Colonial Offer (The Sampson Series Book 1)

by Lane,Lena

  He grinned, pure male satisfaction at his conquest. “Text me your address.”

  “Okay,” she echoed.

  Numbly, she got in and drove to her open house, her mind in a bit of a daze at what she’d just agreed to do. How was she going to tell Dave she had a date with his cousin? Or that she’d had sex with him? Who says you have to tell him at all? True. They were just dating, it’s not like she was cheating. Although, family gatherings were going to be weird after dating both of them. What the hell, Sarah, it’s just dinner.

  Right.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Getting Ready

  “He’s a total babe,” Jackie said from their home office. She was sitting in front of the computer, looking at Scott’s professional profile picture online.

  “Yes, yes he is,” Sarah called from behind her closed bedroom door.

  “You should invite him inside. I want to meet him.”

  Sarah opened the door and, holding her top over her chest, frowned at Jackie. “Do you think I’m completely insane?” She slammed the door on her roommate and yelled through it, “I don’t think so.”

  “Come on, you can’t keep this beast all to yourself.” In a softer tone, she continued, “I bet he’s man enough to satisfy us both.” Jackie had left the office and was making her way to the kitchen when Sarah’s bedroom door swung open again. She came out wearing a long black halter top and snug black capris. Jackie saw this look and stopped, an elegant brow raised at the audacity. “Are you going to a funeral? Why are you all in black? Get back in there and add some color.”

  Taken aback, Sarah immediately returned to her bedroom and closed the door. A moment later, she returned in a playful crisscross turquoise halter and a little, black skirt with wide ruffles. “Better?” Sarah asked, her own brow raised.

  Jackie walked over and put two fingers into the opening right above Sarah’s navel and traced it up to the base of Sarah’s bra. “Better.” She nodded her approval. Sarah shook her head in dismay while rolling her eyes. She shouldn’t have taken them off Jackie because, while Sarah was distracted, her roommate took the opportunity to lift Sarah’s skirt and peek underneath.

  “Hey!” Shocked, Sarah slapped at Jackie’s hand.

  “I approve,” Jackie said with a laugh. Satisfied that this was a better outfit, Jackie headed back to the kitchen for her own dinner.

  “He’s not going to look down there,” Sarah said, following her.

  “Why not? I would,” Jackie said, laughing. “In fact, I just did.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Sushi Again

  Oh, the irony. Sarah wondered if her life was being directed by a psycho who was enjoying the misery she was in at the moment. She was sitting in the same chair, at the same sushi restaurant Dave had brought her to not long ago, the one where she’d learned that Scott was Sharon’s brother, and that they were both Dave’s cousins. Across from her sat Scott, in the same chair Dave had used. A glimmer of fear passed through her as she looked to the hibachi room, wondering if Sharon would come out in a stunning red dress to give her brother a kiss.

  The drive had been uneventful. Terrified of what might come out of Jackie’s mouth should she meet him, Sarah had been watching for Scott to arrive, and as soon as she’d seen him heading up her front steps, she’ opened the door and met him. She had pulled him away before Jackie had realized he was even there. Later, during the drive to the restaurant, she’d gotten a “WTF” text from her roommate, which she’d ignored. At that point, they’d been chatting about their dinner destination, a fantastic sushi place not far from where she lived.

  “You should try the shrimp tempura. It’s fantastic,” Scott said with a smile. He took a gulp of his beer and closed his menu.

  Sarah groaned and blinked at him repeatedly. “Yes, I’ve had it.”

  “Yeah? You’ve been here before?” Scott asked curiously, leaning forward. His attention was focused solely on her.

  Nodding, Sarah said, “Yes, with Dave. This is where I met Sharon.” She closed her menu and returned his gaze with a half-smile. She sipped from her strawberry daiquiri, then stirred the frozen contents with her straw.

  “Figures,” he said, chuckling, “the whole family loves this place.” He played with his beer bottle, rolling it between his hands. “Next time, I’ll take you to a steak restaurant. Do you like steak?”

