GAMBLING ON LOVE (Travis Series) (26 page)

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit, Sam
.
He may have loaned you the money to start the business but you did all the work to make it successful
.
And don’t forget, I know the trouble the shipping company was in when you took over so don’t pretend the money just fell in your lap
.
I’m proud of how well my company
has
done because of the choices I made and the work I’ve
put into it
.
You should feel the same about
your accomplishments
.
”
Beth
looped
her arms around his neck
.
“I just don’t want you to think I’m with you because of your money.”

“If I
believed
that, you wouldn’t be in my bedroom right now.”

Beth smiled
.
“Am I really the first woman to enter the royal chambers?”

“The first and only, Anne.”
 

Sam’s mouth closed over hers
, gently at first, slowly melting away
the tension of the
past few hours
.
It seemed so long since he’d last kissed her, she
pressed herself closer,
greed
il
y drinking in the heady taste of him
.
With a groan, Sam crushed her lips
with a hunger that dispell
ed
any illusion
s
they
had
about
wait
ing
until after she’d showered to make love
.
S
cooping her up
his arms
, Sam
carried her to the
fur
rug and lowered
Beth
onto it
, easing
his body over hers.

“Sam
…
” she whispered, “make me forget.”

 
 
 
 
                                                           *
**

The warm
water splashing over her skin felt good
.
If
only it could wash away the pain of losing her home
.
For a time, Sam had erased the
agonizing
memory
of
watching the fire devour what had once been her sanctuary
.
He’d made love to her with a tenderness he’d never shown before, prolonging the moment of release for as long as he could
.
Once his heated flesh had touched hers, there were no other thoughts in her head except the way he made her feel.

He’d kissed
and
caressed her
until
Beth
thought
she
would
explode if he
continued to deny
her what her body so badly craved
.
Teasing her with every touch, Sam deliberately
coax
ed
her to the edge
and
then
pulled
back just before she climaxed
.
Finally, in frustration, Beth bucked against him and demanded he give her what she needed
.
His determination to meet her demands brought a smile to her face; the
tenderness between her thighs
a reminder of his fierce lovemaking and the glorious sensation of each powerful thrust.

Beth finished showering and dried
off
,
pulling
on the robe Sam had hanging on the back of the door
.
Keeping it from slipping off
was another matter; there was so much excess material, it
made her feel like a little girl playing dress up
. She
did her best to secure it with the tie
and rolled
up the sleeves so her hands could peek out the bottom
.
When Beth emerged from the bathroom, Sam rose from the recliner looking extremely amused
at how dwarfed she was by the robe
.
He
went to the
highboy and pulled out a black t-shirt.

“Maybe this will work better.”

Beth replaced the robe with the t-shirt and felt much more comfortable
.
Still
much
too big, at least the shirt only fell mid-thigh
instead of tangling at her feet
.

She stood on her toes and gave him a kiss.
“Do you want to take your shower before we eat?”

“I’m starved
.
Right now hunger overrides everything.”

S
lipping
her
hand into his
,
Beth
let him lead her to the kitchen
.
Sam had been right about all the food in the refrigerator
.
Anticipating every possible mood Sam might be
in,
Maggie had covered all the bases by preparing a little bit of everything
.
Several
pieces of broiled chicken, sliced
ham,
and a plate of sliced cheese
filled the top shelf
.
She’d also thrown together a nice salad and
arranged
several types of fruits on a tray
.
Beth squealed with delight when she spotted
one her favorite treats;
blue jello
.
Sam pulled the jello out
,
laugh
ing
at the blissful look on her face when
he placed
the bowl in her hands.
 

“My mother used to make blue jello just for me because no one else liked it
.
Where’s your silverware?”

Sam pointed to a drawer
then turned his attention back to
the refrigerator
.
“What do you want to eat, honey?”

“Blue jello,” she said, pulling out a spoon and digging in.

“You need to eat something
other than
jello.”

Beth shrugged and dropped
in
to
a chair at the small kitchen table
.
“
Whatever you pick is fine
.”
 

