Broken Justice (Justice Brothers) (31 page)

Tossing his gear into the back of the truck cab with more force than necessary brought him up short. Getting a grip was priority number one now that he was home. There was no use in trying to compartmentalize what was causing his tension. He’d thought of nothing else but Lacey since the second he’d left her bed and ran away.
Some war hero
, he snorted into the silence. Surviving the battlefield didn’t hold a candle to keeping his damn shit together in the face of some freckles and a sexy backside.

Why did he keep running? Why was it so hard to turn off his emotions where she was concerned?
It had never been a problem before. Maintaining his distance, complete with radio silence, had seemed like the way to proceed a week ago. Today, however, he was regretting both those decisions. On a rare surge of conscience, Cam deeply regretted not having tried to call her at least once while he was gone. He was behaving like a pig. Each time they were alone for more than a minute, he was all over her like a fucking rash. Sleeping with the lady and then walking away without so much as a word or a nod had been bad manners. Trying to pretend he was a gentleman had backfired spectacularly.

Well, time to face the music. He supposed he’d have some groveling to do. In fact, that’s what he expected.
Isn’t that what usually happened in these matters?
He’d realized half way through the week away that he wasn’t going to be able to keep on kidding himself where the Ponytail was concerned.

He wanted her. Plain and simple. Well, in truth, the wanting wasn’t exactly plain or very simple. The urgent need to be with her was killing him. Overriding years of keeping away from all emotional entanglements, he was cautiously admitting that wasn’t going to work where she was concerned.

Thinking about the small box in his suit jacket with the delicate pearl earrings he’d bought for Lacey got his heart pounding. He’d never,
ever
bought a gift for a woman. This time was different. During some down time he had scoured jeweler’s row in downtown Seattle looking for whatever struck his fancy. He wanted to give her something she would wear next to her skin and make her think of him.
Fuck, if he wasn’t going all soft over a girl.

Checking the time as his big truck pulled onto the highway, Cam relaxed into the drive and focused on how he would handle seeing Lacey again. He’d be at the Villa soon. Hopefully, by then he’d have it all figured out.

It was the mid-afternoon when he pulled off the main highway and started the long, slow drive into the compound. This was the part of a trip that he liked the best, when he knew that home was just around the bend. For an orphaned kid, having that sense of arriving and a place of permanence never lost its importance.

This time, Cam experienced another rush. A surge of emotion at the prospect of seeing Lacey again. More than simple pleasure, the feelings of happiness she lit up inside him were changing the way he viewed his life. He was taking a huge leap of faith in hoping that the emotionally broken life he’d been living could be saved, having found his salvation in a pair of blue eyes.

Whatever warm, fuzzy feelings he’d been entertaining quickly shut down the moment the truck pulled into the drive at the main house. Drae’s shiny red sports car stood out like a sore thumb. A thumb that was suddenly poking Cam right in the eye. Adrenaline shot into his system with the velocity of a bullet.
Fuck
.

Parking his truck with a decided jerk by standing on the brakes, Cam was out of the cab and stomping toward the door, when the raucous sound of voices and yelling caught his attention. Following the noise, he rounded the cookhouse and headed toward the commotion that appeared to be coming from the stables.

What he came upon was a familiar scene. There were about twenty or thirty people gathered around the outdoor horse arena, cheering on a riding competition. Dogs were barking. People were laughing.
Great
. He’d walked into an agency barbecue.

The training and workshops they were known for were serious business. The attendees were put through rigorous sessions both mentally and physically. It had become an agency custom to end them in a way that gave everyone a chance to blow off steam and get ready to go back to the real world. The riding event was part of a full day of fun that was probably headed to the pool before too long and a gathering that would go on well into the evening with great food and easy times.

Not too far from where he stood, there were several people, men and women, hanging by the arena fence. Some were standing on the bottom rail while others were milling about flashing high-fives and cheering loudly. Feeling out of place in his white button down shirt and tailored slacks, Cam started to turn toward the main house when something caught his eye.

Perched on top of a fence rail was a backside he’d know anywhere.
Lacey?
Cam shook his head as if that would help clear his vision. Sporting a cowboy hat and dressed in a snug pair of jeans with a light colored western shirt tucked neatly at her waist, she was hollering and cheering along with everyone else. As he watched dumbfounded, she hopped down from the rail, high-fiving the people around her looking like somebody having the fucking time of her life.

Well, isn’t this just dandy?
Here he figured she’d be slumming about, boo-hooing over his absence, a scenario that he had to admit suited his aims where she was concerned.

Not able to take his hungry eyes off her, Cam memorized every motion and felt his gut churn when the sound of her husky laugh hit his ears. She looked adorable in her western wear, from the cute straw hat to the very sexy boots. When she took the hat off and smacked it against her butt, he almost fell over at what he saw. In place of the ponytail she was sporting a pair of cowgirl pigtails that made her look incredibly young. Suddenly he felt like a dirty old man, lusting after someone much,
much
too young for him.

