Keeper of the Alphas - Complete (14 page)

Tyburn was tucked into the small bowl of the mountain range that surrounded it. North from the town, you hit Argonne, the trailer park, and then into the uphill climb of the mountain, steeped with trees and black slabs of rock. Jayce’s Camaro purred easily around the twisted curves of the road, hugging the mountainside, and maneuvered through dirt and rocks until they broke out at a clearing.

Jayce killed the engine and then got out and opened the door for Cami. “Since when are you a gentleman?” Cami smirked.

“Since now.”

Cami had a good quip to match his, but her words caught in her throat when she realized where they were. The Umpqua hot springs were layered in the smooth cliff in front of them, small, sky-blue pools of clean, clear water.

Even though his breath fogged out in front of him, Jayce grinned and began unbuttoning his sweater. “Wanna go for a dip?”

“I didn’t bring a bathing suit.” Cami grinned.

“Yeah, me neither.” Jayce tilted his head, a challenge in his eyes, and said, “C’mon. You’ve seen it all before.” With that, he yanked his sweater and shirt over his head and then dropped his pants. Down to his black boxers, he piled his clothes up on the hood of his car.

God
, that body was just unfair. Toned, sleek, with muscles carved into his washboard abdomen. Photoshop not required. He had the kind of body the ancient Romans built temples for. Of course, he didn’t stop there. His boxers topped off the pile on his car and then he plunged into the hot spring. Great view of his tight ass; she thought about gripping it as he plunged into
her
, again and again…

“You coming in or you just gonna leave me hanging?” He resurfaced, short hair matted to the side of his head, crooked grin stamped on his mouth.

Right
.
Turn your brain back on, Cami.
She skewered a smile on her lips and tugged her dress up over her head. Her stockings went next and she rolled them off. Had some grand notion of being sexy about it, but she was far too unbalanced from one foot to the other and hopped out of them. No real classy way to get out of the thing. The cold air was unforgiving and nipped hungrily at her skin as she unveiled it bit by bit. She kept her bra and panties on, however. Just because he’d
seen
her already didn’t mean he got full access anytime he wanted. She tried to act confident but she felt awkward like this, her belly hanging out in full daylight, especially when he was so completely and utterly
toned
.

Jayce didn’t seem to care—not in any negative way, anyway. His eyes lingered on her, and not in that judgmental, eat-more-salad way. More like the way Marcus looked at her, something animal lighting up his eyes. He was anything
but
self-conscious in front of her, treading water as she lowered herself in.

She gasped. The springs were hot—obviously—but the sharp change in temperature still took the breath out of her when she submerged herself to her waist. She clung to the sides, where smooth rock ledges had been carved, and lingered, half in, half out, trying to adjust.

Jayce just smirked. “You look like a wet cat. Just jump in.”

“You look like a…California surfer,” she said from her perch. “Who gets tan in Oregon?”

He swam over to her—not far, the pool was barely the size of a hot tub—and slipped his hands to her thighs. “You’re coming in. Ready? One, two—”

“Jayce!” That was all she managed to squeak out before he tugged her legs and yanked her in, fully. In the water, she was weightless, and he held her as she clung to his shoulders. She laughed, giddy in his arms, the hot water lapping at her chest, soaking her pale bra straight through. The sudden temperature change had done a number on her; her nipples tightened into little pink pebbles under the thin fabric.

Her legs treaded water and when they brushed against him, she felt him already hard. Her giggles subsided and she tilted her forehead against his, feeling her body heat up completely. Between the hot springs and Jayce’s erection, she had a veritable wildfire dancing in her blood. She could see his breath crystalize in the air and felt it patter against her lips.

“Guess you like wet cats,” she said, breathless for the second time.

“I’ve got a thing for pussy,” he murmured in the small gap between them.

She groaned. Audibly. And twisted her head away. “Stop that.”

He blinked. “What?”

“You know what…” She lifted her hand and dropped it. “The cheesy pickup lines. You’re not James Bond. I’m not Ursula Andrews.”

“Andress.”

