Warrior's Cross (8 page)

Groaning against Julian’s mouth, Cameron curled one hand around Julian’s neck. He felt like he was burning up under all the layers of clothes and Julian’s body, and Cameron welcomed the feeling.

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“This isn’t why I came to see you tonight,” Julian insisted against Cameron’s lips even as he continued to kiss him hungrily.

Cameron made a weak inquisitive sound as he reveled in the onslaught of Julian’s attention. Julian’s lips were hot and moist and surprisingly soft, an odd counterpoint to the prickle of his beard. Julian finally broke the kiss and shook his head as he let Cameron settle on his feet. “I just wanted to see you,” he whispered.

Cameron gazed at him, distantly aware of how vulnerable Julian suddenly looked. He didn’t get it. He knew why he thought about Julian, why he was infatuated with him. He just didn’t get how someone like Julian, a man who obviously had looks and money and adventure to spare, could possibly be interested in him. He was just an average guy, nothing spectacular.

“Yet another compliment. But why?” Cameron asked softly.

Julian narrowed his eyes and tipped his head to the side slightly, his brow furrowing in thought. “You’re happy,” he said. “And I look forward to seeing it every week.”

Those little furrows appeared between Cameron’s brows again.

That was it? Because he was happy? He searched Julian’s face, seeing nothing that would make him think it was a line. “I’m sorry. I just don’t…”

Julian took a slight step back and placed his gloved hands on either side of Cameron’s face, looking down at him intently as he waited patiently for Cameron to continue.

Cameron swallowed with difficulty. “You look at me like there’s nothing else in the world,” he whispered to Julian nervously.

“There’s not right now,” Julian answered immediately. “It’s Tuesday.”

Cameron couldn’t speak for a long moment as he wondered about the implications of those words. “I missed you those weeks you were gone,” he admitted. “I wondered where you were.”

Julian blinked in something like surprise, and he licked his lips. “I was working.”

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“What’s that look for?” Cameron asked when he saw Julian’s reaction. “Didn’t you believe me when I said I thought about you?”

“I don’t know,” Julian answered, displaying another hint of uncertainty about what he was doing.

Cameron frowned slightly and pulled back a bit, feeling unaccountably disappointed. “I don’t just do this sort of thing… on a whim,” he warned, shaking his head.

Julian smiled suddenly, his leather-covered fingers sliding down Cameron’s cheeks to rest on his jaw. “Neither do I,” he murmured in response.

He seemed sincere, but Cameron committed Julian’s face to memory all the same, just in case this never happened again. He didn’t figure it would, despite Julian’s provocative admissions. At this point, he wondered if it really mattered. This night was looking to turn into one of his fantasies. Could he really pass that up just because he knew the man wouldn’t call later? The longing in him made his hands clench tighter on Julian’s arms.

Julian looked down at the fingers that gripped him and then back up to meet Cameron’s eyes questioningly. “I would never come here without the intention of trying to come back,” Julian assured him with a small smirk as he leaned closer and let his hands slide down the sides of Cameron’s body to rest on his hips.

“So now what?” Cameron asked as he relaxed a little.

“You kiss me again,” Julian answered in a soft, confident voice.

Given that direction, Cameron didn’t wait. He lifted his chin and pressed his lips to Julian’s. Julian pulled him closer and growled softly, deep in his throat. His hands began to unravel Cameron’s scarf carefully, trying not to break their kiss or strangle him in the process.

The scratchy wool sliding against his skin got a tiny bit of Cameron’s attention, just enough for him to lift his head away from the door so Julian could remove it more easily. Julian yanked the scarf away and dropped it. He pulled back, unwound his own scarf effortlessly, and let it fall as he slid his hands under Cameron’s heavy coat.

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“This is so much easier to do in summer,” he muttered.

“I’m not sure I’d have had the courage then,” Cameron told him breathlessly, referring to the many months ago when Julian had started sitting in his section like clockwork every Tuesday.

“Why?” Julian asked as he continued to attempt to tug at clothing.

At a loss, Cameron made a noise of self-deprecation and shrugged slightly.

“Were you frightened of me?” Julian asked with an audible frown, though his hands didn’t stop their actions, nor did his lips stop moving against Cameron’s skin.

