Summer Sin (The Anthology Novella Series Book 2) (9 page)

Camden took a deep breath as he tried to get a handle on the emotions that were rushing at him like a tidal wave. To see this woman smile…to hear her laugh, made his heart soar. It was as if he had been waiting his entire miserable life for this woman, and just her presence gave him purpose.

His body suddenly tensed as his alarm bells went off with a mighty screech. Something was very wrong. He felt Victoria stiffen beside him and caught her gaze; knowing without a doubt that she felt it too.

He put his finger to his lips as he slipped out of bed; grabbing his jeans and silently slipping them on as his eyes held hers. When she moved to follow, he shook his head, only to get a glare and shaking of her head in response.

She quickly jumped from the bed and grabbed some clothes, stealthily dressing in a moments time. She silently moved over to her suitcase and pulled out several knives, handing one to Cam with a saucy little grin. He could only smile in reply, thinking that he could really love this woman.

Suddenly, there was a loud boom as the windows shattered and three Were’s came crashing through; the sound almost deafening as the glass exploded and flew around them.

Camden moved to shove Victoria behind him but once again she shook her head and held fast, standing beside him as she sized up the situation in an instant. He couldn’t help but be damned impressed by her. She was a freaking force of nature and he fully understood what Malcolm had meant when he said that she was one of his best hunters.

They faced off with the Were’s, their bodies tense and ready as they stood staring at them in silent challenge when the bedroom door imploded with a loud boom and a tall, dangerous looking man walked through as if he owned the place. This time, Cam did push Victoria behind him, shielding her body with his as his entire body vibrated with rage.

“Barlow,” he growled, his golden eyes glowing with his fury, and he heard Victoria gasp. He knew that she was more than familiar with the name and of the fact that this was the man who had killed her parents, and he wanted nothing more than to end this bastard for her once and for all.

“My, my, Stark,” Barlow laughed as he leaned against the door frame, his slate grey eyes gleaming with amusement and just the tiniest hint of malice. Camden knew the bastard wasn’t as confident as he was trying to appear. Deep down he was nothing more than a coward.

He was tall, lanky, and arrogant as all hell, and Cam felt his jaw tighten as he watched the son of a bitch’s eyes drift over Victoria in a way that actually made his skin crawl.

“I never would have thought that when you were sent out here to watch over our lovely little hybrid here, you would actually bed her so quickly. I mean, I’m more than familiar with how fast you move, Stark. I mean, who are we kidding? Your reputation with the ladies is infamous, but this is certainly quick…even for you. I truly thought that our little hunter would be much more of a challenge for you. She seemed so spirited.”

Cam felt Victoria stiffen behind him and felt his anger surge through him. Damn it to hell!

“If you would just be so kind as to hand over the little vixen, we’ll be on our merry way. You’ve had your fun with her. I’m sure you are more than ready to move on by now.”

“Go straight to hell; you filthy son of a bitch,” Cam ground out between clenched teeth as his eyes blazed with murderous rage. “I won’t let you get anywhere near her. We end this now. You and me.”

Victoria held her breath as her body trembled from the onslaught of emotions rushing at her at breakneck speed. Hate, anger…betrayal. To realize that Camden had been sent out here to
watch over
her pissed the ever loving hell out of her. At the same time, it was like an enormous punch to the heart.

And…Dimetri Barlow was
here!
Within her reach. She could finally kill the man who had taken her family away from her! This was her chance!

Without thinking…going purely on instinct, she spun around in front of Camden and threw her knife, hitting her mark with deadly precision. Her blade went straight through the bastard’s chest, pulling a scream of pure rage and pain from him. He looked at her for a moment in surprise before dropping to his knees and collapsing to the floor.

In that next instant, all hell broke loose. Cam pushed her across the room as the three other men lunged for them. Cam shifted and pounced, going for and ending one of the three Weres in an instant before Victoria could even think to react. She spun and kicked the Were that was coming at her, hitting him in the throat and knocking him to the ground as she grabbed Cam’s knife from the floor and hit once again with deadly force. The other Were shifted and went straight for Cam, his jaws snapping as he jumped through the air.

“Camden!” Victoria screamed as she pulled the knife from the man laying at her feet and threw it at the Were. There was a roar of rage as the wolf dropped to the floor with a heavy thud and lay still.

Cam shifted back and turned to Victoria, his eyes scanning her body quickly for any signs of injury. Jesus, that had been fast.

He could see her breathing hard as she met his eyes with what looked to be anger and a hurt that was earth-shattering…and it nearly killed him. It clenched at something deep inside of him and nearly took the very breath from his body.

