Sam slowly looked up from between her legs. “Oh Honey, I never want to deny you a thing.”
He covered her body and swooped in for a long lingering kiss as his penis nudged the tender opening of her body. She sighed with pleasure. He smiled and continued with a long, slow, sublime slide inward.
Chance let go of her hands and traced down the inside of her arms until he was massaging her scalp. She arched up into that caress as she clasped Sam tighter into her body. They surrounded her. The sight of the two men, and the clean, fresh smell of them, made her dizzy. Sam’s thrusts went deeper, driving her crazy.
Sam moved up, his knees digging into the mattress as he pulled her up.
He wasn’t. He couldn’t. He did.
Josie flew higher, when the beautiful dark haired man above her wrapped one strong arm around her hip and kept her tight against his surging hips, while wicked fingers teased her clit.
“So good!” she wailed.
Chance dipped down for the sweetest kiss.
These men. Oh, these men.
“Josie,” Sam prompted. But she needed no prompting, she was on the precipice. She dug her heels into the taught muscles of his ass. Chance lifted his head and looked down at her, and for once there was no grin, just a look of such tenderness.
“Josie.” Sam’s voice was an urgent rasp. It was too late. She bucked up against him. Her core muscles clamped around him as he shouted his release. His release combined with hers.
Ecstasy.
Shards of color swamped her. Brilliant emerald green. Cerulean blue. The colors of love.
Chapter 19
Sam chuckled as he lifted her off the bed. “She sure does zone out after an orgasm.”
“Do not,” she mumbled into his chest, proving his point. He cuddled her closer, ensuring that she was well-supported as he carried her into the connecting bathroom.
“Jesus, Chance, just how much did you have to pay the contractors to get them to do all this in such a short amount of time?” he asked over his shoulder. Sam smoothly leaned over and placed Josie into an oversized tub big enough for three people.
“Money talks, my friend, money talks,” Chance answered as he followed the two of them into the bathroom.
“Well, you and Josie have quite the master suite.” Sam noticed his friend chose to ignore his comment.
Sam watched as Josie started to slowly slide down the side of the bath.
“You’re getting in there with her, right?” Chance’s question prodded Sam. Sam stepped into the bath and got behind Josie so that her back rested against his chest. Chance smiled down at the two of them.
“This is where she belongs, with us,” Sam said. Josie nodded her head as she nuzzled against him.
“She’s working too many hours. She needs to stay here where we can take care of her.” Chance said.
“I hear you guys, and one day when I can move and open my eyes, I might argue with you. But right now, I like the Taking Care of Josie Program.” Sam looked down at the treasure in his arms and watched her slowly open her eyes. She held his gaze for an endless moment, then bent and placed a kiss over his heart and closed her eyes. When Sam looked up again, Chance was gone.
He washed her and got her out of the bath before the water cooled. Chance was sleeping on the left side of the over-large custom bed, and when he put Josie in the middle, she immediately cuddled close to his warmth. Sam crawled in beside her, immediately falling into a deep sleep.
“Sam! Wake up! Zee, stay back!”
“Sam, Honey, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” Soft hands.
What the fuck? Where am I? This isn’t—
“Zee, get away from him right now!” Chance yelled. Sam couldn’t remember Chance ever sounding so angry. He woke up in an instant, nightmares from his past fading, and found himself on the floor. He stood and glared at Chance.
“Don’t you ever yell at Josie like that again, you asshole,” Sam yelled at his friend.
“Don’t you call me an asshole! Take a look at her.” Chance reached over the edge of the bed and coaxed Josie up off the floor where she’d been trying to wake Sam up. She was holding her arm up close to her body, so he stopped her.
“Josie, what’s wrong with your arm?”
“It was one of your goddamn nightmares. You know, the ones that you told me you aren’t having anymore?”
Sam winced at the accusation in his friend’s voice. “What happened?”
