by Various
Sam’s editor had been hounding her for a human interest story, so she’d thought of John and Alex’s work with these kids. She knew they needed to raise money for the youth center, and fundraising was all about publicity, so she’d convinced John to let her talk to the kids.
He’d warned her these kids might be tight-lipped. Those she’d spoken with so far had warmed up to her right away, but Tanya wasn’t being at all cooperative. Her next and last interview, Brian — the boy John was so concerned about — would probably be even worse.
She’d hoped to draw Tanya out of her shell with small talk. It hadn’t worked. She decided to cut to the chase. “Why did you join this program, Tanya?”
The girl shrugged a shoulder, let go of the braid and studied her flame-red fingernails as if they were the most interesting thing on earth. “You’re not gonna use my name, are ya?”
“The other kids don’t mind. Why do you?”
“My mom don’t know I’m in this program and I don’t want her to know.”
“I can’t imagine she’d be mad,” Sam said. “I’d think she’d be proud of you.”
Tanya raised her head and met Sam’s gaze. Her clear blue eyes were emotionless. “You don’t know my mom. Trust me. She’d be pissed.”
“Why?”
“She just would, okay?”
Sam nodded once. “Okay. How about I just use your first name?”
Tanya shrugged again. “Whatever.”
Sam hid her frustration. “Mr. Everest and Mr. Drake tell me you haven’t missed a session, but you never seem to participate. Why’s that, Tanya?”
The girl picked at her nails. Sam sighed. She’d had uncooperative interviews before, but once she’d worked them a bit, they’d always come around. She tapped her yellow pencil against her pad and glanced around the room in her frustration. She met John’s gaze from where he was assisting one of the boys. He’d been keeping close tabs on her since she arrived. Her protector. She smiled.
Tanya followed her gaze. “Are you and Mr. E an item?”
Sam turned back to the girl. “Uh, for the moment, yes.” The proverbial light bulb clicked on. Duh. Girl talk. She nudged Tanya’s knee and nodded her head in John’s direction. “He’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”
Tanya shrugged. “He’s okay for an old white dude.” Her glance drifted across the room. “Now Mr. D... he’s fine.” Her voice was dreamy.
John had filled Sam in about each of the kids. He’d mentioned his suspicion about Tanya having a crush on Alex. From the starry look in the girl’s eyes right now, Sam would say he was right. Alex was far too big and muscular for her taste, but she said, “Yes, he is. But you know, I have this rule about never dating a guy whose boobs are bigger than mine.”
Tanya’s eyes widened in surprise and she slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. After a moment, her eyes still sparkling with humor, she cleared her throat and said, “Um—” She picked at her nail polish. “Do you know if he has a girlfriend?”
“Alex?” Sam asked, glancing toward him. “Well, I haven’t heard that he does, but I don’t know for sure.” She turned to see a tiny grin tug on Tanya’s mouth. Sam stood. “Let’s go ask him.”
The look on the girl’s face was one of complete and utter horror and she tugged on Sam’s arm, pulling her back down. “No!”
Sam giggled. “I was just kidding. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Tanya sighed her relief, then smirked. Before long, the two were having a “deep” discussion about whether guys’ butts looked better in Levi’s or sweat pants. At a break in the conversation, Sam asked, “Speaking of guys, do you know Brian well?”
“That Brian?” Tanya pointed across the room. Sam nodded. “Not really. Why?”
“I need to talk to him next, but John — uh, Mr. Everest — told me that Brian isn’t very, um, talkative.”
“Don’t talk to no one. Won’t talk to you either I bet.”
Hmm. John had made the same prediction. Sam glanced over to the far corner of the room where Brian exercised by himself, a surly expression on his pale face. John had described him as bottom of the bucket. It was either turn to gangs and/or drugs, or turn his life around. He sure looked mean: shaved head, tattoo on his biceps, a jagged scar on his left cheek. And that hard, don’t-mess-with-me expression surely intimidated just about everybody he came in contact with.
