Sam couldn’t take his eyes off Riley. Now almost five months old, Sam had missed a whole lot of his early development, but as he lay there he promised himself he wouldn’t miss a minute more than absolutely necessary. He’d wanted to argue with Erin back there in the kitchen, to insist that whatever they did today include Riley as well, but he couldn’t tip his hand too early. He would reveal who he was in relation to Riley in good time. She probably wouldn’t take the news well, especially when she found out that he’d had her tracked down to jump ahead of the slow-turning wheels of the legal system.
But it was worth it. Every second had been worth it. And he and Erin were on the precipice of something special, he knew it. They’d make a great family, raising Riley together. She was falling in love with him, he felt it with every glance, every special thing she did for him. It wasn’t arrogance that made him feel the strength of her emotions toward him. It was an intense and deep-seated awareness. An awareness that he, too, was developing the same level of feelings toward her.
Acknowledging that had been more than half the battle for Sam. After Laura, he hadn’t expected or wanted to love again, and his life had become bitter and empty for that lack within it. Now, he could feel a wholly different love. One no less special than what he’d shared with Laura, but one that was enriched by what both he and Erin had been through, what they’d endured to get where they were today.
Beneath his hands, Sam relished the feel of Riley’s sturdy little body, of the miracle of the cells that had developed and grown and made the whole child. Of the gift that this tiny person was here, in part, because of him. It was an overwhelming responsibility, one Sam looked forward to bearing upon his shoulders for the rest of his life.
He tickled Riley’s tummy and was rewarded with a belly laugh that made him laugh in return.
“You are the most amazing little boy,” he said out loud, picking the baby up and dangling him over him.
Riley laughed again, reaching for Sam’s face, his plump little fingers patting his cheeks as if in agreement with what he’d just said.
Erin came in through the doorway. “Well, you two look like quite the mutual admiration society.”
Sam smiled back, “And the problem is?”
“No problem,” she replied, lowering herself to the floor beside them. “You look good together.”
Which was only right and natural, Sam thought, but she didn’t know that. Not yet, anyway.
Outside they heard the sound of Sasha’s car pulling up and then the back door opening as she let herself in.
“We’re through here,” Erin called.
“Hi, I’m sorry I was running a little late,” Sasha said breathlessly as she came through the door. “One of the girls was a bit under the weather this morning. Tony’s staying home with her. Oh, hello.” She cut off abruptly when she realized Erin wasn’t alone.
“Hi,” he said briefly. “I hope your daughter will be okay.”
“You should have called. I could’ve changed our plans,” Erin protested.
“No, I wouldn’t hear of it. Seriously, she’ll be fine,” Sasha assured them. “There’s a nasty cold going around at the moment. Rest and fluids and her dad’s devoted attention and she’ll be as good as new in no time. Besides, it’ll be good for her dad to play nursemaid for a change.”
Erin laughed. “He’s a great father. You’re very lucky.”
“No, it’s not lucky. Parenting is a two-person job most of the time and it’s all about sharing the load in our house.”
“I agree,” Sam said, straightening up from the floor, now holding Riley against his chest with one arm. “That’s the way it should be.”
He looked forward to when he could openly claim his place as Riley’s father. He planned to be fully hands-on with his care and decisions about his future.
“You two had better get going,” Sasha suggested, “and let me do what I came here to do.” She put her hands out to Riley who happily went into her arms.
“Thanks for coming, Sash,” Erin said. “I do appreciate it.”
“Hey, you know I love it. One kid at a time is such a luxury. Now, get going before the day disappears on you.”
“Come on then.” Erin turned to Sam and gave him a gentle nudge toward the door. “You heard the woman. We’ll see you later, Sasha. Bye, Riley-bear.”
Erin gave Riley a kiss on his cheek then frowned.
“Does he feel a bit warm to you?” she asked her friend.
Sasha felt his forehead and shook her head. “He’s fine. Don’t worry about us. Go and enjoy yourselves.”
“You have my cell number, right? Call me if there are any problems, okay?”
Sam felt a surge of frustration that he didn’t have the right to be consulted as to Riley’s well-being. The emotion was tempered with the knowledge that Erin wouldn’t willingly leave her son if she genuinely thought something was amiss. Even so, it wasn’t easy to just walk away when all he wanted to do was cherish every minute with their boy. Anticipation for whatever surprise Erin had prepared for him was the only thing that propelled him out of the room.
As they reached the kitchen Sam asked, “Is there anything I need to bring?”
“Maybe a light jacket. It can get quite cold out on the water, even on a lovely clear day like this.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you at the end of the pier in a couple of minutes.”
“Good. I’ll go get the motor started up.”
Sam went upstairs as quickly as he could manage and grabbed a windbreaker from his wardrobe. On his way back out, he couldn’t quite rid himself of the urge to see his son one more time before they left. He popped his head into the sitting room where Sasha was seated in one of the deep armchairs, reading to Riley.
