Authors: Aris Whittier
“What makes you so sure I don’t
have that now?”
She could pretend his touch wasn’t
doing crazy things to her but he knew what she was feeling. His smile
was solid conviction as he traced a thumb slowly across her lips.
“Because you haven’t been with me lately.” He shook
his head arrogantly. “Samantha, no one can make you feel the
way I made you feel.”
Her forehead creased as she glared at
him. “How arrogant—”
He stopped her words with his finger.
“No one.”
Lifting her chin slightly, she said,
“You’re not the only man who knows how to have sex.”
Need tore through him, hunger gnawed at
every nerve, but he controlled it. “Having sex and making love
are two completely different things.” His fingers continued to
play with the full curves of her lips. “Sex is simple and
uncomplicated.”
He ran the length of her jaw line.
“Satisfaction is an intricate pleasure that’s not always
as easily obtained.”
“You are absolutely absurd,”
she bit out.
He smiled with both his mouth and his
eyes. “Perhaps, but I’m also right.”
* * * * * *
Why did his lips have to look so
kissable? Samantha thought as she watched his mouth form the words
that were causing her body to respond in ways it shouldn’t. His
expression was gallant, and the flicker in his eyes did nothing to
detour it. His voice was borderline hypnotic. She found herself
hanging on his every word. It was true. Sex and satisfaction were two
completely different things. But when she had been with him they had
been one and the same. She shuddered at the thought.
“What level of satisfaction have
you reached lately?” James asked, his eyes very intense as they
moved over her features.
Warm, creamy desire saturated her skin,
sinking into her body, touching every part of her. She struggled to
answer the question, because forming sentences was becoming more
difficult by the second. “I refuse to answer that question.”
“Why?” his brow arched into
a soft curve. “Do the others pale in comparison?”
What others, she wanted to yell in his
face. She also wanted to scream that the level of satisfaction she
had reached in the last year was a big fat zero. It wasn’t from
a lack of trying either. She had been out with several men, but when
it came down to it, the thought of making love with any of them had
repulsed her.
“Your silence gives you away.”
He brushed the tip of her nose with his finger. “That’s
okay. I like knowing that no man has given you what I gave you.”
Slowly, he dipped his head and kissed her as innocently as a child
might kiss a parent. “Speechless, that doesn’t happen
often, now, does it?” he whispered against her lips.
Samantha’s head was reeling with
thoughts. She wanted him; there was no denying it. Her body made it
painfully clear, because it ached to the very core for him. The
discovery was appalling. After a year of loathing him, how could she
possibly want him?
“I like to see you aroused and
fighting it.” His lips met hers again but this time he barely
brushed them over her.
“Stop kissing me,” she
demanded as she pulled back. “And I’m not aroused.”
He laughed. “I also like seeing
you deny it,” he said as he turned and began putting the
groceries away. “You won’t be able to stay that way for
long.”
“You’re right. I won’t
be able to stay that way for long because I’m not aroused.”
Turning, he watched her for a moment.
“I meant denying it, Angel.” He retrieved the cans off
the counter and handed them to her. “There will be a time when
you won’t deny what you’re feeling right now.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“I won’t have to. I’m
patient.”
“This conversation is over,”
she snapped irritably.
“Sure.” He shook his head.
“If we keep talking about it we might just end up on that
broken lounge—”
“James!”
He raised his hands in the air. “You
won’t hear another peep out of me.”
Samantha was a jumbled mess of nerves
as she reached for the cans. The area just beneath her skin tingled
violently. She could barely concentrate on the task of stacking cans
in the pantry. When she came out of the small room, she didn’t
make eye contact with him for several minutes. She needed enough time
to force her body to stop shaking and her heart to slow its erratic
pace.
She put the rest of the groceries away
like she was on a strategic mission. She was so focused on the task
that she hardly noticed James working around the kitchen beside her.
She spoke only when she knew her voice was steady. “Do you want
me to fill you in on how your mom’s treatment went today?”
