From Best Friend to Bride

Chapter Two

“I’m so glad you could make it.”

Bev St. John hugged Cameron after the christening service, then looped her arm through his as they walked back up the wide aisle of Santa Monica Church.

“You don’t know how much this means to me to have all my boys here for my first grandbaby’s milestone,” Bev said, her wide smile spreading across her face.

Straight ahead, near the tall double doors, Nora and Eli stood with Megan. Megan held his infant niece, who was just over a year old. Cameron’s heart filled. The glow on Megan’s face as she placed a kiss on top of Amber’s curly blond head solidified the fact he couldn’t be the man for her. She would be an amazing, loving, selfless mother. Just not to his kids.

Cameron’s dad, Mac, approached and looked over Megan’s shoulder, smiling down at his granddaughter. Cameron didn’t know where Megan would be if it weren’t for his family. She’d taken to them even before her parents had died suddenly, but she’d really leaned on them during that difficult time. Even as strong as Megan was, she’d been so blindsided by the shock of losing both parents, and then taking over the care of her younger brother when she’d barely gotten out of high school herself. “I’m so glad Megan could make it.” His mother’s soft tone pulled him back. “I just love that girl.”

Over the years his mother had made it no secret she wouldn’t mind Megan being part of the family—in the legal, choosing-china-patterns type of way. Of course now that Eli and Drake were taken, his mom would just have to settle for Megan being a friend and the daughter she’d never had.

Cameron steered them toward the little grouping, and Megan glanced up, caught his eye and smiled. Yeah, there was that invisible pull once again that threatened to wrap around his neck and strangle him.

He wanted her. Wanted her so much sometimes he physically hurt. But she deserved more.

The memory of the darkest time in his life took over. His partner had taken a bullet meant for Cameron. On his last breath, his partner had made Cameron promise to make sure his wife knew he loved her.

That moment changed everything. Letting a woman into his life, letting her get close enough to be devastated like his partner’s wife had been, was not something he’d ever take a chance with. If he entered into a deeper relationship with Megan and something happened to him, it would kill her. Besides, worrying about her while he was trying to do his job was a sure way for him to get hurt. He needed to concentrate, needed to keep Megan out of his mind.

If he could only figure out how the hell to do that.

“Megan, you look beautiful, as always.” His mom leaned forward and kissed Megan’s cheek. “Thanks for being here today.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Are you and Megan coming to eat with us after?” Eli asked Cameron. “We’re heading to that new Italian place just outside of town.”

Cameron started to agree, but Megan chimed in. “I have to get home, but if you want to go, go ahead.”

Oh, no. If she was going home to wait on her freeloading brother to show, Cameron would be right there with her. No way would Evan try to pull her into this latest mess. Hell no.

“I need to head out, too,” Cameron stated. Work was always beckoning, so he knew everyone would just assume that’s why he needed to go. “And she’s my ride.”

Cameron and Megan said their goodbyes and stepped out of the church. The bright sun hit them as they descended the concrete steps. Cameron pulled his glasses from his jacket pocket and slid them on to block the brightness. A headache from lack of sleep and plenty of worry had settled in, and the fiery glare was making it worse.

“Skipping out?”

Cameron turned to see his other brother, Drake. Right at his side was his fiancée, Marly, and Marly’s daughter, Willow.

“Megan and I need to head out,” he told Drake.

“You look pretty,” Willow said, standing beside Megan and looking up at her as if she were looking at a movie star. “I like your hair.”

The free-spirited little six-year-old had on her beloved cowgirl boots, as usual, and was sporting a new grin, sans two teeth.

Megan bent down and slid her hand through Willow’s long ponytail. “I love yours, too. I used to wear my hair just like this when I was your age. You have good taste.”

“I was going to call you,” Marly told Megan. “Nora and I were hoping for a girls’ night sometime soon. You interested?”

Megan smiled and nodded. “Sounds good. Just let me know when.”

More goodbyes were said, and finally Megan and Cameron were settled back in her SUV and headed toward their neighborhood.

“That was a beautiful service,” she commented after a bit. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“You’re family.” Cameron tried to hold back the yawn but couldn’t. Damn, he was getting too old to pull all-nighters. “You belong here, too.”

“You know, one day you may actually replace me with a girlfriend or a wife. I doubt she’ll understand if I’m still hanging around your family.”

Cameron snorted, shifted in his seat and rested his elbow on the console. “For one thing, you could never be replaced. For another, I think you know my stance on committed relationships and marriage.”

“Your reasons may be valid, but they can’t be your crutch for life.”

