Hiding Out

by Nicole Andrews Moore

  “Listen,” he interrupted. “I think I have everything under control on this end I just thought I’d check on Adam, see if I had any messages…” Please let Jake have called, he thought while he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with one hand.

  “Your brother is doing well, sir. He even beat me at cards last night.” He cleared his throat. “The good news,” Neville began, “is that the company selected Miss Haley’s pitch.” He waited for a reaction.

  “Yes!” Sam beamed. “I knew she could do it.” Without even thinking, he hung up on Neville and exited the car, slamming the door behind him. He rushed straight up to the master suite and sought out Haley. Clearly, she was awake and in the bathroom, since the bed was empty and the bathroom door was shut. “Haley!” He shouted through the closed door.

  “In here,” she said talking quietly since the pain had not lessened in her head. Soon her voice was overshadowed by the flushing of the commode.

  The door was instantly flung open and she gasped in surprise while she dried her hands on a towel. Immediately, Sam threw his arms around her and scooped her up so they were eye to eye. “You did it,” he murmured against her cheek. “You won the account.” He watched to see her response.

  Haley simply smiled as she leaned into his shoulder. She glanced in the mirror, studying their reflection. Sam was so different from the man he was four short months ago. Gone was the uptight businessman whose debonair exterior hid a wounded heart. The man holding her had a boyish appearance that belied his years. His v-neck long-sleeved shirt concealed his broad shoulders that had for years supported the family business, but now were for her alone. Even his dark hair was a little longer, a little wilder. She sighed happily. He was incredible. And according to the necklace he gave her, he wanted her…forever.

  Then her focus shifted and she struggled out of his arms. How could he want to hold her close? She was long overdue for a shower. Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Sam pulled her back against him.

  “I was going to try to get a shower in before you returned.” Haley smiled shyly at him. “There goes that idea.”

  “I have a better idea. Why don’t I join you?” And without waiting for a response, Sam turned and started the water. He moved about the room gathering towels and making sure they had all their shower supplies while Haley stood there in shock.

  She had never showered with anyone before. She had never even showered with Sam in the same room before, let alone at the same time. In the past, he would come in to shower while she was already dressed after her shower…styling her hair, applying makeup, maybe even while moisturizing, but never before had he joined her. Never before had anyone joined her.

  “Okay, let’s hop in. The water is perfect,” he said as he began to undress. He paused before taking off his boxer briefs. She hadn’t moved an inch. She was still standing there looking self-conscious.

  Silently, he knelt in front of her. “You are beautiful, Haley. And I love you no matter what.”

  She closed her eyes. He loved her no matter what. Hadn’t he proven that more than enough times already? He stood by her even when she revealed her past. He didn’t desert her when she was under the weather. He relocated her to his home, fed her, clothed her, and moved heaven and earth to spend time with her even while she pushed him away. She swallowed and hesitantly nodded.

  Standing once more, he cautiously lifted the spaghetti strapped camisole and raised it over head. Her nipples hardened immediately and a blush rose in her cheeks. Sam seemed not to notice. Instead, his attention had turned to her jersey knit pajama pants that he was tugging past her buttocks. She was standing before him clad in only peach colored cotton bikini panties. The mere idea of showering together had her breaking out in a cold sweat. And now that sweat glistened over her body. While she was incredibly self-conscious, that was not what Sam saw.

  Though her curly copper locks were matted from sleep, he still couldn’t help but think how lovely she was. Though she was clearly far from her comfort zone, he couldn’t help but admire the grace and strength she demonstrated. And though to some her face would be a mask, it was the intensity of the feelings in her gorgeous emerald eyes that made his heart clench. He had never felt like this. He had never before found anyone so desirable, or been so deeply in love that his heart ached at the closeness.

  Gently, Sam guided her to the clear glass shower door, opened it like the gentleman he was, and guided her into the slate tiled space. Haley tried to hide her discomfort by reaching for the shampoo.

  “Not today, baby,” he said softly, “today I take care of you.” To her surprise, he wet her hair and pulled it away from her face, then carefully pried the shampoo bottle from her clenched hand. Her eyes were wide in amazement as the dollop of shampoo was brought to her head.

  Even though Haley had dreaded every bit of this experience on some level, she soon found that she was relaxing into it, enjoying it even. While she had imagined that his big hands would hurt her pounding head, she discovered that he was gently massaging away and helping to relieve the pain. She let out a blissful sigh.

  Sam had her facing away from him. It was better that way. She couldn’t see how the closeness was impacting him. She wouldn’t see his brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate on giving her pleasure, on helping her relax, on relieving her pain, and showing his love. There would be time aplenty for him to show her his passion.

  Lovingly, he rinsed her hair and reached for the conditioner to repeat the process. “Close your eyes,” he murmured into her ear as he finished rinsing out the conditioner. When he saw that she had done as he asked, he turned her toward him and began to gently smooth the facial cleansing gel over her face in a loving circular caress. Tears leaked from her eyes as he worked, but he pretended not to notice. He knew how determined Haley was to always hold it together. Instead he worked on silently.

