by Jenna Byrnes
* * * *
Sarah virtually floated through her day. Sore from using long-forgotten muscles, each twinge of her body reminded her of Sam and made her smile. She lost count of how many times they had made love the previous night, and when trying to count her orgasms she lost track somewhere around seventeen. The very idea made her blush in the light of day, but at night in his arms it had felt like the most natural thing in the world.
She drummed her fingers on her desk, willing time to pass quickly. It was impossible not to think of Sam and what the evening held in store for her—for them. When an arrangement of pastel carnations arrived from the town’s only florist, Sarah was surprised to discover they were for her.
She thanked the deliveryman and tipped him before she opened the card.
Thinking of you, S.
She held the card to her chest and took a few breaths as her co-workers admired the flowers. She slipped away to use the phone and dialled the library.
“Sam Buchanan, please,” she told the woman who answered.
“One moment.”
Sarah waited on hold for a bit before his voice came on, earthy and deep enough to make her inhale. “Sam, hey, it’s me.” She added nervously, “Sarah.”
He chuckled softly. “I knew who ‘me’ was. Hey, Sarah.”
“Thank you for the flowers, they’re lovely.”
“Last night was lovely. I hope you know how much it meant to me.”
“I think I do.” Her nerves lessened and she said boldly, “I hope you know how much I want to do it again tonight.”
He laughed loudly. “Wow, straightforward. I like that in a woman.”
She hesitated, feeling the nerves kick in again. “I mean, if you want to, that is…”
“You know I want to. We’re at that point in our relationship when I’d love to spend twenty-four-seven with you, if we didn’t have to work. We’d only get out of bed long enough to eat and use the john.”
“Well, okay then.” She felt the same way. Very, very much the same way. “I guess I’ll see you tonight.”
“If you want, I could take you out for dinner or something first, so it’s not just a booty call.”
She laughed. “Um, that’s okay. I’ve never had a booty call. Let’s try it.”
“How about I bring pizza so we don’t die from lack of nourishment?”
“Pizza works,” she replied, thinking it would be easy to eat in bed. I am horrible! No, just horny for the first time in many years, and intending to do something about it tonight. “See you after work.”
“As quickly as I can get there.”
He must be reading her mind. “Excellent. Have a good afternoon.”
“You too, babe.” Sam hung up.
Sarah cradled the phone in her hands. It felt good to hear him call her ‘babe’ or the other endearments he used. Actually it felt good to have a man in her life again, especially this particular man.
She talked to Mandy early, happy to hear the kids were having a great time. She checked in with Bailey and then hopped in the shower before Sam arrived with pizza. “Come in,” she greeted him at the door wearing nothing more than an oversized T-shirt.
“Look at you. A sight to behold.” He glanced over her body admiringly then pulled out the neckline of her T-shirt and looked down inside it. “Got anything on under there?”
“Just some perfume.” She smiled at him. “I wanted to save us some time.”
Setting the pizza box on the kitchen table, Sam turned to face her. “I like the way you think.”
He pulled her into his arms and they kissed gently. She was the first one to open her mouth and deepen the kiss, and he followed her lead. Their tongues explored each other, reaching, tasting, desiring.
Sarah didn’t plan on being timid tonight, she knew what she wanted and intended to go for it. “The pizza can wait,” she murmured, her mouth still pressed against his.
“Oh yeah,” Sam replied. “Not sure I can.”
“Me either…” She inhaled as his mouth nipped her earlobe and headed lower. “Oh Sam,” she breathed heavily. “I want you now!”
He glanced around the kitchen, where the table and counters were full. He walked her backwards through the doorway and a few more steps until they bumped into her living room sofa. His hands slipped under the big T-shirt she wore and massaged her breasts vigorously for a moment. Finally he stripped the shirt from her entirely and suckled her breasts as he kneaded them.
Sarah groaned at the sensation, then started when Sam spun her around and bent her over the back of the sofa. She heard the zip of his jeans and the rustle of the little foil packet. The next thing she knew, she felt Sam’s solid erection pressing against her ass. “Oh my!” she murmured, the feeling of wetness between her legs arriving instantly.
