Chapter 18
SAM
“Sam, I can’t believe you’re still working!” Clio exclaimed when I passed her, carrying a garbage can full to the brim.
She stood at the edge of the playground, talking to Joy, Remy’s human stepmom.
She and Wes invited JT to spend the night, and they were working out the details.
Wes and I were on the fair’s clean-up crew, tearing down the carnival booths and putting all the equipment in the school basement, where the PTA stored things.
The event had ended, and this was the last load of trash to go out.
JT and Remy raced around the playground, playing tag with some human kids, hopped up on sugar and fresh air, but I knew they’d crash the second they were buckled into their car seats. I imagined it wasn’t going to be a challenging sleepover.
“It’s all to impress you, Sparks. Is it working?” I sent her a wink.
“That’s not true,” I overheard Joy say as I walked away. “He always pitches in at these events.”
I wondered if Wes told her Clio was my mate. Probably. She may be human, but she was marked and one of us now, which meant she’d understand, at least partly, how much I had riding on getting Clio to let me past those walls of hers.
I walked around the back of the school to throw the garbage in the dumpster then stopped in the bathroom to wash my hands. When I came out, Clio was leaning against the wall in the empty corridor.
Mine, my wolf snarled.
I know. Working on it.
“Hey.” She reached for me, and I loved that she’d done that.
“Where’s JT?” I asked, glancing down the hall.
“With Remy and Joy.”
I pulled her in, savoring the feeling of her arms around my waist. She was breaking her own rules, but I wasn’t about to point it out.
She lifted her face to mine. “I have to confess something, Sam.”
My pulse picked up speed. By the softness of her body and face, it didn’t feel like it was going to be something bad.
“Yeah?”
Her cinnamon and sugar scent curled in my nostrils, making it hard not to pick her up, pin her against a wall, and drive into her until she screamed. The elementary school was definitely a no-fuck zone.
Claim. Mark. Make her mine. My wolf was furious I hadn’t marked her yet.
“I underestimated you.”
It shouldn’t hurt. Especially because I already knew it was the case. But I could still feel that old sense of frustration that always rose when people didn’t take me seriously.
“How so?” I kept my tone neutral.
As if realizing she’d offended me, she winced. “I don’t know–I saw you as just another cocky young rodeo star who is smooth with the ladies. I spent my whole life around big shot drivers and pit crew guys. Swagger rules in the IndyCar world, and you have some impressive swagger.”
I kept my expression inscrutable. “And now?”
“Tonight, I saw a guy who’s devoted to his family and great with kids. A guy with plans for his future. A guy who pitches in to help without expecting a reward. I noticed that you’re different. You’re not just another self-absorbed, big ego.”
I was bothered by her words. By her lack of trust. But at least she was sharing her thoughts. I was getting under her armor.
“Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for underestimating you.”
My lips twisted into a wry grin. “Happens a lot.”
She searched my face. “What do you mean?”
“People think I’m just a pretty face.” I winked. I was going for charming but didn’t quite hit the mark. My frustration bled through, but all I did was shrug it off. “My father died when I was twelve.”
Her eyes widened briefly. “I’m so sorry.”
I gave her a soft smile because what was there to say?
One day he was with us, the next… gone. “I wanted to be the man of the house. I figured it was my job to take care of my mom and sisters, but everyone treated me like a child. I tried to get a job on the ranch, but they wouldn’t take me.
That’s why I jumped at joining the rodeo circuit when Boyd Wolf offered to mentor me.
I was able to make the money my momma needed to keep things going.
I paid for a complete remodel of her house and helped my sisters through college. ”
“See? Still underestimating,” she said.
“Yeah, they still don’t take me seriously. My sisters love me, but damn, they are always telling me what to do. If people think I can’t do anything more than ride a bull or seduce a female, that’s okay.”
Except Clio. I wanted her to see me as more than a guy only interested in an easy buckle bunny.
“Well, I can attest to the second skill,” she added. “But, Sam, if I’m honest, you turned me on more tonight than all the nights we’ve hooked up.”
My heart did a double pump. I stroked down her sides to rest my hands on her hips. “Is that true? I guess I’ve been doing something wrong.”
She laughed, and the sound was… magical.
“Definitely not. No, I mean, you turned me on in a different way. You were a hero. You saw what needed to be done and jumped right in. I guess you’ve been trying to be that guy since you were twelve.
I… I appreciate you.” She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against mine.
Mine. Mine. MINE.
This wasn’t a heated kiss. It wasn’t like all the others that were filled with desperate and frantic need.
This kiss held… promise.
I held my breath to keep my wolf from doing something rash and obscene.
“Well, you probably guessed that I plan to collect on that appreciation.” My voice took on a lower rumble.
“I’ll give you a fifteen minute head start.
When I get to your place, I’m coming upstairs to fuck you in your bed.
With JT at a sleepover, I can’t wait to finally hear you scream my name. ”
It was bold of me. She hadn’t invited me to her bedroom before. She’d let me into her apartment once, and I’d taken her hard up against the shower wall, but it had been a quickie, like all of our hookups. And that shower stall was tiny. It was more brazen need than comfort.
I wanted more, and I was glad I was going to have a night with her alone. I owed Wes a beer.
I wanted my mate fully naked, writhing beneath me. I wanted to hold her afterward. I wanted to wake up beside her.
I probably wasn’t going to get that tonight, but I could try. I would always try.
I scented her arousal. Picked up the flare of excitement in her eyes. She kissed me again then ran a finger down my cheek.
“You’d better be naked in your bed, legs spread for me to see if you’ve done your job getting that pussy wet for me.”
Her fingers slid down my torso and turned into fists in my shirt. She growled and bit my pec, just like a she-wolf would.
Holy shit.
When she turned to head back to the others, I smacked her ass. “Sparks, I want it real wet.”
“Oh my Gawd, Sam,” she breathed on a laugh. “How am I supposed to make it home now?”
Mine.
I gave her a mock-stern nod. “Drive safe and think about how you want me to fuck you when I get there.”
She turned and fled, and I swore I heard a little whimper of desire as she jogged down the hall.
I grinned. For the first time, it felt like I was getting somewhere.