Chapter 18 #2
Judging from the twinkle in his eyes, she bet he did. “And that would be …?”
“I’ll tell you after food.”
They made a selection he popped into the microwave, and he handed her a bag of salad fixings to put together while he gathered plates, utensils, and more drinks. They talked as they ate side by side, sticking to subjects like their neighborhoods and things to do in Denver.
She forked the last of her greens. “Ever been to the Museum of Natural Science?”
“Nope. I’ve wanted to go, but no time. Maybe we could do that tomorrow.” The comment rolled off his tongue so naturally she almost missed its implication.
Her hand stilled, and she gaped at him.
He tossed his napkin onto his empty plate. “What?”
“Are we doing this?” she blurted.
“Doing what?”
She gestured between them with two fingers.
“Us.” His bewildered expression had her running for cover.
“What I mean is … the way you asked that, it’s almost like we’re a couple.
‘What do you want to do today?’ ‘Oh, I don’t know.
Maybe a movie? How about the museum?’ Like hanging out together is something we do every day. ”
“I like hanging out with you. Is there something wrong with that?”
“Well, no, except … Yes, there is.” The pleats between his brows grew deeper as his obvious confusion settled.
She picked up their plates and took them to the sink, where she began rinsing, her back to him.
“We’re in the same organization. We’re not supposed to be together.
If we go out in public, we might run into someone from work who’ll out us. That would be a disaster.”
He came up behind her, turned her to face him, and wrapped his arms around her as he drew her away from the sink.
“So we won’t go out in public. I have some other ideas anyway.
” He leaned down and kissed her breathless, his hands kneading her bare ass under the T-shirt.
He broke the kiss and angled his head back.
“Leave the dishes. We’ll take a nap instead.
After round three.” He ground his very hard shaft against her as if to emphasize what he had in mind.
“What about your ankle?” she managed with a squeak.
“Remember when I said I had the solution?” She nodded dumbly. “From now on, you ride me. Cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, whichever way saves my ankle.” He sprouted a grin that was pure devilry. “Think my PT would approve?”
His hands caressed her flesh, and she ignored the tightening of her nipples and the flutters in her tummy. “Maybe we should do that mini therapy session first.”
“Is the mini therapy session you’re talking about the same one I’m talking about?” He was all wide-eyed innocence.
“Let’s go, hotshot.” She gave his chest a little shove, and he released her with a laugh.
“Workout room’s back here.” He trod down the hall toward a different room while she veered to his bedroom. “Where are you going?”
“I need my underwear and pants if we’re doing PT.”
“No, you don’t.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her along. “Trust me, I’ll be a much more motivated patient if you stay just the way you are. In fact, lose the T-shirt and watch how good I am at following instructions.”
“Only if you’re losing the gym shorts,” she shot back.
The T-shirt stayed on, as did the shorts. And thank goodness, because playtime turned serious when she palpated his ankle. It was swollen, and while that wasn’t unusual after he’d been working it, its size rang alarm bells she tried to mask.
Eyes locked on his face, she felt around the joint. “Does this hurt?”
His flinch was so slight she might not have noticed had she not known him and not been looking for it.
“No,” he answered breezily. “Why?”
“It’s swollen more than normal.”
He pointed an accusing finger at her. “I think your touch is a little off today. It feels the same to me.”
She dipped a skeptical eyebrow but kept her concerns to herself as she put him through an impromptu therapy session that ended with her strapping on an ice pack.
He was all hands during the session, and she reasoned his lascivious wanderings were a plus because they kept him distracted from the paces she put him through.
Later, back in his bedroom, he lay on his back and pulled her on top of him.
“Time to test out my solution.” He flashed her a lust-filled grin and sent her T-shirt sailing.
Once her bottom settled into place, his gaze raked her, and he purred like a muscle car.
“Oh yeah. This is exactly what the doctor ordered for my ankle.”
She didn’t disagree, so she took charge, setting a tempo that kept his ankle still but ended on a satisfyingly explosive note. Sated, their bodies entwined, they drifted off to sleep.
When she awoke hours later, darkness shrouded the room and the spot beside her was cold and empty.
Pulling the discarded Blizzard T-shirt over her head, she padded to the kitchen, where she found Sam perched on a stool, hunched over a laptop, tapping away.
He wore nothing but the gym shorts from earlier and was so focused on what he was doing he didn’t notice her until she stood beside him.
He jerked in surprise, but a smile immediately sprouted on his handsome face. Wrapping an arm around her hips, he pulled her to him. “Hey, sleepyhead.” Tugging a lock of her hair, he stretched his long torso and pecked her lips.
“How long have I been out? Or maybe I should ask how long you’ve been up.”
“About forty minutes.” He pointed at the screen. “Take a look at what I’ve been doing while you’ve been sawing logs.”
She blinked the blur from her eyes and fixed on several rows of animals.
“I went through the pictures I took and whittled down the shots of each animal, looking for the perfect poses,” he explained. “Then I started touching them up so they say, ‘Look how adorable I am. Take me home!’”
Not only had he captured the animals’ personalities in the images, but he had arranged them in tiles with captions beneath that spelled out the shelter’s name and number, along with an introduction from each animal.
“These are incredible! It’s as if they’re speaking in their own unique voices.”
“They are. It comes through in their eyes.”
She glanced at him to gauge his expression—was he joking?—but his gaze was riveted to the screen. He was dead serious, and the realization caused warmth to sprout inside her chest and spread its tendrils to her limbs.
She dropped her head on his crown, relishing the feel of his silky curls against her cheek. “Did you take pictures of all the animals? Even the bunnies?”
He tapped a key, and a different picture popped up. “I couldn’t bring myself to leave anyone out. What do you think?”
“I think they’re wonderful,” she gushed.
“I think you’re wonderful.” She covered her mouth, but it was too late.
She might as well have blurted out that she loved him, and now she had once more exposed her soft underbelly for him to eviscerate.
Panic began to spread through her veins, turning them cold.
He turned those Pacific-Ocean-blue eyes up to her, and the tenderness shining in them slowed her surging emotions.
“I think you’re pretty wonderful too.” His fingers twined in her hair, and he pulled her head down to his and kissed her long and deep.
Soon she was straddling his lap, and her worries had evaporated.
This was uncharted territory with a different Sam, and she wasn’t sure whether she was sailing into a beautiful sunrise or a devastating gale that would rip her to pieces.