Under His Protection Read online

  A brief nod from Elijah, and Camden smiled at the man and then his mother before speaking.

  “Albany.”

  “Albany?” Evelyn’s brown eyes crinkled at the edges with curiosity. “How did you end up all the way down in the five boroughs?”

  On paper, his trek from the ideal world of the quiet suburb just outside of the city limits of New York’s capital to the faster-paced five boroughs of what New Yorkers considered Downstate seemed odd. However, when your father had your career path planned out from birth, it didn’t seem all that strange.

  “Work.” His answer was a more stripped-down version of the truth, but still the truth. “There was a position in a notable Brooklyn law office available.” Camden didn’t often disclose what kind of law he practiced or that he was a prosecutor. Sure, it was misleading, but in this case a little misdirection was certainly warranted. “It was far from home, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t say no to.”

  “Couldn’t” being the operative word in that sentence. His father’s dream of Camden becoming a political powerhouse required Camden’s career to be firmly planted in New York’s political scene. It didn’t matter that Camden would’ve much preferred to work as a defense attorney. Being a tough-on-crime prosecutor would look better on Camden’s résumé.

  The work hadn’t been terrible. Camden had made lasting acquaintanceships in the DA’s office that had made the job bearable. But doing a thing because you were good at it or because someone told you to do it wasn’t the same as loving your job.

  “So how did you two meet?” This time the question came from Elijah’s sister-in-law, Vivienne. She was tempered compared to the rest of the Stephenson family, her eyes bright and her smile easy, lulling Camden into her question.

  “Through my boss.” Drawing from Elijah’s edict that the best lies were rooted in truth, Camden answered easily. “Elijah and my boss are work friends, I guess you’d say. She knew we were both single and suggested we might enjoy getting to know each other.”

  “That’ll make for an interesting story to tell your future children.”

  Camden thanked the heavens he hadn’t been drinking anything. If he had, it would have come spewing out of his mouth. Instead, he stared openly at Evelyn, trying to make certain he’d heard her correctly. The generous smile she wore confirmed Camden hadn’t imagined what she’d said.

  He had nothing, absolutely nothing, to counter that assumption that he and Elijah would someday have children. He pulled his gaze to Elijah’s, hoping he’d know how to better deal with his mother. Dealing with his own parents all these years had been Camden’s greatest failure. He wasn’t about to manage someone else’s.

  “Mama!” The stern way Elijah called to her made the older woman grin even wider. “On that note, I think it’s time we call it a night. Camden’s had a pretty hectic couple of days, and I’m sure he could use some rest.”

  “Same sleeping arrangements as always, or you want Viv and me to take your room and share the upstairs with the ’rents?”

  Camden waited for Elijah’s answer to Emmanuel’s question. As far as Camden could recall, there were only two bedrooms in this house. The master and the guest room Elijah had placed Camden in earlier. What other sleeping arrangements could Emmanuel be speaking of?

  “Nah, you and Viv can keep the room in the basement. Camden and I are in my master. Pops and Mama can take the guest room down the hall once I’ve made it up.”

  Camden swallowed his building anxiety. The quick hand job in his basement gym was one thing, but spending a night in the same bed as Elijah was a temptation Camden didn’t think wise. They hadn’t processed what had happened between them yet. Being locked in the same bed couldn’t help their situation.

  Elijah stood up, hugged his father and brother, and gave his mother and sister-in-law each a peck on the cheek before he turned his gaze to Camden and extended a hand for Camden to take.

  Camden watched his hand for probably what seemed longer than necessary to the rest of the room. Not that he didn’t understand the reason Elijah was doing it. No, he understood, but it still somehow seemed so out of character for the way the big man communicated with Camden.

  “Camden, you coming?”

  Camden blinked a few more times, clearing the fuzz from his head and finally stepping into his role as smitten lover. “I’m sorry,” he offered. “I guess I’m more tired than I realized.”

  He gave one hand to Elijah and used the other to wave good night to Elijah’s family. He kept his mouth shut and his face free of the panic growing inside until he stepped into Elijah’s room.

  Camden looked around the spacious room, hoping to find some sort of sofa for him to sleep on. Although the room was spacious, it wasn’t a suite built with separate rooms. There was a large king-sized bed in the middle of the room, two doors—one of which Camden assumed was a bathroom, and the other a closet—and a dresser and chest against two connecting walls.

  “So, I guess I’m sleeping on the floor, then?”

  Elijah closed the door behind Camden and shrugged his shoulders. “You can if you want to, but I’m too grown to be sleeping on the floor. It’s a king-sized bed. There’s more than enough room for the two of us.”

  Elijah disappeared for a few moments behind one door, and Camden heard water running in the shower. When Elijah returned, he was shirtless, with a towel wrapped around his waist.

  Camden’s mouth went dry, and his heart rate increased by more than a few beats a minute.

  Holy hell!

  Camden remembered how remarkable Elijah’s body had been. He remembered every plane beneath his lips and fingers and how touching him made Camden senseless with need. Seeing him now, still carved with rigid lines of muscle definition, made him thirsty in ways no drink of water would ever quench.

