Box of 1Night Stands: 21 Sizzling Nights

by Anthology

  He had the good grace to appear shamed. “Sorry. In my defense, though, this is New York. Well-known people don’t always want to be noticed. I thought you were just another model until I talked to you in the bar.”

  Ginger could understand his reasoning, so she settled against the cushions. She was used to the stereotype. Tall, slim women were a dime a dozen in the Big Apple. And so were celebrities. “I actually live in Chicago, where my company is based. But I take contracts all across the country. If they can afford me, I go to them.”

  “So, do you have a job here this week?”

  She reached up to run her fingers through her hair. “No, I’m here for the wedding of a friend. As a bridesmaid.” She couldn’t keep her lip from curling in disdain. “Actually, we haven’t spoken for several years, and the invitation came as a surprise.”

  Cameron raised a brow in curiosity. “Why haven’t you spoken?”

  She stared at the landscape across the room, remembering another night. “Her boyfriend hit on me, hard, and I laid him out. Then he told Amber I’d been chasing him. She chose to believe him, even though we’d been friends much longer than she’d known him.”

  “Is this the same guy she’s marrying?”

  “No, thank goodness. That happened several years ago.” She fingered the cup. “Coming to New York served two purposes. One, the wedding and possible reconnection with my friend, and two, the date Madame Eve set up. If the wedding goes as well as the date, it will be a spectacular trip.” She tried to think positively in spite of the trepidation gnawing at her.

  Cameron leaned forward to set his coffee on the table. “I’m sure the wedding will be fine. Although the bride may not appreciate you outshining her.”

  She laughed, as he meant her to. “Well, thank you. She’s beautiful, though. It may not be so clear cut.”

  When he propped his left arm on the back of the couch, the distance between them suddenly shrank to a few inches. Ginger let her lids fall closed. The urge to sway toward him was almost overwhelming.

  “There would be no contest in my book.”

  His quietly spoken words slid through her like sweet wine, making her heart swell. Where had he been all her life? When was the last time somebody had just flat-out supported her, no questions asked? It had been a long time. Unable to help herself, she opened her eyes and let him see the emotion. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate that. It’s been so long since I’ve had a supporter.”

  He reached forward, humming low in his throat at her distress, and cupped her cheek in his palm. His thumb swiped the tears away. “I mean it. You’re beautiful. You know that.”

  She huffed. “Right. All six feet of me. With my big feet and saggy boobs.”

  His face darkened. “You’re fucking beautiful! And what are you, thirty-three, thirty-four? Believe me, you have a long, long way to go before we have to put a bag over your head when you go outside.”

  Ginger choked out another laugh, and allowed him to pull her into a gentle hug. She shifted her legs in the opposite direction and leaned into him hard, resting her head beneath his chin. Sadness battered at her emotions, brought on by those damn martinis. She didn’t normally get this maudlin. “I just thought I would be further along with my life by now. You know, attached, maybe thinking about a house and kids. Instead, I’m hiring a dating service to set me up just to have sex.”

  His chest jerked then expanded beneath her as he took a deep breath. “I think we all planned on things being a little different. Honestly, I thought I would be on the same track. Well,” he paused, “not the sex part. But the wife, house, kids. A bomb in Iraq kind of changed that for me. You just have to roll with what fate gives you.”

  Ginger burrowed her hand beneath his jacket and smoothed her fingers against his shirt. She stroked the roughness of puckered skin beneath the cloth. Cameron stilled when she touched him, and she made it a point to rub across as if the difference didn’t matter. But it did bother her. She didn’t want to think of him in pain. The idea made her throat ache with fresh tears.

  “How long were you in Iraq?”

  He didn’t say anything right away, and she worried that he wouldn’t. Hell, how could she blame him if he didn’t want to talk about it? Surely it was traumatic enough living with the scars every day.

