Tansy wanted to cheer, wanted to shout to the world that her fondest dream was coming true.
Sam Young was kissing her.
Kissing her like he had nothing else to do for the rest of his life.
When she squirmed to get closer, Sam simply hoisted her in his arms and shifted her so she was straddling him where he sat on the edge of the dock.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and nearly lost her mind when she felt his body harden beneath her.
They were both wearing thick sweatshirts, but she could feel his heartbeat hammering against hers.
She’d never been kissed with such aching tenderness and intensity before.
Her hands wanted to touch him all over, strip off the running clothes they wore and feast on him right here on the dock.
She could barely think as Sam moved his mouth over hers, tasting, licking, kissing.
Savoring.
She was being savored.
Who would have thought that was even possible?
Eventually, they pulled back and looked at each other. This was a huge moment, and she didn’t want to see regrets.
When all she saw was arousal, she grinned and gripped his head with her hands and pulled him back for another kiss.
And another.
When they pulled back again, they were both smiling. Sam traced a finger over her face and across her lips. “Okay?”
“Much better than okay.”
He smiled, kissed her again, then pulled her in for a hug.
In a fluid movement highlighting his strength, Sam twisted and pushed off the dock with one hand, then rose with her in his arms.They kissed again as he lowered her to her feet and Tansy figured they could do that all day long.
Sam took her hand, and they walked back along the dock. It felt natural and easy. She bounced on her toes and then stretched up to kiss him lightly. “I like being able to do that. I’ve been thinking about it for a lot of years.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep. I figured you only thought of me as Joe’s little sister.”
“I figured I was supposed to think of you that way, but it was impossible.”
That filled her with joy, and she had to laugh and kiss him again.
The sound of a low plane had Sam pulling away and tugging her off the dock and into the trees. He shoved her behind him and pushed them both into the boughs of a large spruce.
“What are you doing?”
He shushed her with his hand and kept his eyes on the sky. “You get many planes flying over your land? Are you on a flight path?”
Picking up the nerves from Sam, she peered up as well. “Not that I know of. And I haven’t noticed many planes. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve heard one since I’ve been here. But I might not notice either.”
Tansy glimpsed a small white plane flying over the north end of her lake. Sam froze and didn’t move until the plane moved beyond sight.
She poked his back. “Are you being paranoid, or is there some threat I should know about?”
Sam moved out of the trees and held out his hand for her.
His frown told her he was serious as they turned and moved south, back toward the lodge.
“Your security is shit. I’m going to put in an order to have some things shipped out here. Do people even deliver here?”
“I’ve got deadbolts and window locks. The sawmill is five miles away from Phail. The lodge is a two-mile hike in from there. Exactly who do you think I need protection from?”
Sam scowled at her. “Seriously? You’re smarter than that. In fact, you’re smart enough to be contracted out by the government to create spy shit for them. Smart enough to strong-arm them into a contract that protects your work from being misused. Smart enough to know that if our government wants it, so do others. Smart enough to know that some of those people might just be interested enough to hunt you down and find out what you’re doing. Smart enough to know that your asshole ex might be working for some of them and that he can’t afford to take No for an answer. Smart enough to know that a couple of miles isn’t any kind of protection. Neither are a couple of locks.”
Tansy didn’t know if she’d ever heard such a long speech from Sam. He never belabored a point.
He’d sure belabored that one.
They walked in silence for a while, and Sam’s gaze never rested. She wasn’t sure if he was checking for assassins behind the foliage or if he was cataloguing the land in order to figure out the best way to protect her.
Most likely both.
And that gave her all kinds of warm fuzzies.
“I’ve been out here for months, Sam. No one has bothered me or followed me.”
“Not as far as you know. Have you checked the lodge for bugs?”
Tansy laughed. “I’m going to assume you don’t mean cockroaches and ants. No, I didn’t sweep anything. The layers of dust in the lodge were proof enough no one has been inside for a very long time. There were no tracks in the snow when I arrived. It was like crossing a portal into a time gone by.”
Some of the tension eased out of his shoulders at her words.
“Is there a post office in the town? Who are the best people to ask about strangers being in town? I want to know if people are asking questions about you.”
Tansy laughed. “I assume there’s a post office. Probably in Phail General. I’ve only used it and the grocery store so far. I can’t imagine anyone’s asking about me. And if they are, no one in town even knows my name.”