“That’s my
point
.” She put her hands on his chest, keeping him at bay, and looked into his soft earthen eyes. “It’s me. Cami. Not some dumb tourist you picked up at the local hot spot. Just be
you
.”

He hesitated at that and then grinned, almost sheepishly, like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Yeah…sorry. I guess I just have trouble keeping my hands off you.”

“Which I appreciate,” she said, settling back against the wall. “Just take it down a notch, cowboy.”

“Alright.” He gave her hand a little squeeze then released her, completely, settling back against the wall beside her.
Now
he looked self-conscious, ego deflated, and played his fingertips against the water-stained stone. She couldn’t help but feel a little accomplished. Didn’t like knocking him down a peg, but
there
was the boy she knew. The insecure, awkward little nerd who was more likely to rattle on about the gender inequality in Marvel movies than shove a half-naked woman up against the side of a hot pool.

“How’s your family?” Cami asked, mercifully filling in the silent gaps.

“Dad’s fine,” Jayce said, though he watched the water when he said it. Obedient son, even when he was just
talking
about his old man. “He’s a couple states up on a hunting trip. Not as much fun here ever since he and his buddies wiped the wolves out.”

“All of them?” Cami said, wrinkling her nose. “That’s kind of sad. Wolves are cute.”

Jayce scoffed. “Clearly, you haven’t seen them with their teeth bared and growling.” Looked almost
proud
when he talked about it, though, like it was some great family accomplishment, so she didn’t push it.

“So you’re the new sheriff-to-be in town, huh?” Cami said. “Holding down the fort until your dad gets back?”

“That’s the idea,” he said.

“What inspired that?”

He gave her a half-shrug. “I got bored and took the test for kicks. Didn’t think I’d pass.”

“I remember. You used to look over my shoulder during tests.”

“Middle school is rough, guy does what he has to in order to survive.” He flashed her a grin. Less forcibly charming, and she found herself warming up to it more.

“What’s the other reason?”

“What do you mean?”

“The real reason you got into it?”

He looked over at her, genuinely amused now. “I can’t get anything past you, can I?”

She shook her head vehemently.

“Alright.” He leaned back, propping his elbows on the rock shelf, and sighed. “I don’t know…as much of a pain in the ass Tyburn is sometimes…it’s still my town. And I have to protect it.”

The conviction in his words tangled Cami in a barbed wire of unease. “Protect it from
what
?” she asked hesitantly.

“Bad people,” he said, and looked straight at her. “And bad things.”

Bad things…like Marcus? His words felt loaded, but…Cami couldn’t tell if he
knew
or if she was just being paranoid.

“Yeah, but how do you
know
they’re bad?” she said, her smile only half-wilted. “Maybe they’re just…you know. Different.”

“Nothing wrong with different,” Jayce said, slipping his hand over the back of her head and toying her hair. “So long as it doesn’t steal, kill, or generally cause any legal disturbance.” He pushed a strand of her hair back and said, “Why…you aren’t harboring fugitives, are you?”

Uh-oh. That hit a little too close to home.

(Stop being crazy, Cami. He’s only teasing.)

“Yeah,” she grinned. “Me. I’m wanted in twenty-one states.”

“Oh yeah?” Jayce’s turn to look amused. “So should I handcuff you now or later?”

“Funny you should say that—you know, I vaguely remember you mentioning handcuffs earlier and then I never saw them again. What was that about?”

“You were drunk,” he said through his smile. “I’m surprised you remember anything at all.”

“My brain,” she said. “Like an elephant.” She sized him up, and then added, “How many girls have you fucked in your Camaro?”

He balked. “
What
? I never—”

“Ah-ah-ah.” Cami wagged a finger at him. “
Real
, remember? Come on. You strut that car like peacock feathers. Don’t tell me it hasn’t gotten you laid before.”

He deflated. “Alright…you really want a number?”

“If you can remember it.”

“Forty-one.”

“Are you serious?”

“Deadly.”

“What’s the town population of Tyburn?”

“Forty-two.”

Cami laughed loudly and splashed him. “You’re full of shit, Jayce Alastair. Since when did you become a slut?”

