“This does sound like a much better option.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I booked the place for the night. If you don’t want to stay, we can still fly back tonight.”
“I’d love to stay. It’s so pretty here.”
“Do you want to go anywhere? See the island?”
“No. This is fine. I’ve never been to Maui, but I can wait to see it another time. This was the most relaxing day. I’ve really enjoyed myself.”
They had dinner brought in and ate sitting in the same chaise lounges they’d spent all day in. She feasted on grilled shrimp and stole a bite of his swordfish. They had wine and a sinfully rich chocolate cake for dessert.
When Pika came to pick up the dishes, he insisted they let him rearrange the lounge chairs in time for the sunset. They helped him move the table and make one big sofa out of the two chairs. Then, cuddled up in each other’s arms, they watched the most glorious sunset she’d ever seen. It was not even eight o’clock, but she couldn’t hold back a yawn.
“You tired?” he asked.
“Aren’t you? We got up so early, and the sun makes me sleepy. The drinks don’t help either. How late do you want to stay up?” she asked. If he thought she was being coy, he was wrong. She was genuinely exhausted.
“I’m game to hit the sack whenever,” he said, smiling.
“Okay. I’m gonna take a quick shower. Oh, I just realized I didn’t bring pajamas.”
“Pajamas? Where we’re going, we don’t need pajamas,” he said, doing an impression of Doc Brown from the movie Back to the Future. She laughed.
After showering, she put on the extra T-shirt she’d packed and tiptoed back into the room. The lights were dim, and what seemed like a hundred candles were flickering around the room.
“Sam, wow, this is unbelievable,” she said.
“It was all Pika,” Sam said. “But I’ll take the credit if you like it.” He rose from the couch and strode over to her. He bent and kissed her. Without asking. She melted into him immediately.
“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he said between kisses.
“Mm, then why didn’t you?” she asked, rubbing her hands up and down his back.
“I wasn’t sure where we’d landed on the whole physical part of this relationship. We jumped the gun at the beginning and then talked about dialing it back, but we didn’t say how far back or for how long.”
“True. Well, we could pretend the first time didn’t happen and that this is our third-ish date. How far would you go on a third date?”
“The question is, how far would you go on a third date?” he retorted.
“Just kiss me, and we’ll see where it goes,” she said as she leaned into him once more.
The passion that flared the first night they met ignited again. His slow, lingering kisses suddenly weren’t enough. She tilted her head to get better access and pushed her tongue into his mouth. He tasted like chocolate cake, smelled like sunscreen, and felt like heaven. He grabbed her thighs and lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist. He kept kissing her as he slowly made his way to the bed.
He laid her down and then covered her with his body. She could feel the length of him pressing against her inner thigh. She needed to decide how far she was going to let this go. She’d said they needed to slow down, but at every turn her actions betrayed her words and, so far, she hadn’t shown much restraint.
“Your hair smells good,” he mumbled into it while kissing her neck.
“It’s just what’s in the bathroom,” she said. “You too can smell this good.”
“Are you saying I need a shower?” He sat, and she groaned. Before she could respond, he stood. “I do need a shower,” he said. “You’re all clean, and I’m covered in sunscreen, sweat, and sand. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re fine. Stay,” she urged. Regardless, he excused himself, grabbed his bag, and rushed to the bathroom. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move,” he hollered just before shutting the door.
She crawled under the covers to wait, impatiently. The noise of the shower running mixed with the waves and the whirling of the fans made for a lazy lullaby. She fought to stay awake but could tell it was a losing battle.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sam came out of the bathroom to find Annie curled up under the covers, snoring softly. She looked so sweet.
He chuckled. Not the way he’d planned for the night to end, but things rarely went as planned when it came to Annie. She’d had him guessing from the moment they met.
He dropped his towel and tried to slide in quietly next to her.
“Sam?” She stirred and reached for him.
Wordlessly, he wrapped her up in his arms, thinking she’d fall right back to sleep. Instead, she climbed on top of him and started kissing him senseless while rubbing her crotch on his. His dick stiffened instantly.
“I thought you were asleep,” he murmured between kisses.
“Just resting up. Did you want to go to sleep?” She started kissing down his neck.
“Maybe tomorrow. Simon’s ready to go…May as well take advantage. But only if you want to,” he clarified. “I can stop anytime.”
“Simon?” She stopped what she was doing to look down at him.
“Oh, um, you know…,” he trailed off, embarrassed.
“Is that what you named your stuff?” She laughed. “As in, ‘Simon says’?”
“Well, it started out that way,” he responded defensively. “It was funny in college, but I mean, he’s a lot more mature now. He doesn’t like to be laughed at either.”
She looked down and said sincerely, “Sorry, Simon.”
“Let’s see if he’s still got it. Simon says, take that shirt off.” God, he wanted that shirt off her.
She sat up, straddling him, and slowly, way too slowly, grabbed an end of the T-shirt with each hand and pulled it over her head, tossing it to the side of the bed. Two perfect, beautiful breasts glowed in the candlelight, and he moaned in appreciation. He did a half sit-up and took a nipple into his mouth, fondling the other with his hand. She eagerly arched into him.
