Love Interrupted Read online

  “Shay, this is my boyfriend Elijah. I’m so excited you two are finally meeting!” Justin said proudly.

  Grinning widely, I was happy to finally meet Justin’s boyfriend too. Reaching over the table I shook his hand, “Nice to meet you Elijah, I’ve heard so many amazing things about you. I can’t wait to get to know you!”

  Appreciating my friends taste, Elijah looked Puerto Rican and so incredibly dreamy with his scruffy beard. Thick, built and a smile that could melt you for days. I knew from Jud’s Instagram that Elijah was a very successful photographer. He ranged from runway to exclusive weddings, and as the occasional personal photographer for the stars. They had been dating for over a year now, and insanely happy together.

  Kudos on your find Justin.

  “Welcome darlin’, I am so excited to finally meet you, baby. Justin talks about you non-stop, he’s like a proud mama bear.” Elijah teased as he leaned over and kissed Jud’s temple.

  “Aww, Jud.” I cocked my head and grinned at him.

  Shaking his head, “Whatever Shayne, you’re like family, so of course I talk about you non-stop. Just like I talk about Cam and Addie, all of your lives are like soap operas- ya’ll give us good conversations.”

  All of us laughed, catching eyes with Addie’s boyfriend, he leaned over the table, “Ashton Martinez, nice to meet you. Welcome to the crazy squad, that is Team Carmichael.”

  “Shayne Montgomery, newest member to Team Carmichael it appears.” I beamed back.

  Of course, Addie and Justin would have reeled in lookers, the Carmichael siblings were hot, intelligent, gifted and from a wonderful family. I think I read somewhere on Addie’s Instagram that her boyfriend was a Major-League pitcher or something. Jesus, I was a bad friend. I had tuned the world out after my own engagement imploded.

  Yup, I was the friend who fell off the face of the earth for a while and only knew about my friends’ life due to social media. I was so out of touch, and I was normally a better friend than this. I had to do better, I needed to get back to the old me. Jud and Addie were damn good people, and they deserved a better friend than what I had been.

  Looking over my glass, I watched Ashton and Addie for a moment. They made a beautiful couple, she was petite and unabashedly positive, and the sweetest person I knew. It appeared that her Major-League boyfriend not only adored her, but made my friend glow with happiness.

  Hearing someone clear their throat behind me, I turned to see him standing behind us with a tray of shots, “Here you go Jud. You wouldn’t happen to have an extra shirt upstairs, would you?”

  His eyes darted to me, teasing me silently as Jud took the tray full of shots and answered him, “Of course, go change messy boy! You know the code, go find something and we’ll wait for you Bro, go.” Justin ordered his older brother as he passed out the drinks and told us all to wait till Cam got back.

  Cameron Carmichael.

  The eldest Carmichael I had fallen for years ago, was nothing like the man I had just ran into. The years had changed him, I had no doubt the Army had helped mold him into a deliciously sculpted sexy version of an already handsome man.

  Oh, Cameron was hot as shit when I first met him, but holy fuck, the panty dropper I had just ran into was mega hot. It was clear his years in the military had done his body well. He was all muscle; it wasn’t hard to tell with how well his clothes were tailored.

  God dammit Shayne, you hate him. He broke your heart, remember?

  Sitting down in the seat Jud pointed me to, I tried to will my heart to calm down as Cameron walked away and disappeared into the depths of the bar. For years I wanted to hate him, now all I want to do is run after him like a lost puppy dog.

  Swallowing, I shook off that thought and turned back to the people at the table and joined the conversation. Paying attention to the conversation was hard when my mind kept slipping to the 6’4 military tech god.

  I always knew I’d see Cameron again, it was only a matter of time. I always figured it’d be at one Justin or Adeline’s wedding events, not in a club in New Orleans.

  I knew after he was done in the Army, he had started his own company, Cameron Industries. He had personally designed, and patented several models body armor for our troops along with multiple lifesaving tech designs for our troops.

  He was the only Carmichael I wasn’t close with, but ironically enough, the one I had been intimate with.