  “Two and a half years,” he answered finally. “I was two weeks shy of my tour being up when we hit a roadside bomb. Took out two of my buddies, and I didn’t come around for the better part of a month because of the painkillers. When I did, I wished I’d been killed along with my friends.”

  Ginger gasped and pulled away enough to search his expression. The determined shine in his eyes and the set of his jaw told her he was serious. “You don’t still feel that way, do you?” She waited for the shake of his head before she allowed herself to relax against him again. The relief that washed over her was staggering. Crazy, but she already cared about him.

  “No,” he sighed, “I don’t. Not now. When I regained consciousness, found out about my buddies, and got dumped by my fiancée a few days later, I wanted to die. Didn’t think it could get any worse. Then they started weaning me off the medication, and it did get worse. The pain just eclipsed everything.”

  “How extensive are your injuries?” she asked quietly, still rubbing his chest.

  Silence stretched out in the quiet suite, and she started to sit up. She’d veered too personal. She shouldn’t have asked. Keep it light.

  Heavy arms stopped her retreat and pulled her tight against him, as if he needed the contact. His hand cradled her head, and he avoided her gaze. His deep voice rumbled beneath her cheek. “I’m burned over about forty percent of my body. Mostly on my left side. Around my shoulder and down my back. Most of my leg.”

  Tears pushed at her lids again, and they slid down her cheeks to dampen his shirt. His heart thudded beneath her ear, too fast. It was obvious he worried what her reaction would be. Deliberately, she continued to glide her fingers over his chest, then down his belly and back up. Soothingly. “Do they still hurt?”

  She felt movement above her. “No. They are still sensitive to strong light, and perfumed soaps irritate then. But otherwise, they’re fine.”

  “Good,” she whispered. “What a terrible way to wake up. I think your ex needs a kick in the ass. You don’t leave somebody you love like that, no matter what.”

  “Mmm, well, I don’t know about the love part. She was six months pregnant with some other guy’s baby when I came home.”

  Ginger reared up in disbelief, her tears replaced by instant anger. “Are you serious? She got pregnant while you were on tour?”

  He flinched. “It happens more often than you think. People get lonely.”

  She had heard similar stories, but certainly nothing so close to her. And people would do a lot to ease their loneliness. “Do you have brothers or sisters?”

  “I do, one of each, and they were great during my recovery. I moved home and went through rehab there. I’m from Ohio, originally, and my parents had a great VA hospital not too far from their house.”

  “Well,” she murmured as she lay down again, “at least you had some support.”

  He curled her to him, naturally. One hand rested on her shoulder, and began making circles, just above the low cut of the silk dress.

  “What about you? Family?”

  She hummed in sad amusement. “Well, I have people who are related to me, but family? No. My mother was too worried about finding her next husband to keep track of what her kids were doing. And my father left years ago.” Her fingers stopped moving as she thought about that part of her life. “I have a couple of siblings, but I don’t think they want anything to do with me. I tend to speak my mind when it comes to some of their decisions.”

  He snorted and gave her a squeeze. “People are pretty fucked up, aren’t they?”

  “They are,” she agreed. “But why can the two of us see it, and nobody else?”

  “I don’t kn
ow.” He stroked her hair.

  For a long time, they just held each other, content.

  “You know I want you to stay tonight,” she told him softly.

  Tension leapt between them, and the rubbing stopped. Once again, his heart thundered beneath her ear. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ginger. We’re both pretty brittle right now. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t talked about this stuff with anybody before.”

  She sat up and faced him. “All the more reason for us to steal tonight for ourselves. It doesn’t have to go anywhere. I don’t expect your undying love. But I would like to feel like I mean something to somebody.” Reaching out, she clutched his hand. “And I think you would, too.”

  Chapter Three

  Cameron struggled to maintain eye contact. She understood what he wanted without his even saying it. He would give anything to not feel so alone in this beautiful, damn hotel. Vanity held him still, though. When she saw how grotesque he was, standing next to her beauty, she would no doubt run away screaming.

