Private Paradise (22 page)

She felt a pinch of shame, along with a
dawning realization that there was only possibility left.

Sam was telling the truth.

Even acknowledging possibility of it made her
legs go noodly underneath her. Sam caught her before he could fall,
and Carla grabbed his thick upper arms to steady herself. When he
would have released her she clung to him, her eyes locked on his
face as every word, every smile, every touch he'd given her in the
last week replayed like a highlight reel in her mind.

Every moment making her feel more alive than
she had in years.

She looked into blue eyes gone dark with
desire and regret.

And finally, with her defenses breached,
something she hadn't allowed herself to see, even though she
realized now it had been there all along. Love.

Her throat caught on a swift intake of air.
“Oh my God. You do love me.”

His full lips pulled into a smile, making his
eyes crinkle at the corners in the way that never failed to make
her stomach do a backflip. His big hands came up to cradle her
face. “You're just realizing it now?” His mouth came over hers, his
tongue parted her lips in a kiss so tender she thought she was
going to melt into a puddle on the floor.

He lifted his head, gave her gentle peck on
each cheek. “I do love you, Carla DeLuca. It's always been you.” He
kissed her again. “Question is, do you love me back?

She swallowed hard, her eyes stinging with
tears, overwhelmed as the emotions she'd been working so hard to
hold back burst free, rushing through her like an unstoppable
force

###

Sam held his breath, suspended in agony as he
waited for her reply. Told himself that even if the answer was no,
it would be okay because at least he'd gotten her to see the truth.
About him, about the past, about everything.

Sure he'd spend the rest of his life with a
hole in his chest big enough to drive a truck through, but at least
he'd have the consolation of knowing the love of his life didn't
think he was a lying sack of shit.

“
I--” the words caught and she looked
up at him with dark, stricken eyes. Sam's stomach fell to his feet
and he braced himself for the killing blow. This was worse, he
realized in a flash, than when she'd laughed. Then she'd been
rejecting the man she thought he was.

Now, she was about to reject the man he
really was. The one who'd picked himself up, dusted himself off,
and made something of himself and had hoped that would impress her
enough to give him a second chance.

God damn it, he might not be selfish, scared,
and immature any more, but he sure as shit was still stupid, at
least when it came to Carla DeLuca.

He felt a suspicious burn in his eyes and he
stepped back, wanting nothing more than to get away from her before
he broke down and really humiliated himself.

“
I do,” she breathed.

His heart froze in his chest, then started to
beat, fast and heavy. “What?”

“
I do love you. As scary as it is to
admit that out loud, I love you, Sam.” Her voice was high pitched
and breathy from that fear. “I don't think I ever stopped.” His
heart broke at her beautiful, tear-streaked face, her fear of
getting hurt still easy to see, even through the unmistakable love
in her eyes.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her,
tasting her tears. “I fucked up, big time,” he murmured against her
lips. “But don't let the stupid kid that I was ruin what we can
have. Don't be scared of me, don't be scared of us.”

He kissed her again, groaning as she parted
her lips for his tongue. He tasted her sigh as the last of her
resistance disappeared. “I love you,” he whispered again, his blood
heating at the feel of her curves pressed up against him.

Their slow, loving kisses quickly grew
heated, and soon Sam had one hand up Carla's shirt while the other
fumbled with the button on her shorts. Even after their crazy night
together, he felt an almost desperate need to be inside her, to lay
his claim once and for all.

“
Wait,” Carla said, grabbing his hand
before he could tug the zipper down. “We're in the office, anyone
could come by.”

Sam let out a tortured groan but knew she was
right. It was one thing to have their relationship out in the open,
another for the boss to be caught having sex on a desk in the
middle of the day. No way would Carla risk her professional
reputation like that.

Sam stepped away and resigned himself to
enduring an epic case of blue balls until they could slip away to
her villa

To his shock, Carla didn't try to put herself
back together. Instead, she crossed to the office door and locked
it. Then she kicked off her shoes, walked over to the windows and
pulled down the blinds.

