The Mighty Quinns: Cameron (4 page)

Sofie spun around, catching him staring again. “Are you going to just stand there with your mouth hanging open, or are you going to help me?”

“Help,” he said, quickly moving past her. Cameron noticed that she carried two spares in the cargo compartment of the Jeep. He found the tire iron and jack next to the spares and pulled both of them out. “Why don’t you just let me take care of this?” Cameron said.

“I can help,” she replied. She reached for one of the tires and tried to pull it out of the back of the Jeep. Cameron dropped the tire iron and jack. “Here, let me get that.”

“I can get it,” she said stubbornly.

He reached around her. “It’s heavy. It would be easier if you opened the tailgate.”

“I can get it,” she insisted.

But their arms and feet got tangled, and when Sofie finally pulled the tire over the edge of the cargo compartment, the weight of it knocked them both off balance. He grabbed her waist and yanked her out of the way as the tire fell on the dusty road.

They tumbled back onto the hard ground, Cameron taking the weight of her body in the fall. She ended up lying on top of him, his hands spanning her waist. Their eyes met and Cameron was afraid to speak, knowing that it might break this strange spell that had fallen over them both.

Hesitantly, she leaned closer, her lips just inches from his. And then closer again. He drew one more ragged breath then slipped his hand gently around her nape. He waited, hoping she’d take his touch as an invitation to go further. And when she did, the breath rushed out of him as her lips met his.

This time, the kiss was filled with all the repressed desire that they’d both tried to deny. She surrendered her body to his touch as Cameron explored her mouth more deeply. His tongue delved inside the sweet warmth and she didn’t resist. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, rolling her onto the ground beneath him. Slowly, his hands smoothed along her hip. He pulled her thigh up along the length of his leg.

She drew back and he saw the desire clouding her gaze. As much as she’d maintained a careful distance since they’d met, Cameron suspected that there was an attraction that she’d been fighting as hard as he had. He smiled, reaching out to cup her cheek in his hand. “That was nice,” he murmured.

Sofie nodded. “Yes,” she replied.

He leaned in for another kiss and they lost themselves again. Her hands clutched at the front of his shirt, holding on to him as they rolled around in the dirt.

And then, as quick as it had begun, she stopped and yanked him upright, scrambling to her feet. She pulled him up with her. A moment later, she brought her foot down on the ground where they’d just been lying. “Scorpion,” she murmured.

Cameron gasped. “What? Where?”

“Under my boot. You have to be careful around here. In the morning, shake out your shoes and clothes. Don’t walk around barefoot.”

“Are they poisonous?”

“They won’t kill you. But the bite is pretty painful.” She dusted off her clothes then strode to the spot where the tire had come to rest. She hefted it up and rolled it toward the back of the Jeep, as if she was glad to have something else to focus on.

By the time they got the tire fixed, it was all Cameron could do to keep his hands off Sofie. The last kiss just hadn’t been enough to satisfy his curiosity. He wanted more time to touch her, to learn exactly what made her sigh with pleasure.

After they’d stowed the flat tire, Cameron helped Sofie back into the Jeep then got behind the wheel. As they roared down the road, a plume of dust blossoming behind them, he chuckled to himself. He could honestly say he’d never meet a woman quite like Sofie Reyes. She was a mass of contradictions, soft yet tough, beautiful yet filled with a steely determination. Vulnerable yet resilient.

When he’d been given the bus ticket to Vulture Creek, Cameron couldn’t have imagined anything like this happening to him. But now that he was here, it was the only place in the world he wanted to be.

3

“W
HERE
THE
HELL
did you find him?”

Sofie stood in the middle of the kitchen, her brother Tony striding back and forth in front of her. She hadn’t expected to find him at the ranch, but he’d come out to check on her after he’d talked to their uncle about her case.

“I met him at Millie’s in Vulture Creek. He was looking for a job and I needed help with Fredericks.”

“You need help tailing a cheating husband. Hell, Sof, you can do that in your sleep.”

