Break Your Heart_A Small Town Romance

by Tracey Alvarez

  Again and again he drove into her. His name fell from her lips with each stroke, her body arching like a bow, eyes widening on his, breath hitching once, then again as she came apart in his arms. Her tremors gripping his cock pitched him over the edge, and he came, emptying himself into her with a groan. Her writhing body tore the orgasm from him, prolonged it until he was convinced he’d died and was flying through space and time into the white light.

  As he collapsed onto her, letting go of her wrists and stroking his hands down her damp-with-sweat body, it occurred to him then how wrong he’d been.

  He was hers. He’d always been hers.

  God help him.

  Vee woke the next morning to an empty bed. An empty bed that still carried the addictive scent of Sam’s spicy body wash. They’d ended up in the shower together again, snickering like horny teenagers as they soaped each other up. The frantic yet tender heat of each round of lovemaking—and she winced as she sat up and swung her legs over the bed edge—would have someone suspecting that this was the last night they’d ever spend together.

  Oh, wait, a little voice said caustically in her head. It was the last night.

  Eric and Julia were leaving Bounty Bay for the five-hour drive south to Auckland early this afternoon.

  On her nightstand was a folded sheet of paper kept in place by a travel mug. She picked up the mug, flicked the button, and caught the delicious whiff of coffee. As she sipped, she unfolded the note.

  Didn’t want to wake you, sleepyhead. Gone early to help set up surf champs. Looking forward to having my cheer squad arrive later, xx

  He’d made her coffee. Left her a note. Added X’s to it.

  Such an ordinary, thoughtful thing. Yet it made her ache in ways she didn’t dare examine. She glanced down at the ring, still on her left hand’s third finger. She twisted it thoughtfully, feeling the strange weight and constriction of it. She really wasn’t much of a ring fan—earrings, costume jewelry necklaces, anklets were more her accessories. Fashion accessories.

  She’d asked Sam why the ring last night and he hadn’t really answered honestly. But then again, neither had she explained why in the middle of their naked romp she’d stopped to slip his ring back onto her finger.

  She’d been caught up in the moment. Caught up in him and his damn single-minded intensity. She’d wanted to give him a license to fall in love with her the way she’d apparently fallen in love with him.

  Vee groaned, part humiliation, part resignation. She couldn’t put the day off any longer. She stood, hurried to the chest of drawers where Sam had cleared out the top two for her clothes, and randomly selected shorts and a T-shirt for the day. After a quick tidy up and opening of the windows to let in sunshine and a warm salty breeze, Vee slipped out of the room and down the hallway to Ruby’s room.

  She opened the door, her heart expanding to fill her chest as it did every time she looked down at her sleeping daughter. Ruby was curled on her side, her stuffed chicken tucked under her arm, the comforter straightened neatly over her. The sight of that chicken, which she found on the floor by Ruby’s bed every morning, and the covers which were usually in disarray from her daughter’s tossing and turning during the night, made tears prickle in the corners of her eyes.

  Sam had been in to check on the little girl before he left this morning.

  As she brushed a stray curl off her daughter’s flushed-with-sleep cheek, she couldn’t help but daydream how she and Sam could make a beautiful baby brother or sister for Ruby. She really had to get a grip and stop thinking that way. Right now.

  Two hours later, Vee had enough busywork to keep her mind occupied and off the taboo subject of baby making with Sam. She’d fed everyone breakfast—a cooked breakfast which took all her concentration to ensure nothing got burned—and packed a cooler of snacks and cold drinks. Isaac was taking Eric up the coastline to give him a few hours of fishing before the long drive back to Auckland. Then, with the reminder of the Wrights’ departure in the form of their suitcases lining the hallway, she’d gotten Ruby into her swimsuit and loaded up the mum-mobile with beach toys, a deck chair for Julia, another cooler of snacks and drinks, and a beach umbrella because it was going to be a scorcher of a day.

  Bounty Bay beach was packed. Organizer and sponsor tents lined the sand, and spectators milled around or clustered close to the marked sand sprinting course. Rows of paddleboards, racing canoes, and the huge inflatable boats waited for their events to take place.

