Cam bit back a grin as he realized that he just couldn’t fight it any longer. He didn’t have it in him. God knew he tried.
He closed the small distance between them and lowered his mouth that fraction of an inch that was needed, his lips taking hers as he pulled her up against him…and it was as if he had been hit by a thunderbolt. As if the Heavens had opened up and were shining down on them in wondrous splendor.
She melted into his firm frame as if she had been made to be there, her soft, sensuous mouth opening up that little bit that he so desperately needed to allow him entrance.
His tongue slid and swirled against hers, reveling in the sensation and taste of this woman. She felt so damned right in his arms. Warm, soft, sensual…not to mention that she tasted just a bit like heaven itself.
He heard her soft moan and responded with one of his own from deep down in the recesses of his chest, his body aching to feel her skin against his as his body trembled and reacted to hers. They strained against the other as their tongues chased and teased and it was beyond words.
When he felt her hands lift timidly and wrap themselves around his neck, he knew that he had to stop now…or he wouldn’t be able to stop at all. He was sent here to protect her and nothing else he forcibly reminded himself. And no matter how much it pained him to do so, he needed to stop. He couldn’t do this!
He reluctantly pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, sighing deeply as his body damned him to the firey pits of Hell for this ultimate betrayal. Just what in God’s name had he been thinking kissing her?
He moved away from her a bit further and cupped her face in his hands, his gaze focused on her incredible mouth—her lips wet and swollen from their kiss, and he sighed once again as if in pain. But, Christ…wasn’t he? He pressed his lips gently to her forehead, letting them linger there for just a fraction of a second longer then he probably should have.
“Good night, Victoria,” he rasped out, his body hating him more with each passing second. “Thank you for agreeing to have dinner with me.” With that, he forced his reluctant feet to move and headed for his car…and an extremely cold shower. He was as hard as granite!
Victoria stepped numbly through the door and quietly closed it behind her, falling back against it with a shaky rush of breath.
Oh, my good God! What in the hell was all that? What on God’s green Earth did she think she was doing? She should have knocked him on his ass when he had kissed her like that!
She unconsciously ran her fingers across her lips and cursed herself when that electric tingle slammed through her once again. She was damned pathetic. That’s all there was to it. Pathetic.
Suddenly, Victoria’s entire body stiffened and her mouth tensed…something wasn’t right! She glanced around the room and saw nothing amiss, but she was suddenly overwhelmed with a very bad feeling. She felt that vibration in her toes that she did on a hunt when her prey was close. The house felt different somehow. Almost as if someone had been here. She walked further into the room, sniffing at the air and letting her senses take over. Nothing.
She dashed up the stairs and quickly checked the remainder of the house, but once again, everything was as she had left it and the silence was suddenly deafening.
She plopped down on her bed and covered her eyes with her arm. That damned man must have just messed with her head, she reasoned darkly. She ignored the fluttering in her belly as she remembered his hot mouth on hers. Shit-fire, but that man could kiss.
Cam parked the car and got out, his body still on fire. Jesus, that woman made him lose all rational train of thought. He tensed slightly as a feeling of unease washed over him and his eyes immediately snapped to the house next door. Nothing seemed off.
He watched as the lights went on upstairs and he let go of a small sigh of relief.
Shaking his head, he walked uncomfortably into the house and out onto the deck, seating himself in one of the chairs to keep his vigil for the night, trying hard not to think about her up in her bedroom…undressing. Ah, shit! He was a pathetic fool.
Victoria walked out onto the deck the following morning in a thoroughly foul mood. In fact, she was in such a shitty mood that she was finding it just a bit unbearable to even be around herself at the moment.
She had tossed and turned all night long; that subtle feeling of unease gnawing at her insides, only to be constantly pushed aside by thoughts of the Were next door and how good it had felt to be in his arms. And that was something that she refused to even toy with. If there was one thing Victoria demanded…it was control. She didn’t like complications, and that man was surely just that…a huge ass complication!
She plopped down in one of the lounge chairs with a disgusted huff and glowered murderously out at the crashing waves as the sun rose over the horizon in a burst of vibrant color. Even that wasn’t lifting her mood. What was wrong with her?
“Good morning. Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
She turned her head to find the man in question walking up the steps to the deck, a small basket held in his hand and a pleasant enough grin on his lips. Oh, Lord! What in the bloody hell was he up to now?
She puffed out a half-hearted greeting and turned back toward the water, trying hard to calm the frantic beating of her heart at just the sight of him. He was a damned Adonis. All perfect, gleaming white teeth and tanned skin. Ugh! He just sucked!
He plopped down in the seat next to her and held out the basket, his mouth turned up in a sexy as hell smile she noticed uncomfortably when she glanced back at him from the corner of her eye.
“I brought you some croissants,” he said with a chuckle, his voice smooth and husky, and she once again felt that pesky little shiver run up her spine. Not to mention the grumbling in her belly at the thought of the buttery offerings. Damn! Those were one of her weakness’s where food was concerned. Ugh!
“Thank you. You really didn’t need to do that,” she responded softly, glowering just a bit.
