Hotel Hideaway: (Soldiering On #4)

by Aislinn Kearns

  Sam didn’t think she’d ever have enough of kissing this man.

  She ran her hands over his bare back, feeling the flex and play of his muscles. She’d caught a glimpse of his chest as he’d ripped the shirt off. He was lean, with muscles carved into him rather than piled on top. He took good care of himself, but clearly didn’t bulk out his muscles. After spending so much time with macho military types, it was a refreshing change.

  Cameron parted her robe, exposing her breasts to the air. Her flushed skin reacted as if a draft blew over her, her nipples hardening more than they already were. Cameron eyed her breasts appreciatively, and Sam stretched, displaying herself for him. For so long she’d tried to hide her figure, but when Cameron looked at her like that, Sam didn’t mind being sexy for him.

  He cupped her breasts, running his thumbs over her areolas. That heat flared again, building in her.

  Cameron left her breasts, running his palms down her ribs and over her hips. Then, he parted her thighs and dipped his head. At the first touch of his tongue, Sam almost screamed. Overwhelming pleasure rushed through her like a wave. The rasp of his stubble against her thighs only heightened the feeling. But he didn’t relent, just flattened his tongue and ran it up her centre. She squirmed against his mouth, wanting both less and more pressure. He sucked on her clit, holding her hips so she couldn’t escape him.

  He relentlessly stoked her passions once again, building her towards the peak. He focused so strongly on her that Sam knew he noticed her every move, discovering what pleased her and using the knowledge with ruthless precision.

  Her hands fisted on the edge of the couch. Sweat beaded across her skin, and Cameron’s. She could see the sheen across his back. He must be painfully aroused, but he only focused on her pleasure. Another tumble of affection raced through her, glad she’d taken this plunge and trusted him enough for this.

  But she didn’t want to come a second time without him inside her.

  “Now,” she said. “I’m ready.” He didn’t stop immediately, and Sam groaned in frustration. She gripped his hair until he had to tilt his head back. When he caught sight of her expression he grinned, unrepentant.

  Sam could only imagine what she looked like. Sprawled naked on the couch, her cheeks flushed, her hair mussed.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, his eyes softening. “You’re so strong.” Sadness flickered in his eyes as he brushed his finger over the round scar on her chest, where the bullet had punctured her lung. Then he sat up and ran a hand over her taut stomach, admiration in his gaze.

  Sam raised herself into a sitting position and worked the robe off her shoulders, exposing her defined arms as well. She knew her body would be considered hard and unfeminine by some people, despite her ample breasts, but for Sam it was functional—it did the job she needed it to.

  And Cameron still looked at her with heat and fire that gave no doubt as to his opinion on the matter.

  She grinned and reached for Cameron’s pants again.

  “Wait,” he said.

  Sam dropped her hands with a harrumph. “Again?” she asked, only a little put out.

  “Condom,” he gritted out, frustration lining every inch of him.

  Sam narrowed her eyes. “You have some, right?”

  He nodded, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

  “They’re in the bedroom.”

  Sam scrambled up, and Cameron followed suit. She hooked one finger into the band of his pants and dragged him towards his bedroom. When they were halfway there, Cameron surprised her by putting his arms under her legs and sweeping her into his arms. He sprinted into the bedroom, Sam laughing all the way at his playful enthusiasm.

  He deposited her on the soft bed. She bounced once before coming to a rest in the middle. She sprawled, waiting as he dug through his bag, admiring him. Eventually, he produced an unopened packet and tore into it, brandishing the foil packet with a flourish. Sam held out her hand and he obliged her, so she sat up and reached for his zipper. He didn’t stop her this time as she lowered the zipper and pushed his pants to the ground, leaving him in just his briefs. His erection strained against the cloth, and Sam licked her lips in anticipation of what she might reveal.

  She freed her prize, and it was even better than she’d dreamed. She wrapped her hand around his thick length, stroking it slowly. Cameron tilted his head back, eyes fluttering closed in pleasure.

  “That’s enough,” he said, after far too short a time. Sam glanced up to see him looking at her with an intensity that set her heart fluttering. Cameron had a new mission: Sam.

  She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.

  She quickly rolled on the condom, then shuffled back on the bed, letting her legs fall open in invitation. Cameron growled, and pounced on her, covering her with his body as he kissed her with abandon. The control that had so impressed her on the couch clearly hung by a tenuous thread, and a thrill ran through her.

  Sam loved she could make a man so proud of his control lose it completely. It made her feel replete with power.

  “I need you in me,” Sam whispered in his ear. She wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself to him.

  He groaned, low and deep. Then, he obliged her, positioning himself at her entrance and sliding home.

  They both moaned at the same time. The sensation of him filling her, stretching her, sent pleasure rolling through her. He stilled as he reached the hilt, letting them both adjust. Neither of them breathed steadily, the sounds of their soft pants filling the quiet room.

  Cameron flexed his hips, slowly pulling out and pushing back in again. Sam raised her hips to meet him, getting the perfect angle for his thrusts. He drove deep, creating friction against her clit each time he hit home. Sparks of pleasure lit behind her eyes, and Sam lost herself in the sensations.