  He was a confirmed bachelor, a man who had a reputation of being the ‘love em, and leave em’ type. Cameron was an eligible billionaire, he was known to be seen with supermodels, and the occasional Hollywood starlet. Nothing serious, but the press featured him in their gossip rags for years.

  Not that I stalked him, far from it, but he was a hard subject to avoid when I was best friends with his brother and saw the news. He was the exact type of man I wanted nothing to do with.

  Turning my attention to Jud, I was handed a vodka cranberry by Addie who was so infectiously happy, it made me happy enough to stop worrying about her oldest brother.

  “So love, what do you think of this place?” Jud asked as he eyed the busy club with a twinkle in his light blue eyes.

  “Love the vibe, and the band is amazing.”

  “Baby girl, this is my place!”

  “Get the fuck out! Seriously?” I asked as he beamed with pride and nodded.

  “You bet that sweet ass of yours it is! I’m the brand new owner! I’ve been keeping it under wraps until it was official.” He beamed with pride as he looked around the club. It was packed, people were enjoying themselves and there wasn’t any drama. The place had this old world, speakeasy feel to it.

  Giving him a hug, “I’m so proud of you Jud.”

  “Thank you doll, I’m so excited to finally own this place. So for real, stop teasing. Did you really move down here Shay Shay?” He asked.

  Nodding, “I did, I start my new job Monday! It all happened so fast, before I knew it I was on a plane down here in a day’s notice. Bro got his way, and got me Anna’s parents’ place, which was a compromise. I wanted to stay in a hotel until I found a place, but he insisted. I’m kind of winging the rest.”

  Clapping his hands, “I can’t believe it, this is too good to be true! Shay Shay, and Juddie are back together again!” He exclaimed, then leaned over to his boyfriend, “You’ve got nothing to worry about, I’ve seen her boobs before. There great and all, but I like yours better baby.”

  Both Elijah and I swatted at him at the same time, causing us all to laugh our asses off. God, it felt good to laugh, and the Carmichaels were a fun bunch. They had always treated me like one of their own.

  Feeling his presence again, I noticed Cameron walk behind me and rejoin the table. He had changed out of his button-down shirt I had ruined, and changed into a tight grey V-neck shirt that looked incredible on him, I had to hide my grin as I checked out his arms.

  Holy biceps.

  Sliding into the booth next to me, he pinned me between him, and Addie.

  “Cam, you’ve met Shay, right?” Jud asked, trying to think back over the years.

  Raising a brow, Cameron kept his eyes on me as he answered his brother, “Yes, at Cornell before I deployed to Afghanistan. Although I must not have left a lasting impression, when she crashed into me a few moments ago, it took her a while to recognize me.”

  Laughing loudly, Jud passed out the shots, “Sounds like her.”

  Lasting impression? This man was who I had measured all other men against.

  “Shay, you have to sing for me tonight!” Jud asked suddenly, putting his hand on my arm and proceeded to give me those damn puppy dog eyes.

  “Oh please no, not tonight. I’ll sing for you another night, please Jud? I’ve almost been up twenty-four hours.” I shamelessly pouted.

  Looking at me, he caved, “Fine, but next time I ask you can’t say no! Everyone grab a drink and let’s toast! To Shay, I am so fucking excited you moved here, I’m so incredibly proud of you, and the only thing that could ma
ke The Quarter better is having you living here baby girl, Cheers!”

  “Cheers!” The table resounded as we did our shots and slammed the empty glasses on the table. All around us people buzzed in and out of the club, as the band kept playing song after song, keeping everyone entertained.

  Sat between Cameron and Addie, anytime I inched my way closer to her to get away from him, he’d follow. Cameron naturally swallowed up the space, and made sure we were touching in some way. He was so stealthy no one noticed. Even I wondered if he meant to do any of it.

  The touches were subtle, just a brush of his thigh against mine, or a slight nudge as he leaned in to talk to Ashton across the table. Having him next to me triggered feelings I thought were long dead.

  I wanted to hate him, but found myself second guessing if I misinterpreted his silence after our time together. Yes, we hadn’t made any promises to each other, and he hadn’t replied to any of my letters. For years I assumed he had been avoiding me, and our past. Was I wrong?

