Trusting Chance [Fate Harbor] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  She watched as Sam parked the car, and came around to her side to open the door. When she didn’t move, he crouched down and reached under the towel to unhook the seat belt. She still didn’t release the death grip that she had on the towel. Instead she turned her head to look at him. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s okay, baby, just come inside for a minute.”

  “I have to be at the bakery in less than an hour.”

  “You can leave in less than fifteen minutes, I promise.” Sam held his hand out for her, and Josie adjusted the towel with her left hand so she could take his hand in her right. She followed him up the stairs to the front door, noting that the sun was coming up. When he saw her glancing at the sunrise, he stopped, and put his arm around her shoulder. He nuzzled his chin against the top of her head, “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  “And if I told you, that you were gorgeous?” Josie couldn’t stop the involuntary jerk, and her head ended up hitting Sam in the chin. She was mortified and then she heard him chuckle, which made no sense at all. Sam opened the door to the house and pulled her through the foyer to a back hall. Soon she found herself in a bedroom. “This is my room. The bathroom is there.” Sam motioned at a door that was ajar. “Why don’t you take a quick shower, and I’ll scrounge up a fresh shirt for you to wear. Would you like coffee or hot chocolate for the road?” Josie just stood in the middle of the room, staring up at him.

  “It’s simple, baby. You’re going to shower, and then it’s a choice of coffee or hot chocolate. That gives us a little more time before you need to get back to your Sweet Dream Dessert’s apartment.” Josie felt like her brain was moving through molasses. How did he know she lived above the bakery? Oh, hell, she’d just take the damn shower.

  “Sam, if you have some extra sweatpants, that’d be great too,” she called over her shoulder as she headed into the bathroom. When she was done with the shower, she peeked out the door to make sure the coast was clear before exiting in her underwear and wrapped in a towel. The bedroom door was closed and a shirt and sweatpants were laid out on the bed. She quickly donned them, rolling up the waist four times so that she wouldn’t trip on the hem, and headed out of the room and down the hall. Sam was waiting for her in the foyer. He looked her up and down, and gave a slow smile. “You look good in my clothes.”

  “You’re full of it, buster.” Josie couldn’t believe how ridiculously flirtatious this man was, nor could she believe how susceptible she was to his overtures. Her insides warmed at what he said, as if her body believed the words her mind could not accept.

  Shaking his head, Sam led her to the kitchen. “Since you didn’t tell me if you wanted hot chocolate or coffee, I made both. I also cut up some fruit. My doctors have been telling me I have to eat healthier.”

  Josie looked at the selection on the island, as well as the two place settings, then back at Sam. “I want the hot chocolate.” She sat down at the stool and scooped up some melons and berries, while Sam poured the chocolate into both her mug and his. Then he sat beside her and put fruit on his plate as well.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me about my doctors?”

  “I was actually going to ask you how you knew Chance. I figured if you wanted to tell me more about the doctors, you’d tell me.” Josie looked over at Sam, and for the first time really studied the scar above his eyebrow. Most of the time his hair covered it, but this morning, he must have really worked up a sweat from his run and pushed his hair back because she could see that the scar extended from right above his eyebrow into his scalp.

  “Yep,” he pointed to the scar. “A head injury in Afghanistan. The doctors say I’m recovering nicely, whatever the hell that means. But it’s been almost a year.”

  “Is that all? Is a head injury all that’s wrong, or did you end up with more issues?” Josie probed.

  Sam looked at her shrewdly. “Now, baby, that is quite an intelligent question, and normally something that only another vet would ask. Did you serve?” Josie looked down at her plate of food and cursed herself for asking the question. She knew better than that, it was just that she was concerned. She could see the pain in Sam’s eyes, and it went deeper than just a physical wound. God, could she relate to that. Just because they treated you for the injury, it didn’t mean that the deeper pain was addressed. “Josie, I asked you a question,” Sam said again sharply. Josie’s head shot up immediately at the authority in his voice.

  “No, I never served.”