“It’s not a crutch,” he muttered in defense.

Megan threw him a glance and a smile as she pulled onto their road. “You never know when the right woman will come along and claim you.”

The only woman he’d ever allow to “claim” him was sitting right next to him, but he’d never do that to her. He’d seen firsthand what being a cop could do to even the strongest of marriages. Even though he and Megan had a bond that rivaled the toughest relationships, he wouldn’t put that kind of strain on something, or someone, so important.

She was part of his life in the deepest way he could allow and he’d just have to be satisfied with that. The fact she would likely marry one day was something he couldn’t even think about right now. If he thought of Megan with another man, Cameron would likely lose that wall of control he’d built up.

Megan put on her signal to turn into his drive.

“I’m going to your house,” he told her.

Totally ignoring him, she pulled up to his garage. After throwing her SUV in Park, she turned to face him, her green eyes studying his face. “You need to go in and get more sleep.”

She was preaching to the choir. Unfortunately, even if he went in, he wouldn’t be able to just close down and relax. Besides, he wanted to make sure Evan didn’t show up and try to pour on more guilt or ask for any favors.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, patting his leg as if he were some toddler. “I know what you’re doing, but don’t worry. I’ve handled Evan long enough.”

Cameron slid his hand over hers and squeezed. “And that’s the problem. You shouldn’t have to deal with a grown man whose behavior is that of an out-of-control teen.”

Megan tilted her head, and her hair spilled over her shoulder; the strands tickled his arm on the console. “I deal with you, don’t I?”

He couldn’t help but smile. “You only keep me around to set your mousetraps in the winter.”

“True.” With a smile, she turned her hand over in his and squeezed. “Seriously. Go sleep.”

Stroking his thumb along the backs of her smooth fingers, Cameron stared into those eyes that were too often full of worry—eyes that had captivated him on more occasions than he could count.

“I’m a guy and a cop. I can’t help but want to take care of you.”

Drawing in a shaky breath, she offered a sweet smile, one he’d witnessed for years and never grew tired of seeing. Megan’s genuine, contagious smile that came from within, that lit up a room...that’s what kept him going.

“I love you for that,” she told him. “But really, you need to take care of yourself, and I’m going to make sure you do. Now go.”

Stubborn woman. She wouldn’t pull out of this driveway until his butt was out of her car. Fine. He was just as stubborn, but he knew how to play the game. He knew his Megan better than anyone else did. She would always put herself out to make others comfortable, to keep those around her happy. But Cameron wasn’t about to let her fall down his priority list. She was, and always had been, at the top. Just like family.

“All right,” he conceded. “You will call me if you need anything.”

It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Go on, Chief. You can’t protect the town if you’re dead on your feet.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

Cameron tugged on the handle and stepped from the SUV. Turning to rest his arm on the open door, he peered back inside. “You know, tough love is a good thing.”

“Yeah.” Megan sighed, and her shoulders fell slightly. “It’s just easy to say and harder to do.”

Cameron hated how torn she was between loyalty and forgiveness. He, too, was torn between loyalties right now. Megan had been his everything for so long. Yet he couldn’t protect her, couldn’t even warn her of the evils hovering so close to her life.

Tapping the top of her car, he stepped back. “I’ll call you later.”

As he made his way up to his porch, Cameron knew he wouldn’t be sleeping. Too much was on his mind, and it all involved work and Megan. She always seemed to be the center of his thoughts. Unfortunately, this scenario had nothing to do with his desires.

Yet Megan’s odd declaration earlier alluding to something or someone she wanted still weighed heavily on his mind, too. They shared everything...at least all the personal stuff. What was she keeping from him?

Granted, he’d been holding back his own feelings for so long, but he didn’t think she reciprocated those emotions. Or did she? That would put a whole new spin on things and add another layer of worry to his already stressful life. Damn it, why couldn’t he just have those friend feelings or that brotherly bond? When had he taken that turn into wanting more?

Cameron waited until Megan headed down the narrow road toward her own house before he turned in the opposite direction and took off for a much-needed walk around their neighborhood. He needed to clear his head and figure out how best to approach this delicate situation with Evan.

Cameron also needed to figure out how to get the image of Megan in that classy yet sexy-as-hell red dress out of his mind. No other woman could shoot for polished and timeless and come off as a siren. Megan’s beauty had always been special, but today she’d taken it to a whole new level. The more time passed, the deeper his feelings went. There was nothing he could do; he’d tried denying it, tried ignoring it. Unfortunately, Megan had embedded herself so deeply into his life that he had no clue how to function with all of these lies.

