by Unknown
Sam slowed his walk, getting the distinct impression he had stepped into a fairy tale. The cottage was large, all done in logs and decorative edgings. The windows held window boxes for flowers. The boxes were painted a brilliant crème, quite a contrast to the darkness of the logs. Filled with flowers, it would look just like a Swiss Chalet, he decided, striding along the walk to the large screen door. He pressed the bell and waited. Wondering why his stomach was churning. He was too old for those kinds of sensations.
Bella opened the door without thinking, head tipping up and down as she ran her eyes from his boots to his head to the bag dangling from one hand.
He held up the laundry when she didn’t say anything right away. “Laundry?”
“Oh, right…I’m sorry,” Bella stepped aside. “Come in…I’ll show you where the laundry room is,” she walked off in front of him, very aware of his presence. She was starting to wonder about her hormone levels. He was far from her type. If she had a type, she mused.
Sam liked the off shoulder sweater dress she wore. A nice shade of pale green in the sweater that matched her eyes.
“These are new,” he said when she stopped outside the large main bathroom. He reached out and tapped the edge of the very round black frames settled on her nose.
“Oh,” a flush of pink hit her cheeks and she shrugged. “Guess you know my dark secret. I’m blind as a bat,” she told him with a half-smile. “I’ll be in the main room if you need anything. Stuff’s all there, help yourself.”
Bella sat in one corner of a large, cushiony sofa, toes curled beneath her and a notebook on her lap. She was tapping out of menus for the week, pausing now and then to check another list for the ingredients.
Sam stared at the front panel of the washer, set the dial and stuffed things inside, adding a scoop of the soap sitting on the shelf above it. His mind was busy musing as the water began pouring into the washer. So you either get an erection when you’re just incredibly horny or because the woman you’re staring at makes you hard as a rock without even touching you. He groaned when the words connected. Erection – protection. Sam leaned over, his head thumping on the washer lid.
“Sam?” Bella called out from the other room. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah…just dandy,” he answered. “I forgot something,” he said as he went past her to the front door.
“No problem. Just leave the door open…it’s kind of nice this afternoon,” she said without looking up from her computer.
He might not have protection, but he knew how well equipped the restrooms were in the Lodge. He dug into his pockets for change as he walked. Just a tad on the arrogant side, don’t you think, Franklin? She’s not like the crowd Linda and he worked around. His movements slowed when he had several of the foil packets in the pocket of his jeans, turning from the vending machine and staring into the mirror.
Some part of him was positive she was the answer, though. Too many things were disconnected inside him. A cure. All he was positive of was that of all the things that had occurred during his life, this was the most important. The most vital that he not chance losing. He’d lived for too long by instincts to ignore them now.
She had moved from the sofa to the floor, long legs stretched out to either side. Her body lay along one leg, arms out and touching her toes. She held that pose for a minute then lifted her body straight up in one long, fascinating line, turned at the waist and stretched out along the other leg.
“I’m back,” Sam heard the lame words and sunk onto the sofa to watch. Why did she make him feel like he was fifteen again and drooling all over himself?
“So I noticed. Find what you were searching for?” Bella continued with her stretching, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
“Searching…oh, yea…no problem,” Sam picked up the newspaper, scanning the pages. “This is nice…the renovation, I mean.”
“It was still in good solid shape, but needed some upgrades,” Bella brought both legs together and lay back on the floor, eyes closed and breathing level. She rolled to her side and slowly climbed to her feet, sinking to the sofa with a long sigh.
Bella was reaching for her glasses, her gaze leaving the table and moving to his face when her palm was stopped. Sam tugged slightly, moved closer and turned her so she was leaning across his lap.
“You don’t need those right now,” he assured her confidently, releasing her palm and brushing his fingers over her cheek. He felt her breath catch and a spark seemed to bounce from one to the other. “They’ll just get foggy,” he whispered, pulling her closer until his mouth covered hers. She didn’t protest, Sam noted in a small part of his mind. A long, slow assault, each learning the shape of the other; each teasing and tasting the other.
Bella had decided that kissing him might be a mistake…no, probably was a mistake, she amended, falling head long into the kiss, one hand at his waist while the other had wrapped around the fabric of his shirt. He was a darned good kisser, she mused, vaguely aware that there was very little room between them. She felt his erection against her hip and pressed closer.
“You know this isn’t a good idea, Sam,” she whispered in between kisses. “I really like kissing you…but things go seriously wonky inside me…”
“Then we have that in common…” He returned, pausing only enough to speak. His hands moved behind her, one sliding to her hip and along the slender expanse of her leg. The other supporting her back while his fingers tangled in the pale curls that had been set free.
“What do we have in common? Other than kissing,” Bella pushed closer, her palms against his chest.
A long shudder ran the length of his body, his head back against the cushions of the sofa. He met the pale green circles watching him when he raised his head again.
