Chapter Twenty-One
CAM
After the incredible shower sex, Mars called room service and ordered food.
My cheeseburger was fantastic, topped with roasted jalapenos and grilled onions, and slathered with a wonderful spread.
The french fries were hot and crispy, and dipping them in ketchup sealed the deal for a great meal.
Instead of ketchup, Mars had requested malt vinegar which sounded weird but he gave me one to taste.
“Go on then. Just ‘ave a go,” he teased.
But hell, it was good! I grinned, leaning forward to kiss him. Sharing food with him made me feel like I was cast as the lead in a sexy rom com. I couldn’t believe how happy he made me.
Mars groaned as he ate, practically inhaling the same burger I’d ordered, wiping the juices off with a napkin as I looked on with a smile I no longer tried to hide.
I’d gone and done it…I’d fallen for the big man, surprised that it had taken such a short time to develop such huge feelings for Mars.
I couldn’t put my finger on any one reason.
Instead I examined a whole host of explanations for my feelings.
Though I couldn’t be sure, I thought Mars had big feelings for me too. Although he seemed loathe to voice them out loud, which kind of pissed me off. But his touches, the way he reached for me, the way I caught him looking when there was no reason to, told me more than if he’d said something.
I didn’t know why it had happened so fast for us.
Maybe it was the close proximity we’d been forced into, but he hadn’t complained even though he’d said he didn’t do relationships.
In the beginning, I’d slotted him into the player category because he’d certainly had that trait written all over him.
Now, though, I was slightly baffled by how he behaved, seeming to want to be close, yet keeping himself at a distance all at the same time… at least in front of others.
We finished eating and crawled into bed, rolling to face each other in the fading afternoon light as the sun sank into the horizon beyond the windows.
Mars folded one arm beneath his head on the pillow and set the other on my hip, covering the bruises left by his fingers.
I’d woken the other day with the evidence on both hips from where he’d held me down as he’d sucked me off that first night.
Now he’d completely taken possession of my body over the last few days.
There’d no doubt be more. I wasn’t complaining.
I loved the look of the marks he left on my skin, evidence that he’d had little control over himself when he thoroughly fucked me, like he’d shown in the shower less than an hour ago.
I smiled at him, reaching out to cup the side of his jaw. “You’re so beautiful, you know. I can’t stop staring at you.”
He smiled, sliding his hand up to my waist as he caressed me. The innocent gesture made butterflies flutter in my stomach. “No one’s ever put it like that before.”
“No one ever told you how beautiful you are?”
He shook his head. “Never like that. Men ‘ave told me I’m good looking, but I don’t normally ‘ook up with guys more than once. Telling a bloke you ‘ardly know ‘ow beautiful ‘e is, just isn’t done, Cam.”
I frowned. “You must have wanted to be with someone more than one time, no?”
He shook his head. “I never let it ‘appen.”
“Why?”
He sighed, flopping onto his back and staring at the ceiling. “My father wasn’t around when I was a lad.”
“Did your parents’ divorce?”
“They were never married. As soon as my mum told ‘im she was pregnant, ‘e upped sticks and left. Didn’t look back.”
I nodded. “You were raised by a single mom.”
“I was.” He sighed, looking back at the ceiling.
I reached out and laid a hand on his chest, toying with the light sprinkling of hair that covered his muscles.
“I suppose I grew up not trusting men as a result of ‘ow ‘e treated ‘er. She seemed to get along well without a man emotionally, but it was a financial struggle.” He glanced at me, reaching down to cover my hand with his and flattened it on his chest. “I know ya know ‘ow that is, Cam.”
I nodded. “We always struggled. I suppose it gave me an excuse to start stealing cars. I learned from my older brother, Jessie, and the more I practiced, the bigger the risks I took, always wanting to show off in front of him. It was stupid, especially since it eventually landed him in an adult prison after he got caught several times as a juvenile. When he was released from prison that final time, it was with an addiction to drugs. That addiction eventually killed him. I should’ve stopped stealing cars then, but instead, I just perfected my technique. ”
“You were stubborn.”
