Chapter Seventeen
“My God,” Sam said, closing his eyes.
It was partly the thrill of seeing her naked before him, eager and willing and so goddamn beautiful.
But it was also relief.
He couldn’t believe how close he’d come to being caught. To having this whole thing blow up in his face.
He hadn’t been jerking off—hell, he wouldn’t have cared about that. He’d been cleaning his pistol, polishing and rubbing it down with an oilcloth the way he’d been taught to do when he was still a young Marine.
Now he just needed to get rid of the evidence.
Sam opened his eyes and looked at her, eager to lunge out of his chair and put his hands all over her. God, she was beautiful. And so very, very naked.
“Could you do me a favor?” he asked.
She nodded. “Anything you want.”
“Don’t ask me why. I just need you to turn around and close your eyes for ten seconds.”
She looked at him curiously, then nodded. “Sure thing,” she said, pivoting on her heels. “One. Two. Three—”
He picked up the towel he’d spread over his lap, gathering the cleaning rod and brushes and the parts of the pistol still disassembled. He yanked open his desk drawer and shoved the whole thing inside. He’d have to finish cleaning up later, but for now—
He stood up, reaching for her before he’d even cleared the distance between them. His hand closed around her hip, pulling her to him.
“You can turn back around.”
She smiled up at him, turning with a glance toward the desk.
“Nicely done,” she said. “Your cleanup skills are impeccable.”
“That’s what I’m paid for. Sorta.”
He moved his hand over her hip and across the curve of her ass, reveling in the feel of all that warm flesh beneath his palm. God, he wanted her.
“Um, look,” she said, biting her lip. “I don’t know how far you’d gotten when I walked in, and if you need a little time to recharge your batteries, I totally understand and we can just snuggle or—”
“Sheri?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up,” he said, and lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her softly at first, then with a fierceness that surprised even him. He pressed his body against hers, making sure she felt the evidence he was more than ready to please her.
“No recharging necessary,” she breathed as he kissed his way down her throat. “Thank God.”
He devoured her everywhere at once, nipping, licking, teasing as he made his way down the center of her body. He drew one nipple into his mouth, sucking gently as his hands circled her waist. She gasped and twined her fingers in his hair. Sam moved to the other breast, licking, brushing her nipple with his stubbled cheek.
Sheri whimpered, and he felt her knees start to buckle. He caught her around the waist and held her upright.
“What do you say we try this in a bed for once,” he murmured. “Just for variety.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“I’m not asking now,” he said, scooping her into his arms. “I’m telling you I’m going to make love to you until neither of us can stand, so we might as well start out in a reclined position.”
He tossed her onto the immaculately made queen bed, not bothering to pull the covers back. She scrambled for a moment, and he could tell she was trying to arrange herself in a flattering position, adjusting her breasts and sucking in her stomach. He caught her hands in his and shook his head.
“You’re perfect exactly the way you are. It wouldn’t matter if you stood on your head with your ankles at your ears and your hair on fire—you’d look amazing no matter what.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you think so, because I’m pretty sure I haven’t been able to pull off that ankle-to-ear thing since college.”
She reached for the drawstring at the waist of his shorts and gave it a tug. He stroked her breast with one hand as she maneuvered his shorts down over his hips, her hands deft and eager and so goddamn soft.
“I want you,” he said, holding her eyes with his as he knelt on the edge of the bed. “I hope you know that. I’m not just giving in because you showed up here and took your robe off. I’m doing this because I desperately, urgently want you, and if I had to wait one more minute, my brain was going to explode all over this room.”
“Brains are difficult to scrub off apricot-colored walls,” Sheri breathed as he bent to kiss her again. “It’s a good thing I have a manny with a knack for deep cleaning.”
“Lucky you.”
She giggled and edged back on the bed, making room for him to lie down with her. Sam reached around her, his arms on either side of her body as he lowered himself onto her. He pinned her beneath him, reveling in the feel of her moving under him. Every part of his body touched some part of hers, from toes to knees to belly to chest.
He breathed her in, savoring the soft, floral scent of her, watching his breath rustle the wild curls framing her face.
“So beautiful. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
She smiled up at him. “No. Why don’t you tell me? I think I’d enjoy that.”
He held her eyes with his as something clenched in his chest. “You’re seriously the most amazing woman I’ve ever seen. I love every single part of your body. I love your hair and your breasts and your hips and your hands and that little birthmark on your shin that looks like a jellybean. Every part of you is perfect.”
“I—thank you.”
He pushed one of his knees between hers, forcing them apart. His body fell naturally into the space between her legs, and she moaned beneath him.
“Yes,” she whispered, arching beneath him. “Please, Sam. Don’t stop.”
“I don’t plan to.”
She gasped as he slid inside her. “I can take orders, too,” he murmured.
“Thank God.”
He drove into her hard, and her eyes went wide with surprise and pleasure. She gasped, arching up to meet his thrust. He moved into her again, drawing back slowly before plunging in again. Her hips rose to meet him, a rhythm that made his whole body hum with pleasure. He drew back and hesitated, her breath warm on his throat. She twined her fingers around his back, urging him on.