For some reason, she wasn’t intimidated but fascinated. She knew her interest was due in part to John’s own interest. He’d said he felt a bond to this boy because he saw his younger self in Brian. But the other reason was the challenge. Two people had now told her Brian wouldn’t talk.
A little grin pulled at the corners of her mouth. “We’ll just see about that,” she muttered to herself as she marched over to him.
John saw where she was headed and cursed under his breath. Alex grabbed his arm before he could waylay her. “Relax, John-boy,” he said under his breath. “She’ll be fine. Maybe she’ll have more luck at getting him to talk than we did. I’d certainly rather talk to her than to our ugly mugs, you know?”
John’s heart pounded a million miles an hour as he watched Sam approach Brian. She said something to him and he shrugged, not really looking at her. She sat on a nearby bench to watch him finish his repetitions of biceps curls. She tightened her ponytail, and the movement pulled the material of her T-shirt taut across her breasts. He knew it wasn’t deliberate on her part — at least he hoped it wasn’t — but it sure got Brian’s attention.
He should have told her to wear a sweater. This room was always chilly and Sam’s nipples were erect to prove it. He himself had had a hard time not staring, and he was an adult. These boys were at the age of hormonal frenzy — he’d caught every one of them staring at Sam’s gorgeous chest. They’d probably have wet dreams of her tonight. The thought really pissed him off.
It wasn’t her fault. She’d dressed in a Seattle Sharks T-shirt over a pair of faded blue jeans torn at one knee. Simple. Understated. Normal. But it didn’t matter what she wore. She could dress from head to toe in a burlap sack and she’d still be a walking advertisement for lust. She was sex incarnate, whatever her attire.
He scowled. She picked that moment to glance up. Something passed between their eyes and smile curved her lips. His insides constricted, then turned to mush. For at least one more night, that sexy firecracker would be his. Her period was due in just a few days. And beyond that? He wouldn’t think about it.
Alex’s high-pitched chuckle caught John’s attention. “What?”
Alex just shook his head. “You, man. You’re a lost cause.” He punched John’s arm and walked away, still chuckling.
John frowned and glanced back at Sam. She and Brian were having some sort of discussion. The boy barely looked at her, but she was focused on him. John wished the music blasting from the CD player wasn’t so loud so he could hear what they were saying.
Sam glanced up and met his gaze again. She gave a small jerk of her head as if to tell him to mind his own business. Her lips twitched though, and he knew she wasn’t angry. He nodded at her, then looked around for something to do. Everyone was occupied. Alex spotted LaMarcus and Damian on the squat rack. Ahmad and Pete spotted each other on the bench press. Kevin used the pulldown machine. Robyn stretched in front of the mirrors. Tanya danced near the stereo, tuning everyone out as usual, and Howie and Virgil checked her out from a nearby mat. John couldn’t really blame the boys — he’d probably have found her hot when he was their age, too. With a smirk, he headed in their direction, deciding their time could be put to better use.
He glanced over at Sam and Brian as he walked across the room and almost did a double-take.
Brian was laughing.
Except for the occasional glance, Brian completely ignored Sam for at least five minutes after she approached him. She hated to be ignored. He just curled that blasted dumbbell to his shoulder. Up. And down. Up. And down. She followed the movements with her eyes until sh
e was ready to scream.
Finally, he was done. His gaze rolled toward her. “You still here?” His blue eyes were flat and emotionless, like a shark.
Even though that look sort of freaked her out, Sam’s heart went out to the boy. He was just a kid. Only fifteen. She wondered what kind of life he’d led to steal the light from his eyes. She remembered John had been like this, and the thought saddened her. She wanted to reach out and touch Brian’s arm, tell him there were people who cared about him, but he’d probably break her nose. She decided to play his game. “Cut the crap, Brian. You know I’ve been sitting here waiting for you to finish. Now are you going to answer my questions or not?”
“Go fuck yourself.” His voice squeaked.
