by Various
Sam was glad they were friends again. Being with him just felt so comfortable, so right.
Loving thoughts.
Good God!
Feeling lightheaded — from the heat and hunger, obviously — she headed for the exit, needing fresh air. She passed a scaffolding with two men working near the ceiling. She nodded to them before pushing through the swinging glass doors encrusted with a fine white dust and splatters of paint. A blast of hot air radiated from the sidewalk. Humidity formed beads of perspiration along her upper lip and nose. Glancing across the street, she saw the sidewalk over there was shaded.
She peered at her watch. She probably had time to take a quick walk and stretch her legs. Looking both ways, she crossed the street. The shade felt heavenly on her overheated body and she let out a content sigh. She rested her hands on the small of her back, easing a backache that had been plaguing her of late.
Her thoughts crept back to John. She’d thought long and hard about her decision to raise this child alone. Just because she had warm feelings for the biological father wasn’t cause to jump into anything stupid. John didn’t want marriage any more than she did. More important, he didn’t want children. So, even if she were to change her mind about becoming romantically involved with him, it would be pointless. And she couldn’t forget he’d been married two times. Funny though, that didn’t bother her as much now, maybe because she knew him so well. She mentally shook herself. The why’s and what-for’s didn’t matter. Period. End of discussion.
She stuck her chin out and squared her shoulders. She’d made the right decision. Yessirree Bob, she certainly had.
So why did her heart ache so terribly?
Glancing again at her watch, her eyes widened. She’d been gone almost twenty minutes. She turned around and headed back the way she’d come.
This part of town was pretty rundown and economically distressed, with many buildings empty and their windows boarded up or broken. It probably wasn’t the safest place to be.
She chastised herself for being a ninny. It was broad daylight. It was perfectly safe. Even so, her ninny side prompted her to walk faster. Other than the occasional noise of a car or truck on another street, the only sounds were the quick staccato slapping of her shoes against the cracked sidewalk as she hurried toward the center.
She finally slowed her pace, feeling light-headed. It had been too long since she’d last eaten. Her forehead broke out in a cold sweat and she stopped to lean against the side of an abandoned brick building. She fanned her face with her hands, waiting for the episode to pass. She slid to the ground to wait out the dizzy spell.
“Have you guys seen a dark-haired woman wandering around anywhere?” John called up to the men on the scaffolding.
“The pregnant one?” one guy yelled back. At John’s affirmative, he said, “She went outside.”
John thanked him and crossed the room. He pushed through the grimy doors and stepped onto the sidewalk, shading his eyes from the blinding sunlight. She’d probably come out here for some fresh air.
He peered up and down the street, frowning when he didn’t see her. He hoped she hadn’t wandered too far. This wasn’t the safest neighborhood to walk alone. Concern gnawed at him.
Sweat beaded his temples. This heat couldn’t be good for Sam. He noticed the shade on the opposite sidewalk and figured she’d probably gotten the same idea. Jogging over there, he called her name, again scanning the street in each direction. Nothing.
His pulse quickened, and he told himself he was getting worked up for nothing. Most likely, she just lost track of time and she’d be strolling around the corner any minute now, safe and sound.
Still, he needed to find her, calm this unsettled feeling in his gut. After a silent eenie meenie minie mo, he headed south. Turning the corner at a boarded up five and dime, he almost stopped in his tracks at what he saw in the distance. About half a block away, Sam slouched on the ground against a wall, unmoving.
His heart in his throat, he broke into a dead run. And for the first time in a long time, he prayed.
Chapter 20
“Sam!”
Sam looked up to see John sprinting down the sidewalk toward her. She smiled as he approached.
He squatted beside her and gripped her shoulders. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, John. I just… overdid it, I think. I started feeling light-headed from the heat and not having eaten since breakfast, and I sat down to catch my breath.” She noticed the pallor of his skin. “You’re white as a ghost.”