  After rinsing her face, he turned his attention to her back and neck. Sam was trying desperately not to get lost in the moment. He was fascinated with how perfectly she fit in his hands, how naturally she felt in his arms, and alarmed at how desperately he wanted to keep her in his life. He moved down the curve of her back, admired her slim waist and hesitated for a moment when he came to her shapely buttocks. And the only indication he gave that he was at all affected came when he inhaled deeply to steady himself before he prepared to soap and lather her front.

  At first, Haley had been embarrassed and self-conscious, but then as his hands moved slowly down her neck, around her shoulders, down her arms, until his hands held hers…the fascination grew. Finally she couldn’t stand it any longer. Although he had insisted that he was bathing her, Haley saw no reason that she couldn’t wash him as well. And the thought of running soapy hands all over his body not only intrigued her, but also made her incredibly aroused. She pondered that. Maybe it was that she had simply gone too long, now that she understood the pleasures that existed between a man and a woman. Or, maybe it was simply that Sam was exceptionally good in bed…and apparently in the shower as well. She could try to blame her own inexperience, but it didn’t take experience to recognize that the man who had won her heart now seemed to be trying valiantly to claim her body once more as well.

  An instant later, Sam paused. Haley was looking at his chest, not meeting his eyes. He had to know. “Are you okay?” He leaned in to see her reaction; words and a head movement were simply not going to be enough. With one hand, he forced her to look at him. That’s when he noticed she was biting her lip. He stood straight while he hesitated, pondering his next move.

  Before he could react, Haley made that move for him. She saw his body wash sitting on the shower bench. Without a second thought, she opened it and poured a healthy squirt into her hand. Rubbing her palms together, she shared the gel evenly between them while Sam merely watched her, wondering what she might do next.

  Smiling in a way that later Sam would recognize as both shy and seductive, she proceeded to wash him down, much like he had done
with her, only much differently as well. He had yet to touch any of her major erogenous zones, but she knew once she started to feel his body respond to her touch, she wouldn’t be able to stop. And because of her height, or lack there of, and shorter arms, she had to stand much closer. She stopped when her nipples were a breath away from his body. She could almost feel the heat radiating off of him. She ignored that as much as possible to concentrate on the task at hand.

  His neck, she noted was amazingly thick for a businessman. Maybe he had played football in high school or college? She must have wondered that aloud for suddenly Sam responded.

  “Rugby,” he murmured. “I played rugby.”

  Smiling, she continued to enjoy the feel of his broad shoulders, the definition of the various muscle groups in his arms, his forearms with their sparse dark hair. Haley washed right down to the tip of each finger. She marveled at those hands that knew so well how to touch her, the palm that would cup her breasts so perfectly. Without thinking, she placed his hands on her breasts now and smiled at the fit. “Perfect,” she purred.

  It was amazing to watch her, more amazing still to be on the receiving end. Sam was afraid to speak, afraid to break the spell. She was so lost in what she was doing that he was practically holding his breath. He closed his eyes as her hands found their way down his chest to his neatly sculpted abs. His waist didn’t have an ounce of fat, no spare tire. His trainer saw to that. And he felt her tracing his happy trail down, down, down.

  The soap went so much farther than she imagined. She was now traveling down his thighs, trying to ignore the erection that was bobbing in front of her face. It, too, would get a turn. For now, she was enjoying the way Sam had turned to putty in her hands, how her normally confident man was practically quivering under her unpracticed touch. She felt…powerful. She had done this to him. Haley had made him all but lose control.

  That’s when she reached for his hard on. It was bulging and pulsing. In the past, she might have been afraid to touch him, to let on how curious she was about his workings. Ah, but this felt different. Haley was letting feeling come first, she was letting love lead. And without her head causing doubts and bouts of nerves, she was doing exceedingly well. With two hands she lathered him, rubbing her clenched hands from head to shaft again and again.

  Soon, he was grasping at the walls of the shower for support. She noted that with some pleasure. Moments later he was rinsed and her clean hands were cupping his sac. She had always wondered what it would feel like. Suddenly Haley felt wicked and brave. She stared at his cock, right there in her face. She had always wondered what a man might taste like, too. And without hesitation she let him slide into her mouth.

  Thankfully the bench was behind him. Sam crumbled onto it. Haley had taken him into the warm, wet confines of her mouth. For someone so innocent, she sure did know how to get him excited. He looked down at her, and he couldn’t remain still any longer. He stood her up, tilted her head back and began kissing and nibbling his way down her neck. Frantically, he grabbed her body wash and started massaging her breasts, rubbing all over her flat perfect abdomen, and finally cupping her hard smooth ass cheeks in each hand.