  When I looked into his eyes, I didn’t see a man hiding behind shame or past actions. He was vibrant and happy, genuinely glad to see me. Surely he couldn’t fake that, right? He couldn’t be that big of an asshole, right?

  “Let’s go dance!” Elijah said, as he grabbed Jud’s hand, dragging him to the floor with an infectious smile. My gorgeous friend tried his best to get me to join them, which I politely refused. Addie and her boyfriend didn’t hesitate to join the crowd dancing to Mustang Sally.

  Which meant I was left at the table with him.

  “You sure you don’t want to dance?” He asked, nodding to the floor where my friends were smiling and having a good time.

  Shaking my head, I looked back at him.

  “No, I’m good. I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t like that too much.” Damn my insecurities.

  Grinning at me, he leaned closer, “Darling, I’m sure if I had a girlfriend, she’d hate that you just crashed back into my life. Alas, I’m as single as they come. Now tell me why you won’t dance with me?”

  Blame it on the booze, or his fucking sexy dimples, but I knew I was blushing from my head to my feet. I couldn’t resist, it was time to engage Cameron Carmichael in some real discussions after all these years of hiding from him.

  “You never actually asked me to dance.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he grinned, “let me clarify, if you go shake your ass on that dance floor, I am coming with you. No way I’m letting you dance with someone else if I’m here.”

  Laughing, I shook my head, “That still isn’t asking Mr. Carmichael.”

  Taking a drink, my mind was reeling that Cam had admitted some very interesting facts, the most important- that he was single. He was a presence to be reckoned with, my mind was reeling simply because I was sitting next to the man, flirting like it was normal.

  Oh shit, there was his cologne again. Yum.

  Leaning down to whisper in my ear, “Did you really move here? For good?”

  Trying to play it off, like his sexy voice didn’t send a tremor down to my pussy, “Yes, I’ve been an official French Quarter resident for about six hours now. I have no intentions of this being a short term job, I’m here for good.”

  Behind me I heard Jud’s and Addie walking back up to us, talking about everything they wanted to do with me now that I was here. Food, shopping, art and music events- those two were going to keep me busy.

  Giving me a quick hug, Addie leaned against me, “Oh, you have to come to Mama’s Sunday dinners, they are famous. When she finds out you are in town, she’ll take it as a personal insult if you don’t attend them, you know her and dad love you!” She grinned.

  It was hard to not love them; the Carmichael family were so genuine and warm. The siblings had been raised right, with love and supporting parents. The very opposite of what I had.

  “I’m sure I can make that happen Addie, last thing I want to do is upset Mama Carmichael.” I wasn’t going to say no to a big Sunday dinner with them, I needed them in my life.

  Having Jud and Addie in my new city was a godsend, I wasn’t going to ever snub them. Sure, I probably would fall down a depression hole starting tomorrow, and want to say in my PJs, but for them, I’d join them Sunday for dinner.

  “Alright alright, another round of shots and then I have a special song coming on for Jud that he has to dance with me to before he goes back to pretending to be the sober bar owner!” Elijah announced as he came up and set a fresh tray of tequila shots down for the group.

  Inwardly groaning, I reached for one and took the shot like a champ. Slamming the shot glass down, I heard the band play start up Georgia On My Mind as I watch Jud and Elijah take to the dance floor once again.

  God, I was so happy for him. They looked like they were so in love.

  Addie and her boyfriend weren’t far behind them on the dance floor.

  “Shayne, dance with me.”

  It wasn’t a question, but a statement from Cameron Carmichael. His voice had a deep velvet tone that dared me to disobey him- it turned me on.

  Giving him a little side-eye, “Cameron, I didn’t know the entire family was going to be here tonight, I thought I was just meeting Jud for drinks, I don’t need your pity dance. If I wasn’t good enough to buy you a drink as the clumsy chick in the dark, then don’t worry about it.”

  Bravely meeting his eyes, I watched as he raised his brow and eyed me as if I had thrown down the gauntlet. Scooping me out of the private bench in seconds flat, he sat me on my feet and slipped his hand down the small of my back.

