Bringing Down Sam

by Leslie Kelly

  Nodding, Sam grabbed her hand as she rose from the chair. He pressed a kiss on her palm, murmuring, “One more thing to thank you for, sweetheart. I wouldn’t have figured this out if not for you.”

  She bent to brush a kiss on his lips. “It’ll be fine. I know it will.”

  He hoped so. He also hoped he’d find the right words to not only apologize, but also to tell his father that a trusted family member had done everything he could to completely destroy their relationship.

  Eve had fallen asleep by the time Sam came back to the bedroom. He hadn’t turned a light on, apparently not wanting to wake her, and she heard him mumble a curse as he bumped into her dresser in the dark, unfamiliar room.

  “Hey.” She cleared her throat. “What time is it?”

  “Almost midnight.”

  He’d been on the phone for at least two hours. She hadn’t heard his raised voice in all that time, which, she hoped, meant the conversation had gone well.

  Moving over in the bed, she flipped the covers back for him to join her, watching him unfasten and drop his pants to stand naked in the moonlit room. Her heart did that flippy thing it always did when she saw him naked, and her mouth went dry. He was just so incredibly beautiful to look at—so virile, male and strong.

  And hers, miraculously. All hers.

  He crawled into the bed beside her, their warm, naked bodies moving together on the cool sheets. Passion exploded between them, as always, but she knew they had talking to do before they could get back to what they’d been up to a few hours ago.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Probably more all right than it’s been in a long time. I apologized, told my father what I believe really happened and then stayed on the line while he conferenced Robbie in.”

  “Oh, sprung a trap, did you?”

  “Yeah.” Sam’s mouth twisted in disgust. “Once Robbie realized we had figured it out, he confessed the whole thing. It’s hell finding out somebody you thought was your friend—your family member—has been jealous of you all your life and wants everything you have.”

  “Including your father’s love?” she speculated, having thought of that while Sam was in the other room.

  Sam slowly nodded as he thought about it. “I suspect so.”

  Sad. As furious as she was at Robbie for what he’d done, she couldn’t help pitying the man, at least a little. “Then what happened?”

  “Dad told Robbie he’d deal with him later, then, once it was just the two of us on the line, we talked—really talked—for the first time in several years.”

  She noted that, for the first time she could recall, Sam had called his father “Dad.” She smiled inwardly, though she doubted he was even aware of the subtle change. “Was he upset?”

  “Oh, absolutely. He was shocked, horrified at what Robbie had done to you and asked me to please tell you how very sorry he is.”

  “It wasn’t his fault.”

  Sam draped an arm across her bare middle, his fingers trailing over her hip as he kissed her temple, his warm breath brushing her skin in the air conditioned room. Eve quivered a bit, her nerve endings sensitive to his exhalations, the gentle stroke of his fingertips and his throaty whisper.

  “We have a lot more talking to do. He’s finally accepted the fact that I’m not cut out to run the magazine.” Laughing a little, he added, “Your friend Diana might be heading for a promotion.”

  “That’s wonderful!”

  “Hey, I’d give her the job if only as a thank you. If it weren’t for her and your other angry friends, I’d never have met you.”

  She hated to consider that, hated to even imagine that the bliss she and Sam had found together might never have occurred if it hadn’t been for a silly prank. God, to think she might never have met him, might never have known what it was to be with him.

  She couldn’t think of a worse fate than having lived an entire lifetime not being loved by this man.

  “But we did meet. For whatever reason, we found each other, Sam.”

  “Yeah, we did. And for that, I will be thankful every day for the rest of my life.”

  Twining her arms around his neck, she lifted her face to his for a slow, tender kiss that said everything else they needed to say.

  Epilogue

  “When you’ve found the right one, don’t let anybody talk you into waiting. Show her you’re in for the long haul by putting a ring on her finger and making her yours forever. There’s nothing more satisfying to a woman than knowing she’s deeply and truly loved.” –from Keeping Her Satisfied by Sam Kenneman

  They got married at Christmastime.

  Eve had always dreamed of a winter wedding, with snow carpeting the ground and red velvet bows and greenery decorating the church. The season of peace, joy and happiness had always sounded like the ideal time to begin a new life with the person you vowed to love until the day you died.

  It didn’t snow, but otherwise, the day was absolutely perfect.

  “So, Mrs. Kenneman, how are you feeling?”

  “Absolutely wonderful,” she said, tightening her arms around her new husband’s neck as they danced their first dance as a married couple. “I can’t ever remember being happier.”

  He stared down at her, his expression tender, his green eyes sparkling with love. “Neither can I, sweetheart.”

