Explosion of Love (The Armstrongs Book 6) (5 page)

Grant joined her moments later, and together, they devoured the meal she had prepared for them.

“This is awesome. I was starving,” he commented.

Samantha smiled back and dug into her own plate of food. They kept the conversation light, catching one another up about their families. She told him about Dean and Melissa. “Emerson is now almost nine months old. He’s so precious. And Happy is the proudest bigger sister ever. She does live up to her name.”

“Is Dean still fascinated by creepy crawly things?”

“Ugh. Yes.  And Melissa doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, she likes going on scouting expeditions with him.”

“Remember how much you hated it when he’d go off on one of his hunts? He used to come back with some of the weirdest-looking insects and would try to scare you with them.”

Samantha chuckled. “He doesn’t do that anymore. At least not to me.”

“What about Patrick? I need to catch up with him. But he never seems to be in Chicago.”

“Yes. He and Angela are constantly traveling. I’m not sure where he’s headed next, but they might go back to Nepal where they met.”

“Gosh. That was a scary story. He told me afterwards he’d been there when the earthquake struck. That had to be pretty hairy.”

“If it had been me, yes. For Patrick, not so much. I think he and Angela took it all in stride, until she got sick, that is. That was scary for him.”

“What about Douglas? I heard he finally convinced your dad to retire?”

“…and he’s happy running things his way. He and Toni have changed many things in the company. My dad is not so happy about that, but Mom keeps him busy in her charity.”

Grant had to grin. Sam’s father Ken wasn’t one to give up his power easily and it had been a surprise to the entire construction industry when he’d stepped down and handed over full control of the company to his son Douglas.

“Toni’s brother Russell lives in Chicago as well, and my mom has taken him on as her seventh son.”

“Wouldn’t his mother oppose that?” Grant asked.

“Their parents died when Toni and Russell were eighteen and nineteen years old.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yes, I guess we’re lucky to still have our parents around.” He saw her shiver and wanted to hug her close, but resisted.
We have to talk first.

Sam continued, “Evan is off in Colorado with Charlene, basking in his second consecutive win at the Winter Sports gala.”

“Little Evan. It’s unbelievable that he’s now the most successful alpine skier in the world.”

“Isn’t it?”

“What about Ryan and Trevor?”

“Things are pretty much the same. Well, except that they have found their true loves. Ryan is gaining recognition for his statues, and Trevor is still working his magic in the courts.”

“Any weddings in their futures?” he asked.

“I would assume so. Yes.” Having gone through all of her siblings, she set her napkin on her plate and looked at him. “Now you’re all caught up.”

Before she could ask about his siblings, Grant reached across the table and took her hand in his own. “Yes.” He searched her eyes for a moment and then said, “About what happened earlier…”

Samantha felt herself blush and turned away. “I am sorry about that…”

“Don’t be sorry, it was a wonderful kiss.”

Her cheeks heated up even more. How could he say that? “Don’t make fun of me, okay? This is embarrassing enough.”

He gently forced her head back to look at him. “Do I look like I’m making fun of you? I am not. I have wanted to kiss you for a long time.”

Me too. Me too.
She wanted to kiss him so badly, goosebumps broke out on her skin and tingles rushed up and down her spine. Her imagination kicked in as she imagined where a next kiss might lead. Crumpled sheets sliding off the end of his king-sized bed.

She squashed those images.
No way! This will not happen. His friendship is too important.
“I could never handle being another of his trophies – a girl to sleep with once and then throw away.”

Her face turned bright red when she looked at him. “Tell me I didn’t speak those thoughts out loud.”

Grant nodded, looking very disappointed and somewhat ashamed. “Is that what you think about me?”

Samantha couldn’t answer him and shook her head.
I can’t believe I said those things out loud!

After a few minutes, he cleared his throat and then asked, “Do you want to go out tonight? There’s a new bar in town that just opened and they have live music.”

Samantha raised her eyes and watched him for a minute before answering, “I don’t know…”

“They have dancing.”

Damn it! He knows I’ve never been able to resist live music and dancing.
Still, she hesitated, but when he smiled at her, her resolve fled and she nodded, “Yep. I’d like that.”
Anything to avoid being alone with him in the beach house all night.

Samantha cleared the table and washed the dishes while Grant finished his latest project and put away his tools. As the late afternoon turned to evening, they headed to “The Lighthouse” bar and had a few beers.

