Sam sighed with weariness as he stepped into his mother’s shower then gasped as the ice cold spray hit him full in the chest. He cursed aloud at the reason for his daily cold showers. Daily? More than likely, it was becoming an hourly ritual. See Angel. Take a cold shower. He’d tried to banish her through hard work at the farm today, but no such luck. He was in a perpetual state of arousal. It was killing him. Why the fuck wouldn’t she call?
Angel had been coming up to the farm ostensibly on the excuse that the Civic Women’s Club had agreed to her proposal for christening the marina. Since his mother was president of the club and a member of the marina project committee, she had plenty of excuses to visit the family.
She took every excuse she could find to be near him, to touch him, however innocently. Her soft voice and sweet scent surrounded him until he thought he would go mad. When he couldn’t take anymore, he would lash out at her in anger, but she would plaster on her “Mona Lisa” smile as she practically devoured him with her eyes. He felt like a piece of meat in a butcher shop. Heaven help him, he liked it. And people could tell. No self-respect, Sam. That’s what folks were going to start calling him.
He knew why she was doing it. She wanted a chance to explain her actions of so long ago, and she was hoping for a reconciliation. Since that fateful day in his mother’s kitchen when he had exposed his vulnerability to everyone there, she had been playing on his desire without mercy. She’d brought her A game and he was helpless to defend himself against her. He didn’t know how much more he was going to be able to stand before his stubborn pride crumbled, and he gave her what she wanted. Why won’t she fucking call?
Screw it. He finished his ablutions and turned off the water, reaching around the shower curtain for a towel. His cold shower hadn’t helped much. He was still rock hard. The memories of Angel’s voluptuous body haunted him. She was so beautiful in her pleasure. He shook his head in disgust, sending tiny droplets of water splattering across the tiled wall and slapping himself in the face with his wet hair. He needed a haircut. He needed to get on with his life and stop thinking about her. Maybe it had been a bad idea to come home. He smoothed back his hair with an impatient hand and yanked open the curtain, stepping out.
He came to a standstill.
Angel was leaning nonchalantly against the vanity, her elbows supporting her weight, her breasts thrust outward and her legs crossed at the ankles. The white peasant blouse and indigo broomstick skirt accentuated her tan and made her look fresh out of high school.
She gave him a silent perusal then looked him straight in the eye. “I can tell you’re happy to see me.” She had tried for a sophisticated attitude, but her blush was evident in her face and voice.
Sam realized he had dropped his towel back into the tub. He was standing there buck naked. He frantically scrambled for the towel, which was now sopping wet. He slapped it around his waist, scowling at her in embarrassment.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” he roared.
“I came in to get you for dinner. Ginny invited me this afternoon, remember? I tried to knock, but the shower must have drowned out the sound. I thought maybe you had hurt yourself or perhaps, fallen in the tub. But I can see you’re quite …healthy.” She deliberately lowered her voice to a sexy whisper that flowed over him like silk. She smiled serenely at his discomfiture.
“Thanks for the message. I’ll be out in a minute. Now if you don’t mind…,” he gestured toward the door with one hand, keeping the dripping towel firmly around him with the other. His sweet Angel of long ago had turned into a sexy temptress. He wondered where she had gotten the practice. The thought fueled his anger even as he grew harder at her nearness.
Angel reached over and handed him a dry towel from the rack. “I don’t mind at all. I wouldn’t want you to catch cold. Can I get your back for you?” She ran her tongue suggestively over her lips as if she would lick the droplets from his body.
Sam sucked in his breath at her blatant display. Summoning his last vestige of control, he decided to take the aggressive approach. Even though she talked like an experienced woman, the blush on her cheeks gave lie to her wantonness. At least he hoped so.
Sam stepped out of the shower, dropping the wet towel on the floor and wrapping the dry one around his frame. Feeling less naked, he advanced on her until he was a hair’s breath away. He felt the muscle in his cheek ticking. His head was beginning to ache with the effort it took not to touch her. Tapping down on his lust and gripping his anger like a sword, he demanded, “Why are you here? And don’t give me some crap about dinner or that you’re helping my mother. Just what do you what, Angel?”
