Lord Have Mercy (The Southern Gentleman #2)(42)

I drove the backroads through the residential district, realizing if I went this way our houses were about two miles apart.

When I shut the bike off in my driveway, she started to laugh. “You do realize that you had to cut through someone’s driveway, right?”

I shrugged. “I didn’t want to get on the main road without you protected.”

Her grin softened to a sweet smile.

“Go.”

I went, letting Dooley out into the yard to pee while I went inside for my things.

It was only when I was coming out that I realized what I’d done. It’d been an ingrained habit to allow him outside to do his business. I never even thought about the fact that Camryn was there and scared of him.

I rushed out of the house with both helmets in my arms only to find her in my yard, on her knees, petting Dooley. Dooley’s hind leg was going a mile a minute as she scratched him on his chest, and his tongue was lolling out to the side and resting against the grass.

“You know,” I said softly as I walked up to them. “You’re going to have him forever rolling over at your feet if you continue to do that for him.”

She looked up with a satisfied, happy smile on her face. “I’m not scared of him anymore.”

I reached down and forward to swipe a tendril of hair out of her eyes.

“That’s good, baby,” I said softly. “Because you and he are going to spend a lot of time with each other now that you’re my girl.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m your girl?”

I tugged on her ponytail, causing even more of her hair to fall out of her band and around her face.

She snickered and pulled away, standing up and causing Dooley to groan out in frustration.

He rolled over and tossed me a glare.

“Hey,” I said to him, holding up my hands. “I didn’t tell her to stop.”

Dooley turned his head away and gave me the cold shoulder, causing me to roll my eyes.

“Are you ready?” I asked, ignoring my temperamental dog.

“Yes.” She stood up and groaned. “My knees hurt. And my abs. Also my butt.”

I grinned. “Then you’re probably not going to like hearing that we’re doing squats tomorrow, or that burpees are going to be thrown in there, too.”

She made a gagging sound, and I pulled her into my chest before dropping a kiss to her shoulder.

She picked up the helmets that I’d transferred to one hand and then gestured at Dooley. “You might want to get him inside before he tries to follow us back to my place.”

I grunted in reply but started back up the walk, calling out to Dooley on the way.

She whistled at me when I bent over to give him a good scratch.

“You’re getting hair on your nice pants!” she called out.

I looked down and sure enough, I had hair all over me.

Shrugging, I urged Dooley inside and then closed the door, locking it with the key before setting the alarm on my phone.

Once I was back on my bike with Camryn wrapped around me once more, I said, “Hopefully it all flies off with all the wind we’re about to get.”

She laughed, thinking I was joking. I wasn’t.





Chapter 12


I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I’ll let you know.

-Text from Camryn to Flint

Flint

“Your cheeks are all windburned,” I teased.

She touched her fingertips to her face and only ended up smearing barbeque sauce all over herself.

We were at one of the fanciest places that I’d willingly walk into in town—I wasn’t really all that excited about going out to eat at a restaurant that I couldn’t enjoy because I was worried about the goddamn people staring at me rather than eating.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked warily.

I gestured toward her face with my chin. “You just rubbed barbeque sauce all over your cheeks, and I’m contemplating licking it off.” I paused. “If my chief wasn’t two tables over, I might.”

She looked over at my chief, who we’d greeted when we’d arrived.

Two tables on our opposite side sat Nivea and none other than Carver, the man I’d wanted to kill since he’d started showing interest in Camryn.

It hadn’t mattered that I was seeing Nivea—I’d wanted Camryn.

Unfortunately, at the time, I knew that if I did anything with Camryn, dating or even a one-night stand, I wouldn’t be able to get her out of my head.

And I was right.

I hadn’t.

All it’d taken was one single time with her and I knew that I wouldn’t ever be able to let go.

Not that I wanted to—at least not anymore.

Before Camryn—BC as I liked to call it—I’d been adamant that I needed to remain unattached so I could grow my business. I just had way too much to do with the gym, working full-time at the school, as well as picking up oddball shifts here and there at the station.

I didn’t think that a girlfriend could fit into that.

But I was wrong.

Camryn fit so seamlessly that it was like she was always there…like she was meant to be.

“Your chief is looking over here again,” she muttered. “And Nivea hasn’t looked away since we walked in the door. Do you think she’s looking at you thinking she wants to do you, or do you think she’s looking at me thinking she wants to pull my nipples off and shove them up my nose?”