Mr. January

by Ann Roth

  Feeling sexy and daring, she knelt in front of him and pulled the boxers down and off. He was huge and glorious. She stroked the velvet skin of his shaft and then took him into mouth.

  Before long, he jerked and pulled her to her feet. “Don’t.”

  “You didn’t like that?”

  “I really liked it. But I don’t want to lose control until I’m deep inside you. Understand?”

  Ready for exactly that, Samantha reached for his hand. “Then come to bed.”

  Moments later, the mattress dipped slightly under their combined weight. Adam kissed her thoroughly and slowly made his way down her body, each lick and stroke taking her higher.

  Hot hands slid up her inner thighs, followed by open-mouth kisses. The part of her that most wanted him began to pulse.

  He took his time getting there, until she was half out of her mind. “Please, Adam,” she begged.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He put his mouth right there.

  She almost went up in flames. She wanted to let go but not without him. She pulled on his ears, forcing him to stop.

  “No, Adam. Like you, I want us to climax together.”

  “We will, after I finish what I’m doing.”

  Keeping a firm hold on his ears, she shook her head. “I want you inside me, now.”

  “Hold that thought.”

  He turned away and quickly sheathed himself. When he returned to her, he covered her with his body and slid inside.

  Samantha closed her eyes. “Oh, dear God.”

  Supporting his weight on his arms, he raised up. “Sorry, Sam. I meant to ease in slowly, so you could adjust. But I’m too turned on.”

  “You did it just right. I just….” So aroused she could barely form the words, she paused. “You feel good.”

  Then there were no words at all, only sensations. Adam, so deep inside he became a part of her. Pulling almost all the way out, driving her mad. In deep again.

  She felt the corded muscles in his back, the strain in his arms, and knew he fought to hold himself in check, waiting for her.

  She loved him for that. Loved him, period, but she wasn’t going to think about that now.

  He teased her toward the edge, the tension inside coiling and tightening and pulsing. In and out, in and out, faster and faster, until the world blurred and faded away.

  On a frantic wave of pleasure, she exploded. Adam growled and came with her.

  When she drifted back to earth sometime later, she lay cradled against his side.

  “You’re not keyed up anymore,” he teased, nuzzling the sensitive place under her ear.

  Sated and relaxed, she smiled drowsily. “I can’t even remember what that feels like.”

  “This was definitely worth waiting for.” Adam kissed the top of her head then tipped up her chin and brushed his mouth over hers.

  With an exhale of pure satisfaction, he collapsed against the pillow. Before long, his breathing evened out in sleep.

  Samantha kissed his chest. His hand tightened possessively on her hip. She felt whole and content. And head over heels for the man beside her.

  But Adam didn’t want her love.

  The glow inside her dimmed and her heart contracted painfully, a tiny preview of the hurt yet to come. For her own good and her own self-respect, she needed to get up and send him home.

  She attempted to do exactly that.

  “Where are you going?” he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back down.

  How could she argue, when lying beside him was exactly where she wanted to be? Where she belonged? Tonight, anyway.

  Self-respect be damned. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She returned to his side. Determined to sleep, she closed her eyes.

  The one saving grace was Adam would never know her true feelings. That was her last thought before she drifted off.

  Chapter Twenty

  ‡

  At three a.m., Adam woke to a blaring alarm clock. It was pitch dark and he was wrapped around Sam, spoon-style. She didn’t so much as stir. Reaching across her, he silenced the alarm.

  His groin pressed her soft skin. Instantly, he was hard. They’d made love twice, the second time even better than the first. What a shame they didn’t have time for round three.

  He untangled his legs from hers, then clicked on the reading lamp. “The alarm just went off. Time to rise and shine.”

  Her eyelids blinked open. “Already?”

  “Afraid so. Your work hours suck worse than mine.”

  Yawning, she sat up, bringing the bed sheet with her. “I need to shower. I won’t wake William for a couple of hours yet, so if you want to go back to sleep….”