  “I eat it, but I prefer chicken or fish.” She took a sip of her drink and watched his movements, focusing on his long fingers. It made her smile, thinking he was already planning a next time.

  During her last visit to this restaurant, she’d been shocked to learn that Scott and Dave were cousins. She’d spent the rest of the night torn between what to do, how to handle the situation. And worse, she’d compared the two, wondering who was better. Wait. That wasn’t really accurate. It wasn’t a matter of who was better; the two of them were as different as night and day.

  Dave was a sweet guy while Scott was spicy. And right now, she was in the mood for something hot. Wherever things led with Scott, she was going to have to tell Dave that a relationship wasn’t going to happen with her. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she knew it just wasn’t going to work out. Perhaps she’d tell him after the Fourth of July party since, she had already committed to attend.

  Sarah looked up and found Scott staring at her as she sipped through her straw, a lustful glint in his eye. “How about sausage?”

  She saw the smirk on his face and knew immediately what he meant. Even though she knew the answer, she asked anyway, “Are we still discussing foods obtained in a restaurant setting, or something else altogether?” Nonchalantly, she swirled the contents of her glass but her eyes remained on him.

  “You caught me.” Shamelessly, he winked.

  Scott was straightforward. He knew what he wanted and wasn’t embarrassed about asking for it—or taking it, for that matter. Some women would be turned off by his bluntness. but Sarah found it amusing and decided to play along. She shrugged and said, “Yes.”

  His grin grew. “To which?”

  What the hell, in for a penny and all that. She swallowed and avoided his eyes while saying, “Both.” Considering everything they’d done so far, what did she have to hide at this point? Besides, what man doesn’t like that? If anything, she’d probably risen in his opinion. She certainly hoped so, anyway.

  Scott chuckled. “Well, I hope to see that firsthand someday.”

  “I bet you would.” She made a sound that was a blend of laughter and embarrassed groan. “Maybe. Someday.” The way he kept referencing the future surprised her. The conversation wasn’t anything serious, it was just some more fun, as he called it, but he wasn’t done with her just yet. The thought made her happy.

  The waitress came for their order and, once she left, the conversation flowed into a far safer zone. They discussed real estate and how they’d both got their starts. She told him about how she loved looking at houses, while he chatted about his family business. Unsurprisingly, Scott was entertaining company, with a good sense of humor and sarcastic wit. When the food came, they took their time eating it, discussing the various flavors and which dish they preferred best, savoring them all. He kept her laughing for most of dinner, which she really enjoyed. By the time they were ready to leave, she didn’t want to go.

  They walked back to his SUV with their arms wrapped around each other, his around her shoulders, hers around his waist. Considering this was their first official date, she was feeling very comfortable with him. The time had passed effortlessly.

  “It’s still early,” Scott said as he started the car. “Do you need to head home or do you still have some time?”

  Sarah smiled, relieved that she didn’t have to leave him just yet. “No, I don’t have anything planned in the morning.” She shrugged. “What would you like to do?” Climb into the backseat so I can straddle you and ride you until we see stars? She was glad it was dark or the world would see her blush.

  “How about
some laser tag?” He offered.

  She blinked at him. “Laser tag?”

  “What? You’ve never played, or you don’t like it?” He asked cautiously.

  “It’s been years.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. There’d been a time, when her parents were still around, that she’d been carefree and had enjoyed the game. But that was a very long time ago. She shrugged again. “Sure, to laser tag!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Laser Tag

  Five minutes later, Scott was pulling into another parking lot. As they entered the building, Sarah noticed a bunch of high school kids hanging around, talking. She was feeling very out of place. Though she wasn’t that much older than these kids, she could sense their youthfulness, the ‘I don’t know anything but I’m going to pretend anyway’ vibe coming from them. Noticing her hesitation, Scott took her hand and led her to the back of the building, where it was quieter.

  A twentysomething guy with a nose ring turned to greet them from behind the counter. “Scotty, my man, how’s it going?” He asked, holding out his hand for a shake, which Scott took immediately.

