Claiming What's His (15 page)

             
“Yup.”  Sam answered too quickly for Alex to believe her, even she didn’t believe it.

             
He eyed her cautiously, not believing her answer, at least not completely.  “Care to elaborate?”

             
“No.”

             
“Sam.”

             
“You can ‘Sam’ me all you want, I’m not saying anything.”  She moved to snatch the kit on the table, opening it to find the alcohol wipes and ripping a small bunch together. 

             
Sam really hated the alcohol wipes.  They stung, badly.  Sam would very much prefer the hydrogen peroxide because it did just as good of a job and it didn’t sting.  But, at the moment, she didn’t have any peroxide so this was what she had to go with.

             
Sam gingerly pulled one out and braced herself for the pain she knew was coming.

             
Alex must have seen the hesitation in her eyes because he snatched the wipe from her, gripping her hand in his, gently but firm.  He gently started wiping; starting with her hand, pain searing through with each contact.  She tried pulled her hand away from his many times but he only gripped it tighter.  He threw the used pad to the side, grabbing a new one and resumed wiping, continuing this pattern until all areas were clean.

             
When he finished, he released her hand.  Sam shot up and waved her hands and arms in the air, hoping that the coolness would help ease the sting quicker.

             
It did.

             
Thank God.

             
Yes, she knew she was a wuss to alcohol but she didn’t care.  It stung!

             
When the sting slowly subsided, Sam glanced over to Alex and stopped.  Through all of this, Alex had been watching her jumping around, acting like a fool.  His eyes had been staring at her chest.  He was watching her boobs bounce.

             
Great.

             
The air in the room had shifted.  It wasn’t bad or anything, but it certainly was different.  Something Sam hadn’t felt before.  She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but sometime between Alex wiping her scrapes to Sam jumping up and down, something happened. 

             
And Sam wasn’t completely sure she wanted to know.  And if she did, she was sure it would take her all night to figure it out.

             
They continued to stare for a few more beats, and it was definitely starting to get warmer, in certain places. 

             
His eyes had been on her and they were melting.

             
She needed to focus her attention back to the situation at hand – getting Alex out of her apartment.

             
Her eyes slid to the side, avoiding his as she mumbled, “Uh, thanks.”

             
“Y-You’re…” his voice sounded gruff so he cleared his throat, “… welcome.”

             
“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

             
Alex was silent for a beat before he replied, “I wanted to talk about us.  I’ll come back later and we’ll talk then.” 

             
Talk about them?  What about them?

             
“Alex, wait, she paused then started again, “What about us?”

             
“We’ll talk later, Sam.”

             
“No, we’ll talk now.  Just say what you were going to say.”

             
He stared at her for a while, it seemed, before he finally answered, “I want us to be an
us
.  You and me.  Exclusively.”

             
She froze and blinked.  She never thought this day would ever happen, considering their past.  But now it had and she didn’t know what to do with it. 

             
She opened her mouth but she couldn’t get any words to form.    She did this several times before she managed, “Are… are you…”

             
He finished for her, “Sure.  Yeah, Sam, I’m sure.  I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.  I’ve waited years for us to be together.  Now that I finally have the chance to say it to you, I said it.”

             
Unfortunately, his confession and her thoughts were not in sync.

             
“No, I meant, are you out of your mind?”

             
His face darkened as if
she
was the one who lost her mind.

             
“You want to explain?” he growled.

             
She wasn’t in the mood to explain, not now, not ever.  Especially when he couldn’t figure out why.  It was all because he chose someone else other than her.  It may have happened long ago but the internal wound that was inflicted on to her was still fresh and she had no intention of letting it go so easily (or rehashing that memory).

             
“I don’t need to explain myself.  All I know is that it’s late and you should go.”

             
He moved closer.  “I’m not fuckin’ leaving so you might as well say it.  What’s wrong with me and you?  Why the fuck can’t we be together?”

             
She couldn’t believe he was playing
this
game.  How could he have forgotten?

             
“Are you kidding?  Are you really that dense as to what you did to me?  Did you expect me to forgive you, to fall into your arms and have us pick back up where we left off six years ago?”

             
“Six years ago?  What the –” he froze.  His eyes slowly widened and going hard.

             
It was then that Sam knew he figured out why.

             
“I’m assuming with you frozen like a snowman that you now know why and I can assure you that me and you won’t happen.  What’s in the past is the past.  It’s now out in the open.”  She paused before she said, “It’s late.  You know your way out.”

             
With that, Sam headed towards her room without a backwards glance. 

