River of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “That’s exactly how it happens,” Nate answered. “One minute you’re living your life, and the next you can’t live it without her.”

  Ty blew by them and turned, jogging backward. “Do not breathe on me, share a drink with me, or come near me for that matter. I’m happy for you two, but whatever you’ve got, I don’t want it.” He laughed and fell into step beside them.

  “I was right where you are two weeks ago,” Sam told him. “This is so much better. You have no idea what you’re missing.”

  Ty scoffed and changed the subject to his next climb, which was fine with Sam. He missed Faith so much that even talking about her was making him want to run over to her apartment just to see her smiling face.

  The conversation turned to work, and Nate filled them in on the trials and tribulations of owning Tap It. “Can you believe I caught two of my waitstaff fooling around in the supply room?”

  “I’m surprised it took this long.” Sam chuckled. “Come on, Nate. Think about being twenty again.”

  “No shit,” Nate said. “I swear I should hire all girls or all guys. The mix is like hormone overload.”

  “Do you have any admin staff you don’t need?” Ty asked. “Sam needs an office manager before his desk disappears.”

  Sam filled them in on his trial run with Lira. “So far she’s doing great. She got more done in one day than I would have in three. She’s already got a Google calendar set up with the excursions that we have through next winter. I had it all on spreadsheets, but this is so much easier. With groups of ten or more per trip, I’ve got to have someone who can keep things organized, track insurance papers along with deposits and full payment, and someone who’s not afraid to stand up to the creature-comfort seekers who want their money back because they decide Friday at seven that the twelve-person weekend outing they booked two months ago doesn’t sound as fun as staying home and drinking in their living room.”

  “She’ll definitely need a spine of steel. I can vouch for that,” Ty said. “Corporate outings can be nightmares.”

  “You’re not kidding. Anyway, I’ll let you know how things go with Lira, and in the meantime, just in case she can’t commit, or it doesn’t work out, keep your eyes and ears open.”

  “Can’t help you there,” Nate said. “All I’ve got are hormone-infused kids looking to get laid. But I’ll ask around.”

  After their run they tossed their shirts on the porch and paced the yard to cool down.

  “Lake?” Ty arched a brow.

  Nate slid a look to Sam, the challenge of their youth playing in his eyes.

  “Aw, shit, really?” Ty’s eyes bounced between them; then he took off running toward the lake with Nate and Sam on his heels.

  Their laughter filled the air. Sam ran ahead, and Nate’s heavy hand yanked him back and tackled him to the ground. Ty blew past, his deep laugh sending Sam and Nate to their feet. How many years had they raced to the water at their parents’ house? Some things never changed, and as Sam jumped Ty from behind and took him to the ground, and Nate piled on top, he was glad for it. This competition, fed by years of loyalty and brotherly bullshit, was what life was about. They rolled around on the ground, tackling and challenging, and finally flopped onto their backs, panting between bursts of laughter.

  Ty pushed himself up and raked a hand through his hair, reaching a hand out to Sam. “Come on, asshole. Let’s go for a swim.”

  Sam reached for his hand, and Ty took off running, laughing like a fool.

  Sam and Nate exchanged an eye roll, and a second later they pushed to their feet, sprinted down the dock, and pushed each other into the water. As Sam broke the surface, searching for his brothers, each one bobbed to the surface, and his mind shifted to new, startling territory. At almost thirty-one-years old, for the first time ever, he considered his interactions for more than the here and now. He wanted this one day. A family of his own, kids who played hard and loved harder.

  Nate and Ty disappeared below the surface and Sam’s mind reeled back to Faith. As his brothers dragged him under, his mind swamped with thoughts of Faith, he went down without a fight.

