Her Forever Hero (Unexpected Heroes) (9 page)

“You have got to be the only person I know who gets so distracted boiling water that you nearly burn the house down.”

“Listen, missy. I clearly remember being your roommate for a while. I know you aren’t any better in the kitchen than I am,” Sage reminded her. “Now tell me what’s been happening.”

“So this morning I ran out to check the mailbox, because it’s been about a week, and I could have sworn I passed the newspaper sitting in front of my door, and then when I went back up the stairs and came inside, that paper was sitting on the kitchen table, and it was open. I know I must have done it, but I just can’t remember doing it,” Grace said, sighing.

“All right, maybe you
are
losing it.” Sage laughed, making Grace feel better.

To tell the truth, it had really creeped her out, but she wasn’t exactly a morning person, and she could have easily taken the paper in and flung it on the table hard enough that it opened and then forgotten that she’d done it.

“I just have to remember not to even open my front door until I’ve had at least two full cups of coffee,” Grace replied.

“I agree. Sadly enough, I think I drink at least fifteen cups when I’m working, especially an overnight shift.”

“Well, your days as an intern are just about up, aren’t they?” Grace asked.

“Yes, thank goodness. I only have six months to go, and then we’re going to party like it’s, well, like it’s the end of my schooling forever.”

“Good. Now I need to get off the phone so I can finish making this salad—one of the few items I
can
make—and then get over to your house on time,” Grace told her.

They ended the call and Grace crumbled up her crispy noodles, adding them to the salad just as her doorbell rang. Was it Girl Scout cookie time? She pulled the door open to find Cam on the other side. The instant ache in her core wasn’t the most positive of signs. Damn this man and the way he made her feel.

“Evening,” he said, a big smile on his face.

“What are you doing here, Cam?”

“I thought I’d be kind and offer you a ride out to Spence’s house.”

“I have a car, thank you,” she said, and tried to shut the door.

“Now, don’t be rude. You know you’re going to want to have a few drinks, and you don’t want to drink and drive, do you?” he asked, holding out his arm to prevent her from slamming the door shut.

“I’m not a moron, Cam. I don’t do that. It’s called restraint,” she countered before she realized what he’d said. “Wait a minute. How do you know I’m going out there?”

“I was invited, too,” he informed her, and that damnable smile returned—if anything, it was even brighter.

“Ugh! This had so better not be matchmaking,” she warned. “Just because we’ve shared a few kisses in the last year—” she started to say, when he broke in.

“Don’t forget about our incredible sex the night of Spence and Sage’s wedding.”

“I did forget, thank you,” she said. By the twinkle in his eyes, she had no doubt that he knew she was lying. Of course she hadn’t forgotten. How could she when he was the only man who had managed to make her feel as if she were floating while he traced his fingers across her eager flesh? His kisses since then kept reminding her of how much pleasure he was capable of bringing her.

It was best for everyone concerned—okay, it was best for just her alone if she stayed as far away from Camden Whitman as possible. Her body called her a liar. Her mind told her she was smart to avoid him. And her heart? She wasn’t even going to listen to the beating of her heart. It had never steered her in the right direction.

“You can say whatever you want, but your eyes tell me the truth,” he said, stepping closer.

“Knock it off, Cam.” Her voice was weak as she held up a hand. She knew he could easily overpower her, because they both knew she wanted him.

“I’m just trying to give you a ride, Grace.”

“The ride is what I’m afraid of,” she said dryly.

Cam laughed and moved in closer, cornering her against the table and lifting a hand to trail it through her loose tendrils of hair. “The ride is the best part,” he whispered.

She pulsed deep inside as her womanhood clamored for what his eyes were promising.

“Cam . . . don’t . . .” She was seconds away from falling into his arms.

“Okay, I’m sorry.” He backed off, disappointing her and yet making her appreciate him at the same time.

Yep. She was certainly crazy. That was the only explanation for the things she was forgetting doing, and her wild emotions she couldn’t get a grasp on.

“How many people are going to be at your brother’s tonight? He made it sound like it was just a small family dinner. I should have been suspicious,” she said, trying to get back on track.

“I think only a few people are coming over.”

“How many is ‘a few’?” she asked.

“Okay, fine. You know my brother. Probably fifty or so,” he answered, finally giving her some much-needed space and walking over to her freshly made salad. He grabbed a fork and dipped in for a bite.

“That’s rude, Cam,” she snapped, snatching the fork from him before he could double-dip. “Anyway, I don’t think I have nearly enough salad, so back off.” As her temper rose, so did her attitude. “And who invited you inside, anyway? What makes you think you can barge into my house and make yourself so at home? I’m tired of you using your charm and getting your way every time I blink.”

“I’m worried about you,” he told her, his voice suddenly hushed.

The actual concern she saw entering his eyes made her tense. “Why are you worried about me?”

“When I stayed over the other night, when you had that cold, I heard something. When I went outside, there was a screwdriver below your window,” he said.

Grace knew Cam well enough to know when he was being serious and when he was kidding. She didn’t like the true worry she saw on his face.

“And why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

“Because I didn’t want you to be afraid. So I’ve been keeping an eye on you, on the place, and maybe a few friends are doing the same when I’m unable to.”

By the look in his eyes, it was more than obvious that he was waiting for her to lay into him. The problem was that she didn’t feel like doing that. She felt . . . dammit . . . she felt a smidgen of fear. What in the world was going on?

“Well, you
should
have told me, Cam. Still, I’m sure it was nothing.” But if it was nothing, why was she so alarmed?

