One Big Happy Family

by Andrea Edwards

  “Impressive,” she whispered, but her lips didn’t want to speak. They wanted only his mouth and found it again.

  She was vaguely aware that they went through the living room and up the stairs. He laid her on a bed, soft and warm and safe. She had an impression of warm colors and shadows before he lay down beside her.

  With slow, teasing hands, he unbuttoned her shirt and ran his hands over her skin. He took the tips of her breasts in his mouth, tugging and teasing until the fire in her wanted to explode. Then he loosened the closure of her slacks enough to let his hand slide down to the warmth that was her womanhood.

  She needed him with an urgency unknown to her, with a hunger that was beyond imagining. She tugged at his shirt and pulled it over his head, then ran her fingers through the light that of hair covering his chest. She wanted to feel every inch of him, to stroke and delight every part of his body, but her hands were already trembling with need. She shrugged out of her shirt and he helped her push her slacks to the floor, then her underwear.

  “Oh, my sweet Samantha,” he said. “You are so beautiful.”

  “And you are still so dressed,” she murmured, working at the fastening of his pants. She pushed them off, along with his briefs, so that she could admire him also.

  But she got only a quick glimpse before she felt him pressed against her, felt his need as strong and hard as her own. His lips, his hands, his whole body spoke of his desire, of the desperation of his hunger. He touched her, seemingly everywhere at once, until rational thought was lost and the stars seemed there for the picking.

  She moved to take him inside her, arching with the pleasure, the sublime wonder of the joining. Together they moved, they pulsed, they danced to an ancient rhythm that took them into the heavens, soaring into the universe.

  They clung as their world exploded and stars flew past them; then they clung even tighter as their breathing slowed and they floated back to earth. She was still lost in the wonder and the delight, but knew it when Kevin relaxed his hold to lie by her side. She cuddled back into his arms, laying her head against his chest.

  “Nice,” she said softly.

  “You can say that again,” he agreed, laughter on his lips.

  She ran her fingers lightly down his side, still feeling the need to explore. A quiver ran through him as her caress went slower and lower. “Speaking of again…”

  Kevin looked down at the darkened yard. One back corner caught the reflection of the streetlight, but the rest was all shadows. It was just past three in the morning. He knew because he’d heard the chimes from Saint Monica’s. He’d heard them at two o’clock too. And at one.

  He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against the windowpane. The glass was cool, as was the night air. Fall was here and winter just around the corner.

  How could something that felt so wonderful, so right, suddenly feel so wrong?

  It was four hours since he’d taken Sam home. Four hours for him to feel the guilt and remorse building in his gut. It wasn’t that it hadn’t been perfect. It had. It had been everything he had dreamed making love with her would be. But he should never have let it happen.

  He was too old for her. She was on the verge of life. He’d already played his hand. All right, he was still considered young in some circles. But not that young. Not that dewy-eyed.

  He turned from the window and his gaze settled on the bed. It was the bed that he and Debbie had bought when they’d moved to this house, but it was Sam’s presence that he felt in the room. It was her scent that lingered to tease and torment him.

  If he closed his eyes, he would see her lying there. See the beauty of her young, firm body and feel her life and energy. The life and energy that he could barely keep up with now, and that would soon leave him in the dust.

  He shook himself and grabbed his robe from the hook in the closet. Either awake or asleep, if he was lying in this bed, he would do nothing but dream of Sam. And that would get him nowhere in resolving his dilemma. He would sleep in the guest room.

  He hurried out into the hall, closing the door on his room but not on the memory of Sam’s presence.

  Chapter Eleven

  “It’s not painted on.”

  Something in Kevin’s voice made Sam jerk her hand back. She sat staring at him, puzzled, her hand hanging in midair.

  They were sitting on a sofa in his family room watching TV. She’d been stroking the hair at the side of his head when his remark had popped out, falling out of the blue and hitting her broadside.

  “What are you taking about?” she asked.

  “The gray,” he replied, indicating the hair at his temple. “It’s not painted on, so you can’t rub it off. No matter how hard you try.”

  “Talk like that makes you sound like an old poop.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I am.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She bounced over to the other end of the sofa, away from him, and glared. “Why are you letting my brothers get to you? I thought you were the Cool Hand Luke of the banking world.”

  “It’s not a matter of who’s getting to whom,” he said. “It’s who’s right.”

  Sam made a face. Duchess came over and Sam patted her absently. Was it really age that concerned Kevin? Or did it have to do with their making love the other night? Maybe he was feeling guilty, a sense of having betrayed his first wife? She hoped not.

  “You’re as old as you feel,” she said.

  “Ah, the wisdom of youth.”

  His tone sounded rather sarcastic. Was he trying to start an argument? Trying to drive her away?

  “What do you mean by that?” she asked, fighting to keep the sharpness out of her tone.

  Kevin shrugged. “You’re always bouncy and perky,” he replied. “Like a twentysomething kid.”

  “Twenty-seven doesn’t mean I’m a kid.”

  “You’re not really.” The sigh was thick in his voice. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’re immature.”

