River of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “Next time you don’t believe me about something this important, I’ll kick your ass,” Sam teased.

  “Actually, your girlfriend sort of already did. I was wrong. You guys are perfect for each other. I had no idea she was so tough.”

  Cole draped an arm over his shoulder, and a little piece of Sam’s world shifted back into place.

  “Tough doesn’t even begin to describe her. You know I don’t believe in reliving the past, and thankfully”—his eyes found Faith—“neither does Faith. We both focus on the now, and the future. And from where I’m standing, my future looks pretty damn perfect.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  IF BLISS WERE a place on earth, Faith had found it in Sam’s arms with his hard, hot body wrapped around her and his face nestled against her neck. Saturday mornings had become her most favorite day of the week. She took advantage of his slumber and visually explored her man’s bedroom. She was used to sleeping in it by now, but in the three weeks they’d been staying there, she had been so consumed with Sam, she hadn’t paid much attention to what the bedroom actually looked like.

  It felt potently masculine, like Sam. The sheets, blankets, and throw rug were shades of brown, burnt orange, and gold. Dark wood trim surrounded three enormous windows and French doors that led out to a deck overlooking the lake, where they’d taken to having breakfast. Her WAC folder sat beside her laptop on the intricately designed wooden table built from driftwood that sat between two distressed leather chairs in front of the windows, where they’d sat and talked for hours last night.

  She marveled at the sturdy iron chandelier with faux flame–colored candles hanging by chains from the vaulted ceiling above the foot of the bed. Every element looked sturdy and well thought out, putting her plain white walls to shame. But that was one thing she loved about Sam. He made her slow down and see things differently. Where her living room had been a place to get things done, every room in Sam’s house was a room to enjoy. Like every part of Sam, they were all unique and interesting.

  They’d moved her plants to his living room, and with a little love and a lot of water, they’d miraculously come back to life. Her hairbrush, lotions, and perfume bottle sat atop his dresser, beside his cologne. Her toothbrush hung beside his in the bathroom. This is how it happens. One day I was single, and the next I woke up in Sam’s arms with my heart so full it’s staggering to think about. I’m definitely the luckiest girl on earth.

  She turned in Sam’s arms, and he tightened his grip around her waist.

  “Don’t get up,” he said in a sleepy, sexy voice.

  “I’m in no hurry.”

  “Mm.” He kissed her shoulder.

  “I’m admiring your room. I never realized how private it felt. Your whole cabin does.”

  “I like it that way.” He opened his eyes and stretched his legs. His arousal pressed against her thigh, bringing awareness to all her girly parts.

  She ran her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes again. “Mm. I love it when you touch me like that.”

  She waited for a sexual innuendo to follow, and when he said, “You’re the first woman I’ve brought here,” she was shocked. Knowing he hadn’t brought women here confirmed what she’d been feeling and made her feel even more special.

  His eyes came open, and he pressed his lips to hers. “Don’t look so surprised. I told you everything was different with you.”

  “Everything you do surprises me, Sam. How can I not be surprised? All this time you haven’t said a word about that, but it makes sense now. I was just thinking about how you seem private to me, too, just like your cabin. You sneak off to Whiskey Bro’s when you want to chill without the pressure of being on all the time. You live out here without neighbors.”

  “Nate’s my neighbor.”

  “Yes, but he’s not that close. And you don’t keep girls’ numbers or do social media, except for Rough Riders.”

  Amusement filled his eyes. “You stalked me?”

  “No.” She laughed. “I was curious when I was posting the pictures for WAC the day of the car wash. You weren’t on there, but Rough Riders was. It’s all very interesting.”

  He sat up against the pillows, and she settled in against his chest. “How is that interesting?”

  “Because before we started dating, I’d seen you a few times at Whispers and around town, and you were always surrounded by people—guys and girls. I thought you were the kind of guy who had an entourage every minute of the day and liked it that way. The only time I saw you alone was when you’d come to the office to see Cole.”

