It looked like he was about to hit Miles again. Now way could she let that happen. Out of the corner of her eye she spied some guards running up to them. Sam rushed over to Beck, grabbing his arm. “Stop. Security is coming.”
“I don’t fucking care if the whole fucking Navy is coming. This bastard deserves to hurt.”
In all the time he’d been working beside her, Beck had been in total control. Not now, though. Now he was angry.
“Beck, please. I don’t want you taken away from me. I need you.” Finally her words penetrated and with one last shake, Beck released his hold on Miles, the other man hitting the ground with a thump.
“Are you okay?” he asked, wrapping her up in a tight embrace.
“I am now.” This was an embrace she welcomed and wanted more of. The fear that had gripped her the second Miles attempted to kiss her faded away.
“Get your hands off me. I want to press charges.” Miles shouted.
Sam closed her eyes and wished she was anywhere but where she was. Pulling out of Beck’s embrace was the last thing she wanted to do but knew she had to. She turned around and saw Miles was now standing, a towel pressed against his face. The hatred in his eyes was like a punch to the gut. She wrapped her arms around herself as if protecting herself from the venom directed at her. Where had the nice man gone who’d welcomed her that first day on set?
Was Miles the one who had been threatening her all this time?
A red haze of anger enveloped her and she raced over to where he was, punching him in the arm. “If anyone is pressing charges, it’s me asshole. I told you no and yet you still came at me. Tried to kiss me when I didn’t want it. Wouldn’t let me go when I asked. Why would you do that? How could you do that? How could you come after me and my family?” She finished on a whisper. Her knees collapsed and she prepared for the hard thump of concrete.
Only it didn’t come. Warm hands landed around her waist, pulling her firmly against a familiar hard chest. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.” Beck murmured in her ear. “It’s okay. I won’t let you go.”
A shudder ripped through her. So many emotions had flowed through her today. She couldn’t take much more. Tears built behind her eyes and she squeezed them shut. No way was she going to give Miles the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Straightening her spine she mentally and physically shook herself. Beck released his hold on her immediately.
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Sam whirled around at Pascal’s voice. Standing next to him was his wife, Leigh. At one time Leigh had been a well-known model, but after she married Pascal she retired and now spent most of her time shopping in various parts of the world. Sam couldn’t deny she was beautiful, but she had brittle look about her, as though everything about her was being held together by willpower alone. Leigh Hernandez looked like one small thing could shatter her.
The nurturing part of Samantha wanted to walk over there and give her a big hug. Tell her that she would be okay. Somehow if she did that, Sam suspected the other woman would slap her away and dismiss her as if she was a piece of rubbish.
“Miles was harassing Samantha. I hit him.” Beck’s words were succinct and to the point.
“I was simply hugging Sam, telling her that she’d done a great job today. Then he came up and broke my nose. You need to fire him, Pascal.” Miles countered, the venom in his voice unmistakable.
Pascal held up his hands. “Stop. Miles, you don’t tell me what to do and if you even want to consider working in this town again, I suggest you shut up.” He turned to look at Sam. “As you seem to be in the center of all of this, would care to confirm or deny any of this?”
Sam was surprised Pascal hadn’t addressed Beck, as if he guessed which one of the men was telling the truth.
God, whatever she said could either end her career or end Miles’s. Was Pascal part of the whole boys-will-be-boys mentality? She didn’t think so. During the time they’d been filming he hadn’t shown favoritism to any of the actors. He’d treated everyone with the same level of respect, even the extras who were only required on set for one day.
“Just tell the truth, Sam. I promise it’ll be okay.” Beck’s assurance and promise surprised her. In all their time together, not once had he promised anything. Yet, this time he did, without hesitation.
“Yes, Samantha, Pascal is a fair man. You can be totally honest with him,” Leigh piped up and smiled at her. It felt good to have the support of the director’s wife. Beck squeezed her arm, encouraging her to do what she had to do.
Crossing her arms over her chest, in a classic self-defense mode, she looked at the man who could make or break her career. “Miles came up to talk to me. He wanted to go out for a drink. I told him no. He then tried to convince me that it would only be one drink. When I tried to walk away he grabbed me and then attempted to kiss, twice, even though I was struggling in his embrace. When I told him again I didn’t want this, he tried to assure me that I did. The next instant I was free and Beck had hit him.”
“I’m sure if you’ll check the security cameras you’ll confirm everything that Sam has said.” Beck spoke from beside her.
“Security cameras? We have security cameras here?” Sam looked around surprised to even think that there would be that type of thing on a movie set.
“Yeah, sweetheart.”
Pascal waved off Beck’s suggestion with a flutter of his hand. “That won’t be necessary. I believe Samantha.” He turned and looked at Miles. The other man’s shoulders were slumped and the air of confidence that he’d been displaying had disappeared. “We need to talk. Follow me.”
As Pascal walked away and Miles followed, Sam hoped it was all over and the threats against her family would stop. Miles hadn’t confirmed or denied his involvement in her harassment, but the way he acted toward her he had to be the one threatening her. Didn’t he?
