A Hunted Man (The Men of Halfway House) (25 page)

Cam smiled as he heated the milk.

He was thankful Hunter was persistent. He would still be bottled up in his protective shell, locking away all emotions and hope if Hunter had given up. But here he was, smiling like a jackass, thinking about the man who made him dream bigger than he had ever thought possible. Even after knowing the truth about his past—and entirely too much detail regarding his time inside—Hunter still wanted to be with him.

No sense hiding the big goofy grin etched into his face.

"Cam, back room," Bill yelled from the sandwich station.

Shit
. He wasn't sure what triggered Bill's command but he wasn't taking any chances. He switched off the machine, dropped off the coffee order with the customer at the register, and trotted to the back.

Hunter.

"I don't think Lucy would like you snooping around her cookie recipe." Cam crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

Hunter turned and a huge smile spread across his face. "Hey."

One simple word, but the way he said it drove Cam to launch himself forward into Hunter's arms.

Hunter immediately tightened his hold on Cam and buried his face in the crook of Cam's neck. "Mmm, I needed this."

A bolt of desire shot throughout Cam's body when Hunter's hand reached his lower back. He inched forward to press his body against Hunter's.

Hunter groaned and Cam instantly became rock hard.

"Fuuuck." Cam pushed up, needing more friction. He pulled Hunter down for a demanding kiss. His pulse raced when Hunter's taste flooded his senses.

Hunter separated from the kiss and nipped at Cam's chin, then swiped his lower lip before diving in again to explore Cam's mouth. He lowered his hands below Cam's ass and tugged him forward, pressing his arousal against Cam.

Cam's heart slammed against his chest.

Before he had a chance to deepen the kiss, Hunter pulled away a few inches.

Cam was bereft until Hunter cradled his face and placed a slow, gentle kiss on his lips.

Hunter pressed his forehead to Cam's and exhaled a shaky breath. "Not sure how Lucy or Bill would handle the sight of me pawing away at you by her cookies." He slowly pulled Cam by the waist and wrapped his arms around him in an embrace.

Cam chuckled. "I'm glad you're here."

They silently held each other, off in one of the corners of the back room. The body heat mixed with Hunter's unique scent was heavenly.

Cam's hand traveled to the arc of Hunter's back underneath his suit jacket while his other hand ran up the swell of his arm to the thickness of his neck.

Hunter moaned. "I love it when you touch me," he whispered in Cam's ear.

"Good, 'cause I like touching you," he said while his hands further explored the dips and swells of Hunter's arms and back.

"I'm not going to make it until Friday afternoon if you keep doing that," Hunter said hoarsely with a nervous laugh.

"Mmm. Go ahead, throw me on the cooling cookies and have your way with me," he said, resting his head on Hunter's shoulder.

"Sadist. Now I've got a visual that is going to drive me insane."

Cam smiled. "That should hold you over until Friday."

"That will
torture
me until Friday."

"Well, good thing it's just today and tomorrow."

Cam stepped back and looked up at Hunter, assessing him.

"Yeah, I know, I look like shit," Hunter grumbled.

"I was actually going to say you're kinda hot with the rough thing you've got going on." He ran his fingers down Hunter's stubble.

Hunter hissed and grabbed Cam's wrist to stop the contact. His eyes darkened to that shade of molten gray Cam loved so much. His glare filled with unmistakable want and need.

Cam groaned. "Don't look at me like that if you want me to stop," he said, turning away.

He could feel the heat emitted from Hunter's body as he neared to whisper in Cam's ear. "That's the problem. I don't want you to stop."

Cam moaned. His hard-on bordered on extreme pain and standing too close to the only man he wanted wasn't helping. Any attempt to keep his head straight was damn near impossible. He took a deep calming breath and one step away from Hunter, then another.

"You stay there," he said to Hunter in a warning tone.

Hunter chuckled, straightened, and clasped both hands behind his back in an
at ease
position. "Your wish is my command."

Command, commando. Damn it, I'm losing my mind
. Cam stared, visuals of Hunter pulling down his zipper to reveal him going commando danced in his mind.

Hunter's devilish grin nearly set Cam off again. "Where did your mind go?"

Cam scowled. "Do you go commando?"

"Briefs."

"White?"

"They're black."

He slowly walked back to Hunter, intently looking at him. When he stood before him, he reached for the buckle of Hunter's pants. Hunter immediately grabbed his wrists to stop him.

"What are you doing? Absolutely not here."

"I want to see."

"No. Not here. I know Lucy and Bill are fine with us hanging out at the diner, but not for this."

"I just want to see," Cam persisted. "I do have some self-control."

Not really, but hey, I can bluff.

"Not 'til the weekend. It'll give you something to look forward to," Hunter said with a half smile.

"Fucking tease," Cam said with a glare.

Hunter chuckled. "I've got to go and your break's about over." He placed a chaste kiss on Cam's pursed lips before turning to leave the back room.

"Hey, Hunter," Cam said.

Hunter stopped and turned, arching an eyebrow, encouraging Cam to continue.

"Commando. Just in case you're wondering. The underwear they bought me never really fit."

Hunter inhaled sharply, closed his eyes, and turned his face up toward the ceiling. He exhaled deeply as he gripped the doorframe. He held the position for a few seconds before opening his eyes and giving Cam a death glare. "That was cruel."

"Next time, let me look."

"Damn it," Hunter huffed under his breath.

Cam smiled wickedly as he adjusted himself.

Hunter shook his head. "You're frying my brain cells, I almost forgot. I spoke to my friend, Aidan, he can come by the house this evening."

For Cam, that was the equivalent of throwing a bucket of cold water on him then trapping his balls between two ice blocks. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing yet. I figured we'd cover that when he comes over. He'll be there at eight."