  In an instant he was once again reminded that he never wanted to go another day without this woman in his life. He would find a way for them to be together. He had to. If he didn’t…

  Sam couldn’t even complete that thought. He looked at Haley’s heavily lidded eyes, read nothing but desire and longing on her face, and bent his head so his lips could capture hers. It wasn’t as though they were putting up a fight. No, Haley had never been more compliant as long as he’d known her. Instead of doing battle, their tongues danced and mated, much like he wanted to mate with her.

  Without thinking, Sam picked Haley up, lifting her high enough so that her jutting hard nipples were right in front of his mouth. He captured one between his teeth applying equal amounts of pain and pleasure to make her whimper in his arms with her head thrown back.

  “Oh, Sam,” she moaned.

  Instinctively, her legs wrapped around his waist and he adjusted her, positioned them just so…just so he could be in her immediately. He slid into her as far as he could go without hesitation. With arms wrapped around her and hands hooked over her shoulders, he pulled her against his body, burying himself as deeply as he could go.

  Sam threw his head back in passion and frustration. He was in deep. And he was frustrated. Right now, he wanted to do nothing more than tell this amazing woman he was pounding into how much he loved her. Timing was everything. And he feared she wouldn’t trust words spoken in such passion. So he bit his lip and focused on pleasuring her until she couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, and couldn’t even breathe.

  Their bodies were in the way. That was the first thought Haley had. The first time she had allowed herself to do anything other than think her way through the experience. There was no way they could ever get close enough to each other like this. The frustration was mounting. She bucked against him. He had gathered her completely in one arm, was crushing her to him, and with the other, he was massaging and kneading every bit of her that he came in contact with. It was too much. The pressure. The sweet agony. And finally the release.

  Sam felt her go limp, felt her body clenching in waves around him. Then and only then did he let himself go. It was too late for him. Already he had vowed that he would never willingly let her go. Somehow he would make all of this right, give Haley the life she deserved, and punish the man responsible for hurting the woman he loved.

  An hour later they were still lying in each other’s arms, completely sated. And immediately his apologies began. “I’m so sorry, Haley. I never meant to hurt you.” He wrapped a curl around his finger carelessly, just as carelessly as he had allowed the words he was thinking to escape his lips.

  “What do you mean?” She asked, genuinely confused. To her, this had been the most passionate experience of her life; an apology was utterly unnecessary.

  He swallowed carefully before answering. He was no longer as capable as he had been of lying to the woman he loved. “I was rather frantic. I guess I thought I might have been too rough, too reminiscent of the…uh…” But he couldn’t bring himself to say the word.

  “The rape.” Involuntary, Haley shuddered. “I hadn’t even thought about it until you brought it up,” she said honestly, a little surprised. “Being with you helps me forget.”

  She was tired of letting fear rule her life. Somehow, while working on the advertising campaign and by spending time with Sam, she was healing. And facing what had happened and moving forward was going to be what healed her most of all. Ah, but for now, she just wanted to rest. Tucking his arms tightly around her, she nestled in and fell into a restful, tranquil sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  Their last day on Hutchinson Island was spent doing what Haley loved. Sam indulged her as she walked the beach and collected jingle shells and sea glass. It was the first time she had really seen him dressed down and he was wearing cargo shorts that were perfect to hold all her treasures.

  Haley would walk a ways in front of him, completely absorbed in her hunt. She would bend suddenly and pick up a smooth piece of sea glass or a shiny jingle shell. There would be this childlike look of sheer joy at her discovery. And Sam was completely lost in her actions. He would always seem surprised when she would return to his side to drop more beach debris into his pockets.

  “Do you not have enough yet?” He asked with a laugh as she bounced over to his side to drop another handful.

  “No. Never,” she responded simply. And she danced away.

  Every once in a while, Haley would catch him staring at her. She couldn’t quite decipher the look on his face. Sam had made it perfectly clear that there would be no dating as long as she was his assistant. And he had also professed his love for her. Haley felt at the necklace around her neck. Forever. That she understood. In fact, she was certain she wanted that, too, but in what capacity? Did he mean to marry her? She was
n’t designed to be a trophy wife. She wasn’t meant to sit home and participate in loads of charities and clubs to give her life meaning. She found fulfillment in her work. And she wanted to continue to work with advertising, somehow, someway.

  Before they knew it, the sun was beginning to settle into the horizon. Oranges, pinks, and purples began to stretch across the sky. Their trip was coming to an end.

  “I feel so much better,” Haley said as they walked up the back deck and into the house. “I don’t usually get migraines. Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

  Sam wrapped an arm around her waist. “Don’t worry about it. After all you’ve done for me, it really was the very least I could do.” He drew her closer; unsure of whether or not she was aware of his actions. Then without warning, he turned her to him and leaned over to give her a kiss.

  It caught Haley off guard. “What was that for?” She asked with a smile.

  “I just wanted to,” he said honestly. “Is that okay?”