He wasn’t an arsehole like Jonathon. Now there was a prime example of ignoring her gut instinct and ending up a mess because of it. But that was over. Or should have been, if he hadn’t decided to get on her back about something of which she had not a clue. Whether she liked it or not, she had to phone him and find out what the hell she was searching for.
And Sam? Standing in her bedroom, she sighed. Friendship after sex was awkward. Could she ignore it and just wave to him? Well, shit, did she actually have a choice? The best thing, she decided, studying a box still sitting beside the bed, was to simply keep going on the way she was, keep working, keep living, and see what he intended to do.
She sure as hell didn’t know the next step, or even if there was a next step, or, come to think about it, if she wanted another step. She’d just come out of one disastrous relationship, she certainly didn’t want to step into another one without knowing exactly what she was getting into first.
Besides, Sam was dating other women, hell, she didn’t even know if he had a girlfriend.
Oh God! Carly could actually feel the blood drain from her face. What if Sam did have a girlfriend? And he’d cheated on his girlfriend – with her! Oh bloody hell! Carly bit her lip.
No, no, no. Sam wasn’t like that, he wouldn’t cheat. But in the heat of the moment could he have gotten carried away? No, he couldn’t. No, it wasn’t possible, he wasn’t that kind of a bloke –was he? Especially with someone like her. She wasn’t blind, she knew she wasn’t a seductive siren. Nowhere near it.
Or was she allowing her attraction to Sam sway her?
Running one hand agitatedly through her hair, she took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said aloud. “Calm down. One step at a time. It happened and that can’t be changed. You don’t know if he has a girlfriend. Probably does, because he’s so hot. But it wasn’t deliberate.” Rubbing one eye with the heel of her hand, she sighed. “Carly, just keep your head down. No one knows but you and Sam. Say nothing, do nothing.”
Trotting into the room, Crusher looked up at her.
“You’ve got a stress-free life,” she told him. “Be grateful, rug rat.”
Pushing the troubling thoughts to the back of her mind, she crossed to the box and looked at it.
What the hell was she looking for? Damn it. There was no putting it off any longer. Picking up the phone by the bed, she dialled Jonathon’s number, hating the fact that she still knew it by heart.
“Hello?” he answered.
“It’s Carly.”
“You found it?”
“Found what? Jonathon, I have no idea what I’m looking for.”
“You are so dumb.”
“And you are such an arsehole. Now either tell me or get lost, because I’m not playing this game.”
“This isn’t a game,” he said angrily. “This is as far from a game as it gets.”
“Then tell me what I’m looking for.”
“A padded envelope.”
“An envelope?”
“A padded envelope, you stupid bitch!”
Carly hung up the phone.
“He is such a dick.” Carly patted Crusher, who wagged his tiny tail. “Oh look, the phone’s ringing. Who could it be?” Picking up the receiver, she said, “Yes?”
“Don’t ever hang up on me again!”
“News for you, Jonathon. We’re not together anymore, so I’ll hang up on you anytime I want. Now, last time, because I’m sick of this. What am I looking for?”
“A padded envelope!” he yelled, followed hurriedly by, “Don’t hang up!”
Carly rolled her eyes.
Jonathon spoke in a lower, but much tighter, tone. “A white padded envelope. Small. It’s sealed and nothing is written on it. The front is blank. Just bring it to me.”
“News flash, Jonathon. I don’t do deliveries, especially to you.”
“Fine,” he ground out. “I’ll collect it.”
“I’ll post it.”
“Don’t you dare put it in the post!”
“I’m not delivering it, and you’re not coming to my home.”
“I know where you live. I’ll collect it. You can even keep me outside and not invite me in.”
“Trust me, inviting you in is not on my list.” Carly frowned. “Whatever. I’ll give you a ring when I find it and we’ll meet somewhere.”
“Fine. Whatever. I’ll even give you a couple of more days. Just find the bloody thing.” He hung up.
