Chapter Eight

Sam blinked dry eyes, his gaze fixed on the stream of dull light coming through the gap in the curtains as dawn arrived. Dark clouds sat on the horizon.

For the past couple of hours, he’d been staring at the same spot, trying to keep his mind off the woman sprawled on her stomach next to him. But it turned out just keeping his eyes off her wasn’t enough. Her scent reached out to him, and snippets of the night before replayed themselves over and over in his head behind his eyeballs, sending his cock once more to rock-hard purgatory. He sighed and shook his head, deciding to give up the pretense and look his fill.

In the early morning light, her ivory skin glowed with sepia tones. She looked like an award-winning photographer’s muse. Shadow and light played over her, accentuating the intriguing curves and dips to her glorious body, tempting him to refresh his memory with just how silky smooth her skin was. Dark eyelashes fanned out over cheekbones dusted with a hint of rose from the sun. His hand hovered centimeters from her face, his fingertips aching to soothe the slight burn before he caught himself and snatched it back. She had to be exhausted. The last thing she needed was his demands on her body once again.

They’d ended up making love a total of three more times. That didn’t include the quiet moments between bouts of lazy exploration of each other’s bodies. Who knew having the small of his back stroked with a feather-light touch of fingertips would be enough to make him want to roll her over and plunge deep into her tight little body again? Last night had been the single most earth-shattering experience of his life. It had turned everything he thought he knew upside down. What the hell was he going to do?

Lucy stirred, a little sigh escaping her parted lips. Those lashes he’d been admiring moments ago fluttered, then slowly blinked open. Her eyes widened slightly when they focused on his face before a smile bloomed. A delicate blush highlighted her cheekbones, and he grinned, knowing her mind was taking her through a fast recap of some of the things they’d done together. He’d always found her so easy to read. “Hey, you.”

“Hey, back.” Gravelly with sleep, her voice conjured up all sorts of erotic images, then she gave a feline stretch and rolled onto her back. He made a strangled sound, somewhere between a groan and a smothered curse. The corners of her mouth tipped up, her still slightly swollen lips drawing his attention before he noted the ghost of a whisker burn surrounding the delicate skin.

Before he thought through the consequences, he leaned down and captured her mouth, intent on soothing the irritation with a soft kiss. That idea flew out the window when she opened for him, her tongue boldly stroking his. Hands clamped onto his buttocks and pulled him in snug to unbelievable heat, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Helpless to resist the lure of her gorgeous body and lush mouth, he kissed her back and lost himself in her once more.

Forty minutes later, he lay staring at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the shower in the next room and battling the urge to join her. His heart rate had finally settled back into its normal rhythm, but every time his mind conjured up even a thought of her, his heart leaped in an almighty thwump. It wasn’t just the sex—although that had knocked him for six—not if he was being honest with himself. It went deeper than that. Scary deep. He had the disconcerting feeling he was falling in love with the brat.

And that thought kicked him in the gut—hard. He couldn’t afford to give his feelings full rein. He had to distance himself from her—for both of their sakes. Oh, he could pretend that he thought she needed a little longer to explore her sexuality with him, just to “make sure,” but that would only prolong the inevitable. They didn’t belong together, no matter how much he wished it were so. The hero worship she felt for him would rub off soon enough, taking the gloss off her feelings for him and leaving him in a world of pain.

The water shut off, and the faint sound of off-key singing made his mouth twitch briefly before he threw the bedcovers back and strode to the set of drawers, pulling on a clean pair of work shorts and a random shirt. Before she could catch him in a weak moment and entice him back to bed with that incredible body of hers, he slammed the drawer shut and rushed out of the bedroom as if it were on fire.

He was bent over the dishwasher, stacking last night’s dishes from their hastily thrown together dinner in between love bouts, when she entered the room. The air in the kitchen seemed to become electrically charged and his skin, hyperaware. The hair on his forearm prickled moments before she curled her fingers around it and tugged him around to face her. When he rose to his full height, she wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and inhaled deeply. It took all of his willpower not to return the embrace. His eyelids squeezed shut, then slammed open again when losing his sight only intensified his other senses. It appeared she’d helped herself to his body lotion, and he had to admit it smelled better coming off her skin.

“I almost didn’t get into the shower. I hated having to wash your scent off me. But then I figured there’ll be plenty of other times when I can rub myself against you to get my fix.”

Something clogged his throat at her words, and he couldn’t for the life of him answer her. At his silence, she leaned back, a small frown furrowing her brow, and her arms tightened around him as if to prevent him pulling away, even though he knew he hadn’t moved a muscle. But then they’d known each other for so long it stood to reason she could sense when he was mentally backtracking.

“What’s going on, Sam?”

He took a deep breath and gazed down at her. The normally clear blue of her eyes had clouded over with confusion. He couldn’t bear the idea of them filling with pain that he’d created, even if it was better for her in the long run, and so he decided to soften the blow a little.

“I just realized I’m late for a job I’d booked a few weeks ago.”

“On a Sunday?”

Shit. “Ah, yeah.” He fumbled around for a plausible excuse. “The plants don’t know it’s the weekend, and for some clients, it’s the only time they can allocate in their busy lives for their outdoor care.”

The frown softened but didn’t disappear completely. Her arms dropped from his waist, and she stepped back. “So will I see you later?”

He took the opportunity to create a little distance between them, leaning back against the countertop. “I’ve got a couple of busy weeks coming up, but I’m sure we could fit in a day the weekend after next. Got to keep up all the progress you’ve made to help you find that special man.” He swallowed the swift wave of nausea his words created, hardened his heart to her soft inhale, and clenched his jaw to stop the words he really wanted to say to her from escaping. He pasted an easy grin on his face and crossed his arms, ignoring the muscle twitching at the corner of his eye.

She looked up at him, her head cocked to the side. “Are you saying this is the end of my tutelage?” She’d obviously tried for a lighthearted tone, but her bruised eyes gave her away.

He pretended he hadn’t noticed and gave her a flirtatious wink. “Darlin’, you don’t need any more lessons after last night and this morning. You passed with flying colors. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t eager to relive it again sometime. There’s no reason we can’t, right? Not until someone else is in the picture anyway.”

Her gaze turned sultry. “Are you sure you can’t fit me in a little sooner?” Her finger traced a path up his forearm and took a trip across his pectoral muscle, deliberately scraping a nipple with a fingernail on the journey.

He gritted his teeth as a jolt of electricity shot straight to his groin. His fingers tightened on his biceps as he determinedly kept his arms crossed to prevent reaching out for her. “I’d love to, brat. But like I said, I’m snowed under at the moment. And speaking of…” He pushed away from the bench and grabbed his keys. “I’m late for that job. I don’t want them giving the account to someone else. Are you ready to go?” He paused before the door and threw her a glance, jingling his keys for added emphasis.

She crossed the room, snatching up her bag that accompanied her wherever she went, and gave him a cool smile. “Sure. Let’s go.”

Even though it was exactly the outcome he wanted and knew had to happen, why then did his stomach drop and the gloss get taken off his day? He held the door for her, his nostrils flaring when she passed under his arm. Even as he mocked himself for the need he couldn’t quite shake, he filled his lungs with her scent, hoping it would be enough to sustain him for the long days without her.