Her Forever Hero (Unexpected Heroes #3)(36)

“You wouldn’t do that to your friend, now, would you?” Cam said, giving his best buddy-buddy look.

“Hell yes, and I’ll do it with a big smile, knowing you’re going to get your ass kicked. If Natalie hears about this, I’ll be staying in your house, too,” Hawk warned him.

“I always have a room open for friends,” Cam said with a laugh.

“Just hurry up and get out of here so I can go home and see my wife. I want a last supper before this gets out.”

“It won’t ever get out, Hawk. I guarantee it,” Cam said.

“Yeah, somehow I’m not believing that,” Hawk told him.

Cam walked into Grace’s apartment, ready to do more battle if need be. It was a great space, actually, even if he did hate apartments. She’d decorated the place well, tastefully but not over-the-top, and a person felt welcome the moment they stepped through the front door.

He walked into her room and found her pulling things out of the closet and slipping them into a bag. She turned around and jumped.

“You should have said something, Cam,” she said with her hand on her heart, and she took a deep breath. “You nearly scared me to death.”

“Sorry about that. Why so jumpy?” He moved over to her dresser and opened the top drawer, incredibly happy with his find.

“Anyone would be jumpy to see a giant standing where no one had been a moment before,” she told him as she turned to grab another shirt.

“Mmm, so you like what you see,” he said before picking up a lacy red thong. “Nice panties.” He held them up and enjoyed the look of horror on her face when she turned back to him.

“Stay out of my drawers,” she snapped as she rushed over to him, grabbed the delicates, and slammed her drawer shut.

“But, darlin’, I’ve spent years trying to get into your drawers. Anyway, I’m just trying to help you move faster. Hawk said not to linger,” he told her as he opened another drawer, striking gold again with what had to be the matching bra.

“Camden Whitman, have you no decency?” She snatched the bra from him, then reached in and grabbed the clothes in the top drawer and shoved them into her suitcase.

“Get the items in that next drawer, too,” he said with a wink.

With a smirk, she opened that drawer. “Gladly.” She scooped out a bunch of socks.

“Come on, Gracie, you know there has to be lingerie in one of these drawers,” he practically growled.

“I don’t think I’ll be needing any of that,” she assured him.

“You’re right. I’d just rip it right off.”

“Really? I don’t think so. You had a chance this morning and turned me down flat,” she practically snarled.

“I want more than a one-night stand. What are you going to do, sue me?”

“And I don’t like being controlled.”

“You’re not being any fun at all right now,” he said with a pout.

“That’s just too bad for you. I’m not exactly in a playful mood. I haven’t even had time to figure out where I’m going to go. I’d call Sage again, but she and Spence won’t be back from the conference until Tuesday.”

“You’re going to stay with me,” he told her, opening another drawer against her wishes and finding jammies, although not the ones he’d been hoping for. Still, he grabbed some and placed them in her bag.

“Staying with you isn’t an option,” she told him before grabbing a few more items and then zipping the bag closed. “Now be a good boy and take this out for me. I have a few more items I need to pack.”

Cam decided not to argue with her. He’d just place her things in his vehicle and she’d either have to follow him to his place or go without her clothes. That sounded perfectly reasonable to him.

She packed two more suitcases, and they were done within fifteen minutes. “I just want to do a final sweep to make sure I’ve got everything I’ll need for the next week or so,” she told Cam as he grabbed her last bag.

“No problem. I’ll wait for you outside.” He moved down the stairs and loaded up the last case, then leaned against his truck and chatted with Hawk.

“I really would like to be there when she finds out what a meddler you’re being,” Hawk said as he chewed on a toothpick.

“Well, she’s not going to find out, so we don’t have to worry about that, do we?”

“We’ll see, Cam. In a perfect world, you just might be correct. But since when have our lives ever gone as smoothly as we’ve wanted them to go?” Hawk chuckled.

“Okay, I’ve got what I’ll need for the week, Hawk. My house is going to be done this coming Friday, so there won’t be a problem with me staying here after that anyway,” Grace said. She was being far more polite to the town fire chief than she was being with Cam.

That only grated the tiniest bit.

“Sounds good, Grace. I hope your night goes a lot better from here on out,” Hawk said before climbing into his vehicle and taking off.

“Okay, follow me home,” Cam said as he moved to the driver’s side of her car and held the door open for her.

“I told you I wasn’t going to your house, Cam. You really need to learn to take no for an answer,” she snapped at him.