I snorted. “Yeah, and look where that got me. Getting into bed with Josiah was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done and even though I’ve told myself that a million times, I never wanted to change things until I met you.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure if you can tell, but I really really like you, Mars.
” When he opened his mouth to say something, I held up my hand.
“You don’t have to say anything. I don’t expect you to.
” I waved a hand at the room, pointing between us.
“I’ve always known this was temporary. I just want you to know that I don’t expect more. ”
He smirked. “Ya gonna let me talk now?”
I felt my face heat. “I’m sorry. I tend to talk too much sometimes.”
“No, it’s not that. But if I were to say something, I’d say this…when a man is young, ‘e’s all gas, no brakes.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the car reference.
“But the older I get, the more I realize it’s not as important to be in the pole position.” He hesitated for just a moment. “Right now, I really need a pit stop.”
I couldn’t help but grin this time. He smiled back, reaching over to run fingers through my hair as he gazed at me. “You make me want to take that pit stop, Cam.”
In for a penny, in for a pound. I shrugged. “Pit stops aren’t meant to last, Mars.”
He smirked. “Maybe, luv. For now, though, let’s just say I want ya more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, Cam.”
I felt my smile fade just a little. “You want me?”
He nodded, rolling back to face me as he reached out to caress my cheek.
“That, I do.” He leaned in and I met him halfway, touching his lips with mine.
He deepened the kiss and I sighed into it, loving how giddy the touch of his lips was making me feel.
I wound both arms around his neck and laid back, pulling him over me as I went.
He twined his legs with mine as he kept kissing me, nipping at my lips, tugging on my tongue until I felt like I could burst with joy.
I’d only had a couple of relationships, but I’d never felt anything close to what I felt for him.
He was strong and brave, but it was the vulnerable side he was showing me now, that sealed the deal for me.
I felt myself growing hard all over again and judging by the way his own erection was thickening between us, I wasn’t the only one who felt the connection.
When he finally broke the kiss and lifted his head, his eyes were sparkling with a devilish glint he couldn’t hide.
“I ‘ave an overwhelming desire to show ya just ‘ow badly I want ya, Cam.”
That sounded like just the thing. “I’d be up for just about anything when it comes to you, Mars.”
He chuckled, making his whole face light up…just before he showed me he was up for anything too.
MARS
I’d fallen asleep in Cam’s arms when I was abruptly woken by the ringing of my mobile.
I rolled over and picked it up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes.
I swiped the phone as I checked the glowing, red numbers on the bedside clock.
It was seven-thirty and the windows were dark, which meant Cam and I had only been asleep a couple of hours.
“Candy?” I croaked. I cleared my throat and tried a second time. “Boss?”
“I’m sorry, Clifford. Did I wake you?”
I yawned, glancing at Cam who was just now opening his eyes. “Yeah, sorry, boss. I fell asleep.”
“It’s fine, Mars, but now, I need you to get up and get dressed.”
I frowned, sitting up as Cam rolled to his side and looked at me. He reached for my hand, and I took it. “Now, boss? Did something ‘appen?”
“Yes. Noah Burgess finally got into Sterling’s onboard computer after working on it all day. Things are in motion, or I never would’ve bothered you this evening. Is Mr. Demarco with you?”
Cam squeezed my hand, and I nodded at him. “’E’s right ‘ere.”
“Put your phone on speaker so I can talk to both of you.”
I did as the boss asked. “Okay, Candy, you’re on speaker.”
“Hello, Mr. Demarco. It’s Captain Sorensen. I’m sorry to bother, you two, but some things have happened and it concerns you both.”
“Hi, Captain,” Cam said, sitting up. He was staring at me with a frown of confusion. “What’s happening?”
“Using the information you provided when you met with the team this morning, Special Agent Burgess has finally been able to hack into Josiah Sterling’s onboard computer.”
Cam’s eyes widened but to his credit, he leaned toward the phone. “Well, that’s good, right?”
“Yes, and as I was telling Mars, I wouldn’t have bothered you this evening if it weren’t important.”
“Okay, Candy. Tell us,” I said.
