Sam's Promise: Blackwater, Book 1 (5 page)

“Yeah. We’d been split up, put into different foster homes until she and Dad came into the picture.”

“But I thought social services usually kept siblings together? And what about your biological parents? Where were they?”

“I never knew who my real father was, and I only have a few memories of my real mom. She was a druggy.” He paused, then added, “And normally, yes, they do try and keep siblings together, but there were five of us, and we weren’t the easiest bunch of boys to take care of either.”

Julie’s stomach ached for Sam, as well as his brothers. “Then Wanda came along…” she said in the hopes he’d fill in the blanks.

Sam nodded. “She seemed too good to be true at first. Took all of us a long time to realize she was the real deal.”

Julie frowned, uncertain what he meant. “The real deal? As opposed to what?”

“The do-gooders.” Sam shook his head. “The ones who set out to do something charitable, something that will make
them
feel good, but then when reality sets in and they realize that we’re people, that there’s some actual work involved in raising a kid, they cut and run.”

“That’s awful.” Julie wanted to reach out to Sam, to comfort him somehow, but they weren’t a couple, and she didn’t have that right.

“Some people can be damned awful, Julie. Especially to a defenseless kid.”

She tried to picture Sam as a scrawny boy, but it didn’t quite mesh with the man sitting across the seat from her. He was simply so big and unyielding, able to leap tall buildings and all that jazz. “I have a hard time seeing you as vulnerable.”

“Not me. River. He was a skinny bag of bones. He and Reilly were yanked apart and placed with different foster families for a time. It was hard on them, being twins and all.” He shook his head. “Let’s just say that River didn’t end up with June Cleaver as a foster parent.”

Julie thought of River and the fun teasing he’d done at Thanksgiving. His smiling eyes had revealed a hint of mischief. Pain shot through her chest when she realized what River must have gone through. All of them, for that matter.

“Anyone who could hurt a child is scum in my book.”

“Couldn’t agree more. Anyway, it all worked out. We ended up with two loving parents.”

“And River’s no longer a scrawny little boy unable to defend himself.”

“No, he’s not.” He pulled into a parking lot, then found a space close to the front and parked. “And we’re here.”

Julie forced down the urge to learn more about Sam. She had a feeling he was merely brushing the surface about his days in foster care, and she vowed that before long, she’d learn all there was to know about him. Until then she simply wanted to enjoy an evening out with a man who made her go all gooey inside.

“Good, because I’m starving,” she said with a smile. “Let’s eat.”

Sam grinned and opened his door. “I love a woman with an appetite.”

Julie snorted as she opened her own door. “And I have the thighs and rear to prove it.”

“Julie,” Sam said, his voice deeper than before, effectively halting her progress out of the vehicle. When Julie turned, Sam pinned her with a look hot enough to scorch. “There isn’t a damn thing wrong with your curves, sweetheart.”

It was several seconds before Julie could breathe again.

Chapter Five

“Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

Julie’s soft voice floated down his spine like a gentle kiss. As they stood at her front door, her big eyes staring up at him, Sam knew he had no right to be perturbed by the fact that she wasn’t inviting him in. He was left wondering if he should kiss her or simply play it off. Like the date was nothing more than a thank-you, as he’d said it would be. He felt awkward, damn it. Hell, he wasn’t a damn teenager anymore.

“You’re welcome.” Not what he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure of Julie. She had a sharp wit, and she was kind—to everyone. Even their waiter had been enraptured by her. It made Sam wonder if she saw him any differently than a casual acquaintance. Somewhere along the line, he’d decided he wanted to be anything
but
casual with Julie.

“I hope it was worth the work you’ll have to do on your friend’s car.”

“Well worth it.” Shit, they’d been reduced to small talk.

She sighed and turned around, then pressed her key into the lock. After Julie had the door open, she turned to him. “Look, I don’t know what to do here. My dating days have been pretty limited. I don’t want you to think I’m a prude for not inviting you in, but I don’t want to appear too…easy if I asked you in for a nightcap. And to top it all off, I have no idea if this is still just a thank-you date. So basically I’m a fish out of water here.”

Her rushed speech and the fact she was nervous made Sam feel a shitload better. They were both thrown for a loop, it seemed. “This whole thing is new ground for you, huh?”