Leigh came up to Sam and grabbed both her hands. The other woman’s touch was cold, but reassuring. “Don’t feel bad for telling the truth, Samantha. Pascal wouldn’t want it any other way.”
8
Beck looked up as Sam wandered back into the living room. Her face was slightly flushed and the pale pink fluffy robe she was wrapped in enhanced the air of vulnerability that had surrounded her the second they’d left the film set.
So far he had no idea how the meeting between Pascal and Miles turned out. He’d already sent a text to Ox to let him know what had happened and asked Cass to use her computer skills to dig up anything she could about Miles.
Even now, anger simmered in him when he thought about the scene he’d come upon. Sam struggling in Miles arms. The naked fear on her face. And it wasn’t like the fear he’d seen her use in her scenes. This was raw and unfettered.
“Beck?”
Sam calling his name dissipated the memory and he looked up at her. “What?”
“What were you thinking about so hard? I had to call your name three times,” she said as she sat down on the couch next to him. The scent of lemons and coconuts wafted over him and his body responded automatically.
Fuck, his reaction to Sam was instantaneous now. It was like his body was telling him something his mind refused to believe. Beck glanced over to where she sat. With her hair coiled on top of her head in a messy bun and her cheeks pink from her bath, she looked like she needed to be looked after. He wanted to the be the one to keep her safe. Slay her dragons. Be her prince charming. But he couldn’t be any of those things.
Why on earth would she want to be with a has-been Navy SEAL? A guy who couldn’t even run any more. A guy who was leaving when the threat against her was over.
“See there you go again.” Her fingers reached out and swept across his brow in a sweet caress. “So lost in your thoughts.”
Without giving it a conscious thought, Beck grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to the fleshy part beneath her thumb, before releasing it.
“I was just thinking about Miles and what he did to you. How it made
me feel.”
“How was that?” she asked as she snuggled into his side.
Beck closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to try and deny it to himself, he couldn’t any longer. He was attracted to Sam. And not just because of her beauty or her body. It was the way she put other’s needs before her own. The way her instinct was to protect like he did. His body fired to life whenever she was near. With her by his side, he almost forgot his fucked up career and believed that a future he never thought possible could be. “I wanted to kill him, sweetheart. He had his hands all over you and the fear in your eyes cut me to my soul. If I hadn’t turned up when I—” Her fingers pressed against his lips.
“Sshh you did. That’s all that matters.” Sam played with the buttons on his shirt. He waited her out, instinctively knowing she hadn’t finished. “Do you think it was Miles who’s been sending me all the messages? Threatening my family?”
If he could reassure Sam that her nightmare was over, he would, only he couldn’t. Not yet. “I don’t know, Sam. He didn’t react when you accused him earlier of it. He may not have heard you. I don’t know, but believe me when I say, he’s being thoroughly investigated as we speak.”
“I wish I knew for sure that it was all over. That I could visit my family when I finished filming.” Sam looked up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’m just so tired of all of this. I’m glad you’re here, Beck. I’m glad I shared everything with you, even though it could be putting everyone I know and love at risk.”
Theoretically, Beck understood Sam wasn’t including him in her declaration of putting those she loved at risk, but the thought that she might, didn’t freak him out as much as he thought it would. “I know you took a risk telling me everything, but, like I’ve said before, I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.
“I know you will. You already proved that today.” Sam took his hand that had broken Miles’s nose and rubbed her thumb over his slightly bruised knuckles.
“I’ll prove it over and over. Anytime you need me I’ll be there.”
She smiled, a sweet smile that wasn’t for the screen or anyone else, but for him. “Thank you.”
Beck cupped her face and rested his forehead against hers. He couldn’t hold back any longer. Why had he walked away the previous evening when he wanted her so badly? She offered herself to him and he’d thrown it back in her face. Had he missed his chance? There was only one way to find out.
Beck lowered his head and found her lips, melding them together. When Sam sighed against his mouth he knew he was being given a second chance. A chance he wasn’t going to waste. Not this time.
He pulled her close so that she was straddling his legs. What he wanted was to feel her. Touch her. Know everything about her. What made her sigh. What made her cry out with pleasure. Beck pulled away, his heart beating a rapid tattoo, his dick straining against his jeans. “Do you want this, Sam? Do you want me?”
Her arms looped around his neck. “Yes. I want all of you.”
“Thank God,” he muttered as he stood while still holding her. He didn’t even notice the ache in his ankle. All his focus was on the woman in his arms.
He strode through the house to her room. Every day he walked past it and was constantly assailed by her lemon coconut scent. Now in her room it surrounded him. Never again would he be able to smell either fragrance and not remember this moment. This woman.
Beck placed her gently on the bed before he ripped at his clothes, pulling them off and tossing them to ground. The need to be skin to skin with Samantha more important to him than finesse. His heart leaped to his throat when he finally stood naked and directed his attention to where he’d placed Sam.
She lay back against the pillows, naked, her skin bathed in the soft golden light from the bedside lamp, her robe a crumpled heap on the ground. Her hair was spread over the pillows, the caramel color dark against the white of the pillow case. The urgency to fill her tempered and he let out a breath on a whoosh. With slow deliberate movements he climbed onto the bed. His hand trailing from her ankle, up over her knee. His fingers glided up the inside of the thigh, her skin pebbling with gooseflesh beneath his touch. Sam’s hips lifted when he got to the juncture between her thighs, but instead of giving into what she wanted, Beck smoothed his hand over her belly and upwards until he skimmed the bottom of her lush breasts.