  “Going good, Bas, doing well.” Scott grinned.

  Sarah watched the exchange and was surprised that Scott was so comfortable with this man. She wondered how they knew each other. Did Scott come here often enough to know the staff by name? Or did they know each other from somewhere else? She’d have to ask him later.

  “Sarah,” Scott turned to her for introductions, “I’d like you to meet Sebastian. Bas, meet Sarah.” Bas eyed Sarah with appreciation and the corner of his mouth lifted with a half-smile. They shook hands.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said.

  Bas replied, “The pleasure is mine.” Still holding her hand, he raised it slightly, and for a moment, Sarah expected him to bring her fingers to his lips. Thankfully, he didn’t, and she slowly pulled her hand away.

  “Is the room open?” Scott asked.

  “You bet. C’mon.” Bas came out from behind the counter and led them around a corner.

  Hung on a wall were the laser tag vests. Bas turned to eye Sarah’s torso, then took an obvious look at her chest, before he pulled one of the vests down. Scott didn’t wait for Bas, he just pulled a vest down for himself. As they were putting them on, Bas went to a computer and started typing away. A minute later, he returned with the device that activated their vests.

  “You, m’lady,” Bas told Sarah, “are red, for your luscious lips.” He touched the vest with the device while she blinked at him nervously. He turned to Scott. “And you’re blue, for the clouds you carry in your darkened soul.”

  “Reading poetry again, Bas?” Scott said with a raised brow and a chuckle. Turning to Sarah, he said simply, “He’s sensitive.”

  Sarah didn’t know how to respond so she said nothing. She stepped close to Scott and waited until the room was ready.

  “Follow me.” Bas walked to the door and opened it then stopped in the doorway, preventing them from entering.

  Sarah could see the room’s lights were completely off and heard heavy metal music playing inside. Her tummy was swirling with excitement again, the dragon looking forward to another nice roller-coaster ride. She was really looking forward to playing this game again. It had been a long time.

  “The rules are simple. You shoot the other guy.” Bas was looking directly at Sarah, and she wondered if Scott played so much he was like a professional. “If you get hit, your vest will flash and your weapon will be disabled for five seconds. You should take that opportunity to find a better hiding spot. The one with the least hits at the end wins.” He looked at both of them and asked, “Ready?”

  “Yup,” Scott said.

  “Wait,” Sarah hesitated, “how long will we be in there for?”

  “The round is set for ten minutes,” Bas said, stepping out of their way. “Your home base is to the right, m’lady. Look for the red column.” He nodded his head in the column’s general direction. “The game will begin in thirty seconds.” He flipped a switch by the door and lights started flashing inside.

  “This is going to be fun.” She looked at Scott and grinned as they both walked into the room. There were makeshift walls scattered around the room, some that ended sharply. Others contained holes as big as her head, some placed high up, some at about waist height, some very low to the ground. Sarah walked around, taking mental notes of where the walls were and how the path flowed between them. She found her home base easily enough and called out, “Are you ready to die?”

  “At your command,” Scott said from across the room, his voice almost swallowed by the music. “But be forewarned, I will show you no mercy in here.”

  “But I’m too young to die!” She replied loudly, laughing.

  “Then I’ll bring you back to life with a single kiss—”

  The intercom system began to blare out the countdown, five, four, three, two, one. A sharp horn cut through the music, informing them that the game had begun. Immediately, the heavy metal music began again, the drums fast and hard, the guitar shrill.

  Adrenaline pumped through Sarah’s veins and her heart thumped in her chest. Holding the gun by her face, she slowly walked around a protective wall. Rather than taking a direct route to Scott’s home base, she doubled back and decided to walk flat against the room’s wall. It seemed like only a second had gone by before her vest was vibrating. Startled, she jumped, then looked down to see it was flashing. She’d been hit. “Aw, already?!” She looked around, hoping to see where he lurked, but she couldn’t find him.