“Very new. Like brand-spanking new. So new it’s still sealed in cellophane.”

He chuckled. “How about we leave the decision up to me, then?”

She bit her lip. “What do you mean?”

He planted his fist against the doorjamb and asked, “May I come in for a cup of coffee, Miss Rose?”

Her gaze narrowed. “First, Miss Rose makes me sound like a sad, old woman with thirty cats to keep her company. Second, just coffee?”

“Unless you have lemon merengue pie to go with it.” He tapped her on the nose. “Do you?”

He watched as all the nervousness seemed to evaporate. “No pie, but I do have some chocolate chip cookies.”

“Sounds good to me.” She nodded and smiled finally, much to Sam’s relief, then opened the door. Sam followed her into the condo and shut the door behind him.

After their dinner, which Sam had found to be an exercise in self-control, they’d shared a slow dance on the restaurant’s small dance floor. He’d enjoyed holding her close. Her curves fit him as if made for him. Together they’d walked out to his SUV, hand in hand, without speaking to each other.

The drive back to her place had been quiet. For some reason, Sam hadn’t wanted to say anything to screw it up, like he usually did. Christ, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t dated. He’d dated plenty of pretty women, but none of them had ever had him on his toes quite the way Julie did. The whole night seemed special somehow.

“Not to sound corny, but I am
so
slipping into something slightly more comfy.” She took off her coat and tossed it onto the couch. “This dress is adorable and these shoes were definitely worth every penny, but I’m in need of something that doesn’t itch and pinch.”

Sam frowned as he watched her finger one of the straps of the dress. “Please tell me you weren’t miserable all night.”

“Not until the end of the evening,” she replied. “I think this dress has a time limit. Wear it too long and it turns into an itchy burlap sack.”

“Well, let me be the first to say that you look great in burlap.” A light blush filled her cheeks, and Sam found it cute as hell.

“Uh, I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.”

As she left the room, Sam took a moment to shed his coat and take in his surroundings. When he’d picked her up for their date, he’d been too busy taking
her
in; her furniture could’ve been made out of cardboard for all he’d noticed.

Julie had a nice place, not too girly but definitely warm and inviting. The tan suede couch and recliner were nice, and they went well with the white oak end table and coffee table. None of it appeared particularly lived-in. When she’d said she’d started fresh after her grandmother’s death, she hadn’t been kidding.

Sam spied a framed photo on the coffee table and crossed the room to get a better look. It was a picture of a teenage version of Julie with an older woman. Her grandmother, no doubt. They resembled each other. And it was easy to see the love in her grandmother’s eyes. Then again, who wouldn’t love Julie? She simply had a way of getting under a person’s skin. He started to sit on the couch when he spied a CD on the end table. Curious about her taste in music, Sam picked it up, then grinned as he read the name of the band.

“If you laugh at my Styx, I’m kicking you out.”

He turned around and came to an abrupt halt. She stood on the other side of the room in a pair of black sweats and a gray hoodie big enough to fit three average-sized adults. “Lady,” Sam began singing, doing his best to imitate Styx’s lead singer, Dennis DeYoung, “when you’re with me, I’m smiling.”

She covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle a laugh. “Wow,” she finally managed, “that was…awesome.”

“Yeah, I can’t sing for crap, and we both know it.” He looked her over and winked. “I have to say, you dress up real nice, sweetheart, but this does feel more like the real you.”

She shrugged. “That’s because it is. I only bought the dress and heels tonight.”

“You went shopping for our date?” The notion pleased the shit out of him, and he wasn’t sure why.

She started toward the kitchen. “You implied I couldn’t do classy,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I had to prove you wrong, didn’t I?”

He put the CD back down on the table; then her words hit him. “Wait, when in hell did I say that?”

She headed straight for the coffee pot. “At the diner,” she answered with her back to him. “It was in the way you looked at me in the waitress uniform. Felt like a challenge, that’s all.”

“Julie, look at me.” When she turned around, Sam strode toward her and cupped her cheeks in his palms. “I looked at you then the same way I looked at you the first time I saw you. Like I wanted to know you. Inside and out. You took me by surprise is all, and I don’t do well with surprises.”

