Flirty (11 page)

He cut through the throngs of people and slipped in beside her. His strong arm curled around her waist and she leaned in to him, never having felt such an easy intimacy with anyone.

“Want to get out of here?” he whispered into her ear.

As much as she was enjoying herself, Sam would be leaving town in a couple of weeks and she wanted to enjoy every minute with him that she could. She could hear speculative whispers from the women as Sam whisked her away and back to her house, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was spending every minute she could with this man.

Without speaking, he took her straight to the bedroom and closed the door behind him. Dark eyes met hers, and she was sure she’d never seen him look so intense, so serious. “You look beautiful in this dress,” he said, taking a small step toward her. “But I seriously can’t wait to get you out of it.”

He slipped his hand around her back and drew down the zipper. His mouth found hers as the dress slid to the floor. He groaned, and murmured into her mouth, “Why is it I can’t get enough of you?”

Before she could answer he gathered her into his arms and took her to the cot. He made quick work of his clothes, sheathed himself, and a few minutes later he was inside her, pumping hard and taking her higher than she’d ever been before. There was no denying their sex was amazing the first time, but the more they got to know each other outside the bedroom, the better and better things got between the sheets.

“Sam,” she whimpered into his ear as her orgasm approached. “I can’t get enough of you either.”

As soon as the words left her mouth she climaxed and when her pussy squeezed his cock, he threw his head back and stilled, releasing high inside her.

After he discarded the condom, they held each other tight until they both dozed off, only to wake again in the wee hours of the night to make love again.

Soon enough Lex woke to the sound of voices inside her house. Many, many voices, to be precise. Both male and female. She pulled the sheet up and looked at Sam, who was propped up on his elbow and watching her carefully.

“What’s going on? Is there someone in the house again?”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Oh, did I forget to tell you?”

“Forget to tell me what?”

“Your plans were approved and I gathered everyone who was available to help get this place done by your deadline.”

“You…you did what?” she asked around the lump forming in her throat. She climbed from her cot and put her hand on her chest when she caught the crowd milling around outside and examining the exterior. “The whole town is practically here.”

“It’s the only way we can get it done on time.”

“But the work has to be overseen by a licensed preservation contractor.”

“I’ve got it covered.”

Sam climbed from the mattress and pulled on his jeans. He dropped a soft kiss onto her mouth and there was such warmth in his eyes when they met hers that a surge of love rushed to her heart. “You might want to get dressed. It’s going to be a crazy week.”

And a crazy week it was.

Lex was run ragged, helping out wherever she could and getting to work closely with Sam to refurbish the gorgeous, ornate handrail that he took such painstaking care to restore to its natural state. Once they finished it, he slid down it with childlike exuberance and wouldn’t let up until she did the same.

She loved watching him work, loved the concentration on his face. To know she was a part of restoring something special, something that meant so much to him, filled her with a sense of pride. By the time the next Saturday rolled around, with a huge crew working hard all week, the house was practically finished.

She crept from the bed early, letting Sam get a few more hours’ sleep before the crowd gathered once again to add the final touches. She walked through the house, admiring the gorgeous restored hearth, the polished plank floors, the wainscoting, the tray ceilings, and the new bathtub with the gorgeous clawfoot legs. She was so glad she listened to Sam, because the house was beautiful, the way it was meant to be. Even though it went against what her brothers did, modernization would have been a colossal mistake. She stepped outside and when she breathed in the salt air, and looked at the freshly painted cedar shingle exterior, tears pooled in her eyes.

She could hardly believe the town had come together like this to help her, that Sam, a man she’d fallen hard for and would likely never set eyes on again after this month, had arranged it all.

She exchanged a smile with young Jake as he worked with landscaper Ryan Alden and planted shrubs and flowers around the place. She moved past Devon, who had a scowl on his face. In fact he’d been scowling all week, every since he’d found out Sahara Caan had plans to construct a huge resort. In fact the whole town was in an uproar over her proposed plans. Lex cringed, because she definitely understood what that was like to be on the receiving end.

She was about to go talk to Errol, who was giving orders and poking everyone with his cane, when the sound of a loud vehicle pulling into her long driveway gained her attention.

Lex made her way toward it, and when Tabby climbed from the passenger seat and moved to the back of the truck, Lex followed her. She gave her friend a perplexed frown and asked, “What’s going on?”

The driver met her at the back, flipped open the latch and the door made a grinding sound as he pushed it up and out of the way. Lex gasped when she saw all the furniture and accessories inside, things that she and Tabby had picked out for the place a couple weeks back. Then she spotted a few of the old antique pieces she’d taken to the pawn shop. Pieces she now knew would look spectacular in the place.

“Tabby,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t afford this.”

Tabby gave an easy roll of her shoulder. “Sure you can.”

“But—”

“Hey, when the labor is free, you can spend your money elsewhere.”

Lex’s eyes went wide, wondering what she was talking about. “The labor isn’t free.”

“Sure it is. Didn’t Sam tell you?”

“No.” Her stomach tightened. “I don’t understand. How could it be free?”

“Everyone is pitching in because they want to, not because they’re getting paid.”

Her heart turned over in her chest and she fought back the tears. “Why would you all do this…for me?”

Tabby smiled. “Because we like you, Lex. Whether you realize it or not, you’re one of us now.” She laughed and added, “And because Sam asked us to. He’s a pretty persuasive guy.”