“I can’t just walk into the Bunny Shack and see who he’s meeting at lunch. But I can send Cameron in.”

“Cameron?” Tony asked. “What kind of name is that?”

“I believe it’s Irish.”

“Irish?”

“Yeah, his last name is Quinn. He’s from Seattle.”

“Why are you even doing this, Sof? You don’t need to work. You have your disability pay. You could go back to school. Or help Mama out at the gallery. You were always pretty good at making those pots. Chasing some scumbag around the desert is no kind of job for you.”

“This is what I know how to do. And I can’t spend every waking hour on rehab. Maybe I don’t move as well as I used to, but I’m getting better. I’m still a great investigator. And I’m going to get back on the force. So don’t you dare tell me what I can and can’t do.”

“Well, I’ve got a few days off. I can help you. You don’t need to drag in a stray.”

“He’s not a stray. He’s smart and he needs the work. And a place to stay.”

“He’s not staying here,” Tony said.

“I told him he could stay in the Airstream.”

Tony shook his head. “No, no, no. We’re not putting up some stranger.”

“He’s helping me with my work,” she said. “So this is the way it’s going to be. And this isn’t your house, so you can’t dictate who can stay and who can’t.” She glanced around the kitchen. “Now, what do we have for dinner? I’m going to have to feed him. That’s part of the deal.”

“What else did you include in the deal?” he asked.

Sofie slapped him on the shoulder, then crossed to the refrigerator and opened the door. “Got anything interesting?”

“You’re not going to give him my birthday tamales. Mom made those for me.”

She pulled out the pan and peeked under the crumpled foil. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you more.”

“No!” Tony said, reaching for the pan.

She evaded his grasp and ran to the other side of the table. “They’re just tamales. I promise, as soon as I get back to Albuquerque I’ll make a whole batch.”

“No!” he said as he chased her to the other side of the kitchen. “Give those back. They’re not yours, they’re—” Tony froze, his gaze fixed on the screen door. She turned to find Cameron watching them.

“Hi.” Sofie crossed the room and opened the door. “Come on in.”

Cameron reluctantly stepped inside, shifting his gaze between her and Tony. His hair was wet and he was dressed in a faded T-shirt and jeans. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just looking for something to drink. Something cold.”

“Cameron, this is my brother Antonio. We call him Tony. Tony, this is Cameron Quinn, my new…my new assistant investigator.”

Reluctantly, Tony held out his hand. “Hi,” he muttered.

“Nice to meet you, Tony. I didn’t expect to meet any of Sofie’s brothers. Are you one of the policemen?”

Her brother seemed surprised by Cameron’s friendly nature. Though the tension in the room was obvious, Cameron had managed to defuse it in a matter of seconds. “ATF,” Tony said. “And what do you do when you’re not helping my sister?”

“I design sailboats,” Cameron said. “Yachts, actually.”

“What the hell are you doing in the middle of the desert?”

“Good question, long story. I wouldn’t want to bore you.”

“I’m going to get you some clean sheets,” Sofie said. “I’ll bring them out in a bit.” She handed him the pan of tamales then grabbed a couple beers from the fridge. “Take these out. We can eat on the picnic table.”

Cameron nodded as he took the pan. “Tony, it was nice meeting you. Are you going to have dinner with us?”

“No,” Tony said. “Enjoy the tamales.”

Sofie and Tony watched him leave, and the moment he was out of earshot, Tony groaned. “Okay, now I get it. Of course. It makes all the sense in the world.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Come on, Sofie, give me a break. It’s pretty clear why you brought his guy home. And I don’t approve. Neither would Ma and Pop. So take him back to town and tell him to find his own place to stay.”

“I have every right to have a guest.”

“A guest? Is that what you’re calling him?”

“There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Oh, no? Then wipe that goofy look off your face.” He shook his finger at her. “I’m not going to let you compromise your virtue over some stranger.”

Sofie laughed. “I’m twenty-eight years old, Tony. My virtue was compromised a long time ago.”

