Shoulda Been A Cowboy (5 page)

“
Well, I had a little liquid fun with your
cousin's wives and then there was this bar fight…”

Buck squinted. “Is that Keely waving at me through
the cage?”

Cam nodded.

“
Then that explains everything. Thanks for
bringing Red back. I'll take it from here.” Buck steered
Ginger toward the porch. She tried to jerk away from his hold, but he
just yanked her flush with his body and spoke in her ear.

The second Cam was back in his patrol car, Keely
bombarded him with excuses, explanations, and justifications, until
he said, “Enough.”

She sighed despairingly. “Look. I know you're
mad as hell at me right now, Cam.”

“
Yep.”

“
I know I have no right to ask this.”

“
Nope.”

“
Just hear me out? Please?”

“
Fine. You've no right to ask me…what?”

“
For a favor.”

He laughed.

“
I'm serious.” Keely spoke through the
steel cage. “Even though I'm an adult, if I show up
drunk, bloody and bruised at Mom and Dad's, they'll both
have a fit. It'll be a big ugly scene and I cannot deal with it
tonight.”

“
So what do you expect me to do? Run interference
for you, Miz Adult?”

“
No! Let me stay at your place. Please? Just for
one night? I'm so tired I'll probably crash and I promise
I won't be any trouble—”

“
Trouble follows you everywhere, so no dice.”

“
I get that your house is your haven, but Cam, you
have an extra bedroom that no one uses. You won't even know I'm
there, I swear.”

“
Keely—”

“
Domini, help me out here,” Keely pleaded.

Domini faced him. “I think you should listen to
her since she is letting you off the hook.”

“
How is allowing
her
to crash at my place letting
me
off the hook?”

“
If you just dump her off at your parent's
place, they'll be angry you didn't come in and explain
why Keely is a drunken mess. If you escort her into the house, your
parents will still be angry and expect you to explain why she's
a drunken mess. So calling them to say she's staying with you
is the best solution all around.”

Damn women sticking together.

“
See? It makes perfect sense,” Keely said.
“Except I'm not that much of a drunken mess.”

“
Right.”

“
Cam? Please? I'll never ask you for
anything ever again.”

“
Uh-huh.”

“
Please?”

He gave in. He always did when it came to Keely. “Fine.
You can stay one night. But if one thing is out of place in my house,
or if I see any other person besides you in my home? I will tell
everyone in the family and the whole damn county what I saw at Colt
and Indy's wedding reception.”

Keely gasped. “You wouldn't!”

“
Oh, I most definitely would. With absolute glee.”
Cam flashed her a cocky grin. “So do we have a deal, little
sis?”

“
Yes, but I am entitled to point out you're
a lot meaner than my other brothers.”

“
No, I'm just not buffaloed as easily as
they are.”

Keely harrumphed and remained unusually quiet for the
rest of the drive.

When Cam pulled up the driveway leading to his house, he
experienced a sense of joy, a swell of pride, a feeling of peace.
This place was the first thing he'd owned outright, finally
obtaining the space, freedom and solitude he'd given up during
his years in the army. He'd spent his adult years living in
barracks or in tents with just a cot and a footlocker to call his
own. Meals, showers, hell even sleep was a group affair.

Not here. Cam rarely had visitors and he preferred it
that way. Sometimes on his days off he stretched out on his couch and
stared at the walls in complete silence just because he could. He'd
created an island of peace for himself even surrounded by the
turbulent sea of his family.

He parked on the concrete slab and the yard light
clicked on. His dog, Gracie, raced back and forth along the fence,
yipping with excitement. Cam turned to Domini. “Sit tight. I'll
be right back and then I'll run you home, okay?”

“
I didn't know you had a dog.”

“
There's a lot you don't know about
me, princess.”

“
The same could be said about me, Deputy,”
she murmured.

Was that a…challenge? From sweet Domini?

“
Are you gonna let me out, or what?” Keely
complained. “I hafta piss like a racehorse.”

“
Classy, Keely.” Grumbling under his breath,
Cam exited the car quickly, wincing at the sharp pain in his hip.
Upon opening the rear door, he heard, “—what I said about
getting naked.”

Don't ask what Keely is babbling about. You're
better off if you don't know.

At the front door he rattled off, “Stay out of my
room. Stay out of my bathroom. Stay out of the liquor cabinet. Don't
fuck with my TV. Leave Gracie outside. I'll deal with her when
I get home in a little bit.”

“
There's no need for you hurry back, bro. I
can take care of Gracie.” Keely stepped into the foyer. “In
fact, I hope I don't see you until well after the sun rises.”

“
Brat.”

She grinned and slammed the door in his face.

Cam counted to ten and backtracked to the car. He took
his time getting in, not because he was stalling, but because his
stump was starting to chafe inside the socket.

As soon as they were on the paved road, Domini said, “Is
your leg hurting?”

How had she picked up on that so fast? “You
wouldn't think so, bein's half of the damn thing is
gone.”

Silence.

“
Sorry. It's been a long day.”

“
Are you off duty now?”

“
Yeah. I've been off since I finished up at
Twin Pines.”

“
I'm sorry you have to drive me home.”