  “Then why did you ask if I had more issues than my injury? How did you know to ask that?” Again his voice reeked with command, and Josie responded to it.

  “I was badly injured once, and the fallout was bad. I ended up with nightmares and panic attacks. It took me a long time before I could function normally again.” Sam set down his fork and turned on his stool so that he was facing her. Josie turned to look at her food.

  “That’s quite a reaction to an injury. How were you injured?”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  “Turn around and look at me.” Josie immediately turned in her stool and gasped in pain at the sudden movement. Sam clasped his big hands at her waist, bracing her while turning her around the rest of the way so that she was facing him. “Would it help to be sitting in a chair with a back?”

  “I’m alright if I don’t make sudden moves,” Josie responded, very conscious of his warm hands holding her.

  “Damn it, Josie, start answering the questions I ask you.” Looking up at Sam, she saw that he looked frustrated, almost angry. She replayed the last two minutes in her head, and realized she’d deliberately not answered one question, and then unconsciously not answered another, and he was getting pissed off.

  “Yes, it’s easier on my back if I sit in a chair with a back.”

  “Soft or hard backed?” He clipped out the question.

  “Right now, a soft-backed chair.” Before Josie had a chance to finish her answer, Sam slid off his stool, lifted her up, strode into the family room, and placed her onto a sofa. He waited while she eased herself against the back of the sofa until she was in a comfortable position, then he sat down beside her. He looked at her and re-asked his question.

  “How were you injured?” This time he asked the question gently, €and Josie had no defense.

  “My mom shoved me down the stairs.” Sam reached out and grasped her hand.

  “How old were you, baby?”

  “I was thirteen.” As Sam swooped in to take her into his arms, both of her hands came up to push him away. “Stop. I just can’t do this right now. What time is it?” She watched as he tried to understand her question. When he did, he glanced at his watch.

  “It’s 5:35.”

  “I’ve got to leave. Elise doesn’t have a key to the bakery. I have to be there to open. I just can’t do this now.” Josie saw how conflicted he was. Sam really was a kind man. She could see he wasn’t just trying to satisfy some morbid curiosity. He really cared about what had happened to her, and wanted to offer comfort. But she couldn’t handle it. She never talked about this. It was her past. She focused on the future. She’d done her time on a shrink’s couch, and now the past was the past, and she had a new life. When he brought her hand to his lips and lovingly kissed her knuckles, she wanted to melt.

  “I’ll take you home, but don’t think we’re done.” Josie saw the promise in his eyes. It scared her, but maybe she had a way to dissuade him.

  “If you really want to talk about that, then you have to lay your cards on the table, too. I want to know about your injury. I want to know everything. Then you’ll have earned the right to hear my story.” She wasn’t surprised to see the warmth in his eyes shut down as he crawled back into his own protective shell. Josie began the process of easing up from the couch, damning her time seated at the barstool. Her back was killing her. Once she got to the apartment, she was going to need to get into a corset and take a pain pill before going to work. She might even n
eed two pain pills, and she hated the fuzzy effect they had on her. Elise was going to have to work the cash register this morning.

  Before she could get to her feet, Sam had once again lifted her into his arms. “Put me down, you big oaf. I’m too heavy for you to lift.” She looked up into his face, and he just arched a brow. “Seriously, Sam, obviously you’re injured, and carrying me around can’t be good for you.”

  “I have a head injury. There is nothing wrong with my back or legs. Anyway, I’ve had to carry more weight than you through the desert, so this is easy.” Josie had to admit it felt wonderful to be in his embrace, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. When they got to the front door, he bent down and told her to pick up her towel. He took her to her car, and once again settled her into the passenger seat and hooked her seat belt.

  “You can’t mean to drive me into town. How are you going to get back to your house?”

