It wasn’t working, she decided as they finished their meal in silence. Whoever said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach?
Maybe she should have waited a few days, let him get accustomed to the idea of trusting her before she threw herself at him. Yet their time here was limited, and she didn’t intend to waste a minute of it. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t return her feelings right away—she loved him enough to accept whatever he was willing to give. She wasn’t going to squander another one of their precious nights here listening to him tossing and turning on that sofa while she lay all alone in that double bed.
Did love always make a person so shameless?
She propped her chin on her hands and leaned toward him. “Would you like some coffee?”
His fork clattered to his plate. “For God’s sake, Audra, that’s enough.”
“What?”
“Lean over any more and you’re going to fall out of that dress.”
She glanced down. The bodice was still in place, although both straps drooped over her arms. “No, it’s pretty well stuck.”
He rubbed his hands over his face, then stretched his arm across the table and grasped her wrist. “What are you doing, Audra?”
“What do you mean?”
“The perfume, the dress, the black underwear.”
She glanced down again. “You’ve been peeking.”
“You’ve been flaunting.”
“Me? I’m not the one who’s been parading around half-naked all day. Didn’t Bergstrom pack any extra shirts for you?”
“It was hot. I was busy.”
“Right. Chopping wood we don’t need and playing with your tools.”
His lips twitched. “My tools?”
“What were you repairing this time?”
“The frame on the back door.” He loosened his grip, rubbing his thumb along her arm. “The meal was delicious, Audra.”
“Thank you.”
“But I meant what I said. I don’t expect you to cook for me while we’re here.”
“There isn’t much else for me to do.”
“We could go for a walk tomorrow, as long as we don’t go too far from the house.”
The gentle caress of his thumb was making her breathless. “That would be nice. What about tonight?”
“What?”
She moistened her lips. “What do you want to do tonight?”
His thumb went still. For an endless minute, he watched her in silence, his eyes gleaming in the candlelight. “You know damn well what I want to do.”
“And what’s that, Sam?”
“Audra, I’ve been watching you try to keep that dress on for the past hour. Now I want to peel your clothes off you an inch at a time. Then I want to touch you, from the tips of your dainty little toes to that place on the side of your neck where I can see your pulse racing.”
She swallowed hard. Maybe the seduction was working after all. “And then?”
“I want to put my mouth where my hands have been and taste what I’ve touched.”
A tremor tickled through her stomach, not from nervousness any longer but from anticipation. “And then?”
“I want to feel you do the same to me.”
Desire slammed through her at the image his words painted. Oh, God. Who was seducing whom?
“You should have left with Bergstrom.”
“Did you want me to?”
“Hell, no. But I told you I wouldn’t be able to keep you safe from me if you stayed.”
“I’ve been safe for twenty-eight years, Sam. Maybe I don’t want to be safe from you.”
His gaze intense, he continued to watch her. Then he swore under his breath, laced his fingers with hers and tugged her forward.
She didn’t even consider resisting. Smiling, she rose to her feet and moved toward him. this chair scraped the floor as he pushed back from the table. Drawing her closer, he pulled her onto his lap. “If I were the man you deserved, I wouldn’t be doing this,” he murmured.
She lifted her hand to his cheek. “But you’re the man I want, Sam.”
He shook his head. “After what I did yesterday...”
“What we did,” she corrected.
“I can’t promise you anything, Audra. I can’t change who I am.”
Pressing her fingers to his lips, she stopped his words. “I don’t want promises. And I don’t want to think about yesterday. Or tomorrow. I’d rather concentrate on tonight.”
He nipped the tip of her index finger, his lips curving into a smile as she dropped her hand. With his gaze steady on hers, he moved his hands to her back and lowered her zipper to her waist. One by one, he slid the narrow straps of her dress past her elbows and guided her arms free. Then he grasped the center of the loosened bodice and eased it downward. An inch at a time.
The breeze from the window whispered over her bare skin and she rolled her shoulders with pleasure. Lifting her hand, she started working on the buttons of his shirt. Even if he hadn’t told her he wanted her to touch him, her own need to feel his skin beneath her palms would have led her to this.
She’d been right the first time—seduction did come naturally to a woman in love. Parting his shirt, she slid her hands inside and splayed her fingers, greedy for the sensations she remembered. She’d never thought much about male beauty, but Sam’s body was truly beautiful. The springy curls in the center of his chest, the taut skin that stretched over his muscles, the silky line of hair that arrowed temptingly downward...it was all so new, so different, so...
There were no words to describe what she felt. It wasn’t something that could be expressed rationally. But then, love wasn’t rational, was it?
Beneath her hip, she felt Sam swell and harden, and her own body softened instantly in response. Yet even as she felt herself melt toward him, she felt a surge of strength. Her strength. The power of her own femininity that she’d hidden away along with her heart. Eagerly, brazenly, she dropped her hand to his waist and unsnapped the stud of his jeans.
