by Alison Bliss
But damn, if Sam’s package was as small as Max had told Valerie, then the poor guy must have been too embarrassed to say anything.
Leah sighed inwardly. Damn it. Why didn’t I pick up on that sooner?
When she heard the crinkling of foil, guilt coursed through her, leaving behind a selfish residue. God, he probably thought she was a jerk for not offering the same oral pleasure he’d given to her.
“By the way,” Sam said, his knuckles brushing against her sex as he positioned himself. “I’m going to try to be quiet as I can, but you might want to hold on to the headboard for this.”
Cute, Sam. But after what Valerie told me, we’ll probably be lucky if the condom doesn’t fall off.
Sam shoved into her with a deliberate thrust, and Leah gasped, her body tensing as she grated her nails across the wood in search of the headboard. Oh, sweet Jesus.
He held himself still, as if he were waiting for her to get her bearings. Thank God. Because she needed a moment to adjust to the overwhelming sensation of fullness and the heavy pressure against her cervix. All of which meant only one thing.
Max had fucking lied. Big time.
Chapter Sixteen
Sam groaned.
God, she was tight. His cock ached to move inside her, but not yet. He knew she hadn’t expected him to be as large as he was, and he wanted to wait for her to give him the go-ahead before he continued. He couldn’t help the smile spreading across his face though. “You okay, sweetheart?”
Leah said something unintelligible, which only made him grin more. Then she wrapped her fingers around the edge of the wooden headboard and added, “Mmm-hmm.”
Digging his fingers into her hips, he withdrew until he was almost all the way out, then slid home again. Her body trembled as he filled her, and she moaned. Warm and pliant, her wet heat squeezed around him, clamping down on him, which made breathing almost unbearable, but her insistent pleas ignited a primal urge to do it again.
Hot and hard inside her, he continued to pump into her over and over with a fast-paced rhythm that was barely sustainable. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman, and the searing need to climax was already burning through him with every plunge.
Sam’s breathing grew more ragged. His entire body vibrated with the need to satisfy his craving for her once and for all, and he didn’t think he could hold off much longer. “Christ, Leah, if we don’t slow this down, I’m gonna—”
“Oh God! Come,” she demanded quietly, arching her back off the bed. Her inner muscles squeezed tighter, gripping him relentlessly, as she climaxed around his length.
Thank God.
The antique bed shook back and forth with the force of his thrusts as Sam drove into her even harder, pounding with a fast-paced rhythm until the pressure exploded from within. His dick throbbed inside her as hot blood coursed through his veins. When his knees threatened to buckle, he leaned forward and palmed the headboard to hold himself upright.
Splayed out in front of him, Leah’s curvy body purred with a sigh of satisfaction. She wore a dazed expression with glassy, unconcerned eyes, as if the last thing on her mind was that she was still naked while Sam’s hot gaze enjoyed the view. Progress, if you asked him.
Once their labored breathing began to slow, Sam gently separated from her and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. “You okay?”
In that moment, Leah’s nerves must’ve come rushing back in full swing. Not letting her eyes meet his, she sat up quickly, awkwardly covering her breasts with her crossed arms. “I…um, yes.”
Sam pretended not to notice but wanted to give her a second to collect herself without his presence making things worse for her. “I’ll be right back,” he said, heading into the bathroom.
He shut the door behind him and quickly disposed of the spent condom. Then he washed his hands while he berated himself for being such a fucking idiot. He had told her he wouldn’t push her about the friends-with-benefits thing, yet the moment he got her alone and in bed, he did just that. Fuck.
Leaning on the sink, he huffed out a hard breath. Did she regret it? Had he just made things awkward between them because he’d seen her naked? Was it possible that he’d screwed everything up by giving in to his impulses to have her under him?
God. Of course I did. What could he do about it now though?
There was no way they could go back to being friends who had never had sex before. Shit just didn’t work that way. A guy couldn’t stick his dick in a woman and then tell her he’d made a mistake. Especially when it hadn’t felt like a mistake at the time. But now she wouldn’t even so much as look at him.
Fucking great.
See? This was exactly what he hadn’t wanted. To mess up the one thing they had going for them—their friendship—all because he didn’t know how to keep his fucking hands to himself and his dick in his pants. Now he had to go back out there and tell her he didn’t want things to change between them…a dick move on any guy’s part after he’d already slept with the girl. Sonofabitch.
He would just explain it all to her. Tell her that, while he really liked her, he didn’t want their relationship to change. They would have to keep things casual between them from this point on. Nothing heavy. Definitely not anything that would signify a relationship…like sex. That would only end up complicating things even more than they already were.
No more sex though? Really?
After knowing how good she had felt, he hated the idea of not having her again. Or that some other guy might have her. But no, he had to be fair to her. No matter what, he couldn’t risk their friendship more than he had already. So no sex. Ever.
Okay, ever again.
Sam sighed, then returned to the bedroom to find a fully clothed Leah standing by the window. “I take it you found your clothes.”
Her gaze lifted to his. “I, uh…sorry. I wanted to get dressed before you came back.” She ran a nervous hand through her mussed hair, then looked away from him.
