That Night in Texas

Vivi pursed her lips before replying. “Top of my right thigh and on my knee.”

Cam pulled back the covers and pushed up her shirt, whistling when he saw the livid purple and black bruises. His fingers brushed over her injuries, his touch too light to cause any pain, and his eyes met hers. “Sorry, honey.”

Vivi shrugged. “I’m a bit stiff and a lot sore but I’ll live.”

Cam brushed his thumb over her cheekbone before his fingers picked up a loose curl and tucked it behind her ear. The gesture was so sweet and tender, so at odds with his big hands and hard-ass attitude, that Vivi felt the sting of tears. Tenderness was such a foreign emotion.

“I’ll bring up some pancakes and a dose of painkillers,” Cam told her, his tone telling her that he’d not entertain any arguments. “Then you can get some more sleep.”

“I need to be with Clem.”

Cam looked past her to the window, his expression tight and guarded. When he met her eyes again, his held a range of emotions she couldn’t identify. “I know we haven’t spent enough time together for you to trust me, Vivi, but I wish you would. Please believe that I would never, ever let anything happen to Clem. I might only know her for a day but she’s my daughter, my responsibility.”

“Cam, I don’t trust easily.” Or at all. And she never, ever let anyone take control. Of her or her daughter.

“I’m asking you to trust me for a few hours. We’ll stay in the house. And if we do go outside, we’ll keep in shouting distance of the house. I just want to give you a chance to rest, to heal.” His mouth quirked up into a smile that she found hard to resist. “And I’d like to get to know my daughter.”

She was tired and sore, and she’d love to go back to sleep. Could she release the reins for a couple of hours and allow Cam this time? Vivi stared down at her clenched hands, taking some time to think. By making Cam her emergency contact person she’d created this situation. Cam was now part of Clem’s life. She’d have to let them spend time together at some point, and if she wanted Cam to be a good father to Clem, that meant allowing them to spend time together alone. At some point she’d have to trust Cam. Why couldn’t she start now? An experienced child-sitter was in the house if Cam ran into difficulties with Clem, and Vivi would be just a shout away. What could go wrong?

Nothing except that Clem might fall in love with Cam and she might fall in lust with Cam—oops, too late on that one—and the whole situation could blow up in her face.

God, she was so damn tired and so damn sore. She just wanted a few hours...

“Okay. Except that I will take the painkillers and skip the pancakes.”

Vivi saw the relief in Cam’s eyes and underneath, the determination. “Nope, you’ll put a hole in your stomach if you take the meds like that. Pancakes, coffee and a full glass of water and then you can have the drugs.”

He stood up and Vivi tipped her head up to scowl at him. “Did anyone ever tell you that you are as bossy as hell?”

Cam smiled down at her and her stomach flipped over once and then, because it could, did it again. “All the time.” He dropped his head and brushed his lips across hers in a slow, gentle, supremely sexy kiss. When he lifted his mouth, he smiled at her. “Then again, like recognizes like, sweetheart.”

* * *

Not so far away, Angela Perry heard the front door to her apartment opening and started a mental countdown.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

“You kissed Ryder Currin? In the hallway? At work?”

Angela lowered the bottle of water she’d been guzzling and arched her eyebrows at her best friend who’d just made liberal use of her just-for-emergencies key. Tatiana Havery was perfectly made up and immaculately dressed for eight thirty on a Saturday morning. Angela, makeup free and perspiring from a five-mile run, felt grubby and gross. “I’m going to shower. Can we discuss this later?”

Tatiana wrinkled her nose and waved her hand at her damp clothing. “Your shower can wait until we are done discussing the ludicrous rumor I’m hearing about you kissing the very hot Ryder Currin!”

The word “kiss” was too tame a word for what had happened yesterday. Inhaled? Devoured? Scarfed? Any might work but she certainly had not simply kissed Ryder.