Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (12 page)

The bedroom she was staying in had a full-sized bed with a beautiful handmade quilt in bright colors that contrasted with the oak furniture, simple pieces that looked old but well kept. As she set her plate onto the dressing table, she looked out the window at the shed on the side of the house and thought about what Camden had said.

He’d told her he owed her, but what if he knew the truth—that she hadn’t even had the courage to call the police that night. What would he think then?

She ate and then searched through the dresser drawers, finding a large T-shirt that would work for a nightgown before she used the bathroom across the hall to get ready for bed. As she took a toothbrush out of its packaging, she shook her head. Camden and Grayson couldn’t be more different in how they felt about her.

While Camden had practically begged her to stay, Grayson seemed barely able to tolerate her presence. She was half surprised he hadn’t cuffed her to a chair and demanded more information when they’d been in the kitchen together. As if she had any to offer.

She let out a sigh as uneasiness crept through her. Grayson’s reaction made more sense than Camden’s. Camden was a cop too, a Fed, they’d said. He shouldn’t be helping her. So why was he?

Autumn’s past experiences with men had made her wary, had proven that men couldn’t be trusted. Her father had scared her to death, her brother had taken her with him but then later had left her, and Butch . . . Well, Butch had just about ensured that she’d stay as far away from any man as she could. But Hale had been nice to her, and a few of the brothers had seemed kind at times. When they weren’t scared to death of Butch, that is.

Based on what she’d seen from Grayson, he didn’t trust her or like her at all, so she’d keep an eye on him. But Camden? He seemed so kind and gentle, he made her want to trust him.

But could she?

Autumn squeezed her eyes shut. If he was going to let her stay here, the least she could do was make herself useful. Beginning tomorrow, she’d take care of as many of the household chores as she could.

Full of resolve, she walked back to the bedroom and crawled into bed.

• • •

Autumn made herself at home in Camden’s kitchen the next morning. It was clean and spacious, and although the appliances were a bit outdated, everything seemed to work fine. A bright tablecloth covered the large country table, topped with a wooden bowl that probably usually held fresh fruit. It was a welcoming room and well used, a kitchen designed by someone who loved to cook. She instantly felt comfortable there.

After taking a mental inventory of the cabinets and refrigerator, she grabbed a large pot from the cabinet and moved to the oversized sink, over which small herb pots, now empty, lined the windowsill. As the pot filled with water, she surveyed Camden’s property through the window. It was expansive, with acres of fallow farmland beyond a grassy backyard dotted with several fruit trees that were just leafing out. A small brook meandered along one side of the property.

She shut off the faucet and watched a robin swoop down from a tree. It pecked at the lawn before flying upward into another tree, then wiped its bill back and forth on the branch it stood on. The peaceful view set her at ease, and she drew in a long, cleansing breath.

It wasn’t until she turned and saw Grayson watching her from the doorway that she tensed up again. His gaze shifted from her to the phone on the wall, and understanding dawned.

“I-I wasn’t going to call anyone.”

A muscle ticked in Grayson’s jaw, and Autumn heaved in a breath.
Bingo
. The fact that he didn’t trust her stung, but then the hurt receded. He was just trying to protect his teammate.

And why would he trust someone like her? She was illiterate and had the stink of an outlaw motorcycle club all over her. It was a wonder Camden was even letting her stay in his house. He had to hate the world she was from; it had almost gotten him killed.

She turned back to the sink. “I’m making some oatmeal. You can take some up to Camden when it’s ready.”

When Grayson didn’t answer, she forced herself to turn around and meet his intense gaze. Not an easy task, but—score one for her—she was able to do it.

“I’d like to make him some soup too, but I’ll need a few groceries first. There wasn’t much in the refrigerator, nothing fresh.”

He watched her through narrowed eyes for a long moment before he finally said, “Write down what you need.”

Her heart sank.
Oh, how I wish I could.

As he moved into the other room, she shook her head and called out, “I just need a chicken and some celery and carrots.”

Grayson stopped, turned around, and gave her a curt nod. “Fine. I’ll go now.”

