“I forgive you,” I say one last time against his mouth.
I finally close the tiny gap between us, kissing him. I slide my hand around his neck and lean into his hard body. Samuel sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and lets it drag through his teeth. He moans when I lick his parted lips.
“You taste like tequila and strawberry,” he says as we lay back in the sand.
We stay there, making out like teenagers, until the air turns cooler and stars dot the night sky. It’s a cycle of lust and need that builds into frantic kisses and rough hands, but then slows down again. As I lay there, I try to identify the overwhelming feeling radiating through my body. It’s unrestrained and so unfamiliar.
“You hungry?”
“Starving,” Samuel answers.
“Good, let’s go get some grub. I need a shower.”
“You sure do,” he says, making a face.
“Fuck you very much, Mr. Turner.”
“Frankly, I’m appalled by your foul language, Mrs. Turner.”
I giggle before throwing on my dress and shaking out the towel. We slowly make our way back to the hotel. I watch Samuel closely. He’s more relaxed now, even more than he was in Jack and Kelli’s kitchen. It’s so refreshing.
“Samuel?”
“Huh?”
“Will you teach me to speak Spanish?”
“I’m not sure I have the patience for that. I’ll just hire you a tutor once we get to Cabo.”
“Well, okay then, Mr. Moneybags.” He smirks at me and keeps walking. “Samuel?”
“What?”
“Exactly how much money do you have?” I ask.
“Enough.”
“Again with the vague answers? That is so annoying.”
“I’ve taken it on as a personal mission, Kat.”
“Taken what on?”
“Annoying you.”
“You’re very good at it. But don’t forget who the master of annoyance is. I wear that crown like a queen.” I punch him in the arm. Samuel feigns pain as we stumble into our room laughing.
I let the warm shower water wash over me and take away the sweat, sand, and saltwater. I feel light and giddy and I know it has everything to do with the gorgeous, somewhat difficult fugitive recovery agent slash hired thug in the next room.
Apart, we were lost and tumbling through life. We were only surviving, getting by. Together we’re a mess—a beautiful, promising mess. While I want to let loose and celebrate our escape, I don’t want to scare him away. Samuel is a complex man, and I haven’t quite figured out which buttons to press and which to avoid.
I dry my hair and slip into a purple wrap dress. It hugs my curves and after weeks of dirty jeans and Converse sneakers, these new clothes make me feel like a woman again. I exit the bathroom to find Samuel watching a Mexican game show on television.
His smile is genuine and his gaze paints me with desire. I spin for him and it seems to crumble his hard veneer even more.
“You look amazing,” he says while I slip into some strappy sandals.
“Thanks,” I say. “You clean up well, yourself, Sexy Fugitive Recovery Agent.”
“That’s not my life anymore,” he says, his eyes somber below a heavy brow.
“So what is your life now, Samuel?”
He glances down at his hands for a long moment, and when he looks back up at me, his eyes are filled with uncertainty.
“You’re still a work in progress,” I say as I head for the door. “Me too.”
The hotel restaurant isn’t crowded and we’re seated right away. I cross my legs beneath the table, my foot bouncing up and down. I can’t seem to concentrate on the menu. Samuel orders a margarita for each of us. There’s a strange air between us in this new territory. Nothing is defined.
“I think I want seafood,” I say.
He nods and continues to browse the menu. When the waiter returns Samuel orders for both of us and hands the menus over. An attractive girl, with a flower tucked into her hair, delivers our drinks from the bar. She says something in Spanish and he replies. She blushes and hurries off. Immediately, I want to scratch her eyeballs out.
“Wow, this is strong,” I say after taking a sip.
“Good.” He looks up at me through his lashes, one dimple appears next to his devious grin.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“Do I need to?” he asks. He already knows the answer.
My cheeks burn and I answer quickly. “No.”
Samuel swallows down his drink and holds my eyes. I’m not sure if it’s a challenge or if he’s looking for something.
“So, this is like a date,” I say.
“Is it?” He shifts in his seat while his fingers tap against the tabletop.
“Well, yeah. I thought … I shaved my legs and wore this dress. You ordered for both of us.” Samuel watches me flounder for a while. He doesn’t say a word while I talk myself around the elephant in the room. “I mean, you flirted with the bar girl. But then I pretty much promised you sex, soooo.… there’s that.”
He leans over the table, so that his blue eyes are lit by the candle’s dancing flame.
“I did not flirt with her,” he says. His stern expression keeps me quiet. “She asked if my wife was happy with our room.”
I lean forward, meeting him over the table. “What did you say?”
“I said the room is perfect, but the bed hasn’t been tested yet.”
“You did not,” I gush, averting my eyes and taking a sip from my drink.
Samuel nods and leans back in his chair. The sexually charged smirk he wears makes me want to vault over this table and drag him off to play. First, I need nourishment.
We don’t say much else as we wait for our food. There is a sense of liberation and intense need radiating from each of us. Even the waiter seems to keep his distance.
After two more margaritas and our dinners are finished we go back to the room to change into our swimsuits. I’m determined to go swimming and frankly, need to work off some of this nervous energy.
