Page 30 of Chasing Clouds

“Dude, what are you doing here?” I shake my head and give him a look that straight up tells him I’m pissed.

“Zeus heard you come in and wanted to say hi.” He shrugs his shoulders then narrows his eyes, as if to say, What the hell is going on? I ignore him and instead glare at the dog, who really does look happy to see me. The fury coursing through me recedes, and I squat down so Zeus can pad over and get some love.

Jack and I have always had an open door policy, but now that she’s here, it needs to be amended. “Whatever. Camille, this is Jack.” I stand and wave at him. “Jack, Camille.”

She steps forward and holds out her hand. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”

He looks at her hand, chuckles, and then pulls her into a giant hug as he plants a huge kiss on her cheek. She again squeals and I abruptly move to pull her out of his arms and into mine. She feels so small up next to me, so foreign. Not only do I not bring girls home, I never cuddle with them either, not in private or in public. It gives them the wrong impression, but with Camille, it’s different. She is different.

“What the hell.” I glare at him.

“Just showing the lady here where Zeus gets it from.” He grins and she smiles back, one of her real smiles, not the stiff socialite expression.

“Well, stop. Not cool.” I rub my free hand across my hip to shake off some of the uneasiness I just felt. All of this is pushing my senses into overdrive, and I feel out of control. We may have played the part yesterday and slept together last night, but touching her is not something I’m used to, and yet I can’t seem to stop.

“So, the rumors are true then?” He eyes Camille and looks at both of our left hands, his brows furrowing just a little. “You got married.”

He says this as a statement, but his eyes are locked onto mine, his gaze questioning. Jack is my best friend, has been since the day I joined the team. We’re with each other daily, and I do mean every single day. If anyone on the team would be suspicious of this marriage and know something is up, it would be him.

“I did.”

“Wow, none of us saw this coming, especially me. I thought you were going to see your brother.” His tone is a mixture of irritation and disappointment. “I mean, shit, man, I live across the hall from you, know just about everything there is to know about you, and not once have I seen you bring a girl home, much less her.” He waves his fingers in her direction almost dismissively.

Camille drops her head and moves an inch closer to me, pressing her side up against mine. I know she feels guilty about me finding myself in this situation with her, and now she’s witnessing some of the fallout. She doesn’t want the people in my life to be upset with me.

Jack sees her subtle movement and his eyebrows rise in alarm. “No.” He throws out his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that—I wasn’t saying you and him . . . ugh,” he groans. “It’s just Reid is a private person, and well, I thought I knew him really well, so I’m just not sure what to think of this.”

“You really don’t need to think anything of it. Just say congratulations.” I nod, glaring at him, hoping he picks up on my cues. I’ll give him just enough details later to pacify him. He doesn’t need to know the whole story; no one does.

There’s a weighted pause as he assesses us, and Camille’s hand moves around my back and twists in my shirt over my waist. He sees her wrap herself around me, and then all of a sudden his face relaxes and transforms.

“Of course, man. I’m so happy for you both. Congratulations.” He smiles at us, his eyes drifting to her, and my arm tightens around her shoulders. She smiles back shyly, and my heart thumps hard in my chest.

She’s smiling at him again with one of her real smiles. Jealousy spikes through me that he’s on the receiving end of it, and I know this is not good. I shouldn’t be caring who she smiles at. She’s not mine, at least not really, so it shouldn’t matter.

“So, do you have any friends?” he asks, winking at her.

She giggles and Zeus’s tail starts thumping against the floor at the sound. He’s moved from me to her, to sit at her feet.

“Well, that didn’t take you long,” I say, shaking my head.

“What! Doesn’t hurt to ask.” He grins.

“I do, but they’re spoken for. Sorry.” She shrugs her shoulders and places one hand on my chest. Reaching up, I grab her hand and hold it to me. The move is familiar, kind of intimate. Jack sees it but doesn’t say anything more that might upset her. For that, I’ll have to buy him a beer next time we’re out.

“She has a twin sister.” I smirk at him. Camille is gorgeous, and I know he sees that.

“Really!” His eyebrows shoot straight up. “Identical?” He’s looking at her so hopefully.

“Yes,” she answers.

He clutches his heart like he’s in pain. “Please, please, please tell me she’s coming to visit.”

“She’s not,” Camille answers tentatively.

“Damn, that’s too bad. Well, if she does, tell her to come not this weekend but next. Bryan texted me earlier—mark your calendars, Billy is hosting a newlywed party for y’all.”

“Of course he is,” I mutter.