John closed his eyes a moment then reached for her hand, pressing it against his racing heart. “Feel that?”
“You just sprinted two blocks.”
He shook his head. “No. You scared the shit out of me, sweetheart.” He pulled her into his arms.
Her heart leapt at the endearment. “I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
His arms wrapped tighter around her. “I thought you’d been mugged or beaten, or—” His voice caught.
Sam pulled away and touched his cheek with her fingers. “My white knight,” she said softly. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long, searching moment.
John’s eyes flashed with sudden anger. “What the hell were you thinking wandering off by yourself?” His jaw was set and a furious tic pulsed in his cheek. “This isn’t the shopping district, Sam. And the heat! You should know better than to—” He glanced away, as if trying to put a lid on his temper.
In the not so distant past, Sam would have snapped right back at him, but she recognized his outburst for what it was — concern for her. She brushed her lips against his, stopping his tirade as efficiently as a bucketful of ice water over his head.
He took a deep, shaky breath, and said, “Don’t do that to me again, Sam.” And he pulled her close for another tight embrace.
Forty-five minutes later, after making Sam eat a protein bar that tasted like toilet paper and an apple, John pulled his car into his driveway. He’d insisted she take the rest of the day off and suggested she stay at his place because he had AC. If she wasn’t still so tired, she might have argued a bit more than she had.
Once at his home, John fussed over her like she was an invalid. While she stretched out on the couch, he whipped up a tasty pasta salad and fresh-squeezed lemonade, setting the meal on a TV tray in front of her. After they’d both eaten, she having stuffed herself silly, he turned on some soft music and left her alone in the family room, telling her to rest.
Normally, she hated being fussed over, but she was more exhausted than she could remember being in a long time, so she’d let him fuss to his heart’s content. It felt good having someone take care of her. She laid back against the big, fluffy pillows he’d brought from his bed and pulled a lightweight throw off the arm of the couch, covering herself.
Her growling stomach woke her. She couldn’t possibly be hungry — she’d just eaten. But a delicious aroma in the air set her stomach rumbling again. She glanced toward the kitchen, but John was nowhere in sight and nothing simmered on the stove. She swung her feet to the floor, then noticed the time on the mantel clock. Five-thirty! She’d slept for almost three hours. She rubbed her eyes. No wonder she was hungry. Two or three hours was about her limit between feedings these days.
She wandered through the house, looking for him. His bedroom door was open but the room was empty. She went to the other side of his house and poked her head into his home office and then his guest room. No sign of him.
She sniffed the air again. It almost smelled like— Mmm. Something was cooking on the grill. Padding barefoot across the family room, she opened the French doors leading outside. The domed BBQ sat in the far corner of the wooden deck, away from the covered portion of the patio. The sun hung in the western sky, shooting its hot rays against the back of the house. Lake Washington glimmered in the distance and beyond that, the Seattle skyline.
A soft splashing sound brought her gaze back to th
e yard. John swam laps in his pool, his muscular arms cutting powerfully through the water with every stroke. She left the shade of the deck and walked across pebbled concrete toward the pool, squinting her eyes against the sun.
The last time she’d seen John’s yard was back in March, before the warm weather had greened things up, and before he and Brian had redone everything. They’d turned the yard into a showplace. The curved sea of manicured grass was surrounded by colorful islands of flowers: marigolds, geraniums, petunias, and other varieties she couldn’t name. The end of the yard opposite the pool offered a shady retreat with several large trees, a hammock swaying between two of them, a birdbath and a whole assortment of shade-loving plants.
Reaching the pool’s edge, she sat and dangled her legs in the cool water. John hadn’t noticed her yet. She leaned back onto her hands and watched him. Only his strong shoulders, back and arms were visible as he cut through the water.
A trickle of sweat slid from her hairline down her temple. In the air-conditioned house, she’d almost forgotten how hot it was. More sweat dripped between her breasts. This pregnancy raised her body temperature so anything more than a rainy Seattle day felt too hot.