  “The last thing I feel for you is pity.” He said as he looked down at me with his vibrant blue eyes.

  Desire shot through me as his fingers flexed into my skin.

  “I never said you weren’t good enough. I turned down the drink because I’m a gentleman, and I was going to buy you one little miss sassy pants.” He grinned down at me as he teased. Being so close to him was making my body weak. Cameron had a magnetism to him, it was enthralling, exciting with a touch of danger.

  Leaning down he whispered in my ear, his face buried in my hair, “Furthermore, all is fair, if you get to make me wet tonight I should be allowed to return the favor. Come on, dance with me and I’ll forget you ruined my favorite work shirt.”

  My jaw hit the floor, again. He had rejected my sass, and maneuvered me right where he wanted me. He took my momentary lapse in brain function to his advantage and took my hand, pulling me out into the crowded floor. Feeling his skin touch mine sent a shiver down my spine as I followed him through the crowd of bodies.

  Finding a spot on the floor, he spun me into his arms. His left hand sat low on the small of my back, almost too low, but I wasn’t going to say shit. He held my other hand and moved us into the sway of the smooth slow song so effortlessly.

  Rocking together to the bluesy beat, my heart pounded as I could feel every hard muscle of his body as he closed the distance between us.

  His cologne was decedent. I wanted to close my eyes and breath him in all night long.

  God, he smelled good.

  “You aren’t really upset about the shirt, are you?” I blurted out.

  Chuckling, he pulled me up so he could whisper in my ear, “Of course I’m not mad Shayne, but it isn’t every day I have an Irish beauty crash into me. You doused me, then felt me up pretending to dry the mess you created.”

  Swatting at him playfully, I looked up at him with a giant smile.

  God, he was so tall.

  “I did not feel you up!”

  “Did too, but I didn’t mind at all.” He teased as I relaxed in his arms.

  My entire body felt like it was humming as I danced with Cameron. Being in his arms reminded me of how much I had sacrificed over the years. There was an electricity, a connection between us- just like that time so long ago.

  After he was deployed, I had never saw him again and that was the last time I had felt anything like this. Yes, I had dated, even been engaged, but I had neve
r felt anything like this with any other man.

  I had convinced myself that I was delusional, that the spark I felt with Cameron all those years ago was a one-time occurrence. That I could live without it, that it was a mere fluke.

  It appeared, I was totally full of shit.

  Swallowing, I tried to get my body under control.

  “So tell me, what do you think of my city?” He asked, his question was genuine.

  Thankful for the shots of tequila, I answered just as genuinely, “I’ve been here quite a few times Cameron, I’m no stranger to this town. The job found me, and I had no reason to stay in Chicago so I jumped at the chance to come live here. I’ve always adored this city.”

  “Where did you get hired?”

  “NOMA” I replied happily, I was super proud of landing this job.

  “Wow, New Orleans Museum of Art. Impressive, I thought you were going to tell me you were going to be a Saints cheerleader.”

  “Funny.” I pretend scowled at him, trying to hide my grin.

  “What? You’re way hotter than all of them,” he said, pulling back to get a good look at my body, “yup, still the total package.”

  Rolling my eyes, I just chuckled, “I’m sure you first-hand knowledge of how hot they are.” He was filthy rich, devilishly handsome and from a very prominent family- the entire city loved him, as did every red-blooded straight woman alive.

  “Nah, that isn’t my type.”

  Raising an eyebrow, it was easy to flirt with him, “Do you even have a type?”

  Pulling me closer, he looked down at me with a slight grin, “Oh I have a type alright sugar, a very specific type.”

  I wasn’t vain enough to assume he meant me, but I sure was happy I took the time and effort into getting ready tonight. I had my favorite tight skinny jeans on that had well-loved holes in them, and a flowy black top that showed a little cleavage and made me look super curvy and some strappy wedges.

  As much as I didn’t want to come out tonight, I was so fucking happy I did. In all the years I had known Jud and the Carmichael family, Cameron had never been around while I visited. The last time I had seen him was our one-night stand all those years ago- and my body was remembering everything.