  “Not long before my family arrived, we had each other’s dicks in our hands. I don’t think sleeping in the same bed together should pose an issue. You feel me?”

  Camden swallowed hard, trying to pull his dry, thick tongue from the roof of his mouth. It took a few attempts, but he could finally shake the fog from his brain and the dust from his tongue to form a sentence.

  “Yes.” Camden’s voice cracked on the one syllable. He cleared his throat and tried to speak again. “It should be fine.”

  Elijah shrugged a shoulder as he turned around to return to the bathroom. The high and tight curve of his ass was still visible under the towel hanging precariously off his hips, making Camden’s hand itch with the need to grab a handful.

  When Elijah disappeared into the bathroom again and Camden heard the audible click of the closed door, he released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and readjusted the growing bulge in the front of his pants.

  “This will most definitely not be fine.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  CAMDEN woke to delicious heat plastered to his back and a heavy weight draped over his leg and hip. As his sleepy brain climbed into wakefulness, he realized he should probably be alarmed by whatever it was that had his body almost completely encased. Before he could stir enough concern to muster up panic, a slow smile spread across his lips. He’d slept in Elijah’s bed last night.

  It hadn’t been as glorious as the first time, where desire had woken them both throughout the night to indulge in desperate touches that led to soul-satisfying orgasms. But waking to Elijah’s heat, to the hard press of his morning hard-on positioned perfectly in the center of Camden’s crease, it was everything he wished he’d sampled in their past.

  Elijah’s hand spread over Camden’s abdomen, sparking a flutter of nerves beneath his touch. Camden remained as still as he could, afraid that waking Elijah would either—A—make him stop touching Camden or—B—continue with what Camden prayed would be the natural progression of this moment, allowing Camden to give into his dangerous need for Elijah.

  Elijah’s hand slipped downward until it was resting over Camden’s straining erection. Elijah’s body press
ed closer against Camden’s back while his hand cupped Camden’s cock and balls. The dual actions made Camden burn from the inside out with need.

  His muscles ached from being locked in the same position. His hips begged to thrust up into Elijah’s hand, to encourage him to do more than just encase his cock with still heat. But Camden couldn’t. He knew that if he did, it would end, and this unguarded moment of connection and simple pleasure would be over.

  When Elijah tightened his grip on Camden’s cock, Camden lost the battle and gave in to the deep moan that rattled up his hollow chest and spilled out into the air.

  The second the sound escaped his lips, Elijah’s entire body tightened against him, including the hand currently pressed against his cock.

  “Shit, Camden.” Elijah pulled his hand away from Camden’s cock. “I’m sorry.”

  Camden turned around and whispered, “I’m not.” He could feel the nervous smile on his lips as his gaze sought Elijah’s. “Please don’t stop on my account.”

  Hunger sparked in Elijah’s eyes. Camden could see the internal battle waging inside Elijah at this moment. It was a reasonable reaction. They weren’t together under normal circumstances. Camden was a job to Elijah. Camden had made certain there was nothing more between them when he left. Indulging in this connection they seemed to share was going to bring them closer or rip them apart. Weighing both sides equally, Camden couldn’t tell which scenario was worse. He only knew what his body was begging for, and common sense be damned, it wanted Elijah’s body plastered all over his.

  “Camden, my family is here, and I’m assigned as your protection detail.” Elijah’s eyes were soft and pleading, silently begging Camden to be the adult in the room. “If this goes south, I could lose my badge. I’ve just gotten back on the job. I don’t want to risk it.”

  Camden heard the period on the end of Elijah’s sentence, but in his head and his heart he heard the “on you” attached firmly before the completion of that thought.

  Well, there goes a lovely start to a Saturday morning.

  Camden sat up and pulled himself from the bed. “I suppose if you’re not going to finish what you started”—he pointed to the tented crotch of his borrowed sweats—“I may as well tend to it myself.” He straightened his shoulders, his pride refusing to let Elijah see how much he needed him right now. He may not be worth the risk, but he’d be damned if he’d let Elijah know that.

  Camden had spent many years pretending. He pretended to want the life his parents planned for him. He pretended to not feel smothered by all the stipulations that life came with. He could also pretend Elijah’s rejection of him didn’t sting.

  AT the sound of the bathroom door closing shut, Elijah slammed his fist into a nearby pillow. Camden should mean nothing to him, nothing more than any other charge placed in his care. This wasn’t his first protection detail. He’d never fucked around with someone connected to his job. If his inability to keep his hands to himself caused something to happen to Camden, he’d have a hell of a time explaining to Captain Searlington he was too busy getting his dick wet to notice something was wrong.

  He’d done the right thing in turning Camden away. It might have annoyed Camden. Hell, the throbbing cock pushing at his boxer briefs didn’t like it either. But he was here to do a job and Camden’s safety had to come first.

  His safety? Really, Elijah? That’s the lie we’re going with this morning?

  Elijah couldn’t entertain the truths his subconscious was trying to shove in his face. To think about any other reason than the job might give Elijah license to reach for what was being offered.

  And would that be so bad?

  It would be more than bad. It would be a disaster.

