Jealousy had blinded Camden, overriding his common sense, but a thread of reason had quickly slipped through his mind, because he knew her body. Despite how much he longed to, he’d never explored her with his mouth or hands. But he had mapped her body with his eyes.
He’d memorized every inch, every mole, every freckle, every scar. He’d jacked off to the image of her in his mind countless times. The body in the pictures was not the one he fantasized over far too often. It didn’t belong to his Aspen.
That didn’t make the situation any better for her, though. Whoever faked and distributed the photos had succeeded in their attempts to hurt and embarrass her. She was hiding it well, but those who knew her would sense it.
Outside, they headed to Bailey’s vehicle. Camden preferred riding up front, but he slid onto the rear passenger seat with Aspen. He needed to be close to her. Needed her scent, her voice, her touch. Because she was the only thing that could hold back the rage that threatened to choke him and his cat.
As she knew Camden well, she no doubt instinctively knew what he needed, because she didn’t complain when he pretty much swallowed her personal space—plastering his thigh to hers and splaying his hand on her knee to lock her leg in place.
Silence reigned as Bailey drove toward Randy’s condo, which wasn’t very far from the center. Aspen broke that silence when she said, “I think I should speak to him alone at first and let him believe I’m here all on my lonesome.”
Camden felt his brows snap together. “What?”
“If Randy’s our guy, he’s not likely to admit anything to a group of pissed off people. But if I’m alone, he might confess to being the mastermind. Not easily. I’ll probably have to really push him, but that shouldn’t be too hard. I’m good at pushing people, and Randy’s easy to rile—hyenas often are. Really, we have a better chance of wrenching a confession out of him if we do this my way. He’ll know he can later claim to others that he said no such thing and that it’s my word against his.”
Logic told Camden she was right. But he wasn’t operating on logic right then. His protectiveness was a tangible thing, and he didn’t want her dealing with Randy all by herself. “I don’t like it.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t. I don’t even like that he’ll be breathing your air.”
Riding shotgun, Havana twisted in her seat to look at Camden. “Me neither, but Aspen has a point. Randy will feel defensive if facing all of us, and he might even refuse to speak to us altogether. And since he’s afraid of you, he’ll definitely lie to protect himself. He doesn’t fear Aspen. Which is a mistake, but whatever.”
A very big mistake, Camden knew. It was one that people often made. With all her training, Aspen was fucking lethal. Her inner animal was just as fierce.
Bearcats were aloof, moody, complex creatures who were mostly indifferent to the people outside their little world. In their animal form, they were cute and cuddly, so people often tried to pet them. Bad idea. Unless you wanted to walk away with a mangled hand. Bearcats hated to be cuddled, and they had no problem viciously communicating that. Considering their chomping power could easily crush bone and that their curved claws were razor-sharp, they could cause a whole lot of damage.
“Havana’s right,” Aspen said to him. “Randy won’t even be able to think straight if you’re glaring daggers at him, which you will. So it would be best if you, Havana, and Bailey stay out of sight at first. You know I’m right.”
He did know that. He also knew by the determined set of her jaw that there’d be no talking her out of it—she was just as stubborn as he was. “Fine. But if it seems that he’s not going to own up to anything, I’m stepping in.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
He grunted. “For the record, I still don’t like it.”
“You don’t like most things.”
“I like you.”
“Aw, that was sweet,” said Bailey, glancing at him via the rearview mirror. “You like me, too, right?”
Camden eyed her for a few seconds. “You have your moments.”
The mamba smiled. “I’ll take what I can get.”
Aspen straightened as they pulled up outside Randy’s condo, raring to get some answers. The four of them exited the car, but Camden and her girls stood off to the side where they wouldn’t be seen or scented.
Aspen knocked on the front door. Finally, it opened, and there was Randy.
Surprise flashed in his hazel eyes. He was a good-looking guy. Long and lean. A little too pretty for her, though. She wasn’t much into boyish looks.
Remembering the last time he’d stood before them, her bearcat arched her back and bared her teeth. She did not like this dude. To be fair, the animal never liked any of Camden’s bedpartners. A few were super nice guys, but that hadn’t mattered to the bearcat. This one, however, had earned her dislike in a major way.