Not seeing her for all that time hadn’t helped, not even a little. Her voice had come through the phone line sounding all sexy and deep, sending his imagination into overdrive. The worst part of the entire situation? That he knew she wasn’t trying to be seductive, wasn’t trying to lure him to her. Her innocence was a flipping aphrodisiac — far more effective than chocolate or oysters. Being away from her hadn’t done anything to lessen his obsession. If anything, as he discovered when he saw her again after so long, it had only made the coals red-hot.
He’d never before so desired to grab a woman, throw her down on the kitchen table, and show her how high he could make her fly. He’d wanted to bury himself within her, make her scream out his name. He’d wanted to claim her as his…and he still wanted to.
Damn! Now he was getting hard, and this wasn’t the time or place. If Cam got even a hint, he’d pounce with his rapier wit. Humiliating. Bryson sat back down.
“Go on,” he said, taking a long swallow from his glass.
Cam’s eyes were suspicious, but he didn’t call Bryson out on his pathetic behavior.
“Her testimony would help seal the case. It’s just that her situation sucked.”
“Sucked? Really, Cam? Is that official lawyer speak?”
“Shut up, Bryson. I’m trying to put it in layman’s terms for your benefit,” Cam fired back.
“Okay, okay, enough shots at each other. You’re sure she’s going to cooperate?” Bryson was worried that she’d take off at the last minute. She was damn good at hiding, and they might not find her again until it was too late. Then he’d have to bust her. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Yes, she’ll testify. We will meet and get her official statement. If I can keep her off the witness stand, I will, but I don’t think that can happen. There are a few more balls that need to be gathered up before we make the official charge. It doesn’t help that Jesse now knows what is happening. All of the witnesses are under protection of U.S. marshals, not to mention us, and he’s becoming desperate. That concerns me.”
Bryson’s stomach tensed. If Camden was worried, there was a problem. “My supervisor is aware of Jesse’s activities and he’s given us the same information. There is nothing more dangerous than a hunted animal, and that’s what Jesse is right now. The boss has assigned me to stay close to here. Axel is covering one of the other witnesses, but we’re communicating daily.”
“A few minutes could be the difference between life and death,” Camden warned him.
“What in the hell am I supposed to do? Move in with her?”
“Yeah, I somehow don’t think that will help. You could easily get blindsided when the perp comes in and you’re lying on top of her, oblivious to the world.”
Suddenly Bryson was in his friend’s face. “Don’t talk about her that way.”
When Cam began laughing, Bryson realized what a fool he was making of himself. He immediately backed off, hoping to recover the situation.
“Whoa, you have it bad,” Cam said between chuckles.
“What in the hell is this girl doing to me?” Bryson asked. “We haven’t even kissed.” He was unusually perplexed. “She’s a witness; she’s crucial to this trial. I can’t screw this up — I’ve never screwed it up before.” He ran a hand through his already mussed hair.
“We all fall eventually, my friend,” Cam said, rising to his feet.
“Neither of us has,” Bryson reminded him.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Cam said, his eyes losing focus for a minute, as if he were no longer in the room with Bryson.
“Now I’m curious,” Bryson said, on red alert.
“It doesn’t matter. Just an old flame.”
“I’ve known you for fifteen years, Cam. If something is tying you up, it won’t stop until you fix the situation. You’ve always had a killer instinct about people, which is what makes you the best damn lawyer I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
It was a rare moment when the two men let down their guard and spoke honestly. Sometimes, being a man wasn’t easy — always trying to play the hero, always doing what was expected. Feelings just weren’t allowed.
“Let’s just get through one case at a time,” Cam said. “We’ll lock this bastard up for good, and then we can worry about our pathetic love lives.”
“I hear you and agree,” Bryson told him.
“I need to fly back early, so I’m going to catch a nap and then head out. You fly up next week, and we’ll get her testimony on record, then catch dinner at my place before you rush away.”
“I’ve had your cooking, Cam. I’d rather live.”
“I agree! We’ll go out, Bryson.”
“Sounds like a plan. This should be an interesting trip.”
The two men parted, and Bryson climbed the stairs of his temporary home. The next week was going to be hell. He would just have to make sure he kept it professional. Of course he’d do that. He was a professional, after all. Having reassured himself on that point, he got into the shower.
Yes, he would put his feelings over this girl on the back burner — keep it neutral — do the job he was hired to do.
It was easier said than done, he knew when he was lying in bed an hour later, thinking of Misty each time he shut his eyes.
“Aw, hell,” he muttered as he twisted onto his side and punched his pillow into a usable headrest. He finally fell asleep, and his dreams were filled with one green-eyed beauty and her killer body.
Chapter Eight
The day wasn’t going as planned, and not only did Bryson have a wicked headache that was threatening to make the top of his skull explode, but he was also running late and worried about Misty. The marshal had flown with her to Montana, and he had come in later.
Dammit.
He’d wanted to fly with her. Maybe his supervisor had realized that…maybe they knew he was feeling less than professional with her. That wouldn’t be good for his career. The problem was that he didn’t give a lick about his career at the moment.
Right there was a reason he should avoid this woman. She was making him not care about matters that had always been important to him. When a woman wanted a man to change, that was the time to get as far from her as possible.
Okay, the problem wasn’t her. It was him. She didn’t even know he was having these inappropriate thoughts, and she hadn’t tried to change him. It was just happening. He couldn’t even think straight.