“You were moaning in your sleep, Sam,” Josie softly answered. “When I tried to wake you up, you mumbled someone’s name. I think it was Nathan. Then you grabbed me, and I couldn’t get away. I must have made a noise and that’s when Chance woke up.”
“You fucking screamed. Look at your arm. He could have broken it!” Chance reached for her hand, and she slowly extended her arm out from her body. Both men hissed when they saw the clear set of fingerprints and the swelling.
“It’s fine. If I put ice on it, it’ll be fine by morning.”
“Oh, Jesus, Baby, I’m so sorry.” Sam swallowed, swallowed again, and then abruptly turned to the bathroom, where he puked his guts out. When he got back to the bedroom, it was empty. Sam went to his room, threw on some clothes, then went in search of the others. He stood between the kitchen and dining room and watched where Josie sat in one of the soft tall chairs while Chance held ice against her arm.
Her brown eyes were warm with concern as she turned to him, but Chance’s eyes were angry blue shards.
“Sam, it isn’t that big of a deal. You just had a nightmare.” Josie tried to soothe him.
“Actually, Josie, it is a pretty big deal. Me physically hurting you is probably the biggest deal there is.”
“Come here,” she said holding out her good arm.
Sam shook his head. “I’ve got to take off. Look, I don’t want you two to worry. I’ll be back in a few days. I just need some space. I figure you guys could use some time without me.” Sam turned and left.
Josie felt like she’d just been kicked in the heart. Not because her arm hurt like the very devil, but because of the devastated look on Sam’s face. When she turned to Chance, he just looked mad and frustrated. When her chin started to quiver, Chance instinctively understood what was wrong, and he put down the ice pack. He gently folded her into his arms and cupped her head, resting it against his chest.
“He’ll be back. That’s the first time he ever said when he was coming back, so he will be back tomorrow. He cares, Zee. Never doubt that he cares.”
“Why are you so mad, Chance? You know it was an accident. He was having a nightmare, and you act like he did it on purpose. You’re not being reasonable.” Josie felt his sigh blow softly against the hair on the top of her head.
“I’m mad because he hasn’t been taking care of his emotional issues. He’s only been taking care of his physical issues. The doctors told him he has PTSD, and he hasn’t addressed it. He’s smarter than that, Josie. I thought…”
“What did you think?” she coaxed. When he didn’t answer, she stroked his back, and decided to drop it. She just rested her head on his chest, thankful to be in his arms.
“Why don’t you get dressed, and we’ll head out and make a day of it?” Josie looked out the kitchen window and realized that it was dawn.
“Chance, I need to go to my apartment for a change of clothes. I hate wearing the same thing two days in a row.” Josie shuddered at the idea.
“Honey, you really didn’t understand when we told you that was our room, did you? Let’s go take a tour.” Chance held out his hand and led her down the hall to the master suite. He opened the closet, and she saw women’s clothing hanging up, and a shoe rack that didn’t contain a single pair of high heels. Leading her back into the bedroom, she saw three dressers. He then pulled her to the middle dresser and opened the top drawer. It contained panties and thongs in a rainbow of colors. The second drawer held nothing but corsets. In the third drawer was a selection of bras of every style and color imaginab
le, and the fourth drawer contained the silkiest nighties Josie had ever seen or felt.
Josie couldn’t take it in. Obviously, Chance was insane. That was the only reasonable explanation. When she said as much, he threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, Zee! If you only knew how many times, I’ve been told that very thing. But here’s the deal, eventually everyone always sees things my way.”
Josie got quiet. “Do you think Sam will see things your way?” she asked, trying not to let her lip tremble.
“I’ve known Sam most of my life, Zee. Even if I must drag him kicking and screaming, I intend to get him to see things my way, and get his shit together, you have my promise.”
She went to put her hands on her hips, then thought better of it when her arm hurt enough that she flinched. Instead she raised her eyebrow. “And I’m supposed to just go along with this whole new wardrobe?”
“I think you should try some things on before you just go along with it. Let’s start with the thongs and corsets.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. She burst out laughing. The man was irresistible. “But seriously, you do need to try on some things for today’s adventure.”