  Elijah fought to free himself of the feel of Camden’s body on his for the first time in five years. He battled to make his body stop waking up in the throes of withdrawal from Camden’s touch. It was a sickness, an addiction he didn’t want to fall prey to again. He’d kicked the habit cold turkey. To go back now, after being clean for five years, that would be lunacy. Except, last night he’d slipped.

  Last night, he’d savored the taste of Camden’s mouth. He’d reveled in the skill of the man’s touch. He’d lost himself in the desire that threatened to consume him. There was no logical explanation for how he’d let himself do something as reckless as getting his rocks off with the attempted murder victim Elijah was assigned to protect.

  If the taste of Camden’s lips and the feel of his flesh hot against Elijah’s could make him do something so out of character, what might this need he harbored for the man make Elijah do if he gave in to desire fully? If he indulged again, Elijah wasn’t so certain he could pull himself away.

  Losing control wasn’t an option for Elijah. He’d lost control of the situation when he’d been jumped inside that illegal gambling hole. He’d nearly lost his life because of it. Elijah had gone over what little memory he had leading up to the incident countless times. As far as he could see on paper, everything had gone according to plan until two unknowns had stumbled into their gun buy. He should’ve called it off then. But they’d been working that case for more than six months. They had the leader of a gun trafficking ring in their grasps. If Elijah called off the buy, there was no telling how long it would take to get all the players and parts together again. He should’ve known it wasn’t safe. And like most people who do dumb shit they shouldn’t in the heat of the moment, Elijah paid the price.

  When Elijah heard the flowing water in the shower stop, he turned his head toward the door and thought of Camden. What would become of Elijah if he lost himself to Camden’s control? What would become of them both? Elijah closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath and released it slowly. He’d nearly gotten himself killed. Elijah would be damned if he risked Camden’s life the same way.

  His burner phone began to slide across his nightstand. Elijah laughed. Why wouldn’t his boss pick this exact moment, when his dick was hard and his professional guilt was through the roof, to check in?

  “Morning,” he choked out. The gruff sound of his voice was still filled with desire and disappointment at the loss of Camden’s heat next to him. He cleared his throat, hoping his boss thought sleep was the reason for the rough timbre of his voice.

  “You up yet?”

  “Yeah. A few minutes now. Any news? We making moves today?”

  Elijah looked down at his straining length and shook his head at how fucked-up this entire situation was becoming.

  “No. So far Edwards and his people haven’t made any new moves. We’ve been keeping pretty close tabs on them since you left. My man on the inside says nothing’s changed. They’re still looking for Warren, but most of them think Edwards is just being paranoid by keeping up the search at this point.”

  Elijah allowed a small bit of relief to course through his system. They weren’t in the clear, but if the Path was still sniffing around in Brooklyn, Camden would be fine.

  “Everything’s as it should be on our end. What about yours? Anything you need to tell me?” Captain Searlington’s question made his breath catch in his throat.

  Oh, there was a lot he probably should tell her, but either stupidity, selfishness, or pride was keeping him from opening his mouth. While he tried to think up a reply, Elijah heard another voice in the background from Captain Searlington’s end.

  “Shit!”

  “Captain?” Elijah could hear the muffled sounds of the captain’s voice as if she were covering the phone with her hand. He called her name again, and suddenly the line was clear, and he could decipher her words again.

  “I had Cyber monitoring Warren’s electronics and digital accounts. Someone has been accessing his accounts remotely. We just can’t narrow down from where. If you were here, I’d be yelling at you for this shit.”

  If he was there, she’d be yelling at him for much more than this. “It’s not him, Cap. He’s been on a blackout here. No phones, no electronics whatsoever. Can you tell if they found a
nything?”

  “Not yet. Edwards is a relentless son of a bitch. He’s days away from the trial resuming, and he’s still got his war dogs scouring for Warren. Just make sure that entitled asshole you got as a roomie keeps his ass off the web. Edwards is desperate. He’s trying his damnedest to tie up loose ends.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “ALL right, all right, all right!”

  Camden pulled his eyes away from the Sunday newspaper he was reading and looked around for whatever was disturbing the few moments of quiet he had before the Stephenson clan converged on the kitchen. Since Elijah forbade him from scouring the internet for any bit of information about the Path, Camden’s only sources of information on the outside world were the paper Elijah’s father brought in after his early morning walk, and the television. He’d spent all day yesterday lying on the couch watching television to avoid Elijah and his family. After Elijah’s rejection of him, Camden didn’t feel all that social. He decided reading might be a better, safer solution to his current state of boredom instead.

  To avoid further damage to his ego, Camden made certain he went to bed before Elijah, and was showered and out of the room before he rose. It was a coward’s move, but God help him, he didn’t think he could swallow that kind of bitter rejection again. After yesterday morning’s fiasco, it was best if his mind and his dick were nowhere near Elijah Stephenson.

  But are you really avoiding awkward moments with him, though?

  It was hard to avoid someone when you couldn’t actually leave the house. But Camden would take his solace where he could, and sitting in this kitchen, sipping on his coffee while reading the newspaper was one of the precious few ways he had of removing himself from an embarrassing situation that only threatened to get worse every time he found himself tangled up in Elijah’s sheets.