The Mighty Quinns: Cameron (10 page)

“That’s what he called it? Sensitive?”

Cameron nodded. “He said he needed to put his hands on some decent money over the next few months and—”

“He’s planning to leave Stella,” she said.

“And he’s had to get creative about how he did it. Income that couldn’t be traced. A cash-only type of business opportunity.”

“Creative? He’s calling drug smuggling creative?”

“I’m not sure this is about drugs,” Cameron replied. “I just don’t think he’d put that out there to a complete stranger. I mean, I’m not sure he’s even checked me out.”

Sofie took a deep breath and smiled. “All right. Dinner with Walter and Vivian. This should be interesting.”

6

T
O
C
AMERON
’
S
SURPRISE
, the dinner wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. He and Sofie played their parts well, and any uneasiness was explained by the fact that they’d only met that morning.

The ladies had downed two bottles of champagne while he and Walter drank scotch. By the time they’d finished dessert, they were all laughing like old friends. He was surprised when Sofie pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her dress and held it out to Vivian. “Take a picture of us,” she said, wrapping her arm around Cameron’s shoulder.

“Oh, okay.” Vivian aimed the phone at them both, and Cameron turned and pressed his lips to Sofie’s cheek. “That’s so cute,” she cried. “Let me take one more. Sofie, you kiss him.”

Sofie pressed her lips to Cameron’s cheek, and he grinned for the camera.

“One more,” Cameron said, this time turning and capturing Sofie’s mouth in a sweet, fleeting kiss. Then he held out his hand for the phone. “Let me take one of you two. Do you have your phone.”

“Yes!” Vivian cried. “Sweetie, where’s your phone?”

“I don’t have a camera on my phone,” Walter said.

“I can take one on my phone and send it to you,” Sofie said.

“No, that’s not necessary,” Walter said.

“Oh, come on, sweetie,” Vivian cried. “It will be fine. It’s just us. Now smile.”

Reluctantly, he did as she asked and Sofie took a few pictures. “Kiss,” Sofie said.

Vivian grabbed Walter’s face, and Sofie snapped the moment their lips touched.

“I’ll send it to you,” Sofie said. “Can you give me your cell-phone number and an email address?”

Vivian recited her number and email, and Sofie punched it into her phone.

“We should go,” Cameron said. “It’s getting late and—”

“Yes, it’s getting late,” Sofie agreed.

Vivian gave them both a sly look. “You two run along. Sofie, I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t forget. Mud baths.”

Cameron stood and helped Sofie to her feet. “Walter, I’ll be in touch. Vivian, it was a pleasure.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sofie said.

They walked out of the restaurant toward the lobby, Sofie’s hand tucked in the crook of Cameron’s arm. “You are so smooth,” he said. “I can’t believe you got that photo.”

“Four photos,” Sofie said.

When the elevator doors opened, they walked inside. The moment the doors closed, Cameron pulled her into his arms and kissed her, pressing her back against the mirrored wall. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep from touching you?” he murmured.

“You did a very good job hiding your thoughts,” she said.

He ran his hand along her thigh, then slipped it beneath the hem of her dress. Slowly, he smoothed it between her legs and Sofie gasped.

“It’s a very short ride to the third floor,” she said.

“Not short enough,” he said, capturing her mouth again.

By the time the doors opened again, Cameron was frantic to possess her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along to the room, then fumbled with the key card. Sofie took it from his hand and opened the door. With his hands on her waist, they stumbled inside.

“I think we have some unfinished business,” he said.

“Business or pleasure?”

“All right. Pleasure.”

There was nothing else in the world he needed at that moment. In truth, Cameron would have given up everything he owned for this chance to be with Sofie. He needed to know how deep this connection ran.

In the past, he’d been so careful not to let emotion rule his pursuit of pleasure. It was about the physical release and nothing deeper. But with Sofie, he felt more than just passion. There was affection and respect and contentment. His world felt perfectly in balance when he was with her.

They teased each other as they kissed, tugging at clothes and discarding them piece by piece. With each inch of flesh revealed, they tasted and touched, as if discovering each other for the very first time. And when they’d managed to eliminate all the barriers between them, they fell onto the bed, their mouths meeting again in a desperate kiss.