“Of course. We talked a little
about it, but she didn’t really say much. How did she handle
it?”
Her calming breaths were working. “I
think she handled it well. I could tell in the beginning she was very
apprehensive. Eventually she relaxed a little.”
He folded the last paper bag and tucked
it into a narrow cupboard. “Do you want some coffee?”
“Sure, I’ll have a cup.”
If he could pretend nothing happened so could she. He wasn’t
the only one who could be flippant.
Over coffee, they talked about his
mom’s treatment for almost an hour. Samantha took him through
the entire process step by step. She didn’t want him to feel
like he was being left in the dark, because James was the type of man
who needed to know what was happening at all times—it kept him
in control.
On the way to the hospital, Marie had
shared with her that she had asked James not to come. Samantha knew
that type of request would test James’s dependable and loyal
nature to the limit. She wasn’t sure it was the best choice,
but she understood Marie’s decision and she respected it.
“The most important thing we can
do right now is protect against infection.” Samantha ran over a
list of symptoms of infection so he would know what to look for.
“Make sure to wash your hands frequently, especially after you
come home from work. I think we should limit her visitors for the
next few days, too.”
James nodded. “I don’t
think she’s up to seeing anyone anyway.”
“Not likely.” She stretched
her legs, resting them on the coffee table.
“So, this is as bad as it will
get?” he asked hopefully.
She swallowed a mouth full of coffee
and shook her head.
“It could get worse?” He
spoke the words bleakly. Picturing his mom even sicker than she
already was, was daunting. He couldn’t fathom that she could
possibly get any worse.
“Maybe, maybe not. Since this is
the beginning of her treatment it could go either way. I’ve
seen it at both ends of the spectrum. Some people are mildly
affected; they don’t lose much hair, their appetites don’t
decrease, and they don’t get nauseated.
Then there are people who have every
reaction imaginable.
There’s no telling what else
could happen. It really depends on how her body handles the drug.”
Restlessly, she got up and moved to the window; pulling aside the
curtain, she looked out at the black ocean. “I’ve already
called the doctor and requested a stronger anti-nausea drug.”
He watched her curiously. Her attention
had been divided between him and the window most of their
conversation. “I never knew there was even such a thing.”
“There are many new drugs
available to help with the side effects of chemo. The trick is to
find the right ones for each individual. If we find the right
combination for Marie, she’ll have an easier time with her
future treatments.”
“If there is anything I can do,
you’ll let me know?”
“Of course I will,” she
said as she looked over her shoulder at him. “What? What are
you looking at?”
He motioned to the window. “You’ve
been staring out the window for the last ten minutes.” It’s
beautiful out there. The moon is almost full and it’s just
amazing against the sand,” she said as she let the curtain fall
back.
“You want to go for a walk?”
She glanced at her watch before looking
at him. “It’s getting late and I really don’t
think—”
“Come on, we won’t be
long.” He took her coffee from her and placed it on the table
with his. “I think we could both use it.”
She hesitated, but after a moment she
nodded.
“Good.”
Once outside, she moved across the deck
to a chair. “Wait.”
“What are you doing?” James
asked as he watched her sit.
She bent down and untied the laces of
her shoes. “The only way to walk on the beach is barefooted.”
They strolled down to the water and
allowed the cool surf to lap around their ankles. Silently, they
walked up the beach, enjoying the cool breeze, the crashing of the
waves, and the twinkling lights from the endless row of prestigious
houses. The exclusive area had miles of private sandy beach.
Samantha looked over at James when she
spoke. “Ginger came in this morning, and when she saw me she
all but danced out of the room, saying ‘I knew it, I knew it.’
” She scrunched her nose. “I don’t understand her.”
James chuckled. “Don’t even
try.”
“I feel like I’m missing
half of what she’s saying when I have a conversation with her.”
“Join the crowd.”
“So, I’m not alone.”
He shook his head. “Don’t
even attempt to figure that woman out or you’ll go crazy
trying. She’s a mystery that can never be solved.” He
raised his hands. “All I know is, she’s one hell of a
housekeeper, and she makes a mean loaf of cinnamon bread.”