He took a tentative step towards her raising his hands, but she quickly shook her head…stilling him.

“You were sent here to
protect
me?” she asked shakily, and Cam wanted to crawl right through the floor. “By whom?”

“Malcolm,” he answered softly, unable to lie to her. “He found out that Barlow had put a price on your head and sent me here to make sure that you were kept safe.”

Victoria was silent for a very long, painful moment, her brows furrowed. After what seemed to be an eternity to Cam, she took a deep breath and nodded slightly. “You spending time with me,” she questioned softly, her voice barely above a whisper, “that was just to keep an eye on me?”

Cam cautiously edged a little closer to her, wanting nothing more at that moment than to pull her into his arms and hold her. To feel her heart beat against his. To simply reassure her.

“No,” he replied honestly. “I was only supposed to protect you. I was asked to just sit next door and keep watch. Nothing more.” He took a shaky breath. “Being with you, that was fate…destiny; I don’t know, but whatever it is…it’s right. I won’t apologize for wanting to be with you, Victoria.” He took another tentative step towards her and they were now mere inches apart. “I meant what I said. This isn’t just a one-night deal. My past has been…
colorful
to say the least, but from the moment I laid eyes on you…I knew.”

Victoria swallowed hard, her eyes shining like emeralds in the light of the moon as it filtered through the room.

Cam felt his heart clench painfully in his chest.

“You knew what?” she asked quietly.

“That you’re mine. That you belong with me. And I will move heaven and earth to stay at your side.” It was blunt. It was direct. It was the truth.

Victoria took another shaky breath and just stared at him, not sure what to do. Her heart and head were spinning in a million different directions all at once. There were so many questions…but, as she stared into the eyes of this man standing in front of her, she knew that she was where she was meant to be. No matter how or why she got here.

“My…my life is crazy,” she blurted out suddenly. He chuckled low and deep in his chest and she felt that all too familiar shiver creeping up on her.

“Yeah, well…I was getting bored with retirement anyway,” he laughed. “I’m actually thinking that we would make one hell of a hunting team. And I’m pretty sure that Malcolm would pop a gasket to have me back in the fold.”

“Have you back?” she asked, startled. “But you said that you were ex-military.”

“Baby,” he husked with a grin as he pulled her into his arms and up against his body—and was more than just a little relieved when she let him, “I promise that I’ll tell you everything. But right now, if I don’t kiss you…I’m going to go freaking insane.”

Victoria looked up into his face and smiled, and Cam thought his heart would burst from his chest. He realized he would be content to see that for the rest of his miserable life.

“Then what are you waiting for, partner?” she asked, and his mouth came crashing down on hers, a groan rumbling deep in his chest and reverberating through both of their bodies.

Victoria wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with every ounce of her being. Yes, she needed answers, but they could wait until the morning. She bit back a giggle when she felt the proof of his desire pressing against her hip and pulled away slightly, tilting her head back and catching his eyes with hers.

“How about we go next door and handle this mess in the morning?” she asked him and felt her heart skip a beat when he grinned. Damn, but the man was devastatingly handsome…and
hers
!

“That sounds like the best idea…ever,” he rasped.

“But…I had better get the truth about
everything
,” she demanded softly, trying hard to look stern, but failing miserably. The feel of his strong, steady arms wrapped around her was making that very difficult. There was peace in his arms.
Contentment.

“Victoria,” he murmured, his expression serious. “I promise I will only ever tell you the truth.” He kissed her softly, his mouth tender yet demanding, and she knew beyond a doubt that he was being completely honest. She didn’t know how she knew it…she just did. As sure as she knew her own name.

“Good. That’s a start.” She snickered as he swept her up into his arms.

He looked around the room until he spotted her cell sitting on the dresser. He scooped it up, punching in the numbers quickly.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, but he silenced her with a quick kiss.

“Damn it…voicemail,” he muttered. He waited a moment before giving her a wink. “Malcolm, it’s Cam. I need you to send a cleanup team to Victoria’s villa. Barlow is dead and we have a bit of a mess here. We’ll be next door.” He kissed her once again, quickly yet thoroughly. “We are not to be disturbed for at
least
the next month. Am I clear? I’ll call you in a few days to check in and explain everything.” With that, he hung up the phone and carried her from the room.

And as he carried her across the sand to his house, their mouths seeking, she knew that this was it. This was the start of something that she knew deep down in her very soul was going to be amazing. And for the first time in forever, Victoria felt like the future was going to be bright, and she smiled against Cam’s mouth, knowing without a doubt that the rest of her days were going to be filled with laughter, smiles, and love.