His hands skimmed over her naked body, memorizing each curve, each delicious swell of flesh. Would there come a day when he’d have to rely on his mind to conjure images of her? She was close to him now, but how long would that last?

Right now, he couldn’t think about the future. He wanted to savor this moment, to make it more than either one of them ever expected. Cameron kissed a path from her mouth to her shoulder, then worked his way down to her breasts.

She arched against him as his tongue teased at each nipple, bringing it to a hard peak before moving on. When she slipped her fingers through his hair, he followed her cues, lingering at certain places for a bit longer. But when he reached the spot between her legs, her hands slid to his shoulders, her palms pressed against him as if the pleasure was too much to take.

He slipped his finger inside of her as he teased her with his tongue, and Sofie groaned, writhing beneath him. Cameron kept it up until he was certain of her responses. She wanted more yet wouldn’t let him bring her to completion.

When he pressed a kiss to her belly, she reached out and retrieved a condom from the box he’d purchased earlier that evening. With deft fingers, she sheathed him, then drew him up until he was settled between her legs.

Cameron braced himself above her, watching her reactions. He smoothed her hair away from her face and kissed her softly as he slowly pushed inside her. Her breath caught and then slipped out on a long sigh.

When he was buried to the hilt, Sofie opened her eyes and smiled. Cameron drew her into another kiss, desperate to taste her, to experience every sensation that she offered.

Sofie wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close as he began to move inside her. Every nerve in his body was alive with sensation, and his only need was to get closer to her.

He grabbed her waist and rolled her over until she sat on top of him, her legs straddling his hips. Her dark hair tumbled around her face as she leaned forward and then sank back. And when she paused, he felt himself dancing on the edge of control. Her body was open to his touch, and his fingertips drifted from her breast to the damp crease between her legs.

When he touched her there, she began to move again, slowly at first. Watching her come down on him was impossibly erotic, and though he couldn’t see where they were joined, he could imagine it. When her breath caught, he knew he’d discovered the secret to her release.

From that moment on, they raced toward their climaxes, Sofie rocking above him, her hands pressed against his chest, Cameron urging her on. It was hard to believe they’d only known each other for a few days. His need for her was already overwhelming, and it didn’t show any signs of diminishing.

Cameron felt the first signs of her orgasm as she moaned softly. Sofie seemed to grow slicker with each stroke, and he waited for the first shudder and then the wave of spasms. Her expression was focused, her brow furrowed, and then without warning, she gasped.

Sofie’s body dissolved into deep and visible tremors, the sensation a delicious counterpoint to his own need. Cameron wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her beneath him, burying himself deep inside her as his own release overwhelmed him.

When his pulse had slowed and his body recovered, Cameron rolled onto his side and pulled her leg over his hip, still caught inside her warmth. “Don’t move,” he whispered.

“I’m not sure I could if I wanted to,” Sofie said, dragging her finger across his bottom lip. Suddenly, she winced. “Ow. Cramp.”

“Where?”

She pointed to her hip, and Cameron gently massaged it, moving down to her thigh and back up again. “Better?”

“I need to work a little harder on my rehab. I have a therapist in Albuquerque, but this wasn’t exactly on my exercise list.”

“It can’t be bad for you,” Cameron said. “You look very…healthy right now.” He paused. “You really want to go back, don’t you?”

“It’s what I do best.”

Cameron shook his head. “No. This is definitely what you do best.”

“And what do you do best, besides this?” Sofie asked.

“I used to think I was a damn good boat builder,” Cameron said. “But I’ve been away from it for six days now, and I haven’t thought about it at all.”

“It’s been a very strange couple of days,” Sofie said. “I wasn’t even going to have lunch at Millie’s that day, but I’d been thinking about pie. Lucky thing.”

“So it’s pie that brought us together. Not fate or destiny?”

“Yes, it was pie.”

“So what’s next, after this case?” he asked. “Am I going to have to find a real job?”

“What do you want to do?” Sofie asked.

“This,” he said. “I’m quite good at it, don’t you think?”

“Besides this,” she said. “You don’t get paid for this.”

“Maybe I should start charging you.”

