“OK, we should do that. But we can do that with our clothes on.”
“NO!” she said frustrated, “You're the...game...or...” she shook her head and, not able to finish whatever thought she had been trying to get at, continued to undress.
“Sam, what are you doing?” Luke asked in a warning tone.
“Seeeduuucing you,” Sam said as shimmied the dress down her body and then stepped out of it. She stood before him clad in nothing but black lace panties and bra and red high heels.
Luke felt all of the air leave his lungs. She was his living breathing fantasy. And she was drunk.
Apparently his dick didn’t know how to differentiate between sober half-naked Sam and drunk half-naked Sam, because it was standing at full attention ready for action.
She straddled his legs and ran her fingers across his chest. He could feel the warmth of her sex even through his jeans and he was about to explode in his pants. He flexed his hands trying to keep them by his sides. He may not know much about how he should proceed in this situation, but he sure as hell knew that touching her would be a bad idea.
“Do you like me?” Sam asked with a pout in her voice.
“Yes,” Luke’s growled.
She blew at a piece of hair that had fallen in her face, “Do you thinnnk um sexy?”
“Yes, Sam, you are the sexiest woman I have ever seen,” he heard the tension in his own voice.
“Then touch me,” she demanded.
She was killing him.
He placed his hands on her legs. He closed his eyes, trying to maintain his will. Her skin felt soft and he wanted to touch her all over, but he knew he needed to keep his hands exactly where they were.
She moaned and shifted on his lap. He squeezed her thighs and she gasped and dropped her head back, thrusting her breasts in his face.
He was not going to survive this.
“Lesss have sex,” She said in a breathy voice
“Beautiful, I wish we could,” he said regretfully.
“We can,” she nodded her head frantically, “'cause I don’t even care if I am juss another notch on your belt,” She pulled on his belt, “I’mm fine whhith it. I may not have essperience, and I may not look lika playboy model, but I wanna do it. AND your Mom said youuuu had your eye on me for years.”
“She did huh?” Luke was going to have to have a talk with his mother.
“Yes she did, I don believe her but she said it so thas good right? AND your tha first guy I ever wanted to do thiss with.”
He knew she was drunk but hearing her say that made him fall just a little bit more in love with her.
He saw her eyes starting to droop sleepily as she asked, “So can we juss do it already?”
He picked her up and shifted, pulling her down beside him with her back to his chest. He held her tightly against him in his arms and murmured, “Let’s just lay here for a few minutes, OK?”
“Hmm, thiss feels nice. Like thiss morning, I liked waking up with you...” she said, snuggling up against him, her voice trailing off at the end. She sounded like she was just about to fall asleep.
“I liked it too.”
Luke felt her shiver.
“Did you know your voice gives me goosebumps?”
He smiled against her hair, he liked that. “No I didn’t”
“Yep and all tingling all over,” she said, her voice sounding sleepier and sleepier.
“Really. All over, huh?” Luke asked, still smiling, even though he was in extreme discomfort with Sam’s perfect backside once again snuggled up against his raging erection.
She yawned, “Yep.”
When he heard her breathing change, signaling her passage from wakefulness to sleep, he picked her up and took her to her bedroom. He pulled back the sheets and laid her down, then, taking the opportunity to admire her beautiful body all laid out before him, he let his eyes rake over her, up and down, head to toe. When he had had all he could take, he stopped torturing himself and pulled the blanket up over her.
He walked to the other side of the bed, kicked off his shoes, and settled on top of the comforter.
Yep, it was going to be a long night.
Chapter Twenty-three
Sam woke to a pounding in her head that was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She tried to sit up but two sensations hit her simultaneously, rendering that idea inadvisable, if not impossible. The first thing she felt was nausea, with a painful pressure in her head following immediately on its heels. She fell back down in bed and glanced over at her bedside clock, shocked to see that it read 10:15.
What the hell?
That couldn’t be right! Sam had never slept past eight am in her life. Maybe she was sick.
Her stomach rolled again and she placed her hand over it to try and settle it. She felt bare skin.
Again, that was a gigantic anomaly.
She moved her head painfully, looking down the length of her body, and saw that she was in her bra and panties.
That’s so weird, she thought, why on earth am I wearing my one and only fancy-schmancy pretty bra and panty set, just to sleep in?
Then she remembered putting them on to get ready for her date.
A few seconds of searching her memory told her that she didn't remember a whole lot past that.
“Oh, God,” She covered her face with her hands and groaned, “No, no, no.”
She heard her phone beep, and pulled it clumsily off the nightstand. She saw she had three missed calls and two texts.
Two of the calls were from Stephan, she ignored them. One was from Amanda.
She pressed play and listened, “Hey Sammi, Luke told us you weren’t feeling well, let me know if you need anything. Don’t worry about things here, we’ve got everything under control. Call me when you get a chance to let me know you’re OK…also I’m dying to know how last night went.”
“So am I,” she grumbled, pulling the phone from her ear.
As she strained harder to recall the events of the previous evening, the night started coming back to her in fragments, almost like scenes playing in the cinema of her mind.