Sam shuddered, his hands unsteady as he traced the edge of her bra until he found the front clasp. The strapless wisp of black lace fell away easily. He tossed it behind him, then put his hand on her thigh. “Stand up for a second, Audra.”
“Mmm?”
“I want to take off the rest of your clothes.”
Her eyes widened as she glanced around. “Here?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “Do you mind?”
Did she? In front of the fireplace was one thing, but being naked at a dinner table was so...daring. And deliciously wicked. Her pulse racing, she slid from his lap and let her dress fall around her feet.
Groaning, he leaned forward, dragging her against him as he pressed his face between her breasts. His breath hot on her skin, he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties and inched them down. When he pulled her back on his lap, instead of having her sit sideways, he guided her leg around his so that she straddled him.
Audra grasped his shoulders, shocked by the intimacy of their position. “Sam, what—” Her half-hearted protest cut off on a gasp as she felt his mouth close over her nipple.
And then she couldn’t think. All she could do was feel. Sam was doing things to her, for her, that she’d never imagined. He took her newly awakened awareness of herself as a woman and showed her there was much more, oh, so very much more to learn.
It was one of those perfect late July days, when the air was alive with the scent of hay and gentle warmth. Somewhere near the top of the apple tree, a robin sang to the afternoon sun. Leaves rustled overhead, dappling the long grass with delicate, shifting shadows. Beyond the shelter of the boughs, puffy white clouds danced along the horizon.
Two weeks at the farmhouse had passed like two hours. Or maybe two years. Somehow, Audra’s sense of time had altered. Knowing how fleeting it was, she’d tried to pack a lifetime of memories into a handful of days.
The day after tomorrow, this was all going to end. Instead of sitting
on a blanket under an apple tree, she’d be sitting in a courtroom across from Larry Fitzpatrick. She’d have to look into the eyes of a man who had killed in cold blood, a man who had tried to kill her. She’d have to face reality.
And then, after the trial was over, she’d have to say goodbye to Sam.
But she wasn’t going to think about that. She’d done a pretty good job of shoving it to the back of her mind so far. And she was determined not to waste the short time they had left by wishing she had more.
Lying back on the blanket, she tucked her bag under her head for a pillow and lifted her arm to point at the sky. “Look, Sam. The one on the left. It’s a horse.”
“It’s a cloud, Audra.”
“Come on, Sam, be a sport. What do you see?”
He turned on his side, levering himself up on his elbow to lean his head on his hand. Instead of looking at the sky, he fixed his gaze on her face. “Freckles.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Seven of them. Right...there,” he said, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger.
“You’re not cooperating.”
He trailed his finger along the side of her jaw and down her neck. “Why? Because I’d rather look at you than at a formation of condensed vapor?”
“Thank you. I think.”
Leaning over, he kissed her gently, his lips curving into a smile against hers. Then he stretched out crosswise on the blanket and laid his head on her stomach. “Okay, which one’s the cow?”
“Horse.” She pointed toward the cloud she’d noticed. “Oh. Now it’s more like a dragon. See the wings coming out of the back?”
“If you say so.” He caught her hand, pulling it to his mouth to nibble her knuckles. “You taste like cinnamon.”
“That’s from the coffee cake.”
“Is there any left?”
“Hang on,” she said, stretching her free arm toward the plastic container she’d brought to the orchard with them. She dragged it closer, then picked up a chunk of the cake and dropped it in his mouth.
He closed his eyes in pleasure as he chewed. “You’re going to make a fortune when you open up that restaurant if you have this on the menu.”
“Thanks. I’ll give you a discount when you eat there.”
Instead of replying, he went back to nibbling on her fingers.
She knew what was behind his silence. It was because she’d referred to their future, as if they had one, as if she’d see him again, as if he’d still be a part of her life. That was a subject they’d both carefully avoided for the past two weeks. And it had been a wonderful two weeks. She wouldn’t have missed it for the world. She just wished...
No. That was a door she didn’t want to open. She’d told herself she’d be happy to accept whatever he was willing to give her. And he’d already given her more than she’d imagined.
He’d been a tender, considerate lover. After that deliciously scandalous incident on the chair, it hadn’t taken long for him to coax her past her initial hesitancy. Sam made no secret of the delight he took in being the one to teach her the pleasures of sex, and she’d been an eager student—by the end of the first week, they’d tried out every piece of furniture in the house.
And if there wasn’t any love in his lovemaking, well, she’d gone into this with her eyes open, hadn’t she?
Easing her hand from his, she stroked the stray hair from his forehead, then buried her fingers in the thick, dark locks. She loved this freedom to touch him, and to be touched in return. He was no longer her unattainable fantasy man, the sexy, naked stranger who had burst into her life two months ago. She’d seen past the surface to the sensitive, scarred soul beneath. “Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you decide to become a cop?”
He rolled his head on her stomach to meet her gaze. “Where did that come from?”
“I was just thinking. Wondering. I was kind of born into the food business.”
“And I was born on the wrong side of the law.”
