Hi everyone, thanks so much for all your reviews! They really make me happy. And some people had trouble with opening the chapter. Me too, I posted it and it didn't come online. I think there are some issues on the site maybe? I hope this chapter gets posted sooner.

Thanks to Sweepeapatch again for being my beta!

Chapter 16

La Kaz

"What are you doing?" Camille asked when she saw Kris cleaning some glasses in the kitchen.

"I'm just helping your mum with a few things."

"That really isn't necessary you know." Camille said.

"It isn't?" Catherine asked in a surprised, hurt tone as she breezed by.

"I meant that you don't have to do anything here, it's your vacation." Camille looked from her friend back to her maman.

"Of course I want to do something. You're letting me stay here, I have to do something to thank you." Kris answered as she placed a clean glass on the counter and took another one to dry.

Catherine took a glass from behind Kris. "She insisted. I couldn't stop her." She explained to Camille as she walked back to the bar.

Camille shook her head as she studied Kris for a moment. "You'll never guess what happened." She uttered enthusiastically.

"What?" Kris asked surprised as she smiled at Camille's enthusiasm.

"The Commissioner found a new detective to play the undercover job with me."

"Ahhh." Kris grinned. "A new lover? All those men you're wearing out..." Kris teased. "What is he like?"

Camille sighed. "He's very attractive."

"Really? Attractive? Wow. Where did they manage to dig him up and keep him hidden for so long?" Kris asked as she looked under the sink and put a bucket back there.

"I don't know, he's from England too. But he isn't as stuck up as you know who. Will you come and have a drink with us? He's there. I think you'll like him. He seems very friendly. I think he's your type even."

"My type?" Kris smirked. "Interesting. And what do you think my type is?" She asked as she straightened herself.

"O come on. I still know your type!"

"I did grow up a bit you know." Kris said as she rolled her eyes.

Camille raised her brows at that. "No, you didn't. He is tall, athletic, social, funny, sweet, adventurous, a bit cool."

Kris grinned at that and rolled her eyes. "That does sound like my type. You got all this from just meeting him today? Well, I can't wait... I do like an adventurous man." She quipped as she winked at Camille. "Does he cook?" She asked teasingly.

"I'm sure you'll find other activities to do if he doesn't." Camille quipped cheekily.

"Camille! Really." Kris chastised her with a smile.

"Kris?" A man's voice called from behind her.

"Logan." Kris greeted the handsome surfer as she nodded at Camille. "I'll be over in a few minutes."

Camille nodded and made her way back to the table her colleagues and friends were sitting at. Richard still seemed to be in a foul mood. She was surprised that he came with them for a drink though. Maybe he did defrost a bit.

"Ahh there she is." Dwayne told the new detective as they saw Kris chatting animatedly with a very handsome tall man. She was making wild gestures. She smiled at something he said.

"She made friends pretty quickly." Dwayne mentioned.

They saw Kris nod and make her way towards them as Catherine gave her a cup of tea from her tray.

"Thanks Catherine. Hi everyone." She said happily as she looked at everyone. She leaned against Richard's chair as her gaze went to the new detective and then to Fidel. Her eyes grew wide as she looked from Fidel back to the new addition to the team. Her breathing hitched and the tea cup fell from her hand right onto Richard.

Richard yelped in pain as he shot up from his chair in horror. The tea had already stained his shirt and was burning his skin underneath.

"O! I'm so sorry!" Kris called out in shock as she grabbed the cup from his lap and helped him out of his jacket together with Camille.

"Come to the kitchen." Camille ordered as she dragged Richard with her instantly.

'Sponge him off." Catherine instructed as she threw a dish towel towards Camille who caught it easily and maneuvered Richard into the kitchen behind the sink.

"Take that off." Camille ordered, nodding at his shirt, as she wet the cloth quickly. "Hurry Richard." She urged as she saw he was dawdling with his tie. "You wouldn't want it to burn!"

"It already did, there's no sense to bother really." Richard protested weakly as he held the damp material of his shirt away from his chest now.

Camille sighed and put the wet towel on the kitchen counter. She closed the gap between them, her hands on his tie. He could feel her hands against his shirt. She undid his tie in only seconds and threw it on the counter without a spare glance.

Richard looked from the tie to the counter and back at her as she began to open his shirt.

"Camille..." He protested weakly as his voice just wouldn't pass through his throat anymore.

"Now is not the time to be shy." Camille muttered as she opened his shirt resolutely.

Richard closed his eyes at that and yelped once again when Camille put the wet dishcloth on the lightly red skin now exposed.

She inspected his neck and saw a bit red there too as her finger followed the outline of his shoulder towards the dish cloth.

"Camille." Richard uttered again in faint protest.

"It's just a bit burned." She mumbled concentrated as she studied his skin even more intensely.

"Could you... Please... Take your hand... Away..." Richard finally managed to utter.

