by Lindsey Hart
The water grew deeper and Cam started to swim. He was almost glad Sarah clung to him. At least it left him free to tread water. He was an excellent swimmer and made quick work of getting even further away from the beach. Finally he stopped. Sarah’s arms tightened around his neck.
“I’ll go out farther,” Cam ground out. “I’ll go out deep enough that you’ll be in real trouble if I let you go. All I want is for you to tell me why your brother needs that money.”
He glanced down at Sarah’s face. It was absolutely stark white. Her eyes were wide and the moonlight illuminated the terror in those honeyed depths. Her lips parted in a silent plea. He felt her heartbeat hammering wildly against his own chest. She didn’t struggle. She didn’t move, clearly afraid if she did she would drown them both.
“Are you going to tell me or not!” Cam thundered. His patience wore thin.
Sarah broke then. Her eyes filled with tears and they spilled down her cheeks in salty trails. “Please!” She whispered brokenly. She clung to him as if for dear life. “Please don’t let me drown out here! You’re not a beast… Cameron, you’re not an animal! Please! I won’t try to escape again! I’ll do anything you say! You can tie me up if you want. Please, just anything but this!”
Her broken gasping pleas cut straight to Cameron’s heart. His chest tightened and his stomach cramped painfully. He would never have hurt her. God, he just wanted to scare her. There was no way he ever would have even let her go. He knew that but she didn’t.
He was disgusted at himself. Disgusted at what he had reduced her to. Most of all he was disgusted at his own weakness. He’d dated women. He’d slept with more than he cared to admit. Not a single one of them had ever cut through him like Sarah did in that moment.
Cam said nothing. He ground his teeth and made his way back to the shallow waters. Once his feet hit the bottom he walked the rest of the way to the beach. He dropped his burden unceremoniously onto the sand.
She sobbed there, scrabbling at the ground like she’d been marooned at sea for months. Cam should have been pleased that he had finally broken her. He was anything but. Watching her pathetic gesture of relief made him feel like the worst human being in the world. People said terrible things about him. He had always been proud that they weren’t true, until right that minute. Watching Sarah, everything anyone had ever said about him being a cold hearted beast was the truth.
She finally looked up at him, her black dress coated in the sand and salt water. Her eyes were large and tear filled, her cheeks puffy. Even when she cried she was beautiful. “Why?” She whispered. She gulped down a sob. “Why did you bring me back?”
Why indeed? Cam was aware that a low growl sounded on the breeze. He almost glanced around for the source of it before he realized it was coming from him. The sound was torn from his throat. He stepped forward, hooked his hand under Sarah’s arm and hauled her up to standing.
“You want to know why?” He ground out. “This is why.” He pulled her in against his own soaking wet body and slammed a hard, bruising kiss on her full, sensual mouth.
CHAPTER 7
The icy fingers of shock held Sarah in their grasp for a few seconds before the heat of Cameron’s kiss chased them away. What the hell did he think he was doing?
She put her hand up against the hard wall of his chest and pushed him firmly away. She broke the kiss and stepped back a pace, nearly stumbling. His hand snaked around her wrist and caught her from falling.
His chest heaved with the effort of his breath. Those ice blue eyes of his shone, almost otherworldly, in the moonlight.
She didn’t know what she was doing when she stepped back against him. She was guided by a feeling older and more primal that anything she’d ever known. She reached up, brought his neck down as she raised her face. His lips descended to hers again. They were warm and passionate and moved against hers with a savage hunger. His kiss was an onslaught. She parted her mouth under the force of his attack, knowing full well she couldn’t withstand the violent siege any longer. His tongue swept in and tangled with hers. She whimpered into his mouth and all but collapsed against him.
Strong arms encircled her, drawing her even closer. She moaned as his hand brushed against the curve of her breast. Her dress was soaked, flattened against her body like a second skin.