“Jerk.” Dropping the receiver down onto the holder, Carly rubbed her chin. “A padded envelope. I don’t remember seeing a padded envelope anywhere.”
She spent the next hour searching through the house but when she came up with nothing, she started to wonder if it had gotten accidentally mixed up with Ed’s gear. Knowing she had to wait until Ed returned to ask him to have a look, she sighed. She really wanted to break this last link to Jonathon.
Looked like it wasn’t going to happen soon.
Switching on the light, she decided to cook some dinner and wait for Ed.
~*~
The dawn was welcome. Or not, depending on how she wanted to look at it.
Sitting on the side of the bed, she stared tiredly at the floor. Some of her inner muscles ached, not to mention a slight pull on the inside of her thighs. No doubt from the wild session with Sam the previous day.
That hot session that tormented her in her dreams. All night. All bloody night. Several times she woke with a different kind of ache in her loins, one of emptiness and longing.
Desire. It was freakin’ desire. If she wore panties to bed, she’d have had to change them, no doubt about it.
God, she had it bad. This had never happened before, not that she had a lot of experience. Jonathon had been her first, and then only twice. The first time hadn’t been a good experience and had left her wanting, but she’d put it down to being a virgin. Jonathon had certainly seemed pleased. The second time hadn’t been that good, either, again leaving her feeling needy. It had been fast, over in less than a minute. Jonathon had grunted, pushed, spent himself and flopped over, going straight to sleep after tossing his condom in the bin beside the bed. Ewww.
That had done it for her. The third and fourth time he’d tried to initiate sex, she’d brushed him off. He hadn’t been happy, but then, neither had she, so she didn’t see why she had to please him only all the time.
Damn it, she had needs, and she knew enough from her frank talk with Lisa to know that Jonathon wasn’t a considerate lover. More like a selfish one.
As Lisa had informed her, “it’s not always bells, whistles and fireworks, sweetie, but you should never be left unsatisfied.” Huggie, apparently, didn’t always ring that bell, but when Lisa gave a bawdy wink, it was apparent that he somehow made up for it.
Sam had done more than ring Carly’s bell. He’d resonated it like Big Ben.
That thought had Carly laughing softly, and she stood up. Maybe if she had a shower to ease the kinks and went for a walk to clear her mind, she’d be able to think sensibly.
Not long after, hair pulled back in a high ponytail and dressed in light brown cotton pants, a yellow blouse with tiny white flowers scattered over it, and her cheerful-coloured, red Mary Janes, Carly stepped out into the early morning sunlight. One deep breath of the Sunday morning air had her smiling. Birds flew amongst the trees, and the combination of the old stone houses with their well-tended gardens, and the trees lining the quiet street, had a feeling of peace stealing through her.
Walking down the footpath, she stopped to admire some gardenias that filled the air with their scent and chatted to the woman who was out early pruning her garden. The woman clipped a gardenia off her bush and handed it to Carly, who, delighted, stuck it into her hair. Continuing on her journey, she met an elderly man walking his golden retriever, and she stopped to pat the dog and exchange a word about the breed with the owner. A Frisbee flew through the air from one garden and she ducked just in time. A boy and girl who looked to be twins
came running up, full of apologies, and with a laugh Carly flicked the Frisbee back over into the garden, where they gave chase, laughing in delight.
An hour later she was on her way home and noticed that the café she’d passed earlier was open. Feeling pretty good about life after a relaxing walk and a lungful of fresh air, she decided to stop and get a bite to eat.
Seated at a small table in the corner, she ordered a cup of tea and a bowl of fruit salad. Settling back in the chair, she watched as several customers came and went, some to simply get a take-away coffee, some to stay for breakfast.
The waitress arrived with her breakfast and Carly settled down to eat.
Glancing up when the door opened again, her heart stuttered.
It was Sam. He looked tired, his hair pulled neatly back at the nape, wearing his uniform of white shirt with RN navy epaulettes on his broad shoulders, and navy pants that hugged his muscular thighs. On his feet he wore black sneakers. A smear of blood was at the bottom of his shirt at the back.
