Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2)(74)

I'll be fine, sweetheart. I miss you. I'm glad we can still talk. x

There was no measuring my feelings of guilt when I read that text. 

Friends?

Of course. Let me know if you need anything. I hope you're happy, Jo. x

Cut me to the quick.

Yeah. You too. x

Cam may or may not have been okay with Malcolm texting me, but I thought it was too soon to broach that subject, especially after the night before and my little confession and all its drama.

I saw him later before he had to go to work and I didn't say a word.

Tuesday night was our first night working together as a couple. We agreed at the outset that we wouldn't curb our flirtations with customers, since that increased our tips. I wasn't looking forward to it, but it made sense for us both. Tuesday night was one of the quietest nights we'd ever had. No flirtations, no incidents.

Thursday night was a little different.

It started off with Phil working the door.

Just as he had done Tuesday night, Cam held my hand all the way to work and all the way into the club when we got to work. He led us down the stairs to the entrance, his warm hand tight in mine, and the first thing we heard was, 'You're with this idiot now, eh? I've got more money than him.'

While Phil thought this was funny, I tried desperately to ignore the hurt.

My hand slipped out of Cam's and with a small smile at Brian, I went on into the club, Cam's harsh voice echoing down the hall as he growled at Phil. 'You. Watch it.'

I didn't wait for Phil's reply. Sufficiently pissed off, I hurried past Joss, ignoring her greeting.

'What's wrong?' she called after me, her light footsteps following mine into the staff room.

Shrugging out of my coat, I tried to turn the seething down to a simmer.

'Jo?'

'You can blame Cam,' I replied sourly.

'What did I do?' Cam marched into the staff room, heading for his locker. His expression was as dark as mine as he turned to face me. Joss sidled up next to him, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

I glared at them both. 'You were right before.' I directed my words at Joss. 'I let people think the worst of me. And I could handle it. But Tattoo Guy came along and told me to ask more of myself, and suddenly snide comments from people I thought liked me  –  but it turns out they thought exactly what you said they thought of me  –  hurt me. So, thanks, Cam. Now I'm a bloody walking open wound.'

There were a number of appropriate responses to my rant. Joss grinning at Cam and then smacking him heartily on the back was not one of them. 'You are my new favourite person.'

I gave points to Cam for looking at her like she was nuts. I gave him some more for pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him, finding the feel of his hard, solid, safe body soothing. I breathed him in and snuggled deeper when his arms tightened around me.

'Why all the long faces? This is good news,' Joss insisted, completely serious.

Moving my chin so I could rest it on Cam's shoulder and glare at her, I warned, 'I am this close to ending our friendship.'

Nowhere near intimidated by my threats, Joss's expression turned mulish. 'I'm sorry someone hurt you. Point me in their direction and I'll give them a beatdown they won't forget in a hurry. But this is good, Jo. Cam has done what I've been trying to do for a year. He woke you up.'

Cam pulled back, smirking at her. 'That's a little cheesy, Joss.'

It was like he'd told her she'd stepped in dog poo. Her nose wrinkled and she shuddered, a look of absolute self-disgust falling over her pretty features. 'I have got to stop letting Ellie choose what we watch on movie night. It's causing me to acclimatize to heartfelt emotion.' She turned on her heel, muttering something under her breath about Jason Bourne.



       
         
       
        

'Nicely done,' I murmured to Cam, impressed at the way he'd so easily dispatched Joss. His lips brushed my cheek in response and I turned to look into his eyes. 'You sure you want to be seen with a girl everyone thinks of as one step above a paid escort?'

It was clearly the wrong thing to say, as evidenced by the tic of the muscle in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. He gripped my chin so I couldn't look away. 'Don't. Don't even consider thinking of yourself in those terms. And don't ask me stupid questions. If anyone ever says anything like that to you  …  tell me. They'll not be saying it for long.'

Cam had gone all alpha male on me but I wasn't even processing it. Despite his portrayal of the overprotective boyfriend, I couldn't forget that only weeks before, he'd accused me of the same thing Phil had. I wanted to forget. I really thought I had. But it seemed it was still there, niggling away at me under layers of denial.