All-American Girl (23 page)

“Experience is the extract of suffering.”
~Arthur Helps

S
AMANTHA
T
OOK
H
ER
C
HANCE
with Lance one day at a time, savoring the peaceful feelings and not worrying about what would come when she needed to leave. She didn’t care and it felt wonderful. Days went by, and she slipped into the perfect routine.

Spending time at the antique store: Check.

Therapy lessons with Gram: Check.

Working on her book: Well, she was still trying to find the groove for that one.

Spending every spare moment with Lance and Jax: Double check.

Getting the foggy-but-elated feeling out of her brain: Okay, she needed to work on that.

But the days were paradise. Perfect, harmonious, and hopefully endless bliss.

Tonight she was making dinner for Lance and Jax, and Samantha hustled around the kitchen, preparing chicken linguini with lime sauce.

The kitchen remodel was almost finished, which made it easier to cook. Samantha was amazed at how fast Lance made progress. She’d watched him quite a bit the past several days when she was supposed to be working on her novel, but she couldn’t help but stare at the devilishly good-looking man sweating and working hard. He distracted her to say the least, but she’d repaid the favor and distracted him several times as well. He’d enjoyed it.

She chopped the herbs and threw them into the saucepan with the chicken. She checked to see if the water was boiling before wiping the counter down once, then a second time. She hated the fact she couldn’t completely control her urges to clean, but she was getting better. Checking her watch, Samantha saw that it was almost six.

Without a moment to spare, she dropped the noodles in the boiling water, squeezed the lime onto the chicken, and removed it from the stove. She set the table and took off her apron right before the doorbell rang.

She opened the door and both boys aimed bright smiles in her direction. Jax held out a small bouquet of yellow roses.

“For me?”

His smile brightened as he nodded.

“Well, thank you. Let me put these in some water.” She ushered them in and scooped the flowers out of Jax’s hands. She bent and gave him a warm kiss on the top of his head. “They’re beautiful.”

“Dad says girls like flowers.”

She spared a glance at Lance. “Your daddy’s a smart man.” This time when she said it, she meant it. “Make yourselves at home. Dinner’s almost done,” she said.

“Smells wonderful,” Lance said. He leaned in and gave Samantha a kiss on her cheek. “And might I say the hostess smells wonderful as well.”

Her face went hot along with every other part of her body. “Would you like a drink?”

“Kool-Aid!” Jax said.

“I’ve got some of that,” Samantha replied as she tweaked Jax’s nose. “Made it just for you.”

“One glass,” Lance said. “He gets worked up with too much sugar.”

Her lips curved into a smile. Lance was a good, doting dad. Another timer went off in the kitchen. “It looks like it’s time to eat. I hope you brought your appetites.”

“I’m starved,” Jax said as he ran toward the kitchen.

“Jax doesn’t do anything without his appetite,” Lance said playfully, taking Samantha’s hand into his own. “You look beautiful tonight, by the way.”

She blushed again. It was so easy for him, and that’s what made it so easy for her. “You look handsome yourself. How about you? Did you bring your appetite?”

Lance gave her a wicked grin. “Oh, I’ve got an appetite all right, but I don’t think your dinner will sate it.”

A tingle erupted at the base of her spine when he kissed her lips. Warm. Drugging. Perfect.

“Um…” Now, what was she going to say? Elves had scrambled her brain again.

“Dinner?” Lance asked playfully.

“Oh…yes, dinner. Let’s go eat.”

Samantha couldn’t have asked for a better meal. They all sat around the table. It felt like family, and even though she still thought of Ava and missed her terribly, eating dinner at the table didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it used to. It gave her hope and lifted yet another weight from her chest.

Jax did most of the talking, telling them about his adventures. Every once in a while her gaze would wander to Lance, who was either beaming at Jax or admiring her. Both actions melted her heart.

“I didn’t get the chance to see Dorothy today. How is she?” Lance asked as he helped Samantha clear the table.

“She’s wonderful. The doctor said she’d be able to come home in a few days.”

“That’s great news. And you? How are you doing?”

Samantha stopped cleaning up and looked at Lance with a questioning expression. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Just checking. The kitchen will be done in a few days. Sorry you had to cook dinner in this mess.”

“Oh, it wasn’t too bad, really. I made it work.”

“Obviously.” He patted his stomach. “Dinner was delicious. Thank you.”

Her smile came effortlessly. “You’re welcome.”