John swam a couple more lengths of the pool doing the crawl, then flipped over to a backstroke. He was halfway across the pool when he saw her. Breaking stride, he swam toward her. “Well, if it isn’t Sleeping Beauty. How was your nap?” He propped his elbows on the pool’s edge, then smoothed his wet hair from his face and wiped water from his eyes. His shoulder muscles flexed with each movement.
“I didn’t know I was so tired,” she said.
“I was worried about you. You didn’t look so hot when we got here.”
She kicked water on him. “Thanks a lot.”
He grinned. “You look much better now.”
She splashed him again. “I think that’s called a left-handed compliment.”
His expression grew serious. “You doing okay?”
“I’m fine now, thanks to you.” She drew circles in the water with her toe. “You went above and beyond.”
“I would do anything for you, Samantha.”
Their gazes locked for several long moments. His blue eyes grew smoky. She finally cleared her throat. “You’re a good man.”
He flattened his palms on the pool deck and hoisted himself beside her. Except for black swimming trunks, the rest of his gorgeous body was hers for the admiring, water beading on his beautiful chest and trickling over the ripples of his abdomen.
“Why don’t you get in?” he asked, sweeping his gaze over her. “You look hot.”
I am hot. Very hot. These little side effects of pregnancy were rather annoying. She was hot and horny. A dangerous combination. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I’m sure I have—”
She gripped his arm. “Please don’t tell me you have a suit here that one of your girlfriends left.” She kept her tone light.
John shook his head. “Actually, all my girlfriends prefer to swim in the nude.” He chuckled and she knew he was kidding.
She elbowed him hard in the side. “Jerk.”
“Will a T-shirt do?” he asked, still grinning. At her nod, he directed her to his bedroom and the bottom drawer of his dresser.
A few minutes later, she stepped off his deck wearing a shirt emblazoned with the Gym Everest logo. Her legs were bare and pale as if she hadn’t gotten out in the sun lately. The hem of the shirt skimmed mid-thigh and John saw the shadow of dark panties beneath. Her belly pushed out against the cotton material and he could just make out the contour of her belly button. Again, it struck him that he’d put that swelling there. The thought made him feel good. Real good. That she was carrying his baby— Stop it, Everest.
“John, your yard is beautiful. You and Brian did a wonderful job.” She reached the pool’s edge and sat, dipping her feet and calves into the cool water.
“Thanks. Brian had some great ideas. He’s a natural at gardening. He even joined the horticulture club at school this year. He told me he’s thinking of studying landscape architecture in college.” He figured he had a proudly goofy expression on his face from the way Sam watched him.
“College. Wow,” she said, smiling. “It was only a few months ago when you doubted this kid would see twenty if he didn’t straighten himself out.”
“He still has a ways to go, but he is doing great. Getting him out of that awful environment and switching schools really helped. I’m real proud of him.” He felt like a boastful father talking of his son’s achievements. He blinked. His son. He was thinking of Brian as a son. And it didn’t scare him. What was that about? He glanced sidelong at Sam’s protruding tummy. Could he—?
Don’t go there.
“Where is Brian, by the way?” Sam asked.
“He’s with his mom. I’ll pick him up later.”
“How’s she doing?”
He shrugged. “Physically she’s better, according to Brian. He says she’s gained some weight and her color’s better. Her withdrawal from all the drugs was a nightmare. But psychologically, she still has a ways to go.”
“How long before she’s out?”
He glanced away, not wanting to think about that day yet, knowing Brian would probably want to go back to live with her. “It’s hard to say. Come on.” He reached for Sam. “I’ll help you in.” He curved his hands around her waist and lifted her into the pool. He immediately let her go or else he wouldn’t let her go at all.