Yeah, a walk was definitely what he needed to get his head on straight because losing himself in his thoughts where Megan was concerned was only throwing fuel on the proverbial fire. Too often when they were close together in a car, on her sofa watching a movie, he’d fought not to kiss her, not to touch her. The struggle he battled with himself was a daily occurrence, but he’d sacrifice anything, even his desires and his sanity, to keep her happy and safe.

Lust, love or anything other than a simple friendship had no room in the well-secured bond they’d honed and perfected since childhood.

So focusing on this case from hell that had just taken a turn for the worse was the only thing he had time to dwell on. Because in the end, no matter his feelings for Megan, she would hate him for standing by and watching her brother make mistake after mistake, for waiting to take down him and his criminal friends. But Cameron didn’t have a choice. His job had to come before his feelings for Megan.

* * *

Clothes were strewn around her room, hanging over the treadmill, draped across her bed, adorning the floor mirror in the corner. Pretty much every stationary object had taken a hit from the purging of her closet.

Megan tugged on the black tank-style dress that used to be her favorite. When she gave a pull to cover her rear end, it pulled the scoop neck down. When she tried to pull the material up over her breasts, her butt nearly popped out.

Damn that new Ben & Jerry’s flavor. Ice cream was her weakness, and now she’d discovered something else to feed her addiction...and her thighs.

So here she was, going through her closet because she needed to de-clutter. Nobody needed this many clothes, and she’d gained a few pounds, so why keep all this stuff? If she ended up losing the extra weight, she deserved a shopping spree, anyway. And if she opted to take that new job in Memphis, she would want to start fresh. That meant getting rid of this too-tight, hoochie-mama-looking dress.

Besides, reorganizing her overflowing closet was a great stress reliever and a good way to keep her mind off Cameron.

With a laugh, she fingered through the pile of too-small clothes on her bed. Like Cameron was ever off her mind. She’d nearly slipped up and bared her soul to him earlier when he’d declared he wanted her to have all she’d ever desired. Could the man be so blind that he couldn’t see she desired him? Did he pay no attention to the fact she rarely dated and when she did it was only one date because nobody could ever compare with Cam?

She knew why he didn’t go out with women. He was married to his job. But he’d never questioned her on why her social life was nonexistent.

Or perhaps she was the blind one. Maybe she wasn’t ready to face the fact that he truly didn’t want anyone in his life, and even if he did, she would only be a friend to him.

Though he had given her a visual sampling when he’d first seen her before the christening. That was a good sign...right? Or maybe he’d just had indigestion from all the garbage he ate the night before. Who knew?

Groaning, she started to attempt to get out of the body-hugging dress when she heard her back door open and close. Jerking around, she tried to listen to the footsteps.

Evan? Cameron? Either way she was clearly not dressed for company.

“You wearing pants?”

A slight sigh of relief swept through her as she laughed at Cameron echoing her earlier question to him. Her body was half hanging out, but extra pounds or not, men usually just saw skin and got excited. Could this work to her advantage? Maybe being a bit more out there, literally, would get Cameron to wake up.

“Actually, no,” she called back, then stepped into the hall to tell him she’d be right out.

As soon as she left her room, she ran into Cameron’s solid chest. Firm, strong hands immediately came up and gripped her shoulders. Her breasts, already spilling out of her dress, pressed against his hard pecs. Megan sucked in a breath, unable to think of anything but how nicely they molded together in all the perfectly delicious ways.

The way his eyes widened, his nostrils flared and his fingertips bit into her bare skin told her he wasn’t so unaffected by her femininity.

Game on.

Chapter Three

Holy—

Cameron couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t form a damn thought with Megan’s curvy body pressed against his. This was his best friend, yet with the way her breasts were all but spilling out of her barely-there black dress, his thoughts weren’t very friend-like at the moment.

Hadn’t he just pep-talked himself into trying to keep his thoughts out of the gutter?

“Wh-what are you doing here?” she asked.

Why was her voice all breathy and sultry?

Cameron dropped his hands and took a step back, but that didn’t help his hormones settle down. Now he was able to see just how hot she looked wearing that second-skin dress that hit her upper thigh at a very indecent level and scooped low enough to show off her breasts.

Jealousy ripped through him. “Where the hell are you going like that?”

She flinched. Maybe he’d sounded a tad gruff, but seriously? Every visual that came to mind involved a bedroom.

Megan lifted her chin defiantly as she crossed her arms, doing nothing to help her cause of breast spillage. “For your information, I’m cleaning my closet and trying things on. Now, why are you here and not home asleep?”