“You are so beautiful, sweetheart. I could sit and gaze at you all day.”
A hand closed over his, pressing it against her breast. He could feel her nipple hardening against his palm. “I’d much rather you play than look. I’m not a breakable object with a sign saying look but don’t touch.”
He chuckled and tweaked her nipple between his fingers. “Is this better?”
She moaned, and smiled a siren’s smile as she reached out and ran and finger down his chest. “Much.”
The need to possess her returned and he lowered his head toward hers. She met him halfway and their lips collided. She ravaged him as much as he ravaged her. Their tongues dancing together in time. Never before had he experienced this type of instant connection. Beck continued to caress her breasts, alternating between the two. Sam’s little moans of pleasure pierced the hard stone around his heart, allowing him to feel for the first time since his accident. Allowing him to imagine that his life wasn’t over. Allowing him to hope that maybe Samantha might want more than this one night with him.
He relinquished his attack on her mouth and trailed his lips down the column of her neck, finally he could allow himself to taste the expanse of flesh that had drawn him the first night he saw her. She arched her back when he skated over her breasts. The desire to taste her threatened to overwhelm him and when he reached her silky folds, he took a deep breath to steady himself only to be assailed by her musky arousal.
“God, you smell so good,” he murmured before he clamped his mouth over her. A rush of wetness coated his tongue and a loud moan of satisfaction filled his ears. He lapped at her and slid a finger inside. Sam’s hips arched off the bed and he pressed his free hand on her stomach, holding her in place. He alternated between licking and stroking. Sam’s fingers dug into his head and he welcomed the short jab of pain when she pulled on his short hair.
“Beck, that feels amazing. Faster. I need you to go faster. I’m so close,” she whimpered.
Not one to deny Sam anything, he increased his pace and added another finger. He changed the angle and curled it, pressing lightly. The action tipped her over the edge and she cried out her climax, her release coating his fingers.
Beck pressed kisses on her stomach and kept his fingers inside of her, sliding out and in slowly as she came down from her high. His own cock throbbed against the sheets. He couldn’t wait to slide in and have her slick heat consume him.
A shock wave swept through Sam, dislodging his fingers. He hated losing the connection but knew in a few moments the connection between them would be restored in the most basic way between a man and a woman.
Beck kissed his way up Sam’s body, taking a moment to lave attention on both her breasts. He lowered his body so they were aligned chest to chest, hip to hip. His hard dick resting between her open legs. Her hands framed his face, tilting it so they could kiss again. Unlike their earlier kiss, when they practically inhaled each other, this kiss was full of emotion. Without words, Beck was letting Sam know he was falling for her. Letting her know he’d be there when she needed protecting and rescuing. Wanted to let her know that whatever she needed, he’d give it to her.
As he kissed her, he became aware of the sound of a drawer opening and the crinkle of foil. He pulled his head back, a slow smile spreading across his face when he saw the square package in her hand. “I like a woman who’s prepared,” he said as he plucked the condom out of her hand.
“Always. I’m in charge of my destiny. But I don’t mind if you’re prepared on other occasions.”
If possible his dick got harder with her words and the devilish glint that entered her eyes
and he wished he could read her thoughts. “I’ll remember that.”
With precise movements he dealt with the condom and adjusted himself so that his tip was resting at her entrance. As much as he wanted to thrust deep into her, he wanted to savor this first time. Wanted to imprint the moment when her warmth encased him.
He kissed her again, needing that connection as he grasped his cock and positioned it properly. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her any pain. Breaking off the kiss he rested his forehead against hers and rocked his hips, inching into her until he was seated deep. Her inner muscles clenched around him, and a million arrow points of pleasure flowed through him and he grit his teeth to stop himself from exploding inside of her.
Calling on the iron control he’d honed during BUD/s training he began to slide out of her. Her hips chased him and he smiled. “I’m not going to leave you.”
Her fingers dug into his ass. “I wouldn’t let you.”
Beck chuckled and thrust back in, their groans of pleasure mingled, and he stilled again, loving the way they fit together as if they were made for each other. Closing his eyes he savored the connection before starting up again.
His strokes were measured and slow, drawing out the tension between them. Each time he entered her, her muscles squeezed and released him, a feeling like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Beck’s balls tingled and he could tell it wouldn’t be long before he exploded inside her. But he didn’t want to come without making her orgasm again. He reached down between them and found her clit. He pressed his thumb against the bundle of nerves as he thrust back inside her. Sam arched her back again, deepening his penetration. Beck kept this up until her could feel her thighs begin to tremble. Keeping his thumb between her legs he found her mouth and kissed her while he pushed in and out.
Sam wrenched her lips away from his and her head thrashed against the pillow. “Yes, Beck. Oh God, yes,” she cried and her orgasm swept through her. One more thrust later he joined her, calling out her name over and over as he filled the condom.
Rescuing Samantha Page 9
