Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(8)

She groaned and coughed a few times from the bathroom and then her soft steps trudged down the hallway. When she turned the corner, she gasped and backed into the wall. “What the hell are you doing in here?”

I held out the glass of water. “You left your purse on the floor and the keys in the door. I figured the last thing you’d want is the guy from the bar coming in here while you’re puking your guts out. You weren’t exactly running toward him.”

“Or worse, a complete stranger could just walk in,” she snapped. “You can’t just go into someone’s home like this. It’s the perfect way to get shot.”

I chuckled. “I think you can handle your own. You almost broke my arm back there. Where did you learn that move anyway? I’m impressed.”

Before she could reply, a knock sounded on her door. “Brooke, it’s me. Open up.”

“Fuck,” she hissed quietly. When I looked at her, she put a finger to her lips and shook her head.

Another knock. “Brooke, I know you’re in there.” She stayed quiet and kept a stony gaze at the door, clenching her fists tight.

“Do you need me to get rid of him?” I whispered.

She shook her head. “No, he’ll leave in a minute. At least I hope he does.” She didn’t seem scared, just annoyed. After a few more minutes, the knocking ceased and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I thought he’d never leave.”

“Who is he?” I asked.

“I think I should be asking who you are,” she countered. “If you try anything funny, I’m going to warn you. I have a gun strapped to the inside of my thigh and I have a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Now, who are you?”

“Are you serious?”

“Try me.”

I was almost tempted to call her bluff, but I was the one in her condo without permission. “My name’s Camd . . . Cameron,” I said quickly. “Cameron James. And you’re Brooke?”

She nodded. “Brooklyn, actually. Most people call me Brooke or B. Now if you don’t mind, I’d rather spend the rest of my humiliation alone. It’s not every day I upchuck my liquid dinner in front of the hot neighbor.”

I liked this girl. She had fire. Also, she looked in my eyes and not at my scar. “So you think I’m hot?” I hadn’t heard that in a while.

Rolling her eyes, she walked past me to the door and opened it. “Goodnight, Cameron James.”

For the first time in months, I smiled. Strolling past her out into the hallway, I glanced back at her. “Goodnight, Brooklyn. Make sure you drink plenty of water and take something for a headache. You’re gonna need it.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thanks anyway.” Her gaze never strayed from mine until the door shut. Having her as a neighbor was going to be interesting. Charlotte might not be a bad city after all.





It was early morning and I was going to check out a café Mason had suggested. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue polo shirt, I ran my hands through my hair and started out the door. Brooklyn was either passed out to the world or suffering a major hangover. Either way, she wasn’t going to answer the door if I knocked.

Once out of the building and onto the busy sidewalk, I found Macie’s Café sign just around the corner. Everything was all good until I walked through the door. Holy f*cking shit, I had just stepped into my grandmother’s parlor. I was going to kill Mason for this. There were no men around, only blue haired, old ass ladies catching up on the gossip before heading to church.

Before turning around to walk out the door, someone caught my attention. She wasn’t in a dress, or sitting with a group of women, so she stuck out like a sore thumb. Her golden hair laid in waves down her shoulders and she had on a pink T-shirt that looked sexy as hell on her tanned skin. She was by herself, drinking a cup of coffee with the newspaper laid out in front of her. When she brought the cup up to her lips and lifted her gaze, she froze.

I walked up to her table. “You’re looking much better this morning.”

She set her cup down and batted her eyes in annoyance. It wasn’t often I noticed natural beauty, but she had it. Even with no makeup on her face, she was stunning. “Gee, thanks. I hope that’s not your idea of a compliment.” This girl really did have fire. I could see it in those bright green eyes of hers. Then, she focused back on her paper, dismissing me.

“Actually, it was. Do you mind if I join you?” I asked, taking the seat across from her.

She scoffed. “It doesn’t look like I have much choice now does it?”

“I can always leave, but I figured after last night you owed me.”

Eyes wide, her head snapped up. “Owe you? For what?”

“For keeping your boyfriend away. If I left your door open and walked away, he would’ve gone inside. Judging by the way you acted last night, I’d say you didn’t want that.”

The fight in her eyes subsided and her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. What do you want from me?”

“A couple answers will suffice for now. But first . . .”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she said, with an annoyed smirk on her face.

“How did you know I was going to ask?”

“I had a feeling and I figured I’d save you the trouble.”