“Come here, Samantha,” he said softly, his eyes alive with a provocative expression. She moved towards him then, a little thrill running through her as she wondered what he had on his mind.
She neared him and he raised his arms. When she was close enough, he drew her to him. Her heart quickened as he tilted her chin up with one long, slender finger, just as he’d done that night in the Jacuzzi. She shut her eyes and readied herself for his lips.
Instead, Samantha felt his moistened fingertips as they rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her eyes flew open and she silently sought an explanation, but Alex only grinned as he looked deep into her eyes.
“Dirt on your nose,” he explained in the most innocent voice he could muster. And though she disbelieved him, she felt her face go red as she drew back, embarrassed for having been so easily misled.
When she glanced up at him again, she caught him grinning at her with a roguishly cocked eyebrow and it occurred to her he was only playing mind games, that he had no serious intentions toward her at all.
She realized then and there it would be wise not to dwell on her feelings for him, and for sure not to make them obvious. And so, to put him from her mind, she plunged herself into her work like never before, seeking refuge from the sexual frustration that began to build inside her.
Alex, apparently much inspired himself, also flung himself into his work, feverishly churning out pages with an unprecedented fervor. Samantha suddenly had tons of work to keep her busy and, by the end of each day, she fell into bed, pleasantly exhausted and undisturbed by her emotions.
She still found, though, that thoughts of Alex P. Shannon troubled her dreams a little, no matter how hard she pushed herself, no matter how tired she was.
She continued on in the same vein for the next couple of weeks, and finally, she felt herself burning out. Alex’s manuscript had progressed nicely, and they were about two-thirds through when one day, while she was in the study typing steadily, her focus fixed on nothing but the page she was transcribing, she completely lost her train of thought.
Without warning or apparent cause, she couldn’t even find her place on the page. Glancing at the clock, Samantha saw she’d been going at it for over three solid hours. Sitting up tall, she reached over her head and stretched her weary muscles.
Her back and neck ached from being bent over the keyboard so long, and she reached back to rub away some of the stiffness.
She was startled by a sudden voice.
“Neck hurt?” asked Alex.
“Yeah, a little bit, but I’ve gotten a lot done today. I hope you don’t mind, but I think I’ll take a break now.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Why don’t you?” he asked, coming up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Lean up, Samantha. I’ll rub your shoulders for you.”
She did as he suggested, and Alex went to work, massaging her neck and shoulders with his strong, capable hands. Conscious of his nearness to her, she leaned into the massage and let out a deep, contented sigh.
“Oh, Alex,” she sighed, the feel of his hands almost too much for her. “You have no idea how great that feels.”
It’d been months since a man had touched her like that, and she just wanted it to go on and on, but once he rid her most of the tension, he leaned in and spoke in her ear.
“Better?” he whispered.
“Uh-huh.”
Alex rested his now-motionless hands on her shoulders. She felt the heat of them through her blouse and she crossed her arms in front of her, letting her fingertips meet his.
He responded briefly with the slightest discernible pressure on her fingers and she folded her hands in her lap, politely awaiting his next move.
To her surprise, he made none.
“I’m thinking we need a day off,” he told her off-handedly, his voice sounding from a few feet behind her. “What do you say we go check out the leper colony tomorrow.”
She hadn’t the least idea what he was talking about, but she agreed to it at once.
“All right,” he continued, “but I think I ought to warn you, it’s kind of scary. I hope you’re not afraid of heights, because you have to ride a mule down the side of the mountain. And by the way, you might actually need a sweater, for once.”
“Okay,” she agreed with a chuckle. “But let me tell you one thing, Alex: I’m drawing the line at sky-diving, so don’t even think about asking me to do that.”
Alex laughed, too, pleased with her response, but he moved to the door nonetheless, and Samantha twisted in her chair just in time to see him slip from the room.
She suddenly realized every time they touched or even had an intimate moment, he seemed to shut down immediately afterwards and withdraw. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to temper her disappointment with the knowledge that he was behaving like a perfect gentleman. She tried to remind herself there was no need for haste, that Alex would come around when he was ready to.
But she did have to admit, if only to herself, that a large part of her felt unfulfilled, felt too impatient to wait much longer. She wondered, not for the first time, what was holding him back.
Perhaps he’s unsure of me, she though, her mind racing. Or maybe he just thinks he’s too old for me.
She wondered how she could show her interest in some subtle but non-humiliating, non-risky kind of way.
She thought about it all day long, and suddenly, an idea came to her: the hot tub.
I’ll make us a nice dinner after the mule ride, and then I’ll say my legs are sore and I’ll get him into the hot tub. Then, if he happens to turn me down, I won’t look like a lovesick fool.
Early the next morning, the pair of them set out for Kalaupapa on the northern part of the island, after having packed themselves a couple of snacks and some bottled water for the long trip down the mountain.