Chance insisted on seeing four different fancy corset, thong, and dress combinations, before he finally said she should dress in jeans and a sweatshirt.
“I’m confused. If I needed to just wear jeans, why did you have me try on the dresses?” Josie demanded.
“Are you kidding? That was just a fun way to start the day.”
“You are the biggest goofball I have ever met, Chance Reynolds,” she declared. “So where are we going?”
“We’re going to the Farmers Market. Butch and Betty should be getting there just about now.”
“That sounds great,” Josie enthused. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 20
On the way to the market, Josie behaved like a stalker. She texted Sam five times.
“Honey, he probably has his phone turned off,” Chance said.
“I’m worried about him,” she protested.
“I know. But he’s a big boy. Seriously, he’s done this at least six times before. I told you, this is the first time he said he’d be back. That’s a big step for him. Give him time. I promise, he’s good. He just needs a little time to get his shit together.”
“Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, and some funny stories from Chance, put Josie in the mood for a day out. She’d been meaning to come to the market, but since Sundays were her one day off, she was usually too tired to make it. Josie was impressed with the number of booths, and when she commented on that to Chance, he explained that there were a lot of craftsmen who lived in Fate Harbor. Many of them relied on the market to sell their wares. One of the first booths they came upon was a homemade soap vendor. While Josie made some selections, Chance took the opportunity to text Betty their location.
Josie was looking for something she could sell in her bakery, but the soap wasn’t a good choice. When she told Chance her plan, he agreed with her, and said he would keep his eyes peeled as well.
She almost dropped her purse when she felt it vibrate. Please say it’s Sam texting me back. She scrabbled inside to grab her phone.
How is your arm?
If she hadn’t been so relieved to hear from the man, she would’ve been pissed that he’d only texted four words.
My arm is fine. Can you please come home sooner?
Josie waited what seemed like forever for him to respond.
Okay, I’ll come home tomorrow.
Josie let out the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding.
I’m so sorry, Josie
There’s nothing to be sorry about. She texted back.
She waited, but there wasn’t anything more. Still, his spare texts made it all better. She looked up and realized Chance was standing in front of her.
“Was that Sam?” he asked.
She nodded. “He said he would be home tomorrow.”
“Told you.” He smiled. “You ready for the grand tour?”
“Absolutely.”
They agreed to visit every stall. After purchasing her three bars of soap, she grabbed Chance’s arm, and tried to pull him to the next booth.
“I want to wait for Betty and Butch.” He put his hand on her arm to stop her, and she immediately winced. “Damn it, Zee, I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a bruise.”
His face darkened. Was this how the day would go? But then relief flooded her when Betty came up and gave them both a hug, diffusing the situation. Really, she didn’t need Chance obsessing about her arm in front of Betty. This was supposed to be a play day!
Josie resisted buying things at the next three stalls, but when she got to the fourth stall, she was flabbergasted at the beauty of the handblown glass pieces. What really caught her eye were the decorative glass plates—a perfect accent to her baked goods. The woman who ran the booth knew the Hutchins, so as they talked, Josie carefully checked the prices, shocked to see that they ranged from two hundred to five hundred dollars.
Chance came over and whispered in her ear. “Kara sells her stuff in galleries in Seattle. She actually lowers her prices for us here in Fate Harbor.” The colors took her breath away. She held one plate up to the sun and watched as the sun’s rays passed through the glass. No wonder the woman’s work was being shown in galleries.
“I think this is exactly what you were looking for. Can’t you see people using these to take home your pastries, and then displaying them on their shelves or walls?” Chance nudged her to go talk to Kara.
Josie shook her head. “Are you out of your mind?” she whispered fiercely. “They’re like jewelry or something, not cupcake dishes.”
“Did someone say cupcake? That’s one of my favorite words.” The tall, blond Nordic goddess looked over from chatting with Betty and Butch.