I change into my bikini and make a promise to send Kelli a thank-you for her impeccable taste and preparedness. I stand in front of the mirror and pull my hair up into a messy knot. Samuel slides in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. It’s a colorful band of inked images across my blank skin. It feels natural and at the same time electrifying. His fingers ghost along my ribs, and he pulls me back against his bare chest. His eyes meet mine in the mirror and I can’t help but return his smile before turning to face him.
“We’ve spent too long looking at each other through mirrors,” I say.
I place a kiss on the underside of his chin, grab a towel, and take off running. “Last one to the pool has a single-core processor!”
“What does that even mean?” he yells out as he chases me toward the pool.
It’s late and I’m happy to find the pool empty. I kick out of my shoes, throw down the towel, and jump into the warm water. I surface just in time to watch Samuel descend the steps.
It amuses me how our approach to the pool reflects so much about ourselves. He scanned the area, determined the steps were the safest way in and slowly immersed himself. I, however, ran and jumped into the water with no hesitation.
I dive beneath the surface and swim over to him. Wrapping my hands around his calves, I yank hard and pull him under. We come up for air at the same time, wearing matching grins. Samuel charges at me. His arms hold me tight as I struggle futilely.
“Remember what I said about payback, Kat?”
His fingers tighten around my waist, while his pinkies slide down and trace the top of my bikini bottoms.
“Umm, it’s a useless notion reserved for petty people?”
“Wrong,” he says before standing and throwing me to the other side of the pool.
I squeal and splash him, vowing revenge, but he doesn’t look worried. We race each other a few times, until we’re both out of breath.
“Shit, I n
eed to start working out again,” Samuel says leaning against the edge of the pool.
His hair is a mess, sticking up in all different directions. It makes him look childlike. But the way his arms rest on the edge of the pool, creating a line of lean muscled temptation, is all man. I swim over to him, place my hands on his shoulders and wrap my legs around his waist.
“I run an excellent cardio and endurance program if you’re interested,” I whisper against his wet skin.
I bite down on his neck and drag my tongue up to his jaw where I let my teeth scrape across his stubble. It’s then that I remember I’m ingesting tiny drops of Mexican water, but his satisfying hum makes me continue.
“Let’s go back to the room,” he says.
I need no further persuasion other than the sound of his raspy, desperate voice. I unwrap myself from Samuel and hop out of the pool. My body pulsates with excitement, the tension between us palpable. The night air feels cool against my wet skin and offers a bit of relief.
We practically run back to our room, barely making it inside the door before attacking each other. He pushes me against the wall and rips the towel away. The way his ravenous eyes rake over me destroys every bit of my self-control. I attack his mouth, tasting those perfect lips. I moan when he presses his body to mine. It’s hot skin and cold, wet patches of material between us.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he whispers. “You make me forget who I am.”
His hands touch me everywhere and still it’s not enough. He reaches up and pulls the elastic from my hair, but it gets stuck. His frustration makes me laugh and I reach up to finish sliding it out. The long wet tendrils stick to my shoulders as Samuel slides his hand around the back of my neck. His fingers weave through my hair and it feels like he’s afraid to let go. His chest swells with a deep breath as he pauses.
“Samuel,” I exhale. He places rough kisses along my shoulder, a trail to my ear.
“I’ll never get tired of the sound of my name on your lips,” he says against my skin.
“Samuel,” I plead again.
My fingers slide down his chest and stomach, resting at the waistband of his board shorts. Without looking, I pull the drawstring free from its knot. I’d like to say the material fell away, revealing his gorgeous body to me, but wet clothes do not work that way. Samuel pushes them down and they land around his feet with a heavy slopping sound.
I grab his hand and pull him to the bed, sitting him on the edge. I stand between his knees and run my fingers through his hair. As much as my body begs me to speed things up, I can’t deny taking it slow. This time I want to see all of him. I want to cherish every touch, every kiss. I want to live in this moment.
I pull on the knots behind my neck and back. The red strings hang from two triangles clinging to my breasts. Samuel palms each one and pulls them away. He wets his lips before placing soft kisses there.
“Enough teasing,” I groan.
He smirks at me and pulls the strings at each hip before yanking my bottoms off. The force makes me fall forward and we tumble onto the bed together. His hands never leave my body. His lips place hard kisses in soft places and make me shiver when his hot breath fans over my skin.
“Please,” I breathe out, not sure what I’m begging for. I only know I need more.
Samuel covers my body with his own, and I love the weight of him holding me down. As I writhe beneath him, he continues his torturous path across my skin. He dots my inner thighs with kisses and gentle nibbles as I slide my hand into his hair.
When his lips and tongue taste me there I let out a cry. My fingers tighten in his hair, as my hips rock up to meet him. My body is quickly overwhelmed in the divine chaos, swirling heat, and prickling skin. Our bodies instinctually work together, seeking a common goal of breathless satisfaction. My thighs twitch, an involuntary reaction to his talents, and when I look down to find his eyes on mine, I’m lost.
“Samuel! Oh God!”
