Shoulda Been A Cowboy (35 page)

The words, your fault, it was all your fault,
screaming in his head.

Wait. The screaming sound was outside his head too.

He looked to the sky as the whistling noise of a
surface to air missile hit the helicopter. The explosion distorted
reality, creating a ball of orange fire that knocked Cam flat on his
ass. Parts rained down on him like metal raindrops. But when he saw
the broken helicopter blade flipping end over end toward him like a
deadly boomerang, he broke his silence and screamed.

And kept screaming.

“
Cam?”

He jackknifed, not knowing where he was. He attempted to
roll away and run from danger.

“
Cam!” Hands slapped his cheeks. Legs pinned
him down. “Wake up.”

He blinked in the near darkness until the face belonging
to the voice swam into view.

Domini.

“
Domini? What are you doing in…”
Shit. He wasn't in Afghanistan. The force of the old nightmare
hit him anew and the shakes started. Sickness roiled in his belly.
“Oh fuck.”

“
Ssh. It's okay. I'm here. I've
got you.”

“
I can't—”

“
I know. Lay back.”

“
I—don't, no—”

“
Ssh. I'm here.” Domini cupped his
face in her hands. “Look at me. Let me help you.”

“
Okay,” he whispered. “Don't
go.”

“
I'm right here, Cam. I'm not going
anywhere. I promise. I'm right here.”

She turned him on his side and covered him with the
quilt after pressing her body tightly to his. Domini settled her
right palm on his chest directly over his heart. She placed her left
arm behind his head on the pillow and tenderly stroked his clammy
forehead with her cool fingers. She murmured in his ear. He couldn't
tell if her words were Ukrainian or English.

It didn't matter. Cam closed his eyes and focused
on her voice. It soothed him. Her gentle touches, her sporadic sweet
kisses, her presence was a healing balm to his soul.

Domini nuzzled the back of his neck and stayed with him
through every second of his meltdown.

He seemed to regain some semblance of control faster
this time than the first night they'd spent together. Might
make him a needy bastard…but he just didn't want her to
let go.

And she didn't. Domini didn't ask questions
or babble to fill the empty air. Without doubt, if he did decide to
spill his guts, she wouldn't judge him. She accepted him and he
felt safe with her. At peace.

Goddamn. He loved her so fucking much.

She deserved better than the shitty way he'd
treated her when he'd first walked in the door. He rolled to
his back and she was still touching him. Still offering him solace.
Still acting like she cared. Like she loved him.

Cam swept her hair behind her ear. His voice was thick
with emotion. “You're beautiful. I'm the luckiest
goddamn guy in the world to get to come home to you every night.
Thank you for staying with me through that.”

“
You're welcome. You better?”

“
Much, thanks to you.”

“
I'm glad.” She smiled softly and
sweetly stroked his scarred face.

“
I'm sorry I was such an ass earlier.”

“
You
were
an ass.”

He sighed. “I'll work harder on bein'
less of an ass, okay?”

“
I appreciate the apology and I forgive you. So,
I'll put the liver and onions I had planned for dinner tomorrow
night on hold.”

He smiled.

Before he drifted off, he murmured, “Thank you.”

“
You're welcome. Rest, Deputy. I've
got your back.”

When Domini reached up and switched on the fan, he
didn't mind a bit.

Chapter Twenty

Week Six…

Exhausted. Domini was just plain exhausted.

The fatigue wasn't from her randy husband keeping
her up until the wee hours proving his sexual mastery. No, his big
body hadn't been in bed next to her for the last three weeks.

Since Cam had started his month long assignment to third
shift—ten pm to six am—she wasn't sleeping well.
Add in the upheaval at Dewey's after firing Bobby and she'd
been working eleven-hour shifts. Naturally, none of her days off
coincided with Cam's days off. It drove her crazy to think
she'd seen more of Cam
before
they'd married.

Cam was equally frustrated at their lack of time
together. He suggested she quit working at Dewey's, even going
so far as to hint he earned enough money to support them and her job
wasn't necessary.

Not necessary? Keeping her job was essential, not only
for financial reasons, but her own sanity. She was good at her job.
Not all women had the burning desire to stay home, bake muffins, iron
clothes and pop out kids.

Like the last one was even an option.

She'd pointed out they hadn't discussed the
issues before their hurry-up wedding, so it shouldn't have
shocked him they held different perspectives. Add Anton into the mix
and it was turning out to be a very messy soup.

Anton's surly behavior had mellowed, but whenever
his new reality hit him, he'd become inconsolable. Domini
feared she was doing a lousy job mothering Anton, but she couldn't
share her concerns about her lack of parenting skills with Cam. Cam
had even less skills than she and it didn't seem to bother him.

Granted, the six-month waiting period to start formal
adoption was good in that Cam and Anton needed time to establish some
kind of relationship—because right now, they had no
relationship. What if it didn't get better? Would she have to
choose between Cam and Anton?

It'd been a rocky start all around.

She mixed the taco seasoning with the ground beef and
layered it over the noodles. After sprinkling the casserole with
cheese, she slid it in the oven and set the timer.

Her arms were elbow deep in dishwater and she was lost
in thought when a muscular body pressed against her, the thick
forearms braced on either side of the sink.