She didn’t understand any of the swirling sensations that rocketed through her body at his touch. She didn’t want to respond to him. She shouldn’t want anything from him, especially not this, but the truth was, she did. She couldn’t deny the strange friction that buzzed between them. Touching him was all the more erotic for the fact that it should have been forbidden. She couldn’t even deny that when she’d held that knife to his throat and stared at his face all she wanted was to taste those lips. The lips of the devil.
His kiss stole her breath and his touch turned her body into a pool of molten hot need. She closed her eyes as his hand traced its way from her breast, over the curve of her hip and traveled lower. He found the hem of her dress and pulled the sodden fabric upwards, displaying the only pair of underwear she owned; the sexy black lace panties.
She moaned when his hand traced the outline of the lace. She arched into him, her hips surging forward all on their own. She sought the scorching fire of his touch.
Her mind fought her even as her body grew weak and pliable under his hands. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t do this. Not with Cameron. He’s the enemy.
And yet… he was as hot for her as she was for him. He broke the kiss, growling again with the force of his need. He backed up a step and she missed the hard press of his body against hers. Sarah’s eyes dropped to his soaking black boxers. She saw the ridge of him outlined there, hard and massive. Her core ached at the sight. The need she felt for him was utterly astounding. A storm of butterflies erupted in the pit of her stomach.
A shocking idea took form in her mind. She desperately wanted to ignore it but she was out of options. She reminded herself that he’d forced her to this moment. Perhaps she could use her wantonness and his startling desire against him. Perhaps this was the ultimate weapon that would bring the fearless Cameron Spade to his knees.
Sarah made a decision as her hand fell to his hardness, tracing the outline of him. Hot, aching, roaring need surged through her blood and she trembled inside. She would have him. She would surrender to him, surrender until she was the one in charge. She knew that a woman could bring a man to his downfall and she sensed that she was Cameron’s weakness, the chink in his impenetrable armour.
“Take me. Take me Cameron. Please.” Her voice was little more than a throaty whisper.
His head fell to the crook of her neck. He groaned savagely, his breath a gentle caress against her heated skin. His tongue snaked out and tasted her there. He licked and kissed his way over the column of her neck, up to her earlobe.
Sarah melted into the erotic touch. She struggled to keep hold of her senses. She told herself that this was what she needed to do to save her brother. This was the way she broke down Cameron’s defenses and turned the tables. It was nothing more.
Her weak knees and spiked pulse told her otherwise. Her lungs seemed incapable of making breath. They burned with the need for oxygen. When she finally could force air inside, it came back out in a raspy hard pant that would have made her blush under any other circumstance.
Cam’s t-shirt was soaked with salty ocean water and glued to his body. He helped her rip it away. Literally. The tearing of fabric rent the night. Cameron tore away his boxers next. Sarah’s eyes widened when she glanced down. His member was rock hard and throbbing. Good lord, he’s huge! Her body lit up as a rush of desperate desire swept through her. The pounding ache between her thighs grew steadily worse until she wanted to scream.
She imagined herself grinding hard against him, taking every inch of that thick member inside herself until they were both a screaming, panting mess.
Cameron’s passion hazed eyes told her that he knew exactly what she wante
d. He lifted her sodden dress above her head and tossed it carelessly into the sand. His eyes lit up with a feral hunger as the moonlight illuminated her full breasts. Her rosy hued nipples stood on end before he even touched them. She held his gaze as she hooked her fingers under her lace panties and slowly pulled them down her thighs.
She bared herself to him and stood, unafraid and unabashed in the silver glow of the night. She watched those blue orbs, normally deep and blue like the ocean, change. Cameron’s hunger, his primal, male need darkened them until they were almost black. The moonlight and shadows played over his face. Perhaps it was nothing more than a trick of the night.
“Sarah,” Cameron panted. “My god, you are beautiful.”
She wanted to make some joke, say some stupid, snappy witty thing about him finally admitting it. She wanted to make fun of his desire for her but she found that she couldn’t. Her tongue remained glued to the roof of her mouth and even if she could force it to move, her mind conjured up nothing other than a response that echoed that sentiment.