  He couldn’t risk this tenuous connection for a night of sex.

  No matter how his dick tried to tell him otherwise.

  “You’re thinking too hard, Cameron.”

  When she settled her lips on his, he didn’t struggle as much as he should have. Once he tasted her, there was no way he could leave. Clenching her hair in his fist, he angled his head and delved into her. God, she had the sweetest taste. Cinnamon, apple, and a hint of something more exotic.

  The boner he had been struggling to control for the past hour hardened between them, and Ginger chuckled against him. His own lips curved, and he teased at her mouth with his tongue. She opened eagerly, slipping one hand beneath his arm to hold herself against him.

  He used every technique he could remember to build her passion. She shifted against him, rubbing her silk-covered breasts against his suit jacket. Unable to help himself, he pulled away to search her face. “You have to be sure about this. If you want me to leave, you need to tell me now.”

  She shook her head at him. “There’s no doubt in my mind. I don’t want you to go anywhere. Well,” her eyes twinkled, “maybe to the bedroom.”

  He lifted them both to their feet, effortlessly. Power surged through his body, and it needed an outlet. Her.

  Ginger gasped as he tugged her into another kiss, and he took satisfaction in that sound. He was just a plain old country boy, unworthy to even be touching her.

  Unable to help himself, he let his hands slide down her sides. She had such a phenomenal shape, in spite of what she said. Her muscles were strong, and she still kept herself in fighting condition. But her hips were flared, feminine. There were tiny little snaps as his rough skin caught on the silk threads, breaking them, but she didn’t seem concerned. She shifted her rib cage, positioning her breast in the path of his returning stroke. Cameron stopped just shy of covering it. He teased the underside with his thumb and deliberately made her wait. Sprinkling kisses across her forehead, he worked his way across her arched brows, touched on her eyelids and down the length of her nose, before pressing his mouth to hers again. She moaned and rubbed her body into his groin.

  He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to feel her. He eased his hand up and covered her breast, kneading. Gasping, she pressed harder into his touch. “More,” she whispered. “Untie me.”

  Cameron wasted no time, and started searching for a way to get her out of the dress. The halter tied behind her neck, and he fumbled to get the pieces separated. She lifted her hair so he could reach the knot. For a timeless second, he didn’t think his big fingers would be able to manage the task, but the fabric finally released.

  Ginger stepped back so the dress could fall to the floor. The silk pooled at her feet, before she kicked it away.

  Cameron thought he was going to have a heart attack when he saw her for the first time. Oxygen became precious as he forgot to breathe. Stunning. Quite simply, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She tossed her mussed hair in one of those habitual, feminine moves designed to make men stare. She wore no bra, which he already knew, but he’d had no idea how perfect her breasts would be. The natural, teardrop shape testified that she had had nothing done to enhance them, and the tips were flushed a hectic, dark tan with arousal. Saggy, my ass. Dragging his eyes away, he followed a pale line of freckles down her belly then to her lace panties, which did nothing to hide the darker auburn curls at the juncture of her thighs. She flexed one knee against his thigh. Without the dress, her legs appeared even longer.

  He made sure to put his appreciation in his expression as he met her eyes, but the insecurity was there, just beneath the surface. “You’re breathtaking. You know that.”

  “I just want to be pretty for you.” She shrugged lightly.

  Cameron tried not to let her words affect him, but they did. He didn’t want to care for Ginger. She was here for a one-night stand, and he provided a convenient fill in for her fallen-through date. If the other guy had shown up, there was a good chance he would be the one with her now.

  He clenched his jaw in anger. The idea of some other man with his hands on her disturbed him immensely.

  Slender fingers reached up to loosen his patterned black tie, and he stared down at her as she did it. Whipping the silk from around his collar, she tossed it over her shoulder with a saucy grin. It landed somewhere beyond the couch. Gliding both hands up his chest to his shoulders, she pushed his suit jacket down his arms and away. Cameron’s breathing sped up as she released the first button of his black shirt. He wrapped his fist around hers and stared at her hard. “I’m not pretty,” he warned.