Reaching around in front of her, Sam parted her legs and felt for her clit. “Mmmm, hard and throbbing, just like I am for you.” He dipped a finger inside her and spread the juices he found there around her slick folds. “Oh yeah, Sarah. Hot and wet. I think you’re ready for me.”
“I know I am,” she agreed. “Fuck me, Sam.”
Spreading her legs wider, Sam pressed his cock into her pussy from behind. She enveloped him, absorbing the length of his shaft inside her. “There you go,” he muttered as he slid in balls-deep. “That’s it.”
“Oh yes!” Sarah clutched the sofa as he drove into her. Her nipples raked against the rough upholstery, adding to the intense pleasure she felt. “Oh, Sam!”
“Yeah, baby!” He slapped her ass lightly as he pounded her from behind. “You look pretty from this angle too.”
Sarah held on tight as her first climax swept through her. She tossed her head back and found Sam’s shoulder.
He turned his head and kissed her temple. “Better than pretty…god damn gorgeous.”
“Oooh, don’t stop!” she pressed back into him. “It feels so good!”
“Yes it does,” he agreed and cupped both her breasts in his hands. Tweaking her nipples until they were hard and red, he leaned in once more and bit her on the shoulder lightly.
“I’m coming…” she moaned.
He grabbed her hips for better purchase. “Come on, baby, I’m right there with you.” He pounded into her a few more times and then Sarah felt his shudder and the heat of his release into her body.
It was all she could do to remain standing as a wonderful orgasm swallowed her. She grabbed the sofa, Sam clutching her until their quivering subsided.
He finally let her drop onto the sofa back and leaned in with her to catch his breath. “Oh my god,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I thought so too.”
* * * *
Sarah worried she might be getting too used to Sam—needing him or becoming dependent on him. It was far too early in their relationship to bring it up, but for some reason the thought nagged at Sarah all evening. What would happen when Mandy came home? She loved her daughter and wanted to see her, but the thought of not seeing Sam terrified her.
Sarah kept her worries to herself as they made love well into the night. When they finally slept, wrapped around each other, she felt so exhausted she thought she’d be dead to the world. But her thoughts continued to nag at her and she woke up crying at three a.m.
“What is it?” Sam sat up and got his bearings before pulling her body to his.
She shook her head, embarrassed to say what bothered her but unable to stop her tears from flowing.
“Shhh.” He kissed the side of her face, trying to dry the waterfall.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Do tell me what’s bothering you.”
She looked into his eyes, feeling foolish and not wanting to say.
“Please, Sarah? I know something’s wrong. It breaks my heart to see you like this.”
She glanced at him again and realised he spoke the truth. He looked distressed. “I feel so stupid, Sam. I mean, we’ve only known each other—what? A week? B
ut I’m starting to worry what I’m going to do without you.”
He smiled and brushed the hair back from her eyes. “Why are you going to be without me?”
She shrugged. “Mandy will be home in a few days. Things have to change.”
“Change is inevitable, that’s for sure. But it might not be a change for the worse.”
She looked at him.
He smiled, adding, “Mandy’s old enough to stay home alone some evenings for a couple of hours. We can go on dates. I can feel you up at the movies, we can play footsie under the table at restaurants, and if I’m really lucky, we’ll find out if the seats of my Jeep recline all the way.”
Sarah grinned at him.
Sam continued, “If not, I’ve got a blanket we can throw down on the ground out by the lake. I think we’ll get by, Sarah.” He kissed her temple again. “I think we’ll get by just fine.”
“We can go on dates?” She felt hopeful for the first time all evening.
“Of course we can.” Sam chuckled, rubbing her cheek. “I want to spend time with you. Believe it or not, I enjoy talking with you as much as I enjoy—” He squeezed her naked breast and then seemed to reconsider. “Well, almost as much.”
Sarah laughed and threw her arms around his neck. “I enjoy spending time with you too, Mr. Buchanan.”