  “How kind of you.” She paused to still the nervousness in her stomach and calm the demons of sarcasm that wanted to explode off her own tongue. “Besides, I am twentysomething. How else am I supposed to act?”

  “You’re acting fine,” he reassured. “You’re true to yourself. You’re not the problem.”

  “I didn’t think there was a problem.”

  His eyes wavered and he looked off toward the window where the other cat was sitting on the sill. Was she being a Pollyanna—something her sisters had always accused her of? Maybe there was a problem coming between them. Maybe he’d been disappointed with her the other night.

  Sam had thought the other night had been wonderful, although she might be the only one who thought that. Kevin’s opinion might be entirely different.

  Or there might not be anything wrong at all. Men were such moody creatures. It was hard to tell from one minute to the next whether they were going to be high or low.

  “You weren’t old the other night,” Sam said.

  He turned back to look at her and Sam felt her cheeks warm. She probably shouldn’t have said anything. That night had been so precious to her that she didn’t really want to discuss it, analyze it. For all she knew, Kevin might feel the same way. But his attitude certainly didn’t indicate any joyous memories.

  “You were a man. Not an old man. Just a plain wonderful man.”

  Kevin sighed and raised his arm so she could slip underneath it.

  “This feels so good,” she said. “So natural. It’s like we were made for each other.”

  “That’s just a figure of speech.”

  “That’s not how it feels to me.” Sam wiggled her body to show how well she fitted. “I mean, we fit so well together.”

  “It’s just a random happenstance.”

  She drew back slightly and stared at him. “Did you learn to talk that way at school? Or have you always been this cynical?”

  “Boy,” he snorted. “You’re turning rather mean.”

  “You
’re inciting me. It’s all your fault.”

  “It usually is the guy’s fault,” he said.

  “You bet it is.”

  They fell silent and Sam could feel his body relax, but she knew it was temporary. Something was bothering Kevin and he was burying it for now. But it would rear its ugly head again. She turned herself so that she could look at the gray hairs at his temple.

  It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed them before. They were just a part of him. Like his dark eyes and dark hair. That easy smile of his that slowly grew until it filled his face. His long, lean, muscular body.

  Sam loved those gray hairs. Just like she loved every single cell in his body. She made a fist and rubbed at the gray with her knuckles.

  “Ouch!” he exclaimed. “That hurts.”

  She squirmed out of his arms, pushed him against the back of the sofa, and straddled him. “You needed it,” she said.

  “Says who?”

  “Cassie,” Sam replied as she settled herself on his body. “She said if a guy gets mopey, give him some pain. She said it cheers them up all the time.”

  “Wow, she’s good. Maybe she should sell her plumbingsupply place and open up shop as a counselor.”

  Sam lightly bounced on him. “You’re nice and firm.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I do. I do.” She lay down on him and smoothed his hair. “So why are you so mopey?”

  He shrugged.

  “Tell me or I’ll tickle you.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “Oh,” Sam cooed. “Do I detect a touch of fear in your voice?”

  “Not if you’re paying attention,” he replied. “Although, like someone once told me, a lot of people hear only what they expect to hear.”

  There actually wasn’t a hint of fear anyplace that she could see. Not in his eyes, not in his voice, not anywhere. His expression was cool, his body relaxed. He might not be afraid but she was still tempted to tickle him.

  But she decided not to right now. She just wanted him to be happy. And she couldn’t help him be happy if she didn’t know what the problem was. She smoothed his hair back off his forehead.

  “Why are you so grumpy? Is it because your fortieth birthday is coming?”

  “Of course not,” he told her.

  That had to be it. Put the fact that he was getting a year older together with all the nonsense her brothers had spilled on him and you had the explanation for Kevin’s attitude. She straightened and settled into a comfortable sitting position on him.

  “Poor baby.”

  “You’re being cruel.”

  “Why? Just because I won’t let you feel sorry for yourself?”

  He didn’t say anything.

  “You didn’t act old the other night.”

  “I wasn’t forty yet.”

  Kevin obviously needed some cheering up. Like a party. The problem was that she didn’t know many of the same people he did. And it was pretty short notice to work up a good party list.

  Her own family was always ready for a party but it would be best to keep her brothers away from Kevin for a while. That left just her, but she was positive that Kevin needed more people around. Suddenly she had an idea. His kids.

  “Yes?” His tone sounded suspicious.

  Sam glared slightly as she looked down at him. “What?”

  “Your face turned bright all of a sudden,” he said. “I just wondered what kind of mischief you were plotting.”

  “I’m a young woman with a healthy appetite, sitting on top of a handsome and virile gentleman. There’s only one kind of mischief I could be plotting.”

  She could feel his body respond but when she pulled back, it was easy to see that suspicion still lurked in his eyes. “Don’t you trust me?” she asked.

  “Sometimes.”

  “Sometimes?” she exclaimed. “I just told you that I have the hots for your body and you just coolly look down your nose at me.”

  “It’s hard to look any other way at you when you’re lying on my chest.”

  Sam punched him in the arm. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do,” Kevin said. “But you have a very active mind. I would guess you could have more than one idea festering in there at a time.”