“The intel we have says Josiah Sterling will be at the Port of L.A. to pick up a very large shipment of heroin tonight at midnight. We think we have the warehouse location from the GPS,” Candy said. “I need you and Mars to get ready because I have agents coming to pick you both up.”
I frowned. “Both of us, boss?”
“Yes, both of you, Clifford. I need you to join the team when we arrest him, and Mr. Demarco to be there because we still have no idea what he looks like. Cam needs to be on hand to make a positive ID.”
I frowned. I’d totally forgotten that none of us knew what Sterling looked like, no one but Cam that is. “Noah couldn’t get hold of his driver’s license?”
“That’s just the problem. Sterling doesn’t seem to have one.”
I scoffed. “Ya ‘ave to be taking the piss, Candy. ’Ow’s that even possible? The man owns multiple vehicles,” I said.
“Noah has checked the Department of Motor Vehicle database in all fifty states and we’ve checked with our contacts at Homeland Security as well as the U.S.
Department of State which issues U.S. passports.
As Josiah Sterling, he doesn’t appear to own a U.S.
passport in that name, or any other country for that matter. ”
“You’re kidding?” Cam said.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Demarco. SA Burgess has tried every possible spelling we can think of. Every financial we’ve found, turns up under various shell companies. Noah’s hit a brick wall there.”
“But I thought Noah compared ‘is bank statements to the one’s owned by the cartel.”
“He did but those accounts are owned by a shell company. They’re not in Sterling’s name.”
“’E must own the company, right?”
“Yes, but Noah checked the corporate charter. There is a name, however it’s not Sterling’s. The name on the corporate paperwork is a woman…Lavinia Moss.”
“Maybe that’s the woman who was at the warehouse this morning,” Cam said, looking right at me.
“She very well might be one and the same, but she’s also a ghost. Noah can’t find anything on a Lavinia Moss either…no driver’s license, no passport, nothing.”
I nodded. “There was definitely a woman there this morning, boss, but like Cam told ya, ‘e’s never seen Sterling with a female.”
“Right. She must somehow play a large part in his business, but since we’ve learned that the heroin delivery is happening tonight, we’re out of time.
Noah will keep searching but if we want to catch him red-handed, we’ve gotta get going.
Since things went tits up for him today, he might cut and run after he receives this shipment, and we may not get another chance if we waste time.
Snow spoke to SAC Bradley, who called the director…
and they want us to move on this information tonight. ”
I looked at Cam and nodded. He shrugged, nodding back. “Okay, boss. We’ll be ready. ‘Oo’s coming to get us?”
“The team is gearing up now, so we should be at the hotel in about twenty minutes or so. We’re meeting Snow and his agents at the port in two hours. Meet us in the lobby.”
“Will do, boss.” I exchanged a look with Cam. He looked determined.
“We’ll be ready, Captain,” he said.
“Thank you, Mr. Demarco. See you two shortly.” The line disconnected and I reached out, pulling Cam into my arms. He held on tightly.
The fact is, we needed Cam to be a part of the Op even if he was only providing positive ID but I hated it.
Everything in me was screaming to protect him at all costs, but I knew Candy was right.
We might not get another opportunity to arrest this guy, so we really had no choice in the matter.
Cam clung to me and somehow, the longer the hug went on, the more his courage emboldened me.
As much as I didn’t want to let him go, we had to get dressed.
I turned my face, kissed his neck and breathed in his scent, knowing that so many things could go wrong, and praying they wouldn’t.
I was well and truly falling for him. There was no turning back now. Cam had become my whole world.
Cam let out a sigh, and I lifted my face.
He cupped my cheeks in both hands, staring into my eyes with the most trusting expression.
When his gaze dropped to my lips, I brought our mouths together, and kissed him softly, lingering over him.
When he finally broke the kiss a minute later, his smile was sweet.
“You heard him,” he whispered. “Your teammates are on the way.”
I nodded, pulling him close and kissing him one last time before finally letting go. “I’m not going to let anything ‘appen to ya tonight, luv. Ya know that, right?”
Cam nodded. The trust in his eyes almost knocked me out. “I know, Mars…I know.”