“Kara, I’m surprised you haven’t met Josie, she bought the Matushka’s old bakery. Josie Decker, this is Eric and Dane’s sister, Kara Johansen.”
“So, you know my brothers, do you?” Wickedness glinted in Kara’s eyes. “I bet they weren’t just after your baked goods.”
Chance put a proprietary arm around Josie’s shoulder and said, “You’d be right, Kara. But Sam and I cleared that up pretty quickly.”
“You and Sam. Interesting. Betty, I didn’t know you’d gotten your boys to embrace so many of Fate Harbor’s traditions. Wait until I tell Mom and my dads.” Kara walked over, took Josie out of Chance’s arm, and gave her a big hug.
“Kara, be careful of her arm,” Chance warned.
“What’s wrong with her arm?” Betty asked.
“I bumped it and bruised it,” Josie said.
“Sam grabbed her and bruised her,” Chance corrected. “He had a nightmare this morning, and if we hadn’t woken him, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Oh, Josie, don’t ever lie about something like that,” Betty admonished. “Sam would tell us himself if he were here.” Betty pulled Josie’s arm toward her, and carefully rolled up her sweatshirt sleeve.
She gasped when she saw the bruise in the shape of her foster son’s fingers. “Butch, go get some ice. It’s time she had another pack put on. You have been icing it, right?” She looked up at Chance.
“Of course, I have,” he said in an offended voice.
“Good boy. Now where’s Sam? Why isn’t he here?”
“He left. In the middle of the night. God knows what time tonight he’ll be home.” Once again Josie felt her chin quiver.
“Oh, Baby, he’ll be back. He just needs to pull himself together. He must feel terrible. Give him time.” Betty took the ice pack from Butch and settled Josie into the chair that Kara indicated in the back of the booth and put the pack on her arm.
“So, I take it Sam is still dealing with some PTSD issues. I remember when Leif came back from Iraq, Mom and the dads had to damn near hit him over the head before they could convince him to get in and see some
one.” Kara walked away to talk to a customer who’d wandered into the booth. Meanwhile, it amazed Josie how easily everyone dealt with Sam’s issues, even someone she considered a stranger. She looked over at Chance and he winked at her.
After Kara wrapped up a vase and two dishes, and sent the happy couple on their way, she came back to talk to them.
“Kara, have you been into the bakery since Josie has taken over?” Betty asked.
“Have I been? Are you kidding? I’ve gained seven pounds because of that damn Sweet Dreams Desserts!” Josie did a double-take and recognized that she was used to seeing Kara show up to the bakery in a ponytail and coveralls.
“Yeah, I clean up pretty good, don’t I?” Kara gestured down to her flowing spring dress, her shoulder-length blond hair, and makeup. “You usually see me when I’m in the middle of blowing glass and need a sugar fix. I have seriously gained seven pounds, three of which are because of your mind-blowing cinnamon rolls, girlfriend, and the other four are from your cookies and brownies.” Josie flushed because she didn’t doubt it. The woman had bought quite a lot of her product.
“But at least on you, it looks good. I could lose twenty and still need to go on a diet,” Josie declared.
Chance bent down and brushed a kiss against her temple. “Hey, I thought we were past that nonsense,” he whispered. “Sam’s going to be back, do you want me to tattle?”
How did he know how to make her feel both secure in the fact that Sam was going to come back and all hot and bothered at the same time? The man was positively Machiavellian, and now she wasn’t feeling one bit self-conscious about her weight.
Chance gave her a knowing grin.
“Girlfriend, you and I are going to have to go out with Lola for margaritas sometime. I want to hear what’s going on with you and your men, if Chance can make you blush like that.”
“She’s not going out and getting advice from the two of you. We like her just the way she is,” Chance stated firmly.
“Oh, sweetie, she needs some tips on how to deal with you, and Lola Hart and I are just the girls to give them to her.” Chance groaned, while Kara laughed.
Theirs To Treasure: Happily Ever After (Fate Harbor Book 1) Page 15