Body Rocks [The Andersons 3] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Marie Jermy

  “So I take it I have your permission, then, Mr. Anderson?”

  Her father frowned. “Only on one condition. And that is, you drop the Mr. Anderson and call me Ross.”

  He mumbled something else under his breath, and Samantha could have sworn her father said, “Or Dad.” Her mother then entered the room, also mumbling. Again, Samantha could have sworn her mother said, “And I’m Mom.” She rolled her eyes. Her parents had gone out of their way to be matchmakers with Ramona and Rex. Now it seemed they were doing the same with her and Daniel. Daniel gave no indication of whether he heard or not, and she didn’t know if she should be pleased.

  “When you’re in LA, you must pop into Hollywood Station to see Frank and Joe.” Jess handed a mug of coffee to her husband before energetically flicking a duster over the photo frames on the mantel. “I know they’d love to see you. It’s about time Joe had a smile on his kisser. He’s been a sourpuss for far too long.”

  “Will do,” Samantha said. A frown appeared when she noticed there was one less photo on the mantel. Her frown deepened when she realized it was Sam Carrick’s photo that was missing. Her questioning glance at her mother went unanswered, so she tugged on Daniel’s arm. “Come on, let’s take the laptop outside and book our flights.”

  Picking up the laptop from a sideboard, she made her way out to the back garden, a knot of unease settling in her stomach. Something wasn’t right. She settled in the seat of the arbor, flipped the lid of the laptop open, and pressed the power button. Daniel sat beside her, his thigh brushing hers.

  “Have I missed something?” he asked. “You’ve got a frown on your face the size of my cock—um, I mean dick—earlier this morning.”

  “Sam’s gone.” The knot in her stomach doubled in size at the disquiet that settled on Daniel’s face. Something definitely wasn’t right. She’d noticed that rattled expression every time somebody called her “Sam.” Then in a blink of an eye, it disappeared and his face became relaxed. Still, his voice sounded strained.

  “What do you mean ‘Sam’s gone’?”

  “The photo of Sam Carrick, the man I’m named in memory of, is no longer on our mantel.” Her brow wrinkled in thought. “Hmm, now that I come to think of it, it hasn’t been there for some time now. I wonder why.”

  “I’m sure he’ll turn up sooner or later.”

  “Hmm, maybe.” Samantha smiled at Daniel, and the knot of unease dissolved into a tingling warmth that spread through her limbs and coated the crotch of her panties with creamy arousal. The amber flecks in his blue eyes had begun to glow. The same niggling memory from before skirted the back of her mind, but again, the more she tried to bring it forward, the further it receded.

  She sighed and gave up, instead putting the laptop beside her. She gave the house a cursory glance—not that for one minute did she think her parents would be watching them—and then placed a hand on the noticeable bulge stretching the denim of Daniel’s jeans. She began to rub and squeeze his dick.

  “What are you doing?”

  “What do you think I’m doing?”

  “Well, you’re not booking our flights, that’s for sure.”

  She laughed. “Shall we book our flights and then go somewhere private? My house or back to the B and B?”

  “Baby, I don’t think I can last that long.”

  Her mouth formed an O of surprise when Daniel unbuttoned his fly and eased the hard length of his dick free. He took her hands and placed them around the rigid shaft. “I know I said earlier we’ll only do ‘naughty’ on special occasions, but can we do ‘naughty’ now? I’m so turned on, baby. I’ll be quick. Real quick. It’s the effect you have on me. I can’t get enough of you. I want you all the time, baby. You’re so beautiful and sexy and…”

  Samantha’s response was to tease the slit of his dick with her thumb, making him exhale a long moan. He exhaled further long moans while she rubbed her hands back and forth along the thick length. Then she realized Daniel’s sounds of pleasure were getting louder. “Is there any chance you can come quietly?” she asked.

  “Only if you come with me.”

  Daniel waggled his eyebrows at Samantha and pulled her to her feet. He steered her around the back of the arbor, where he swiftly removed her panties. He tugged her down to the grass and maneuvered her over him so that her head was level with his dick and his head was between her thighs, hidden underneath her dress. “You suck. I’ll lick. And nobody will hear us come ’cause we’ve both got our mouths full.”