  “I’ll jog back. You interrupted my morning exercise. Driving would hurt your back, wouldn’t it?” He looked at her, and she slowly nodded. Satisfied with her honest answer, he started the car, and they drove in silence to the bakery. “Stay put, I’ll help you out of the car.” Josie waited, grateful to have him help her out of the passenger seat. Just in the short ride she’d stiffened up. Josie held out her hand for her stuff from the trunk, and once again just received that arched eyebrow, and she realized he would be walking with her to her apartment like a pack mule. At least he wasn’t carrying her up the stairs. God knew what the people of Fate Harbor would have to say about that.

  “I should have realized that the barstool was a bad idea,” Sam said as he easily figured out the apartment key and opened the door for her. He ushered her in and followed her, gazing around the small apartment. Josie held her breath, waiting to see what he would think of her little home. “I like this, Josie, it fits you. I like all the color. It’s so vibrant!”

  “Thanks, it makes me happy. I have to go get changed.” She started toward the bedroom, slowly and stiffly, when Sam stopped her.

  “Do you need help?” She looked down at the big and gentle hand that was softly gripping her upper arm.

  “Believe it or not, Sam Booth, I’ve been dressing myself for almost thirty years now, I think I’ve got the hang of it.” Looking up into his concerned face, Josie had said the words without heat, because she could see nothing but warmth and kindness.

  “I’m not talking about the clothes, I mean your brace. You wear a brace, don’t you?” Heat suffused her face, neck and chest. Talking to this gorgeous man, who made her think of silk sheets and hot sex, about the clunky back brace that she wore when she was in real pain was the last thing she wanted to do. But maybe this was the perfect thing to do. It was what she had been trying to make clear when she had taken off her T-shirt to show him her less than stellar body. Once again, he looked at her like he wanted her, and that was the stuff of dreams. Let him get one good look at the goods, and he’ll be running fast in the other direction. Besides being overweight, she had scars and an orthopedic back brace. She was as far from sexy as it came.

  “You’re right, I really could use some help.”

  “Do you need to take something for the pain first?” Sam maneuvered her to the couch and helped to ease her into the perfect reclining position against the cushions. He must have been watching how she had been sitting on the sofa at his house. Josie breathed out a sigh of relief.

  “The pills are in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.” Josie closed her eyes, and was surprised when she felt a hand touching her shoulder. Sam handed her a glass of water and held up two bottles, one containing muscle relaxers, the other containing pain pills. He was reading the labels.

  “One muscle relaxer, and two pain pills please.” Josie held out her hand. Sam gave her a hard look.

  “Are you planning on driving in the next six hours?”

  “Nope. Just working.”

  “You should be resting,” he admonished.

  “Sam, I’ve been dealing with this for eighteen years. I know my body, I know my limits, and I know what I’m capable of. Please give me my medicine. Then if you really want to be a help, you can help me into my back brace.” Josie didn’t say that the biggest help would be for him to finally stop coming on to her, so she wouldn’t be tempted anymore by this handsome man, thinking he wanted her. Sam handed her the pills, and she took them and drank the entire glass of water. Once again, as she started to get off the couch, Sam was there to help her up.

  “I’m going into my bedroom to get a change of underwear. As soon as I’m done, I’ll call you in.”

  * * * *

  Sam watched her walk stiffly through the bedroom door and close it. He really hated to see her in so much pain. It was his fault. He hadn’t been thinking when he had her sit at the kitchen island on the barstool. He was familiar enough with different kinds of injuries, and he had known she had a back injury from yoga class. What the hell had he been thinking? The meds she had taken were very powerful. It was amazing that she was going to be able to function at work, which indicated that she had been dealing with the injury and pain for a long time. The yoga, her precise posture, and the brace must be very important parts of her pain management program. Perhaps she needed surgery. He could have her recuperate at the house. He and Chance could take care of her.

  Sam caught himself. Where the hell had that thought come from? He barely knew Josie, and now he was thinking about taking care of her for six to eight weeks after she had surgery? And he was throwing Chance into the mix? God, there was something about this woman. He couldn’t figure it out.