He flipped her back onto the bed and straddled her, and they both grinned. “Yeah, I know what you enjoy, Ms. Stevens. It goes something like this…” He started nuzzling her neck and worked his way to her nipples.
“I do enjoy that.” She squirmed as he aroused her yet again.
“And this?” He let his mouth trail down her body slowly, and when he reached the valley between her legs he spread her open with his hands and let his tongue dip in gently. “Do you enjoy this?” He flicked her clit and sucked it into his mouth.
“No, I love that. I crave it, in fact.”
“Mmmm, me too,” he growled as he rubbed his face in her pussy quickly. “Crave…my thoughts exactly…” He smiled up at her and smacked his lips.
Sarah clutched the sheet below her body and raised her hips to meet his face. “More,” she whimpered, feeling deliciously naughty and not caring at that moment who knew it.
“Mmmm, your wish is my command” He dove in, tongue first.
* * * *
Sarah was amused that he actually took her on a date Friday night, to dinner and a movie afterwards. She liked playing footsie at the restaurant, kicking off their shoes and teasing each other with their toes under the table. She hadn’t done anything that silly in years.
She had never experienced an orgasm in a movie theatre, but he assured her there was a first time for everything. They found seats away from everyone and, just as the movie got boring, Sam found a way to keep things interesting. She tried to remain quiet as his hand snaked down her jeans, and he muffled her noises with kisses as his thumb circled her clit and brought her to an intense climax.
He removed his hand from her pants just as an usher walked by, shining his flashlight on them and around the room. Giggling, Sam and Sarah left immediately after that. They almost didn’t make it to his Jeep with their clothes on.
Once they got inside and discovered the cramped quarters, though, he said, “This is crazy, when we have an empty house waiting for us. Let’s go home so we can take our time. Besides, I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” She rubbed the bulge in his jeans seductively. “I like surprises. Tell me what it is.”
“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.” He laughed as she teased him. He drove home erratically with her head bobbing up and down in his lap.
Sarah kept his cock in her hand as they stumbled to the door, and once they were in the kitchen she dropped to her knees and sucked him into her mouth. He had collapsed against the back door, breathing heavily, when the phone rang.
“Don’t even consider it!”
She looked up at him apologetically. “I have to. We’ve been gone for two hours—it could be Mandy, or Bailey—”
Sam reached under her arms and dragged her up to face him. “Mandy and Bailey can wait. I’m about ready to explode.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” She left him leaning against the door and hurried to the phone. “Hello?” she snapped into the receiver. Glancing back at Sam, she saw him stroke his shaft up and down slowly as he watched her.
She smiled and licked her lips in his direction.
“Sarah? Where the devil have you been?” her brother barked at her.
“What? Doug? We, uh, went to dinner and a movie. What’s wrong? Is it Mandy?”
“No, Mandy’s fine. It’s Bailey! She started cramping and bleeding tonight, and the ambulance took her to the hospital. I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”
Sarah made an ‘uh-oh’ face at Sam.
He caught her meaning and tucked his dick back into his pants.
“Doug, I’m so sorry! Is she okay? What about the baby?”
“She’s fine for now, and the baby seems good so far. They’ve given Bailey a drug to induce labour, but if it doesn’t kick in soon, she may need a caesarean section.”
“A c-section? Really? Oh, Doug, I’m sorry. Look, we’ll be right there.”
“We?” he asked hesitantly.
“Um, yeah, Sam and I went to dinner together…”
“Sarah,” Doug began. “I’m really sorry about the other night. I know I should have called you sooner, but I was embarrassed about the way I overreacted. If you want to,” he seemed to search for a word, “date Sam, then it’s okay with me.”
“Good,” Sarah told him. “Because we’re sleeping together. Actually, we’re not getting much sleep, for some reason we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other.”
“Christ, Sarah,” Doug muttered. “I said it was okay, did you have to tell me that?”
She laughed, deciding she’d paid him back enough for now. “I could tell you more, but I won’t under the circumstances. Give Bailey a kiss for me and tell her we’re on our way.”