“
Mmm, I like you like this. Confined. You can't
really move without splashing yourself. So I can do this—”
Cam rubbed his lips on the back of her head, “—and this—”
he nosed aside her hair to flick his tongue across her nape, “—and
especially this—” he dragged openmouthed kisses up her
neck.

Goose flesh broke out.

Cam continued his sensual assault with his heated
breath, clever mouth and questing tongue. She closed her eyes,
absorbing every sensation, craving this side of her dominant husband.

“
My wife, my Domini,” he murmured, “I
want to fuck you. Just like this. No time for you to think, no time
for you to move. I'd drop your pants and drive into you hard.”

She moaned.

“
Since you like it fast, I'd go slow. So.”
Kiss. “Very.” Another kiss. “Very.” Another
kiss. “Slow.”

“
No. Please—”

“
But I'd let you choose which side of your
neck I sink my teeth into. This area makes you squeak,” Cam
fastened his mouth to the left dip between her neck and collarbone
and sucked.

Domini did squeak.

“
But attention on this side elicits a throaty purr
that makes my cock hard as steel.” Cam scraped his teeth up the
right side of her nape. “My fingers would stroke that sweet
little clit. I'd fist the other hand in your hair so I can
angle your neck however I please.” He threaded his fingers
through her hair and lightly tugged. “And there's not a
damn thing you can do about it.”

“
Cam. Please.”

“
Am I turning you on? Telling you how I plan on
taking what's mine?”

“
Yes.” She needed him. Needed to feel that
rush of pleasure only he could give her.

He growled. His grip increased on her hair. His right
hand slid around her hip and stroked between her legs. Then he spread
his big hand on her abdomen as he ground his erection into her ass.
“Right. Fucking. Now.”

“
Cam—”

“
Huh-uh. I make the rules, you follow them.”

“
We can't—”

“
Don't force me to get rough, Domini.”

Oh how she'd love that. In private. “Stop.”

“
You don't want me to stop.”

True. Domini spoke firmly through the lust tightening
her throat. “Please. Cam, no. Don't. I'm—”

“
Leave her alone!” Fast footsteps smacked
behind them.

She felt Cam's entire body stiffen as he was
shoved hard into her. The sounds of slapping flesh followed.

“
Don't you hurt her!”
Whack
whack whack
. “Don't you touch
her!”

“
Whoa. Hang on—”

“
No!” Anton shrieked. His fists connected
with the side of Domini's torso as he pummeled Cam.

“
That's enough!” Cam backed up.

“
No!”

Domini spun around.

Cam tried to deflect Anton's blows, but Anton was
undeterred as he kept hitting him. Face cherry red, fury darkening
his eyes.

“
Anton—”

“
Domini, stay out of this,” Cam snapped.

Anton resembled the Tasmanian devil, his limbs flailing
as he attempted to corner Cam. He was repeating, “No, no, no.”

“
Listen to me, Anton—”

“
No!” he screamed and rushed Cam, putting
his head down low, aiming for Cam's groin.

The wounded animal wail coming from Anton ripped a hole
in Domini's heart. She slapped her hand over her mouth,
forgetting about the water and suds covering her hands until liquid
dripped down her chin.

Cam dodged Anton, and held the boy's hands at his
sides. When Anton tried to twist out of the hold, Cam pulled Anton's
wrists behind his back and kept a wide stance in case Anton started
kicking.

“
You done?” Cam said coolly.

Anton's chest rose and fell as quickly as a
trapped bird's. He was crying in great big, gasping sobs. His
hair covered his face.

Cam waited a minute and repeated, “Answer me. You
done?”

Anton nodded.

“
Good. Now I'm going to walk over to the
chair and sit down. If I let go of your arms and you run, or try to
hit or kick me again, and we're gonna have a serious problem,
understand?”

He nodded again.

Domini watched as Cam sat and brought Anton around to
face him, not sure if she should get in the middle of it.

“
What was that attacking me crap about?” Cam
asked.

No answer.

“
Anton. Look me in the eye and answer the
question.”

Defiantly, Anton lifted his head. “You were
hurting her. She said no, I heard her. And you didn't listen,
you just kept doing it! Just like him.” Tears tracked his face.

“
Cam wasn't hurting me, Anton,” Domini
said softly.

Cam shot her a look that clearly said
stay
out of it
.

“
That's what my mom said too, but she lied!
He always hurt her, always, even when she said he wasn't!”

What this poor boy had been through made her want to
curl her body around his and protect him from the world. “Oh
sweetling, it's not the same…”

“
Domini. Will you please let me handle this?”

“
Fine.” But could Cam handle it? When he'd
shown no interest in Anton whatsoever? Good or bad?

“
First off, sport, I wasn't hurting Domini.
I'd never hurt her. Ever. We were just kinda goofing around
like…you did with Ky a couple weeks back.”

Anton's teary eyes were filled with skepticism.

“
Second, not all men are like your dad. Most men
aren't like your dad. I'm not like your dad. Just because
I'm big doesn't mean I'm…well…
mean
.
But I will not put up with any hitting in this house.”

Cam's firm, yet gentle tone stunned Domini.

“
So there will be consequences for your actions of
taking after me. We clear on that?”

“
Uh-huh.”

“
The two of us are gonna take a walk. Wait on the
back deck for me.”

Anton slunk out the sliding glass door without looking
at Domini.

Her gaze connected with Cam's and she knew he read
every question in her eyes.