  Any protests Samantha wanted to make about performing oral sex in her parents’ back garden were blasted away with the first sweep of his tongue across her damp pussy. Pussy? She wasn’t at all shocked at her second use of the word. In fact, it suited her. Vagina sounded so virginal, and she wasn’t a virgin anymore. Daniel had accepted her virginity with as much reverence as she had giving it to him. He’d breathed renewed hope into her once-soiled dreams of a “Happy Ever After,” and taught her that naughty sex complemented a loving relationship built on a lifelong friendship and trust.

  To say she was an ecstatic and willing pupil would have been putting it mildly. Especially as Daniel was her “Happy Ever After.” He was her hero and the man she loved with all her heart.

  Chapter 9

  During the flight to LAX, as Daniel sat beside an excited Samantha, he decided he was definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place when his godmother’s words sounded in his head.

  When you’re in LA, you must pop into Hollywood Station to see Frank and Joe. I know they’d love to see you.

  Daniel bet they would. But he didn’t think visiting the police station was a good idea. In fact, it was a real shit idea. Mainly because he hadn’t told Samantha his little secret. A secret he strongly suspected that Frank Walsh and Joe Richards knew about. They had to. They’d both worked with his father and Sam Carrick, albeit at different times, and they were good friends of the family. Loyal friends, too, no doubt. However, now that Daniel knew about his half brother, and just because Walsh and Richards had kept quiet for the last thirty years, it didn’t mean they would continue to remain silent for the next thirty.

  More words entered his head. The photo of Sam Carrick, the man I’m named in memory of, is no longer on our mantel. Hmm, now that I come to think of it, it hasn’t been there for some time now. I wonder why.

  So Samantha had noticed. Well, shit. That past he had wanted to let lie? It looked like it was set to explode in his face. Daniel had to tell Samantha before the shit hit the fan. He’d promised her, no secrets. And since he’d located his brain, it was a promise he wanted to keep.

  “My dad hates flying,” Samantha said, breaking into Daniel’s thoughts. She shifted excitedly in her seat, pressing her nose against the small oval-shaped window.

  “Yeah, Jessica’s the same.” Daniel squeezed her hand, drawing her attention back to him. “Sammy, I have something to tell you.”

  Her smile was so expectant, the love shining brightly in her emerald-green eyes—and he was damned sure it was love—so breathtaking, that the words “I’m Sam Carrick’s half brother” never made it past the sizeable lump in his throat. Did she love him like he did her? His heart did a little happy dance, which then faltered when a thought occurred to him. Would she still feel the same once he’d told her about Sam Carrick?

  No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that nothing would change and that their relationship was rock solid, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that that bombshell spelled disaster. Just like he suspected Walsh and Richards knew his secret, he suspected that when he told Samantha, their relationship was doomed.

  He had no idea why his godmother didn’t want her children to know that he and Sam were half brothers, but a perfectly valid reason, or rather, angle, had occurred to him. Incest. He had to face the fact that if Sam had lived, there was a definite possibility that he and Jess would have married, and Samantha, Ramona, Ross Junior, and Matt would have been Sam’s children. Which made Daniel
what? He tried to think but gave up. He actually didn’t know what relation that would have made him to Samantha. He just knew they would have been related in some way.

  Of course, events hadn’t taken that route. Even so, Daniel believed that Samantha still might find it weird having a relationship with him. The idea of committing incest, even if they weren’t, was still a powerful reason to say no. He couldn’t take the chance that she’d think it was all bullshit, or “piffle” as he heard her say on occasions. Nor could he face a life without Samantha, without her love. He just couldn’t. So perhaps it was best to let the past lie.

  “Daniel?”

  Her expression had changed from excitement to worry, so Daniel pulled himself together. “I, um, I’m glad you here. You know, that you said yes. That you agreed to come home with me.” Christ, he was making a hash of this. He inhaled a breath, blew it out, and then entwined his fingers through hers. “We’re gonna have so much fun. In and out of my bed,” he added with a wink.