Cam nodded. "Thanks."

"Cam, can I steal you for some help at the register?" Bill asked, poking his head into the back room.

"Sure."

Hunter walked back over to Cam and cradled his face, staring at him for a few seconds. His eyes sparkled with emotions Cam was too afraid to explore. He sighed when Hunter's thumbs softly stroked his cheeks.

"We'll get through this, so don't let it get to you. And as far as this weekend, yes, I'm as worked up as you are. So don't torture me anymore please."

Cam anchored his hands on Hunter's forearms and smiled. "Okay." He reached up and gave Hunter a chaste kiss.

"I'll see you tonight." Hunter gave him one last look, filled with need, before he turned and walked out of the back room.

Cameron couldn't take his eyes off Hunter as he walked away. He returned to the front to help Bill at the register. He rang up the order for the customer, still wearing that goofy grin from earlier in the day.

Cam sat in the living room of the halfway house opposite Hunter's Marine buddy. One thing was crystal clear. Aidan Calloway was completely different from the cops Cam had encountered during this whole mess. He obviously hated wasting his time. A quick introduction and immediate "What's going on?" question launched them into a discussion of the situation. Cam was instantly at ease and answering every question Aidan shot in his direction about the house and what he saw.

Aidan removed the items from the living room table and spread out a map of the tri-county area.

"Where?" Aidan prompted.

Cam stared blindly at the map for a moment. He closed his eyes and thought back to the many drives to the house in the middle of nowhere. His head spun with thoughts and emotions. Would this be over soon? Could this lead to something? What if he couldn't remember? His chest tightened and his heart raced. He opened his eyes and looked over to Hunter, standing only inches away.

"Just try to remember as best as you can," Hunter encouraged, closing the distance between them.

He glanced over to Aidan and back to Hunter. Both watched him intently. He noticed Aidan didn't seem to mind Hunter's proximity. As if reading his mind, Hunter placed his large hand against Cam's lower back and began to softly stroke him in that soothing circular motion. Cam looked over to Aidan who didn't even bat an eyelash with the gesture.

Cam focused on the map again and suddenly the path to the house stood out as if he'd highlighted the roads with a marker. He ran his fingers along the map, following the same path he'd taken to the house for months, almost ten years ago, until his finger finally reached the house's location.

"There."

Aidan and Hunter looked at the map more closely and nodded. Aidan then referred to his laptop for a closer view, trying to pinpoint the exact house. Cam guided him further on the screen using street level views on Google Maps. They finally found the house, tucked in the woods, hidden away from plain sight.

"What are our options?" Hunter asked.

"They never got a statement from Cameron back then so getting one now, out of the blue, might cause some waves. So that's not an option until we have something a little more solid. It's been ten years, so we need to check out the house before jumping to any conclusions. I can scope out the place for a bit, off record, to see if there's anything that merits pursuing." Aidan folded the map and stood with his hands on his waist. "If I see anything, I might be able to pull a warrant from a judge. But I'd need to have something concrete at that house before that can happen. And I need a judge who won't tip off Mackler."

"I've got a name for that. Dylan Stanford. Peter recommended him," Hunter added.

Aidan nodded. He held out his hand for Cam to shake. "Thank you," he said.

Cam's eyes widened as he extended his hand. "I should be thanking you."

Aidan shook his head. "You've finally given me a way to pay back Hunter. I've got quite a tab with him. I have some time tonight so I'll go check it out for a bit and keep you guys posted."

"Thanks," Hunter said to Aidan with a slap on his friend's back.

He hoped Aidan would find something at the house quickly so he could move on from this never-ending nightmare that haunted them.

Cam pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the passenger side window. He absently stared at the outside edge of the highway as it raced by in a blur, the road fading into the trees and neighboring cars in a mix of colors. The smooth, quiet rumble of the car's engine revving let him know Hunter was just as anxious to start the weekend as he was.

Hunter had picked him up after leaving his office, when the
weekend pass
time period started. After obsessing for far too long about having some alone time with Hunter, he was finally granted a weekend of heaven. But all he could feel was utter disappointment.

"You okay?" Hunter asked, breaking into Cam's thoughts.

"Huh?" Cam asked as he leaned back against the headrest and looked over to the man who had stood by him, without fail, during the past few days.

Hunter shifted his focus off the road for a moment to glance at Cam. He smiled as unmistakable affection with a hint of mischief glinted in his eyes. "I asked if you were okay?" He reached over and gripped Cam's neck.

"I'll be fine." Cam moaned and reveled in the rhythmic massage.

Hunter's brow furrowed with obvious concern, as he switched focus between watching the road and trying to decipher Cam's mood. "I know you'll be fine, but something's bothering you now. You look…disappointed. Do you want me to take you back to the halfway house?"

"No!" Cam immediately responded and straightened in the seat. "Hell, no!"

Hunter smiled then withdrew his hand from Cam's neck. He pulled off into the emergency lane and put the car in park. "I'm glad, but I know something's bothering you."

Cam sighed. He had not expected their first weekend together to start like this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm just pissed off. I was hoping…I thought…fuck!"

"We can do that later. Right now, I want to know what's bothering you," Hunter asked playfully with a raised eyebrow.

Cam couldn't help but chuckle. "You're worse than I am."

"Hey, you think I haven't been thinking about our weekend together for a while now? I don't want you to be pissed off. So just tell me what's eating away at you." He reached over to stroke Cam's cheek.

Cam leaned into the caress like a cat craving a scratch. "I just thought that by pointing out the house, something would have happened by now, you know? That this would be over or something," he finished with a deep exhale.