Cameron shook his head. “No,” he said, voice sure.

“Then why?” Julian asked, even as he pushed Cameron’s coat off his shoulders and tugged it down his arms.

Cameron shrugged and shook off the coat so that it fell to the floor in a quiet thump of heavy fabric. “Why would you be interested in me?” he asked logically as Julian nipped at his neck. “I’m just a waiter.”

“That’s what you do,” Julian whispered into Cameron’s ear before he straightened. “That’s not who you are.”

Shaking his head slightly, Cameron shrugged again. He was okay to look at and could usually find someone to fool around with for a while when he wanted more than a friend. But it gave him a real thrill to know Julian obviously liked what he saw. He reached for Julian’s coat, sliding his hands under the shoulders to push it away. His fingers moved under Julian’s suit jacket as well, but caught on something hard at Julian’s hip. Cameron drew his hand back, unsure of what to do.

“Sorry,” Julian murmured. He shrugged out of his overcoat, and it fell to the floor. He reached under his suit jacket and undid his belt, then pulled a holster and gun off it, sliding it loose and holding it up to let Cameron see it. He set it carefully on the floor beside them, and then he met Cameron’s eyes carefully.

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“What’s that for?” Cameron blurted, shocked, looking from bottomless dark eyes to the gun and back. For the first time, he felt a flash of fear.

Julian pressed his lips tightly together and looked down at the gun.

“It’s so I don’t get shot as often as I would,” he murmured.

“What kind of job do you have that you get shot at so much you need to carry your own gun?” Cameron asked as his mind whirred, and he tried to tamp down the worry. “Are you a detective of some kind?”

Julian licked his lips and tilted his head slightly. “Of some kind,”

he answered vaguely.

Cameron still felt very uneasy. A stranger was high enough on his danger list. But a stranger with a gun? But really, he reminded himself, how much of a stranger
was
Julian? Blake knew him. Cameron tried to focus on that. “Is it… safe?” he asked hesitantly, trying to convince himself it was okay. That Julian was okay, even if the gun wasn’t.

Julian looked from Cameron to the gun and back again. “It’s loaded,” he answered, obviously worried that Cameron would send him away. “Safety’s on.”

“You do realize how scary that thing makes this?” Cameron asked, voice a little higher. “I’ve just let a stranger into my apartment with a gun.”

Julian lowered his head slightly and took a small step back, his palms on the door behind Cameron’s head.

Cameron let his own hands drop, his arms crossing in front of him.

“What am I supposed to think?” he asked shakily.

“That if I were a psychotic killer, I would use a knife?” Julian answered hopefully as he met Cameron’s eyes.

“That’s not really funny,” Cameron pointed out.

“Do you think I’m going to hurt you?” Julian asked calmly.

Cameron blinked in confusion and looked down. He didn’t feel threatened, despite Julian’s larger size and his dark, mysterious demeanor. If anything, he felt safe in the other man’s arms, which was distracting in itself. Cameron slowly shook his head as he made his 52

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decision. “You don’t scare me,” he murmured. The gun, yes. Julian?

No.

“Good,” Julian murmured. He looked down at Cameron’s hands and flexed his own against the door, obviously wanting to touch him again but restraining himself. Cameron saw the twitch of Julian’s fingers, and he slowly reached out to slide their hands together.

“I’m sorry,” Cameron said as he took the tiny step to bring him right up against Julian again.

Julian shook his head and pulled Cameron to him. “It’s good to be careful.”

“Okay,” Cameron said. He looked at the gun. “Want to put it on the table so the dogs don’t try to play with it?” He inclined his head down to where the four little white puppies quietly swarmed Julian’s expensive overcoat, sniffing and pawing at it. Julian nodded and obediently picked the weapon back up, then carefully set it on the little table beside the door, sidestepping the dogs with extreme care.

Cameron watched and nodded when Julian turned back to him. He felt tongue-tied, and he waited to see what Julian would do next.

Cameron wanted to touch him again. Kiss him again. He wanted more, despite the gun’s appearance. Irresponsible, probably. Foolhardy, almost certainly. But honestly, it wasn’t like Julian would need a gun to hurt him if he planned to. He wouldn’t need the knife he joked about, either.