Drinking not one but two bottles of wine. Putting on Marvin Gaye. Stripping in front of Luke. Straddling Luke. Throwing herself at Luke. Trying to convince Luke to sleep with her.
Another wave of nausea hit. She wasn’t sure now if she felt sick from the hangover or from the humiliation.
She pulled a pillow over her head. How was she ever going to face him?
Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't only had voice mail, there were text messages as well. She grabbed up her phone again and hit the icon to check her texts.
There were two, and they were both from Luke.
The first read: 'Good Morning Beautiful! I left some saltine crackers, water and Aspirin beside your bed, and there is a full pot of coffee simmering in the kitchen. I know you probably feel like you’ve been hit by a truck, but after you get something in your stomach and take a shower you should feel human again. Call if you need anything. I hated leaving you this morning, miss you already.'
The second read: 'Hey Beautiful, I am getting a little worried, please call or text me when you get up. If I haven’t heard from you in an hour I will be there to check on you.'
Oh, no! She felt like death, and she probably looked it, as well. She couldn’t let him see her like this.
She checked the time he had sent it. 10:00 am. “Thank God!” she breathed as relief ran through her.
She quickly texted back: 'I just woke up, I am going to get in the shower and I will be in around noon. And thanks…for everything.'
Laying back against the cool pillow helped stave off some of the nausea. She heard her phone chime alerting her she had a text. She picked up her phone, swiped the screen, and saw it was from Luke.
'Glad you’re up and about, see you soon, beautiful!'
She pulled herself together and slowly ate the crackers Luke had so thoughtfully left beside her bed. She drank some of the w
ater and took the Aspirin. After about ten minutes she decided she felt well enough to attempt a shower.
Forty-five minutes later she was dressed and ready to go. She didn’t feel 100%...but she didn’t feel like she was going to die, either. Under the circumstances, she figured that was the best that she could hope for.
As she pulled into the parking area at Mountain Ridge, she took a deep breath. She wasn’t quite sure if Luke would be in their offices. She knew the guys had finished construction on the cabins last week, but with the Grand Re-Opening just days away she was sue there was still a lot to be done around the property.
She could avoid their offices all together and go and hide in Amanda’s office like she had last Friday. But she was trying to be more mature in handling relationship stuff. Plus she knew she would just be putting off the inevitable. Also, she admitted to herself reluctantly, she wasn't super eager to tell Amanda all about her humiliation the night before.
Yes, all of these factors pointed to it being a good idea to head straight to her own office, so she sucked it up and headed down the path.
When she walked through the door to her office, Luke was on a call, but when he saw her he immediately jumped out of his seat and came to give her a hug and a kiss on the head.
He always had a way of easing her awkwardness. He just seemed to innately know exactly what she needed when she was feeling insecure or nervous or even (as evidenced by the events from the previous evening) drunk.
He sat back in his chair at the desk, making a hand motion to let her know that he was trying to wrap up the call. She sat across from him and, for a moment just sat and took in exactly how gorgeous he was.
She couldn’t quite settle on her favorite thing about Luke, there were just so many to choose from. She loved that he always had sexy stubble. She loved his smile, and his eyes. Of course she LOVED his voice, and his body. She loved the way he always called her beautiful.
But if Sam had to pick her favorite thing, it had to be the way she felt in Luke’s arms. She had never felt the kind of safety, contentedness, and love that she felt when she was cradled in his embrace. Every time he wrapped her up in strong arms, she never wanted him to let go.
Luke finished up with his call and set the phone down. As he looked up with a grin, he greeted, “How ya feeling, beautiful?”
“Better than when I woke up, that's for damn sure.”
“Good, I’m glad. Honestly, I was a little worried about you. Last night, you were...shall we say...a little tipsy.”
Luke reached across the desks and picked up her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.
Okay, she amended, add one more item to the list of things I love about Luke. I can't get enough of the way he rubs his thumb across my knuckles.
“Ah, yeah, I know. And I wanted to apologize, Luke,” Sam said, embarrassed, “I am so sorry that I ruined our night. I normally don't drink that much. God, I’m so embarrassed!”
“Hey, you do not need to apologize. I know you’re not a big drinker. And you didn’t ruin our night. No night that is spent with you and I in the same room, no matter the circumstances, could ever be ruined. And, lastly, Samantha - you never have to be embarrassed around me.”
“Thanks, but yeah, I did,” Sam said regretfully, and then cleared her throat, “I was just really nervous, and I thought a glass of wine would take the edge off.”
“In fairness, one glass probably would have,” he teased.
She groaned, “I know, I know. But I felt so good after one that I thought, I’ll have one more. And then I repeated that logic. Several times.”
“That wine'll get ya every time,” Luke chuckled.
“Yeah,” Sam agreed, still supremely uncomfortable and penitent, “And, look, I’m sorry I threw myself at you, and tried to talk you into sleeping with me. I just…”
Luke interrupted Sam’s ramblings, “Beautiful, come here.”
Sam looked up at him, not following, “What?”
He stared at her intensely, “Come. Here.”
She stood and walked around the desks and he pulled her onto his lap. He took her face in his hands and kissed her hard. By the time he pulled away, her head was spinning.