My body tenses, every muscle tight with pulsing pleasure and the release I need. After a minute, I let go of his hair and melt into the mattress. A cool breeze comes through the open patio doors and lays across us like satin sheets. I feel him crawl up and lie next to me on the bed, though I can’t move a muscle. I want to thank him or worship him or sing hallelujah praises. All I can do is exhale.
“No wonder Natasha wants you back,” I say.
I crack one eye open to find him frowning at me. He cages me in his arms and presses his lips to my ear.
“There is no conversation about my ex during sex.”
I smile and lift my hips to meet his. “Technically, we aren’t having sex right now.”
Samuel’s eyes become tiny slits. “That should be rectified immediately,” he says.
“There are condoms in my purse.”
“Kelli is a fucking genius,” he growls against my neck.
I slide out of his grip and dig through my bag on the floor. I toss one foil packet to Samuel and watch as he rolls it on. The look on his face is feral, it makes my insides hum. All I can do is nod dumbly when he presses against me.
Samuel fills me and it’s as if we’ve never been apart. Sweat-covered bodies collide again and again, composing a heavy rhythm that only we can create. He takes me roughly and unapologetically and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I beg him for it, whispering profanities and prayers as he brings me higher.
He lifts one of my legs, resting it on his shoulder. The warmth and tightness inside me intensifies with the new position. Each time his hips meet mine, it’s pure bliss, a connected circuit sending fire through my veins.
Slowly and surely, my climax crawls up my body. I can feel it like a pulse through my limbs. It pools in my gut until pleasure explodes. I cry out and pull Samuel closer. I don’t let him go until he moans through his own release and falls on the bed beside me.
I cling to him as if my life depends on it and as I drift off to sleep, I remember that at one time, it did.
21. HIM
Light and shadows filter in through waving curtains, stirring me from the best sleep I’ve had in years. Kat lays draped across my body, her flaming red hair fanned over my chest. The blanket lays in a heap at the foot of the bed, a jumbled pattern of teal, yellow, and red. The stark white sheet rests across both of us, gently rising and falling as if it were breathing on its own. Every point of contact between our bodies seems to burn in the most pleasurable way.
My mind races with questions of how I got here or what I’m doing, but I ignore them for now. I just want to stay wrapped up in this girl that I can’t seem to let go of.
If I could control time, I’d go back and forth between last night and this morning. I want to only exist inside her and waking up to her. Kat stirs and her hand drifts down to below my navel. The feather-light touch of her fingertips on my skin lights a fire inside me.
I roll her over and lay on my side. Kat is stunning wrapped in white sheets and nothing else. I lean in and kiss where her neck meets her shoulder, trailing down between her breasts. Kat hums and squirms beneath me.
“Mmm, five more minutes,” she begs. “Sleep.”
I laugh at her and pull the sheet up to her shoulders as she falls back asleep.
I’m hungry and in desperate need of coffee, so I decide to get up and go in search of breakfast. I take a quick shower and walk over to the hotel’s restaurant. I sit at the bar and order chorizo, potato and egg breakfast tacos, and coffee for each of us.
While I wait for my order, I place a call to my assistant.
“Boss,” he says into the phone before yawning loudly. “Sorry.”
“Brad, I’m letting you know that I’m out of the game. Off the grid.”
“What? Why?” he shrieks.
“Don’t worry, you can still work with Jack. He’ll set you up with something new.”
“Do you need me to pack your stuff and send it somewhere?”
“No. You can take what you want and sell the rest,” I answer.
&
nbsp; There’s nothing but silence on the other end of the line. I pull the phone away to make sure it’s still connected and place it back to my ear.
“Brad?”
“Give me a sec. I’m in shock.”
I chuckle. “I’ll transfer your last payment and then we’re done. It was great working with you.”
“It was an honor, Oz. Will I ever see you again?” he asks.
“I doubt it. Take care.”
I end the call and place my phone on the bar. Even though that phone call signifies the end of my career, I don’t feel dismal about it. I thought that when I retired, a part of me would mourn that life and everything I left behind, but I don’t feel one ounce of regret. I’m right where I should be, at a new beginning. Whether that beginning includes Kat or not, I’m still not sure.
The waitress brings my order and I pay her, handing over a generous tip. When I get back to the room, I let myself in quietly in case Kat’s still sleeping. The bed is empty and the bathroom door closed. I let go of the door and a gust of wind slams it closed.
“Sam?” I hear her yell.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Kat sticks her head out of the bathroom.
“I didn’t know where you went. I thought you…”
I wait for her to finish, but she doesn’t. Kat just looks down at the tile floor.
“You thought I left?” I ask.
She nods without looking at me. I put our food down and walk over to her. I lift her chin with my fingers and force her to see me.
“I told you I would get you to Cabo and make sure you were safe.”
“Okay,” she says. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
She closes the door between us as I retrieve my needed coffee.
“I got us breakfast,” I shout.
I open the boxes of food and set them out on the table, along with plastic forks and small containers of hot sauce. Kat emerges and sits down on the opposite side of the table.
“Thanks,” she says, holding up her coffee before sipping it.
We eat breakfast in silence. Both of us steal insecure glances across the table as if we don’t intimately know each other’s secrets.
“What time is our flight?” Kat asks.
Held Against You Page 20