After giving his order, he turned and glanced around the room. His gaze drifted to the few people sitting in different places around the room and moved on, sliding over her and away.
Sam stiffened, alertness replacing his weariness, his gaze snapping back unerringly to her. His eyes were now sharp, assessing.
Blushing, Carly dropped her gaze back to the bowl, fiddling with the spoon and pushing the pieces of fruit around the bowl. Oh God, should she look at him? Nod? To look back up now would seem silly, wouldn’t it? Should she just pretend she hadn’t seen him? Should she-
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a navy-clad thigh appear beside her.
“Carly.” It wasn’t a question, the deep voice even, quietly confident.
Dilemma of what to do, solved. “Um…hi, Sam.” She glanced up to find him already moving, walking past to turn and drop into the chair opposite her. Frantically trying to find something to say to ease the awkwardness, she said, “Did you work last night?”
Bloody stupid question for what was pretty bloody obvious. Cringe factor!
If Sam agreed, it didn’t show in his voice. “I was supposed to be on days off, but Simon rang in sick so I worked instead.”
“Sorry to hear it.” Cringe factor again. Surely she could think of something else to say?
Surely she could look at more than just that strong jaw of his? It was a mighty fine jaw, as strong as his cheekbones, but there was more to his face than just that jaw, such as those kissable lips, firm and masculine, yet silky soft, and…stop it! Cheeks burning, Carly picked up the cup of tea and took a fortifying sip.
“Are you all right?” Sam asked quietly.
Replacing the cup on the saucer, she resumed fiddling with the spoon. “Fine.”
“Sure about that?”
“Absolutely.”
He sighed. “Your hand is shaking.”
Immediately she dropped the spoon. “No, it’s not.” Clearing her throat, she risked a glance at him.
Sam was watching her steadily. There was no derision on his face, no condemnation. There was, however, gentle concern. One long finger pushed his glasses back up his nose.
He’d taken off his glasses when he’d made love to her. No, when they’d had sex, not made love. Making love was being intimate with someone for whom one cared. He cared how she felt, but it wasn’t care, not as in caring about someone for whom you had feelings.
Ouch.
Unwilling to wonder about that instinctive reaction, she felt that she had to respond in kind. “What about you?”
“I’m tired.” He grinned crookedly.
Her heart melted. Right then, with his glasses and laid-back humour, he looked like such a big boy. A big, handsome, surfy-boy. With a big, gorgeous body.
Don’t go there.
She took a deep breath. “Rough night?”
“The ER on a Saturday night is always rough.” His smile faded as he became serious. “About yesterday-”
“Forget it.” She picked up the spoon.
“No.”
She knocked a piece of strawberry around the inside of the bowl. “Sam-”
“Here’s your coffee, Sam,” a bright voice said.
Carly saw the waitress, the bright, bubbly waitress with the knock-out figure and the big, blue eyes, as cute as a freakin’ button. She wanted to stomp on her, grind that pert little body into the ground.
What the hell is wrong with me? Appetite fleeing, she flicked at a piece of apple.
“Thanks, Melanie,” Sam replied.
“Rough night, sweetie?”
Sweetie. Ugh. Spooning up the apple, Carly popped it into her mouth and chewed.
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” he replied.
“Well, you know the offer always stands.”
“I know.”
With a giggle, Melanie left.
“And I won’t be taking it,” Sam muttered.
That had Carly snapping her attention back to him.
Catching her startled expression, he shrugged, though a slight red crept into his cheeks. Picking up the coffee mug, he took a mouthful, closed his eyes, swallowed and sighed in pleasure.
The simple pleasures in life, Carly thought. Sam liked the simple pleasures, so easily pleased. It was there in his well-tended garden, the times she’d seen him kicked back relaxing in it, a drink in one hand, a book in the other, SJ nearby. In the few weeks since she’d shifted to the neighbourhood, she’d noticed that he didn’t have many visitors, that he appeared to be a homebody.