  **

  FAITH SPENT THE day running from patient to patient, handling follow-up calls and whatever else needed to be done, but nothing could sour her mood. When she’d finally fallen asleep last night, after a long unexpected surgery with Jon, she’d dreamed of Sam. One dream after another, each more sexual than the last, progressing from his transfixed gaze, to his hands and mouth all over her body. She’d awoken with a start, drenched in sweat and on the verge of orgasm. She’d had no choice but to close her eyes, delve into her mind for images of Sam, and surrender to the pleasures of her own hand—pretending it was Sam’s.

  It was nearing five forty-five, and Faith was back at her apartment waiting for Sam to pick her up for their appointment with Brent. She’d showered and changed and was sitting on the bed with her cell phone pressed to her ear, listening to Vivian breathe. She’d gone silent after Faith told her she was seeing Sam.

  “Are you still there?”

  “Yes,” Vivian said with a serious tone. “I’m processing.”

  “Viv, I know what you’re going to say. He’s dangerous for me. He’s everything I should stay away from. I know that’s what we thought about him, but he’s not at all like that when we’re together.”

  “Of course he’s not. What’s he going to do? Pick up girls when he’s with you? Faith,” she said with a softer tone. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. Promise me that you won’t do what all of us do and rationalize his bad behavior because you wish he was a certain way.”

  Faith sighed, thankful that Vivian wasn’t riding her as hard as she’d expected she might. “I promise. But he’s really not like that. He’s not even rationalizing it. And he thinks of me first, Viv. I know that’s hard to believe, given his past, but he does. He doesn’t even want to go out in town until he’s sure I won’t go back to seeing him as that guy when girls come up to him.”

  “Seriously? Call me jaded, but that sounds like he’s thinking about himself, not you. He doesn’t want to be in a position to have to shut them down, so he flips it to being about you.”

  Faith had thought about that, but she’d pushed those thoughts aside. Was she rationalizing?

  “Hey? You still there?” Vivian snapped.

  “Uh-huh. Just thinking.”

  “I’m not trying to cause trouble, but maybe you should test that out, see how he acts when you’re in his stomping grounds. See how you feel about him in that situation. The last thing you need is to fool yourself into believing he’s the man he shows you when he’s not in taxing situations.”

  “That’s what he said he’s worried about. What I’ll think of him.” Her stomach fisted into a knot. Could he have bamboozled her with his good looks and sweet words? With his endless attention and thoughtfulness? With his honesty? No way. She didn’t believe it.

  But then again, maybe Vivian was right.

  “It’s the tough stuff that makes or breaks us.” Faith’s mother’s words came without thought. She wasn’t sure if she was saying them to herself or to Vivian.

  “Right. Thanks, Mama Hayes.”

  They talked for a few more minutes about Sam, then moved on to WAC, the resource gathering Faith had been doing, and finally the impending meeting with the lawyer. By the time Sam arrived, Faith’s thoughts were tangled and confused. She trusted him. Really trusted him. But she’d been hurt before, missed signs she probably should have seen.

  “Hey.” His lips tipped up at the edges, and in his gaze she read, Finally, you’re in my arms. I’ve missed you. Kiss me, as his arm came around her waist and their mouths came together.

  She stiffened for a second, thinking about what Vivian said, but she was no match for his panty-melting kisses or the feel of his heart beating strong and sure against her own. She couldn’t hold on to more than a shred of the disbelief Vivian had stirred up. But that shred remained, niggling at her nerves,
the whole way to Brent’s office.

  Sam opened the truck door, and when she turned to step out, he was right there, blocking her exit. An immovable force, searching her eyes, reading her worries like a billboard.

  “What is it?”

  “What?” She swallowed her willowy voice.

  He stepped closer, heat rolling off him, consuming her, the concern in his eyes making her feel safe and important again. That feeling of safety battled with the devil whispering in her ear.

  “You’re a million miles away. Is it the meeting? Are you nervous?”

  Yes clung to the tip of her tongue, but lying to Sam when he’d been nothing but honest with her wasn’t happening. She closed her gaping mouth and shook her head.

  “Faith, what is it? Did something happen at work?”