He snatched her arm and tugged her to him; when he nibbled her bottom lip, she damn near fell to the floor. His touch alone made her crumble, but his lips were in a league of their own. “Now about dessert,” he whispered against her lips.

“Oh.” She eased away from him. She didn’t want move away from his heat or his touch, but Jax was just in the next room. “I didn’t make any. Sorry.” He played with a lock of her hair; she’d left it down for him, knowing how much he liked it when it wasn’t constricted in a ponytail.

“Don’t apologize,” he said. “I wasn’t talking about that kind. But now that you mention it, we could go out for ice cream.”

“Oh, I’ve got it! Gram and I used to make these wonderful cookies. I’d love to make them with Jax. Would he like that?”

His hand stilled in her hair. His expression looked surprised. “I’m sure he’d like that. I’ll go get him.” He smoothed her hair one last time before walking out of the kitchen.

Jax had made the cookies before—with Gram, no less. The famous chocolate chip ones with M&M’s. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Samantha knew Jax and Lance had spent a great deal of time with Gram.

With the kitchen an official train wreck, over a dozen cookies cooling on the make shift counter, and Jax sitting on the table, licking the empty bowl, Samantha couldn’t have been happier.

Lance came up behind her and brushed his lips over her ear. “It’s getting late. I really hate to leave, but I’ve got an early job in the morning.”

“All right. Don’t worry about the cleanup. I’m a pro in that area.”

“I know; I’ve seen the antique shop.” Lance flashed another heart-melting smile. “Jax, grab your dinosaurs and head to the truck. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay. Thanks for dinner, Samantha, and the cookies!” Jax gave Samantha a quick hug and darted into the living room. With T-Rexes in hand, he made his way out the door.

“He’s a wonderful boy, Lance,” Samantha said as she continued cleaning up.

Lance came up behind her and pressed her into the counter. “He is. Takes after me.” He kissed her neck.

“Yes,” she breathed, trying to keep her legs from buckling beneath her.

“I’m really disappointed I didn’t get my dessert.” He nipped her flesh. “Another time?”

“Anytime.”

He spun her around and kissed her deeply. Thoroughly. Just the way she liked it.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, drawing away. She was numb from that one kiss and aching for more. “Jax wants to go to the park again. Are you up for it?”

“Sure, when?”

“I thought maybe tomorrow I could meet you in town after I’m finished up with work. How’s that?”

“Perfect. I’ll be at the shop until five or so. Stop by when you’re done and we can leave straight from there.”

“Dinner?”

“Of course.”

His eyes dropped to her mouth. “Dessert?”

She smirked. “Maybe.”

“Not maybe…anytime, remember?”

She sighed as he walked out the door with a container of warm cookies in tow. If she didn’t leave Vermont soon, she was going to be in over her head. She pressed a hand to her warm cheek. Forget
going
to be. She already was.

“Things don’t go wrong and break your heart
so you can become bitter and give up.
They happen to break you down and build you up
so you can be all that you were intended to be.”
~Samuel Johnson

S
AMANTHA
S
AT
I
DLY
B
EHIND
T
HE
D
ESK
, shifting through the store’s paperwork. She’d ordered some organizers and a few things that would help Gram keep everything in tip-top shape when the store re-opened. Gram was progressing at warp speed, and she would be home and taking her shop back in days. Samantha leaned back and smiled. Everything was coming together.

When Lance walked in with a wicked gleam in his eye, her grin widened.

“Everything all right?” he asked.

“Everything’s better than all right.” She rose and maneuvered herself around the desk, snaking her arms over his shoulders. His wound around her back. She kissed him, drawing him close and enjoying his musky scent.

“Wow,” he stammered, drawing back. “That’s quite a welcome.” He loosened his grip and reached behind him. The unmistakable click of the door lock made Samantha tense with excitement. He nuzzled her neck as his hands closed around her waist. “I think we need some privacy.”

“Hmm…I’m working.” She took his bottom lip into her mouth and suckled it gently, laughing when he groaned and lost his balance.

“Work can wait,” he said hoarsely. His back hit the wall, and his grip tightened. “I want my dessert.”

“Oh, dessert sounds good.” She flattened herself against him, swept her tongue in his mouth, and reached for the belt on his jeans. He growled and yanked off her shirt. With one flick, her bra was undone and dropped to the floor. She tugged at his zipper and fought with the snap on his jeans.

His mouth covered one breast, his hand cupping the other. She threw her head back and cried out. No lover had ever kissed her so thoroughly, treated her so perfectly, or intoxicated her so completely. She leaned into him, wrapped one leg around him and just…enjoyed. His restless lips and tongue searched every inch of her body, and she thought for sure she would go mad.