Damn it. She was already retreating back inside herself, which had him gritting his teeth. “I’m actually glad you did,” he said, thinking of what he might have done if he’d returned to find her still naked.
Sam strolled over to her, determined to say what was on his mind. But his thoughts lingered on how good her gorgeous, curvaceous body felt in his arms, how she writhed beneath him as he drove into her over and over again. And he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t say words he didn’t mean. So instead he said, “This just means I get to undress you all over again.”
* * *
The next morning, Leah yawned sleepily.
Warm and relaxed, she hated the idea of getting out of bed since it was her last chance to sleep in before her workweek began. She even tried to drift back into unconsciousness, but before she counted her last sheep, her sensible side kicked into gear. It was Sunday, which meant they would be leaving for home this afternoon, and if she was going to make it down to the beach before high tide rolled in, then she had to wake up now.
Damn it. Sometimes it really sucked to be an adult.
Groaning, she rolled onto her back and stretched her arms out to the side, only for one of them to come into contact with a solid form. That was the moment she remembered she was naked…and not alone. Sam. Shit!
She pulled her arm back quickly and flickered her eyes open, blinking them a few times to clear her vision. The muted glow of blue morning light filtered through the cream-colored curtains, illuminating the bedroom. Sam was lying on his side, facing her, with the sheet covering both of them from the waist down. And he was close. Too close.
Had she actually been lying against his chest and hadn’t realized it?
She barely finished the thought when Sam shifted his position, molding his hard, masculine body intimately against her side. Still asleep, he threw one of his legs over hers and dropped a heavy arm over her waist. Then his fingers moved toward her lower abdomen, stopping just inches away from her lady bits.
“Mmm,” he moaned,
nuzzling his face into her hair as his rapidly hardening length dug into her hipbone.
Holy fuck. She tensed, and her thighs trembled.
His slow, even breaths convinced her that he was still asleep and completely unaware of where his roaming hand had wandered off to. But his twitching fingers were so close to where she wanted them most, and the sensation sent electric shock waves radiating through her nerve endings.
The insatiable man had taken her three times last night, and each session had lasted longer than the previous one. And knowing him, if he woke up now, he would probably have his way with her again. Clearly, the man was trying to kill her. Death by…desire? That was a thing, right?
Then Leah cringed at the thought of him waking up next to her while she was nude. It was anxiety-inducing enough to let Sam strip her bare in a darkened room. But it was a whole different kind of embarrassment for him to see her naked in broad daylight. One she wasn’t ready for.
Leah inched away from him until his hand fell off her waist and she was able to slide out of the bed without him detecting her absence. If you asked her, she’d already had enough awkward or embarrassing moments with this man to last her a lifetime. Her mother had made certain of that.
Sam too, if she were being honest. Friends with benefits. Jeez. She still couldn’t believe he’d propositioned her with that.
If someone had asked her a week ago if she wanted to have sex with Sam, the answer would have been a resounding and undeniable yes. But once he’d actually asked her to take their friendship to the next level, she hadn’t known if she could go through with it. Last night she’d thought long and hard about it and still hadn’t come to a decision. She’d actually considered telling him no. Until she awoke with his mouth on hers.
She still wasn’t sure what had happened last night to make him kiss her that way. It wasn’t like they’d had any kind of real conversation about what they were doing in the heat of the moment. And damn, there had been lots of heat. More than she’d ever thought possible.
But today, things were different. There were feelings to consider. Well, hers anyway. Sam had made it clear that the only things he was interested in were friendship and benefits. Anything beyond that hadn’t been agreed upon between them.
Probably for the best anyway.
After today, the whole engagement charade would be over. Sam hadn’t made her family hate him so Leah had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. He didn’t know it yet, but after they returned home, she planned to avoid any contact with her family for a few days, then drop by to tell them that he had broken off their supposed engagement.
Undoubtedly, she would be a hot mess when she delivered the news that she and Sam were over. Even now, just the thought of never seeing him again had tears lodging in her tight throat. She wasn’t even sure what excuse she would give them yet, but this was the only logical and most reasonable option she had. Never in a million years would anyone in her family believe that she’d actually broken up with him. None of them were that stupid.
It was obvious that she cared about him. Probably too much really. It was really ridiculous when she thought about it. She was dreading the loss of a fiancé that she never really had to begin with. But why?
Because I’m a damn fool, that’s why.
A stupid, sentimental fool who had made the biggest mistake of her life. She’d fallen for a guy who wanted to have sex with her but had no interest in being in a relationship. Smart move, Leah.
There was always a chance that Sam would change his mind about having his cake and eating it too. Hell, who knew? Maybe he already had. Or even worse. What if while he was sleeping with Leah, he actually met the woman of his dreams?
She swayed dizzily. Oh God. Just the idea of that happening was like an icy hand plunging into her chest and gripping her heart with brutal force.
Unfortunately, her time as Sam’s fiancée had finally run its course. And although he still had an offer on the proverbial table, Leah knew that, if she didn’t start putting some distance between her and Sam, she would be the one ripping her own heart out when the time came to say good-bye.