“I live in a trailer park surrounded by the same people I’ve known since I was two. I’m miserable. Wildly unhappy. And I’m trying to fuck the pain away. Besides, I get stuff.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “Got that jacket.”

“I like that jacket,” Cami said.

“Me too.” Though he smiled when he said it, there was a real genuineness around his eyes. He was telling the truth.

“When I got out of the crazy house, you wanna know the first thing I did?”

“What?”

“Fuck.”

“Seriously?”

“I just wanted to feel normal, you know? I was sick of people treating me like I was some breakable thing.”

“Nah,” he said, leaning back. “You’re stronger than that.”

She glanced over at him, sizing him up for a lie. “You think so?”

Jayce nodded and kept his eyes level with hers. “Definitely.”

“So maybe I didn’t think this all the way through,” Jayce said as they clambered back into his car, shivering.

“You think?” Cami closed the door behind her quickly but she was still soaking wet with splotches all over her dress in thirty-degree weather. Going for a dip in the hot springs was fun, until you didn’t have a towel or a change of clothes and nothing but winter weather to greet you. Jayce cranked up the heat.

“Here.” He grabbed his jacket and tossed it over her. The
nice
jacket. Cami clutched it to her front anyway, her teeth chattering.

He finished zipping up his pants, pulled his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, and then cranked his car into gear. “Just try not to soak through the upholstery.”

“Too late. You’ve got no one but yourself to blame.”

“Yeah, alright.” He glanced over at her briefly. “I’ve got something else to show you, if you’re up for it.”

“Is it your dick?”

He snorted a laugh, shook his head. “No. Unless you want it to be.”

Cami waved her hand. “Just take me somewhere
warm
, I don’t care where.”

“You’ve got it.”

The Camaro puttered on and slowly the car became a mobile oven. Classic rock was still rattling on with twangy guitars and shuddering percussions and Cami finally leaned over and began twisting through the stations.

“What are you doing?” Jayce said and his eyes left the road to shoot her a horrified look.

“Oh! This is my jam.” Cami started waving her arms with the Taylor Swift song. “T-swizzle, c’mon, get with it, Jayce.”

Jayce bit back a grin. “How good are you at duck and roll? I’m going to push you out of my car.”

“
That’s what people say—oh oh.
I know you know the words.”

Jayce looked horrified. “Do I look like a Taylor Swift fan?”

Cami tossed herself back in her chair. “Nah, you’re right. You’re more of a Justin Bieber guy. You have a need for Biebs, Jayce? Bieber fever?”

Jayce reached over and flicked the radio station back to classic rock. “Okay, just…don’t touch my car,” he said, barely able to contain the obvious anxiety in his chest. “Driver picks the music. I’m pretty sure that’s a universally accepted law.”

“Oh yeah, lawman? Is that a Tyburn thing?”

“Yeah. And I’m enforcing it. Right now. Driver picks the music or the passenger rides in the back with handcuffs.”

Cami pushed one of the vents back so she could get hot air in her face. Jayce physically winced. “
Touchy
,” Cami said and leaned against the window.

The Camaro rolled into town and finally came to a stop on the street. There were finally people wandering around town now, all dressed nicely in church clothes. Meanwhile, Cami was stuck in her rumpled dress, stockingless (no way she was getting those back on wet), and blotted with damp spots that hadn’t dried properly. “Jayce,” she hissed, “I’m not really in walk-around-town clothes.”

“It’s right up here,” Jayce said, pointing to the abandoned storefront beside them. “I’ll smuggle you in.”

Before she could argue more, he got up and shut the car door behind him. Cami watched as he walked around the front of the car and up to the store. He fished in his pocket, picked out a key, and opened up the padlock. He propped the glass door open with his foot, then waved Cami over.

She glanced left. Then right. And then scurried out of the car and inside with a squeak.

“Are we breaking in?” she whispered even though there wasn’t anyone around, clutching his arm.

“Yeah,” he said, dangling the key in front of her face. “With a key.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. It looked like an abandoned hair salon, tiny, but equipped with swivel chairs, full mirrors, sinks, and desks. “If you wanted a cut, all you had to do was ask.”