  Adam shook his head. “I should get going. I’ll get up in a few minutes.”

  As Sam grabbed clean clothes from the dresser and hurried into the bathroom the sheet slipped, giving him a view of her great ass.

  Hands propped under his head, he stared at the ceiling. Last night ranked up there as probably the best sex of his life. Then waking up with Sam nice and close…. He liked that, too. Liked her, period.

  A lot. Too much.

  He was not falling for her, he assured himself. Credit the dynamite chemistry for making him feel so great. With Sam on the same page, life seemed pretty damn perfect.

  The hiss of the shower called to him, and he considered joining her. But you didn’t rush hot shower sex, and she was in a hurry.

  Another time, then.

  The water shut off. Not long after, she came out fully dressed and looked a lot more alert.

  “You’re quick,” he said.

  “I have too much to do to waste a second in bathroom. There are clean towels in the bathroom closet. I’ll see you downstairs.”

  She seemed a little distant, barely sparing him a glance. Adam chalked that up to the ton of work ahead of her, on top of worries about today’s meeting with her ex.

  Deciding to shower at home, he dressed and headed silently down the stairs. As he crossed the living room on his way to the kitchen, he noted that Sam had picked up last night’s discarded clothing and fluffed the throw pillows. The room looked the same as when he’d arrived, as if things had never gotten hot and heavy.

  Clangs and bangs sounded from the kitchen. Adam found Sam decked out in a bib apron and a hairnet. Hard at work, she spooned batter into muffin tins with quick precision.

  “You don’t look half-bad in a hairnet,” he teased. “But I like you better without it.”

  Without cracking a smile or glancing up from her task, she gestured at the gurgling coffee maker. “I’m afraid the coffee isn’t ready yet.”

  She didn’t ask him to stay and wait, but that okay. Adam didn’t want to get in her way.

  “I need a shower and a shave. I’ll get my caffeine fix later. How are you feeling about seeing your ex?”

  “I’m sure it will be fine.”

  He nodded. “Thanks for last night. I enjoyed it…a lot.”

  She left off filling muffin tins and finally met his gaze. “Me, too.”

  Her gaze softened with something that looked dangerously close to love.

  And here he’d thought they were of the same mind. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You don’t want to be falling for me, Sam. I’m a bad bet.”

  “Falling for you?” Up went her chin. “Where did you get that idea?”

  He shrugged. “Just a feeling.”

  “You’re mistaken. As I said last night, I don’t expect any promises. But I have rethought what we did. It probably shouldn’t happen again.”

  Dumbfounded, he eyed her. “Can we talk about this?”

  “I’m a little busy right now.” She slid the tins into the oven. “Would you mind letting yourself out?”

  Well, hell. “No problem. Good luck with your ex.”

  Adam headed for the door, wishing he could erase the last few minutes and redo the conversation. Sure, he’d warned her not to fall for him for her own good, but between baking
and her ex, she had enough on her mind. His timing sucked, and he felt like a total jackass.

  He needed to straighten out this mess, and he drove away deep in thought. Moments later, he knew exactly how to do that.

  *

  The second Samantha heard the door click shut behind Adam, she sank into a chair. She’d pulled it off, convinced him she didn’t love him. When the opposite was true.

  She wanted to have a good cry, but at the moment, she didn’t have the time.

  On the drive home from dropping William at kindergarten, she called Jana, using her Bluetooth. “Are you on your way to knitting?”

  “Not quite. You’ll be missed. We’re all pulling for you.”

  How could they possibly know about Adam? Samantha realized her friend meant Jeff. “I appreciate the support.”

  “You don’t sound so good. Are you worried?”

  “A little. Cross your fingers Jeff isn’t too upset when I ask him to give up his parental rights.”

  “Already crossed. Remember, if you need backup, there are lots of people ready and willing to step in.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. You want to hear something that has nothing to do with my ex? You have to swear you won’t tell a soul.”