It was getting easier for him to talk about his past, she realized. Although he was a long way from resolving his feelings over his childhood, at least he didn’t clam up as quickly as he used to. She smiled, toying with the hair that curled behind his ear. “So what made you join the force?”
“I already told you that. Xavier encouraged me.”
“How did you meet him?”
“You mean you haven’t guessed?”
She paused. “You met him in a professional capacity, right?”
Sam nodded.
“He arrested you for something, didn’t he?”
“I stole his car.”
“You...stole his car?”
“Tried to.” He turned his face back toward the horizon, settling his head more comfortably against her stomach. “I wasn’t a very good thief. Xavier caught me before I got the thing in gear.”
“What happened?”
“He was working in Juvenile back then. Hauled me in front of a judge that very night, talked her into giving me probation and releasing me into his custody.”
“His custody? What does that mean?”
“I was trying to take his car because I wanted somewhere to sleep. He took me home with him, made me wash and wax that old Chevy and mow his lawn before he let me eat.”
“Xavier? I can’t believe Lieutenant Jones did that. He seems like such a... I don’t know. A tough guy.”
“Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t as if he wanted a kid or any of that sentimental stuff. His wife had died the year before and he wanted to keep busy,” he explained. “He was just doing his job.”
Just doing his job. She lifted one eyebrow. “Now, where have I heard that before?”
“Xavier wasn’t like the social workers and do-gooders who used to visit the detention centers and spout all that garbage about us poor misunderstood youth. He expected me to work for my keep. Even back then he was tough. Once when I missed my curfew because I was out hustling pool, he tossed me into a holding cell for the night. Then he decided I had too much time on my hands, so he made taking my high-school equivalency exams another condition of my probation.”
“No wonder you decided to become a cop,” she said softly. “He was a wonderful role model.”
“He was okay. Taught me a lot.”
“It sounds like it.”
“You know what he gave me when I graduated from the Academy?”
She paused, then shook her head. “No, what?”
His lips curved into a lopsided smile. “That old car I tried to steal.”
Audra swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. Another piece of the puzzle that was Sam had just fallen into place. She looked at his familiar smile, her heart turning over. And she hadn’t thought it was possible, but the love she felt for him deepened. “Sam, I...”
The words were there, pushing at her, trying to be said. But she swallowed them along with the emotion. Blinking the moisture from her eyes, she looked at the branches overhead. The apple blossoms had long since given way to the budding fruit, but in her mind she saw the golden outline of another blossom, and the diamond sparkle that should have lasted forever.
Sam turned his head and nudged the underside of her breast with his nose. “What?”
“I...” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’m glad you met someone like Xavier.”
“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “Even when I’m on my vacation time, this job can have damn good fringe benefits.”
“Fringe benefits?” she repeated, struggling to keep her tone as light as his. “Is that what I am to you?”
The glint of teasing faded from his eyes. He sat up and moved closer, bracing his arms on either side of her. “Audra, you are, without a doubt, the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life.”
Oh, God. Why did that sound like a goodbye? Time was running out, but she didn’t want to risk what little they had left by telling him how she felt. He couldn’t be pushed. She’d lear
ned that a month ago, during that humiliating confrontation at the Fitzpatrick wedding.
Sam cupped her cheeks in his palms and leaned over to give her a long, achingly tender kiss. Then he drew back, picked up the gun he’d left on the edge of the blanket and tucked it behind his belt. “It’s getting late,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Time to go.”
The phone call came the next morning. Audra heard Sam’s voice in the living room and set down the crepe batter, alerted by the concern in his tone. She’d assumed the call was from Piers, who had become their unofficial go-between, keeping them up-to-date with the legal wranglings that were taking place during the lead-up to Fitzpatrick’s trial. Those calls were always brief and to the point, and Sam’s voice took on what she’d come to think of as his cop tone, distant and curt. But from the sound of it, this call wasn’t about official business.
Pausing to take the skillet off the heat, she wiped her hands on a towel and hurried out of the kitchen. He was just setting the receiver back on its cradle when she reached him. “Who was that?”
He rubbed his jaw, his morning growth of whiskers rasping in the silence. “Xavier.”
“Oh. Is there a problem with the trial?”
“No. That’s progressing right on schedule.”
“You sounded worried.”
Dropping his hand, he turned to face her. “Your father wanted him to contact you.”
She felt her stomach drop. Because of the need for security, no one but Xavier’s team knew exactly where she was. Except for a few brief telephone calls to assure them she was fine, she hadn’t spoken to anyone in her family for weeks. She hadn’t minded—she’d been too wrapped up with Sam to miss them. They knew she’d be back in Chicago by tomorrow, so why would her father want to contact her now?
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” she said. “Is it my mother? What happened?”
He eased the towel from her fingers and clasped her hands in his. “Your mother’s fine. Geraldine went into labor last night.”
“Finally! She must be so pleased. She’d been dying to see that...” Her words trailed off as she saw the look on Sam’s face. “Oh, God. What happened? Is the baby all right?”
Engaging Sam Page 23