What was he on about now? She looked at her left hand that had found it's place on the naked skin of his right chest and had nestled itself there contently like it had gotten a life of its own. "Sorry." She muttered as she pulled her hand back instantly. She looked at him. She took a step back when she realized how close she had been standing to him and her breathing hitched as she felt something swell in her chest. "I'm too close again aren't I?" She asked with an angry undertone. Feeling rejection once again.

"I know you only wanted to help but... Yes." Richard mumbled as he swallowed. He could still feel her skin on his. And that did things to him, with his body, that he didn't want to deal with.

"Well, that's too bad for you then." Camille suddenly snapped as she took the no longer cool wash cloth off him and wrung it above the sink. She opened the tap again and rinsed it with cold water as she eyed the soft red skin on his chest. She was surprised that his chest muscles looked smooth and strong. There was just a tiny layer of fat there but he had felt hard and strong. She bit her upper lip as she tried to focus on helping him, instead of on wanting to undress him further.

"It's okay now." Richard said as he wanted to cover himself up quickly, hide from her watchful eyes. He couldn't show himself to her. He didn't have a beach body. He was as pale as a snow man. Something that would most certainly put her off, with her beautiful skin color. His muscles weren't as toned as Nick's or the other men he had seen on the beach. He didn't have much to show for, and he didn't want to show her anyway. She was out of his league. She had made that clear before. With the whole playing lovers-debacle. He hoped that would be forgotten soon and everything would turn back to normal. Normal as in that they could be friends. Good friends even. And that she wouldn't have nice men around her. His hands moved to button his shirt up again.

"I'll be the judge of that." Camille stated sternly as she took him by his shoulders and shoved him up against the wall.

"Wha-?" Richard's soft collision with the wall made him stop buttoning his shirt.

Camille put the washcloth against his chest again. "No reason to not take good care of yourself is there?" She hissed as she was standing too close for his liking.

Richard could feel her warm breath on his lips. "N- N- oo..." He muttered ever so softly in the hopes that his breath wouldn't touch her lips. How would it feel to close the small gap between them and place his lips against hers? They looked full and soft. It would probably feel marvelous. But after that, all hell would break lose. He wasn't supposed to kiss his DS. Especially not when she didn't want to. She was helping him, and he was having these thoughts about her? It wasn't right. It wasn't right that he was thinking of how she would look naked and how she would feel. She hadn't asked for this teenage-behavior of his. And she would probably be far from charmed by it.

Camille put her hand next to him against the wall and Richard's green eyes grew wide as he looked from her hand back to her.

"Is it really that difficult for you to have me close?" She looked angrily at him. "I know you're not attracted to me, but what's with the whole "I can't touch you" attitude? I've never had that with anyone. I just don't understand."

Of course she didn't have that with anyone! What man wouldn't want to touch her? A gay man perhaps... Richard swallowed. " ...O, It isn't that..." Richard looked at her. At her lips again, they were just so appealing. He couldn't help himself. What was she even thinking?! It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to her! It was that he was too attracted to her. This woman would be the death of him! He sighed to let go of some of the tension he was feeling in his body. If he moved a few inches he could kiss her. He fantasized briefly how that would feel. Again. He just couldn't stop himself.

"Richard! Are you in there?" She snapped.

"Em me Uhm... Yes... Er... " Good Lord! Did she notice what he had been thinking of? Of course not, she couldn't read his mind. Could she? It sometimes felt like she could though...

"So?" She prodded. "Do I smell?" She asked as she sniffed her armpit. "No, that can't be it either. Is it the way I look? You don't like the way I look?" She asked as she shook her head and studied his face. "Tell me!" She ordered. Her patience ran out. She was trying to help him and again he was being so aloof. After all the hard work she'd put in these last months to get closer to him. She really had had the idea that they had grown closer.

Richard opened his mouth.

Her eyes watched him expectantly. She wouldn't let him get away anymore without answering her. He was going to answer her, otherwise she was going to squeeze it out of him, or threaten it out of him. She didn't care. Richard Poole was going nowhere until he answered her!

"Richard? Camille?" Kris breezed in. "O sorry." She said as she saw Camille was leaning into Richard and now jumped back like she'd been caught at something Kris wasn't supposed to see.

Kris's eyes darted from Camille's eyes to Richard's chest, which was covered with the dish cloth. "Richard, I'm so sorry. Really I am. Does it hurt?" She asked worried as she walked towards them.

"Well, em no.. Not really. A bit." Relief, Kris had really saved him there. He'd been seconds away from maybe admitting to Camille that it wasn't what she was thinking at all. That it wasn't that he didn't find her attractive. If it was up to him he'd study every millimeter of her body with precision and he'd enjoy that immensely. If he had ever been attracted to a woman in his whole life; it had never been as badly as he had it with Camille. Which frightened him. Coupled with her temper, attitude, honesty and passion, it frightened him even more. So it was probably better for her not to know...

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OKay I promised, Kris will make up for this bit time hahahaa, I don't know if Richard and Camille will both be happy about that, but don't be to angry with Kris hahahaa... What did you think?

I wish you all very good health, take care! And please let me know your thoughts.