His tongue flicked the sensitive peak of her nipple, and she moaned. He provoked the loving girl inside of her, the one who wasn’t afraid to share her emotions. And his hard body provoked the sinful one—the one who wanted to have him now. She clung, clawed, and teased every part of his body as his mouth drove her sexual desire higher.

The snap on her jeans came undone, and his hand dipped inside. With painstaking slowness, his fingers parted and stroked the folds of her sex. She arched back, panting. She wanted him inside her immediately, taking her with wild abandon.

“Lance,
now
,” she breathed heavily in his ear.

“Ah, not yet.”

One more stroke, and she exploded. Fireworks blasted through her body. Spasm after glorious spasm rocketed through her. He held her in place as he pushed her jeans to the floor before spinning her around and pressing her back into the wall.

Flashes of bright light blurred her vision. He made her feel like no man ever had. She wanted, ached, and dreamed of being with him every moment, every second, of every day.

He put on a condom and slid into her. So easy. So perfect.

She had to tell him. He had to know how he made her whole, how he was everything she’d been missing and searching for. It might be foolish, but as they joined together, wrapped in each other’s warmth, she knew it was time. His response didn’t matter, but she had to be truthful. For him, and for herself.

His hands clamped around her as his strokes came faster. He nipped at her neck, panted in her ear. His movements were smooth, and he took care not to press her too roughly against the wall. Her legs coiled around him, nails digging into his back. Her mouth ravished his. It was warmth, ecstasy, and perfect synchronized harmony all wrapped into one.

“Samantha,” he groaned in her ear.

It was now or never, but as she tried to speak the words, she choked on her own fear.

“Lance.”

The tingling burst up her spine, down her legs, and had her quivering around him. His body tensed around her, and they drowned out the world together.

They walked hand-in-hand down the street. She’d chickened out as he held her in his arms moments before, but the rest of the night was theirs. She could do it…she
would
do it.

“Jax is at the diner,” Lance said. “We can pick him up, grab a bite to eat and head to the park. How does that sound?”

She squeezed his hand. “Sounds perfect.” She tilted her head and eyed him carefully. “Will you stay over tonight?”

“Like a sleepover?” He grinned when she smiled sheepishly.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said.

His left brow shot up and he halted. “Should I be frightened?”

“No, silly. I just…” She hadn’t quite worked out the details yet, but she needed him to stay. She was going to tell him how she felt. Her lip curved into a smile. “Wanted more dessert.”

“Twenty-four-hour bakery at your service, my dear.” He tugged her close, kissing her forehead, her temple, then her cheek.

Her nerves dissipated. “I’ll remember that.”

He stroked her hair and placed a kiss on her nose. “I hope so. Let’s get Jax so we can get started.”

She laughed as they continued toward the diner. They were about to cross the road when she caught sight of a sleek, black limo pulling up the street.

“That’s not something you see in Burlington every day,” she said.

“They probably got lost on their way to the opera,” Lance added with a laugh.

The limo slowed and came to stop on the curb in front of them.

Samantha poked Lance’s chest. “Watch, someone is going to hop out and ask you for directions.”

The back door swung open and Samantha’s ex-husband Ryan stepped out.

Samantha’s entire body went stiff as a two-by-four. The house of cards she’d built around herself—the one constructed with hope, love, and happiness—collapsed, exposing her vulnerable self.

“Ryan? What are you doing here?”

Ryan’s blue eyes darted between her and Lance, down at their conjoined hands and back to her. He pulled at the cufflinks of his dress shirt before crossing his arms over his chest.

“Looking for you,” he replied.

“How did you find me?”

He rolled his eyes. “God, Samantha, are you really that stupid? Your agent knows where you are at all times.”

Lance tensed beside her and took a step forward. Samantha tightened her hold on his hand.

“I don’t know you,” Lance said, “but I will ask nicely—once—that you treat Sam with more respect.”

“Excuse me,” Ryan snapped. “I don’t know you either, but I suggest you step out of business between me and my
wife
.”

“Ex-wife,” Samantha spat.

Lance jammed a finger in Ryan’s chest. It caught Ryan off guard, and he moved back. Samantha tugged on Lance’s arm. She really,
really,
didn’t want to see the two men fight. Even though she was certain Lance could pummel Ryan’s lean frame, he wasn’t worth it.

“It’s all right, Lance,” Samantha said. “I can handle him.”

