“No.” She bit her lip to stop a smile when he frowned at her quick denial.
“Why not?”
“Maybe I’m just not interested in you romantically.”
“Oh, you’re interested,” he replied confidently, and grinned when she chuckled.
“What a conceited thing to say.”
“It’s not conceit,” he quickly denied. “I know you feel that spark of awareness between us whenever we’re in close proximity.” Oh yeah, she felt it, but she had no intention of acting on it.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I haven’t.” She told the little white lie with a straight face, hoping to convince him of her sincerity.
“No?” His eyes twinkled in challenge.
“No.” Before she could blink, he grabbed her hand and pulled her until she was sitting beside him on the bed. “Let go, Cam.”
“What’s wrong?” He tugged on her hand until she was leaning over him slightly. “Tempted?”
“No,” she lied. Who wouldn’t be tempted by your gorgeous brown eyes, alive with mirth and dogged determination? “Not in the least.”
His free hand moved to softly caress her jaw before anchoring behind her neck. “Then why are you trembling?”
“You’re imagining things.” Lord, he was too close, too handsome and much too tempting.
“Am I?” He pulled her nearer still. “I don’t think I am.”
“Cam, please...” She placed her free hand on his chest for leverage, which was a big mistake because the feel of his hard muscles only made her want to press tight against his unbending length instead of escaping.
“Please what? Kiss you?” She fought a groan when his gaze darted to her lips before returning to her turbulent eyes. “You don’t have to worry. I plan on kissing you a lot once I get out of here. In fact, let’s get in a few trial runs. Shall we?”
At that moment the door opened and Derrick waltzed in. He chuckled when he saw Cam and Angela’s intimate position. Angela was relieved—and if she was honest, a little disappointed—by the intrusion.
“I see you’re feeling much better,” Derrick drawled, placing a change of clothes over the back of a chair.
Cam sighed. “Senator, you have lousy timing.”
“Sorry. Want me to leave?”
“No.” Angela seized the opportunity to break free of Cam’s loosened hold and back away toward the door. “Good morning, Derrick.”
“Angela.” Derrick grinned.
“We’ll finish this later, Angela,” Cam promised from the bed.
“The only thing you’re going to finish is your breakfast.” Her shaky voice took the sting out of that order as she pointed to his tray. “See you later, Derrick,” she murmured, and left.
* * *
“Well, well, well.” Derrick eyed his friend with interest.
Cam folded his arms behind his head and reclined on the pillows. “What are you grinning about?”
“Are you finally ready to date Angela?” Derrick asked.
“Yes,” Cam affirmed. “You know I believe in taking advantage of opportunity, and Lord knows there’s nothing like a brush with danger to light a fire of urgency underneath you.”
“So—” Derrick pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down “—am I to understand that now you’re happy about your accident even though your baby was totaled?”
“Oh, please, don’t remind me about that,” Cam groaned at the mention of his beloved car. “It’s going to take a long time to get over losing Yvette.” He paused and then said philosophically, “I guess you have to lose something to gain something, though.”
“True.” Derrick stretched his legs out in front of him and switched subjects. “Have you called Mama Mabel yet?”
“I’ll call her when I get home, dude.” Cam sighed and treated him to a frustrated glare. “When I get home.”
“She’s gonna skin you alive for not calling her sooner.”
“Not really.” Cam smiled slyly. “I’ll just tell her I was out of it and thought you had called her.” Alarm lit up Derrick’s eyes, and Cam’s smile widened.
Derrick sat up straight in his chair and growled, “Oh, no, you don’t!”
“Look at you, scared of my mama!” Cam slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.
Derrick smiled and asked, “And you’re not?”
Cam sobered and said, “I plead the Fifth.”
“You just keep me out of your alibi.”
“I’ll consider it, although it would be the perfect payback for your blackmail to keep me here last night.”
“Cameron—” Derrick’s eyes glinted dangerously “—you wouldn’t want me to tell Angela some of your most embarrassing moments, would you?”
“No more than you’d want me to share a few of yours with Alesha,” Cam shot back easily. At Derrick’s darkening countenance, he promised, “Don’t worry. I know how to handle my mother without implicating you.”
“Good,” Derrick said, relaxing back in his chair again. “Do you know when they’re going to spring you yet?”
“Today, I hope.” Cam frowned at his untouched breakfast tray. “I can’t take any more of this so-called food.”
“You’ll live.”
“Easy for you to say.”
Cam’s eyes suddenly turned to the door through which Angela had escaped. The delighted expression spread across his face until he laughed out loud again. Cam’s jubilance coaxed a corresponding smile out of Derrick.
“What’s so funny?”
“I have the feeling totaling my car is going to be well worth it in the long run. It’s given me a new lease on life.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh is right,” Cam agreed. “I’m about to unleash the full brunt of my charm on Angela Brown, and you, my brother, know how devastatingly charming I can be.”
He winked at Derrick, who shook his head and wagged a finger in reproof before joining in his friend’s optimistic, determined laughter.
* * *
Later that morning when Angela entered Cam’s room, she found him fully dressed in faded jeans and a white T-shirt that was stretched tight across his muscled chest. He was standing by the bed and talking on his phone. He motioned for her to come in and quickly ended his call.
“I see you got the word from Dr. Jackson that you’re being released.”
“Not a moment too soon.” Cam raised his eyes heavenward. “I told you I was fine.”
Lord, yes, you are! she couldn’t help silently agreeing.
“Well, it’s our job to make sure. Now that everything officially checks out, we agree with you.” She paused before adding, “You were very lucky.”
“In more ways than one.” Her breath caught at the way he was looking at her. “Cam...”
“What?”
He