  “My lips are sealed.”

  Reassured, Samantha went on. “Adam stayed over last night.”

  “Lucky you,” her friend replied. “As I keep saying, that man likes you a lot.”

  “Key word ‘likes.’” Samantha couldn’t stop a heavy sigh.

  “Ah. You’re in love with him.”

  “I so am.”

  “Does he know?”

  “No. He thinks I don’t want to get serious, either. That’s what I told him when we talked about it earlier. When I believed it.”

  Jana made a sympathetic sound.

  “There’s more,” Samantha added. “When William and I were talking about Jeff yesterday, he flat-out said he wanted Adam to be his dad.”

  “Aw, he’s in love, too. I’ll bet Adam flipped out when he heard that.”

  “William said it when he wasn’t around, thank goodness.” Samantha turned onto her street. “Did I do the right thing, Jana?”

  “You’re asking me, the woman whose relationships never last more than six weeks?”

  “I could use your advice.”

  “Well…. If it was me standing in your shoes, I’d let what happens, happen, and enjoy the ride while it lasts.”

  “I’m not wired that way.”

  “I figured as much, but you asked. You never know, Adam just might fall for you, too.”

  Samantha doubted that. She pulled into the driveway. “I need to run. Jeff will be here in half an hour. Think good thoughts.”

  “I will. Keep me posted.”

  Samantha had barely hung up her coat when the doorbell rang. She almost jumped out of her skin.

  Jeff can arrived early, and the papers were still locked in the desk drawer.

  Out of habit, she squinted through the peephole. Not Jeff. Adam.

  Why had he had come back?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ‡

  Sam opened the door without a trace of a smile. “Did you forget something?”

  Ready to make things right, Adam went straight to the point. “I’m here to support you when your ex comes over.”

  “I don’t need your support. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sure you will, but I’m sticking around anyway.” In case she needed him.

  Muttering something about his stubborn streak, she blew her bangs out of her eyes. “All right, come in. I expect Jeff any minute now, and I need to get the parental rights document from the desk in my office.”

  “What’s the plan for this morning?” Adam followed her into a small room tucked onto the back of the house.

  She unlocked the middle desk drawer and pulled out a large envelope. “I’ll give this to Jeff and ask him to bring it back signed and notarized this afternoon, so he can say good-bye to William.”

  The doorbell chimed.

  “That’s him.” Her whole body stiffened. She sucked in a breath and exhaled loudly. “Here we go.”

  She squared her shoulders and headed for the door, Adam staying at her side. Seconds later, he stood face-to-face with the man she’d once called her husband.

  Her description of him had been dead on. Thin, a couple inches shorter than Adam, and a whole lot hairier, he could have passed as a harmless bum in clean clothes. Except for those eyes. Clear and alert, and yet somehow off.

  The back of Adam’s neck prickled. “Adam Healey,” he said, extending his arm.

  The other man did not shake his hand. “I’m Bhodi.” He glanced at Sam. “I thought you wanted to talk privately.”

  Adam put his arm around her shoulders. “Just pretend I’m not here.”

  Her ex scowled. “What’s this about, Samantha?”

  “I had my lawyer draw up a legal agreement.” Sam held out the envelope. “I’d like you read through it, sign in front of a notary, and bring it back this afternoon.”

  Paying no attention to the envelope, her ex waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I no longer believe in legal documents.”

  Adam kept his arm around Sam. “If I were you, I’d believe in this one. You’d best give it a read.”

  Sam nodded. “It asks you to give up your paternal rights in exchange for immunity from a lawsuit for the back child support you owe William and me. And you owe quite a bit. The amount is spelled out in the second paragraph of page two.”

  Once more she attempted to hand Bhodi the envelope. Again, he ignored her outstretched arm.