“What?” she gasped.
“Just slowing down,” he whispered, kissing the base of her throat. “Making it last.”
He moved his hips, angling his pubic bone against her to hit that perfect spot. She cried out, writhing beneath him. He drew back again, pausing there before sliding inside her, feeling her warmth sheathe every throbbing inch of him.
Her hips picked up a rhythm all their own, and he moved to match her. She quivered beneath him, crying out softly. He drew himself into her, no longer certain where her body ended and hers began.
“Please,” she whispered.
He wasn’t sure what she was pleading for, but he wanted it, too.
He moved again, grinding against her with exquisite slowness. His eyes locked on hers, unblinking. She gazed back, her lashes fluttering as he stroked into her. She gasped as he withdrew, pulling out of her almost completely, hesitating there at her entrance. Then he slid in again, moving with agonizing, languid strokes.
She closed her eyes and seemed to disappear into the sensation. Sam could feel himself starting to lose it, but he gritted his teeth and held on. He wanted this to last forever.
She cried out, rocking her hips beneath him as she pressed her body tightly against his. Her breath was warm in his ear, and he smelled jasmine in her hair. She bit his shoulder as he glided out, then in again.
“Yes,” she breathed, arching tight against him. “Yes.”
She dug her nails into his shoulder blades as Sam drove into her again. He was still moving slowly, but his brain was swirling fast now. His breath came quick and hot, with hers matching the fevered pace.
She circled her hips, grinding her body against his. Sam groaned, whispered her name, drove himself deeper. She was close. He could feel it. Her fingers clenched around his shoulders as she gasped, riding the first wave as it began to crest. He thrust into her and gave a low moan in the back of his throat.
“Ohmygod!” she whimpered.
Sam thrust into her again, tipping her over the edge. She cried out, digging her nails into his back to spur him on. He thrust into her, his breath coming in fevered gasps until he felt something inside him break loose. Spots of color exploded behind his eyes as she clenched her thighs around him.
Everything burst into a million bits of bliss as he drove into her again and again and again.
They lay there panting afterward, their bodies glued together as the ceiling fan whirred overhead.
“My God,” she breathed, turning her head to look at him. He was still half on top of her, not sure he’d ever be able to move again.
He smiled her. “My thoughts exactly.”
Sheri laughed and wriggled beneath him. Sam rolled off her, moving to his side and pulling her to his chest. She turned in his arms and smiled up at him, stroking his cheek with her palm. He drew her closer.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
“We should do that again sometime,” he said.
“Seriously?”
“What, you’re bored already?” He grinned, propping himself up on one elbow. “I’m tired of fighting it, Sheri. I’m nuts about you. You’re nuts about me. We fit together in more ways than just this. Your brothers are going to have to deal with this sooner or later, and I vote for sooner.”
She blinked, looking stunned by his words. Truth be told, Sam felt a little stunned by them himself.
“That’s my vote, too,” she whispered.
“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this,” he murmured against her hair.
“Me, too. From the first day you showed up here, I’ve been thinking about it.”
He laughed. “I have you beat by miles, babe. The first time I saw you—back when you were this sassy, wild-haired sister of one of my friends. I wanted you the first moment I laid eyes on you. I never stopped wanting you. Not just like this, but all the time. I want you when you’re laughing and when you’re crying and when you’re blowing up blenders or singing off-key in the shower. I want you all the time, no matter what.”
She swallowed, completely undone by his words. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll give me a chance. Give us a chance, to hell with your brothers.”
“I’m in.” She grinned and planted a kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss, then drew back, pulling her tighter against him.
“Good,” he said, closing his eyes again. “What do you want to do today?”
“How about the beach?”
“Perfect. But how about we enjoy this for just a little bit longer?”
“Deal.”
She snuggled against him, and every molecule of Sam’s body swelled with pleasure as he held her close and breathed her in. He stroked his hand over the curve of her hip, certain he’d never felt anything so soft. Certain he could lie like this forever.
Certain he was falling in love with her.
…
Sheri woke alone in Sam’s bed with the smell of bacon hanging in the air. She located her robe on the floor and padded into the dining area to find him cooking breakfast. Before she could insist on making her own food, Sam handed her a plate of bacon and eggs and pointed to a chair.
“Sit. Eat.”
She opened her mouth to argue, then decided against it. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She dropped into the chair and picked up a fork. “You know, you don’t have to feed me on weekends. Or any day of the week, really, but especially not weekends. You should take days off.”
“I have to eat anyway,” he said. “Besides, I told Mac I’d take care of you. This is taking care of you.”
She studied his back, broad and muscular, and shivered with the memory of what that back had felt like beneath her palms only an hour ago. She smiled as she watched him butter a piece of toast at the counter. He turned and handed it to her before sitting down on the opposite end of the table.
“You’ve been talking to Mac a lot lately?” she asked.
He hesitated, then bit into a piece of toast. “On occasion.”
“Is he checking up on me? Requiring you to give him up-to-the-minute reports?”