             
She walked through her bedroom, slamming the door and straight to the bathroom.  Standing there, she vaguely heard the door open and shut as she pulled her shirt over her head, throwing it towards the hamper by the bathroom door.  The rest of her garments followed as she turned on the shower and stepped under the warm spray, resting her head on the tile wall and allowing the water to pound down her back, washing away the misery of her memory.

             
He was unbelieveable!  After returning six years, he thought that he could waltz back into her life and pick back up where they left off after he fell for that slut and called her a bitch?  The nerve!  There was no way in hell Sam was going to allow that to happen.  To preserve her sanity (of what’s left), it couldn’t happen.

             
He could have anyone he wanted.  Why would he come after her?  Just because they had history didn’t mean that it gave him a good enough to reason to try.  There are plenty of girls out there who could easily fall for his hot, sexy body, the same body that Sam fell for a long time ago.  And with time, that body had only gotten better.

             
She was so deep in her thought that she didn’t hear her shower curtains pull back.

             
Strong, callous fingers glided across her wet body as she shrieked, her heart jumping up her throat.

             
Turning her body around, through her wet hair that draped over her face she was able to see Alex’s face as his head dipped closer while his hands pulled her to him.

             
She gasped. “Alex –”

             
He slammed his mouth down to her, pressing her body to his, stroking his tongue inside.

             
She pushed against his shoulder, trying her hardest to resist those luscious lips and tongue that she had loved and forgotten for so long. 

             
Unfortunately, that resistance lasted only about five seconds when her arms wrapped across his shoulders, her fingers sliding into his now-wet hair as she kissed him back.

             
With fire and passion and everything she had.

             
Damn, she missed him.  She missed everything about him, his kisses, his scent, his sarcasm, his teasing,
everything
.

             
And here he was, in the shower with her, kissing her like a starved man.

             
He pushed her back against the wall, his lips tore from hers as he worked his way across her cheek, down her neck, to her breasts.  He took one in his mouth and sucked, hard.                She gasped, her hands gripped his hair harder, holding him there and never wanting to let him go.  His tongue continuously flicked her nipples, driving her crazy.  He released and paid the same attention to the other breast.

             
Then he kissed his way down her belly, down, down,
way
down.

             
“Alex.”

             
He remained quiet but his actions spoke louder than words.

             
He pressed a soft kiss to her mound.

             
A low moan escaped her mouth as her head fell against the tile wall. 

             
He lifted her leg, placing it over his shoulders, his hands sliding to her ass, pulling her forward as he licked her slit.  Her knees buckled and she would’ve fallen to the floor if Alex hadn’t held her up.  His tongue lapped and flicked against her clit, drawing out that tremendous sensation she hadn’t had in a long time.  He inserted a finger and she climaxed.  He added a second fingering and vigorously stroked inside her until she came again.

             
Sam slumped into a pile of goo but never made it to the floor. 

             
Alex swiftly went to his feet, lifting her up by her ass with her legs wrapped around his waist.

             
“Hold on.”

             
No, she couldn’t go again.             

             
Her head lolled side to side.  “Alex, I can’t –”

             
His hips reared back and he thrust into her in one hard, swift move.  Her head rolled back into the wall.  It had been a good thing that her head had already been resting on the tile wall, otherwise she would’ve cracked her head against it and possibly have had a concussion.

             
He pounded in over and over again, the power of his thrust never waning.  The sensation was building in her again.  Her arms and legs tightened, her sex gripping his shaft like a vice as she came.  He buried his face into her neck and a low groan escaped him. 

             
Her head rested on his shoulders as they remained silent, trying to control their breathing.  Several minutes passed and no one had moved.  He lifted his face away from her, his eyes soft and searching for her.  His face dipped as he pressed light, soft kisses over her eyes, nose, cheeks, and lips. 

             
With his eyes locked to hers, he said softly but roughly, “I’m sorry, Sam.  So fuckin’ sorry.  For six years, I never forgot the hurt I caused you and every day it ate at me.  I never forgot it, not one second, until you’re with me.  When I’m around you, every thought leaves my mind and it’s only just you and me and that’s how I’ve always wanted it.”

             
Wow.

Best
. Apology. Ever.

              Monday morning came around quicker than expected. 

Sam barely had time to come to terms with her life, let alone start her new job. 

After Alex’s shower apology, he had taken her to bed where he apologized again and again and again. 

And she really hated to admit it, but she loved every second of it.

It wasn’t until early this morning that Alex had woke her up with his talented manhood pressed against her backside.  After their round of lovemaking, he pressed a kiss to her shoulders and informed her that he needed to get back to his place and get ready for work.

And now she was awake in bed where he left her not long ago, trying to determine her next move regarding him. 

