Page 44 of Her Noble Protector

Camilla laughed. “Nah, I’m not due to teach until next term. Right now I’m just counseling. As long as I have a phone and e-mail, I’m good to stay.”

“You don’t have to stay with me,” Lisa chimed in. “You can go home tonight.” She set down her half-eaten tuna sandwich on the paper bag and gave Cami a half-hearted smile.

“I want to stay. Anyway, Nic wants me to be around people while he’s out on his first mission. He’d probably like this better anyway, since Carys is at the hospital so much. They are so short-staffed, they’re giving her double shifts.”

“Does Cullen know about this?” Raiden asked.

“How could he, he’s on a mission?”

“Does this happen when he’s home?” Raiden persisted.

“No,” Cami admitted.

“Didn’t think so. He wouldn’t want anyone taking advantage of her. Yeah, if they were really in a pinch once, he’d understand, but on a continual basis, no way. I’ll give Cullen a call and let him know what’s up,” Raiden said.

Cami gave him a startled look. “You can’t do that.”

“Oh yeah, I can. The hospital is taking advantage of Carys, and he needs to know about it.”

“But he’s on a mission,” Cami protested.

“Let me worry about that.” He looked at Cami’s empty wrapper. “Are you done with lunch?”

Cami nodded.

“What about you, honey?” he asked Lisa in a softer voice.

“This is all I can eat. I’ll put the rest in the refrigerator.”

“I’ll tell you what. You ladies go in and clean, and I’ll make some calls. Then later tonight before Cami goes back to her hotel, I’ll have Harry come on by early so I can take a run.”

“Raiden, isn’t that a little overboard? You can go for a run now. Lisa and I will be just fine. After all, you went to your motel earlier and were gone for forty-five minutes,” Cami said.

“Yeah, but it’ll be dusk when I’m running, and I’ll be gone for two hours. We’ll wait for Harry.”

Cami looked at Lisa and rolled her eyes. Lisa giggled for the first time in eight weeks. They got up and went into the house to hopefully do the last bit of cleaning.

Please God say it was the last bit.

13

“Who do you think he’s out there talking to?” Lisa asked. “He sounds kind of angry.”

Camilla’s lips twitched. “According to the rumor mill he’s trying to kick his younger cousin’s ass and bring him back into the family fold. The kid needs it.”

Lisa looked back out into the backyard as she folded another piece of laundry. Then she saw Raiden’s lip twitch and his eyes turn heavenward. Okay, maybe he wasn’t really as angry as he was sounding.

“Raiden likes his family,” Lisa said.

“He told you that?” Cami asked.

“Yes.”

“What else did he tell you about himself?” Cami probed.

Lisa looked across the guestroom bed where Cami was folding clothes too. “Why are you asking?”

“Just wondering what you and Raiden have been talking about for the three days before I got here.”