Julian removed his gloves slowly and placed them on the table, revealing his knuckles, covered with cuts and bruises. He removed his suit jacket as well and reached up to loosen his tie as he moved back toward Cameron.

Cameron watched as one of his favorite dreams about this man came to life in front of him. It was intoxicating, and whatever dull fear he felt about the gun began to fade. His fingers reached out to brush gently over the abused knuckles. Julian caught his hand and used it to pull him closer, kissing the inside of his wrist gently as he did so.

Cameron’s pulse fluttered at the tender gesture, and he moved forward slowly until he was practically glued to Julian’s chest. Julian Warrior’s Cross 53

leaned to kiss at his neck and began undoing the buttons of Cameron’s shirt with one hand as he held him close. He was remarkably good at it.

He tugged at Cameron’s shirt, pulling it out of his waistband and unbuttoning it the rest of the way before he slid both of his cool hands along Cameron’s warm torso. Cameron sucked in a quiet breath as Julian touched him. He shuddered and leaned closer, eyes falling mostly closed as his lips parted on a breath. Julian brushed his mouth over Cameron’s teasingly and gently pushed the shirt off his shoulders.

He let his fingers drag across Cameron’s skin as he kissed along his jaw.

It was the simplest, most intoxicating seduction Cameron had ever been exposed to.

He was dizzy in Julian’s arms as the other man held him close, taking pleasure in the mere touch of their bodies. When Cameron’s grip tightened on him, Julian growled low in his throat and picked him up easily, taking a few steps to press him none too gently against the door again. His shoes barely brushed the floor as Julian’s body supported him.

Choking back his surprise, Cameron held on tight, even as his back hit the wood. He knew he was smaller and lighter than Julian, but…

damn
.

His hands finally began to move slowly, carefully over Julian’s shoulders, arms, and back, feeling the muscles under the dress shirt bunch as they worked. Julian kissed him demandingly, and Cameron gave in easily, wallowing in the way he felt devoured and wanted. He tugged where Julian’s shirt was tucked into his trousers, just below the small of his back. Julian reached between them with one hand just long enough to undo the top button of his pants, and then his hand returned to the back of Cameron’s thigh to support his weight. He hefted Cameron higher against the door.

Gasping, Cameron sought Julian’s lips once more as he pulled the shirt free and slid his hands under it to stroke smooth, warm skin that bunched under his palms.

Julian groaned softly into the kiss and pressed closer. “Can we take this somewhere that doesn’t involve gravity?” he panted finally.

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Cameron nodded jerkily. “Bed,” he rasped.

Julian let him slide slowly to the ground without backing up any more than he needed to. Cameron couldn’t even take a breath as his aroused body dragged against Julian’s, and his eyes flickered toward the other man’s to check his reaction. Julian’s eyes never left Cameron’s face, and far from their usual masked black, they seemed to spark with outright desire.

Cameron curled one hand around Julian’s. “Come on,” he urged breathlessly.

He stepped away and around Julian’s coat, where the dogs curled in a pile, sleeping soundly. A few steps later, the condo opened up to a large room with a twelve-foot ceiling. It was furnished comfortably, the big space divided into a living room, a dining area near the kitchen, and a bedroom sectioned off by tall decorative screens. Cameron got halfway across the living room before stopping to look back at Julian, then at the set of panels that hid the bedroom. He felt like he needed to give Julian a chance to change his mind.

Julian followed, glancing back at his coat when Cameron stopped.

“I may need some duct tape for that,” he muttered as he turned back around to look at Cameron.

The odd comment struck Cameron as funny. He snorted as he tried not to laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ve got about a hundred lint rollers. I wear black to work, remember?” He gestured to his mussed clothes.

“You look good in it,” Julian assured him in a low voice as he let his eyes travel over Cameron’s body. His lips quirked into an uncharacteristically playful smirk and he added, “You look good out of it too.”

Cameron’s cheeks flushed, and he dropped his gaze as he plucked at his unbuttoned shirt, pulling it slightly back up over one shoulder.

Julian’s frank regard was scorching, and Cameron wasn’t used to it. He indulged in the occasional casual roll in the sheets with someone who turned him on, yeah. But it was never like this.