Sam couldn’t help it. She had to laugh. Here’s this tough-as-nails kid who makes what he thinks is a tough-as-nails statement and his not quite matured voice squeaked. She slapped a hand over her mouth, not wanting to antagonize the kid further.
He obviously heard his brief falsetto, too, because for just an instant his eyes glittered with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, Brian. It’s just that I’ve always wondered how one is supposed to go about doing that.”
He turned away and shrugged, as if to tell her he didn’t give a rat’s ass what she thought, but Sam noticed the pink tinge on his neck. Tough guys don’t blush. She cleared her throat, determined to reach him somehow. “What’s your tattoo?” she asked, pointing to his upper arm. The ink peeked from beneath his T-shirt sleeve.
He swung toward her. “Wanna see it?” His expression was almost leering. With his opposite hand he pulled up his sleeve, revealing a thin, pale arm. On the peak of his small biceps was a drawing of a woman’s well-endowed bare breasts.
“You have boobs on your arm,” she said. “Interesting.”
The kid smirked. “Watch this.” He flexed his biceps hard, enlarging the muscle and expanding the breasts. He stared at Sam, apparently expecting her to be shocked.
She arched a brow. “Wow. If you keep lifting weights, that poor woman will need a chiropractor.”
It took a couple of moments, but finally he laughed. It was a boyish sound, not at all like the hardened persona he’d been emulating. She couldn’t help laughing with him. He tugged his sleeve over his tattoo. As he did, his gaze went to her chest.
She looked down and saw her erect nipples. Well, isn’t that just dandy? She pulled her shirt away from her skin. “You a Sharks fan?” she asked, purposefully misreading his actions.
“Um… what? Oh. Yeah.”
“Is Tooch awesome or what?”
“Better than LeBron.”
They talked basketball for a while. “How do you know so much about sports?” he asked.
“You mean, me being a girl and all? I’ve been a sports reporter for more than ten years. Figure it out.”
“You get to meet a lot of athletes?”
“Sure.”
“You ever met Tooch?”
“He’s my buddy. Signed this shirt for me personally.” They both glanced at her shirt again. Damn. The signature was right over her left breast. She pulled the material out. “See?”
From across the room, John watched Brian move his head about a foot from Sam’s breasts. What the hell was she doing? It was good she’d gotten him to laugh — it was more than he’d done in six weeks working with the kid — but at what expense? He scowled.
“If looks could kill.” Alex followed the direction of John’s gaze. “Seems like she got him to open up a bit. That’s great.”
“Yeah. Terrific.”
Alex’s high-pitched chuckle grated on his nerves like sand in his teeth. “Why don’t you just admit it?” Alex said. “You care about her.”
“Of course I care about her. We have a good time together. End of story.”
“End of story my ass. I saw the way you were looking—”
“Shut up. Here she comes.”
“Hey, boys,” Sam said, her hips swaying as she approached.
John grabbed her arm. “Why the hell were you letting Brian look at your chest?” he demanded in a loud whisper.
She pinched his cheek. “He can be so charming when he wants to be, can’t he?” she said to Alex, who hid a chuckle behind a cough. She turned back to John. “He wasn’t looking at my chest, big guy. He was looking at my shirt. He’s a huge Sharks fan.”
“Uh, huh.” He wasn’t convinced. He knew how fifteen-year-old minds worked.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Johnny. He likes basketball. I told him I could get tickets to a Sharks game for anyone here who wants to go. I could probably arrange for the kids to meet some of the players after the game, too. Darwin’s an old friend of mine.”
“You and Tooch are on a first-name basis?”
Sam nodded, her brows drawn slightly together. “I hope I wasn’t being presumptuous, but when Brian told me he’d never been to a Sharks game... the words just came out.”
“It’s a great idea, Sam,” Alex said. “The reason John-boy here hasn’t said so is because he’s still thinkin’ about your comment about knowing Tooch. I think the man’s jealous.”
John’s hands clenched into fists. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to think he had romantic ideas about her.
“Is he serious?” Sam asked John.