  Since hiding against the wall wasn’t working, she went into the middle of the maze, hugging the makeshift walls as closely as she could. There. She saw Scott leaning against one of them, looking over his shoulder in the opposite direction. She shot him and laughed aloud when his vest glowed red. “Gotcha.” The thrill of it fueled her excitement but she didn’t want to be careless. She immediately hid back behind a wall but sneaked a look to keep him in sight. Too late, he was already gone. “Damn.”

  For the next few minutes, they traded shots back and forth. Scott took his hits in stride but Sarah cried out with shock each time her vest vibrated and flashed. Even so, she was having so much fun, her face hurt from grinning so much. It had been a long time since she’d had such a kick. When the strobe lights stopped to solid and the music faded, Sarah was disappointed.

  At the look on her face, Scott merely asked, “Again?”

  “Yes!”

  Scott went out to speak with Bas and moments later, he was calling for her. “He needs to reset your vest.”

  Still grinning, she walked out.

  “You, m’lady, are now blue like a summer sky or a calm ocean.” Bas zapped her vest. Sarah looked at Scott with a raised eyebrow, at which Scott just smirked. Turning to Scott, Bas said, “You are now red, like the fires of hell.”

  “And you are Shakespeare?” Scott said, mockingly. Bas didn’t respond but gave him an exasperated look.

  Bas turned the flashing lights and the music back on and allowed them back in. Sarah was almost to her home base when she saw Scott turn back. The two men spoke for a couple of seconds before Scott returned to the floor, a mischievous grin on his face. Sarah frowned and wondered what he was up to, but soon after, the countdown began again. Whatever it was, she’d know soon enough.

  The adrenaline kick started again and her heart thumped wildly. Sarah snuck a look around before heading out into the room, trying to stay hidden behind the makeshift walls. She should’ve asked Bas who had won the last round, but didn’t think of it. She just hoped her strategy worked. Apparently, it didn’t because her vest was now vibrating, making her jump with surprise. “Damn it.” She looked around again, trying to find Scott, but was unsuccessful.

  Weaving between the walls and trying to make out shapes among the flickering lights, she made her way to Scott’s home base but he wasn’t there. He was really good at this. She stalked around the column, searching but without success.

&
nbsp; Hands wrapped around Sarah’s waist and a scruffy chin rubbed against her neck, shocking her. Reflexively, she pulled away and turned, ready to hit her attacker, then sighed heavily with relief when she saw it was Scott. Of course it’s Scott, who else is in here with you?! Laughing at herself for being so defensive, she told him, “You just took five years of my life away,” then shot his vest in retaliation. Amused, he chuckled and then ran back into the maze. Instantly, she followed, snaking through the turns but he was gone again.

  “Okay, that’s it,” Sarah whispered. Still grinning like a Cheshire cat, she vowed to find him.

  No sooner had she rounded a corner than a hard body slammed into hers from behind, forcing her against the wall in front of her. She felt Scott’s crotch against her butt, hard chest against her back, and his stubble scraped her neck deliciously. “I’ve got you now, trapped,” he whispered into her ear, causing goosebumps to rise all over her body, and her nipples to harden into peaks.

  Sarah had no intention of escaping Scott’s so-called trap, but she wiggled in a vague semblance of an attempt to get away, for his benefit. She pushed back and rubbed his crotch with her butt, saying, “Let me go.” She was rewarded with an appreciative moan. He slid a hand around her waist and pulled her body closer to his. Skillfully, he undid the vest buckles, then scooped his hand beneath the fabric to grab one of her breasts. It was her turn to moan.

  “I’ve wanted to do this all night.” He bit her neck.

  She took a ragged breath and leaned back to give him better access. From behind, he nibbled her shoulder, her neck, and the line of her chin before she gave him her lips while he caressed her breast over her shirt. She wanted more, needed more, so she broke the kiss to lift the side of her crisscross top, exposing her black lacy bra. He sighed in appreciation and moved right in to grasp it. Roughly, he pinched her nipples, making her squirm.