  She laughed. “Oh, I do hope so.” She turned her attention back to the window and let out a squeal. “I can see it! LA. We’re nearly there!”

  Laughing, Daniel leaned over so his face was beside Samantha’s, his nose also pressed to the window. Their combined breath fogged the thick Perspex. “Want to join the Mile-High Club before we land?” he whispered.

  She jerked her head toward him, and he caught her surprised gasp with a long, hard kiss. A bout of harsh coughing from the seat behind shot Daniel and his hard cock back down to the land of common sense. He wasn’t stupid enough to get himself and Samantha arrested, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t pretend to join the Mile-High Club with a little role-play once they got to his house. The old leather recliner in his study would make the perfect “plane” seat.

  That horny thought in mind, Daniel pulled away and, settling in his seat, fastened his belt. His ears popped as the aircraft banked and began its descent. Some minutes later, the tires kissed the runway.

  As the plane taxied toward its designated arrival gate, passengers got to their feet and began taking their luggage from the overhead storage lockers. That always amused him. It wasn’t like they could get off or anything. And hadn’t the flight attendant just announced for passengers to remain in their seats until the aircraft had stopped and the seat belt signs had blinked off?

  With an amused smile, Daniel shook his head and turned to Samantha. She was so excited he was surprised she hadn’t leapt from her seat and skipped down the aisle by now. He’d caught several men on the flight openly staring at her, and who could blame them. Her hair was styled in the familiar topknot. Her emerald-green shift dress, cinched at the waist by a thin black belt, matched her eyes beautifully, and was teamed with a cream cardigan that ended just beneath her gorgeous breasts. She’d called it a bolero. He’d called it a damned arresting sight that made his cock ache.

  Samantha’s excitement was contagious, which was a good thing, really. Especially when, after collecting their luggage, Daniel discovered the Humvee he had reserved online before they’d left Silver Creek had been given to somebody else by mistake and the staff at the car rental company had given him a VW Beetle instead. He didn’t know how a Beetle could compensate for a Humvee, but he shelved his protests and complaints when Samantha took hold of his hand and led him away.

  He only had himself to blame. It had been his idea to rent a car. His own SUV was back in Silver Creek, and since the initial drive from LA to Yellowstone and then onto Silver Creek had been a bit of a bitch, he’d decided he could do without a repeat performance on the homeward journey. Hence the flight. The fact that he wanted Samantha in his bed super fast had been a no-brainer.

  “Oh, how adorable,” Samantha exclaimed, clapping her hands while Daniel loaded their luggage into the trunk.

  He winced. “Adorable? You’re adorable, baby. This bug of a car…” He slammed the trunk lid closed. “…is not.” He got in the driver’s side and pulled the seat as far back as it would go. Though he surprisingly found he had ample leg room, he still felt squashed. “I think you’re gonna have to unkink me when we get home,” he told Samantha with a teasing grin and emphasizing the kink part.

  “You sleep on a rack?” she replied with an equally teasing grin. “Does it have chains and whips?”

  “Hmm, I’m definitely loving your naughty side, baby, but I wouldn’t have pegged you as a Miss Whiplash.” Her face flushed a lovely pink color. “Hey, baby, you can tie me up and whip me anytime.”

  She laughed and lightly rubbed his cock. “I might just do that then.”

  His cock sprang into instant action. “Hold that thought, baby.”

  The journey to Simi Valley was pleasant and surprisingly done without exceeding the speed limit. Pulling the “adorable bug of a car” under the carport adjoining the single-story house that he called home, Daniel alighted and went around to Samantha’s door.

  He stopped mid-stride and stood stock-still. Goose bumps lifted the hairs on his arms. Somebody was watching him. The same person who’d followed him in Manila and Yellowstone, yet surprisingly not Silver Creek. He spun around and scanned the street but saw nobody.

  Whoever he was—and Daniel suspected it was male—was good. In fact, as good as his father, Ray. His father might be a retired FBI agent and PI, but he hadn’t lost his tailing skills. His father could follow a person like a shadow. But why would his father follow him? He wouldn’t, Daniel swiftly and firmly concluded. The strange feeling that the stalker’s identity was familiar to him made his arm hairs raise higher.