She continued to scoop jello into her mouth, smiling as she squashed it between her tongue and the roof of her mouth
.
She watch
ed
Sam carry the fruit tray and broiled chicken
to the table, following his movements as he retraced his steps to
the refrigerator
.
Wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else, the man was simply breathtaking.
Beth couldn’t help admiring the pure masculine strength of his body and the hard contours of his muscles
.
The heat of desire was already picking up steam wh
en he leaned
over
to grab t
wo
sodas
and sent her libido into overdrive
.
Beth’s
heart
slammed against her ribs and she nearly choked on the jello as she watched the denim slowly stretch and
mold to his rear
.

Sam eyed her curiously as he set the sodas on the table
and
took the chair opposite her.
“Are you okay?”
 

Beth swallowed the jello and grinned
.
“You have the best ass I’ve ever seen.
”
Sam’s booming laughter
warmed her
all over.
 

"Enough jello for you
.”
He
pulled the bowl away from her
.
“I think you’re getting drunk on it.”

Beth pouted for a minute
and
then
settled for some grapes and orange slices while Sam devoured two pieces of chicken
.

“Sam
?
W
hen you said you wanted me to stay here
, I know
it was only supposed to be for a week or so, but now that my house is gone
…
”

“I’m happy that you’re here, Anne,” he interrupted
.
“I’ll keep you for as long as you let me.”

“I just feel that now you’re
sort of…
forced
in
to let
ting
me stay.”

Sam
’s
smile
was
indulgent
.
“
I would never allow anyone to force me to do something I didn’t want to.
Surely you know me well enough by now to
realize that.
”

She plucked a piece of juicy pineapple from the tray and chewed on it thoughtfully
.
“You’ll back me up with Vic tomorrow, won’t you
?
He may put up a fight about going, but if you say he should go, then I think he will.”

“He won’t like it, but I’ll back you up.”

Beth felt certain with Sam there, Vic would listen to reason and leave
.
She eyed the tray, trying to decide which piece of fruit to test next.
 

“Sam, when did Vic tell you about the letter?”

“He found it this morning and called me right away.
”
H
is tone was reproachful
.
“You’re lucky you weren’t around when I first learned about it.”

She kept her eyes averted,
too emotionally volatile at the moment to risk seeing
the look of disappointment and anger in his face again
.
“I’m sorry
for not telling you
,” she said softly, “and for arguing with you and Vic at the office
.
If I
had
taken it seriously, my house might still be standing.”

Sam reached across the table and put his hand over hers
.
“I doubt
whether
telling us would have kept
it
from happening, honey
.
But maybe by taking the second letter seriously, we can keep Vic from getting hurt.”

Beth nodded, her eyes locked on the strong hand that covered hers
.
She lifted her head and looked at him
.
“I’ve been nothing but trouble since the day we met, haven’t I?”

Sam squeezed her hand
.
“You’ve brought nothing but happiness to my life, Anne
.
Now put those
silly
thoughts out of your head and eat so I can take you back to bed.
”

“Why don’t you let me clean up here while you take your shower
?
If I can’t find my way back, I’ll just stand in the middle of the house and holler for you.”

Sam got up and moved around the table to where she was sitting
.
He leaned down and kissed her
.
“I love you
,
Elizabeth Anne Sweeney
;
don’t ever forget that.”

After he’d gone, Beth
re
wrapped
the food
and
put everything back in
the refrigerator
.
A quick search unveiled a recycle bin where she deposited the empty soda cans. With the kitchen neat and tidy once more, she
turned off the lights
and timidly made her
way through the house until she found the grand staircase again
.

As she climbed the stairs,
Beth idly
wondered why Sam lived in such a large house all by himself
.
She doubted he ever did anything without thinking it through first, which meant he probably
bought it with marriage and children in mind. She could almost imagine the sound of little feet racing up and down the hallways, their happy laugher filling the house with warm
th
and…
Beth
stopped abruptly, her stomach knotting
.
Children
.
Sam’s children
.

“Damn,” she muttered.