The place was packed with people, and after a few minutes, Grant spotted his youngest sister Allison there with some friends.

“Hey!” he called to her over the music, coming up behind her.

Allison turned around and then her eyes lit up at seeing her brother and Samantha. “Hey, you two! I didn’t know you were coming up to the beach.”

“We just arrived yesterday. You remember Samantha?” he asked, hugging his sister fondly.

“Of course I do. Hey, Sam! I’m a huge fan of yours. How’s life in New York?”

Allison was one year younger than her, and they’d gotten along well, but they’d never been close friends. She decided to not dredge up recent events. “New York is an amazing city.”

“So what brings you back to our neck of the woods?”

“I needed a break. Besides, I love Sandy Beach.”

Alison nodded her head, beaming with laughter. “Yeah, growing up here every summer was a blast. And since I live here, I’m the happiest person alive.”

Sam grinned. If there were one happy person on earth, it would be Allison. Wherever she went she brought smiles to everyone, and people couldn’t escape the effect of her happiness. 

“You haven’t changed at all,” Sam said.

Allison turned to her brother and told him, “She’s still the same nice Sam as when we were growing up.”

The band started up again and Sam turned her attention to the small stage.  Soon she swayed to the beat of the great music. She’d never been able to resist a good song. A little music and she was either tapping her feet, or outright dancing.

Allison grabbed her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor, giggling all the while. The two women started dancing and having a blast. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Grant’s eyes watching her. Her body heated under his blatant perusal, and she began to find enjoyment in the new quality of their relationship.

But it wouldn’t be fair to use Grant as a rebound. He deserves so much more. He deserves the best woman in the world. Someone who loves him, and doesn’t live halfway across the country. Not someone like me.

“I’ve never seen Grant look at someone the way he’s looking at you.” Allison’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“Way?” Samantha asked, baffled.

“Don’t play dumb. You know. He’s all dreamy eyes and enamored with you.”

Samantha shook her head. “No, I didn’t know.”

“Don’t break his heart, okay?”

She shrugged Allison’s comments off and went back to dancing. A short time later, Allison announced it was time for her to bounce out of there.

The two women left the dance floor and returned to Grant’s side. “Hey, I’ve got to get going. Samantha, it was great seeing you again. See you around.”

Allison hugged and kissed both of them before she took off. Samantha said the first thing that came to her mind, trying to break the awkward silence Allison’s leaving had left behind. “The band is great.”

Grant looked towards the stage. “They are. The lead singer is my brother Terrence.”

“Whoa. I haven’t recognized him. He has changed a lot since I last saw him.”

“Want to say hello?” he asked her.

“Sure.”

Grant introduced Samantha to his brother and the rest of the band members, and they talked a few sentences. When their break was over, Terrence asked her what her favorite song was.

Samantha didn’t even think twice about it. She named Martina McBride’s
My Valentine
and then glanced at Grant and blushed.
When am I going to learn to think before I open my mouth?

The band started the slow dance number, and before she could protest, Grant had taken her into his strong arms and steered her back onto the dance floor. His body moved fluidly to the rhythm of the music, and the way he was holding her around her waist with a possessive yet tender gesture had her stomach doing flips like crazy. That man was pure dynamite. His strong arms, with his bulging biceps, pulled her against his chest and she didn’t have any other choice than to follow his lead.

Samantha was in heaven. They floated over the dance floor together, pressed against each other. She laid her head on his shoulder and allowed her body to move with his. She stopped resisting, and in this moment she would have followed him anywhere.

The words of the song flowed through her mind – pinpointing her situation with Grant.

When the song ended, she felt him nod toward his brother and the band started up another slow dance.
Oh my gosh. I will not survive this. I will melt into a puddle at his feet
.

She hung on, just barely, and when the second song ended, she worked her way free of his grasp. “ I need a break.”

She could see that Grant wanted to protest, but he gave in and she allowed him to guide her back to their table. When they had almost arrived, he changed their direction, pulling her toward the door.

“Where are we going, Grant?”

“You’ll see.” He grinned down at her in the dim lighting of the bar and squeezed her hand. “Trust me.”

Grant pulled her along, taking her behind the new bar and down the sand path to the beach. When they’d been dancing, she’d pressed her soft curves against him and he’d felt her shiver under his touch. It had taken all his self-control to hold her in his arms and not kiss her.