“You.”
Angel’s words lashed across Sam’s mind like the crack of a whip. Well, he had no one to blame but himself. He had backed her into a corner with his questions and she had been honest. Brutally so.
He felt the tension in the air and he knew this was the showdown. He was sinking fast so he grabbed at his only lifeline. Summoning all the disdain he could muster, he retorted. “Yeah, well, Angel, baby, we don’t always get what we want. You didn’t call ahead. I’ve got plans. Why don’t you try your tricks on some other poor sap. I’ve had all I want of your charms.”
He plastered a contemptuous sneer on his face as he looked her over from head to toe, praying that this final humiliation would do the trick. If she didn’t leave him now, she would never give up on them.
But did he want her to give up? He had told himself it was over for so long, he could almost believe it. Yet every time they came in contact with one another, the memories would wash over him. The future without her looked bleak and hopeless.
Hopeless.
The word was so apt for his heart. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. He could have her, but never trust her. Or he could leave her alone and be miserable for the rest of his life.
“Prove it.”
“What did you say?” Sam eyes widened.
Angel tossed her head back. “You heard me. I said prove it. Prove to me that you don’t want me. That what we shared was nothing more than some crazy memories,” she advanced on him until he could feel her breath on his face. “Your words lie, but your eyes tell the truth, every time we touch.” She leaned in, putting her hands on his chest and whispered in his ear, “Not to mention your cock.” She dragged her soft hand down his chest toward his erection.
He gripped her wrist. “I don’t have time for these games, Angel. You’re wanting something that isn’t there anymore. You want me to admit I’d like to fuck you, yeah. I’m human and you’re beautiful.” He was feeling cornered and he was afraid it showed.
Her scent surrounded him. She was weaving her magic around him and he was afraid this time there was no escape. He took a step backward to put some distance between them, but there was nowhere to run. He hit the toilet with the back of his calves and sat down heavily on the lid.
The hateful words fell in the silent room, shattering all pretenses, leaving Angel vulnerable, exposed and excited. If she could just put a crack in his pride, then she could hope for their future. His words might lie, but his body told the truth. He was sporting a mighty fine erection under that towel.
Throwing herself at him at every opportunity was the quickest means to this particular end. His actions the other night had assured her of that. But being so blatantly wanton was against her nature. She didn’t think she could go on much longer without dying from his rejection.
Angel watched the play of emotions on Sam’s face. She saw his desire, but was it enough? Could she turn that desperation into love? It didn’t matter at this point. She knew it was now or never. If he rejected her now, she would find a way to live without him. She was out of ideas on how to reach her stubborn, proud man.
She advanced on him, using every seductive trick she had read in her romance books. With slow deliberation, she sauntered over to stand between his legs, showing him all the passion she was saving just for him. She leaned a hairs breath
from his face.
“I did as you commanded.” She gazed at his magnificent chest. Inch by sensual inch, she raised her skirt and lifted her long legs, languorously straddling him while her tongue glided across her wet lips. She was rewarded with the sharp intake of Sam’s breath as she slowly closed the distance between their bodies.
“See? No panties.” Lightly skimming her body over his chest, she slid erotically down onto his lap. The shock of his body pressed so intimately against hers made her shake from head to toe. She looked into Sam’s eyes and knew the wait was over.
He surrendered to her seduction, his lips claiming hers in a kiss so fraught with hunger and desire that Angel was breathless under his onslaught. He knew he was lost the minute she had lifted her skirt, but he no longer cared. The sight of her pussy gliding closer to his cock, made him lose his mind. The passion he held in check burst forth. He could no longer worry about the past or his reasons for keeping his distance. What mattered was here and now. His Angel was giving herself over to him and by God, he was going to take her.