“I’m going to run to the grocery store,” Grayson said. “Do you need anything?”

Camden put another pillow behind his back and shook his head. “How’s Autumn?”

“Fine.” Grayson snorted. “She wants to make you some soup.”

The statement sent unexpected delight careening through Camden, lifting his spirits. “She does?”

Grayson nodded. “What about coffee? Will I be able to find a place?”

“There’s a mom-and-pop shop in the middle of town. Roasted Beans.”

“Roasted Beans. Got it.”

Camden couldn’t help but smile at the frown on Grayson’s face. He was a city boy, born and raised. The concept of not having restaurants and bars within walking distance gave him the jitters. They’d joked about the Starbucks factor in the past. If there weren’t three within a mile, then it wasn’t a place for Grayson.

As for himself, Camden much preferred the small-town feel of Shavertown. He’d always enjoyed it when his parents had brought him to visit his grandparents, and liked it even more now. It suited him better than the hustle and bustle of DC.

“What do you want?” Grayson asked. “Black?”

“Black’s perfect.”

Grayson held up a hand. “And yes, before you ask, I’ll see what Autumn wants.”

Camden eyed his friend. “Are you being nice to her, Gray?”

“What?”

“Are you being nice to Autumn?”

Grayson folded his arms across his chest. “Yeah.”

Camden leveled him a don’t-bullshit-me look. “You should see your face whenever you’re in the same room.” When Grayson scowled, he said, “See? That’s what I mean. I know you think I’m stupid having her here, but none of this is her fault. I want her to feel welcome.”

“Fine.” Grayson held up both hands in surrender. “I’ll behave. Do you need a pill before I leave?”

“No.”

Grayson frowned at that but didn’t comment. “I’ll be back soon.” He strode out of the room.

Camden listened for noises from the kitchen after the front door slammed, but there was only silence. Realizing he couldn’t wait any longer to see Autumn, he braced his hands against the mattress and sat up. Pain shot through his ribs, but he did his best to ignore it.

He looked around and spotted the button-down shirt he’d worn the day before draped over a chair. Leaning forward, he grabbed hold of it. By the time he shrugged it on, his ribs were burning. A glance down at his midsection showed the Ace bandage had come loose.

“Great,” he muttered.

Taking hold of the bandage, he slowly began to unwrap it. The resulting pain from lifting his arms had him gritting his teeth together. What he wouldn’t give to be able to quit breathing for the next few days.

“I can help you with that.”

Camden jerked his head toward the quietly spoken words. Autumn was standing in the doorway, holding a tray.

She moved inside the room and set the tray down on the nightstand. As her soft curves came inches from his face, Camden blinked hard. He closed his eyes and forced the completely inappropriate thought he was having out of his mind. Autumn had been through enough without him leering at her.

She carefully unwound the fabric from his abdomen. “How tight should I make it?”

“Tight.”

She gave him a nod. As she began to wind the fabric around his middle, her hand brushed against his skin.

Camden gasped in a breath and she immediately stopped. “Is that too tight?”

“No. It’s perfect.”

She studied him for a moment before nodding and resuming her work. Once she finished, Camden needed a minute to collect himself. When he began buttoning his shirt, Autumn walked toward the window.

“This is a really nice property.”

“Thank you.”

She turned around. “Have you lived here long?”

“I was living in DC until recently. Gray and I share an apartment there.” Which was something they’d need to figure out; their lease was coming up for renewal soon.

“You’re friends too then.”

“We are.”

Autumn smiled. “No wonder he’s so protective of you.”

Christ, was that a dimple in her cheek? It was adorable. He stared at her as pleasure rippled through his chest. Seeing her happy brought on emotions he wasn’t quite prepared for.

He forced his train of thought back to what she’d just said. “I guess Gray is protective.”

It went both ways, though. He felt protective over Grayson too. Just like he felt protective of Autumn. He’d only recently met her, and yet she was already someone he cared about.