She hated the petulance in her own voice, but she also hated the idea of her brothers spying on her. Sam regarded her warily.
“No.” He bit into his toast again. “Any new phone calls or text messages from Jonathan?”
She shrugged and reached over to tickle Jackson in his high chair. The baby giggled and waved an arm, smacking himself in the face. Jeffrey wailed for a few seconds before dissolving into giggles.
“I had a text message from Jonathan in the middle of the night,” she said. “He wants to talk to me about you. I ignored it.”
“About me?” Sam frowned. “Did he say why?”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t worry he’s going to press charges or anything. Even if you punched him, he’s the one who broke into the house.”
“Right.” Sam frowned again and looked down at his toast. “I’ve got someone coming by first thing Monday to install new locks. You were right about something being wrong with the one on the front door. Until Jonathan leaves Hawaii, I’ll be sleeping in the living room to keep a closer eye on it.”
“Okay.” She thought about his long, solid body laid out on the sofa, a sliver of moonlight falling over the thin sheet covering him. She ached to pull the sheet back and crawl in beside him.
Stop it, Sheri.
“Still want to go to the beach today?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Good. I’ll get our things together. Meet you at the car in thirty minutes?”
An hour later—hampered only slightly by a twin-powered baby meltdown—they were on their way to the beach. The boys slurped on their fingers in the backseat, while Sheri hunted around for her sunglasses.
“They’ve both got bottom teeth coming in,” he said as he turned the car off the main road. “They’re starting to look like jack-o’-lanterns.”
“This is where I confess that I’m glad the breastfeeding thing didn’t work out for me. I wasn’t looking forward to losing a nipple to baby teeth.”
“Why didn’t it work out?”
She glanced at him, surprised he’d asked the question. Sam took in her startled expression, then shrugged. “Sorry. I was just curious, but if you’d rather not—”
“No, it’s okay. All the mothering magazines make it sound so easy. The most natural thing in the world, and so healthy for the baby. But for some women, it just doesn’t work right.”
She saw Sam dart a glance at her chest and she couldn’t stop herself from giving a self-conscious laugh. “I know, I have all the necessary equipment. But I didn’t produce enough milk, and the boys just screamed and turned red and refused to latch on. My lactation coach finally suggested—”
“Lactation coach?”
“I know, it sounds weird.”
“Does she make your breasts do calisthenics?”
Sheri laughed. “No. And she finally agreed that it just doesn’t work for some women. I guess that’s me.”
She shrugged and looked out the window, feeling stupidly self-conscious.
“Is that why you’re always making those comments about not being a normal mom?”
“One of dozens of reasons, really. I love the boys to death. Sometimes I just don’t know that I got the right wiring, that’s all. Then when Jonathan shows up and starts making noise about how I’m not enough for them as a single mom…”
She shrugged, trailing off. Sam shook his head as he turned onto the small side road leading to PMRF. She started to point him toward the correct branch of a fork in the road, but he took it without needing her guidance.
“That’s bullshit,” Sam said. “Don’t let Jonathan’s crap get to you. You’re an amazing mom. Just one of you is worth a dozen of your so-called normal moms.” He rolled down his window as they approached the entry gate. “Did you ever think that’s the thing that’ll make you a really excellent mother in the long run?”
“What?”
“The fact that you aren’t some absurd Stepford wife of a mother who follows the imaginary rule book to a tee,” he said. “The fact that you’re not afraid to play in the mud or tell crude jokes or catch bugs. The fact that you can be firm and maternal, but you’re fun, too. That’s something the boys are going to appreciate when they’re older.” He hesitated, glancing away as they approached the entry gate. Then he looked at her again, his blue eyes boring into her. “It’s what I appreciate about you.”
Sheri swallowed hard, her throat suddenly tight with emotion. “Sam, I—”
“Morning, sir. Oh, hello.”
The gate guard approached the car and shook Sam’s hand like they were old friends. Then he nodded at Sheri. “Ma’am, good to see you again.”
Sheri leaned across Sam’s lap and handed over her paperwork. “Morning, Thomas. We’re just here to spend the day at the beach.”
“Of course, Ms. Patton-Price. You know the way?”
“I already have my favorite spot on the beach.”
The man nodded and shuffled through the paperwork. “Okay then. Looks like everything’s in order. I’ll see you when you stop back by on your way out. Have a great day.”
“You too, Thomas.”
“Sir,” he said, nodding at Sam.
Sam adjusted his dark glasses and nodded back. “Mahalo.”
They drove through the gate and continued down the road. Sheri pointed out a few buildings, showing Sam where the family housing areas and skateboard park were as they made their way toward her favorite beach spot.
“You like it here, then,” he said, angling the car into a parking spot.
“Very much.”
“Good. It’s good to have a job you love.”
“Do you love your job?”
Sam grinned and stepped out of the car, stooping down to scoop up Jackson while Sheri bustled around to the other side and unlatched Jeffrey’s carrier from the car seat base.
She looked up to see him watching her with a smile that made her toes curl against her flip-flops. “I love my job more than you could possibly imagine.”