“Thanks, Sis.” Doug hung up the phone.
Sarah clasped her receiver for a moment. He sounded so scared, like he had sometimes when they were children. They both had been terrified in the weeks and months after their father had walked out, leaving them with nothing but their sad, lonely mom and each other. Sarah inhaled and hung up the phone. Doug would be a one-hundred-percent better father than Jake Kenny, no doubt about that.
“What’s happened?” Sam questioned.
“It’s Bailey,” Sarah replied, looking at him. “She’s in trouble.”
“Let’s go.” Sam opened the door for her, and they hurried out.
Chapter Six
Sam held her hand on the drive to the hospital, and Sarah appreciated his strength and calm demeanour. It was nice to have someone to lean on for a change instead of always having to be the strong one.
She approached the desk, Sam on her heels, and said, “Bailey Kenny is having a baby here somewhere…”
“Yes,” the receptionist confirmed. “She’s in birthing room two-eleven. Take the elevator up and to the left.”
“Thank you,” Sarah replied, and Sam smiled at the woman in thanks before they rushed off. “I hope she’s okay,” Sarah said.
“She’ll be fine.” He rubbed her arm. “She’s a strong gal.”
“Yeah, she is,” Sarah agreed, and glanced at him. He sure seemed to get a quick read on people. He’d only known Bailey a short time, but he already knew what a fighter she could be.
They approached room two-eleven and Sarah knocked lightly.
“Come in,” Doug called.
She peeked in and saw Bailey lying in bed, with Doug sitting next to her. “Hey, you two!”
“Sarah, thank God!” Bailey held her arms out to her sister-in-law. “I needed you!”
Hugging her, Sarah said, “I’m so sorry, honey. We went out to eat and to a show. I never dreamed this would happen tonight.”
> “It’s okay,” Bailey sniffed, wiping away her tears. “Hey, Sam.”
“Hey, Bailey. How’s it going?”
She gave him a small smile and looked back at Sarah. “My contractions are starting and they hurt like hell.”
“That’s a good thing!” Sarah tried to be positive. “If labour starts, then maybe you can deliver naturally.”
“If my cervix dilates. So far, nothing.”
“It’s early, sweetie. I’m sure it will.” She rubbed Bailey’s arm.
“Will you stay with me?”
“Of course. Uh, Sam…”
Bailey waved a hand. “Sammy can stay—until I get closer anyway. He’s a good egg.”
Sarah looked at Doug, who smiled. “They gave her something for pain. It’s making her a little loopy, I think.”
Nodding, she continued to rub Bailey’s arm. “It’s okay, Bailey. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Bailey closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to relax, then her eyes popped open and she looked at Sam. “Hey Sammy, remember when the whole newspaper staff got arrested at that sit-in, and you needed stitches, but the cops wouldn’t let you get them because you kept chanting ‘Hell no, we won’t go!’?”
He smiled at Bailey and said softly, “Yeah, I remember. I still have the scar on my arm.” He chuckled and looked from Doug to Sarah. “I never was that creative with the turn of a phrase. Probably why I went with library science instead of journalism.” He shuffled from one foot to the other.
Sarah thought he appeared nervous for the first time since they’d met. “What newspaper?” she asked.
“The Daily Illini,” Bailey said proudly. “We were the best reporters on the staff.”
Sarah glanced from her sister-in-law to Doug, who raised his eyebrows. She turned to Sam. “You and Bailey were on a college newspaper together?”
“Yeah,” he chuckled, definitely nervous now. “Imagine that.”
She looked back at Bailey. “Then you knew he was a man when you brought him here.” Her voice rose an octave. “Why did you lie to me, Bailey?”
Bailey waved a hand. “You never would have wanted a man staying in your loft. And I never really wanted to work in a library, but there were no other jobs at the time.” She wagged a finger at her husband. “I wanted to convince you to let me stay home with the baby, and Sam could keep my job. Oops, I let that cat out of the bag!”