Before he climbed into the shower with her last night, her mind had been all set on not wanting to get herself involved with him any further.  The moment he touched her she was a goner.  Those feelings, that lust that she had buried deep down inside her exploded to the surface, not realizing how big of a stash it was.  That one small touch had her aching for him, wanting him,
needing
him for so long.

Now that
that
had happened, how could she face him again after her weak (but initially firm) declaration of not wanting anything happening between them?  How was she to face him after she came for him so many times last night after she lost count past her fourth?  She couldn’t keep dwelling on it.  She had a job to do and as much as she didn’t want this, he was her partner. 

Her
work
partner.  That was it.  Nothing else. 

Or at least, this was what she would tell her herself over and over again.

One thing for certain: she needed to get ready for work and face her day.

It was her first day of work at Conrad, and it was gloomy.  Gray clouds covered the sky, hiding the sun behind it.  The weather channel called for a mid-morning clear sky and Sam was looking forward to it.  She hated being out of her home when it rained; she preferred to be under the covers at home either reading a good romance book or watching
The Big Bang Theory
on either one of the numerous channels on television or from her DVD collections and recite her Sheldon Cooper lines that she managed to remember on nearly all episodes.

             
Sam called Maggie and hitched the short ride to work with her because Betty wouldn’t start this morning.  Technically most mornings Betty wouldn’t start, but it never became a problem before since she was able to walk to her office.

             
During the ride she thought back how her evening went the night before, the different ways he had taken her when she called out his name and how late they stayed up.

             
Stop!
Her brain screamed,
Focus!

             
They arrived early to work, early enough to pick up their usual morning coffee at Cozy.  They made it across the street, and as they approached the front door to Comfort, an angry customer burst out the door, grumbling underneath his breath about slow ass service.

             
That was odd. 

             
Nat never had slow service.  Not if… 
Sam paused then finished,
Not if she didn’t have help.

             
Nat perfected her customer service skills and made sure that each customer waited a maximum of two minutes. 

             
Sam didn’t think it was even possible until she had seen Nat working.  She was like Supergirl in an apron.

             
Walking in, there was a long line of angry, impatient customers waiting to get their coffee, shouting towards the counter to hurry it up.

             
Tiptoeing to look ahead towards the register, Sam only counted one head that was frantically bopping up and down, running back and forth from the coffee machines to the registers, steam puffing from every corner.

             
It was Nat, her hair was a mess, and she was alone.

             
Seeing what she saw, Maggie’s eye widened as they turned back towards hers. 

             
Moving towards the counter, Sam muttered, “You take orders and I work the register.” 

             
“Gotcha.”

             
During their college years, Sam and Maggie worked with Nat at Comfort for about two years when Tess was mainly running the place.  They finally quit working there when their school load got to be too much which was around their junior year.

             
They walked back, grabbing aprons on the wall and putting them on.  Maggie immediately went to the next customer in line and starting taking orders.

             
Sam brought her hand up to her mouth, bringing together her middle finger and thumb and whistled.  

             
Fweeeeeeeeeeet!
              She lifted both hands to her mouth and shouted towards the customers, “Attention, everyone. We apologize for wait.  There was an emergency crisis.  Everything all cleared.  We will get to each and every one of you momentarily.” 

             
Here we go
, she thought.

*******

              They were working for over an hour straight through the morning rush, working like an assembly line – order, pay, coffee (or at least mostly coffee).

             
And, with the heels she wore, her feet began to ache.  Fortunately for Nat, it was a small price to pay to help out a friend.

             
When the lines finally started decreasing, as Sam rung up a customer, she heard Maggie asked the next customer for their order and a familiar voice spoke.

             
“So this is where you ladies are at.  No wonder no one could find you.” 

             
Sam froze as she was counting the customer’s change.

             
“Oh crap,” she heard Maggie muttered as she repeatedly nudged her elbows to Sam’s side. 

             
Sam quickly slapped her elbow and continued counting change for the waiting customer and handed her the money, “Here’s your change, ma’am.”

             
The customer took her change, glanced sideways to the men standing there and mumbled, “Good luck, honey,” and quickly stepped away.  Sam kept her eyes on the customer as she walked out the door.

             
“Sam.”
              She continued avoiding his eyes, ducking her head and whispering to Maggie and asked, “Do you think he sees me?”

             
“Sam,” he repeated, not liking her avoiding him.

             
“I’m going to go out on a limb and say
yes
,” she casually shrugged, “but I’m not a hundred percent sure.”

             
“Sam,” he repeated, this time it was in a growl.

