Summer Sin (The Anthology Novella Series Book 2) (5 page)

“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?

Her scowl only deepened as Camden’s dark, intense features popped into her head and she quickly brushed them away. Oh, hell no! He was the last person on earth that she wanted to impress. She once again questioned her choice of ever agreeing to have dinner with him. She knew without a doubt that the Were spelled trouble. He was arrogant and cocky...but, she was just so freaking bored! And…he was just
so
freaking sexy.

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.