“You’re off now then?” Sasha asked, looking up from the book.
“Yeah, you two have a good day and don’t hesitate to call if there are any problems with Riley.”
“I promise,” Sasha said, giving him a strange look.
Maybe he’d overplayed it, he thought as he let himself out the back door and headed toward the pier. But when it came to his child, he’d do whatever it took to keep him safe, no matter what anyone thought.
Ten
Motoring back toward Connell Bay, Erin took a moment to enjoy her surroundings. It had been idyllic on the lake, although the breeze across the water had been chilly. For now, Sam was at the helm and Erin took a moment to relish the sight of him. So tall, so strong, so entirely masculine. He looked happier than he had when he’d arrived at Connell Lodge, and the outing today had thrown extra color into his cheeks. God, how would she cope when he had to return to San Francisco?
Her heart was utterly and irrevocably wrapped up in this man. Being alone with him today had only underscored her growing feelings for him. There’d been a sense of togetherness, of unity, that she’d never experienced with anyone else before. Today had been a gift of time.
“Where do you want to anchor?” Sam asked as he dropped the engine speed back to a slow cruise.
“Just a little farther.” She stood close behind him, one hand on his shoulder, the other pointing to the spot she had in mind for their picnic. “There’s a natural shelf just there. It’s the best place to drop anchor.”
He deftly maneuvered the vessel to where she’d indicated and activated the winch to release the anchor to settle onto the lake floor below them. Once he was satisfied they were secured, he shut the motor off.
“That was great. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed boating.”
“You did really well. You had a boat back home in New Zealand?”
“Oh, yeah. Similar to this beauty. I miss it, actually. I might look into getting a berth and something like this when I’m back in San Francisco.”
She felt the words as if they were barbed arrows fired straight at her chest. She forced a bright smile to her face, determined not to think about that time when he might be leaving and to make the most of their time today.
“Hungry?” she asked, heading into the cabin where she’d stowed the picnic basket.
“Definitely. Do you need a hand?”
“Sure. I put a bottle of wine in the refrigerator. Can you grab it and the glasses from the rack above? I’ll set the food out.”
Erin brushed against him as they moved about in the compact galley, her senses swinging into high alert as they did so. She wanted nothing more than to wrestle him down onto one of the banquettes and have her wicked way with him right now, but she’d planned everything about this day so carefully, she wasn’t about to give in to rash impulses now. A tiny smile played around her lips as she thought about what she had in mind.
“Care to share the joke?” Sam asked, bringing the wine and glasses to the table she’d set up on the back deck of the launch.
“Soon,” she promised.
“Soon, huh? I am intrigued. Are you going to give me a hint?”
She shook her head. “Nothing you won’t enjoy, later.”
He laughed and reached out to cup her face with one large warm hand. She turned her face in toward him, kissing his palm.
“There, that’ll have to suffice for now.”
“I can’t wait,” he said with one brow raised.
Heat suffused her cheeks. She could barely wait either, but anticipation was half of the fun today. They had time to really enjoy one another, and they would. She quickly laid out the food she’d packed and put together the fixings she’d brought for a smoked chicken and papaya salad, her much-loved buttermilk dressing, crusty French bread and a selection of sliced fruit to enjoy after lunch. Sam poured them each a small glass of the perfectly chilled sauvignon blanc and lifted his in a toast.
“To the perfect hostess,” he said, clinking his glass with hers.
“To the perfect guest,” she answered, lifting her glass and taking a sip of the crisp wine.
He didn’t take his eyes off her as she drank and she felt the hum that had been simmering through her body since early this morning step up a gear. He didn’t say a word, but she knew exactly what he was thinking as his eyes dropped to her lips. She licked them, savoring the taste of the wine, but savoring the expression on his face even more. His pupils dilated, his cheeks flushed with a heat that had nothing to do with the breeze or the sun they’d enjoyed so far today.
A tingle ran up her spine and she averted her gaze, concentrating instead on picking up her fork and sampling the salad. Sam eventually did the same.
The afternoon light was stunning, and the situation glorious. The soothing lap of the water against the hull of the boat was sinfully relaxing and they were the only boat in the bay. One of the advantages of the narrow entry into Connell Cove was that many boaters missed it completely while out on the lake. They ate for a while in companionable silence. Erin refused Sam’s offer to top up her wine. She really wanted her wits about her for what she had planned for the balance of their day together.
Sam shifted in his seat and she couldn’t miss the swiftly masked expression of pain that crossed his features.
“How’s your leg holding out on the boat?”
“Okay,” he said, but she could see he was hurting.
“Does massage help?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted.
“How about I give you a massage? Have you had enough to eat?”
She raised her eyes to his again, and saw an answering flare in his. There was no question he was hungry, but that hunger had nothing to do with food.