He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, shaking his head. “I don’t want to hear this. I owe it to Ma and Pop to see that nothing bad happens to you.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit hypocritical? You spend at least a few nights a week with Arianna Lopez. Maybe I should be concerned about your virtue. Or perhaps hers?”

“That is none of your business,” he said. “Get rid of him.”

“No. He’s staying. And you can stay out of my business. I’m perfectly capable of running my own sex life.”

Tony clapped his hands to his ears. “I don’t want to hear this. La la la la la. I’m not listening.”

Sofie grabbed a jar of salsa from the refrigerator, then pushed open the screen door and stepped outside. Her sex life. The words had just popped out of her mouth. Was that what she was hoping for? She hadn’t been with a man since the accident, and yet she could easily imagine falling into bed with Cameron.

She drew in a deep breath as a shiver skittered down her spine. Suddenly, her scars didn’t matter. She wasn’t afraid anymore. Had enough time finally passed? Or was this simply because of Cameron himself?

For some strange reason, she trusted him. And after spending four years as a cop, Sofie didn’t trust anyone other than her parents and her brothers. She smiled to herself. It felt good to let someone in, to forget everything that had happened and just enjoy the moment.

When she got back to the trailer, Cameron was sitting at the picnic table, munching on a tamale, his expression somber.

“Maybe it’s just me, but these things are kind of tough.”

“You don’t eat the husk,” she said. “And they’re supposed to be warmed up. You put a bit of salsa on them. This is my mom’s roasted-corn salsa.”

He glanced down at the half-eaten tamale. “Oh. I guess I should have waited for instructions.”

Sofie picked up the pan and carried it to the trailer. “Come on, I’ll explain everything.” She set the tamales on the counter next to the microwave, and he stood behind her, watching over her shoulder. A moment later, his hands circled her waist and gently turned her to face him.

She held her breath, waiting for him to kiss her again. When he picked her up and set her on the edge of the counter, a tiny cry of surprise escaped her lips. Cameron stepped between her legs, pulled her against his hips until she had no choice but to hang on to him or fall to the floor.

“What are you doing?” she murmured, her gaze drifting down to his mouth.

“Finishing something I started earlier,” he said. He leaned forward and kissed her, his lips gently teasing. His fingers drifted down to the front of her shirt and he pulled it aside to press his mouth to her bare shoulder.

She closed her eyes and drew a slow breath, waiting for his lips to follow his fingers. But he didn’t kiss her again. Instead, he slowly pushed her shirt over her shoulders, bunching it behind her. Sofie gripped the edge of the counter and watched him as he drew his hand across her chest.

A moment later, he slipped his hand beneath her breast, cupping the soft flesh under the fabric of her camisole. His gaze met hers as he teased at her nipple through the layers of her clothes. She hadn’t been touched like this in so long, Sofie had forgotten how exhilarating, how thrilling it all was. Every nerve in her body felt as if it were alive, vibrating with anticipation. And with every shift of his touch, she wanted more, his mouth on her skin, his hands against her flesh.

She’d frozen out all these wonderful feelings, and now that they’d flooded back all at once, Sofie wasn’t sure what to do with them. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and laugh; she wanted to crawl into his bed and cry. Every emotion that she’d ever had in her life was pulsing through her body in one wonderful, horrible, confusing mess.

“I’ve been thinking about this all day,” he said.

“All day?” she asked.

“Since I saw you eat that piece of pie. I was intrigued.”

“About pie?” Sofie sighed. “You scare me a little bit.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know if I can do this. It’s not that easy.” She forced a smile. “I mean, it is easy. It’s like riding a bike. But everything that comes with it… It can get complicated. Promise me that it won’t get complicated.”

“I’ll promise anything you want,” he said. “But we’re just kissing and touching and…messing around a little. It’s all just harmless fun.”

“We barely know each other,” she whispered. “We just met this morning.”

“What do you want to know?” Cameron asked. “You told me about your life. I’ll tell you about mine. Ask me anything.”

