Page 144 of See You Again
“Dec got there as quick as he could, James. We didn’t exactly give him much notice.”
Intellectually, James knew that, but his frustrated rage came from the fact that he hadn’t been there to protect her. What if Matt had found a way to get her out of the hotel? Or into an empty room?
His breath came in shallow pants, and the edges of his vision blurred.
“James,” Luke’s voice was sharp, and then he felt his brother’s hands on his shoulders guiding him into a seated position. “Breathe.”
James forced himself to control the air flowing in and out of his lungs.
“Dahlia said they’re fine. It’s just a bruise. Cami is safe and will be here any minute.”
James counted his breaths and his heart rate slowed as Luke’s words penetrated his panic.
Cami was safe. She wasn’t seriously hurt.
He would be able to touch her again soon.
He was going to murder her.
The door opened, and James was on his feet, Cami in his arms. James ignored the white-hot flash of pain as her legs pressed into his thigh. Her heart pounded against his chest matching his own frantic pulse. He closed his eyes and bent his head to rest his cheek against her silky hair and breathe in the orange and cinnamon scent that was pure Cami.
James cradled her jaw with both hands and kissed her, not caring what his brothers saw or how they would tease him later. He needed to feel her soft, warm lips under his. Know that she was safe and here with him.
James lifted his head and gently pulled her arm from around his waist to look at the nasty bruise. Rage threatened to swamp him again, but instead, he pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
He caught Declan watching them. For the briefest of moments, a look flashed across his oldest brother’s eyes before his hard master-of-the-universe mask was back in place.
It gave James pause because it had looked a lot like loneliness and longing.
But it was Declan, so that couldn’t be it.
“I’m sorry.” Declan’s voice was rough.
Luke widened his eyes at James. Declan never apologized.
Declan’s eyes narrowed. “Why are the two of you looking at each other like that?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you apologize for…” Luke looked at James.
“Anything.” James finished for his twin.
Declan’s shoulders dropped a millimeter. “That’s because I don’t make mistakes.”
There was the brother he knew.
“I was late. However, these ladies had everything under control when I arrived.”
“You should have seen her,” Dahlia enthused. “She was like a ninja. She did some move, and he had to let go.”
Cami pulled back and gave him a smile that went a long way toward settling the agitation still churning inside him. “I’ll admit self-defense classes may have helped. Next time, I’ll kick his ass.” Her eyes shone, and she cocked a hip, clearly proud of herself.
“There isn’t going to be a next time.”
It took longer than James would have liked to convince his siblings and Dahlia to leave. When the door shut behind them, he pulled Cami in for a kiss, but she pushed back gently.
“Tell me what happened with the police.”
“They know what Justin is claiming is bullshit, but apparently I put their lieutenant under some pretty heavy cross-examination several months ago, so they wanted to give me a hard time.”