For Cami.
I stiffened. What the hell didthatmean?
And now I was pissed – not at her, but at myself.
It wasn't just because I'd let her freeze. It was for the way I felt about it now, with a nearly primitive urge to protect her, not just from the cold, but from anything that threatened her comfort or safety.
Shit.
I was losing it – the calculated coolness that had served me well for most of my life.I needed to regain it, and fast.
When I spoke again, my voice came out several degrees colder. "Are you gonna answer the question or not?"
Her eyes narrowed, and the warmth in them cooled considerably. "Fine." She extended her arm and pointed to the nearby pantry. "In there."
I turned to look. "You're joking."
But already, Cami was stalking past me, heading toward the pantry door. She yanked it open and stomped into the glorified closet before turning once again to face me. "No. I’mnotjoking," she said. "So, are you coming or not?"
If this were anyone but Cami, I would've told her that we'd be talking where I damn well pleased. But her concern for my sister softened the edges, even as I said, "You want to talk in the closet?"
"It's a not a closet," she said. "It's a pantry."
"Which is a closet for food."
She gave me a stiff smile. "Excellent. If we get locked in, we won't starve."
Oh, man.The thought of being locked anywhere with Cami was a dangerous thing to consider. On the upside, the pantry had no lock, and Cami looked too annoyed to be interested in anything other than talking.
I might be a prick in every other way, but when it came to females, I was only interested in the willing. And from thecurrentlook in Cami's eyes, she'd rather kiss a cobra than get anywhere nearme.
Good.
I shrugged. "Alright." As I strode through the open doorway, I said, "But I'm warning you…."
She backed up to make room. "Of what?"
Once again, the thing I'd beenplanningto say died on my lips. I'd been planning to tell her that she needed to make it quick. But instead, the thing that came out of my mouth was, "If we get locked in…"
"Yeah?"
Ialmostsmiled. "The cereal's mine."
Damn it.
It wasn't just a joke. It was a corny joke. And I hadn't made one ofthosesince grade school.
Oh, yeah. I was in trouble, alright.
And maybe, so was she.
Chapter 28
Cami
As I stared up at him, Ialmostwanted to snicker. "Was that a joke?"
With an expression that I couldn’t quite decipher, he asked, "What doyouthink?"