As he gazed at her, she boldly returned the favour. She took in every single hard plane, every striated muscle, every granite ridge. A smattering of hair darkened his chest. It trailed off only to resume just below his naval. It trailed lower and thickened the further down it went. She stared, unembarrassed, at his thick member. He was totally erect. He was so huge she doubted she could even take all of him. He was so ready. Droplets of arousal glistened at the tip. Her own core ached in response.
Her eyes flew to his face when he cleared his throat. She realized she’d been caught studying his erection but he didn’t seem to mind in the last. In fact, the hunger in his eyes only grew.
“Are you going to take me or not?” Sarah whispered. She meant it as a taunt but it came out sounding more like a plea.
“Right here? On the sand?”
She nodded. Her body ached. She couldn’t tell him that she didn’t think she could stand to wait to go anywhere else. If he didn’t banish the ache inside of her immediately she thought she might actually go insane.
“Yes. Right here.”
“I thought that wasn’t safe. You could get sand in places you might not want to have it in later.”
“I. Don’t. Fucking. Care.” Sarah ground out. Cameron’s eyes widened in surprise.
He practically charged at her. She was unprepared for the crushing strength of his arms as they wrapped around her waist and hoisted her upwards. She instinctually wrapped her legs around his waist, supporting herself easily. She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails in before he even had a chance to do anything further.
He grunted in pain and satisfaction. He shifted her slightly so he could reach between them and guide himself to her opening. She was already slick and wet and beyond ready. He hesitated there for just a second. She wanted to thrust her pelvis forward and force him inside of herself but she refrained. This was not how one got the upper hand. She couldn’t let him know that in that moment she needed him as badly as he needed her.
One hand reached up and tangled in her hair. He crushed her lips to his in a searing kiss as he entered her slowly, giving her body a chance to get used to his size and thickness. His girth was shocking and painful. He pulled out slightly, waiting with uncertainty for her breathing to return to normal. Her legs were already wrapped tightly around his waist. Sarah dug her heel into the hard muscle of his backside, forcing his thickness back inside of her.
She broke the kiss. “That’s better,” she sighed dreamily. Cam reacted so swiftly it shocked her. He let out that low, primal growl and started to thrust making Sarah’s entire world implode around her.
One hard thrust of that massive member sent a flurry of sensations through her body. It was like a bomb detonated inside of her and the shrapnel of pleasure spread to every single limb and every nerve ending. He reached between them wickedly and Sarah wondered what he was doing. His finger found her swollen clit. One flick combined with a hard thrust sent her careening into oblivion. Sarah’s senses reeled as she came apart. She clung to Cameron’s shoulders and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
Her climax was so sharp and pleasurable it was almost painful. She refused to cry out. She was completely silent. Her breathing stopped. Flashes of colour danced in front of her eyes. She rode out the waves of pleasure, even as Cameron thrust harder, with longer, deeper strokes. He created a friction that burned straight up to the center of her entire universe. That white hot burn wasn’t diminished at all by the fact that she’d just experienced one of the craziest climaxes of her entire life. She’d never orgasmed just from someone entering her before. It was completely shocking.
“God, you’re sexy as hell when you come,” Cameron ground out.
Sarah’s let out a little gasp of outrage. She hadn’t realized that he’d known… but of course. He could feel her pulsing around him, her tight inner muscles trembling with the force of her pleasure.
Cameron’s breath changed as his thrusts intensified. All thought fled as her hips ground into him, taking all of him and matching it with her own frantic rhythm. Sarah gave herself up to the incredible sensations racing through her blood. She felt like she was soaring and falling at the same time.
Her whimpers of pleasure combined with Cameron’s deep moans. His hard rhythm sent a thousand shockwaves racing up and down her legs. The tightening of her stomach muscles and the tingling in her thighs told her that she was close to shattering again. This time she pulled Cameron’s face down to her own. She slanted her lips across his and opened her mouth to him. She gave herself up to a second hard climax.