  Each thrust sent her nerve endings tingling, her heart beating faster, her muscles straining. She was close, so close, and Cameron didn’t seem far behind. Their eyes locked. Sam dug her finger nails into his ass, urging him faster and harder. He slammed into her, and again, and again until she came hard, his name on her lips.

  Dimly, she recognised that he pistoned into her, letting loose his control as he sought his own release. He gripped her hips and pushed into her one last time, his hips jerking as he followed her to orgasm.

  He collapsed next to her, lungs bellowing, and Sam floated. Vaguely, she was aware of him getting up and taking care of the condom. But then he crawled back in bed with her, wrapping her in his arms.

  The event, her mind whispered. The plan. But exhaustion overwhelmed her before she paid it any heed.

  Chapter 19

  Sam’s phone rang, instantly shocking her into wakefulness. The cheerful ring tone drifted through the open door of the bedroom to where she’d left it on the coffee table in the lounge.

  She took a minute to appreciate Cameron, fast asleep on his stomach with an arm slung across her chest. His hair flopped over one eyebrow, and he looked so relaxed and vulnerable Sam’s heart kicked in response. She could love this man, she could admit that now. And she was beyond glad she’d finally put her trust in him tonight.

  The phone rang again, insistent, so Sam reluctantly slid from beneath Cameron’s arm. The air of the hotel room cooled her naked skin as she crept into the lounge area. Duncan’s name flashed on the screen and she rolled her eyes.

  “Hey, Duncan,” she whispered as she answered the call. She found Cameron’s discarded shirt from earlier and slipped her arms through, wrapping it tight around her.

  “Sam, is Cameron with you now?” Duncan asked, his voice tight and cautious.

  “He’s here, but he’s asleep,” she replied. “What’s wrong?”

  Duncan took a deep breath, started to say something, then stopped.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Mandy’s voice sounded faintly in the background, urging Duncan to “tell her”.

  A chill seeped into Sam’s bones, and it wasn’t from the air in t
he hotel room.

  Her jaw seized tight. “What is it?” she gritted out.

  “It’s Cameron,” Duncan said eventually. “We think…we have evidence he was the one…” Duncan paused again.

  “Just tell me,” Sam hissed.

  A slight commotion sounded on the other end of the phone, then Mandy’s voice came on the line.

  “Sam, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’ll say it straight. You know that hacker you asked us to find?”

  Sam blinked at the sudden change in topic, and cast her mind back to the conversation with Paul a few days ago. “Yeah, though I’d almost forgotten. Did you guys find something?”

  “Yes,” said Mandy. “But you won’t like it.”

  Sam wrapped her arms tightly around herself, bracing for whatever news Mandy would deliver.

  “We found the phone records for the night of the hostage situation, for all the employees at Beaton.”

  A buzz started in Sam’s ears, and she had to concentrate to hear what Mandy said.

  “You mean for who the bad guy phoned? What did he call himself, Mr. Eagle?”

  “Falcon,” Mandy corrected absently. “But, yes, the phone call he made that night to his superior.”

  “So you know who the superior is now?” Sam asked, beginning to understand. “Erica, I assume.”

  Mandy didn’t immediately reply, and a sick feeling of dread roiled in Sam’s stomach.

  “Please tell me it was Erica,” she said in a small voice, the dread and instinct colliding until Sam had a pretty good—horrifying—idea of what Mandy would say next. “Or Danny. Anyone.”

  Mandy made a small noise of distress. “I’m so sorry. But the call came from Cameron’s phone.”

  “No,” Sam said immediately, forcefully. Tears sprung to her eyes, and sick betrayal choked her. “It can’t be.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Mandy said, sounding agonised.

  “It’s not your fault,” Sam said automatically, though she almost wished it was. The betrayal wouldn’t cut so deep. She’d let Cameron into her body, and her heart. She didn’t do that for anyone.

  “How do you know it’s real?” Sam asked, still clinging to a last hope it was all a mistake.

  “It was found on the Beaton servers. There’d be no reason it would be falsified, right?”

  “No,” Sam whispered. “I guess not.” She couldn’t understand it. What reason would Cameron have to take all those people hostage? Could he have a good reason? Sam had to remind herself people died. There could be no good reason for that.

  So did that mean all those stories about his brother were lies? It didn’t make sense.

  Sam couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Her chest seized tight, and blackness crept in the corner of her vision.

  “I need to get out,” she whispered. “I can’t be here. I need to think.”

  “Okay,” Mandy said. “I understand.”

  “You need to get someone here quick to replace me until we figure out what’s going on,” Sam told her. She stood, searching for her bag and anything else she’d need. Pants. The pants were in her bedroom. She trotted silently over to her side of the suite and found her pants, pulling them on one-handed.

  “Sam, if he’s guilty—”

  “If he’s not then we can’t leave him unprotected. Please. Just…for me.”

  Next, she found her shoes, one half-under the bed, and tugged those on without any socks.

  Mandy hummed. “Okay, I think Zack’s free. He can be there in about half an hour.”

  Sam nodded, then remembered Mandy couldn’t see her. “Thank you.”