Her group began walking toward the stable and for a second all he could do was admire the delicious sway of her hips in the form fitting jeans. What he wanted to do to her ass at that moment wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

Stepping from his vantage point against a stone wall, Cam decided to go after her when suddenly she turned and saw him. For a brief second she looked shocked. Then, if he wasn’t mistaken, a flash of happiness appeared on her face a second before it evaporated. He thought she was going to walk to him but instead she hesitated, half-smiled, waved a greeting and then turned back to her group and continuing to walk away from him.

Uh, no way was that a good sign.
What the fuck had just happened?
She’d been happy to see him, he was sure of it.
But if that were the case, why had she twinkled some fingers at him and then just turned around?

“Oh, fuck me! Is that the great and powerful green eyed wizard of odd I see lurking in the shadows?” Before he could answer Drae had grabbed him in a bear hug that quickly turned into a brotherly slapping match.

“Still driving that pretentious pussy magnet for a car?” Cam taunted as they danced around each other, taking the occasional half-hearted punch.

They kept it up for a few minutes, hurling insults and calling each other out for an array of manly shortcomings. It was good to see Draegyn. His irrational jealousy forgotten for the moment, Cam enjoyed the light teasing. This was what coming home meant. Being with his family, such as it was.

Drae slapped him on the back as they both made for the driveway. “Seriously, Cam. It’s good to see you. I’ve been gone for so long that this place started to seem like a dream. Seeing your sorry ass here makes it all real again!”

Cam tried out one of his newfound half-smiles on his old friend earning him a quizzically arched brow and another backslapping.

“So, is that the way it is?” Drae’s full throated laugh as he threw his head back and let loose surprised him. “Well dude, I’m glad somebody can smile. Alex is practically chewing iron nails so I hope Seattle went well. The man is like a caged animal all of a sudden. Do you know what he’s going to do about finding an assistant? I’m not stupid enough to ask. Crazy bastard almost ripped my face off last night for daring to suggest he needed help.”

Cam eyed him with amusement. “Don’t look any worse for wear, Drae,” he drawled. “Since when do you shrink from a bit of tension?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He laughed heartily. “Spend three months in Europe babysitting a teenage heart throb with an empty head and even you will avoid more stress! I must say though that your Lacey certainly lightens things up around here. Alex treats her like royalty and she’s everyone else’s new best friend! What’s up with that, Cam?”

He’d frozen when Drae mentioned Lacey. “How long have you been here, Drae?” he asked as smoothly as his thumping heart would allow.

Trying not to wince when he heard the edge to his voice, Cam stood silent under his friend’s intense perusal. It was like being in the glare of an interrogation lamp. Draegyn was the cold, analytical one of their group. A black belt with impressive skill, he had an icy ruthlessness about him that helped earn him the James Bond comparison. At Cam’s indelicate reaction to Lacey’s appearance in the conversation, his antennae must have gone up.

Drae’s eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned to a tense line. Cam might be bigger than him in stature but this guy’s mad skills in hand-to-hand meant he’d get his ass kicked if he challenged him physically.
What the hell was he thinking?
He didn’t want to challenge anybody. This was his brother. One of the few people he trusted and knew he could count on.

Stepping back to ease the hovering confrontation before it got out of hand, Cam shook his head vigorously. “Sorry, man. That was uncool.” He winced as if he’d been sucking on a lemon and turned away.

“C’mon brother. Let’s go find Alex and crack open a bottle of Scotch. It’s been too long since we got shit-faced for no reason.”

Crisis averted, Cam nodded. “Uh, about Lacey…,” Unfortunately, nothing else came out after that.

Draegyn fixed him with a steady gaze saying, “I’ve got your back.” He didn’t need to say anything else. Cam’s insane jealousy was misplaced and that’s all there was to it.

Alex had nixed the booze fest by reminding them that they had business to deal with in the form of a huge barbecue around the pool in an hour followed by an evening bonfire before their guests ended their stay. At the mention of the pool party, Drae made his excuses and headed out to make sure all the arrangements were in place.

When he took his leave, their eyes met for a moment before they both nodded, and then he was gone. The next half hour was spent talking business and the project he’d just completed. Alex, as usual, was full of detailed questions about how the equipment functioned.

Eventually, the topic turned to more personal matters as Cam knew it would. “You should have called her.”
Ouch.
Talk about short and sweet.

Keeping his face composed and showing little emotion, Cam pussied out at the last moment and went with a slight shrug. Truth was, Alex was right and he didn’t know what to say.

“Let me save you from wasting my time by beating around the bush. The night before you left…when I asked you to walk Lacey to the casita. Your truck stayed in the driveway up here until the next morning.”

Cam swallowed while his conscience laughed its little ass off. He was busted and the look on Alex’s face told him he was none too pleased.

“Not exactly keeping your distance, hmmm? I thought you knew what you were doing brother, so I have to ask again… what the fuck, Cam?”

The silence that followed was deafening
. How could he admit to his friend that he’d lost control and taken her?
Alex wasn’t a fool. Her innocence was a given. Even though he’d thought of nothing but her the entire time he’d been away and had even gone so far as to bring back a gift, he still wasn’t comfortable with or entirely sure what the hell he was doing.

Was he in love with her?
He didn’t know.
Was he just scratching a sensual itch?
God.
He hoped he wasn’t that big an asshole. To use someone so young and dependent on him for sex. The thought didn’t sit well with him.