“You like cooking…”
Bella laughed softly. “I know where that one goes,” she said, one hand up and fingers tracing a line around the strong jaw and over the pulse at his throat. “I don’t like this position…hard on the back…” She heard the words, felt his erection and flushed slightly as she pushed out of his hold. She was responsible for that. His thoughts about her made him hard and hungry. There was a strong feminine excitement in that knowledge.
“Bella,” Sam groaned but let her go. She stood up and waved her palm, indicating he move over some. Well, at least she didn’t order him out, so he slid over slightly on the sofa. He was positive his erection got harder and his sanity left when she moved to stand over him, she hitched the sweater dress a little higher on her legs and slid astride his thighs and onto his lap. It was impossible to hide a raging erection with a gorgeous blonde pressing against it.
“Ahh…this is much better,” her hands framed his face, fingers soft and warm seconds before her mouth captured his, tugging his lip between her teeth with a teasing nip.
“If you seriously believe for a moment that a guy can carry on a half way sane conversation with you…with your…” Sam groaned again as she wriggled slightly.
“Oh…I don’t know…I’d be most impressed to see both your brains functioning at the same time,” she countered, dropping moist kisses along his jaw. “We were talking about things we have in common. There must be some…I generally trust my instincts and while I don’t understand it, I just know this isn’t a quickie to you.”
Sam grabbed her hips and stopped her moving with a low, menacing growl.
“That word never entered my mind when I think of you, Bella. That I can promise you,” his hands moved to her face, pulling her mouth hard and urgently against his. He drank in everything she was giving, a rush of fire coursing through him when she met his passion with a hunger matched only by his own.
“What if I’m not ready for more than a quickie,” she asked
softly, gulping in a deep breath when his kiss ranged to her throat, nipping sharply and sending shivers through her.
Sam brought his head up slowly, meeting the green eyes that seemed darker, filled with passion yet to be released. “When was the last time you had a one night stand, Bella?” He worked hard to keep his hand from shaking when he raised it to gently brush stray hair from her forehead, one finger trailing down her cheek. He saw his answer in the depth of her stare. “I didn’t think so. I wasn’t really worried that you were using me for a quick release….and believe me when I saw that what we’re feeling is a little unnerving. Maybe something you feel at fifteen…”
“I wouldn’t want to be fifteen again,” she whispered with a slow shake of her head. “But you’re right…maybe we have some values in common after all.”
“We enjoy working in the hospitality industry,” Sam murmured against her throat, resuming his exploration. Her scent was intoxicating, a mixture of natural and flowers and spices. “Christ you smell good…” He was positive there was even a scent of cinnamon and chocolate somewhere.
“Crap! My cupcakes!” Bella shoved out of his arms, wide eyed and grabbing for her glasses as she straightened on wobbly legs and took off at a run to the kitchen.
Sam’s head thunked against the back of the sofa before he shifted to the side and lay along the length. One arm was up and bent, shielding his eyes.
Bella peered over the sofa, arms leaning along the back, palms under her chin. “Sam? You okay?” Laughter tinted her words, pale lashes blinking behind the large frames.
“I thought it was you smelling like chocolate and cinnamon,” he answered, lifting his arm, crooking one finger to beckon her closer.
Bella’s head cocked to the side. “I don’t know…that look in your eyes…” but she moved slowly around the end of the sofa, staying carefully out of arms reach.
It was fun. Simple, teasing adult fun, she amended, a tiny tremor racing through her when she saw heat suddenly flare in his gaze. She knew a second later that she had ventured too close and found herself bounced off a very solidly built male stretched along her sofa.
“This shows definite promise,” he whispered, sinking one hand into the hair at the back of her head and the other on the rise of her behind.
Bella’s glasses sat on the very tip of her nose. She peered down at him just as his gaze fell to the neckline of her sweater dress, a wide, free kind of opening that clearly showed there was nothing beneath it but Bella. It was interesting watching his eyes glaze over seconds before he realized she was watching him stare at almost half of her breasts. It was kind of cute seeing him blush.
“It is a nice position,” Bella agreed. “But not much in the way of freedom,” she whispered before lowering her mouth to his. Drinking deeply of his kiss, she dragged her tongue around the inside of his mouth, fencing with his tongue and swiftly moving on to deepen the kiss.
Sam groaned when her hips pressed harder against him, rotating and arching until he was sure the front of his jeans would burst. His hands moved lower, over the sweater to the hem. Her skin was like silk beneath his palms, two hands gripping the rounded globes of her behind and holding her in place with a plaintive groan.
“Sam,” Bella breathed his name, arching her throat for his kiss with a shiver that ran like wildfire through her. Warm firm hands moved beneath her sweater, over her behind and along the indent of her spine. She wanted to feel him against her and lifted up slightly, pushing against his chest and holding herself up while her own hands moved to the sweater, tugging it over her head. She tossed it to the back of the sofa, a soft laugh when his eyes widened.
