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I didn’t feel like talking to anyone, so I hoped Devil would be out and the rest of them would be in bed. But I didn’t even make it to the stairs before Devil leaned out of the sitting room and called my name.
“Is there an emergency? If not, I’m going the fuck to bed.”
Devil snorted. “Is that code for stop cock-blocking me when Cameron’s here?”
“Devil, don’t antagonize him.” Fuck, Lucien was still up too?
My cousin rolled his eyes. “You’re so not getting away that easily.”
I heard Sabrina’s and Peter’s laughter from behind him. Jesus, was everyone in there? Everyone but Cameron, who was the only one I wanted to see.
Devil was right, though. I wasn’t getting out of this interrogation. I entered the sitting room and saw Lucien on the smaller sofa with Peter curled next to him. Sabrina was in a chair with a glass of wine and a plate of cookies next to her. Devil flopped down on the large sofa and stretched out.
Peter gestured toward the seat next to Sabrina. “Don’t worry. Cam is safely tucked away in your room.”
“Which is where I should be.”
“See? I was right, wasn’t I?” Devil said. He held up his hand to Peter, and Peter high-fived him.
Lucien scowled at his man. “You’re asking for trouble.”
Peter just smiled at him, confirming that yes, he was asking for it.
“Do you have anything important to ask me?” I really was tired.
“Why is Cameron here?” Lucien asked.
“Are you fucking serious? Someone tried to set fire to the bakery. He lives above it. You know that.”
“When other people need protection, you send them to a safe house or send more guards to stay with them. Your instinct with Cameron was to bring him home.”
“I have an agreement with him. That agreement includes protection. My personal protection.”
Sabrina snorted. “I’ll just bet it does.”
Lucien narrowed his eyes and studied me.
“I can’t risk him staying at the bakery. If something happened to him because of the agreement I made…” The lump in my throat wouldn’t let me get out any more words.
Devil reached out and laid a hand on my knee. “Nothing will happen. We’re all going to look out for him.”
Lucien smiled at me as he nodded. I’d obviously given him what he wanted by letting myself get fucking emotional. “If you bring someone to this house, that means they’re important. We’re going to protect him.”
“He’s going to insist on going to work tomorrow. He’s trying to have the bakery open again in three weeks.”
“That means we need to solve our problem really damn fast,” Sabrina said.
Devil nodded. “Marco and I have some leads we’re going to follow in the morning.”
“Good.” Lucien said. “Angelo, use whatever resources you need to protect Cameron.”
“I think Cameron can figure out whatever message Sergio is trying to send with all the notes. He wants to help.”
Lucien frowned. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“All you need to do is show him the notes. He won’t be in any danger.”
“We’ll see.” Lucien stood then. “Come on. It’s time to go to bed.”
Sometimes he acted like Devil and I were still five. “Do you have to be like that?”
“Yes.” He took Peter’s hand and led him up the stairs.
Sabrina pulled me into a hug. “I like Cameron. Don’t fuck this up.”
“It’s not what you think.”
She huffed. “Don’t lie to your aunt.”
I started to protest again, but she waved me toward the stairs. “Go on to bed. I can tell you’re really tired.”
My legs were heavy as I climbed the stairs. The weight of my feelings for Cameron on top of all that had happened that day had exhausted me. I wasn’t ready to confess how I felt about him to my family because it still scared me.
You got yourself into this. You could’ve walked away from him. You could’ve let it be enough to force him to keep working for your family. You could’ve refused to give him another way out. Instead, you let him draw you right back to where you were when you obsessed over him in high school.
I couldn’t have, though. Once I saw him, I couldn’t walk away. And after tonight, after having him choose to be with me and seeing the need on his face as he looked up at me, no way could I let him go.
Something serious had happened today. Our connection had grown more solid, and no matter how hard I had to fight him, I was going to keep him safe. Once this war was finally over, I was going to make him mine for real, not just because he owed me a debt.
When I opened my door, there was just enough light coming in through the window for me to make out the shape of Cameron curled up in the middle of my bed.