What she was so willingly offering him, he had dreamed about for fifteen frustrating years. He had been a man caught in a nightmare of his own making fated to only dream of her. Even his most erotic dreams couldn’t compare with the feel of her in his arms again.
His mouth slanted over hers time and again, each of them gasping for breath, unwilling to break contact until absolutely necessary. Sam’s arms crept up her thighs, and she shivered. He gradually encircled her legs, lightly cupping her buttocks.
God, she missed this! His touch sent spasms of gooseflesh breaking out all over her as he circled his fingers around her mound, keeping her on the edge. “Why the fuck didn’t you call me?” he ground out. He needed to punish her, to control her. He needed to claim her.
“Some things are better delivered in person.” She smiled that Mona Lisa smile again.
With a lover’s curiosity, she lowered her hands from his shoulders, down to his chest, feeling the light sprinkling of hair tickling her palms. She remembered the younger Sam had a smooth chest. He was no longer an eager teen. He was an experienced man with a man’s body. He was her man.
The warmth of his skin and his unique male scent made her bolder than she ever knew she could be. She wanted to touch him, lick him, smell his need. She traced his nipple, noticing its hardness, gently plucking at the bud, pleasuring him the way she ached for him to touch her.
Sam drew the peasant blouse down from her shoulders, and with a flick of his fingers, the front clasp of bra gave way, sending her full breasts tumbling into his waiting hand. Angel gasped in heady reaction. She didn’t believe it was possible to be more aroused, but when Sam stared at her breasts, she felt them swelling even more, the nipples hardened nubs begging for his touch.
She couldn’t stop the tiny shriek as he touched his tongue to the welcoming bud. It electrified her. She moaned, drawing him closer, weaving her hand through his hair. He took her breast fully in his mouth, suckling her flesh. She bit her lip to keep from crying out at the pleasure-pain as he nipped her with his teeth.
Angel ground her hips against his erection, tossing his towel away, reaching for his engorged manhood.
“Oh God, baby, yes,” Sam growled out as he pushed himself into her hands. ‘Touch me.”
Angel grabbed him with both hands, rubbing her finger across his slit, moistening her finger in his pre-cum. She drew her finger to her lips and tasted him as she moved her mound against him. She pumped against his erection as she gripped the head, overcome with desire for him.
Leaning forward, Angel pressed her breasts to Sam’s waiting mouth, easing up on tiptoes to fit him to her silky entrance. Wincing slightly, she slowly began to slide onto him as he adjusted on the seat trying to ease her discomfort.
With a slight pop, the hinge on the toilet seat gave way, jerking them both to the side. Angel gasped in pain as she slammed down on Sam. He tilted to the side. She flailed wildly as she started to fall, grasping hands finding purchase on the shower curtain. It couldn’t hold and with a rending tear, collapsed upon both of them. Sam frantically tried to cushion their fall as they were still intimately connected. He cracked his forehead on the sink but managed to hit the cold tile first so Angel was on top. He twisted quickly once again, taking Angel underneath him as the shower rod pulled from its moorings and cracked him on the back of the skull.
Shit! That hurt! He felt Angel shuddering underneath him and lifted onto his elbows. She smiled up at him with such a mischievous smile that he couldn’t help but smile back. She started to laugh, that joyous belly laugh that made him yearn to be as free and happy as she looked. And then she snorted, and he knew he was lost. Of all the damn fool things to do, he had to let her goad him into making love to her. He could feel her skin on his fingers and her taste on his lips. He smelled her arousal on his cock. And she just kept on giggling and snorting. This was His Angel. He sighed. How was he supposed to ignore her now?
He could handle seductive Angel, jealous Angel, even lying Angel, and keep his sanity. But this woman, joyous Angel, with her hair sticking out at odd angles, her clothes is disarray, sitting amid the ruins of his parent’s bathroom, laughing like a loon, was his downfall. She was his life, his heart, his soul. He couldn’t resist anymore.
