the hell away from him and the people he cares about or you will be answering to me.”

Wrong move, Vic.
 
I offered an olive branch and you just set it on fire.

With my back to her, I reply, “You just picked the wrong side.  Guess we’ll see who’s standing in the end.”

Chapter Twenty Six

Cammie

I thank Jason—that’s the new guy’s name—for letting me into Grant’s apartment and give him a smile before I close the door.  It feels a little weird being here without him, especially since I haven’t been here in a couple weeks.  Part of me wants to snoop, find out about the Grant he keeps hidden from everyone, but I just got him back and I refuse to screw anything up.  So, I go to the fridge instead.

My heart flutters in my chest when I open the door and see a six-pack of IBC root beer sitting there.  Apparently, he missed me, too.  I grab my favorite drink and head for the couch to get comfy until Grant gets here with lunch.

I love his leather couch.  It has big, fluffy cushions I can sink into.  I love them more when I can cuddle next to him and lay my head on his shoulder.  I wonder if he’ll let me still do that.  I feel an ache in my chest at the uncertainty in our friendship.  Grabbing for the remote, I decide I need a distraction from my sad thoughts.  I flip through the channels and just when I think there is nothing good on TV, a giant smile spreads across my face and memories of Grant tickling me flood my mind.

“You really like that movie, huh?” I hear from behind me.  I was so lost in the memory of the night we first watched this and how it felt to have his hands on me, I hadn’t heard him enter.  I’m thankful I’m not one to blush easily because I’m sure I would be now.

“What can I say?  I find those blue aliens sexy.”

He stares at the screen and I watch his eyes light up.  I wonder if he’s thinking of when he put his hands on me, too.  I wished so hard he would kiss me that night.  It would have been the perfect first kiss between us.  Yeah, well, “would haves” don’t get us anywhere.

“Whatdya get for lunch?”  I ask.  I’m starving.

He smiles, knowing I love food.  Whatever he bought smells wonderful.  He walks over with a big bag and I think,
what the hell
?  
I can’t eat that much
.  His laughter rolls through my entire body, turning me on like nothing ever has before.  Ever since we kissed and his fingers found my sweet spot, I can’t help but ache for him to touch me again.  It’s all I think about it.

I’m determined Grant Andrews will be the one I lose my virginity to.

He just doesn’t know it yet.

“I didn’t know whether you’d be staying for dinner, so I bought extra.  Stop looking at the bag like I’m trying to fatten you up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”