  “This is incredible,” Julia said, looking around them as Vee set up her deck chair under the beach umbrella. “I had no idea it’d be so big.”

  Cheers rang out behind Vee, a little way down to where a men’s relay race was taking place. She’d deliberately positioned them farther away from the sand sprints, knowing that Sam excelled in the water events.

  “Oh, we Kiwis love the water.” Vee gestured to the chair and Julia sank gratefully into it. “And because we’re a small country surrounded by the ocean, almost every kid grows up around beaches and is encouraged from a young age to learn to swim. Surf lifesaving is the next step up and it’s become a huge though mostly unacknowledged sport in New Zealand.”

  With Ruby already building sandcastles at their feet, Vee scanned the crowds until she spotted Sam among a group of competitors next to the paddleboards. Her heart gave a little hippity-hop at the sight of him. Couldn’t blame her—and the other female spectators on the beach—for staring. In his tight black swim trunks, electric blue rash vest, and matching swim cap, it was almost impossible to look away from the hypnotizing quality of his ass. As if he’d felt her gaze, he turned and unnervingly found her in the crowd. He grinned and lifted a hand. Sam was all tanned muscle, barely restrained, raring to go. She waved back, her stomach giving a funny little wobble.

  “Where’s Sam?” Julia said as Vee unfolded the second deck chair and sat.

  Vee pointed him out, and Julia fanned herself. “My goodness, there’s a lot of fine male flesh on display. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like Baywatch on steroids.”

  Vee chuckled. “We’re kind of used to it now.”

  They watched as the men got ready with the paddleboards for the next race. While the competitors started to line up with their boards, Ariana and Pete wandered over.

  “Kia ora, ladies,” Ariana said. “Can we sit with you a spell?”

  Vee and Julia welcomed them in and the three women sat under the umbrella’s shade while Pete helped Ruby arrange shells on top of her sandcastle. The starter gun blasted and the men sprinted to the water’s edge with their paddleboards. Sam was near the back of the pack as the group fanned out, splashing through the shallows until they could leap on the boards. But once he was on, the powerful strokes of his arms soon had him catching up with the other entrants.

  The four of them whooped and cheered as the men paddled through the crashing waves—the ocean had put on a fine surf for the day’s events—rounded the marker buoys, and headed back.

  Sam crossed the finish line in third place, the set of his jaw telling Vee he wasn’t happy with the result, though he enthusiastically shook the hand of the winner. She knew—because she knew him—that being unhappy with his own performance didn’t get in his way of sincerely congratulating someone who beat him fair and square. Her chest gave a hollow tug at the sight of him and a smile found its way onto her lips. He’d be trying that much harder in the next race.

  They watched the next couple of races Sam was in, the men’s ski, men’s surf teams’ race, and the men’s double ski. Sam and his teammates did well enough to make it to the final heats later that day.

  “Go and watch him do the men’s run, swim, run,” Ariana ordered her as the morning wore away into lunchtime. “Pete and I’ll stay here with Julia and Ruby.”

  “Yes, go and cheer on your new fiancé,” Julia agreed and made a shooing motion at Vee. “You’ll get a better view if you move closer.”

  Figuring they’d tease her more if she didn’t
go, Vee headed down to the wet, hard-packed sand where a crowd gathered near the starting line. The men were still warming up since the race didn’t officially start for another fifteen minutes, but all of them seemed quietly focused on what was needed to win a fiercely competitive event.

  Julia wasn’t wrong about the Baywatch on steroids, Vee thought with a smile. Men in Speedos and swim trunks with not a spare ounce of fat on any of them, these guys trained hard. Last year Sam had come in fourth. From the look on his face, he was after the winning spot. She sidled closer, not wanting to interrupt his concentration, but to somehow send him you’ve got this vibes.

  But he spotted her and jogged over.

  “Hey,” he said. “You made it.”

  “Of course. Did you think I’d miss you kicking ass and taking names out there?”

  He grinned his trademark cocky grin and took a step closer. He smelled like seawater and Sam, a combination she suspected she’d never forget. But whatever he’d been about to say after that grin vanished.