It was more than her vulnerability that had him feeling this way. She’d obviously had an unusual childhood, based on the lack of records, and the last several years she’d spent with Butch and his club brothers must have been difficult for her. She was like a kitten in the midst of a pack of rottweilers, and the thought of Autumn with those criminals made Camden’s blood boil.

Yet despite the damage her past had inflicted, she was gentle and sweet. And while it would be unprofessional to think about her in anything other than a professional way, he was determined to do everything in his power to make her feel safe.

“Are you settling in okay?”

She blinked at the question and then blurted, “Why am I here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you feel like you owe me, but you don’t have to do this. Open your home to me.”

“I’ll admit I’m grateful, Autumn, but I didn’t ask you here because I feel guilty. I want you here.”

She dropped her gaze, no longer meeting his eyes. “Butch did awful things,” she said in a low voice. “I never stopped him.”

Camden drew in a breath. “You were afraid of him.”

She shook her head. “It’s no excuse.”

“I’m glad you’re here. Please know that.”

Autumn looked up quickly, her brows drawn together. “Do you have a girlfriend? Does she mind that I’m here?”

Camden gave her a small smile. “There’s no girlfriend. There hasn’t been in quite a while.”

“Oh.”

Camden wanted to reach out but resisted temptation. “Are we okay here, Autumn?”

She seemed to ponder the question for a few seconds. Finally, she nodded. Gesturing toward the tray she’d brought up, she asked, “Do you like oatmeal?”

“I do.” When she moved toward the tray, he said, “I’d like to eat downstairs, though.”

She turned around with a frown. “Are you up for that?”

Trying not to show the pain he felt, Camden pushed up from the bed. “For a little while, anyway.”

As Autumn took the tray down the stairs, Camden gripped the railing and carefully took each step. Walking was slightly easier than it had been the day before, but maybe it was only because he was walking down the stairs—gravity was on his side. The trip back up the stairs would be the real test.

He took the last step down and followed Autumn inside the kitchen as she set the tray on the table.

“You’re going to eat with me, right?”

She blinked at the question but nodded and moved to the counter to get a bowl ready for herself. As she took a seat beside him, Camden was reminded of the questions that he needed to ask her. But she was still getting settled. The questions could wait a little longer.

Over the next half hour, she slowly relaxed. Camden did his best to put her at ease, mostly talking about his grandparents and his memories of visiting this house when he was a child. She focused at first on her bowl, talking little, but eventually started asking him questions and meeting his eyes.

When the front door slammed open, Autumn startled.

“It’s just Gray.”
You can trust him, angel.
And you can trust me, too.

Grayson strode into the kitchen and set a grocery bag and two to-go cups of coffee onto the table. “Shouldn’t you be in bed, Cam?”

“I’m fine.” Grayson slid one of the cups over and Camden picked it up, sniffing happily at the familiar dark-roast aroma. “Thanks for going shopping.”

Grayson snorted. “I like getting in touch with my domestic side now and then.” He unpacked the groceries he’d bought and then gazed at Autumn. “Is this everything you needed?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As she quickly rose and began putting things away, Camden felt a jolt of disappointment that their time alone had come to an end.

• • •

Camden was sitting up in bed later that afternoon. As Autumn came in with a tray, he switched off the television.

“Are you hungry?”

“Sure.” He gazed at her as she set the tray on his lap. “Don’t think you have to wait on me, though. You’re here as my guest.”

She gave him a small smile. “I don’t mind.”

As she started for the door, he took in a breath. Damn it, but he didn’t want her to leave. “How are your arms feeling?”

She turned around, a small crease between her brows. “My arms?”

“All those shots you had . . . you must be sore.”

“No.” She brushed a hand over her arm. “I’m fine.”

Camden took an appreciative sniff of the soup she’d made. “This smells amazing.”

That adorable dimple flashed as she smiled.

Flavor exploded over his tongue as he took a bite. “Delicious. I haven’t had homemade soup in God only knows how long.”

“How are you feeling?” she asked as he spooned up more soup.

More than thrilled she was continuing the conversation, he grinned. “I’ve been better.”

He studied her face. Gone was the terror that had consumed her that night at Cobb’s. She was truly beautiful.