Cam laughed, loving the way the light bounced off her hair and lit it up with golden highlights that sparkled and shimmered like diamonds. Not to mention the way her incredible skin glowed from the kiss of the sun on her perfect flesh. Jesus, the woman was absolutely incredible.
“I wanted to,” he replied as evenly as he could manage when she turned to look at him finally.
Their gazes clashed and Cam felt his body warm instantly as she silently watched him. With a will of their own, his eyes dipped to the perfect bow of her mouth and he remembered how sweet it had tasted. How incredibly inviting it had been.
He cleared his throat and looked back up at her. “Do you have any coffee?” he asked, noticing with a grimace that his voice had lowered just the tiniest bit. God, but this woman was getting under his skin. She was doing things to him that she had no business doing and he was pretty damned sure that she wasn’t even aware that she was doing it.
“I’m sure I do,” she replied with a shrug as she threw her long, shapely legs over the edge of the chair and stood. “How do you take it?”
“Black,” he managed to get out, trying hard not to stare at her, but who in the hell was he trying to kid? He couldn’t stop himself if he tried. She was like a magnet to his steel.
She nodded and disappeared inside, leaving him to sit there and ponder just what it was about this woman that made him want to get to know her so much that all common sense disappeared in an instant. He had always prided himself of his self-restraint, but that didn’t seem to be the case when it came to the lovely hunter.
All he needed to do was to just sit his ass next door and keep watch on her. Make certain that she was safe. He didn’t need to spend time with her. He didn’t need to make nice. But, damn it, he thought with an irritated grunt…he wanted to! There was also a very large part of him that wanted to know everything about her and he just couldn’t seem to fight it.
Cam was staring out at the ocean lost in his thoughts when she came back carrying two steaming mugs. Sh
e handed him one and sat back down, digging into the basket and snagging one of the croissants with what looked to him to be unrestrained glee. She handed it to him and grabbed another, taking a bite and moaning in appreciation. Yep. Glee.
The sound hit him like a kick straight to the gut. He took a sip of his coffee and fought hard not to spit it back out as his gag reflex kicked in. It was God awful! Actually, that was being generous! It was absolute swill!
He chanced a glance at her and saw her grimace as she took her own sip. She looked at him apologetically and shrugged.
“Sorry, I’m not so great in the kitchen.”
Cam burst out laughing. He set his mug down on the deck beside him and grinned. “No, I guess not,” he snorted in amusement.
He watched her a moment as she ate her pastry with gusto, her eyes rolling back in her head as she did, and to say that it was a freaking turn on was a sever understatement. It had his blood racing through his veins like nothing ever had before!
When she finally finished, she proceeded to lick her fingers and Cam felt that ever present rush of electricity run across him as his body responded instantly. To the point that he was sure that he would explode into a pile of ash at her feet. Easy there, big boy.
He gave himself a quick, stern, mental shake and stood. “You feel up to a hike?” he asked.
She seemed to hesitate a moment, her eyes gleaming slightly with what could only be described as excitement most likely at the thought of some physical activity, and finally nodded. He knew that she was wound tight. That it was hard for her to sit dormant. The life of a hunter was constantly moving around. Tracking, cornering, and fighting your prey, and she had to be going stir crazy. He also knew that he should stay away from her, but found that he just couldn’t. He wanted to see that small gleam of excitement in her eyes. He just wanted to spend some time with her.
“That would be…great.” She slipped from the chair and stood, turning to face him. “Let me go grab my running shoes.” She disappeared back through the door and Cam couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips.
“Jesus. What in the hell are you doing here, Stark?” he questioned himself softly.
They hiked through the dense jungle for most of the morning, talking easily, and Victoria found that she really enjoyed being with this man. He was so damned easy to talk to that it was frightening. It was as if she had known him her entire life. He made the conversation easy and interesting and she found that he was actually quite intelligent and not as arrogant as she had first suspected. As much as she fought to admit it, she had to. The man was actually very nice.
They reached a small clearing and Cam stopped, looking around with a contented smile. “God, it’s so peaceful here,” he commented, giving her a quick glance.
She looked around at their surroundings and nodded, watching as the small monkeys jumped in the trees above their heads, chattering away happily, and she had to agree. It had been years since she had felt so…relaxed.
“It really is amazing,” she murmured.
Cam watched her silently as she looked around in pure appreciation and once again found himself wondering if she ever smiled…or laughed for that matter. She seemed so damned tormented. He knew that the death of her parents had been devastating to her, but it had been years, and to think that she had been this closed up, sad person all this time tugged at something deep inside him.
He wanted to make her smile. For some reason that he couldn’t even begin to fathom, he wanted to see her happy. No, scratch that, he silently corrected himself. He wanted to be the one who made her happy.
He stepped over to stand in front of her. Her glorious hair was pulled atop her head in a haphazard ponytail and her golden skin shimmered with perspiration, and he thought that he had never seen anything more beautiful. The woman was absolutely breathtaking. She had a natural beauty that was awe-inspiring.