  His gaze slid sideways past her shoulder. “What’s up with my dad?”

  Vee spun around to see Pete running across the sand toward them, his mouth set in a thin line. Her heart kicked into high gear. Sam’s dad without a cheeky grin on his face was almost unheard of. Her daughter’s name rushed up from the pit of her stomach and clogged her throat.

  Pete drew alongside them, his breath rasping in and out.

  “It’s Julia.” His brow cracked into deep worry lines. “She stood up to come and watch the race with you, and Ari noticed.”

  “Noticed what?” Sam said, and at the same instant Vee’s heart sank.

  “Blood on her skirt,” Pete said grimly. “She’s bleeding.” He tipped his chin at Vee. “You’d better come.”

  Sam pulled off his swim cap. “Go and alert the paramedics standing by at the beach entrance. I’ll take the truck and find Isaac and Eric. There’s no cell reception at Isaac’s usual fishing spot.”

  A sick feeling spread throughout Vee’s body and she staggered back a step. Strong arms wrapped around her middle in a backward bear hug as Pete ran off. Sam held her for a moment longer then steadied her on her feet.

  “She’ll be fine.” He unwrapped his arms from around her and gave her a little push in the direction of the crowds and tent city. “I’ll meet you at the hospital, okay?”

  Her mind awhirl, Vee turned and blurted out, “You’ll miss your race.”

  “That’s not important.” Sam’s steady gaze locked with hers. “Whānau first. Always. Go on now.”

  Chapter 15

  Sam had a crick in his neck caused by sitting in such a weird way in the uncomfortable Bounty Bay Hospital waiting room chairs. He’d been there for the past he-had-no-idea-how-many hours.

  Beside him, Vee sipped at a takeout coffee and flicked listlessly through a magazine. He’d bet a twenty she wasn’t actually seeing any of the pages. He rubbed his fingers over his forehead, wincing at a spot of gritty saltwater that’d dried there.

  The past hours were a blur. Driving like a maniac up the coast to find Isaac and Eric, then turning around to drive back to Bounty Bay’s emergency department. It wasn’t until Owen had come out eventually to give them a brief update that Sam realized he was still in his swim shorts and tank, and Sam hadn’t even given his mate a hard time when Owen reappeared soon after to throw a pair of scrub pants at him.

  His parents had taken Ruby and Olivia back to the farm so Nat, Isaac, Sam, and Vee could continue a helpless vigil in the waiting room. Most of the medical lingo had gone over Sam’s head—and Isaac’s, too, if his brother’s blank stare was any indication—but he knew what an emergency C-section was.

  Sam’s gut clenched as he slid another glance toward Vee. She’d accompanied Julia in the ambulance and stayed with her, holding her hand when she could among the organized chaos of the emergency room. When she’d finally emerged from behind the sliding glass doors to the waiting room, she’d played her role in the drama down, but her face was chalky white and her hands shook as she sat next to him.

  He’d taken her hand and gently squeezed her fingers, but sensing her need for space, waited until she was ready to give them a rundown of the urgent and terrifying ride to the hospital.

  Sam got up and paced the length of the room, his muscles pinging after the long stretch of inactivity where earlier in the day they’d been pumped with nervous energy. Now he was nervous in a whole different way. He shot another glance at Vee, who’d given up the pretence of reading and had leaned back as much as she could on a plastic chair and closed her eyes.

  How on earth could Eric stand it? The man was almost vibrating with fear and frustration as Sam drove them away from the beach with Isaac bringing up the rear after he’d packed up the fishing gear. Eric barely said a word the whole ride, white-knuckling the door’s armrest and occasionally cursing under his breath at the slow drivers Sam overtook on the highway.

  The sliding doors opened and Eric hurried out. Isaac and Nat leaped up from their chairs, which startled Vee awake. She rose, too, and Sam joined them, his gaze scanning Eric’s face for a clue of how Julia was doing.

  “Julia’s still in recovery,” Eric said. “She’s going to be okay.”

  Sam barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief when Vee asked, “And the baby?”