“Annie, if you’re going to want to stop, you need to warn me now.”
“I don’t want to stop, Sam. Make love to me.”
In response, he rolled her onto her back and slowly removed her panties. She was laid out naked in front of him, her eyes locked on his. He began kissing her stomach and made his way up to her mouth. She kissed him urgently.
“Get in me, Sam. Please.” She wrapped a leg around his waist.
“Hold on, I’ve got to get a condom,” he said, cursing the fact that he hadn’t thought of that before coming to bed.
“I’m on birth control and clean as a whistle. If you’re clean too, let’s skip it. I trust you.”
Alarm bells went off. Sex without a condom? Not a good idea, Sam. She trusted him, but did he trust her? Enough to have unprotected sex with her? After a quick mental debate, during which she was stroking him, moaning, and basically begging him to fuck her, he unconsciously turned the decision over to Simon, who had already decided.
He plunged into her, and she gasped.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, oh, yes.”
He pulled out and pushed into her again. Without a condom, he could feel every bit of her soft wetness. She was tight and smooth and so damn impatient. She alternated between moaning demands and panting encouragement.
He fucked her mindlessly. His only focus was on release, and he pumped harder and faster until he got there. Afterward, he collapsed onto her, spent.
When he finally came to his senses, he realized he was probably suffocating her. He rolled to his side.
Reality began to set in. He’d just had sex without protection. Was this a sign he was becoming more trusting? Or more stupid? Had he just made a horrible, possibly life-altering mistake? He didn’t have time to analyze it right now.
“Annie, I’m sorry. I don’t normally lose control like that. I didn�
�t even make sure you came first.” He dropped his head to the pillow. It seemed too heavy to hold up. “I can’t believe I lost my mind like that.”
She rolled onto her side so she faced him. “Sam, I guess you didn’t notice, but I did come. And watching you lose control like that was hot. Super hot. I don’t have much experience with sex. Is it usually so intense?”
He closed his eyes. “No. We have extraordinary chemistry that I’ve never felt before. You make me crazy, Annie. Crazy with wanting you. It was totally reckless and stupid to have sex without a condom, but I’m lying here, right now, ready to do it again.”
“You’re ready again? Already?” She was flabbergasted.
“No. No, not quite. I meant that figuratively.” He took her in his arms. “I’m not Superman.”
She held on tight, stroking his back until he drifted off.
They woke and made love twice more during the night and again in the morning. Then again in the shower. She was insatiable, and he loved it.
Pika came in the morning, helped them with their bags, and drove them to the resort lobby. Annie was walking gingerly and grimaced when she got out of the golf cart.
“Oh, my God. Did I hurt you last night?” Sam asked, mortified.
“No. Well, maybe a little, but in a hurt-so-good kind of way,” she added quickly. She leaned in to whisper. “I’m not used to so much sex, Sam. It’s been awhile, and, ah, you’re pretty well endowed, if you know what I mean.” She tried to waggle her eyebrows but failed miserably.
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was the most amazing night of my life!” she exclaimed. “It’s not that I’m hurt so much as just a little sore.” She was trying to reassure him, which he appreciated, but still. He’d have to be careful with her.
He thought about taking her to bed on the plane and got the feeling she would have been game, but talked her into a nap instead.
They landed in Bellevue on Sunday afternoon. He dropped her back at her place and went home.
He thought the quick trip would just be a fun getaway. A way to get to know each other better and spend some time in the sun, but he felt like it had been much more. Like in the last thirty-six hours their relationship had taken a giant step forward.
The feeling of ease and familiarity he had with Annie was new. It wasn’t natural—or maybe it was, and he’d just never experienced it. He simultaneously felt as if he’d known her forever and that he hardly knew her. And by having unprotected sex, he reasoned, he must trust her. At least more than he had any other woman. That was progress for him.
He worked out, cleaned up, and called his mom. She knew better than to ask flat out if he had a girlfriend, but when she hinted about his “social life,” which was her way of fishing for information on his love life, he mentioned that he had met someone that he might think about asking out. You’d think he announced he was producing a grandbaby by the way she reacted. He held the phone away from his ear for most of the excited screaming.
“This is why I don’t tell you things, Mother,” he said. “You get overly excited and start planning a wedding before I even know the woman’s middle name.”
“Sorry, honey. I’ll be cool,” his mom said. “We can talk more next time you come out here.”
“Can’t wait. Love you, Mom.”
He went to bed early and fell asleep, wishing Annie was next to him and wondering when he could see her again.
***
“How was your weekend?” Phil asked from his usual spot on the couch. He was tying his tie and cussing under his breath because it was giving him trouble.
“Good. Got some stuff done around the house. Those are much easier to tie standing up, you know?”
“I know.” Phil stood hastily, finished the job, and then plopped back down. “How many years have we known each other?” he asked out of the blue.
“I’m going to assume that’s a rhetorical question since you know damn good and well when we met. What’s up?” Sam walked over from his desk and slid into the chair opposite Phil.