Before common sense could stop him, his wolf growled with need and he pulled her to him, his mouth taking hers in nothing less than primal desperation. It was quick, urgent…earth-shattering.
Her mouth opened up to him with a small gasp and he took full advantage of it, sliding his tongue against hers, tasting…teasing, and he felt gooseflesh raise against his skin as his wolf howled with desire.
His hands slipped down to the curve of her backside and he pulled her closer, his body grinding against hers and a moan escaped her as the proof of his desire pressed up against her tummy. Firm, steady…demanding.
The sudden jolt of something hitting the back of his head caused him to abruptly break away from her mouth and he jerked back, his face set in an angry glare as he quickly surveyed the area, looking for any sign of danger.
“What in the bloody hell?” he growled, absolutely furious as he searched for the source.
Suddenly something else was hurtled at him, hitting him squarely in the back. He looked up to find the damned monkeys chucking nuts at him as they screeched and chattered away. He stepped away from Victoria and spun around, his eyes blazing now as he glared at the little menaces.
“Son of a bitch!” he snarled as another nut slammed into the side of his face. “What in the hell is wrong with you little bastards?” he yelled at the primates, who only shrieked and continued throwing whatever was close at hand at him.
His entire body suddenly stilled as he heard the most amazing sound that he had ever heard before. He turned to find Victoria, standing there with her arms wrapped around her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably. His mouth dropped open as her musical laughter wrapped around his body like nothing ever had before. Christ on a crutch, but it was amazing. It stopped him cold, as if everything around them had suddenly disappeared and all that was left was that wondrous sound coming from her incredible lips. It was soul-shattering. It was more than he ever could have imagined.
“I’m sor…sorry,” she snorted, shaking her head wildly from side to side. “But, the look on your face! Oh, my Gods! That’s priceless!”
Cam swallowed hard as he tried to regain his senses and grabbed a hold of her hand. “Let’s get back before they start whipping branches at me,” he spat out, trying to ignore the heated response of his body. It was going to be hard enough to walk back comfortably as it was and all he wanted at the moment was to feel her back in his arms, to kiss that sweet, perfect mouth of hers. Well, that and to kick some damn monkey ass!
It was beginning to get dark by the time they made it back to the villas and Cam stood with her by her door, once again not wanting to let her go. He wanted to taste her again. He wanted that to the point of distraction. The thoughts swirling around in his brain had tormented him the entire walk back.
They stood there quietly, neither one knowing what was happening between them…just knowing that something was.
Cam’s eyes went to her mouth as the memory of her laughing hit him like a punch to the throat, knocking the air from his lungs and squeezing at his insides. It was a sound that had reverberated through his entire body and he wanted to hear it again.
“I…thank you for today,” she whispered, watching him from behind her incredibly long lashes, and he could hear her heart beating erratically against her ribcage. “I really needed that.”
“It was nice to hear you laugh,” he replied, his eyes not leaving her mouth. Jesus, who in the hell was he kidding…it had been sublime. It had been the most amazing sound that he had ever heard!
“Well…goodnight then,” she husked.
Cam met her eyes and was almost knocked to his knees by the look of desire he saw reflected in them. There was just no denying it. It was there. Strong and heady.
“Ah, hell,” he growled before pulling her into his arms and crushing his mouth to hers. He felt her arms wrap around his neck instantly as she responded to him full force and he knew there was no going back now. They were past the point of no return.
He swept her up in his arms and carried her through the door. “Bedroom,” he rasped against her mouth and saw her point t
owards the stairs.
He made a mad dash up the stairs and into her bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him with a sound crash.
He walked over to the bed and laid her down, his mouth not leaving hers for a millisecond. He wouldn’t have been able to break away if the damn house was on fire around them. She felt too damned good, not to mention that little thing of her tasting like Heaven.
His hands traveled down her body to the snap of the shorts she wore and he quickly undid them and slid them down, his hands traveling over her heated flesh with care, basking in the wondrous feel of it against his calloused fingers.
He felt her kick off her runners and groaned when she pulled his t-shirt up, her fingers skimming along his flesh and causing his muscles to ripple and shudder at the sweet contact.
He left her lips for only the moment it took to remove the shirt and toss it across the room. He removed his jeans and lay down beside her, pulling off her tank top as he did. The feel of her glorious skin against his was like an electric shot straight through his chest. This felt so damned right. God help him, but this felt like home.
His mouth reluctantly left hers and painstakingly traveled down her jaw to the hollow of her throat as his hands skimmed over her body, wanting desperately to touch every single part of her. It was as if his hands were sliding along silk and he felt a shiver of intense desire roll up his spine. He suddenly realized that he needed her…bad.
Victoria allowed herself to get lost in the pure sensation of this amazing man as he made her body sing with his mouth…and his hands. Oh, Lord, she thought with a shaky breath. His hands! Strong, firm, yet gentle as they skimmed along her body, heating her flesh and causing an ache deep in the recesses of her very soul.
She shivered when his tongue darted out and traced a sensual line along her throat to the hollow before continuing downward on its incredible journey. Leaving a trail of white-hot heat in it’s wake.