With her nerves stretched taut, she glanced at him once more, then sighed heavily. For her own sake, she had to let him go.
Chapter Seventeen
Sam flopped over on his stomach and groaned. God, he was such a fucking coward. After Leah had gotten dressed in the bathroom, she’d tiptoed out the bedroom door, closing it quietly behind her. The moment he heard the door snick shut behind her, he regretted not saying anything. Why hadn’t he just told her he was awake and stopped her from leaving?
Because I didn’t want her to think I’m some kind of damn pervert who feels women up in their sleep, that’s why.
He’d never been accused of groping women in his sleep before, but it was as if his hands were heat-seeking missiles, designed to home in on all of Leah’s hot spots…and the woman had a lot of them.
Sam had already exhausted himself with her three times during the night…and it still hadn’t been enough. And that was after he’d jacked off in the shower last night like a randy teenage boy who couldn’t control his impure thoughts. God, no wonder Leah practically ran out of the room. Surely, she had tired of him pulling her under him and rutting against her like a damn bull.
To be fair though, she hadn’t turned him down once. He’d fallen asleep with his face buried in her vanilla-scented hair, and her warm, pliant body had been pressed tightly against his all night long. Hell, it would give any guy a boner.
Sam grinned. He’d spent hours exploring all the sexy curves of Leah’s body and plunging into that sweet wet heat over and over again. It had been way better than anything he’d imagined.
But he hadn’t meant for his hand to practically have its way with her this morning in his sleep-induced coma. Christ. He’d only woken up when he’d felt her body stiffen next to him. Even then, he still hadn’t been fully aware of what he was touching until he curiously rasped his fingers over her again, and Leah squirmed in response. That was when his senses had shot to full awareness.
Before he could apologize or even so much as jerk his hand back, she’d moved away from him. He didn’t want to make her even more uncomfortable so he pretended to be asleep. But the urge to pull her back into bed and kiss her breathless had been strong. Had he thought his admirable control would allow him to stop there, he might have actually done it. But he knew better than that.
After last night, he realized a simple truth.
I’m a fucking idiot.
Because there would be no winners in this game they were playing, and someone could wind up getting hurt. And that person most likely would be Leah. And she was all that mattered to him.
Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. Somewhere along the way, he’d started to care what her family thought of him too. He didn’t want them to hate him and didn’t regret backing out on his and Leah’s agreement. Her new plan to make her family believe he was a cheating bastard had been a good one. But damn it, he wanted her in his life.
Maybe that was just him being selfish. The last thing he needed was to put himself in a position where he’d break someone’s heart.
When Leah had fallen asleep last night after round two, Sam had lain there staring up at the ceiling, listening to the raindrops tapping on the window and hoping the musical sound would silence the urge he had to wake Leah up and take her again. It hadn’t.
Obviously, Sam could no longer trust his own judgment in relation to women. All of his relationships up to this point had had two things in common: how quick the relationship had begun and how fast each had ended. Yes, he was ready to settle down, but he wasn’t willing to settle for the next girl who came along, no matter how much he liked her or how attracted he was to her. Call him crazy, but he wanted to be sure of his feelings before he got sucked into another crazy ride into marriageville.
And right now, he wasn’t all that sure of anything anymore.
When it came to
Leah, Sam felt…something.
It wasn’t a confession of love though. He liked her. He enjoyed spending time with her. And he wanted to continue to see her naked, which in itself was a huge problem. People who are “just friends” shouldn’t have a desire to see their friend without any clothes. So obviously, there were a few kinks in their friendship that he needed to work out in his head.
But he needed to be realistic too. He valued his friendship with Leah too much to let something as stupid as sex ruin it. Yes, he had some feelings for her, but he could ignore them. If they were going to stay in each other’s lives, then maybe he should try to discourage any kind of romantic relationship between them. He obviously wasn’t good at them anyway.
The memories of his past relationships still plagued him, and he didn’t think he could bear it if Leah was one of them.
Maybe he could tell her that, even though he was attracted to her, he thought it was best to keep things platonic. She would understand that, wouldn’t she? She had to. Because there was no way in hell he was going to let her walk out of his life.
It was the only way.
* * *
As Leah had expected, the early morning beach was deserted.
She kicked off the pair of sandals she’d borrowed from her mom and dug her painted toes into the warm sand. The sun hadn’t been up long enough to heat more than the top layer of soil, but within a few hours, the surface would be blazing and definitely too hot to walk across barefoot. For now, though, it was perfect.
Leaving the shoes safely on shore next to the pier entrance, far out of reach of the rising tides, she ambled leisurely down to the water and dipped her toes in. As she waded out to the second sand bar, the balmy breeze wafted over her skin, amplifying the chill of the calm waves lapping at her legs.
From her previous trips, she knew it was easier to find sand dollars during low tide than any other time of day. The sand bar would only be knee-deep now, rather than the usual waist-high, and the water would be much clearer. Unfortunately, she’d left her sunglasses in her purse back at the beach house.