Midnight Sins (29 page)

command now. “You’ll shut up or I can make sure you

lose this nice cushy job of yours.” It was that edge of

worry that had suspicion rising inside him.

“Too late to shut him up, Arch,” Eddy came back

quietly. “Martin and I will discuss it later, though.”

Martin’s mocking laughter came back. “Your

asshole mayor didn’t hire me, Archer, and neither did

you. Neither one of you can fire me either.”

“I guess you were right, Crowe.” Rafe turned to

his cousin, anger churning hard and deep inside him.

“Selling out is the last fucking thing we need to do.

They can just live with us.”

He caught Cami’s look of surprise, as well as the

worry that edged it. His lips twisted sardonically.

Yeah, if he stayed around, that just upped the chances

that everyone might figure out she’d been doing the

nasty with him, wouldn’t it?
Fuck her.
Was she

ashamed to admit that she allowed him to touch her?

Of course she was. He’d suspected it before and now

he was convinced of it.

He glared down at her. “Don’t worry, Cami. No

one will suspect for a second that we spent the

weekend fucking like minks, and I’ll damned well

make sure of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to

try to attempt to make sure they don’t destroy the

fucking place while they’re trying to rescue you.”

Cami stared up at him, her lips thinning. She

knew the same thing he, Logan, and Crowe knew now

just as well Sherriff Tobias and Eddy Flannigan knew.

Obviously one of the barons had hired Eisner.

Cami shook her head slowly. “Martin’s James

Corbin’s second cousin,” she said quietly as the radio

seemed to go quiet.

“Well now, doesn’t that just figure. Guess

Grandpop is making sure he has his eyes and ears

where he needs them,” Crowe drawled mockingly.

“Martin is a pain in Archer’s ass,” she said softly.

“Ignore it. Archer will take care of it.”

Rafe gave a hard laugh. “Do you think he’s going

to destroy my property and get away with it?”

“Archer won’t let him get away with,” Cami

argued.

“You’re asking me to let it go?” he asked her

coolly.

“Eisner isn’t worth going after, Rafe,” she told him

firmly as she propped her hands on her hips in

determination.

“Why?” he asked her again. “Afraid you’ll have to

testify?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” she assured him

tightly, but he knew better. He could see the concern

in her eyes, in her expression.

Pushing away from her, he stalked to the door,

slamming out of the house and moving to the porch as

he watched the plow slowly making its way up the

lane.

Pulling one of the slim cigars from the pocket of

his shirt, Rafe dug the lighter out of his jeans pocket

and lit up before leaning casually against the porch

post.

That was just fine, he thought as one of the plows

took out another length of the new fence and barely

missed taking out the corner of the old shed that

housed Clyde Ramsey’s pride and joy, his shiny darkgreen

tractor and all its attachments, still covered and

looking all but new. No doubt that was the plow

Deputy Eisner was operating.

Rafe could see the other man, in the glassenclosed

cab seconds later as he used the plow to

carelessly push the snow from the driveway. It wasn’t

easy going for Eddy. The heavy, wet snow had the

motor straining as Eddy pushed it harder than he

should have, evidently simply intent on checking on

his niece and getting out of there. Eisner, though, he

was making it count. Amused mockery filled the

deputy’s face as another fence post met the force of

the edge of the plow.

Rafe glanced to Eddy Flannigan again and

watched as the older man shook his head and ran his

hand over his face at the next post Eisner tore out.

Fury tightened Eddy’s expression as he shook his

head angrily a second later.

Looking up, Eddy caught Rafe watching, grinned,

and shot him the finger. That was Eddy Flannigan.

Bastard.

Rafe was considerate, he returned the gesture.

Then a frown creased the man’s face as Rafe

heard the door open, then close behind him. All eyes

were watching now. Her uncle’s, Eisner’s, and Sheriff

Archer Tobias’. And Rafe knew why.

Cami.

He could feel her, smell the sweet, clean scent of

her.

Rafe didn’t move other than to lift the cigar to his

lips and inhale slowly as he grinned back at the other

man.

Eddy wasn’t a Callahan fan, but neither was he

an enemy. At least he didn’t poke his nose in their

business. At least he hadn’t before now. And he sure

as hell wouldn’t be once Rafe filed his lawsuit. His

lawyer would be contacting the town soon, Rafe

promised himself, because that fence was too far

from the center of the lane for it to have been an

accident.

“I’m so sorry,” Cami whispered behind him. “I’m

so very sorry, Rafe.”

And she was. He could hear it in her voice, in the

low, husky tone of regret, and the echo of sadness.