She ran her fingers over one of the desks, collecting dust. A little run-down, but
nice
. She was suddenly itching to get her fingers in someone’s hair, longing for the creative release. She got moody, pent up if she went too long without it.

Jayce grabbed a chair and swiveled it around to straddle the back as he watched her walk through. “It was some kind of chain boutique over the summer. Thought they’d drum up a little business here. Then they realized exactly how one-horse-town it was and got the hell out of Dodge. Left a lot of their stuff here, though.”

“What’s going to happen to it?” Cami asked. If there were professional-grade scissors for the taking, she would get her hands on them before they so much hit the ground.

Jayce gave a shrug. “You tell me.”

Cami twisted around to look at him and squinted. “What do you mean?”

“I asked Jenny about your hair salon in New York,” he said. “Looked it up. Couldn’t find mention of you anywhere.”

Cami shrugged off an embarrassed blush. “Yeah, well. Working my way up the ranks, you know how it is.”

“So, what—they’ve got you as a glorified secretary or something?”

“Well, that’s the way jobs
work
. You start off small. Climb the ladder. It’s no big deal.”

“Nah,” Jayce said, shaking his head. “You don’t need to be answering phones. You’ve got talent, Cami. Use it. Right here.” He tilted his head to motion to the store. “This is yours if you want it.”

She felt her heart speed up a couple hundred beats. There it was again. That feeling of going over a cliff. Only this time she wasn’t in a car, she was in a derailed, out-of-control train. “Jayce—”

“Before you say you can’t,” Jayce said, catching her hands in his own, “or that you need some time to think about it or whatever, just…humor me.” He grinned a wide, boyish grin and got up, spreading his arms from fingertip to fingertip. “Check it out.
Tell me
this place doesn’t belong to you.”

“It
doesn’t
,” Cami said, lifting her hand. “I mean, of course it’s awesome…” She was flustered, fumbling over her words. Distracted by oval mirrors in perfect condition, sleek sinks, and fully stocked desks. “But I just…I don’t know the first thing about running a shop…I’m not even supposed to stay here…”

“Stay,” Jayce said. His voice was taut, suddenly vulnerable. It was a
plea
, not a demand. Like a man with a noose around his neck trying to avoid a hanging. He swooped over beside her and tossed his arm over her shoulder to yank her in close before lifting his hand in an L shape in front of them like a director. “Picture it.
Cami’s Curls
. Or whatever you wanna call it. Big, girly letters on top. You get to choose your customers. Chase out anyone you don’t want with scissors. Who cares?” He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Tyburn’s not all that bad.”

“Yeah,
maybe
,” Cami said, frustrated. She gave him a shove off. “Maybe for you. But I look around and see Lynn everywhere. And all the damaging shit she put me through.”

“So that’s it,” he said, his jaw setting. Good humor dissipating. “You’re just going to tuck tail and run.”

“At least I
got out
,” Cami snapped. Anger lit up inside of her instantly, unreasonably, and Jayce was like gasoline on her open flame. She spun around to leave.

“Hey—hey.” Jayce stepped in front of her and put his hands to her arms to stop her. “Okay…you’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

His voice was soft, genuine. Eyes big, like a kicked puppy’s. She wanted to stay mad at him, wanted to rage against him—
why
? Because he offered her a place of her own? Her feelings were haywire, uncontrollable, which just left her even more frustrated. And those eyes were making it
incredibly
difficult to hold a grudge. She sighed and relented with, “Look…it’s a sweet thought. Really. I don’t even know…how’d you get this place?” A thought crossed her mind:
same place you got the sweater?

As if he read her mind, a light grin sneaked up on his lips. “I have a friend. A
man friend
. I begged and pleaded and Sheriff said he’d give me first dibs since the lease hasn’t technically expired yet. If you want it, it’s yours. If not, they’ll probably demolish it and put up another fishing store.”

Cami snorted a light laugh, eyes adverted to his collar bones. “Doesn’t Tyburn already have like five of those?”

“Yeah. And you could be the one thing standing between us and a sixth. Help us, Cami, you’re our only hope.”