She turned to him, a smile teasing her lips
and a wicked glint in her eye. She whipped her shirt over her head,
and Sam's mouth watered the sight of her big, soft tits straining
at the cups of her bra, her flat, toned belly that practically
begged him to run his tongue down it.

“
Now, where were we?” she
asked.

“
About to have a nooner in my office?”
Sam grinned as he pulled his own shirt over his head.

Within seconds the rest of their clothes were
gone, and the small room filled with the sounds of sucking kisses
and fast, panting breath. Sam lifted Carla to the desk, groaning as
she wrapped her legs around him, letting him feel how wet and ready
she was against his stomach.

Later he would go slow, tease her, and kiss
every secret spot until she was begging for him to come inside her.
Now all traces of playfulness disappeared as he felt an almost
desperate need to take her, stake his claim on her body and soul in
the most primal way possible.

He entered her without hesitation, his groan
mingling with hers as her tight, slick pussy stretched to
accommodate him. He set a hard, driving rhythm that quickly had her
moaning and squirming against him.

“
Sam,” she cried his name as her
fingers dug into his shoulder. “You feel so good, so good,
so―”

The last was lost as she broke apart in his
arms, milking him hard as she came around his cock.

“
I love you,” she cried as the last
shudders rippled through her.

Pleasure roared through him, so intense it
shook him to his core. And something else. Pure, unadulterated joy,
at the knowledge that she was his. That he was finally getting his
second chance.

He held himself deep inside her, his whole
body shaking as he shot hot jets of come deep inside her. “Oh God,
I love you too, so God damn much.”

He gathered her limp form and staggered to a
chair in the corner where he cradled her in his lap until they
could both breathe again.

The rattling of the doorknob followed by a
sharp knock on the door jolted them from their reverie. “Sam, you
in there?” Sam recognized Chris's voice on the other side of the
door.

Carla scrambled off his lap and dove for the
pile of clothes on the other side of the desk.

“
We need to go over a few details
before I head back to Coral Cay.”

“
Just a sec,” Sam called. He and Carla
snickered like naughty children as they bumbled into their
clothes.

Carla smoothed her hair one last time and
nodded for him to open the door. Chris's dark brows knit in
confusion, but after a split second his frown morphed into a
knowing smile. “Carla, I can't believe after all the crap you gave
me and Julie for knocking one out in the office...”

Sam couldn't stifle his own grin as Carla's
already flushed cheeks went beet red. “I wasn't, we weren't―”

“
Right.” He pushed past them to open
the window shades. “The razor burn on your neck aside, Sam's shirt
is inside out.”

Sam felt his own face heat when he looked
down and saw Chris was right.

“
Let me guess,” Chris said, one eyebrow
cocked at Sam, “you won't be leaving after all.”

“
Nope.” Sam's grin stretched wider and
he slid his arm around Carla's waist and pulled her to his side.
“She's not getting rid of me that easily.”

“
I hope your intentions toward my
cousin are honorable,” Chris said with mock gravity.

“
Shut up,” Carla said,
exasperated.

Chris and Carla might be making light of it,
but to Sam this was no joke. “If it's up to me I'll marry her as
soon as we can get a license and a minister.”

He felt Carla stiffen next to him and looked
down into her shocked face. “Really?” Her eyes were full of hope,
but he could tell she couldn't quite believe he was for real.

He smiled and brought his hand up to cup her
cheek and kissed her softly on the lips. “Really.”

Chris cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Right. Well. Whenever you decide, I know Julie will go nuts
planning it.”

“
Thanks,” Carla said, her smiling eyes
never leaving Sam's.

“
So I'll leave you
to...whatever.”

Sam was too busy kissing his fiancée to hear
Chris close the door behind him.

About the Author:

Jami Alden lives in the San Francisco Bay
Area with her socially well adjusted alpha male husband, two sons,
and a German Shepherd who patiently listens to dialogue and helps
her work out plot points. Find out more about Jami and her
books:

http://www.jamialden.com

http://www.facebook.com/JamiAldenBooks

http://www.twitter.com/jamialden