“Now, that would be a way to make a living,” Sofie said. “What kind of rates are you considering?”

“How much do you think I’m worth?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Depends if you charge by the hour or by the amount of pleasure you manage to give me. It’s quality versus quantity.”

“I suppose this is something we’re going to have to discuss. Maybe even negotiate. I never really thought about a career as a gigolo, but if my prospects for respectable work aren’t that good around Vulture Creek, I may have to consider it.”

“So I would pay you to provide sexual favors?” she asked.

Cameron nodded. “I’d work for food and a place to sleep.”

“All right,” she said. “I suppose it’s something I could think about. As long as you include a daily foot massage, I think it might work out.”

“Would I have to call you ‘boss’?”

“Of course,” she said. “That would be a requirement.”

Though they hadn’t mentioned the word
future,
they’d managed to address it without having to make any commitments. Though it wasn’t an honest job, it was certainly something he could be passionate about. And he’d find a way to make some spending money. He was good with his hands and knew how to wield a hammer and saw.

“So, what will I call you?” Sofie asked. “Houseboy? Sex slave? Stud muffin?”

“None of those seem to suit me.” Cameron kissed her softly. “But I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

* * *

S
OFIE
OPENED
HER
EYES
to the morning sun that poured into the window of the room. Pushing up on her elbow, she brushed her tangled hair out of her eyes and looked down at the man sleeping next to her.

She expected to feel some sort of guilt or remorse for what they’d done, but Sofie didn’t feel anything but complete and utter satisfaction. So what if they’d only known each other for a few days? They were both adults, both perfectly able to make decisions about their sex lives. They’d decided to indulge their desires and it had been wonderful. There was nothing left to say.

But there was plenty left to do, Sofie mused. They had just over five weeks left, and if they chose to spend that time together, there would be many more nights just like the last one.

Sofie knew she shouldn’t get too attached to Cameron. One day, he’d return to Seattle. And all the plans she’d made for her future didn’t include a man. But for now, as long as he was with her, she was going to think about the present, about how happy he made her and how good she felt about herself when they were together.

Maybe someday she’d get back everything she’d lost. All her dreams would finally be restored. But right now, she had everything she needed, and that was more than enough.

Sofie sighed, her thoughts wandering to the case. She had her evidence, proof that Walter had a mistress. And though she suspected something else was going on with him, there was no reason she had to take things any further.

Why not just turn the pictures over to Stella and let the woman deal with the fallout? Sofie and Cameron could move on, maybe spend more time enjoying each other.

She felt a surge of guilt and brushed it aside. Sofie was usually able to distance herself from the individuals involved in her investigations, to look at the facts objectively, unemotionally. But there was something about this situation that she found upsetting.

There were very deep emotions at play between Vivian and Walter and Stella. Destroying a family, a loving relationship and the lives of five people was not something Sofie wanted on her conscience.

She flopped back down on the pillow and closed her eyes. Was there a way to repair the damage already done, to make this case…disappear? Sofie bit back a groan. What difference did it make? Why couldn’t she just do the job she was hired for and get it over with?

Rolling onto her side, she tucked her arm under her head and silently observed the man sleeping beside her. Something had changed inside her. She was no longer able to see the world in black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. Suddenly, there were all kinds of grays.

Had Cameron done that? Or was it simply the lingering aftereffects of having her life come apart at the seams? She used to be so sure of what she wanted. She’d pursued her dreams with a single-minded purpose. And then, after they’d been snatched away from her, she’d made a vow to get it all back again.

But she’d never considered that there might be something else out there for her, just waiting for her to discover it. Her mother had whispered something similar to her when she’d first opened her eyes in the hospital, but it had made Sofie even more determined to recapture what she’d lost.

She ran her palm up Cameron’s arm, pressing her lips to his shoulder. Maybe she ought to do what Cameron was doing—just move someplace new and try out a different life for six weeks. Find a job, meet new people, imagine that there might be other possibilities.

Cameron stirred and a moment later he opened his eyes. He smiled as he rolled onto his side to face her. “Morning,” he said. “It is morning, isn’t it?”

Sofie nodded. “It is. It’s about nine.”