Sarah cried Cameron’s name. She didn’t want to do it but the sound was torn from her throat, desperate and hoarse as she rode the waves of the most intense orgasm she could ever remember having. She lost herself in an overwhelming of ecstasy.
Cameron’s hands dug into her hips as he supported her. Their bodies ground together, his thrusts getting longer and harder. He pistoned hard into her again and again. His breaths were laboured pants underscored by a low groan. He was about to finish and Sarah was frantic for a second. They hadn’t discussed what would happen when they reached this point. She hadn’t even thought…
Cameron pulled out at the last second. He set her down roughly, gripped her hips and ground her against his pelvis. His hot seed burst over her stomach and thighs. Sarah froze. She should have been embarrassed or at least a little ashamed, but somehow what he’d just done was as erotic as hell. Cameron trembled against her. The aftershocks of their combined pleasure raced through them both. They clung to each other, hardly daring to breathe. Sarah’s legs were so weak she doubted she could even stand up on her own. She braced herself against his chest. She didn’t want to lean on him but she had no choice.
Cameron bent his head. His breath was hot against her ear and neck. “I know exactly what we both need right now.”
She froze. God, she could only imagine what a man like Cameron Spade could dream up. “What’s that?” She whispered.
When he didn’t answer she turned and was shocked by his gentle smile. The glow in his eyes wasn’t the usual hard, feral glimmer. “A hot bath.”
“What?” Sarah choked. Of all the things in the world she never would have expected that. The gesture was far too intimate and tender. She was about to protest but the glimmer of hope that passed quickly over Cameron’s features killed the words before she could even form them. This was supposed to be an act; a clever seduction. She could go along with it if it suited her purpose.
If only she believed that was her sole reason for her unbidden eagerness and her quiet nod of agreement.
CHAPTER 8
A mound of bubbles popped gently whenever Cameron shifted. The hot water soothed his tired muscles and calmed his ardour. For the moment at least.
He raised his head from the sloping curve of the deep claw foot bathtub and stared at Sarah. She shared the opposite end of the large tub. The drain entered from the middle. He’d alwa
ys though the tub would be a good fit for two people but he had never tried it.
Sarah’s honey eyes shifted to his face. She offered a small smile that he believed was genuine. He couldn’t be sure. Just when he thought she was settling in, she crept to his room in the middle of the night and held a knife to this throat.
His reaction to her on the beach had been driven by sheer male need. He had been unable to banish the wicked temptress from his mind since the second he laid eyes on her.
He knew he shouldn’t have given in to his base desires. He should have been strong, but he’d been strong his entire life and he was tired. He longed to let down his guard just for an instant. What was it about Sarah Redden that drove him to the brink? He’d never felt so out of control in his life.
“You look like you regret what we just did.” Even Sarah’s voice was soft and sensual. She shifted slightly and the bubbles at the top of the water danced with her movement. The lush swell of her breasts peeked above the water’s line.
“No.” He didn’t regret it. He was on edge though. Confused and wary. Uncomfortable. Disbelief flickered over her face. He could tell she didn’t believe him. He wasn’t going to ask her if she regretted her part. He doubted she would answer him honestly.
Sarah sunk down lower in the bubbles. A strange wistfulness stole into her eyes. “My father was killed in a car accident when I was nine. Trace was eleven. We had a normal life before that. A happy childhood I would say. We lived in a small bungalow. We always had food on the table, clothes on our backs, that kind of thing. It all changed after dad died. He had life insurance so we didn’t have to sell the house. My mom should have been fine but she lost it. I always thought doctors are there to help people. Not her. I suppose some people are past redemption. They gave her everything she asked for. Anti-depressants, sleeping pills… they even gave her pain killers when she said she hurt her back. After that she just milked the system. Went from one doctor to another getting pills. Trace and I were left to fend for ourselves. I always knew mom wasn’t going to get better. I think that the best part of her died with dad. Trace was fifteen when she died of an overdose.”