  Ginger waited patiently for him to release her, seduction curling her lips. “Good. I don’t want pretty. I want real. Besides, I’m sure I’ve seen worse. ”

  But her expressive face showed her dismay as she slowly revealed his chest and abdomen. The damage was extensive, even years later. The scarring used to be an angry, brilliant red. Most of the color had faded with time. For the most part, the discomfort had also receded. It still looked painful, though, in spots, and she hovered over those areas as if she wanted to touch but was afraid to. “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” he told her. “Really. Go ahead.”

  Her cautious eyes flicked to his then down as her hand glided firmly over his flesh. Her fingers stroked his skin, outlining the damage. Cameron shivered at the first feeling of a hand other than his own on his body. On the scarred part, he couldn’t even tell she touched him unless she pressed. The nerve endings had been burned off. On the less scarred areas, her gentle fingers excited him.

  As she ran both palms up his body, Cameron realized how starved for contact he had been in the four years since he’d walked out the door of the hospital. She was the first woman to be with him since his injury. Emotion tightened his throat and made his hands shake. Reaching out, he tugged her into his arms for a hug so she wouldn’t see his gratitude mixed with humbling fear.

  Ginger didn’t resist. She seemed to understand. She relaxed into him with a sigh.

  He held her for several long minutes, before pulling away. He had tamped the emotions down and planned on concentrating on her now. With a murmured hold on, he bent and lifted her into his arms.

  She gasped in his ear, clutching him. “Put me down.” She laughed. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  He snorted and crossed the room easily. She probably didn’t weigh all of a buck thirty. “Quit wiggling.” His gaze dropped to her jiggling breasts, and he leered theatrically. “Or not.”

  Ginger laughed and let her head rest on his chest. She stopped moving then and just held on. When he dropped her feet to the floor beside the bed, he regretted he didn’t get to carry her further. The woman fit against him just right.

  Her face burned pink. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “I can’t believe you picked me up like that.”

  Cameron chuckled. “You’re standing naked in front of me, but you’re more concerned because I lifted you?”


  He covered her lips with his own as she sputtered. All sound stopped for a good while after that, as they teased one another. Cameron learned that she liked to have the inside of her upper lip licked, and for him to tilt her head with his hand to guide her where he wanted her. She seemed to need somebody to take control from her.

  It became difficult for him to keep them upright with his knees quivering the way they were. He nudged her backward, and when her legs hit the bed, she collapsed gracefully onto the mattress. Every movement she made was beautiful. The soft light from the bedside lamp gilded her pale skin. For a moment, he debated turning the light off just to keep his own disfigurement in the dark, but he wanted to see her more than he wanted to hide himself.

  The muscles in her lean arms flexed as she positioned herself in the center of the bed. There she stretched them above her head, pulling her breasts high.

  Even as his excitement made breathing difficult, Cameron paused at the sight. Her elegant beauty held him enthralled. She crooked a finger at him, and it was all he could do to untangle himself from his pants and kick them to the side. He hesitated at removing his underwear, but the desire burning in her gaze spurred him on. Then, for the first time in four years, he stood completely naked in front of a woman.

  He watched for any hint of disgust as her eyes dropped to his thigh and leg, but her eyes came back up to rest on his erection. It bobbed with every beat of his heart, and Cameron could feel his desperation building. The damage stretched into his groin, but stopped there. That had been one of the few things to cheer him in the hospital, and he had counted himself exceedingly lucky. If his dick had been taken in the explosion as well, he wouldn’t be standing here now.

  She held her hand out to him, and he all but jumped into the bed. Their mouths met again, as he aligned his pelvis with hers. They both gasped as skin met skin. She glanced down at his broad chest, and the appreciation in her expression made him glad he’d dragged his sorry ass to the gym all those mornings.