Nothing in her previous experience could’ve prepared Samantha for what she was about to do. She and Alex met up with several tourists as they stood around, awaiting their assigned mules.
Once they were settled in their saddles and had been instructed on how to control their mules, the lot of them set off down the terrifyingly steep cliff.
If she was afraid of jumping off that rock into the swimming-hole on Oahu, she was scared stiff now. The cliff face looked so impossibly sheer Samantha doubted they could really make the trip down, but she knew the mule tour had been operating for many years and, to her knowledge, no one had ever been killed, so she bucked up like a stoic and faced the 1,700 foot drop.
Their tour guides were very relaxed and instilled in their customers a sense of confidence. Within a matter of minutes, even Samantha was calm enough to sit back and enjoy the ride.
Alex, who rode directly in front of her, glanced back to make sure she was okay. Samantha gave him a sweet, huge grin, quite pleased with this new adventure. He nodded in satisfaction and turned back to mind his own mule’s progress.
She fell into a reverie as the group of mules made their slow progress down the mountain. Of all the things Alex had shown her since her arrival in Hawaii, this was definitely her favorite. It was so beautiful and peaceful, going down that skinny, scary path. She was no longer alarmed by the height, just amazed there was still such a pristine and unspoiled place left on earth. All her life, she only really knew Los Angeles, only knew urban sprawl and traffic and smoggy air, but here, there was none of that. Everything was fresh and clean and natural, and she knew without a doubt she’d never love another place as much as she loved Molokai.
Once their tour group finally arrived at the foot of the trail, they were allowed to dismount, as their guides corralled the mules into a shade-covered pen for some rest and feed. The group were then ushered onto a bus to take a driving tour of the actual town.
If Samantha thought their town was small, she was forced t
o think again. The tiny settlement at Kalaupapa was beyond small. In fact, some of the old towns depicted on her dad’s favorite cowboy movies seemed more populated than this place.
It was a sad tour, too, almost sadder than the Pearl Harbor Monument. She listened to the stories of what the victims of Hansen’s Disease had been put through, her tender heart aching for them. Just before she fell into a fit of depression, though, she caught Alex’s gaze and he smiled at her reassuringly.
“No sense getting all depressed over something that happened a hundred years ago,” he told her. “They have antibiotics now and can cure it.”
She smiled back at him, knowing he was right. He held her hand the whole rest of the bus ride, and after their tour was finished, the group sat down to a well-deserved picnic lunch before they had to get back on their assigned mules to ascend the mountain.
“You weren’t too scared, were you?” Alex asked. “Coming down the cliff?”
“No, not too much. I mean, at first I was, but I’m glad I risked it. Thanks, Alex. You know something? I wouldn’t trade you for a million bucks.”
“I’m glad,” he said, and without being too obvious, he watched her as she ate her lunch, chatting happily with a young couple from Ohio.
To his relief, no one seemed to recognize him. Or, if they did, Samantha’s casual, nonchalant air fooled them into believing he couldn’t possibly be Jesse Dent. He smiled gratefully, able to relax amongst the crowd, for a change, and just live like a normal human being.
That was her doing, he realized. That was Samantha’s way of smoothing the road ahead for him. The way she spoke and carried herself, no one suspected who he was, no one thought twice about him. They treated him like any ordinary person.
He liked that and missed being a regular guy sometimes. None of his other assistants had ever been able to deal with his pseudo-fame like this. In fact, they could hardly deal with a simple book signing. And none of them were ever able to fend off his admirers or distract his would-be fans from their purpose.
Only Samantha.
He found himself wanting to take her in his arms and show her just how much he loved and appreciated her. Instead, he stole another glance at her. She seemed blissfully unaware of his desires, just continued to eat her lunch and converse with the others on their tour as the waves crashed on the beach nearby.
Samantha, suddenly aware of his gaze, turned towards him with a shy smile.
“This is so cool, Alex. How can I ever thank you?”
He waved this thought away. He had no desire for her gratitude. His only desire was for her love and respect. He wanted her companionship, her friendship and her warmth-nothing more.
Before long, it was time to mount their mules again and take the long trip back up the mountain to their cars. Samantha was in front of him this time and he watched her cute little bottom in the saddle as she rode, feeling more content with his life than he had in a very long time.
Once they climbed the mountain and dismounted for the final time, he took her hand and led her back to the Jeep.
“That was nice,” he told her on the way back to the ranch. “That was nice, what you did at the leper colony. Nobody seemed to know who I was.”
“Well, I know it’s hard for you to go out,” she admitted. “I just want to make it better for you. I feel bad you have to stay home all the time. That’s got to suck. In fact, lately I’ve decided that, if I went someplace and met someone famous, I wouldn’t even speak to them. I mean, I would nod at them or something, just out of respect, but I swear I couldn’t find it in me to bug them.”
“That’s really very sweet, Samantha,” he told her. “Some of these young stars in the tabloids might like the attention, but I sure as hell don’t. I wasn’t in it to get famous, I just wanted to write.”