“You never have to apologize for coming on to me, beautiful, and believe me it took every ounce of self-control I had not to make love to you last night. You never have to talk me into sleeping with you. There was just no way it could have happened last night.”
She nodded, taking in his words.
“Which brings me to...there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about last night,” he continued slowly, “Sam I don’t know how you’re feeling about us. But I have loved spending this time with you. And I want us to be more than just 'dating' Samantha. I want to you and I to be together. I want you to be mine.”
“Seriously?” Sam looked honestly confused.
“Yes, Sam, I want to be with you. I am not sure why you don’t know how amazing, beautiful, funny and sexy you are - but I plan on spending every day of my life showing you that you are all of those things, and so much more.”
Sam had no idea what to say so she just said, “OK.”
He pulled her close to him, kissing her forehead, her nose, then softly, sweetly kissing her lips. She felt special, and cherished. She felt…loved.
Chapter Twenty-four
Sam arrived at Mountain Ridge on the morning of the Grand Re-Opening at 6 o'clock am. She needed time to prepare herself for the busy day ahead. Within 45 minutes, she knew, the entire complex would be buzzing with employees and volunteers, busy readying the place for the festivities. By 10 am, the guests would be arriving. If she was going to be able to grab some peace and quiet to get her head on straight, then now would be the only chance she had.
It wasn't that she hated crowds, hated meeting people, or hated doing the “press the flesh” duties. She actually really enjoyed meeting snowboarding enthusiasts. She loved the sport so much, and she considered it just a happy accident of fate that she'd been gifted with an extraordinary talent for it. A blessing. But, to be clear, it was her love of the sport that was primary. Her talent was secondary. If she hadn't been handed that talent, and the tenacity to develop it, she would definitely have been one of those people she met at events like this, stunned to shake hands with a star of the sport, and excitedly chattering on about statistics and personal memories.
So, yeah. It definitely wasn't that she disliked these large, long meetings with the public. She loved them. They were just exhausting. Beyond exhausting.
Sam made it a point to give all she had to every person, in every interaction. She didn't half ass anything where her career was concerned, even if it didn't have to do with training or competing. I mean, hell, she giggled to herself. If I had a halfway-is-good-enough attitude, I would never even have tried on that damn bikini bottom.
Sam sat at her desk, sipping coffee, watching the sun rise, and psyching herself up for the day ahead – centering her mind, gathering her energy.
Just as she was feeling ready to get up and go find Amanda, she heard a voice behind her.
“Hello, beautiful,” came Luke's rich, low tone.
She turned to him, smiling, and saw him leaning casually against the door frame. Her heart fluttered in her chest. He looked like he belonged on a magazine cover.
“Hey, handsome,” she purred and moved over to where he was standing.
“Mmmm...” he said huskily as he slipped his arms around her, “That's the kind of response I like to get...”
Sam tipped her chin upward, touching her lips lightly to his in greeting. She had only intended the kiss to be a quick peck, a friendly good morning. After all, they did have a lot of work to do today, and they should be keeping their heads in the game, she knew.
However, it really seemed as if he had some sort of voodoo power over her senses and her body – over her lips, in particular. Every time they came in contact with his, she found herself getting completely caught up in the
sensation. The outside world faded away. She forgot where she was, what day it was...she forgot WHO she was! The only things she was aware of were Luke's strong arms holding her tightly, his soft lips moving against hers, and his insistent hands moving so deliciously over her body.
She was addicted to this man, of that she had no doubt.
She felt his fingers moving up her thighs and over her backside, and she sighed in abandon. Burying her fingers in his thick, luscious hair, she kissed him harder and gave herself over to the sensation completely.
Then, she felt a tugging at her waist, and the next thing she knew, Luke had reached up under her sweater and tugged her t-shirt free from her jeans. One thing was for sure, dressing in layers may be good protection against the cold, but it was no match for Luke Reynolds and his nimble fingers!
Her head fell back as she reveled in the heady feel his touch on her bare skin. He trailed his fingertips up and down on her sides, his thumbs tracing light little circles on her belly. The faster his fingers moved, the thicker the fog which was engulfing her brain became, and she was loving every minute of it.
“Oh, yes, Luke. Yes...” she breathed, not even aware of the words she was forming. When he kissed her, when he touched her, he was in charge. It was the only time in her life that Sam let go and stopped worrying about being “on top of her game” - she just let it happen. And she loved it.
Suddenly, though, she was brought crashing back down to reality and an awareness of where they were when Luke's hands moved insistently upward and cupped her breasts. Through the thin, filmy fabric of her bra, he gently squeezed her nipples, causing electric shocks of pleasure to jolt through her body.
The intensity of the sensation brought her back to earth, and she whipped her head around, realizing for the first time since his lips had made contact with hers that they were at work.
“OK!” she laughed shakily, pushing his hands down and backing away, “I think that is something we should probably save for, you know, when we're not in our office...or also, not standing in front of a gigantic picture window...”
Luke laughed, “Fair enough. So, what do you think, Snow Hottie? Are we ready for today?”
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