  She shook her head again, feeling a little numb and guilty for doubting him. But what Vivian said made sense, too, and she needed to be cautious. Maybe she was rationalizing in order to see what she wanted to.

  “Just a little overwhelmed.” That much wasn’t a lie.

  He wrapped her in his arms and held her. “We can reschedule. Brent won’t mind. Was it crazy at work? Do you want to chill instead?”

  “God, you’re so good to me.” She silently chided herself for worrying, for not telling him why she was really sidetracked, and if she were being completely honest with herself, maybe also for not being one hundred percent sure if this was her rationalizing.

  “I’m hoping that’s a good thing and not a ‘God, you’re so good to me and now I have to break up with you.’” His smile told her he didn’t believe she meant it the second way he’d suggested.

  “It isn’t. I’m okay. Let’s go meet Brent.”

  “If you’re sure.” He held her hand as they crossed the parking lot and rode the elevator up to Brent’s office.

  She wrestled with her thoughts as they entered the empty office. She expected an attorney to have expensive furnishings, but Brent’s office was fashionably minimalist. The lobby boasted four simple black chairs and a glass coffee table. Magazines were neatly stacked in a rack beside the glass-topped receptionist desk. It was obviously after hours, and the office was empty and dead silent.

  “Let me text Brent and let him know we’re here.” Sam reached into his pocket for his phone.

  Faith couldn’t help but sneak a peek at it. It was the same phone he’d shown her. Not a burner phone. See, Viv? Guilt followed the thought. She shouldn’t have let her mind run with the seeds of doubt Vivian had planted. Doubting him was asinine.

  A door on the far wall burst open and a broad-shouldered blond-haired man with a gleaming white smile and open arms came into the lobby. “Sammy, how’s it going?” He pulled Sam into a manly embrace.

  “Awesome. Thanks for seeing us.” Sam’s arm circled Faith’s waist again. “This is my girlfriend, Faith Hayes. Faith, Brent Holloway, the best attorney around.”

  “He’s not kidding. I am,” Brent said with a tease in his blue eyes. “Come on back.” He led them through the door to his office.

  Before taking a seat beside Sam, Faith caught a view of the ocean in the distance. She loved the water, and the sight helped ease her nerves. Sam reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, giving her another thoughtful smile, as if he knew she needed that, too. She was such a fool for worrying. She wouldn’t even be here with Brent, taking care of the documents for her website, if it weren’t for him.

  “Faith.” Brent splayed his hands on his desk. “Women Against Cheaters? I guess the name speaks for itself. Tell me what you’re doing, what your goals are, and we’ll see if we can figure this out and make it easy for you.”

  She explained how the site had come to be and the immense growth in membership over the past year. “I never expected to want to take it any further, but now I can see all sorts of ways to offer more resources for the members. I’m not sure of the best way to do that, but I’m working on at least trying to build a resource network that offers discounts and referrals for things like therapy, career consulting, maybe discounted legal fees.” She couldn’t miss the way Brent’s eyes moved curiously between her and Sam.

  She went on to explain the amount of donations she’d received prior to Sam’s, which she still hadn’t touched, and confided that she’d never sought out donations and didn’t expect to get many.

  “I think we can grow the donation network tremendously,” Sam said.

  Faith’s head whipped around. Sam hadn’t said anything to her about his thoughts on WAC since they’d made the appointment with Brent.

  “Brent,” Sam said, “you remember in school when we needed funds for team sports?”

  “Door-to-door donations?” Brent arched a brow.

  “Yeah, for a day or two, but after that I wrote a letter asking business owners to donate and gave my fundraising packet to my mother. She’d take it to her Peaceful Harbor Small Business Association meetings, and over the course of the next week donations rolled in hand over fist.”

  Brent laughed and pointed at Sam. “You cheated. I knew it! You used to get the highest donations of everyone.”

  “Hey, that wasn’t cheating. It was smart business.” Sam turned to Faith. “The community would definitely get behind your efforts. You’re helping women, single mothers. I know after talking with a few of the members for one afternoon I can’t stop wondering how they’re doing.”

