Summer Sin (The Anthology Novella Series Book 2)
Page 3
Get the hell away from him, Victoria, her mind screamed at her; but for some unknown reason, she just couldn’t move. It was as if her feet were firmly planted in the sand beneath her.
He just stood there quietly, staring down at her, his incredible chest bare and glistening in the moonlight, and she tried to force her eyes back up to his face when they drifted down with a will of their own. Geez, she thought with a soft grunt, the man was ripped!
Gathering up every last bit of her reserve, she met his eyes. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Stark. And, thank you again for your concern, but really, I can assure you that I’m fine.”
Victoria started to take another step away but Cam didn’t let go…he couldn’t. The sight of this unbelievable creature standing there in the water, the moonlight bouncing off of her body, which was just barely concealed by the thin fabric that she wore had him unable or unwilling to let her just walk away. Jesus, what in the Holy Hell is she doing to me?
“Wait,” he burst out, his eyes locking with hers. “Have dinner with me tomorrow.” The words flew past his lips before he could stop them. But, damn it! For three full, excruciating days he had just sat there like an ass, watching that blasted house as she had locked herself away, and he just hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. Visions of her had kept him up at night and he just couldn’t let her go. Not yet.
“Why?” she questioned softly, her incredible eyes holding his.
Cam was slightly taken back by her response. He had never had a woman question a dinner invitation from him before. Ever. It just wasn’t something that was done.
“Excuse me?” he asked, completely and utterly perplexed.
Victoria studied him a moment in silence. Finally, she quirked an eyebrow at him, her perfect mouth turning down in a small, thoughtful frown, and he had to say… it was sexy as hell.
“Why on earth should I have dinner with you, Mr. Stark?” she asked evenly. The confidence emanating from her body was like a living force. It swirled and danced around her and Cam felt a shiver run down his spine and hit him straight to the groin. Thank the Gods he was still standing waist deep in water, he thought with a soft, almost uncomfortable grunt.
“Well, first off,” he began, his lips twitching slightly as he tried to hide his amusement, “it’s the neighborly thing to do considering we’re the only two people out here for miles.” He tried not to burst into laughter a moment later when she crinkled her nose up at him in what had to be disgust. She looked so damned adorable that it took him a moment to concentrate on what he had been saying. “And second,” he finally continued, still trying valiantly to hide the grin threatening to break free. “Well, because I asked you to and it’s only polite.”
She seemed to consider all of this a moment. Finally, she pulled her arm out of his grip and again started heading toward shore without another word.
“Hey!” he called, momentarily stunned once again by her actions. This flippant rejection was something completely new to him and it was throwing everything off.
Victoria stopped and turned back to face him, her expression unreadable. “Yes?”
“What time should I pick you up?” he asked, the grin that he had been fighting finally skittering across his lips. He bit back a chuckle when her mouth dropped open slightly, but she quickly recovered. Well played, he thought as his grin widened slightly.
“I really don’t think that’s a very good idea, Mr. Stark.”
Camden closed the distance between them and stepped in front of her, their bodies not more than two inches apart, and damned if he didn’t feel a current of electricity hit him like a goddamn thunderbolt. Jesus! What in the hell was happening here? He had never experienced anything like this before.
“Camden,” he corrected gently, his eyes locking on her mouth. He wanted her to say his name. In fact, he needed it, he realized with a start. He didn’t know why, but the formality of Mr. Stark coming from those lips was just damned wrong on so many levels.
“Very well…Camden,” she replied, her voice taking on a note of annoyance, and yet it was still as sexy as hell Cam thought.
“How about I pick you up at six?” he whispered and saw her body tighten.
Victoria stared at the man standing in front of her a moment in stunned disbelief. He was so arrogant; so damn cock-sure of himself, and she couldn’t help but bristle slightly. No matter how attracted she was to him, the man was an ass who didn’t seem to understand what the word no meant.
“Listen,” she began, refusing to meet his eyes now. She just couldn’t. For some reason, when she did, he seemed to pull her in with this need that she was far from comfortable with. “I appreciate the offer, truly I do. But I’m really not what you’re looking for.” She knew his type all too well. He was a player. Plain and simple. Something that she definitely didn’t have the time or the patience for. He probably had a different woman warming his bed every damn night and she’d be damned if she was going to be added to the notches on his bedpost!
“Really? And…what is it exactly that I’m looking for, Victoria?” he responded quietly.
She felt her toes curl down into the sand at her feet with the smooth, husky way that he said her name. It rolled off of his tongue like sweet molasses and slammed right into her body, warming her to her core. And it was beyond sexy as all hell. It was damned near earth-shattering.
Victoria took a deep, steadying breath and finally met his gaze, refusing to let this man do what he was doing to her. “I know your type all too well. You’re looking for a quick wine and dine romp in the hay to pass the time. You’re bored and you probably haven’t had your…um, tires rotated since you’ve been here,” she informed him haughtily, and was shocked when he burst out into a rich, deep laughter only a moment later.
