Page 45

Cameron

“ I diot,” I whispered to myself. “Dumb fucking idiot. What is wrong with me?”

I glanced over my shoulder. Nate was pulling his jeans out of the saddlebag. I looked away before he pulled his shorts down. Spying on him while he changed was the last thing I should be doing, especially after what had happened in the park.

I couldn’t understand what had come over me. Why the hell had I let things go that far? I wasn’t that kind of person. I didn’t just jump men I knew nothing about. Being in the woods, away from everyone and everything, had made it seem natural, and I’d screwed up. Big time.

Crossing the street, I stopped at the bottom step of Lesley’s apartment building and pressed a hand to my forehead.

I’d kissed Nate. Good God, I’d done way more than kiss him.

In that haze of hormones, it had all felt right .

I’d wanted him more than I’d ever wanted any man in my entire life.

If I hadn’t stopped it when I did, we’d have both been arrested for indecent exposure.

There was zero doubt in my mind we would have ended up fucking like rabbits twenty yards off the jogging path.

I’d stopped it, which was both the best thing and the worst thing I could have done.

Now I looked like some kind of tease. A user, taking advantage of Nate.

He hadn’t done anything I didn’t want him to.

As far as he could tell, I was ready to go, and I’d cut off contact abruptly, leaving his head spinning.

Leading him on like that was a shitty thing to do.

Finally mustering the courage, I looked across the street where Nate was slipping into his leather jacket.

I stared at him, willing him to look at me.

I wanted to see that cocky grin on his face.

He didn’t. Instead, he pulled his phone out and began typing away.

Sending a text to someone about the case, maybe.

Or telling some buddy he’d just gotten blue balls from some psycho chick.

Nate finished typing on his phone, tucked it away in his jacket pocket, and threw a leg over his motorcycle.

The sleek lines of the machine reminded me of a jet.

I imagined him twisting the throttle and flying out of town, never to be seen again.

He was a nomad. He would be leaving soon, anyway.

I’d always wanted stability, success, and yes, financial security.

All that sounded trite now. Maybe I needed to look beyond those simple desires for something more. Something deeper.

“Cameron? Where the hell have you been?”

The sound of Rick’s voice sent a cold sensation through my stomach, like a bucket of ice being dumped into my guts. I turned and found him standing on the street behind me. He was still wearing the tuxedo pants and dress shirt from the night before.

“What are you doing here, Rick?”

Before he could speak, the low, throaty hum of Nate’s bike broke through the silence. He pulled up alongside me.

“You want to get on?” he asked wearily. “I can get you out of here in a couple seconds.”

Nothing sounded better. Us, screaming along the highway toward the horizon, wind whipping through my hair. Except there were things to be done. This wasn’t a movie where the heroine got to ride off into the sunset with the dark stranger at the end.

“I need to talk to him,” I said.

Rick’s hands clenched into fists at his side, eyes wide and staring daggers at Nate.

“All right.” Nate sighed. “But I’m sticking near you. This fucker might blow his top like last night.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, and walked toward Rick.

With his bike still running, Nate walked it forward.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Rick barked, glaring at Nate. “This is between Cam and me, you filthy fucking lone wolf prick.”

Nate smirked at him. “Done some checking on me, Ricky?”

“Don’t call me that,” Rick snarled, then turned his eyes to me. “I asked you where you’ve been. I guess I know.” He threw a disgusted look at Nate again. “What happened? Your friend Lesley give you her spare room, so you and douchebag here can fuck your little brains out?”

“ Rick! ” I yelled. “That’s enough. What is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?” he shouted, throwing his arms out at his sides. “Are you serious, Cam?” he sputtered. “My girlfriend is banging someone else. That’s what’s wrong with me.”

“Nobody banged anyone,” I said. “And for fuck’s sake, Rick, I’m not your girlfriend anymore. How hard is that for you to understand?”

“Can’t believe you’d debase yourself like this,” he said, his voice dripping with disgust. “It’s a particularly horrifying betrayal to be fucking another man when you’re pregnant with my child.”

Nate went very still beside me, but thankfully said nothing. I could sense his eyes burning into the side of my face, but I didn’t look at him. I was too shocked at Rick’s crazy assumptions.

“I’m not fucking pregnant!” Anger swelled in my chest. “We discussed this the other day. I’m not pregnant. I’m on the pill, and you usually use a condom.”