She smiled at him. “All right.” She thought about her question for a long moment, but she felt foolish asking him anything personal. She didn’t want to know about ex-girlfriends or when he lost his virginity or why he seemed so obsessed with kissing her. “How is it that you don’t know how to eat a tamale?”

He blinked in surprise. “That’s what you want to know?”

She nodded. “I mean, tamales are just about the most perfect food and—”

“Except for pie,” he said.

“Well, yes, except for pie. But don’t they have tamales in Seattle?”

“I’m sure they do, but I’ve never had one. I guess I’ve led a sheltered life. But I am counting on you to introduce me to these things. So far, I’ve eaten tacos and fajitas.”

“That’s not real Mexican food,” she said. “My mother makes the best mole poblano. She learned from my grandmother Reyes. It’s a sauce you put on chicken or pork. She cooks it for hours and hours, and it has about thirty ingredients in it.”

“What can you cook?” he asked.

“Chile Rellenos. And I can make tamales. But I’m really not much of a cook.” She forced a smile. What was she doing? Here was a man dying to seduce her, to drag her to the bed, and she was bragging about her prowess in the kitchen. She
should
be showing him what she could accomplish in the bedroom. “What would you feed me if I came to your house?”

“You mean Irish food? It’s not nearly as tasty as Mexican food. My grandfather is a pretty decent cook, though. Every Sunday we’d have a big supper together. He’d make the things he ate as a child—bacon and cabbage, meat pies, colcannon, boxty. Lots of potatoes. Our potatoes are kind of like your tortillas. We put them in every dish.” He paused. “Are we really talking about food?”

Sofie reached for the hem of his T-shirt and tugged it over his head. Then she ran her hands across his chest, her fingers skimming over smooth skin and hard muscle. “I like talking to you.”

“I like talking to you.”

She smiled. “So, you wanna make out?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “But I don’t sleep with girls that I barely know.”

“Then I think we ought to get to know each other a little better.” She gave him a winsome smile. “We have the most beautiful sunsets in this part of New Mexico. Why don’t I heat up these tamales and you open the beers, and we’ll go outside and watch the show?”

He drew her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her fingertips. “I think that sounds like a good plan.”

If it was meant to happen, then it would happen, Sofie mused. For a man like Cameron, it would most definitely be worth the wait.

* * *

A
COOL
BREEZE
BLEW
through the louvered windows of the trailer, rustling the leaves of the cottonwood tree outside. To Cameron’s surprise, the heat from the day had dissipated at sunset, and darkness brought a more comfortable temperature.

Cameron stretched out on the sofa bed in the Airstream and turned his attention back to the paperback he’d brought along for the bus ride. He’d have to make a point of buying a few more books, especially if he was going to be spending his nights alone.

After watching the sunset and enjoying a dinner of tamales, eaten on the picnic table outside, Sofie had bid him a quick good-night. She left him for her own bed, warning him that they’d discuss their next move over breakfast the next morning at Millie’s.

Cameron didn’t feel like sleeping. Instead, his mind was occupied with thoughts of his new boss. Though he did technically work for her, Cameron wasn’t going to let that get in the way of his attraction. There was some invisible force that had drawn them to each other, that made intimacy almost inevitable. He wasn’t going to deny it, and he was pretty sure she didn’t intend to, either.

But how long would they ignore their desires before they finally gave in? Would this become a game between them, or would they both admit that they wanted the same thing?

A knock sounded on the trailer door, and Cameron pushed up on his elbow. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wait after all, he mused. But it wasn’t Sofie at the door. Her brother Tony stepped inside.

“Hi,” Cameron said, swinging his legs over the edge of the sofa to sit.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked. “I meant to talk to you earlier, but I noticed you and Sofie were…”

“No, I was awake,” Cameron said. “What’s up?”

Tony leaned against the edge of the table, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “How much has she told you?”

Cam shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess she’s told me most of it. I know she worked for the Albuquerque Police Department and that she was hurt on the job. And that she’s working as a P.I. until she can get her old job back.”