Page 52 of The Easy Way
Shaw’s eyes turned shrewd and his lips pursed as if the drink in his hand had suddenly turned sour. Cort bit back the urge tolaugh.
“And what do you do, Mr. Cortland?” Shawdemanded.
Cort wrapped his own arm around Cam’s back, settling Cam against his side. “Oh, various things,” he hedged. He was fairly certain if he announced himself to be an FBI agent, the news would travel around this gathering faster than wildfire. Besides which, his status as an agent was tenuous at best just then. “Right now, I’m enjoying some timeoff.”
Shaw’s eyes turned a fraction colder. “And how do you knowCam?”
Cort hesitated, unsure of what Cam might have told the Tyndalls while making arrangements for the trip, but Cam stepped in immediately. “Cort and I met at a charity function a while back,” he saidsmoothly.
Cort squeezed his waist inapproval.
“Well, then we’ll have to get to know you,” Shaw said. His words were friendly enough, but his tone carried a distinct warning. “I’ll ask Lucy to have you over to the house for dinner sometime once we get back.” He glanced at Jack. “Make anote.”
Jack nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said in a faintdrawl.
Cam nodded and Cort managed to smilepolitely.
Lydia rolled her eyes. “I don’t think Camden needs your blessing on his boyfriend,” she saiddryly.
“What? That’s nonsense. I just want to know more about the young man Cam will be spending time with,” Shaw said, his cheeks turning red. “The boy is practically one of myown!”
Cort stifled a snort.Bullshit.Shaw was no father to Cam - he could tell Cam didn’t even like the guy. Maybe if Cam’s father was alive, Cam might care about his approval, but as far as Cort was concerned, he didn’t care what anyone else thought. Cam was his whether or not the blustering Senator condoned their relationship. Cort fought the sudden desire to kiss Cam right then and there, and wished for a moment he’d marked him up in theplane.
“Lydia Tyndall, what are you saying to make my husband blush?” A pretty, middle-aged redhead in a sleeveless white dress strolled up to Shaw’s side, along with a tall, teenage boy who looked miserably warm in a long-sleeved button-down shirt and khaki pants. The woman leaned forward to give Cam a kiss on the cheek. “Cam, sweetheart, so good to seeyou.”
“Your husband was about to ask Camden’s boyfriend his intentions,” Lydia saidarchly.
The redhead’s mouth gaped in surprise as she turned to Cort. “Boyfriend?” she repeated, looking back and forth from Cam to Cort. “Really?”
“I… well.” Cam stammered, straightening slightly at Cort’s side. “It’s…we’re…”
“Yes, boyfriend,” Cort said, his hand around Cam’s back tightening slightly until Cam was pressed against him again, right where he belonged. Cam glanced up at Cort in surprise, but then smiled and his own hand tightened on Cort’swaist.
“Kendrick Cortland,” he told the woman, holding out his hand to shake. “But call meCort.”
The lady blinked, but held out her hand mechanically. “Lucy Shaw,” she said, as though surprised to hear herself speaking the words. She took her hand backquickly.
“And Cort, this is Cain Shaw. I guess he’d be my honorary… cousin?” Cam asked dubiously, as though he’d never really thought about thatbefore.
Cort held out his hand to the younger man, who gripped it briefly, as though Cort was possibly contagious or onfire.
Lydia Tyndall rolled her eyes and shot Cort a look that said she was exasperated by the wholeproceeding.
Cam cleared his throat. “Cain. Good to see you. You’re lookingwell.”
The boy blushed and nodded. He managed to squeak out, “Yeah, uh. Youtoo.”
Cort realized belatedly that if the boy was the Shaws’ son, he wasn’t actually a teenager but was probably twenty-three or twenty-four. And quickly on the heels of that, he recalled Cam saying he and Cain had dated briefly, once upon a time.Honorary cousin, my eye.Cort couldn’t wait to give Cam shit for thatlater.
Cort’s gaze on Cain turnedassessing.
Cain was undeniably handsome. With deep blue eyes, a strong jaw, and a straight nose, his perfect face was the kind often featured on magazine covers, but he looked at least a decade younger than he must have been, partly because he was an inch or two shorter than Cam and a little heavier. Maybe he was still carrying a layer of puppy fat, but there was also something in his eyes. He seemed startled and uncomfortable to find someone had noticed him, and his gaze darted back and forth from Cam to his mother and father, like he wasn’t sure how tobehave.
“Are you still in school?” Camasked.
“Uh, yeah. Second year law,” he confirmed. “Vanderbilt.”
“Oh, that’s right. I remember. Good for you,” Cam said. To Cort, he added, “The Shaws used to live up in Boston, but they moved south a few yearsago.”