“Here,” she said, holding out her hand. “Come into the cabin and I’ll see what I can do to make you more comfortable.”
She led him down the four steps into the boat’s interior and toward the large V-shaped berth in the forward section.
“Now, let’s get you more comfortable,” she said with a suggestive smile.
“Whatever the lady wants,” Sam replied in kind and shucked off his sweater over his head then kicked off his shoes before dropping his jeans to the floor. “Will this do?”
Erin ran a hand down his chest, across his abdomen and lower, skimming the growing hardness in his boxer briefs. “For now,” she said.
She raised her hand to his chest and gave him a playful shove toward the berth, its wide expanse not unlike the California king-size beds she had in the guest rooms at the lodge. Once he was lying down, she stripped down to her underwear, thankful that she still had a matching set that was both sexy and managed to fit her. She climbed onto the bed next to him.
“Very nice,” Sam commented as she rose to her knees on the bed and took the massage oil from the built-in shelving where she’d stowed it earlier.
He reached for her, his hands skimming her waist and up her rib cage, sending tiny shimmers of electricity across her skin. She grabbed his hands and drew them away from her body. She wanted today to be all about him and how she felt about him.
“Just relax,” she whispered as she placed his hands on either side of his body. “Let me do all the work this time.”
He lowered his eyelids, gazing at her with a deep and dark sensual look that sent a thrill of excitement through her. One thing she’d noted about his lovemaking in the past week was that he was a giver, not a taker. He liked to be in control, to pace their activity, to ensure that she was left fully satisfied in every way. It had been incredible. She’d never known anything, or anyone, like that before. Someone so generous and unselfish. He more than deserved the same in kind.
Erin twisted the cap off the bottle of massage oil, and poured a little into her hand before tucking the bottle safely back into the shelving unit. The essential-oil-infused liquid warmed quickly in her hands and she smoothed it over Sam’s injured leg in long, smooth strokes.
“Tell me if that pressure is too much.”
He merely grunted as she deepened the pressure, using all the skills she’d read about while preparing for today. Mindful not to do more harm than good, she poured a little more oil in her hands and worked on his other leg as well, before moving higher on his torso.
Her hands were tingling with the sensation of the smooth oil coasting over his warm skin and she was aware of his growing arousal as she hovered over his body. His growing arousal and her own. She stroked her hands over his shoulders, relishing the strength beneath her touch, before massaging down each of his arms and finishing with his hands.
“All good?” she asked, trying for a sexy drawl.
“Mmm-hmm,” he murmured, still watching her from beneath those half-lidded eyes.
“It’s about to get better,” she promised, skimming her hands back down over his body and to the waistband of his briefs. “Lift your hips a little,” she commanded.
As he did she eased his briefs over his hips, and down his long legs. She tossed them to the floor and ran her fingers up the insides of his legs.
“Now for the fun part,” she whispered, and bent down to blow warm air over his straining flesh.
She cau
ght his erection in one hand, loving the silk-on-steel feel of his skin. Her hands were still slick from the massage oil and she slid them from base to tip and down again, squeezing gently as she did so. He groaned beneath her touch, a flush of heat suffusing his chest and throat.
“You like that?” she teased.
“You know I do, wretched woman,” he ground out in response.
“How about this?”
She bent lower, and used the tip of her tongue to trace the rim of the swollen head of his penis. He jerked at her touch, his hips and thighs tense.
“Yes, that, too,” he growled.
“Good. Then you’ll like this, too, I hope.”
She closed her lips around him, swirling her tongue around and around and sucking at his engorged flesh as if he were a feast laid out before a starving person. With one hand she cupped his sac, gently massaging him, while with the other she stroked him in rhythm with the actions of her mouth, her tongue, her lips. She felt him begin to tremble beneath her, felt his fingers catch in her hair. And then she felt him break, tasted the rush of his climax, heard the guttural cry wrenched from deep inside him. His body spasmed beneath her, his hips bowing upward as the waves of pleasure shook him until he was spent.
She slowed her motions, eventually releasing his softening length to fall against his belly. She stretched out alongside him, one arm tracing the outline of his ribs as his breathing, at first ragged, eventually calmed to a normal rhythm. Sam rolled onto his side to face her and reached to pull her hard against his body before capturing her lips in a kiss that was hard and deep and wet. Every nerve in her body responded and she felt herself grow damp between her legs even as tension coiled tight in the hidden recesses of her body.
“Your turn, I believe,” he rasped against her lips, rolling over her body before propping himself up on knees that straddled her hips.
“No, Sam, you don’t have to. I wanted to give you that, to show you—”
Her voice broke off. Now the moment was here, the words she had wanted so much to share with him still lingered on her tongue, afraid to make it out into the wide world where they could be used against her. Could even hurt her.
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