A truly contented man.
Until he opened his eyes a little, just a fraction, and looked right at her. From the glint between those thick lashes, it was plain he wasn’t so content right now.
Because of her? Of course.
Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Carly returned her attention to the bowl. The fruit, so appetizing before, was now unappealing. Placing the spoon down, she picked up the cup of tea and drained it in one go, replacing it on the table with the intention of getting up and leaving.
“Melanie,” Sam called, “another tea for Carly, please.”
“Sure, sweetie.”
Surprised, Carly stammered, “Oh no, no, Sam, thanks but-”
“Just sit quietly, honey,” he admonish gently. “Relax.”
Relax? Was he kidding? “I have to go, I-”
“You were sitting here eating quite happily until I walked in.” He traced a fingertip down the side of his coffee mug. “If you’re leaving so abruptly, then it’s because you don’t want my company.”
Geez, he had no idea. No idea that she wanted to slip that tie from his hair and run her fingers through it, to massage his scalp gently just to hear that blissful sound of pleasure as she helped him unwind from his shift at the hospital. To smooth the tiredness from his features by running her fingers soothingly across his face in a light massage. Wanted to press her lips to his brow and kiss away the slight frown that creased it. Wanted to make him smile and laugh, the happy Sam of normal. Not this quiet, serious man who watched her so intently.
“I won’t lie,” he stated quietly. “I don’t lie.”
“Ever?” She tried a weak smile but couldn’t quite pull it off. Just like she couldn’t quite meet his gaze.
“Not about important things.”
“Ah.” She was almost glad when Melanie arrived with the fresh cup of tea.
Thanking her, she dropped her hands into her lap, silently fidgeting, unsure what to do or say.
As soon as Melanie left, Sam nudged her with his foot. “Look at me, honey.”
Talk about the unbelievable hardness of looking at such a handsome man. Probably because that meant meeting his steady regard that seemed to see right through her, probing her thoughts.
With a sigh, she obeyed. Yep, he was regarding her steadily, almost intently.
As intently as he’d watched her while making love – no, having sex – with her? Yeah, he’d been intent then, intense, single-minded i
n his pursuit of both their pleasure. Heat went through her and she fought the dizzying memory away.
Striving to appear as though she wasn’t having hedonistic thoughts, she kept her expression politely interested.
“I won’t lie,” Sam repeated. “What happened yesterday was unexpected. I didn’t plan it.”
That made two of them. But still, how humiliating. “We don’t need to discuss this. Really.”
“I value our friendship, Carly. I don’t want what happened to spoil it.”
Ouch. Shit, that was blunt. She could actually feel her stomach fall, a dragging sensation in her chest as though her heart was fast following. She half wondered if the fruit she’d eaten was going to make a very abrupt and unwelcome return.
Sliding his glasses off, Sam studied them for smudges before replacing them and looking at her, obviously waiting.
“Okay,” she all but choked out.
“But I enjoyed it.”
What? Carly blinked.
“More than enjoyed it,” he added when she just stared at him. “I’m not going to pretend. Carly, I want more than just friendship.”
Stunned, her mouth fell open.
Pushing the coffee mug aside, Sam leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “What happened between us is something I’ve never experienced before. You’re nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”
Was that a good thing? And what, exactly, did he mean by that? “Um…Sam…”
“There’s just something about you, Carly.” His gaze warmed, softened. “When I’m with you, I can’t stop looking at you.”
What the…? Was she hearing correctly? Was she dreaming?
“I like quietness in my home, and there’s something so peaceful about you, yet you make me laugh, you make my day brighter.”
“You – you haven’t heard me yell yet,” she stammered stupidly.
“I’ve seen you in a snit.” He winked. “I still like you.”
Lifting her hand, she looked at the Primapore on her palm, more for something to do rather than keep looking at Sam with his all-seeing, steady eyes.
Seducing Sam Page 15