  All around them in the ballroom at Ruthie’s family’s hotel, their friends and loved ones looked on, toasting to their future and sharing their joy. Of course Diana, Ruthie and Leanne were there—bridesmaids, all. Eve’s mother, her husband and their three kids had made the trip from California and beamed throughout the entire ceremony. Sam’s father and mother, his sister and her family had sat together, peaceably, on the other side of the church. Nobody talked about the absence of Eve’s father—now jailed, but he’d thought to send a card—or Robbie, still a black sheep for the stunt he’d pulled last year. Though his apologies had been accepted, the relationship between he and his cousin and uncle remained a cool one.

  The one familial issue she’d worried about was the fact that Sam had asked his half-brother, Jake, to be a groomsman. The two of them had been working on their relationship over the past year and had formed a friendship. She hadn’t been sure how her future mother-in-law—whom she adored—would take that. Fortunately, the ex-Mrs. Jacob Kenneman had never blamed the son for the biological father’s indiscretions and the ceremony had gone off without a single hitch.

  “So, any quotes for the paparazzi now that you’ve brought down the most infamous bachelor in Philadelphia?” Sam asked, a self-satisfied smile on his handsome face.

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll suggest that other women hire me?”

  He squeezed her and gave her a mock scowl. “Not a chance, woman. You’re mine and I don’t share.”

  “Well, neither do I, buddy. Remember that the next time some morning-TV show bimbo interviews you about your new book, gushing about how sexy a loving, attentive man can be.”

  “You weren’t seriously jealous!”

  She hadn’t been, not really. Eve had never felt more confident of anything in her life than she did of Sam’s love for her. He wore it on his person, showing her every single moment of the day that he adored her just as much as she did him.

  “Honey, I might as well be wearing blinders, I don’t even see any other woman but you,” he added.

  “Good.”

  His lips twitching, he continued, “I mean, come on, we both know I’ll never meet a woman who not only looks amazing in a white negligee…but can also sell bubble bath and training pants.”

  She threw her head back and laughed as he spun her around the ballroom, sending her white gown spinning about her legs. They spun and spun until she was dizzy with happiness and delight, feeling as though they were flying on air. As they spun, as everyone else in the room faded away until she felt they were the only two people on earth, she knew she was absolutely sure of one thing.

  She had never brought
Sam down. They lifted each other up—today and every other day for the rest of their lives.

  *********

  A Note from Leslie on Bringing Down Sam

  Though this book has just been published, I actually wrote a version of it several years ago, when I first began writing for Harlequin’s Temptation line. My editor loved it but couldn’t buy a former-supermodel heroine so this book—and the intended sequels about Eve’s best friends—seemed destined for the reject pile.

  Then my brilliant editor came back to me with a suggestion. She especially liked the character of Ruthie, the bubbly chef, and asked me to write a proposal with her as the heroine. I did…and she bought the book three weeks later! Finally, my “second book syndrome” was over. That story became Suite Seduction, my second published novel, released in December 2000. Suite Seduction is still one of my top two favorites of all my Temptations, so if you like this book and want to read more about Ruthie, do check it out. You won’t find Eve, Leanne or Diana within its pages—I pulled out all the continuity elements from what I’d planned to be a series—but Ruthie is still one of my favorite heroines, she’s still a chef at her family-owned, run-down old hotel, and she’s a great character.

  When I decided to self-publish Bringing Down Sam, I had to do a lot of work on it and at least half of the book you’ve just read is brand new. First, because I wanted to update and modernize it, second because my writing has changed somewhat over the years, and third because I had actually cannibalized that book for use in other ones that were published later. I absolutely loved Sam and definitely hijacked some of his character traits when creating Nate Logan, the hero of my fourth book, Into The Fire. I also stole some of the love scenes—which I have replaced with new material for Bringing Down Sam. I also liked Eve’s backstory and used something similar when creating Melody, the heroine of She’s Got The Look. The four-friends-margarita-night theme carried over into that one, too.

  I have so enjoyed going back to this quartet of friends that I’m planning to dust off Reforming Jake, which was supposed to be book two in the series. (It stars Leanne as the heroine, and Sam’s half-brother Jake as the hero.) I intend to finish that story—I’d only written three chapters—and release it sometime in late 2012/early 2013. Do watch for it! And if all goes well, Diana’s story will follow.

  If you would like to see more of how my writing style and voice progressed after the sale of my first book, Night Whispers, check out my other self-published titles, Angel Baby and Coming Home. As you can see, I was still figuring out what I wanted to write when I grew up…lol! The books are slightly different in tone—more emotional—but that sexy vibe is there right from the beginning. Bringing Down Sam is where I really felt like I started to hit my stride as the author of very sexy, humorous contemporary romances.

  And if you have a minute, would you consider writing a review for this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts and would truly appreciate the support!

  Best wishes always—

  Leslie

  PS: Visit me online at http://www.lesliekelly.com or at my blog site http://www.plotmonkeys.com!