  “To see you,” he corrected.

  “Right.” She rolled her eyes. She loved knowing that he had come in to get a glimpse of her even though he’d resisted her for so long. “Now that I know you better, I can see your cabin is another escape, where you don’t have to be on, like Whiskey’s.”

  “You think you’ve got me all figured out.” He pressed his lips to hers and ran his hand down her arm, sending shivers along her entire body.

  “Not even close, but I love getting to know so many sides of you. You’re even more complex than I imagined, in a good way.”

  “Then I hope you never figure me out completely so you’re always intrigued. I’ve been thinking about our talk the other day and the trips I host. Have you ever gone camping or rafting? Or rock climbing?”

  “My sister and I used to go rafting, but not in big rapids like you ride. And JJ, my cheating ex, liked doing all those other things, but the furthest I got was climbing a rock wall.”

  His eyes flashed cold for a second. “I hate knowing that he was anything like me.”

  “He wasn’t anything like you in the ways that matter. He just liked doing some of the same things.” She touched his cheek, and his eyes warmed again.

  “Thanks, baby.” He kissed her again. “Back to us. So you’re not afraid of adventure-type sports. That’s a plus.”

  “Even if I were, I’d try them with you, because you enjoy them. I want to share those things with you, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  “It is, sort of. You get time off from work, right?”

  “Sure, two weeks. Three after next year, I think.”

  “We may have to modify that a little,” he said with an air of confidence that made her curious about what was percolating in that handsome head of his. “Then there’s no reason you can’t come on some of the trips with me.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re talking like we’re a given.”

  “Aren’t we?” He lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. “When I think of tomorrow, I see you there with me. I want to think about us and where we’re headed.”

  She was falling hard for him, too, but hearing Sam say it made her throat too thick with emotion to respond.

  “Let’s go someplace for the night and try it out,” he said excitedly. “See how we like going away together. We can go for a hike, fish, and sleep under the stars, or take a raft down the river and pick a spot.”

  “I’ve never slept beneath the stars. That sounds amazing, but you have your big event coming up. How can you afford the time off?”

  “I love that you worry about me, but the event is set. Now that Lira is handling the coordination and contacting clients, we’re in good shape. She’s amazing, by the way. When she comes down for the barbecue I’m going to talk with her about coming on board permanently.”

  “You can’t imagine how happy that makes me. She needs this so badly, Sam. You’ll change her whole world.” She touched his cheek and added, “Just like you’ve changed mine.”

  He pressed a tantalizing kiss to the hollow of her neck. “Ditto, baby. I need to take care of a few things in the office, but then we can take off. All you have to do is pack and decide what you’re up for. A river ride to an undetermined destination, an afternoon of skydiving, a hike, or whatever your little heart desires.”

  “Like you don’t already have the entire trip planned,” she teased. Little did
he know that everything her heart desired was right there in that room.

  **

  AFTER SAM WENT to work, Faith went home to pack. He had given her a very male response about what to pack. Bring comfortable clothes, extra shoes, and only the necessities you can’t live without. What did that mean? Only the necessities she couldn’t live without? She consulted her good friend Google and was overwhelmed with lists of gear and clothing, special shoes and lotions, but she stopped cold at the mention of going to the bathroom in the woods. Holy crap! How had she not thought about that? That was going to be embarrassment overload. Not for him, of course, because all guys loved talking about their bathroom habits, while women pretended they never went.

  She either needed a good excuse to back out of going on the trip, or she needed expert help. She grabbed her cell and called Charley, the only female she knew who had wilderness experience and knew her well enough to tell her if she should just back out. She didn’t want to back out of the trip. She loved spending time in Sam’s world, seeing him surrounded by elements that had been his steady calling forever.

  “Hey.” Charley sounded out of breath.

  “Hi. Do you have a sec?”