Cami exhaled, and then lifted her eyes and said gently, “Jayce…it’s been…years since we spoke. I’m not that same little girl that used to chase you around the woods. We barely know each other anymore. Why are you being so nice to me?”

“It doesn’t feel that way, though, does it?” he asked, eyes locking on hers. So
genuine
, so loyal. “I mean, when I’m with you…I don’t know. It feels like you never left.”

Cami swallowed hard. Then she leaned in and carefully brushed her lips against his. She could feel his breath beating against her lips and tasted the softness of his mouth as he slowly closed the gap between them. The tip of his tongue grazed her bottom lip, gentle, like kids learning how to kiss.

His tongue sent an electric shock pulsing through her. She craved his heat suddenly, his warmth, his sweetness. His mouth was a furnace and she warmed herself on it, deepening the kiss, pressing up on her toes to reach him better. Her hand slipped over the back of his head and when she felt short, cropped hair. She felt a stab of guilt. Marcus.
What would he think
—?

“What happened here?” Jayce mused as though reading her thoughts, his hand at the back of her hair. It took her a second to realize he was talking about the bruises on her neck.

She shrugged. “Life.”

A look paced over Jayce’s face—oh no, please don’t be
pity
. But then Jayce pressed her up against a desk and her thoughts scattered like ripped buttons. Her clothes came off, dropping with a wet slop to the floor, and his followed suit. Soon she was grabbing him, her fingernails raking down the soft skin of his back, over his lean muscles. His mouth was everywhere, on her lips, on her neck, on her breasts (her nipples painfully hard, chafed), and even the softest brush of his lips made her whimper, her thighs quivering. She leaned back against the mirror as his lips traveled down, and down…

“No, no, no,” she murmured, short of breath, as she gripped his short hair and urged him back up. “Stay here. With me.”

He looked surprised, grateful, and gave a nod. Then his tongue found hers again and his hand reached between her legs instead. She felt him explore her and let out a short hiss. He felt like ice against her burning pussy.

“Is that okay?” He sounded worried.

She nodded, laughed. “Cold fingers.”

“Sorry,” he said with a grin of his own. He drew his hand back and then sucked his finger into his mouth. Tasting her as his eyes never left her own, making her ache that much more. With that, he returned his hand between her legs and twisted one finger inside her. “Better?”

“Mmhm,” she whined, encouraging as his finger crooked and hit
that spot
almost instantly. He stroked her (come hither) and she felt her body responding to the intrusion. The cold felt nice after a second and her body grew doubly hot. He twisted his hand and rolled his thumb in slow, deliberate circles around her sensitive clit.

Oh
…he knew just how to touch her. It was unfair, really, like he’d studied her body for years. She felt her thighs clench around his wrist as her kiss grew sloppy with need and felt his erection brush against her skin.

Suddenly craving it, she reached for him. Matching his slow, exploratory pace, she just brushed her fingertips over the silky smooth skin of his cock. She just barely tickled her fingers over his length, ghosting over every inch, teasing him. He grew even under her light touches, until his dick was bobbing, an impressive shade of red.

“Shit, you’re going to make me lose my mind,” he said with a light laugh, hips giving a jerk as he tried to get closer to her.

“That’s the point.” She grinned and wrapped her fingers snug around him, giving him a single, full pump. He groaned in her mouth with audible relief and his fingers played lazily inside of her. It was like a challenge now, a game to see who would give in first. She could feel herself throbbing around his fingers as her pleasure wound tighter and tighter with every curl of his finger, but she wasn’t about to give up yet. She drew her hand up his dick and rubbed her thumb over his swollen head. Heard him suck in a breath, felt a wet drop of pre-cum and coated him with it.

“What’s wrong, Jayce?” She grinned. “Can’t take a little handjob?”

He gritted his teeth, shuddered against the pleasure. “Naughty girl,” he breathed. Her arrogance dissolved, however, when she felt a third finger circle her asshole.

Oh.
She whimpered, felt a flush rise up her neck and cheek, and he worked her like a piano, pressing keys just right. Pleasure crisscrossed inside of her, sparking all throughout her body, lighting her up until she was humping his hand, wanting more. “I need you inside of me,” she said hurriedly, caving.