At Samantha’s urging, Lance moved away, albeit slowly.

“Now, Ryan, why are you here?”

“I’ve been calling you.”

Samantha smoothed the hair out of her face and wished for something to fidget with. “You’re only supposed to contact me through my attorney.”

Ryan frowned. “You haven’t returned her calls, either.”

“For good reason,” she argued. “I was going to deal with it when I got back to New York.”

Ryan stepped toward her. She flinched. “It can’t wait that long. You’ve got something I want.”

“I don’t have anything you want—unless it’s a swift kick in the gut,” she hissed. “I guess I should have worded my question better, so let me try again. What will it take to get you to leave?”

“The lodge.”

Anger eroded her shock. Ryan always had a way of doing that.

“The lodge? Are you out of your mind? The divorce is final. You’ve already gotten every last penny you could possibly get from me. I’m not just going to let you waltz in here and hand you the keys to
my
house in Aspen.”

“Maybe this will change your mind.” He dug an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her.

With her pulse pounding in her ears like a damn marching band, she ripped open the envelope and slid out several sheets of paper. Lance stood like a rock at her side, gently stroking a hand up her back. It didn’t help ease the tension as she glanced at the court documents. Seething, she looked up and shot a hateful stare at Ryan. Part of her wanted to drop at his feet and say thank you. Another part, the pissed off one, wanted to smack that smirk right off his face. Sneaky bastard. He was using her—again.

“Are you kidding me?” Her voice was a good five octaves higher. “You’re willing to trade custody rights of Ava for a piece of property?”

He nodded.

Rage bubbled through her. She wouldn’t say no. Ryan knew that much, the bastard.

“And you waited, took everything you could in the divorce, refused to let me see her, and now you are going to use her as a bargaining tool?”

He shrugged. He knocked on the window of the limo and the door opened. A tall brunette in a tailored pant suit and six-inch heels stepped out. Samantha could admit that the woman was pretty. But she was older—at least in her forties. That wasn’t normally Ryan’s style.

And then, when a little girl jumped out, her blond curls bouncing around her cherubic face, Samantha nearly fell to ground and wept. “Ava,” she choked out.

“Mom!” Ava leaped into Samantha’s arms. Samantha breathed her in and just held her. She smelled like peach shampoo with a hint of chocolate. A flood poured from her eyes. She didn’t want to let Ava go. Not now. Not ever.

Samantha sniffled and wiped away the tears. She pulled Ava back and cupped her cheeks. “Oh, my—you’ve gotten so big. I’ve missed you so much, honey.”

“I’ve missed you, too. Are you back from your vacation?”

Samantha’s brows furrowed. “Vacation?”

“Yeah, Daddy said you went on vacation. That’s why you’ve been gone so long.”

Samantha frowned at Ryan. They’d talked about this. She’d told Ava some of the details herself before she’d left. Ryan must’ve covered it all up, not wanting to upset her. Or preparing her to be used as bait. Samantha guessed the latter.

“Oh…well, yes—a vacation. I’m back now, so we can spend lots and lots of time together.”

Ava squealed and kissed Samantha’s cheek.

“So?” Ryan asked. “All the legal stuff is right there in those papers. Do we have a deal?”

Samantha’s heart dropped right on the pavement. It was as though it had a sign that said “step on me.” Ryan had already done that on numerous occasions, so this shouldn’t be any different. A blackness seeped into her heart at the mere sight of him.

“Why?” she asked. She knew it was a stupid question.

He pointed to the brunette at his side. “Carmin doesn’t really do motherhood that well. Plus, we want to travel and Ava’s too young to enjoy the places we want to go.”

Samantha put Ava down, pressed Ava’s head against her jeans, and held her hand over Ava’s exposed ear. “You’re ditching your daughter for a vacation?” Samantha whispered. “And worse, you’re talking about it right in front of her with no care about her feelings?”

“Oh, we’ve talked about it with her.” He bent down in front of Ava. Samantha released her hesitantly. “You want to stay with your mom, don’t you?”

Ava grinned and nodded. “Yup.”

Ryan rose and locked eyes with Samantha. “Is it a deal?”

“Just the lodge?”

“Read all the paperwork.” He waved a hand at the documents clenched in Samantha’s hand. “Then let me know.” He scooped Ava up and set her back in the limo.

“Mom!”

“Wait…Ava!”

Ryan slammed the door shut. “We’ll be in town until tomorrow, then we’re leaving the country.” He plucked a card from his shirt pocket. “Here’s the number. Call me.”