“As appealing as that does sound,” He chuckled good-naturedly and his amber eyes seemed to glow even brighter as the silvery moonlight bounced and danced off of them, “But, I’m merely looking for a little company.” When Victoria’s brows shot up, Cam lifted his hands in defense. “Just for some dinner conversation, I promise. No tire rotation involved. I swear.” He finished with a snort.
She gnawed at her bottom lip a moment as she debated on whether or not eating with him was such a good idea. Yes, she was absolutely bored out of her mind and some companionship, not to mention some real food, would be nice…but the way that she reacted to this man standing so confidently in front of her was not good at all. If Victoria knew one thing it was how to identify danger, and every cell in her body was telling her that this man was beyond just dangerous.
With a firm mental shake at herself for being such a wuss, she nodded. She was a hunter for God’s sake, she reminded herself yet again. She could handle herself better than most men. What on earth did she have to be afraid of? If he stepped out of line, she would hand the arrogant ass his balls on a silver platter without a moment’s hesitation. She could do this. And…real food!
“All right,” she finally conceded. “Six it is.” With that, she turned back and again began heading toward shore. She was suddenly aware of him walking up beside her, his fingers whispering across the base of her spine to steady her as they padded along through the waves, and she couldn’t help but notice how nice it felt. It had been a very long time since someone had shown her such consideration. Usually, they were just trying to rip out her innards.
Victoria stood in front of the mirror and scowled darkly. Oh, jump up my ass and call me Abe Lincoln! What in the hell am I doing here? She wondered angrily as she glared at her reflection and turned her body to the left, then to the right.
She was wearing a beautiful sea blue sundress that hugged her curves more than just a little and dipped down low in front, accentuating every damn line of her body.
What in the hell had she been thinking to buy such a thing? She was much more comfortable in her worn, black leather pants and ratty old tank tops. Who in the hell was she trying to impress anyway with this get up?
She sighed heavily, deciding that she would just get through this evening and then go about surviving the next twenty-six days, eleven hours, and nineteen minutes.
The rapping on her front door jerked her from her thoughts and she quickly grabbed her purse and dashed down the stairs to answer it.
Victoria bit back the moan that sprang to her lips as she opened the door to what was standing there. Oh, my dear Lord!
Camden Stark! His impressive, massive body was covered in a white cotton shirt that was unbuttoned just enough to show a sprinkling of dark hair on his incredibly tanned chest, and his lean, muscular legs were covered in a pair of tailored black dress pants…and the damned man looked like a God!
She swallowed hard as she tried to get her emotions under control. Oh, she was really beginning to think she had made a mistake. This man had her libido raging!
“You look absolutely stunning,” he husked, his eyes crinkling around the edges in what seemed to be appreciation and she felt her cheeks warm.
That raspy, deep, sexy as all hell voice sent a tingling from the top of her head straight down to the very tips of her toes in an instant. So, not a good idea!
“Thank you,” she managed to get out weakly, although she realized with a slight cringe that her voice was an octave or two lower than what was usual and she silently berated herself for acting like some silly little schoolgirl. She was so much better than this.
“Shall we?” he asked, lifting his arm and extending his elbow to her. She hesitated only a moment before slipping her arm through his and closing the door behind her.
This was all so strange and new to her. She didn’t date. She hunted. Yes, there had been a few flings here and there…a girl did have needs after all, but she didn’t go out and make nice. And, damned if this all wasn’t just throwing her for a loop. Why couldn’t the man have been a harmless, ugly ass troll for God’s sake! Damn! Just her luck.
Cam led her to his waiting car and opened the door for her, inhaling her sweet scent greedily as it floated on the breeze. Christ, but she smelled good. She was a combination of that sexy as hell muskiness of Were and the unique floral scents of the Fey, and it was an absolutely intoxicating combination. He closed the door and trotted around the front of the car, quickly sliding in beside her.
“Hungry?” he asked, trying hard not to look at her exposed legs from where the skirt she wore had slid up a bit, but good God…how could he not? She was spellbinding. He cleared his throat and started the car.
“Starving,” he heard her softly spoken reply, and Cam couldn’t help but to think that so was he…only not for food. Ah, crap- he was getting in deep!
As they walked into the tiny restaurant overlooking the ocean, they were immediately guided to a small, intimate table in the corner by a busty little brunette who smiled at them warmly.
It was a remote, quiet little place with a native feel to it that Victoria instantly loved. The most amazing smells were wafting through the air and her stomach growled hungrily. She had lived on nothing but peanut butter sandwiches for the past three days as she had periodically glared at the food in the refrigerator with anger as it slowly but surely went bad, and she was more than a little ready to dig into some real food.
They ordered drinks and sat there in an almost comfortable silence. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but for some insane reason she felt at ease with the gorgeous Were. Maybe it was just desperation to ease her solitude, she reasoned…or maybe she was going just a little bat shit crazy. It was anyone’s guess.
