“Okay,” he whispered.
And that was when I pressed closer rather than Sam gathering me closer and I lived that moment with him, talking about my brother, my Mom, my Dad, Paula, Teri and Missy and listening to him talk about his Mom, his brother Ben, Luci and his friend and brother-in-arms Travis “Gordo” Gordon.
And apparently falling asleep living that moment with him because, hours later, still wearing my gown, I woke up in much the same position, in his arms, pressed close and feeling something I hadn’t felt in years. Something precious I lost and, even precious, I didn’t notice it was missing but something I recognized as precious instantly when I got it back.
Safe.
* * * * *
And this brought me to now, awake, in my gown, the sun shining into the bedroom where Sam and I slept together.
And I had done everything Celeste had told me not to do (except gorging myself on food). I had drank too much and shared too much.
Shit.
I pulled in a silent, steadying breath and, eyes glued to Sam’s gorgeous, sleeping face, carefully I disentangled myself from his body, slid away, rolled and found my feet at the side of the bed.
Twisting the instant I did because I heard him move, I looked to see he simply settled more onto his front and one of his hands had gone up and disappeared under my pillow.
I let out my breath.
Then I scanned the room that also had a tiled floor and a scattering of plush, attractive, lush, comfortable-looking furniture but, obviously, in the bedroom it absolutely invited you to take a nap.
Amongst other things.
Hmm.
I tiptoed to an armchair so my thin heels wouldn’t sound on the tile and sat on it. Then I bent forward and unstrapped my shoes, not believing I’d slept in them, much less my fabulous gown, and trying to remember when I drifted off to sleep hoping that I didn’t do it when Sam was talking as that would be rude at the same time hoping I didn’t do it when I was talking because that would be embarrassing and realizing, either way, I was screwed.
I set the shoes aside and did another scan of the room, seeing it had a huge, polished wardrobe and two doors. One was the one we used to enter the room. The other, I hoped was a bathroom.
Careful to be quiet, I made my way to the door, opened it and discovered I was right. Then I slipped into it, closed the door, turned on the light, did my business and then, while washing my hands, I froze when I caught sight of myself in the mirror.
Not because I was wearing last night’s makeup, which, thankfully, didn’t look smudged and scary.
But because my hair was down and falling around my shoulders in messy, curly waves and I remembered something about last night that I forgot.
I remembered getting into telling Sam the story of Kyle and his buddies taking me and Paula (who had been my friend since high school) to our first kegger whereupon me and Paula got totally hammered and when they brought us home, both Paula and I hurled in Mom and Dad’s backyard, causing Kyle and his buddies to tell us repeatedly, loudly and without any hope of success to be quiet which resulted in Mom and Dad catching us. I was giggling at this, Sam was smiling at it and throughout telling him the story, his fingers were working in my hair, pulling out the pins.
It felt nice then and, staring at myself in the mirror, it felt nice remembering it.
But it was more.
After I finished that story by sharing with Sam that Mom and Dad had forced Kyle and his buddies to apologize in person to Paula’s parents and then mow their yard free for the summer as penance, Sam shared with me the story of the first time his brother called him when he was hammered to ask Sam to come pick him up. Sam did but Ben hadn’t shared that it was not only Ben who was hammered, his girlfriend and her three friends were with him and also needed rides home. They were not hammered but completely shitfaced and Sam unwisely loaded them all into his car whereupon three of the four females and Ben hurled in his car and he had to sell it because he could never get rid of the smell.
And while he was telling me this and I was giggling, he was running his fingers through my hair.
That felt nicer and, staring at myself in the mirror, it settled in my soul how much nicer it felt not only last night but right then, remembering it.
Okay. I was either seriously in trouble or…
I was seriously not.
I stared into my eyes in the mirror and as I did I found my lips whispering, “Fearless.”
Then I pulled in a breath, turned from the mirror, switched off the light and exited the bathroom, moving to the double, arched, windowed doors with their gossamer curtains, my eyes on a still sleeping, still beautiful Sam.
I got to the doors and opened them, stepping out on the small, stone balcony, the curtain falling behind me and I drank in the view.
Wherever you are, however you got there, if it’s good, you’re meant to be there either because you earned it or life led you there and you were smart enough to hold on.
Sam’s words came back to me and no longer drunk on champagne or the beauty of being held in his arms, I realized that Sampson Cooper was a great many things, nearly all of them good but one of them was wise.
On this thought, two arms closed around me from behind and I was pulled into a long, hard body as a stubbled chin swept my hair from the side of my neck right before lips whispered there, “Mornin’, baby.”
Those two words slid over my skin, coating it, again giving me a glorious moment of feeling invincible.
Wherever you are, however you got there, if it’s good, you’re meant to be there either because you earned it or life led you there and you were smart enough to hold on.
I closed my eyes.
Then I whispered back, “Morning.”
Sam’s arms turned me to facing him, I opened my eyes then his body pressed mine into the balustrade as I tipped my head back to look at him and see his eyes were already moving over me.
Then they came to mine and he whispered, “Right now, honey, I’m gonna kiss you.”
My stomach clutched.
Oh God.
Okay. Oh God. All right.
I was supposed to be fearless but right then, I… was… not.
“Sam –” I started but his head dropped until his lips were light on mine and I shut up.
“No,” he said quietly, his lips moving against my lips, my heart stopped beating and his voice dropped super low, super rough, it was rich velvet when he went on. “No, baby, you fell asleep before I could taste this mouth. I’m not gonna miss another chance.”
Then he slanted his head and kissed me.
I instantly freaked out.
This was not because Sampson Cooper, my fantasy man obsession was kissing me. Sam had become way more than just that, he wasn’t even close to that anymore.