             
“Alright, alright!  Jeez!”  Sam rolled her eyes and shifted to look at Alex, Nick and the man whose name Alex said was Dean.

             
Hot!

             
Nick was standing quietly behind Nick but his eyes were fully dancing and he was smiling. 

             
Not grinning, but smiling with full blow teeth showing.

             
Gah!
  He was so easily amused.

             
Maggie’s infamous hunk-radar noticed as well, extending her hand in front of the sexy stranger.  ”Hi, I saw you last night at the fundraiser.  We haven’t been properly introduced.  I’m Maggie Conrad, Alex’s gorgeous and
very
single, baby cousin.  And you are?”

             
The stranger smiled, lifted his hand to shake Maggie’s hand and replied, “Dean. Dean Sanders.”

             
“Well, hello, Dean Sanders.  Nice to meet you.  How do you know Alex?”

             
“Alex and I have been friends since college.  I also now work at Conrad Financial.”

             
“Nice, where at?”

             
“Security office,” he informed her.

             
How ironic
, Sam thought.

             
“I see.  Are you going to make sure I get to car safely?” Maggie flirted with the bat of her lashes.

             
Sam rolled her eyes back, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds then rolled back.

             
Nick was full blown laughing at the whole situation.

             
Dean smiled, showing off his beautiful white teeth.  “I’ll be happy to walk you to your car whenever you need me to.”

             
Maggie sighed, happily, clearly struck by Dean’s good looks.

             
Alex cleared his throat so all attention was turned back to him.  ”What are you guys doing here? You know you’re late for work.”

             
Maggie jumped in, defending (not sure if just her or the both of us), “We stopped by for a caffeine fix and saw a mad line of customers.  Nat was here by herself so we thought we’d jump in to help.”
              “But you don’t work here Maggie.  You work across the street. And we have coffee in the building,” Alex pointed out, his eyes never leaving Sam’s face.

             
“Jee thanks, Sherlock. Never would’ve known that if you hadn’t mentioned it. And, do you really expect me to drink coffee from work? It tastes like someone brewed dirty socks in it!” Maggie exaggerated.

             
Alex turned to Maggie and replied, “From what I’ve heard from Dad, you’re always late, Maggs. It’s a wonder why dad still keeps you around. And, I’m gonna have to agree with the coffee.  It’s horrible.”

             
Maggie placed her hands on her hips and bellowed, “Hey! I resent that. And how am I always late?  This is my first day there!”

             
“He used to tell me when you worked for him on and off during college.”

             
“Oh.  Well, I wasn’t 
always
 late.” She paused then muttered, “Maybe a little more than usual.  But I’m not your regular employee anyway.  I’m only doing this as a favor so you can shove it!”

             
Ignoring the bickering, Sam asked, “Did you guys want to order something? We’re kind of busy here. There are others who are waiting for their coffee.”

             
Dean turned to look at the others as Alex moved his eyes back her hers. After a beat, Dean chimed in and replied, “Yeah, give me a large coffee, black.”

             
Maggie turned and shouted, “Nat, large coffee, black!” 

             
Nick added, trying to control his laugh, “Make that two.” 

             
“Make that two, Nat!”

             
“Three.”  Alex said, his eyes not leaving Sam’s.

             
“Three, Nat!”

             
“Got it!” Nat shouted back, without lifting her head then paused before adding, “No fourth or fifth?”

Maggie smiled.  “No.”

Sam rung up their order and gave them their total. 

Reaching for his wallet, Alex said, “I got it, guys.”

“Of course you do.  It’s my first day and you get paid more than me,” Dean retorted with a chuckle.

             
“That and you’re the big brother.  It’s your job to take care of me,” Nick added with a slap to his shoulders.

             
Alex smirked as handed me his credit card. 

             
Sam reached and pulled the card from his fingers, only for him to tighten his grip. “When you get to the office, we need to talk.”

             
“Fine,” she said quickly, swiping his card and returning it with the receipt.

*******

Sam and Maggie left Cozy’s when the morning rush completely died down and Nat was able to handle the rest on her own.  

Apparently Jas had a research paper due this morning that she didn’t finish.
 (Translation:  She procrastinated and Nat had to pay without any advance notice.)

             
Before returning to the office, Sam stopped by Jette’s Motors and told Dom that Betty was having issues (again) and that she needed him to go pick her up at the apartment.  Dom’s done so much work on Betty that he knew her like the back of his hand.  Even though he recommended Sam to just buy a new car and get rid of her, Sam still couldn’t do it.  Betty had gotten her through tough times and they have come a long way together.  She was her first car ever and Sam still couldn’t let go.  She was one of the few that had never let her down, emotionally anyways.