  “Oh my God!” Charley yelled. “How big? Yay!”

  Faith listened to Charley hooting and hollering, probably forgetting she even had Faith on the phone. Her voice went in and out, as if she were flailing her arms. Faith leaned back, smiling at Charley’s footloose behavior. When Charley came back on the phone, she was panting.

  “Sorry. Dane got a shark. It looks like an eight footer, but we’ll know soon. They’ve been trying for hours, and they’re tagging it now. You should see it. It’s gorgeous.”

  Faith cringed at the thought of being anywhere near a shark. But she was more curious about who Dane was. Charley almost never dated. She was too busy with school, her internship, and her part-time job at the bar. Faith didn’t think there was a man on earth who could keep up with her.

  “Who’s Dane?”

  “He owns the Brave Foundation. I’ve told you this before, haven’t I? Dane Braden? The guy I’m interning for?”

  “No, all you’ve ever said was…Wait. Dane Braden?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He’s only the best shark tagger around.”

  “I’m not exactly in the shark-tagging field, remember? Is he related to Sam Braden?” She heard Charley yell, “Hey, Lacy! Is Dane related to a Sam Braden?”

  “If he’s in Maryland, his wife said yeah, he is. Why? Do you know him?”

  “He’s my Sam.” For some reason the connection made her smile. She liked knowing that the man Charley worked for was related to Sam. It made her feel a little closer to Charley.

  “Wait. Is he the guy who sleeps with everyone under the sun?”

  Faith rolled her eyes. “Who told you that?”

  “Vivian, of course.”

  She was going to kill her! “God. When?”

  “I don’t know. A few weeks ago? The weekend she was at your place, I think.”

  “Well, he doesn’t anymore, thank you very much.”

  “Huh.”

  She pictured Charley’s hand on her chin, her index finger tapping her cheek, the way she did when she was contemplating marine biological things Faith couldn’t begin to understand.

  “Before you overscrutinize my boyfriend, I need your help.”

  “With the boyfriend? Yeah, not really my field of expertise.”

  “No kidding. We’re going on an overnight rafting trip, and I was searching online for ideas about what to pack. I hadn’t even thought about going to the bathroom in the woods. Char, what am I going to do?”

  “People do shit in the woods, Faith.”

  “What about toilet paper? Will it attract bears? Not only that, but how about—”

  “Hold on,” Charley said in her shut up now tone. “Before you get into a panic, it’s not nearly as bad as you’re building it up to be.”

  “So I shouldn’t cancel the trip?”

  “Ohmygod. Really? Because you might have to pee in the woods?” Charley laughed. “I love you, sis, but only you would consider such a thing.”

  Charley filled her in on biodegradable toilet paper, digging holes and covering the waste, and other not-so-pleasant things she really needed to but would rather not know about.

  “But I thought Sam owned a rafting company?”

  “He does.”

  “Then he’s got this shit down pat. Ha! Didn’t mean that pun. You have nothing to worry about. Pack comfortable clothes, shoes, sunscreen, and little else.”

  “Are you sure you’re not part guy? That’s pretty much what Sam told me to bring.”

  “I like him already.” Someone hollered, and Charley said, “Gotta go. Good luck and don’t stress over this. You can hide, he won’t see you, and no bears will eat you. Love ya.”

  Faith stared at her cell phone, shaking her head. She loved her whirlwind sister to death, but don’t stress over this? Like going to the bathroom in the woods with Sam around wasn’t going to be the only thing she thought of until she actually did it? Maybe she could hold it…for two days.

  **

  THE RAFT MEANDERED down the channel like a snake in the grass, smooth and easy for the first half hour or so into their trip, flowing faster the farther away from civilization they went. Sam paddled from his seat in the rear, keeping an eye on Faith, who was paddling like a pro. Sam had given Faith a quick safety course before they left Rough Riders, and he was sure she’d listened to exactly none of it, because she’d been too excited to get on the water. They’d been rafting for well over an hour, and by the position of the sun, he’d guess closer to two.