  Faith’s heart opened further with his confession, knocking the worries Vivian stirred out of sight. Her face must have given her emotions away, because Sam’s gaze warmed.

  “I do. I keep thinking about Brittany and how she must have felt when she walked in on her boyfriend cheating, and Lira,” he said softly. “What her sister did to her? Doesn’t it make you want to bring her into a better family?”

  “Yeah,” she said breathlessly. And hearing you say that makes me want to be part of yours.

  Chapter Sixteen

  SAM AND FAITH left Brent’s office an hour and a half later with a solid business plan. The rules and regulations for nonprofits made that route too complicated to pursue, but Faith seemed pleased with the final decision. Brent was going to prepare the paperwork for WAC to become an official LLC, and he’d talk to Phil D’Amato about insurance. Once everything was in order, he’d forward it to Faith for signature. She was much more relaxed than when they’d arrived, which put Sam’s mind at ease. Even though they were becoming closer, he worried about that sharp mind of hers and where it took her. Sometimes her eyes still clouded over with doubt. He looked forward to the day when that no longer happened.

  He unlocked the truck door and pulled her in for a kiss. She went up on her toes, and that small move, trying to get closer to him, stroked every needy inch of him.

  “Thank you for setting that up and for going with me. Brent’s really terrific.”

  “Anything for you.” He greedily took another kiss.

  She held on to his shirt, gripping it as tight as she had the other night. She moaned into the kiss, and his body roared to life. He lifted her into his arms, her legs naturally winding around his waist as he backed her up against the truck and took the kiss deeper.

  “Thought about you all day,” he said, pressing kisses to the corners of her mouth. “You were so sexy in there, all businesslike and professional.”

  She turned in to a kiss meant for her cheek. The kiss was hot and wet, urgent and eager. His hands slid beneath her ass, earning another heart-pumping moan.

  “So sexy. I love hearing every sound.” He sealed his lips over her neck.

  “Sam—” Her head tipped back, giving him better access to all that sensitive, delicious skin.

  His tongue played over the frantic pulse beating at the base of her neck, and her fingernails clawed at his skin, making him hard as steel. A car chirped, as if a remote locking button had been pressed, and he tore his mouth away, searching the darkness. He found Brent standing beside his car a few feet away, shaking his head.

&
nbsp; “Christ,” he mumbled. “I forget everything when we kiss. Including that we’re standing in the middle of a parking lot.”

  “And that’s bad?” Her tone was playful, tempting.

  He pressed her harder against the truck, harder against his arousal, and her eyes widened.

  “I thought we were behaving.” Please tell me we don’t have to behave anymore.

  Silence slithered between them like a serpent, and he wanted the forbidden fruit.

  “We were.” She brushed her lips over his in a series of near kisses, each one more scintillating than the last.

  Were. Never before had one word scrambled his brain so fast. He couldn’t even remember where they’d planned to go after seeing Brent. Sam was vaguely aware of Brent’s car pulling out of the parking lot. With Faith in his arms, he opened the truck door and set her on the seat, allowing her to continue her relentless pursuit of near-kiss torture on his mouth. Every near kiss, every whisper of her warm breath over his skin, made his desire more intense. By the time she drew back, her eyelids at half-mast, his entire body throbbed with need. He shifted her in the seat and closed the door, stalked to the driver’s side, and started the truck, futilely trying to regain control. The desire to take her, right there in the front seat of his truck, was overwhelming, but he had too much respect for her to take a chance of someone seeing them.

  He pulled her against him and took her in another smoldering kiss, tempting himself to the point of madness. He fastened her seat belt beside him, wanting her near as he drove out of the parking lot. Her hand rested on his thigh, inching higher, squeezing. Faith slid her other hand up the far side of his face. His eyes remained trained on the road as she began her assault, pressing kisses to his jaw, up his neck. She licked his earlobe and traced the outer shell of his ear.