  “Sam, are you sure you want to help?” Sam shook his head, breaking free of his wayward thoughts. Josie was peeking her head out of the bedroom door. He pushed open the door the rest of the way and stopped short. She was breathtaking, with curves in all the right places, and that ass encased in sky-blue, lacy, boy-short panties, with a lacy bra to match. Her stomach was rounded and her hips were a wide work of art. Sam had never liked skinny women. Instead he liked the full-bodied figures on women, women who looked like he could sink his fingers into their flesh while he held them still for a hard, satisfying fuck. God, he would love to sink into the depths of her pussy. She’d be perfect, he just knew it.

  Josie must have seen the lust on his face, because she frowned. “Quit it, Sam. You haven’t seen the bad part yet.” She turned around and he sucked in a deep breath as he saw the pink scars bisecting her back, marring the beautiful dark skin. Obviously, she had had multiple surgeries, because he could see newer surgical scars on top of older scars. She turned back around. “Now can we just cut the crap and get to the part where we’ll be friends? No more flirting, certainly no more kissing?” She held out the bulky brace to him, and he stepped forward as if in a trance. Her eyes were already a little glassy from the medication, but her chin was tilted up. She was braced for whatever rejection he was ready to dish out. Obviously, she had run into rejection before, but Sam couldn’t understand how.

  Sam took the brace from her and examined it. It was easy enough to figure out how to put it on, but before he did anything, he threw it on the bed. “I need a hug.”

  “What? Sam, it’s five minutes to six, I need to get downstairs.”

  “I can’t stand all the pain you’re in, or all the pain you’ve been through. I need a hug, damn it. Then I’ll get you into the damn brace.” He looked down into her eyes, and saw that even through her medicated fog his words were getting through. Josie reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sam gently encompassed her waist, nuzzling his nose in her neck, taking in the scent of her. “Listen to me, and listen well. There will be flirting, and there will be kissing, and there will be lovemaking, baby. I love your body, I crave your body. Sometime when we have more than three minutes, I’ll show you my scars and we’ll see if you still want me.” He laid a gentle kiss on her neck and released her. He kept one hand at her waist as she swayed, and reached over and picked up the brace fro
m her bed. He helped her into it, asking her how tight it needed to be. When it was finally on, he had her sit down on the bed.

  “Baby, are you sure you’re okay to work? Maybe you took too much medicine.” He brushed a tendril of hair back from her face that seemed to have a will of its own. She looked up at him, her gaze clearing, and a bright smile came over her face.

  “You just took me by surprise, Sam. I’m really fine. I know what I can take, and still work. I just can’t run the cash register when I take two pain pills.” Josie stood up, and Sam was relieved to see she was walking much more comfortably as she went to her closet and pulled out black slacks and a white top. “The problem was that I let the pain get ahead of me. Why don’t you come down to Sweet Dream and I’ll get you a low-fat raspberry scone before you jog back to your house. Your doctors would approve.”

  In less than ten minutes Sam found himself eating his scone, surrounded by eight others who were placing orders and milling around the little bakery. The last time he had been in the Matushkas’ bakery, it hadn’t been this busy. But, after eating something so good that was healthy, he could understand why Josie’s business was thriving. His girl was quite talented. After he finished, he started his jog back to the house, and mulled over the weird thought of having Josie convalescing at his and Chance’s home after a surgery. This woman pulled him in like no woman ever had before. He had to be careful, with the considerable baggage he had hanging around his neck. He didn’t want to end up hurting her. At the same time, who said they couldn’t have some fun together?

  Chapter 6

  By the time he saw her again at the Saturday afternoon yoga class, he was more than a little frustrated. He had called her three different times to see if he could take her out, and she rebuffed him each time. Granted she had done it nicely, but still she was actively avoiding him, and Sam wasn’t used to being avoided by a woman that he was pursuing, let alone one that he was really interested in. He got to the yoga studio early, so he could be waiting for her when she pulled into the parking lot. As soon as he saw her Honda pull up, he was at her door opening it for her. He gave her his best smile, but all he received in return was a look of resignation.