She frowned and pulled away. “Should I apologize?”

“No.” He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his pants to keep himself from reaching out and tugging her into his arms. “Just know that I like you in the waitress getup. I like you in the sexy-ass dress and heels too. And I really like you in the oversized sweats. The fact is, I just like
you
.”

“Oh.” She teased the hem of her sweatshirt and said, “Well, that works out nicely, then.”

“Why is that?”

“Because as it turns out, I like you too.”

He chuckled. “Do you like me enough to share a few of those cookies you mentioned?”

“I made two dozen. More than enough for a decent sugargasm.”

He rubbed his chin, pretending to contemplate the merits of a sugargasm. “Not sure I’ve ever had a sugargasm before. Could prove interesting.”

She dropped the hem, then turned and grabbed the empty glass carafe. “You’ve been terribly deprived, then.”

Sam let his gaze travel over her lush curves. Jesus, even in the oversized sweatpants, her ass made him hard. “Very deprived,” he growled, wishing he could close the distance and grab a handful of her.

As she filled the pot with water, she said, “How about I get the coffee and cookies while you get the fire started?”

Baffled and momentarily dragged out of his sexual musings, Sam peered over his shoulder and looked into the living room beyond. “You have a fireplace?”

“It’s one of those cast-iron fire pits. It’s out on the back patio.” She pointed to a pair of sliding-glass doors. “The wood is already out there.” After she poured the water in the well of the coffeemaker, she replaced the pot and hit the power button. “This is the perfect night for a fire.” She opened a drawer and took out a box of matches. “Here.” She handed them over. “You’ll find the rest of the things you need in a metal cabinet near the door.”

Sam liked the idea of holding Julie tight next to a warm fire, but the temperature had dropped as the evening had worn on. “It’s probably in the high thirties. Sure you won’t get too chilly?”

She looked down at herself, then held her arms out to her sides. “Have you seen this hoodie? It’s ginormous!”

He tucked the matches in his front shirt pocket and murmured, “If it’s a fire under the stars you want, then that’s what you’ll get.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You don’t think it’s silly?”

Damn, hadn’t a man ever taken the time to romance the woman? “Not at all. I’m looking forward to keeping you warm.”

“You’ve been doing that all night long.”

Sam’s eyebrows shot up at the bold confession. Julie slammed a hand over her mouth, and her face turned bright red. “Didn’t intend to say that aloud, did you?” She vehemently shook her head. His chest swelled a little. “If it helps, the feeling is mutual,” he admitted before bending forward and placing a light kiss to her soft lips. Julie went utterly still beneath him. When he angled his head, fitting his mouth to hers, he felt her relax and lean in the slightest bit. Sam kept it quick, managing to barely get a taste of her sweet flavor before he lifted his head. When he walked out to the patio, he looked back and saw her touching her lips with her fingertips. Leaving her standing there sure as hell wasn’t easy.

A few minutes later, Sam had the beginnings of a fire. When he heard the patio door slide open, he stood. “Here, let me.” Sam took the tray laden with their cookies and coffee and placed it on the little glass table in front of the swing.

She laughed. “Sam, I’m a waitress, remember?”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t be a gentleman.” He poured them both a cup of coffee. “Cream or sugar?”

“Neither for me, thanks.” She took the mug and wrapped her delicate fingers around it. Sam imagined her wrapping them around his cock instead.

As they sat down on the cushioned porch swing, Sam took a cautious sip from his own steaming cup. “Mmm, tastes good.”

“Thanks,” she said, settling in next to him. Sam wished like hell he had the right to pull her in closer. “The cookies aren’t too bad either,” Julie admitted. “If I do say so myself.”

“You baked them?” When she nodded, Sam picked one up and took a large bite. “Delicious. Maybe we should fire Eddie and hire you as our cook at the diner.”

“No way. Cooking is for fun, not work. Besides, Eddie does a great job.”

“Speaking of the diner, I hear you’ve been opening for Mom. And Reilly tells me you might have some insight about the financial state of things there.”

“I don’t mind opening. I’m an early riser. When I noticed Wanda was always there, every morning without fail, I offered to do the early shift a few times a week.”