“Bella…god, you’re beautiful…”
“Thank you…I’m glad you like,” she whispered, her hands moving to tug on his tee shirt. “This just is not working,” she decided, straightening and moving to the floor. She gripped his hands firmly and tugged until he was sitting upright. She stepped back, holding one of his hands. A flush of pink struck her cheeks, trying not to stare at the front of his jeans as he tugged, winced and rose to his feet. She cleared her throat. “I’d apologize for that…but…” Bella led him around the sofa, fingers out to latch the door and then continue on to the back of the house.
“We just won’t mention it,” Sam murmured, his gaze on the twitching behind and almost naked Bella, only a pair of cotton and lace boy briefs riding on her hips. He kept his eyes on where she was leading him, past the large master bath to the bedroom. Huge skylights were overhead, providing an excellent view of the night sky from the king sized bed below it. Blankets, quilts and sheet rumpled and waiting. “You don’t make your bed?”
“I’m going to just muss it up again,” Bella laughed, one knee on the bed, she turned and watched him. “Oh dear…you’re a compulsive bed maker…”
“Not right now, I’m not,” he assured her, crossing his arms over him and pulling the tee shirt over his head to fall on the floor. He didn’t stop and wonder what she would think when he pulled half a dozen condoms from his pocket to drop them on the nightstand next to the CD player.
Bella looked from the packets to his eyes. “Do you always…”
“No, I do not. I had to go search for them,” he told her, using his feet to remove his boots before taking a step toward the bed. Bella held up her hands, and he groaned. Until she positioned herself to kneel at the edge of the bed, her hands on his waist, slim fingers very warm against his flesh as she opened the button of his jeans.
Sam let his hands go to her shoulders, then into the blond hair, his thumbs beneath her chin to tip her eyes to his. “Bella, I’m not sure having you undress me is a good idea…” there was a quick intake of breath when her fingernails grazed his hips before pushing the sides of his jeans apart. He saw a flare of mischief in her eyes, fingers tracing a heavy path over the hard evidence of his hunger.
“I should thank you for getting those…it’s been a very long time and I don’t have anything like that here,” she admitted, straightening up and pressing her palms over the heated flesh of his stomach and chest. This was what she needed, the woman in her declared, drinking in the muscles and desire in his eyes.
It was so very easy to lose herself in the blue sky of his eyes, she thought, leaning forward and dropping a moist kiss on his stomach. He definitely had fine muscle tone, fingers shoving the sides of his jeans to the edge of his hips.
Sam felt what little sanity he was holding onto shatter when she leaned closer, her hands on the edges of his jeans and moving them toward the floor, her head brushing against his erection and bringing a low groan. He took a quick step back, kicked the pants free and moved forward to inch her back onto the bed, his mouth searching and finding a pert, alert nipple. There was a tiny gulp for air before he heard the softest moan from her.
“I think I had finesse once upon a time,” Sam whispered against the soft flesh of her breast, taking one hard little nipple between his teeth. The sudden gasp coupled with the desperate movement of her hips sent a jolt of excitement through him.
“Finesse later,” Bella ordered through her teeth, her hands on his shoulders, neatly trimmed nails digging in without her realizing it. She liked the warmth in his chuckle, her lips parted for air when his palm went flat against her stomach, sliding inside her panties and gliding through the blond curls to the hot moisture he was responsible for creating in her.
“So no finesse tonight?”
“Sam!” Bella heard her voice call out his name, a ragged shiver sending her hips thrusting against the strumming stroke of his thumb on that part of her that was telling her just how alive and female she was. She heard him reaching to the nightstand, her hands pushing his boxers aside.
“Oh, no, lady…I don’t have a chance if you touch me right now,” Sam drew ba
ck, out of her reach. He liked her boy style briefs and slid the damp center of them to the side, his fingers drawing circles over the swollen sides that resembled a very ripe peach split right down the center. His fingers moved teasingly down through the hot center. Her hips rose to meet his exploring fingers. She was tight and hot and damp as he fit himself to the snug opening.
Finesse, his mind whimpered, was for men that didn’t have Bella’s hips thrusting upward in hungry demand. The hell it was, he adjusted, no man will be in this position but him, if he had anything to do with it! He moved his hips tentatively, only to have Bella swivel her body, arch upward and gulp in large breaths of air when his free hand stroked over the swollen nub demanding attention. He didn’t deny her and felt himself doomed in the process.
He could feel the tightness, feel the rage of her explosion that was sent quivering wildly through her lower body. Very taut muscles clenching and grasping, pulling him deeper, seating him and unraveling the control he thought was his. Her hands moved over the moisture on his back, onto his hips with a strong, hard pull, wrenching sensual, deep groans from them both.