  He then jumped when Samantha slipped her hand in his and gave his arm a slight shake.

  “What’s wrong, Daniel? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay, baby.” He smiled and, spotting his next door neighbor disturbing the blinds from the window they were watching from, decided to tell a little white lie in order not to concern Samantha. Knowing he had a stalker would definitely spook her. “The woman from next door is watching us. Bit of a snoop, but she’s harmless enough. C’mon, let’s get inside and join the Mile-High Club.”

  Samantha’s emerald-green eyes flashed surprise and naked lust all in one blink. But it was the lovely blush that crawled up her neck and pinked her cheeks that made his cock rocket from semi-hard to rock-hard in one second flat.

  “What? How?” she wondered.

  “You’ll see.”

  Retrieving their luggage from the trunk, Daniel took his keys from his jeans pocket, unlocked the door, and followed Samantha inside. He ushered her through the first door on his right and dropped their luggage at the foot of the large wooden bed. “This is the master bedroom. There’s a spare next door. The study is opposite. The living room, kitchen, and bathroom are at the rear of the house. It’s all earthquake-proof, you know,” he added, a certain amount of arrogance and satisfaction creeping into his tone.

  “Heavens, you have a lot of books,” Samantha observed as she took in the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that lined two walls. She selected a book from the shelf closest to her. “Oceanography? I thought your vocation was geology.” She flipped the book open. “Oh, this is a library book…” Her brows lifted a fraction. “Daniel, it should have been returned six years ago!”

  He shrugged in a nonchalant fashion. “Oops.” He laughed at her exaggerated eye roll, put the book back on the shelf, and clasped her hands in his. “My house, as well as the others on this side of the street, are all earthquake-proof.”

  She smiled. “I thought I had a lot of books. You said you have a study. Have you any more books in there?”

  He frowned. “Yes. And a leather recliner that will make the perfect plane seat. But what do you think about my house being earthquake-proof?”

  “Very nice.”

  “‘Very nice’?” he repeated.

  “Yes, very nice. And very masculine,” she added, nodding her head toward the plain chocolate-brown comforter and half-folded green striped blanket that covered the bed. “I think it needs
a woman’s touch, though. Some cushions, maybe. And a carpet,” she added, tapping her foot on the hardwood flooring.

  “No, it just needs you.” Daniel drew Samantha closer to him. Multitasking, he used one hand to deftly remove her bolero, the other to tug her topknot loose. Her shoulder-length hair fell in a soft wave around her shoulders, and he swept it to one side to nuzzle her neck. The combination of her delicate, rose-scented skin and the soft mewl she uttered almost undid him on the spot. “C’mon, let’s go join the Mile-High Club.”

  “Don’t we need a plane for that?”

  “No, just my recliner and a little imagination.” He took her hand and led her into the study opposite. Her eyes widened at the shelves of books that lined the three out of four walls. Even beside the window, he’d knocked up a few shelves, but these contained CDs. He liked to listen to music while he tapped away on his computer. For some reason, music made his thinking clearer and his writing flow better.

  Daniel smiled as he ran a hand over the top of the worn, brown leather recliner. He had rescued the recliner and the large oak desk in front of the window from a dumpster. Both had been in a sorry state, but with a little love and a lot of attention, he had breathed new life into them. The brass handles and escutcheons he’d added to the desk drawers brought out the beauty of the wood.

  The recliner was old, oversized, and very comfortable, if a little rickety. Actually, Daniel didn’t realize how rickety it was until he was fully laid out on it and he’d helped Samantha to straddle him. He opened his legs to spread her thighs wide, and her dress rode up, giving him a tantalizing view of dewy-looking lace panties. Shifting slightly to get the rigid crease of his jeans out of his ass, he prayed the recliner wouldn’t collapse at an inopportune moment.

  * * * *

  “So, is this one of your fantasies?” Samantha asked, leaning over Daniel and dropping a kiss on his mouth. His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs rasping her nipples through the fabric of her dress, sending a warm ripple straight to her womb. She quickly unbuttoned his shirt, bearing his beautiful chest to her gaze.