John made a face and guffawed. “What do you think?” He cleared his throat. “So, how did your interviews go?”
“I think my period’s coming,” Sam said softly as they walked to the parking lot a while later.
John acted surprised. “Oh, that’s right. It’s due… when?” He didn’t tell her he knew exactly when it was due.
“Tomorrow, but I’m starting to feel crampy. And grouchy.” They reached her VW and she leaned back against it. “I really thought this month might be it.”
He figured now wasn’t the time to tell her he’d be out of town during her next two fertile times. Unless she was willing to fly to San Diego or Phoenix where he’d be opening new gyms, she’d be out of luck. She looked so disappointed, John felt guilty that he was singing inside. She wasn’t pregnant! They had more time together!
He clamped a lid on his relief and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Hey, it’ll happen. These things take time. It took my sister-in-law—” He was about to say “a year” which was the truth, but he knew Sam wouldn’t take that news well. He cleared his throat. “Several tries before she got pregnant.”
She gave him a weak smile and pulled her hand away. He could understand her disappointment, but couldn’t she be just a little bit happy that they would have more time together? “Look at it this way. You get to spend more time making mad, passionate love to one of Seattle’s Hottest Bachelors.” He preened his head.
This made her laugh. “Oh, puh-leez,” she said, rolling her eyes.
He pulled her into his arms. “I know you’re disappointed about the baby, Sam. But just think of all the fun we’ll have trying again, okay?”
“I know, I know. I’d just hoped—” Her shoulders heaved. “Oh, well. Third time’s a charm, right?” After a few silent moments, she said, “I’m sure you’re not too disappointed about it, though.” She cocked her head and must’ve seen his guilty expression. “That’s okay. Our purposes are different. I know that.”
He felt a wave of annoyance she had to remind him their relationship was based on a contractual agreement. “You want to know my purpose?” he snapped. Dipping his head, he kissed her long and deep, not caring that Brian and Alex had exited the weight room and were walking toward them.
Finally, he pulled away and peered into her eyes, silently daring her to make light of the incredible chemistry between them. Her expressive eyebrows lifted. “Hmm,” she murmured. “Good purpose.” She pulled his head down for another kiss.
Sam wanted to scream. Why could she never pee when she had to? She turned on the running water. She thought relaxing thoughts. She rocked back and forth. Finally, she had enough for the test
.
She put the small square test on the counter and sat on the edge of the tub, staring at her watch. She wouldn’t look for three minutes. She crossed her legs. She checked her watch. Thirty-eight seconds. She uncrossed her legs. She tapped her fingernails against the fiberglass. One minute, two seconds. God! Could three minutes possibly go by any slower? She stood and walked out of the bathroom. Wayne probably needed fresh water. That would surely kill the remaining time.
His water bottle was more than half full. The ugly rodent scratched at the glass, wanting out. “Later, buddy.” She headed to the living room and shoved some food in her mouth, not caring that she was eating like a pig.
She finally checked her watch again. “Time,” she said quietly. She was afraid to go into the bathroom, afraid to look, knowing it would read negative. Again. Closing her eyes, she let herself dream for a moment that she was pregnant. A little life growing inside her. A precious baby to care for and love... She rested her hand on her belly as if to will it true.
She opened her eyes. Okay, she’d look. Heading into to the bathroom, she looked at her reflection in the mirror instead of at the test. “It’s no big deal if it’s negative,” she told herself. “You’ll just try again.” She took a deep breath. A minus sign would mean she wasn’t pregnant. A plus sign, however faint, would mean she was.
Holding her breath, she looked down. Her breath stilled in her throat. She picked the test up and peered closer.
John heard Sam’s car in the driveway and stepped outside to the porch, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. His bare feet were cold on the concrete.
“Hi,” she greeted as she came up the walk. He couldn’t read her expression.
He kissed her on the mouth before putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her into the house. They hadn’t gone three steps into the entry hall when she turned and said, “I’m pregnant.”
His stomach lurched. That’s not what he’d expected to hear. He cleared his throat. “You are?”