He was starting to question that himself. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Not that he’d tried, but she didn’t need to know that. He glanced into her room and laughed. Megan always had everything in its place, but something tragic had transpired with her clothes. He wasn’t dumb enough to make a comment because he was pretty sure that some rage had been unleashed in that room.

“Not a word,” she growled, as if daring him to comment on the chaos. “Let me change real quick.”

Before she turned away, the back door opened and closed. Cameron nearly groaned. Nobody else would just walk in other than him or Evan.

Megan let out a sigh. “Be nice,” she whispered. “I’ll go change.”

Cameron turned away just as Evan rounded the hall corner. His disheveled hair and black eye were so predictable. He looked like a deadbeat who’d obviously been on the wrong end of one of his “friends’” fists. Cameron wouldn’t allow him to come in here and make Megan feel like crap.

“Am I interrupting something?” Evan asked, his narrowed eyes darting between Cameron and Megan.

Cameron wanted to tell the guy yes, but he didn’t figure Evan would leave and the lie would only make Megan upset. No matter what, he was treading a fine line because if this weren’t Megan’s only living relative, Cameron wouldn’t think twice about hauling his butt in if for nothing else than to shake him up a bit.

Megan stepped into her room and came out seconds later tying a robe around her waist. At least she was covered now. Cameron didn’t like that judgmental glance that Evan had thrown at them. Even if Cameron and Megan had been doing something intimate, that wouldn’t have been Evan’s business...or anyone else’s for that matter.

“What happened?” Megan asked, stepping toward her brother.

Evan waved a hand, his eyes still moving between Cameron and Megan. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

Cameron knew those blow-off comments hurt Megan. The woman obviously cared for her brother, and Evan didn’t even acknowledge the fact.

“I do worry,” she told him with a softer tone.

Cameron maintained his place between the two siblings. No way was he budging. When it became clear that Evan wasn’t going to offer any more feedback over his recent fight, Megan sighed.

“What do you need, Evan?” Megan asked as she took a step back, landing her next to Cameron.

Good. Cameron wanted her to feel safer with him there. The silent gesture clearly showed who she trusted, who she felt more comfortable with. The primal part of Cameron liked to think her easing closer to him showed whose side she was on, as well.

“I need to talk to you,” Evan told her, then shifted his eyes to Cameron.

“Go ahead,” Cameron replied, resting his hands on his hips and in absolutely no hurry to budge.

“Alone.”

Megan moved down the hall, squaring her shoulders. “I’m not giving you money,” she informed him as she got closer. “If you want to visit with me, that’s fine.”

Evan raked a hand through his hair, then threw another glance at Cameron and back to Megan. Cameron didn’t move, didn’t even consider giving them privacy because he wanted Megan to know he was here for support. He wouldn’t chime in, wouldn’t say a word unless he saw she couldn’t be strong. But he had faith in her. He knew she was getting tired of her brother only coming around for money.

Evan leaned down, whispered something to Megan and gripped her arm. Cameron went on full alert.

“No, Evan,” Megan said softly, shaking her head. “I don’t have it to give. I’m sorry.”

“You’re not sorry,” he spat as he released her with a forced shove. “I don’t need that much.”

Megan stumbled back a step, but caught herself as she crossed her arms and tipped her chin. “I have obligations, too, Evan. I can’t always give you money because you get into trouble.”

Evan’s focus darted over Megan’s shoulder, and Cameron merely narrowed his eyes, silently daring Evan to cross the line. The arm incident was more than enough to have Cameron ready to smash his face, but Megan wouldn’t like Cameron interfering. Plus as an officer of the law, Cameron couldn’t just go around punching all the people who pissed him off. Such a shame.

Cameron would like nothing more than to show Evan some tough love, but Megan was right. That was easier said than done. And as much as Cameron loathed the man, he was Megan’s brother and she loved him.

“I’ll come back when we can talk in private,” Evan said, looking back to Megan.

“My answer won’t change,” she informed him. “But you’re always welcome in my house.”

Evan merely grunted and started to turn.

“I love you,” Megan said, her voice shaky.

Evan froze, didn’t look back, didn’t comment, just paused before he disappeared around the corner. Moments later, the back door opened and closed again.

Megan turned, a fake smile pasted across her face, and started down the hall toward her room, skirting around him. “Well, let me change and then maybe we can do dinner. You want to go out? I’m not sure I have a lot here—”

Cameron followed her into the bedroom and watched as she jerked off her robe and tossed it onto the mound of clothes on her bed. As she glanced into the mirror and sighed, Cameron came up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders and meeting her gaze in the reflection.