I grimaced and threw Nate an apologetic look. He relaxed a bit and nodded to me.

“Bullshit,” Rick said. “I know you are. How the hell do you explain the symptoms? Feeling like you’re gonna puke all the time, headaches and shit? It’s textbook.”

I’d had enough. There was only so much I could take, and his willful ignorance was more than I could handle.

“ Listen.” I took a step toward him. “We might as well have it out right now. I got attacked in that garage by”—I glanced around to make sure no one was listening or nearby—“a feral shifter. He bit me on the back of my neck. The reason I feel like shit is because I’m turning into one of you .”

The rage on Rick’s face vanished as soon as I said this.

His forehead smoothed, and the grimace on his lips morphed into a smile.

The change was fast and acute, like peeling a mask away.

Almost like watching Nate shift. Just like that, Rick became a completely different creature.

Icy fingers of fear ran up my spine, sending gooseflesh down my arms.

“That’s wonderful, Cam. This is amazing.

” He let out a happy laugh, then leaned back and took a deep breath.

“Oh, wow, this is better than I could have imagined. I thought I smelled something on you, but after this prick showed up”—he waved at Nate—“I assumed it was his lone wolf stink. If we’re both shifters, then the chances of us conceiving are much higher. ”

That caught me off guard. The change in demeanor was confusing, and his lack of concern for me was shocking.

“Rick, do you want to tell me why you seem more worried about a mythical baby inside me rather than my actual safety? I mean, there’s still a fucking serial killer shifter after me.

” I glared at him, my anger on full display.

“I’ve been attacked, and you don’t really seem to give a shit.

For someone who so desperately wants to stay with me, you don’t seem to care about me. ”

His smile faded. “What? I… uh, of course, I’m worried about you, Cameron. What a crazy thing to say.”

“It doesn’t sound like you care about me.”

“I see,” he said, throwing a withering look at Nate.

“You’re just trying to find some way of making me the bad guy so you can jump back in the sack with this piece of shit.

” He chopped his hand down like a knife blade.

“This is over with him. Whatever it was, we’ll chalk it up to a mistake.

You come with me, and we’ll act like nothing happened. We’ll go on as we did before.”

“I don’t think so,” I said. God, could he really be so out of touch? “I seem to remember you almost murdering someone last night, Rick. I’m not going with you. Not now, and not ever.”

The words were out, and I couldn’t take them back. I prepared for his tirade, but instead of screaming at me, his murderous glare slid to Nate, who still sat on his bike, inspecting Rick like he was a dead bug on his shoe.

Rick growled. “You goddamn mongrel. You did this. You turned her against me. What do you think she could want with some low-rent piece of trash like you? Probably can’t even afford a home. Sleeping in gutters. Pathetic.”

I’d never seen Rick act so prejudiced. Was this all because Nate was a lone wolf? Did he feel the same way about me because I was poor? If so, I wouldn’t stand for it.

“You need to watch your mouth,” I said. “Nate’s no more low-rent than I am. What are you saying? That I’m a piece of shit, too?”

Rick didn’t take his eyes off Nate, but he winced with irritation and waved me off. “Your situation can be remedied. We’ll fix you up, make you presentable in a few months.”

That did it. I slapped him across his cheek. His head snapped back, and he stumbled backward, tripping over his feet and falling on his ass.

“You never loved me,” I said, baring my teeth at him in rage. “All you wanted was some arm candy to show off.”

Rick sat, stunned, holding his cheek and staring at me like a man seeing something for the first time.

“What the fuck, Cam?” he hissed. “Jesus.”

“For the final time. We’re done, Rick,” I said. “Go home.”

“Wait a minute,” he said, scrambling to his feet. “We aren’t done here.”

The look of mad rage had returned, even as the red outline of my handprint shone on his face. He snarled at me and jammed a thumb into his chest.

“I say when we’re done. Got it? You stupid bitch. Come here.”

He stepped forward, reaching out to grab me. Nate, who I’d thought was still on his bike, appeared like a ghost, slapping his hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch her,” he growled.

Rick’s eyes widened, and a terrifying grin nearly split his face apart.

“Oh? Big biker boy wants to fight?” He leered at him, and I was shocked when a deep, guttural growl echoed up from Rick’s throat.

Nate shrugged, looking wholly unperturbed. “Not fighting the likes of you. Wouldn’t wanna bruise my knuckles again like last night.”