  “We have a daughter.” A crooked smile appeared on Eric’s mouth then slid away, the man’s shoulders sagging with weariness. “She’s only three and a half pounds and she needs a little help breathing.”

  Nat, who was closest, gave him a hug. “She’s a fighter like her mum.”

  Isaac stepped forward and clamped a reassuring hand on Eric’s shoulder. “Want me to get in touch with anyone? Your dad?”

  Eric shook his head. “I’ve already spoken to him.”

  Vee also hugged him and he squeezed her arm as she pulled back.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice cracking. “Thank you for all you did for Julia today.”

  “I’m only glad I could provide some comfort to her until you arrived. She was very, very brave.”

  Sam moved closer to Vee’s side, taking in her too-pale skin and drawn features. “Kia kaha, Eric. We’re here for whatever you need.”

  Eric shook Sam’s hand, but he shot a distracted glance back to the sliding doors.

  “Appreciated. I’ll stay at the hospital tonight, but there’s nothing else y’all can do right now. My dad’s flying into Auckland tomorrow then catching another flight up here.” His face crumpled for a moment.

  “I’ll pick him up at the airport and bring him here,” Sam offered. “Let us organize everything.”

  Eric thanked them again before he strode back toward the glass doors.

  Isaac draped his arm over Nat’s shoulders and gave Sam an eyebrow lift of acknowledgement. “We should all head off, eh? Bit of a rough day.”

  “Yeah,” Sam said.

  Vee’s head was turned to follow Eric’s exit so thankfully she missed his concerned glance as she swayed a little in sheer exhaustion. He slid his arm around her waist, and for a moment she leaned into him, letting him support her. He wanted nothing more than to haul her into his arms, toss her in his truck, and then drag her into his bed.

  Vee had other things in mind. “We’ll follow you to your parents’ place to pick up Ruby.”

  Sam had kinda hoped they could leave Ruby where she was—being spoiled rotten by his ma and probably nearly ready for bed. Then, on the other hand, he could understand why Vee wanted to cuddle her little girl when she’d had a front row seat in the day’s drama. He was man enough to admit he wanted a cuddle with Ruby himself, and the thought lightened his steps as they left the hospital.

  It was still light out as they drove toward the farm. The competition would be over by now, and the teams getting changed and ready to hit Bounty Bay’s pubs and restaurants to celebrate. He waited for the twinge of disappointment or frustration at not being able to finish competing. He felt nothing
but a sense his world had righted itself now that Vee was curled in the passenger seat next to him, her head resting tiredly against the window on his bunched up spare jacket.

  “How about after you get Ruby to sleep I run us a bath? Couple of glasses of wine, some candles…maybe I’ll even scrub your back if you ask real nice.” He shot a ‘hey baby, aren’t I your Mr. Romance?’ smile, which was totally wasted as she continued to stare out the windshield at the gathering dusk.

  Okay. So teasing her out of a mood had been a bad call. The first prickle of unease sped up and down his spine. He’d only a week’s experience dealing with Vee’s moods up close and personal—though years of experience dealing with them at a safe distance—and he didn’t know what to say.

  When in doubt, zip it. Good advice from his dad, especially as it pertained to women. He pressed his lips together and kept both hands on the wheel, even though part of him badly wanted to reach across and run a soothing hand down her thigh.

  “You okay?” Dumb, if not the dumbest question he could’ve chosen.

  She turned her head toward him and their eyes met. He felt the heat pass between them for a beat before he jerked his gaze back to the road.

  “No, I’m not okay. What are we going to do?”

  “About what, specifically?” he asked.

  And honestly, he wasn’t trying to be obtuse. There were just so many roads he could pick from that question and all of them had danger signs plastered along them. Better to only turn down one at a time and deal with it head-on.

  She huffed out a sigh that practically shouted annoyance. “The Wrights. And their baby.”

  A little pool of warmth spread through his gut at Vee’s concern for the American couple. “As Nat told Eric, she’s a fighter. One of my cousins had a prem baby born even earlier than the Wrights’. She’s got a photo of their son with her husband’s wedding ring slipped over his wrist. Tiny. But the boy’s six now and a real character.”