Several moments of silence lapsed before James turned to her
seriously and asked, “What have you been doing for the last
year?”
She shrugged and tilted her head into
the wind. “Not much. Mostly working.”
“You’re still at Mercy
Hospital?”
The salty air filled her lungs and
Samantha nodded. “Of course. I don’t think I’ll
ever leave. I love the staff.”
“How’s your brother doing?”
“He’s doing well. He and
Connie are expecting another baby.”
“So, that’ll make three?”
“Yes.”
“I can imagine that Casey and
Lynn are excited about the new one.” Casey had only been an
infant the last time James saw him. He was probably walking and
talking by now. And the beautiful, big-eyed Lynn had been starting
kindergarten. He could only imagine how much they’d changed
over the last year.
“They are. Casey wants it to be a
boy and Lynn wants it to be a girl.”
“Sounds about right. Things have
been so busy I haven’t gotten to ask how Marisa is doing. Is
she still photographing the rich and famous?”
“Yes. She’s opened another
studio, too.”
“Business must be good.”
“It is. She’s worked hard
for it, so she deserves it.” She looked over at him. “I
see you’ve been busy, too.”
His eyes met hers. “How so?”
“You’ve been in the
newspaper three times in the last two months. And that’s just
in the paper I get.” She pulled her hair to the side as it
caught in the wind. “And let’s not forget the little
blurb in Fortune 500.” Her gaze drifted off into space. “What
was the headline? ‘The Greatest CEO Ever.’ ”
James shook his head and tried to deny
the title. “I don’t think it said that.”
“Okay, it was more like ‘James
Taylor Is Taking the Industry by Storm, Conquering Deal after Deal.’
”
He smiled at the animated authoritative
tone she used.
“What, is this modesty I’m
detecting?” She gave him a gentle shove. “Don’t
forget who you’re talking to.”
James gave her a sideways glance and
said, “How does it feel to be walking on the beach with one of
the world’s top ten CEOs?” He stuck his chest out and
strutted around her.
She laughed. “Now, that sounds
more like it.” When he stopped and resumed his position beside
her, she spoke, “I’m proud of you. I know it’s not
easy doing what you do.”
He noted the change in her tone. She
was serious. “I think that can be said about both our jobs.”
A big wave crashed against Samantha
legs. “This feels wonderful. Do you still jog every day?”
“I try. Although since Mom moved
in I haven’t had much time.”
Samantha kicked at a wave and then
laughed as it splashed around her, sending small droplets of water in
the air. “When did she move in?”
“A little over two weeks ago. She
still has her condo in Beach Point. I thought it would be best if she
wasn’t alone.” He reached for her arm, pulling her away
from a surprise wave that had surged unexpectedly far up the beach
and wrapped around her calves and knees.
“I agree.” She looked down
at her soaked pants, amused.
“She was very reluctant at
first,” James continued. “Believe it or not, she claimed
she couldn’t leave because all her roses would die if she did.
She was going on and on about feeding schedules, proper watering
cycles, and she even claimed that she needed to be there to talk to
them.”
“Yes, that sounds like your mom.”
She stopped and picked up a shell. “How did you get around that
one?”
“I reminded her that she not only
has an automatic watering system but also a gardener. That made it
pretty hard to argue with.” He regarded the shell she held in
her hand. “You’re not going to attempt to make something
with that are you?”
“I might.” She looked over
at him. “Why, would you like to put in a request?”
He shook his head. “Just be
careful.”
Another wave licked her legs and she
sighed in enjoyment. “Walking on the beach in the moonlight is
good for the soul. I haven’t done this since—” Her
words trailed off..
The tone in her voice was an instant
giveaway. Instinctively, the hairs on the back of James’s neck
prickled. An uneasy feeling consumed him. Something just happened but
he wasn’t sure what it was. The mood definitely shifted. “Since
when?” he asked firmly.