  Faith looked over her shoulder, flashing a bright smile that reached her eyes. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her look so beautiful, or so happy, as she tipped her face up toward the sun, then turned her attention back to the river.

  “Are you related to a guy named Dane Braden?” she asked.

  “He’s my cousin. You know of him?”

  She glanced back again, and he leaned forward and kissed her. They lingered there, their mouths barely touching. Sam felt their almost kisses in every ounce of his body, as enticing as a full-on, mind-blowing French kiss.

  “Mm,” she said, turning back to the river. “Charley interns for his foundation.”

  “Cool. I forgot Dane was out in Harborside. I think he and his wife are due to have a baby soon.”

  “Well, apparently that didn’t slow him down, because they were tagging a shark this morning.”

  “Nothing will ever slow Dane down. He’s one of those guys who has a vision and makes it happen. He’s relentless.”

  “Kind of like someone else I know.” She glanced over her shoulder. “This is so beautiful. I’m glad you suggested it.”

  “There aren’t many things more life affirming than a river. Isn’t it hard to believe that a little trickle of water can become a stream and eventually a river?” His eyes skated over the rocky riverbanks, dense trees, and greenery sprouting up from the dusky water. “Think of how many plants and animals this river feeds. She gives and gives and gives—food, water, transportation.”

  “You talk as if it’s a person.”

  “She is. Like a lover, she kisses the shore, captures your attention, and requires a great deal of respect.”

  “As your lover, I hope I don’t ever smell like the river.”

  “Ah, but you do. Earthy, alluring, and unspoiled, with an underlying scent of ‘I want Sam.’”

  She laughed. “How do you make everything sound so wonderful?”

  “Just telling it like it is.”

  “Then tell me what all that white is up ahead of us.” She glanced back with wide eyes and whipped her head around.

  They were nearing an area of small rapids, nothing to write home about.

  “Speed bumps. They cause a bit of a splash but pose no threat.”

  “Says the man who’s afraid of nothi
ng.”

  He heard the worry in her tone and reassured her. “Remember how I taught you to paddle through rapids?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Good. The raft will tip up a little, and you’ll get wet, but we’ll just keep maneuvering down the river. It’s a wide, clear channel, babe. I promise you’ll be fine.”

  As the river picked up speed, the raft lifted and dropped, spraying their gear, which was secured to the front of the raft, and soaking Faith.

  She shrieked, then laughed. “I’m soaked!”

  “It’s my evil plan to get you out of your clothes.”

  They rode the rougher water, laughing and teasing. Faith shrieked when water splashed over her face, but it was a shriek of delight, which made Sam even happier. Faith had been so cautious with him that her confident approach to rafting and camping had surprised him. He’d thought she’d be just as wary about the new experience. The difference, he knew, was that now she trusted him completely.

  Faith turned her wet, happy face toward him. “That was so fun! I want to do it again.”

  He leaned forward and planted a hard kiss on her cheek. “Don’t ever doubt that we were made for each other. You kicked ass, baby.”

  Experiencing one of his greatest joys in life with Faith, feeling her excitement, watching her handle the raft without ever missing a beat, and knowing that sharing these adventures could be theirs, too, made Sam feel full to near bursting.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  WATCHING SAM DO anything was an effort in drool prevention, something Faith hadn’t quite mastered yet. But as Sam unloaded the gear, marking a site for the tent, stacking pots for cooking where he would later build a fire, and pulled out his guitar, much more than saliva pooled inside her. Her rough and rugged boyfriend had a romantic heart, and that made hers tumble in her chest.

  “You brought your guitar?” She took it from him as he retrieved a smaller bag from the pile of gear resting on the rocky shore.

  An easy smile lifted his lips. “Figured I’d play for my favorite girl, but I think you’ll like something else I brought even more.”