The Mighty Quinns: Cameron Read Online Free Page B

know.”
    “All right. How long have you been a private investigator?”
    “About a year and a half.”
    “What did you do before that?”
    “I was on the police force in Albuquerque for four years,” she said. “I worked patrol at first, then transferred over to Narcotics. I was undercover until I got hurt. Now I’m working for my uncle until I can pass the physical and get back on the force.”
    “How did you get hurt?”
    Sofie turned to meet his gaze. “I made a stupid mistake.” For a long moment, she just stared into his eyes, as if trying to read his reaction. But all Cam could think about was leaning forward and touching his lips to hers.
    He wanted to kiss her. He already knew how it would feel, the surge of desire that would wash over him, the heat that would snake through his bloodstream. He hadn’t found much time for a social life in the past few months, and he was feeling the need for physical contact.
    Cameron didn’t usually spend a lot of thought on the pursuit of women. He was of the belief that when he really needed companionship, a woman would appear in his life. The philosophy had worked out well for the most part. There were periods in his past when he’d lost himself in the pursuit of pleasure and other times when he’d go months without any social contact with the opposite sex, being so preoccupied with work.
    It had been a while since he’d shared his bed, Cameron thought to himself. He’d been involved with a new hull design at work, and it had taken every last minute of his time to perfect it before they’d put it into production. Now would be a perfect time to indulge.
    Yet every instinct he possessed told him to take his time. Sofie Reyes wasn’t the kind of female one could simply bed and then abandon. She was cautious and guarded, and he wasn’t sure how to break down the walls between them. He saw something else in her—a vulnerability, a fragility, that warned him to proceed carefully. He would need to control his impulses and school his desires until she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
    “Any more questions?” she asked.
    Cameron shook his head.
    “I have one more,” Sofie said in a soft voice. Her gaze drifted down to his mouth.
    “What is it?”
    “You have to be completely honest,” she said. “Can you do that?”
    Cameron nodded. “Ask away.”
    “What are you thinking about? Right now? What’s running through your mind?”
    He paused. Was he really prepared to tell the truth? If he did, there was every chance he’d feel compelled to turn thought into action. “I’m not sure I should—”
    “Answer my question,” she said.
    “Honestly?” Cameron cleared his throat. “I was thinking about what it would be like to kiss you. Not that I had any intention of trying to kiss you. It just crossed my mind. And hey, you asked for honesty.”
    She didn’t seem at all surprised by his reply. The only reaction he saw was a quick blink of her eyes and a barely perceptible gasp.
    “I’m not sure that would be wise,” Sofie said.
    Cameron looked around, taking in their surroundings. “Not here. And not now. But maybe sometime. In the future.”
    “When?” Sofie asked.
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. You can’t really plan things like that. They’re much better when they come spontaneously, don’t you think?”
    Sofie nodded. “We should go. We have a lot of work to do today.” She stood up and gathered her things, putting her computer back into her backpack.
    “Just tell me what to do,” he said. “I’m ready.”
    She pulled a file folder from her pack and handed it to him. “You can read this.” She started for the door.
    Curious, Cam took the folder and opened it as they walked. A black-and-white photo of a middle-aged man smiled back at him—the kind of guy that everyone loved, everyone trusted. “He’s a politician?”
    She shook her head. “No. But he knows a lot of politicians. His name is Walter Fredericks. He’s a real-estate