Page 20 of Freeing Camila

“You got it,” Melli said before turning away to get his drink, leaving him and Eggs alone with the woman who constantly occupied his thoughts. Up close like this, he noticed something different about her, a subtle alteration that took him a moment to place. It was the deep purple dye woven beneath her usual hair color, a vibrant contrast that caught the light and shifted with her movements. The shade felt bold, almost rebellious, and suited what he’d learned of her while she’d been in that tree. A rare smile touched his lips as she turned her warm, inviting brown eyes to him, the bar lights catching the flecks of gold within them.

“Well, if it isn’t my savior,” she purred, her voice as smooth and sweet as honey. The thought made him blink. Until now, he’d never been aware of the nuances in women’s voices.

“Hello,” he greeted. “I see you’re settling in and making friends.”

Melli set his beer down in front of him with a saucy grin. “Of course she did. I’m very likable.”

“Like a prickly porcupine,” Eggs muttered.

“Hey now. You’re no better,” Melli shot back.

“Guess you guys know each other,” Cammie stated.

“I know most everyone who comes in here,” Melli answered. “It was refreshing seeing a new face tonight.”

“Well, I’m glad I could brighten your evening.”

“I’m sure you make a lot of people’s evenings brighter,” he said, the words tumbling out before he could consider their implications. His casual remark, though seemingly light, felt thick with unspoken meaning, its true weight remaining unclear, even to him.

Cammie’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed a delicate pink. He was captivated completely, unable to look away, even as Melli mumbled about attending to other customers, her words lost in the rush of his racing heartbeat. Shit. He really needed to get his act together before he made a fool of himself.

“This is Eggs,” Jeeves announced, his introduction less than smooth. “We work together.”

Eggs graced Cammie with a smile that had won over numerous women during Jeeves’ years of knowing him. A growl rumbled low in his chest, but he gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to snap at his friend in a jealous rage. “Eggs. This is Cammie.”

“Pleasure to meet you, pretty lady,” Eggs said, his voice a smooth, honeyed drawl that grated on Jeeves’ nerves, making his jaw tighten. Eggs offered her his hand, and she shook it. Jeeves felt as if he was going to lose his mind when Eggs brought her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles, a gesture that proved too much for him to bear. He resisted the urge to yank their hands apart and punch his teammate.

A delicate blush crept onto her cheeks as she replied, “Nice to meet you, too.” With a brief, almost imperceptible glance in his direction, she gently removed her hand from Eggs’, her gaze falling to the bar as she did so. “So, you guys work together?”

“Yup. Going on about five years now, right Jeeves?” Eggs replied. A grunt served as Jeeves’s affirmative response before he lifted his beer to his lips for a sip.

“And you’re friends too?” Cammie asked.

“Sure are. This guy just can’t be parted from me,” Eggs teased as he slung an arm around Jeeves’ shoulders.

A laugh escaped Cammie’s lips before she retorted with a smirk. “Yeah, I can see that.”

“Why do I get the feeling you don’t believe me?” Eggs, his brow furrowed in a show of mock indignation, said.

“No. No,” Cammie defended. “I can see how you’d be hard to get rid of.”

With a surprising burst of sound, Jeeves let out a loud, boisterous bark of laughter. “As Melli so eloquently put it, like genital warts.”

They shared a laugh as Eggs stumbled over his words in an attempt to defend himself. Their eyes met amidst shared laughter, and a sudden, intense connection, like a jolt of electricity, surged between them

“How are you settling in?” Jeeves asked once their laughter died down, his gaze flickering away from hers as he tried to ignore the electric hum of sexual energy that thrummed between them.

“Oh. Um . . . good.” She fumbled her words, a blush deepening, and he wondered if she felt the same charged tension thrumming between them. “I should thank you.” Questioningly, he arched an eyebrow. “I got the job you recommended.”

The radiant smile she bestowed upon him, coupled with the uncontainable joy that shone so brightly in her eyes, caused an answering smile to spread across his own face. “At the bakery?” he asked, and she nodded. “Congratulations. I should buy you a drink.”

“No. I should buyyouone. You’re the one who told me about the job in the first place. Oh, and she offered me the apartment over the bakery.”

That was new information his team hadn’t uncovered. He’d known she’d been staying in one of the more budget friendly motel’s in town. The less-than-ideal living conditions had bothered him, and he’d worried about her. He was glad she’d found something more permanent. And safe. “It’s good to know you’ll have a roof over your head and won’t be living in a tree.”

She emitted a tinkling laugh. “No. No more trees for me.”

“Do you often climb trees?” Eggs interjected. “That’s where you met Jeeves, right?”

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