He left her doing a leisurely side stroke while he continued his laps. He had just finished when something hit him in the head. Popping out of the water, he saw a beach ball bobbing nearby and Sam giggling on the other side of the pool. He nabbed the ball and tossed it back at her, waiting until her arms were outstretched before he chopped the water with his hand, dousing her. She shrieked with surprise and pleasure. After a playful water fight, they rested at the side of the pool, forearms on the edge. She was breathing hard.
“I hope you didn’t overdo it.”
She waved her hand in the air as if to dismiss his concern. “I’m just out of shape.”
He hoisted himself out of the water, then stretched his hand toward her.
She hesitated. “This shirt is going to cling to me like a second skin,” she warned.
“I’ve seen you in much less.” He extended his hand again. This time she took it and he pulled her out of the pool. She hadn’t been kidding. That shirt plastered to her body, sticking like glue to her full breasts. Her cold nipples beaded against the fabric, their rosy outline shadowed beneath the shirt. Her rounded belly was also clearly outlined, and the sight of it, of Sam carrying a child — his child — was strangely erotic. He forced himself to look away before he did something they’d both regret.
Sam dropped her gaze, too, having seen how he’d appraised her. His look had been admiring and appreciative. And full of desire. A hot little thrill raced through her. Even in her pregnant state, she turned him on. The pulse points throughout her body throbbed. She fantasized about making love to John again. With the way looked at her, it would be so easy to—
John muttered something under his breath and strode across the pool deck to grab his towel from one of the lounge chairs. He whipped it out and scrubbed his hair dry. Every muscle in his body flexed and contracted, and she swallowed. Hard. This time she had to glance away.
She made light of the moment. “I don’t think I’ll be winning any wet T-shirt contests these days,” she joked, pulling the shirt away from her skin to wring out the water.
“You’d have my vote, beautiful,” he said, his voice husky.
Her breathing shallowed and a hot flush burned her cheeks.
He looped the towel around his neck, his gaze not wavering from hers. “Stop looking at me like that, Sam,” he commanded softly.
“Like what?”
His blue eyes darkened. “Like you want me to make love to you.”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
&nb
sp; He nodded. “I’d suggest high-tailing it into the house pronto and changing into dry clothes.”
She couldn’t resist asking, “Why?”
His left eyebrow arched and his lips curled upward. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to march right over there, pick you up, and carry you to my bed, that’s why.” When she made no move to leave, he said, “Samantha.” His voice held a warning.
“I-I want you to make love to me.” There. She’d said what had been on her mind for far too long.
“What?”
She didn’t want him to worry she was developing romantic feelings for him even though she knew it was too late for that. “I haven’t had sex since April and I’m about to burst.”
“Sam, are you sure—”
“We both want the same thing—” Her gaze dipped below his waist. His desire for her was more than obvious. She licked suddenly dry lips. “I’m feeling especially... needy right now. I know we have no business doing anything, but—” Her voice caught. John hadn’t moved. “Do you want to make love to me or not?” she asked quietly, annoyed to feel her lower lip tremble.
“More than I should, I imagine.”
“Then get that gorgeous body over here and kiss me.”
Chapter 21
Sam didn’t have to ask him twice. John was in front of her in two powerful strides. He cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her. His warm breath fanned her lips and jaw, then his mouth brushed softly against hers. He was being tentative and gentle. But she wanted none of that. She wanted bold and brazen. She felt ready to explode for want of him, so she tangled her fingers in his wet hair and pulled him in for a deeper kiss, boldly thrusting her tongue inside his mouth.
That did it. John yanked her into his arms and crushed her lips, ravaging her until she felt woozy from the intense pleasure of his kiss. His hand crept between their bodies and caressed her breasts, his thumbs flicking against her beaded nipples. The combination of his hot touch against the cold wetness of the shirt just about sent her over the edge. She arched against him, urging her body as close to his as possible with her belly between them. His other hand slid down her back and under the hem of the wet shirt to cup her bottom. His knee thrust between her legs in an attempt to meld their bodies closer, pressing his erection against her thigh.