Sam growled at that one and she tried to figure out what had ticked him off.
“Are you seriously telling me you’ve been here for over three months and that not one person in town knows your name?”
She shrugged, and he heaved out a sigh and a few curses as they kept walking.
“Tansy, you can’t retreat from the world like this. It’s not healthy. Everyone needs people. Even you. You’re supposed to tell us when you need help, when you need us. If you can’t tell me, talk to Joe. Just know you can always talk to me. I’ll always be here for you.”
That made her heart race and hope, but she knew it really meant he’d be there for her until he left for his next assignment.
Sam knew he’d annoyed her with his words, but he couldn’t take them back.
She’d hidden her isolation from them.
Sam, Joe, and Nico had all been on assignments during Christmas and they hadn’t even been able to get together then.
She’s spent the holiday with her cousins in Bloo Moose, but this was March.
March.
And he hadn’t made an effort to get here earlier.
Part of it had been guilt. For lusting after his buddy’s sister. Now, that part seemed silly. Tansy was definitely not averse to kissing him.
Hopefully, a hell of a lot more.
And how was he supposed to tell Joe?
It should be in person, so Joe could kick his ass if he felt so inclined. But Joe was off in Texas and Sam wasn’t going to sit idle while waiting to talk to him.
He’d figure it out.
Tansy was stomping through the woods. Pissed that he’d called her out on hiding.
But she had been. The woman wasn’t the type to face up to conflict. She’d rather retreat until the conflict worked itself out.
Which is what she was doing with this James.
That had to stop as well.
The sound of the plane approaching had them both stopping and looking up. They were in a fairly dense pocket of trees, so Sam didn’t bother moving. Their clothing was dark enough to hide them.
This time, the plane moved over the middle part of the lake and headed back the way it had first approached.
“It’s probably someone out for a ride. It’s a nice day.”
Sam snorted. “Sure. Because lots of people take their planes out for a ride.”
“And how many people do you know who have planes? How do you know what they do?”
Her snotty tone had him laughing again. Tansy aiming for prissy was always funny.
When she narrowed her eyes at him, he held up his hands in defense. “Fine. It might have been a rich idiot getting his kicks looking at your lake.”
Her lips twitched in an almost laugh before she started walking again. “You able to run the rest of the way, Super Agent, or do you need to do your survey at a walk?”
Of course, she realized what he was doing. “Let’s run.”
As they neared the lodge, the plane returned again. Without prompting, Tansy moved under cover and they watched the plane fly slowly overhead.
“It could be flying over for any reason. There’s no reason to suspect it has anything to do with us.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “I don’t suspect it has anything to do with me. Just you. Are the cars visible from the sky? I parked beside yours.”
Tansy nodded. “Probably. I’ll check next time I head out.”
Sam kept the sigh internal. She was humoring him and obviously didn’t believe there was any threat to her. He’d have to take care of things himself.
They moved up the deck and into the lodge. With the melting snow and no obvious tracks, it wasn’t as obvious that someone lived here. But the cars were a big hint. At least there were two cars. That should act as a bit of a deterrent.
If James the Asshole was looking for Tansy, he was going to realize she wasn’t alone.
Now Sam wanted to force a few connections between Tansy and the town. The more people who had her back, the better.
Tansy slid into the moccasins she’d worn yesterday. Sam had never been one for slippers, but he’d have to get a pair like hers if he was going to spend more time here. And the more he thought about staying, the more he liked the idea.
“You said earlier you were thinking of options instead of going back to the FBI. What kinds of things are you thinking about?”
Sam chuckled. “Are you a mind reader? I was just thinking about that.” They moved into the kitchen and she filled the kettle with water. For tea.
Sam took it out of her hand and put it back. “I’ll tell you about it over breakfast.”
“I’d like tea with my breakfast, if you don’t mind.”
He grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the room. “Let’s go to town for breakfast. My treat.”
Tansy sighed. “You just want coffee.”
“Guilty.”
She smiled, and he knew he had her.
“Fine. Let me grab my phone and some money.”
“My treat, remember.”
She smiled. “We’re not wasting the energy just to go for breakfast. We can pick up some supplies while we’re there.”
“Like coffee?”
She shook her head, but smiled. “You buy your own coffee.”