For the first time, he acknowledged that he didn’t want to live without her in his bed, in his life. The real reason he had come back to town was laying underneath him, watching him with cautious eyes and swollen lips. He could tell she was trying to determine his reaction to their lovemaking, and it was lovemaking. He was in love with this woman, had been for fifteen fucking years. He was going to die loving her. But he couldn’t trust her. So where did that leave them? He frowned at her.
“Sam, please, please, don’t shut me out again. We can’t go back to the way things were, but maybe we can find a way forward. Don’t give up on us. If you would let me talk about it.” Angel trailed off.
Sam looked at the woman, his woman, softly pleading for a chance. He saw the crystal tears shimmering on her dark lashes as her eyes beseeched him. He knew he was lost. For better or worse, they were bound together and had been since the first time he had held her in his arms.
“All right, Angel. You win. I’ll give us a chance. But the past is dead. I don’t want to talk about it. Ever. What we have starts here and now.”
Sam took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. Angel went willingly as her tears fell on his chest. She had gambled and won this battle. But it was a hollow victory, for as long as he still held onto his reservations about her character, she knew they would never be free of the past.
Chapter Five
Everyone was in high spirits for Sunday dinner at the Coalson house. With the exception of Tanner and Jamie, who were back in college, the entire family was present. Hank was in his element. Mac and Dixie sat at the long table to the right of him. To his left sat Chance, Jamie, Lucky, then Brandon. Nick sat to his mother’s right with Sam and Angel on her left. Just the fact that Angel was here with Sam had the entire family enthralled. Although nothing had been said, it was apparent the couple had reunited. Hank couldn’t have been more pleased.
He motioned for silence and the family bowed their heads as one as he began the prayer by taking hold of his children’s hands. It had been this way since the boys were little, and God willing, it would continue down the line with his grandchildren. “Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many blessing that we receive today; for the bountiful meal before us; and the loving hands that comfort us now and in our time of need. Amen.”
“And we also thank you for the newest member of the Coalson family, who should arrive in about six months,” Mac announced as he squeezed Dixie’s hand gently.
Ginny squealed in delight and ran around the table to hug the happy couple, while everyone began talking at once. Amid the congratulations, Sam leaned back and surveyed the family. God he missed this! This was what mattered most to him. That warm feel
ing that was a part of every family function. No matter how bad things got in the outside world, here there would always be safety and compassion, love and understanding.
He felt Angel take his hand in hers. He lifted it to his lips and kissed her. She was right where she belonged. “To the future.” He smiled and raised his glass, the others joining in his toast.
After a wonderful meal of fried chicken, potato salad, and corn on the cob, the family sat back, drinking coffee and finishing off Ginny’s Gentleman’s Orange Layer Cake. Discussions turned to the latest news about the fire.
“So we’re all agreed that until this psycho is caught we watch our backs and increase security. The company will continue to operate here, at the orchard. We can deal with most of the problems from the fire, including paperwork, using the computers set up here. They’re hooked up to mine at home, and luckily, Dottie had finished the back-up procedures for the files before the fire broke out,” Mac said.
“I have a feeling that once our current contracts are fulfilled, business is going to go downhill fast unless we catch this guy, so let’s make that our number one priority. Mom and Dad have generously offered to help us over any financial problems that may arise before we get back up and running at full potential. We can pay them back when the insurance claims are finalized and approved.”
Nick spoke up. “I suspect some of us are going to be a bit at loose ends, since our jobs are somewhat hampered by the fire. We can give Mom and Dad a hand with the orchard, but that leaves the winter ahead with few prospects. As you know, I’ve been after old man Wyatt to sell Montana Max’s to me. Well, he’s finally decided to retire, but if you need me on a more than part time basis, I’m sure we can work something out with him. If not, I can always start my place sometime down the road.”
“Don’t be crazy, man. This is your dream.” Mac shook his head.
“Yeah, and yours went up in flames, Mac. I’m not going to leave you high and dry.”
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