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Paul’s features tightened with anger. “If someone is using the situation with Wallace to deliberately harass and frighten you, I want you to know that I will bring the full force of the law down on them. No one gets away with that, Cammie. I’ve … I’ve heard things haven’t been easy for you, but I want you to know as a police officer, I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
Tears trembled on Cameron’s lashes and she choked out a thank-you.
He nodded, looking uncharacteristically anguished. Paul had always been a stoic sort of bloke.
“We …” I cleared the hoarse emotion from my throat. “Me, Quinn, and the lads made a very public point at the Lantern last night. Maybe we incited this.”
Cameron reached out to squeeze my arm, giving me a reproving shake of her head. “No, don’t think that.”
Paul frowned. “What kind of point?”
“We warned everyone we wouldn’t put up with what was being said to and about Cameron. Some of them were outright harassing her.”
He nodded. “I’ll talk to Aodhan, see if he remembers exactly who was there last night.” He directed his next words at Cameron. “Unfortunately, your home is a crime scene. We need to dust it for prints. Do you have somewhere you can stay until we can let you back in?”
“She’ll stay with me,” I offered quickly.
“No—”
I cut her off with a glare. “You’ll stay with me where I can keep an eye on you.”
She pinched her lips together and didn’t speak again, obviously not wanting to have this argument in front of the officers and Paula. There was no sense of triumph, though. I was too worried about her to feel smug over finally winning an argument.
“It’s almost time to get up and get on with the day, anyway,” Cameron futilely attempted to argue about staying with me as we pulled up to my house.
“Aye, but we’ll both be useless without some sleep.”
“Quinn will be worried if he wakes up and hears this news.”
It hadn’t escaped me over the years that Cameron only ever mentioned Quinn’s concern, Quinn’s worry, Quinn’s pride or happiness for her. Never her mum’s. “I’ll leave him a message.” I got out of my old Jeep before she could come up with another excuse not to stay and grabbed her overnight bag off the back seat—one of the female police officers had put it together for her. Bag in hand, I made it in time to the passenger side because she was bloody well trying to get out and walk on her own.
“Pressure off your foot,” I reminded her, sliding my arm around her waist.
She stiffened but then reluctantly put an arm around me for leverage as she hopped along. When she winced, I paused, shoved her bag over one shoulder, and swept her up into my arms.
Cameron let out a gasp of surprise but quickly wrapped her arms around my neck. “Some warning would have been nice,” she huffed as I carried her bridal style up to the house.
“Can you get my keys out of my shirt pocket?”
Avoiding my gaze, her fingers fumbled against my chest before she pulled them out. “I’ll do it.”
I bent her toward the lock, my grip on her tightening so she didn’t fall, as she inserted the key in and turned it. Using my back, I pushed us inside and kicked the door shut behind us.
Without another word, I carried her upstairs to my bedroom.
Her arms tightened around me. “I’m not sleeping in your bed!”
“Aye, you are. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
“I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
“The guest bed isn’t made up, and you need rest now.” I settled her onto my bed and stood, my mind going to not a very decent place considering the circumstances.
In my defense, I’d fantasized about having Cameron McQuarrie in my bed since I was twenty years old.
She shifted uncomfortably beneath my intense regard. “You could have dropped me off at Quinn’s. This … this doesn’t change anything between us.”
“It does.” Weariness weighed me down, but I forced out the words, “While you were traveling, I did a lot of work on myself. I know I fucked up with you. But before you write me off entirely, you need to know why I fucked up. It can wait until after we’ve both slept.”