That had been the deciding moment for him and he wouldn’t let her go again. Ever. She’d made her feelings about his past relationships known, albeit without meaning to, but it had hurt deep down.

Samantha never fell for his charms like all the other girls had done. She knew him too well, and she’d witnessed him earn his bad boy fame. What she didn’t know was that he’d changed. Changed for her.

The thought that she deserved so much better than him had inspired him to become a better man, and he’d started ignoring the adoration of the willing females.

Now he was determined to make her see they could keep their friendship and have love on top of it. She thought they could ignore the kiss they shared while swimming, but he knew better. He would never forget how her lips had felt against his own, how she’d tasted. There was no going back to being just friends, at least not for him. He wanted her. Badly.

He’d never felt like this about another woman before. It wasn’t a fleeting desire. Grant had been around enough to recognize what he wanted and didn’t want. And he knew in his heart of hearts that Samantha Armstrong was it for him.

And she’s not a kid anymore. Her brothers shouldn’t have any opposition to us getting together.
At least I hope so.

Still, in the back of his head a nagging voice spoke up.
You’re not good enough for her. She deserves so much more.

He knew she could do a lot better than him. She was a top fashion model and could have any man she wanted. Rich men. Successful men. Famous men. Actors, billionaires, Russian oligarchs, European princes, anyone.

Why would she ever choose to be with someone like you
?  You’re
nothing more than a demolition expert who makes a decent living, but you will never be super-rich or famous. Like she is.

They reached the wet sand and he bent over and slipped his shoes off, watching as she did the same. He took her sandals from her and then held both pairs of shoes in his left hand, holding her hand with his right.

Darkness had already settled over the lake, with the moon shining down upon the water, and the stars sparkling overhead. The burbling sound of the waves in the background interrupted their silence. They walked for quite a while before he noticed the tension in her body ease off.

Stopping, he dropped their shoes to the sand and pulled her into his arms, almost drowning in the depth of her eyes. “Sammie, can we talk, please?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she insisted.

“Yes, there is. You know there is.” Grant searched her eyes, willing her to admit she had feelings for him. Their attraction to each other was like the proverbial elephant in the dining room and they couldn’t just pretend it didn’t exist. Not after their earlier kiss.

Samantha ducked her head and then she nodded, reluctantly.

“Look, it’s probably coming as a surprise to you, but I’ve had these emotions about you for years. One summer at the beach I recognized you’re not a little girl anymore, and since then I always wanted to be more than your friend.”

Samantha cleared her throat, but he put a finger on her lips and continued,  “We were too young. You were too young. And then you grew up, and I wanted to confess my feelings for you, but you announced you were moving to New York City.”

“Your feelings?” Samantha asked.

“I love you.”

Her big blue eyes grew almost black and she squeezed his hand.

“It broke my heart to let you go. But I didn’t want to stand between you and your dream. And it almost killed me to see you with Craig.”

When she started sobbing, his gaze was as soft as a caress. “Sammie, what is wrong? What happened? What did I say?”

“I have no idea how I could have been deceived by his lies for such a long time. How can I ever trust a man again? How can I ever trust my judgment again?”

Grant held her close, making soothing sounds while she sobbed out her frustration and sadness.

“Craig discovered me when I first landed in New York and got me my first modeling jobs.”

She sobbed some more, but Grant didn’t try to stop her crying. She needed to get rid of the bad emotions before she could think about things clearly and move forward. So, he held her in his arms, keeping his body’s reaction to her at bay with sheer strength of will.

“I thought he loved me. But he’s been using me. Now in hindsight I can see all this. The more successful I was, the worse our relationship got. Craig grew jealous, and constantly undermined me behind the scenes.

“I was too naïve and trustful to notice what was occurring until the incident with Silueta. And my reaction probably ruined my career. Who will ever want to work with me again?”

Grant didn’t answer. He knew it was better to wait out her monolog.

A while later she stopped sobbing. “I will not let that slime bag ruin my career, I’ll show him and everyone else. I’m not yet finished with you, New York!”

“That’s my firecracker,” Grant said.

“You know, I’ve been trying to work on my temper for years, and I thought I had it under control until Craig pulled this latest deception on me.”

He had to give her credit. What her boyfriend had done was awful. He probably would have punched him in the face. The image of Samantha smashing her fist into Craig’s face made him chuckle – an action that earned him an angry stare from the woman in his arms.