“We met over ten years ago and have been best friends for most of that. You think I can’t tell when you’re hiding something?”
Oh, crap. Here we go. “What makes you think I’m hiding something?”
“Do you know how many Mondays we’ve sat here and BSed about the weekend, and you haven’t given me a play-by-play of what you did or mentioned some awesome place you went, or some woman you met?” Phil asked. When Sam didn’t answer, Phil supplied one for him. “Exactly zero.”
“Maybe I’m maturing,” Sam suggested. “Ever thought of that?”
The look on Phil’s face answered the question and also indicated he was not amused with Sam’s response.
“I figure this probably has something to do with Annabelle.” He held up a hand for silence when Sam started to interrupt. “I get that you don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine. It’s your business. I need to come clean on something, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I asked Joseph to look into her past.”
“You what?” Joseph was the private investigator the company hired on occasion.
“You’re not thinking straight about this. I want to make sure all the bases are covered and that you go into this with all the information you might need.”
Sam glared.
“Don’t be pissed, bro. I’m just looking out for you. It seemed like you were thinking about going for it, and I thought it would be a good safety precaution, seeing as you were intent on disregarding all the rules.”
Sam wasn’t really surprised. They’d had Joseph look into a number of women over the years. He was pissed, but not so much so that he couldn’t see the logic.
He had to admit that when it came to Annie, he hadn’t been thinking rationally. Three weeks ago, he would have been the one calling Joseph. What if his intentions to be more trusting came back to bite him in the ass? What if he was making a huge mistake trusting her so freely?
Phil was looking out for him, like he’d been doing for years. Good thing he didn’t know about the unprotected sex. He’d go ballistic if he ever found out about that.
“Fine,” Sam said curtly. “It probably is a good idea, but I’m still pissed you went behind my back on it.”
“Sorry, dude. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
Sam harrumphed. “Have you heard anything from him?”
“No, but I’ll follow up today.”
Just then, Tracey gave a light tap on the door before entering. Phil sat again, his puppy-dog eyes fixed on Sam’s assistant.
“An intern just dropped this off for you, Mr. MacDonald.” It was a plain white envelope with only his first name on it. “She said it was important and personal, but I could take it to the mailroom for scanning if you want.”
“No, I’m sure it’s fine. Thanks, Tracey.” Sam ripped open the envelope and scanned the brief note. He folded it and put it in his pocket without saying a word.
Tracey returned to her desk, shutting the door behind her. Phil stared after her.
“While we’re on the topic of dating coworkers, when are you gonna grow some balls and ask Tracey out?” Sam asked Phil.
“What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. You’ve had a crush on her for years. Don’t you think it’s about time to take a shot?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Phil stammered. “Dating coworkers is a bad idea, and you won’t catch me doing it. What was in the envelope?”
“Noneya—as in, none of ya business. Don’t try to change the subject either. Weren’t you just touting our longtime friendship and how we know each other so well? You think I haven’t noticed that you’ve worshiped Tracey since the day I hired her?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “Seriously, what’d the note say?” He made a playful grab for Sam’s pocket.
“If I’m going to hell by asking out an employee, why d
on’t you come with me? I think she likes you too. Not gonna tell you,” he said, neatly sidestepping Phil’s attempt to grab the note.
“One of us has to stay out of hell to help the other out when he starts to burn,” Phil replied. “I don’t like secret-keeping Sam. You used to tell me everything. I couldn’t shut you up.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Sam said and then lowered his voice to a whisper. “If you promise to ask Tracey out, I’ll show you the note.”
“No deal. Keep your stupid secret then.” Phil pouted.
“Fine, but it’s juicy.” Sam went back to his desk and made a show of locking the note in a drawer.
“You have a locked drawer? Since when?”
“Since right this second. This is the first thing I’ve ever locked up in here,” he said smugly. “And you don’t have a key.”
“I know the combo to your safe. I have access to every top-secret file in this company. You don’t keep secrets from me. What the hell is going on?”
“Times are a changing, my friend. Apparently, I’ve turned into a rule-breaking, secret-keeping matchmaker. I’ll even ask Tracey if she’s seeing anyone and feel her out about her feelings for you. If I’m wrong and she’s not interested, I’ll tell you. And I’ll let you off the hook about asking her out.”
Phil knew better than to argue with him when he set his mind to something.
“You swear you’ll tell me if she’s not interested? I don’t want to make things awkward. Oh, hell. Who am I kidding? Things will be weird whether she says yes or no.” He got up to leave for real this time. “You know I hate change, Sam. This sucks.”
As soon as Phil was gone, Sam picked up the phone and called Annie. He pulled the note out and reread it while waiting for her to pick up.
I, Annabelle O’Neill, hereby, do solemnly swear that the sex I have had with Samuel D. MacDonald has been totally and completely consensual (not to mention, fucking fantastic).
“Thanks for the note,” he said when she picked up. “It gave me a chuckle.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Maybe it could even count as a legal document.”
“Right. Well, hey, my week’s pretty packed, but do you want to hang out this weekend?”
Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers Page 9