“Sorry’s not going to replace my fence.” He

shrugged as though he really didn’t care about the

fucking fence, and he didn’t, it was the intent behind it

that pissed him off. “Why don’t you just get on out

there and let her uncle and boyfriend know you’re safe

so that crew can get the hell off my land before they

finish destroying it?”

“My boyfriend?” Outrage filled her voice. “Just to

start with, Rafer Callahan, I do not do boys. And

second of which, there’s no one here that I’m seeing.”

“And you haven’t been going out with Archer?”

He finally threw the accusation at her, amazed he had

held it in this long.

Her eyes narrowed back at him, the soft gray of

her eyes beginning to flicker in anger.

“Archer and I are friends, Rafe—”

“So were Jaymi and I,” he reminded her harshly.

“Or did you forget that?”

“Oh, trust me, I’m reminded of it often.” The

bitterness that flashed in her eyes surprised him.

“What do you mean by that?” he growled, careful

to keep his tone of voice low, his demeanor

controlled.

“Exactly what I said.” She wasn’t nearly as careful

about her demeanor. She was all but straight up in his

face. The only thing that kept her from going nose to

nose with him was the fact that she was half-pint-sized

and not nearly tall enough. “Every time I turn around,

every time I hear your name, I’m reminded in detail

exactly how close you were.”

It wasn’t anger glittering in her gaze, it was pain.

A sense of loss, and if he wasn’t mistaken, guilt.

“Why would it matter, Cami?” he questioned her

roughly. “You knew Jaymi and I were sleeping

together at the time. I never lied to you.”

She wanted to turn away from him, she wanted to

rage at him, but she was far too aware of the fact that

her uncle, Archer Tobias, and his deputy were still

working their way to the driveway.

“At least Jaymi was honest enough to have her

relationship in public,” he continued as she glared up

at him, her fists clenching at her sides.

“What the hell are you talking about? Are you

trying to accuse me of something, Rafer?” she

questioned through gritted teeth.

“Why, yes, kitten, I guess that’s exactly what I’m

doing,” he informed her bitterly. “At least Jaymi wasn’t

ashamed of me. And she sure as hell wasn’t

ashamed of being my lover.”

“You think I’m ashamed of you?” He could see

the anger now, it was glittering in her eyes, flushing

her cheeks. “You think I’m not agreeing to your

demands because of shame?”

“What other reason could you have?” he

demanded. “Come on, Cami, you acted as though we

barely knew each other at Clyde’s funeral and you cut

me off three years ago. What else could it have been

if not shame?”

“Oh, I don’t know, perhaps it could have been the

fact that there are other things I’m not willing to deal

with besides whether or not anyone knows what the

hell I’m doing?”

“Oh, yeah. What?” he snarled, feeling the anger

and the lust suddenly rising, pounding through his

veins, engorging his dick and burning through his

veins.She was almost shaking now. “Fuck you, Rafer!”

His lips twisted with mocking anger. “Go home,

Cami. I have better things to do than deal with your

shame or your fear.”

“My anger or fear.” She stepped closer. “Just let

me show you my shame and fear.”

Rafe didn’t think he had ever been as surprised

by a woman as he was by Cami in that moment. She

was against him in a second, on her tiptoes, the

fingers of one hand fisted in his hair as she pulled his

head down, bringing his lips to hers.

In that second, he lost the anger, the accusations,

and his common sense.

Rafe jerked her against him, his lips slanting over

hers as he pulled her against him and poured every

ounce of the hunger and need burning inside him, into

her impulsive kiss. He took control of it. He stole it,

and fought to bind whatever part of her that he could

to him, whether it be shame, lust, or fear.

His tongue stroked against her lips, pushed

forward and caressed her tongue, fought with it, and

drew the hunger from whatever depths she pushed it

to whenever she needed to hide it.

No, this wasn’t shame, but he was damned if he

knew what it was, or what she was trying to prove. He

knew something raged inside her, something dark

and angry that the pleasure he gave her seemed to

tempt, even as pleasure seemed to burn through

those emotions.

When he pulled back, releasing her slowly, he

watched as her eyes fluttered open, and her gaze

seemed rife with regret and a pain that went so deep

he froze in shock.

“Cami-girl?” he whispered. Sweet Lord, who put

that agony inside her?

“It’s not shame, Rafer.” She stepped away slowly.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s anyone else’s business

either.”

Turning, she moved quickly away from him and

all but ran to where Archer’s black, official SUV finally

pulled into the small parking area close to the

snowmobiles Logan and Crowe had driven earlier.

She jumped into the vehicle, slammed the door,

then turned her head, obviously avoiding looking at

him now. As though she had pulled a cloak of ice

around her emotions, one that went clear to the core,