  The more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Kevin would be thrilled to see his kids. It would be a great birthday surprise for him. The four of them could have a real fun day.

  And there wasn’t a home football game next weekend, so the bed-and-breakfast wouldn’t be crowded. Between Melanie’s and Beth’s help, Dad should do just fine. He’d been on her case to take a break, anyway.

  “You know,” Sam said, wiggling her body on his. “I think we’d better make love again.”

  His body was responding very well so she kissed him, but small flickers of suspicion still danced in his eyes.

  “I mean, before next weekend.”

  The suspicion left his eyes, was replaced by a hard sparkle, like a diamond’s.

  “Since you’re liable to completely fall apart by then.”

  His arms wrapped themselves around her.

  “Kevin, behave.”

  “Oh, I will.” He rolled her over and onto the floor, then promptly was on top of her. “I promise.”

  His kiss indicated exactly what he meant by behaving.

  “Oh, hell.” Kevin threw his pen on the desk and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with his hands and groaning. “Buy a ticket or get out of line.”

  Then, throwing himself out of his chair, he walked over to the windows at the back of his office and stared out at the parking lot on the west side of the building.

  It was one of those beautiful autumn days when the gods tried to make up for the soak-your-shirt days of summer and the freeze-your-ears-off days of winter. And today they’d done it in spades. Temperature in the high seventies, bright and sunny, a light breeze from the southwest, and humidity below fifty percent.

  It was the kind of day that made a man want to be outside. Walking in the woods admiring the variety of nature’s leafy palette. Running ten miles alongside the river. Playing a lively game of touch football.

  The fact of the matter was that he was being more than lively—especially for a man his age. Ever since he’d met Sam he’d had this insatiable need to be with her. To hold her tight. To love her with his whole heart and soul, with every molecule in his body. No, loving Sam wasn’t a problem. Not at all. The problem was the guilt that was overwhelming him. He closed his eyes, stuck his fists over them, and swore to himself.

  He hadn’t meant to get involved with Sam. Certainly not like this. He just wanted to help her and her father get their business off the ground. Guide her. After all, that was his job.

  Kevin opened his eyes and glowered at a pair of cardinals—a male in a bright red coat and a female wearing her coat of plain brown—gamboling about, pecking at the berries filling the branches of the bushes lining the parking lot. Dumb birds.

  Actually, they weren’t the dumb ones. At least they had an excuse. They were just following instinct. They didn’t know any better. Kevin, on the other hand, knew that he didn’t have any kind of excuse. Yes, he had instincts, but they weren’t something a man used to justify his actions. A real man knew better than to give in to his baser desires.

  No, this was a relationship that should never have gotten to this point. But now that it had, it was time to stop it. Right here and now.

  Yes, Sam was lively, intelligent, and filled with the energy of youth. But what the hell was he bringing to the party? Not a single cotton-picking thing.

  A light tap on his office door just about put him out of his skin. But before he could calm down enough to reply, the door opened. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was his secretary.

  “I’m sorry to bother you,” Cindy said. “But there’s a Robert Scott outside who insists on seeing you.”

  Robert Scott? Kevin searched his internal memory bank of customer nam
es. Nothing. “What’s this relative to?”

  “He won’t say,” she replied. “But I think he’s Samantha Scott’s brother.”

  “Oh.” That Robert Scott. “Bobby. Send him in.”

  “Are you sure?” his secretary asked. “You have a loanapproval committee meeting in forty minutes. I could tell him to make an appointment for some other day.”

  “I’m sure this won’t take long.” He didn’t know what the hell Bobby wanted, but he would make sure it didn’t go long.

  “Mr. Scott,” Cindy announced and stepped aside to let Bobby enter Kevin’s office, shutting the door behind her.

  “Bobby.” Kevin stuck his hand out. “How are you?”

  Bobby didn’t bother taking his hand. “We need to talk.”

  The words came out short and terse. Kevin didn’t know what the big man wanted, but he had a strong feeling that it concerned Sam. Kevin indicated one of the chairs in front of his desk, seating himself once Bobby sat down.

  They stared at each other across the wide expanse of his desk, like two gamblers waiting for the cards to be dealt. This was the first time they’d seen each other in a suit and tie. Since it was on his own turf, Kevin wasn’t really nervous but he was somewhat on edge, anxious for Bobby to make his move.

  The silence dragged on as Kevin waited. Waited and studied Sam’s brother. He knew Bobby was big, but putting his bulk in a business suit seemed to accentuate his size. The man would be able to do a lot of damage if he wanted to.

  Kevin frowned, irritated with himself for that thought. Bobby was a civilized man, a nice guy. Besides, Kevin didn’t know anybody who dressed up to punch somebody out.

  Not that there was any reason for that. He was sure that Sam wouldn’t have told her brothers about them being intimate. But how about her sisters?

  Shaking his head slightly, Kevin leaned forward, putting his elbows on his desk. His mind was needlessly going down the dumb path. He and Sam were adults, and what they did was their business.

  “What can I do for you?” Kevin asked. He didn’t have all day.