“I know that, and Paris specifically told me to take good care of you, Alex. He asked me to shield you from the public and protect you, and I want to do a really good job, so I’m going to. I try not to let you down.”
“You don’t. I don’t think you could.”
He found himself grinning, for the truth was, he’d never met anyone like her before in his life. For the first time in years, he realized he was really beginning to feel something for this girl, no matter how hard he tried not to.
And though he drew the line at admitting out loud that he loved her, he knew she was someone very special, knew she’d never fail him or disappoint him in any serious, meaningful way.
A couple of miles out from the ranch, Samantha suddenly changed the subject, announcing she’d make dinner for the two of them. And when they got home, she set to work at once, so Alex went out to check on the garden.
Chapter 8
When Alex came in from the garden and saw Samantha standing at the stove wearing not only a lovely pink dress, but also a killer pair of black stilettos, he could barely believe his eyes.
Oh God, he thought, shaken to his core; those legs of hers go on forever.
“Good Lord, Samantha,” he told her, glancing self-consciously down at his own grubby clothes. “I didn’t realize we were dressing up. What’s the occasion?”
Samantha felt herself blushing and wondered if Alex suspected this might be a set-up, wondered if she’d just inadvertently blown it for herself.
“Nothing,” she lied, shrugging casually. “I just felt like it, for a change, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s all good. Give me a minute and I’ll go get cleaned up.”
His glance raked her body before he left the room, and Samantha smiled to herself. He made her feel sexy and desirable, and she happily put the finishing touches on the dinner she was preparing.
Alex disappeared and she set the table, feeling deeply content. Things were going so well, in fact, she decided they might as well dine by candlelight, although it still wasn’t really dark enough for it. It did, however, add to the atmosphere, she had to admit. A few minutes later, Alex reappeared, freshly scrubbed and shaved, wearing a clean tie and jacket.
Her lips curled in a satisfied smile as she handed off the bottle of wine and delegated him to the task of opening it. He obliged her, handing her a glassful in one of his signature heavy, cut-crystal goblets.
Samantha sipped her wine, excited beyond all reason. Things were working out exactly as she’d hoped they would. The air was still and close, especially in the soft, radiant glow of the candlelight, and there was no one around to disturb them.
Alex was telling her about an idea he had for his next novel when he suddenly set his fork down and addressed her directly.
“Why don’t you come over here and sit closer, Samantha? I can barely see you over there.”
It had grown darker as they sat there, she realized, her heart skipping a beat. And Samantha knew if she’d been a bolder woman, she’d have flown across that table to be beside him, would’ve imposed her will upon him and taken him to her breast without hesitation.
Instead she contented herself with picking up her things and quietly moving to the chair beside him.
“This is really good,” he told her. “Especially the shrimp.”
“I wish I had some ice cream for dessert,” she said absently, suddenly nervous and not knowing how to segue into the whole subject of the hot tub.
“Well, if you want, I’ll take you into town tomorrow for some lunch and an ice cream.”
“All right.”
Now that she was so close to him, Samantha found herself losing her courage and resolve. She threw down another glass of wine to bolster her courage, afraid if she were somehow mistaken about all this, Alex might start avoiding her again. She knew in her heart she couldn’t bear even one more day of such solitude.
“Why are you drinking so much?” he asked her.
Shrugging, Samantha carefully stu
died her wineglass. The truth was, she did feel a little tipsy, but wasn’t sure if it was due to the wine or the long trip they’d taken that day.
“I just feel lonely,” she told him.
“Do you miss having boyfriends?”
Their eyes met and she felt hers misting over all of a sudden.
“No,” she replied. “It’s not that, exactly. I just...do you want to go sit in the hot tub with me? I’m feeling kind of stiff after that long mule ride.”
Alex glanced at her, his attention arrested. He seemed astonished by so strange and unique a request, for they hadn’t used the hot tub since they arrived at the ranch, and Samantha knew it was because of what had happened in Waikiki on her first night in Hawaii.
He tipped his head back a little, eyeing her with a guarded glance. Samantha tried very hard to look innocent, but she knew she wasn’t fooling him. And though she knew he wasn’t buying her excuse, he went along with it anyway and nodded.
Samantha, excited but dying not to show it, dashed to her room to put on the prettiest, sexiest bikini she owned. Once she was changed, she went across the living room and knocked softly at his bedroom door.
With a sweeping glance down the length of her body, Alex found himself being swept along, surrendering to her will, and he stepped back to let her in. Together they padded across his thick bedroom carpet and he opened the French doors leading out to the terrace. He’d set the wine and the glasses out there next to the Jacuzzi and he assisted her into it, then handed her one of them.
She tossed it back eagerly as he climbed in to sit opposite her.
“Does this help your loneliness?” he asked with a teasing chuckle.
Pretending not to have heard him, Samantha started talking about something else entirely.
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