I'm not.

The conversation died. Cam flipped on the defroster. Why
was his windshield fogging up at the end of freakin' August?

Because Domini Katzinski is smokin' hot. She
makes your heart pound. She makes you sweat. She makes you breathe
hard. She makes you imagine what it'd be like pounding into
her, both of you covered in sweat as you breathe in the scent of her.

Dammit. Think of something else. Do something else.

He fiddled with the police radio. Then he drummed his
fingers on the dash.

Domini placed her cool palm over his knuckles.

Cam looked at her. “What?”

“
Do I make you nervous, deputy?”

Yes
. “No. Why?”

“
Because you constantly fuss whenever you're
around me.”

“
It's just a habit.”

“
An annoying habit.” She threaded her soft
fingers through his until her palm rested on the back of his hand.
“Can you keep still now?”

He shrugged. But he didn't remove his hand.
Actually, he was shocked she'd touched him so freely. Domini
was usually so…reserved.

Normally silence didn't bother him, in fact, Cam
preferred it. But tonight, he wanted to talk, if only to hear her
voice. “Did you have fun before the cops showed up?”

“
Yes. We danced and drank and gossiped. I've
never actually seen a bar fight.”

Cam snorted. “You must not hang out with Keely
much. That girl is always finding trouble.”

“
She seemed pretty pleased she'd popped my
cherry tonight.”

He nearly wrecked the car. “What?”

Domini blushed. “It was my first Wyoming bar
brawl. Keely came up with the cherry-popping phrase, not me.”

“
It figures. I'm curious. What else did you
ladies gossip about?”

“
Family. Babies. Men. Sex.” Domini's
gaze pierced him. “You.”

“
Me? What about me?”

“
Your sister asked if something was going on
between us.”

His stomach dropped at the thought of his family
gossiping about him. “What did you say?” Cam eased the
patrol car alongside her building.

“
No. But I did say I wished something was going on
between us.”

Cam didn't know how to respond. Evidently saying
nothing was the wrong response, because Domini attempted to bail out
of the car.

“
Forget it.”

“
Ah-ah-ah.” Cam caught her wrist, holding
her in place. “Wait just a damn minute. You don't get to
say something like that and then just leave.”

Domini just stared at him intently.

“
Why would you want to start something with a
gimped-up, scarred man like me?”

“
That's not what I see when I look at you.”

Fuck. This is what unnerved him about Domini. She saw
too much. “Maybe you need glasses.”

“
Maybe you're the one who's blind.”

He winced internally, but managed, “What's
that supposed to mean?”

“
I see the fire in your eyes when you look at me,
Cam. I feel it when you allow yourself to touch me. Yet, you won't
take what you so badly want.” Domini cocked her head. “Why?
Are you a martyr? Or a masochist?”

“
Neither. I'm just a man.”
Not
even a whole man
.

“
If I begged you to prove your manhood to me you'd
run again, wouldn't you?”

Heat rose up his neck. “I didn't run.”

“
No. You apologized first and
then
you ran. Which was way worse.”

Shit. He had no idea how much she'd misunderstood
his reaction to her months ago. “Domini, let me explain—”

“
No. Stop right there.” She drew away from
him until her back rested against the door. “No more excuses.
You either want me, or you don't. You will either come upstairs
right now and we can explore this—” she gestured to the
space between them, “—or you can drive away and we will
never speak of it again.”

Cam's anger surfaced. “And if I drive off,
you'll what? Find another man?”

Her shoulder hitched in a half-shrug. “Perhaps.”

“
Who?”

“
Harold Henderson is always flirting with me.”

“
If I ever see that fucking pervert looking at any
part of you, I'll gouge his goddamn eyes out,” Cam
snarled.

“
Then you'd better add Deke Nealon to that
list because he asked me to a movie last week.”

“
I've arrested Deke before and got no
problem doin' it again if he messes with you.” His head
spun. No one touched Domini but him. No one.

Really? You haven't been touching her either.
She's supposed to wait around for you to get your head out of
your ass?

India's comment,
Either go
for it, or let her go. But it's selfish to try and have it both
ways,
haunted him because he knew she was
exactly right. The time had come for him to fish or cut bait, as Colt
always said. “Who else?” he demanded.

“
Last night Marshall Benson offered to take me to
Ziggy's.”

“
Marshall Benson? He cheats at pool!”

“
So do I. You going to arrest me too?”

“
Hell yes, if it'll keep you from going out
with a loser like him.”
Stay calm
.
“What are you trying to do, Domini? Piss me off by naming all
the guys who want to do you?”

She jabbed her finger at him. “You asked, Deputy.
And I'm tired of waiting for you to come to terms with what
you
want to do to me. I especially want you to get over your mistaken
belief that I am somehow…too fragile to handle you. I told you
I like that you take charge, Cam.”

“
You really wanna see that side of me, princess?
The rough man who expects his demands to be met without question or
hesitation?”

She nodded.

Lightning fast, Cam curled his hand around her neck and
hauled her close enough to kiss. “I don't play at this.
It's not a phase, not bedroom games. This is who I am.”

“
Then that is who I want,” she said softly.