  Sam looked at the shirt she was still wearing, analysing as best she could in her scattered state whether she could get away with it. Part of her wanted to rip off the reminder of the time they’d just spent with each other—the trust she’d bestowed on him. But another part of her wanted to keep it, as an armour against the accusations she’d heard.

  She glanced around the room. Her frazzled mind wouldn’t supply her with anything else she might require, so she picked up her bag and headed back out into the main room. She beelined straight for the door, shoes silent on the carpet.

  Mandy made a sympathetic sound. “Can I help you at all? Do you want us to come pick you up?”

  Sam kept her voice low. “No. I need to be alone right now. I need to think this through.”

  “Look after yourself,” Mandy told her, worry and sincerity projected through the line.

  “I will,” Sam muttered, barely hearing the words.

  She disconnected and took a deep breath.

  “Where are you going?” asked a voice from behind her.

  She spun around to see Cameron leaning against the door jamb to his bedroom. His hair was mussed from sleep, and their love-making, and even now Sam’s heart kicked at the sight of him.

  “I need to go out,” she said, her voice trembling a little. She backed towards the door, hoping to slip out without causing a fuss. She needed to get her head on straight before they talked about this, or she’d end up saying something she’d regret.

  He tilted his head eyeing her carefully. He knew something was wrong. She never could hide her emotions. “We don’t have long before the event. We have to be there in less than an hour.”

  She nodded. “I know. I just…have to go out quickly.”

  Her eyes darted to the door. Cameron’s gaze followed hers to her escape route, then flicked back to her. He pushed off the door frame and took a few steps towards her, his face softening.

  “Are you okay? Is this about…what just happened? Between us?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Sort of. Not really.”

  “Can I help?”

  She shook her head vehemently. “No, I just need to go. Someone will be here soon to relieve me.”

  “Sam…” he held out a hand towards her, and Sam backed away. Cameron’s face changed, stricken. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”

  Sam took a deep breath, knowing she’d need to confront this. She’d prefer to have some time and distance first, so the betrayal didn’t burn quite so hot. But she wouldn’t run.

  “Where were you the night of the Christmas hostage situation?” she asked, injecting steel into her voice and her spine.

  Cameron blinked and dropped his hand. “I was with my parents. We watched the story together on the news. Why?”

  “Did you make any phone calls that night?” she asked.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Probably, but I don’t remember. Why?” he asked again, more forceful this time. He was suspicious now, holding himself tall and away from her.

  “Because the night of the hostage situation, the leader of the bad guys made a phone call. Do you remember that?” she spat out.

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure I ever knew that.”

  “Then why,” she enunciated clearly, “Did that call come to your phone?”

  Cameron’s eyes widened in shock. “I don’t know.” He shook his head as if in denial of her words.

  “If you give me a good explanation, maybe I can…I don’t know. Get you lenience? Forgive you?”

  Cameron inhaled sharply. “You actually think I did this?”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Sam said, her fear and anger coalescing into an inferno. She barely held on, her head still a messy swirl of confusing thoughts. The need to flee nipped at her heels, and she tried to stay calm enough to finish this conversation.

  “Well, I didn’t,” Cameron gritted out. Fury made his eyes flashing fire.

  “Then explain the phone call.” Sam’s voice rose, bordering on a shout. Her hand tightened around the phone in her grip.

  “There was no phone call,” he spat out. His eyes blanked. He was shutting down, putting that mask back on that had so scared her before. Sam shivered, and for the first time she acknowledged he really might have done this.

  “The records say otherwise.”

  “After everything, you’d believe I w
as capable of this? Of people’s deaths?” A last crack of hurt showed through his mask.

  “You were willing enough to kill Jason a few days ago. It’s not such a stretch.”

  “That’s different,” he said. And then the mask fully slammed down and the Cameron she knew—the one she’d let into her body and her heart—disappeared.

  Sam shook her head, anger draining from her only to be replaced by cold terror. She’d been betrayed and manipulated all over again. “I have to go.” Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

  “Fine,” he said, in that emotionless voice. “Believe I’m a murderer if it makes you feel better. But I won’t forget you believed I was capable of arranging the deaths of all those people.”

  He spun on his heel and strode back into his bedroom. He quietly—with iron control—shut the door behind him.

  Sam sobbed, once, pain and agony rushing into her with the return breath. Her mind whirled in a maelstrom of disconnected thoughts and emotions. She needed peace, but where could she go?

  She slipped from the suite and into the empty hallway. She pressed the down button and let her mind go on autopilot. By the time the elevator crawled towards the parking garage, tears streamed unchecked down her face. She didn’t care about the tears, about her messy clothes, about the stares of the passers-by as she walked to the car.

  But she did care, very much, that she might have just broken Cameron’s heart. Along with her own.

  ◆◆◆

  Rage. Hurt. Rage again.

  Cameron kept oscillating between the two emotions, not sure what to feel.

  Anger curled at him each time he remembered Sam believed he’d do such things, that she walked away without hearing him out. And hurt ate at him, too. Hurt that after they’d spent such a passionate, joyful few hours together she could turn cold so quick.