“So, what are you doing out here?” she asked finally, taking a sip from the fruity drink that had been set down in front of her. It was bright pink with cherries and pineapple…and absolutely divine. “I mean, are you on vacation?” she quickly asked, trying hard not to be rude and pry. She most definitely didn’t want to get too personal with the man.
Cam watched as her full, pouty mouth took a sip from her glass; his eyes fixated on the way her tongue darted out and licked her lips in appreciation as she did. Dear God; this woman was dangerous.
“I’m sorry. What?” he choked out, trying really hard to get a handle on himself…and quick.
“Are you here on vacation?” Victoria asked again, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice now.
“Um, yeah,” he replied softly, his eyes—with a will of their own—straying back to those perfect, plump lips of hers.
“What do you do?” she ground out slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched him staring at her like a complete and utter ass.
Holy Hell…the woman was absolutely enchanting. Camden gave himself a firm mental kick in the ass and met her gaze; and damned if those eyes of hers didn’t make his body tingle and grow warm the moment they locked with his. Ah, shit and hellfire!
“I’m retired,” he responded as evenly as he could, wondering just what in the hell he was doing here. He had been asked to keep watch over her…not lust after her. He shouldn’t have asked her to dinner. He was realizing now that it had been a huge mistake. He shouldn’t be getting to know her. He shouldn’t be making nice with her. She was an assignment and nothing more. Just a favor that had been called in.
He silently promised himself that he was going to kick the ever loving crap out of Malcom when this whole fiasco was finally over and done with.
“Ex…military,” he murmured, the words sticking in his throat just a bit for some reason. She didn’t need to know that he had been a hunter with the same Special Forces team that she now worked with, but the fact that he was keeping it from her left a bad taste in his mouth that he definitely wasn’t used to. “And you?” he quirked his brow at her and saw her cheeks heat.
“I…I’m a hunter,” she answered quietly, almost apologetically, as if she were ashamed of it.
“Really?” he replied, feigning surprise, “how very admirable.” He noticed an instant sadness come to her eyes that completely threw him for a loop with the tugging to his heart that it caused. “Don’t you enjoy it?” he husked curiously, leaning forward a bit, his gaze not leaving hers for a moment.
“It’s all I know anymore, really,” she answered honestly.
He could see her push that sadness away and damned if he didn’t want to take her in his arms and comfort her.
Victoria didn’t know just why in the hell she was telling him all of this…but she was. It seemed so easy and natural. She took another sip of her drink and breathed a small sigh of relief when the waiter came over to take their orders. She held back the urge to order one of everything on the menu and decided to go for a seafood and rice dish that sounded just a little bit like heaven.
The rest of the evening passed much too quickly and before Victoria knew it, they were pulling up to her house and he was helping her from the car.
Cam walked her to her door, his hand at the small of her back as his fingers spread out deliciously with a feather light touch. They stood there quietly like two uncomfortable teenagers, just staring at each other.
“Well…thank you for dinner,” she said after a very long, somewhat awkward silence as the two of them seemed to size the other up. “It was amazing.”
Cam leaned forward, bringing his mouth dangerously close to hers. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Victoria fidgeted slightly, although she didn’t back away from him. She stood firm; she wasn’t about to let him get to her – no matter how intimidating he could be.
“Why don’t you ever laugh?” he asked suddenly, and a startled gasp passed her lips as her mouth dropped open in stunned surprise. Just where in the hell had that co
me from?
Victoria stared at him a moment in shock and just the tiniest hint of anger. How dare he judge her! He didn’t know her! He had spent a few hours with her and now he thought that he knew all about who she was?
Okay, she silently conceded, maybe she didn’t have his easy, laid back sense of humor…but she laughed. Didn’t she? She tried to think back to a time when she had…and came up at a complete loss.
“I laugh,” she finally bit out defensively, her green eyes darkening slightly.
“No, you don’t,” Cam responded evenly, leaning in just a little closer to her.
She could feel his warm breath on her mouth, mingling with hers in slow, gentle puffs…and it was wondrous. She fought back the shiver that started to creep along the base of her spine with everything she was worth and lifted her brow in silent challenge. If he thought he was going to make her uncomfortable or rattle her, he had another think coming. She didn’t let predators intimidate her. Ever!
Cam watched the play of emotion flit across her features with extreme interest. Damn, but the woman had guts. She just didn’t back down. Malcolm had said she was a tough one and he hadn’t been exaggerating.
He was silent as he watched her try to stare him down, although the proximity of their bodies was making it damned hard to actually concentrate on anything else. He could feel her heat, and that damn scent of hers wrapped around him like a fricking embrace. Everything about this woman seemed to soothe him, yet caused his senses to snap and crackle with awareness at the same time.
“I laugh when I find something funny,” she countered softly, her eyes darting quickly to his mouth then back up again only to meet his gaze with a stubbornness that he really had to admire. “You’re just not as funny as you happen to think you are.”