  “I can’t pay you,” he said, shrugging. “Peace Village is mostly a barter economy. When a person needs something, we trade for it. If I do get paid, everything I earn goes into a community fund for emergencies. What I’m saying is, I don’t have the money.”

  Adam wondered if the community fund covered the costs of the trip to Guff’s Lake and hanging around. “Suit yourself. But if you can’t pay and you don’t sign, you’re going to jail.”

  Bhodi’s nose and forehead flushed red and he spewed out a stream of four-letter words that even Adam found offensive. “Watch your mouth,” he warned, pulling Sam closer.

  After a tense moment, the man bowed his head as if praying and murmured strange-sounding words. To Adam’s relief, when he looked up, he seemed calmer.

  “I came here to make amends and gain forgiveness, not fight. I don’t need your boyfriend here for that, Samantha. He should leave.”

  “Not a chance.” Holding tight to Sam, Adam opened the door. “Get out, before I lose my temper.”

  Sam cleared her throat. “You can say good-bye to William when you bring the document back later. In the meantime, read through it. Then find a notary and have your signature notarized.”

  When the man still hesitated, Adam shoved the envelope at him. “Take. It. And do as Sam said.”

  Anger sparked Bhodi’s eyes and his lips thinned, but he accepted the envelope.

  As soon as the door shut behind him, Sam’s shoulders sagged. “That was scary. I’m glad you were here, Adam.”

  So was he. “You did fine, babe.” He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

  After a moment, she moved out of his grasp. “What if he doesn’t come back?”

  Her eyes filled with shadows he hated to see. “Have faith. If he doesn’t show or comes back without having signed the document, follow through and sue his ass. I think I’ll hang around awhile longer.”

  This time, she didn’t argue.

  She checked her watch. “I need to pick up William.”

  “You do that, and I’ll fix lunch. I’ll bet you didn’t know I make a mean sandwich.”

  “I bought groceries yesterday, and the fridge is full. Use whatever you want. What am I going to tell William about why you’re here?”

  “Say that I felt like having lunch together.”

  *

 
Samantha barely pulled to a stop beside the 4Runner before William unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and shot up the porch steps. By the time she caught up with him, he’d slipped through the door.

  “Adam!” he called out, racing toward the kitchen.

  His obvious joy and his big hug around the firefighter’s waist made her heart hurt, but there was nothing she could do to protect herself, let alone her son.

  Chuckling, Adam gave William a one-arm hug. “How ya doing, sport?”

  “Good.”

  “School okay?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Adam made sandwiches,” Samantha pointed out. “Go wash up.”

  William ran toward the powder room. She filled a glass with milk and added a pitcher of ice water to the table.

  Her son returned, carrying the firefighter hat.

  “Please leave it on the spare chair until after lunch,” she said.

  For once, he didn’t argue. After setting the hat down, he kicked at the tile and made a face. “Mom says Bhodi is coming over this afternoon.”

  “So I heard.”

  William slanted his head. “Do you know him?”

  “We met earlier.”

  “He’s my dad, but I don’t like him.”

  Samantha sucked in a breath and mentally crossed her fingers William didn’t ask Adam to fill that honor. He didn’t, and the tension in her stomach eased a little.

  “Let’s sit down and eat.” She shepherded her son to his chair.

  “Will you be here when Bhodi comes?” William asked.

  “You bet.”

  Adam’s reassuring nod eased her raw nerves. Despite the way they’d left things this morning, she appreciated his support more than she could say. Her feelings for him had only deepened to the point that she wasn’t at all sure she could hide them. But she couldn’t worry about that now.

  “You need to eat,” he reminded her. “Try the sandwich.”

  Having barely eaten at breakfast, she should have been famished. But misgivings as to whether Jeff would come back with the signed document had killed any appetite. All the same, she tasted the sandwich. Adam hadn’t exaggerated about his skills, and she managed to swallow a few bites.

  William had no such problems. He was polishing off the last of his food when the doorbell chimed.