“I’m hoping it was nothing, but you live here all alone. I don’t think that’s wise. I think what would be wiser would be for you to come and share my place. I’m even generous enough to let you share my bed. Let’s just say I’m a stand-up guy. The bed’s quite comfortable. You remember, right?” he said, taking a step back toward her.

“Stop right there!” She shook her head violently and scurried around to the other side of the table. There was no way she was doing this with him again. If his lips touched hers, the two of them would be going nowhere anytime soon.

“If I promise to lay off . . . for now.” He made sure to inject a long pause. “Will you just come to the get-together at your best friend’s house?”

She thought long and hard about it before nodding her agreement. That didn’t mean she was going to ride with him. They could argue about that in the parking lot.

“Good then. It’s all settled. You can sit by the fire, have a few laughs, and if you get too cold, I’ll make sure to keep you warm,” he said with a wink.

“You just said you were going to lay off,” she pointed out.

“I said ‘for now.’ ”

“Ah, you’re always such a gentleman,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Let me tell you, though, that if I need warming up, I am perfectly capable of finding someone . . . else . . . willing to do it.”

The flare in his eyes told her he didn’t like that response at all. That was just too bad for him. It made her feel a lot better to get under his thick hide.

“Don’t forget your coat. The sun’s almost down. It’s going to cool off within the next hour.”

Before she could get it herself, Cam was gathering up her coat, handing it to her, and pushing her out the door. They reached the top of the steps together, and for once, Grace was incredibly grateful Cam was there, because her foot slipped, and she almost went tumbling down the solid wooden staircase.

If it hadn’t been for Cam’s quick thinking, she didn’t know what would have happened. He dropped her salad bowl but caught her, and the two of them teetered for a few terrifying seconds while he regained his balance.

“What the heck?” she cried out as she clung to him.

“You’re not usually so klutzy,” he said, his voice a little breathless. “That scared the hell out of me!”

“What did I slip on?”

Cam backed up, still holding on to her, and they both glanced around for the culprit. Something green and slimy was on the top step. “What is that?” Cam bent down to take a closer look.

“Jell-O?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but if your neighbors drop something, especially right here, then they should have the decency to clean it up before someone else comes along and gets seriously hurt,” he said, looking both ways down the open walkway. “Give me your keys. I’m going to run inside and grab some paper towels. We don’t want someone else to stumble on this.”

With that, he took her keys and did exactly as he said he would, getting the mess cleaned up in no time at all. “This is what I hate about apartments. The low maintenance is great, but the shared space isn’t so wonderful.”

“When have
you
ever lived in an
apartment
?” she asked with a pointed look.

“I lived in one all through college,” he bragged, as if proud of himself.

“What? No mansion on the hill? I thought the privileged Camden Whitman would simply insist on taking over one of the frat houses.”

“Come on, Grace, you didn’t exactly grow up in a cottage,” he told her with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t nearly as arrogant as you’ve always been.”

“Ha! I didn’t live in that big house on the hill until my father adopted me,” he reminded her, his bravado dropping away, and for a moment the lost little boy who’d been found by Martin Whitman showed up in his beautiful eyes.

Grace could have kicked herself. How in the world had she forgotten that Spence, Jackson, and Cam had all been adopted by Martin after they had saved his only biological son, Michael, from drowning? Of course, no one ever really thought about it, because Martin didn’t treat them as adopted children at all. They were just his sons.

“Sorry,” she mumbled feebly.

“Don’t start. I hate it when people do that. I was far more fortunate than most, because I got out of the system and was taken into a home full of love. And I got three brothers out of the deal as an added bonus. Not even a tiny percentage of kids in the system get it as good as I did.”

“Okay.”

“Now, Grace, back to this apartment situation . . .” he began.

“It doesn’t really matter. My house is going to be finished next week. I’ve lived in these apartments for over a year now, so it will almost be sad to leave,” she said before turning and giving him a smile. “I’m totally lying. I can’t wait to have a huge tub and a deck I can sit on while I drink my morning coffee.”

“If you had decided to build when you first came back, you could have been living there now.”

“I wasn’t ready then to make that decision, Cam. I wasn’t sure if I was staying here or not.”

“So you’ve decided to stay for good?”

The hope in his eyes was almost too much to take.

“Or maybe I just want a good investment and I’m going to rent the place out,” she told him flippantly.

“Come on, you know you’re moving into the place you designed,” he said, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips.

She decided to give him a break. “Yes, for now I’ll be moving in there.”

“In that case, I’ll be sure to come help with the boxes.”

“Don’t worry about it. Sage and Spence are helping, and I don’t have a lot of stuff.”

“When someone offers to help you, Grace, the polite thing is to say thanks and give a grateful smile,” he said before leering at her. “And, of course, to jump into their arms, wrap your legs around them, and lay a big, fat, juicy one on their waiting lips.”

He opened the passenger-side door of his car and stood close enough that she had no choice but to brush against him as she climbed in.

“Do you think about anything other than sex?” she asked him.

“Not really. I’ve got the proverbial one-track mind.”

“You’re impossible, but if I need a favor that I’m supposed to repay with kisses, I’ll have to remember that the next time Mr. Longsteine offers to take down my trash for me,” she said as she made herself comfortable in the passenger’s seat.

“Isn’t he something like eighty years old?”

“Yep, so I’ll probably give him a heart attack.”

“You’re an evil woman, Grace.”

“I try.”

Cam shut her door and was climbing into the driver’s seat within seconds. It wasn’t until they were on the road that she realized he’d kept her so busy, she’d forgotten that she hadn’t wanted to ride with him in the first place.

Camden Whitman was too smooth for her own good. What on earth was she going to do about it?