She thought back to when he asked her to have an affair with him and how she agreed, even though deep in her heart she knew it was a bad idea. “Oh, I know.”

Just then Jake, Vic, Sophie, Carmen, Andie and Dani along with a few other women she’d met showed up with buckets and soap and mops. Katy and Josie came up behind them with enough sandwiches and drinks to feed a town, which, she supposed, they were.

“Now come on, let’s get the guys to help lift the furniture and put it in place, so we can clean and then eat. The baby is starving.”

As she watched Tabby step up to her friends and divvy up chores, Lex’s heart went to her throat. It baffled her the way this town came together…for her. How on earth could she ever walk away from these people?

From Sam?

Night had fallen by the time everyone left, exhausted after a long day and even longer week. Sam dipped his toes in the water and turned to see Alexis, who was shedding her clothes. His heart thundered as he watched her, his body needed her all over again.

“Hurry up,” he growled.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she said, her voice lighter than he’d ever heard it. A lump formed in his throat as she approached, her beautiful refurbished house providing a backdrop. He stole a quick glance at it and while he was happy that he could do this for her, and get her back on track with her loans, it damn near killed him to see the For Sale sign go up.

When she reached him, he pushed his worries aside, wanting to enjoy these last few days, maybe even only a few minutes, he’d have with her before she skipped town. He kissed her hard, then hand in hand they waded out into the water. They swam to a ledge below Dresden’s Bluff, and he lifted her onto the rocks with him.

Their feet dangled in the water and she shimmied close. When he felt her body quiver, he pulled her in tight, noticing that she was unusually quiet. Sam took a moment to sort through everything that had happened between them the last week, and how maybe it was time to settle down in Whispering Cove. Only problem was, there was only one girl he wanted to settle down with and her life was in Portland.

“Sam,” she said, breaking the quiet.

He lightly trailed his finger up and down her arm. “Yeah.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you leave Whispering Cove?”

“I told you I had a talent most don’t.”

She touched his chin and angled his face her way. When he caught the emotion in her eyes his heart tightened. “You’re right. You do. And that talent is in restoring houses. Why did you stop?”

He exhaled slowly. “It was a long time ago. I was young and in love,” he said, holding her tighter and realizing for the first time that while he cared for his ex very much, what he felt for Alexis went much deeper. “Or at least I thought I was.”

“And…”

“And I secretly restored a house for her and asked her to marry me. She turned me down and, because she wanted a house that was shiny and new, left town with another guy who could give it to her. I swore I’d never restore another house again—especially for another woman—and walked away from it all.”

Her voice was soft, barely audible, when she stated, “Yet you did it for me.”

“Yeah, Alexis,” he said softly. “I did it for you.”

“You’re a licensed preservation contractor, aren’t you? You’re the one who signed off on all the work right?”

“Yeah.”

Lex pursed her lips, like she was deep in thought, then said, “Maybe it’s time to stop letting other people dictate what you do.” He gave her a sideways look and she poked him in the chest, throwing his words back at him. “Maybe it’s time to be who you really are, and stop trying to be something you’re not.”

As they exchanged a long, thoughtful look, he considered what she was saying. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to grow up, put the past behind him, and stop letting it haunt him.

He jumped back into the water and dragged her in with him. “Come on.”

“Where?” she asked, her teeth shivering as the cold waves enveloped them.

“Your bedroom has a brand new king-sized bed, and I believe I need to toss you on it and have my wicked way with you before you leave town.”

Sadness moved over her face, but then was quickly replaced by desire. “I don’t believe we should be sleeping in furniture that I’ll be selling with the house.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “I never said anything about sleeping.”

Chapter Seven

Lex stretched out and reached across the mattress, her body warm and content after last night’s all-night lovemaking session on a big,
comfortable
bed. When her hand came up empty, she sat up and glanced around the room in search of Sam.

When he was nowhere to be found, she drew a breath and fought down the anxiety worming its way through her blood. Honestly, when she agreed to this affair, she knew what she was getting into and had gone so far to warn herself not to fall for an immature guy who hunted ghosts on the other side of the country.

Sure she’d learned more about Sam since making that decision, and had come to understand that while he chased ghosts, the truth was he had a few demons of his own, which was why he’d never told her he was a licensed preservation contractor. He’d been reluctant to do any work on her place all along, because he refused to restore a house for another woman he cared for only for her to up and leave his life.

He did it anyway—risking his heart because there was no doubt he cared for her. But after hearing him say he wanted to christen her bed before she left town, he clearly never expected her to stay.

She sat there and mulled over her time in Whispering Cove, specifically her time with Sam. Her priorities had shifted, and she now knew what was important to her, and what wasn’t. Lex was a girl who’d grown up with four brothers, and anything and everything she’d ever wanted she had to fight for. And the truth was, she wasn’t a child anymore, one who could do nothing but sit by helplessly while someone she loved walked out of her life. She was all grown up now, so was she really just going to sit here and feel sorry for herself while someone else she loved skipped town? Or was she going to fight for the man who’d come to mean so much to her? After all, wasn’t she a girl who went after what she wanted, letting nothing or no one stand in her way?

With renewed purpose she climbed from the bed and pulled on a sundress. She had no idea where Sam had run off to but she was damn well going to track him down and use Errol’s cane to pound some sense into him if she had to. They were good together—great together—and he knew it every bit as much as she did.

He’d taught her to be who she really was, taught her to understand what was important, and it was time for her to teach him the same.