If I Had You (Christmas In Harper Falls) (4 page)

“Sam. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

The enthusiastic slap on his back might have felled a
slighter man. As it was, he did stagger forward. Unconcerned, Sam grinned,
happy to see the man, no matter how he greeted him.

“Bobby.”

At eighty-five, Robert Plank was robust, energetic, and as
Sam’s shoulder could attest, strong as a bear. His shock of thick gray hair
would be the envy of a man half his age. He was friendly, a bit bawdy, and one
of the richest men in the world. His money gave Sam the last boost he needed to
make
Wishes
. Finding him at a Christmas party in Harper Falls,
Washington was a big surprise.

“Thought a young stud like you would be spending the
holidays in bed with a beautiful woman. Or two.”

The last bit sent Bobby into gales of laughter, drawing
smiles from everyone nearby. Bobby had an infectious personality, drawing
people in as easily as he made money.

“I would have thought the same about you. Last I heard
wife number six was history, making you free to play the field.”

“I do like a beautiful woman. Plenty around here. I’m
mighty fond of that one in particular.”

Sam looked to where Bobby was pointing. Dani Wilde? Really?
She was a looker, no doubt. All that white blond hair, her emerald green eyes.
Put those together with a shapely body and a face that could grace the cover of
magazines. Sam definitely saw the appeal. From their brief conversation, she
seemed intelligent, friendly. She was also engaged to Alex Fleming.

“Nothing like that,” Bobby assured Sam.
“Though I appreciate the thought. No, that sweet lady is like a daughter
to me. We met up about four years ago and it was love at first sight. Platonic
love. I couldn’t be happier that she’s found a good man. Unlike me,
that
is a woman who loves once and strong. Lucky for Alex, he feels the same. If I’m
too old to kick his ass, I wouldn’t hesitate to hire somebody to do it.”

“He’s pretty hardcore, Bobby.”

The older man’s usually jovial expression hardened.

“When it comes to those I love, son, so am I.”

Sam didn’t doubt it for a minute. He shook Bobby’s hand
before wandering through the crowd. And a crowd it was. Half of Harper Falls
must be here. It didn’t matter to him that he was a stranger in a group of
friends. Sam was a social being. He liked his own company, sometimes nothing
else would do. This, though, was where he thrived. He liked people, all types.
They liked him back because he was genuinely interested. When someone talked to
him, he listened. A talent that came naturally to him.

He particularly liked the company of beautiful women. Rose’s
friends qualified and then some. When that beautiful woman was also extremely
talented, he couldn’t resist. Dani Wilde was a respected photographer. Her work
was diverse, one time in a glossy fashion magazine, the next a gritty Newsweek
feature.

“I wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your work
over the years.”

Dani, her green eyes even more spectacular close up, smiled
at Sam.

“I can say the same. Rose complained the whole time she
worked with you. I think we can all agree your butting of heads was worth
it.”

“Now if I could only get her to agree to record for
me.” Sam leaned in conspiratorially. “She has a voice that would sell
a million records. Add to it the way she looks, she would be a superstar.”

“Look at her, Sam.” Dani tipped her head toward
her friend. “She is a superstar without putting herself out in the public
eye. She would hate losing her anonymity. The attention she’s getting for
Wishes
is bad enough.”

“Seems like a terrible waste,” Sam said. He hated
giving up, even when he knew Dani was right.

“Nobody that happy is wasting anything.”

Sam was about to comment when he heard the name he’d been waiting
for all evening.

“Lila.”

The enthusiastic greeting came from someone in the crowd.
Sam wasn’t worried about them. His gaze zeroed in on the woman standing near
the door. Lila. She took his breath away.

“Oh, no you don’t.”

Not taking his eyes off Lila’s curvy perfection, Sam frowned
absently.

“Pardon?”

“Hey.” Dani snapped her fingers in front of Sam’s
face making him lose focus.

“What?”

“Stay away from my future sister-in-law, Sam
Laughton,” Dani warned. “Your reputation precedes you. Lila is a
sweet young woman who doesn’t need a wolf sniffing at her door.”

“I resent the comparison,” Sam said mildly. He
glanced back at Lila. Mouthwatering, every inch. “No offense, but how do
you know
what
Lila needs?”

“Meaning every woman could use a little of what you
have to give?” Dani scoffed.

“Not every woman.”

“God save me from the overinflated male ego.” Dani
took a deep breath then sighed. “I’m sure you would give her a nice whirl,
Sam.”

“I don’t whirl women.”

“You know what I mean. Look around.” She spread her
hands. “There are at least half a dozen unattached women here who would
jump at the chance to be your Christmas nookie.”

“Nookie? Jesus.”

“Lila doesn’t have the protective gear to withstand
your maneuvers. Pick someone else,” Dani urged. Her eyes narrowed when she
saw Jilly Underwood sauntering over. “Except her.”

Sam wasn’t interested in the angular blonde bearing down on
them, or Dani’s reasons for warning him off. Her warnings about Lila were
another matter.

“Exactly what do you think I’m going to do?”

He took Dani’s arm, skillfully putting a couple dozen people
between them and Jilly Underwood. He recognized that predatory glint in her eye
and wanted nothing to do with it.

“I’m not saying you would deliberately hurt Lila. You
need to understand. She’s lived a relatively sheltered life.”

“Sheltered as in former nun?”

“Laugh all you want, Sam,” Dani told him.
“I’m not the only one who will take exception at your interest. Her
brother knows how to kill clean and hide the body.”

Looking close, Sam realized Dani was only half kidding.

“You think your fiancé is opposed to his sister having
some fun.”

“Let’s just say Alex is protective. If you lived here,
had plans to be around, it would be different. Dallying with Lila then skipping
out the next day? Not good.”

“Dallying and nookie in the same conversation. That’s a
first.”

“I’m serious.”

“I can tell,” Sam said. That was the problem. What
Dani had to say was completely ridiculous, laughable. Unfortunately, he was the
only one laughing.

“She is over twenty-one?”

“Yes,” Dani sighed, knowing where this was going.

“Fully functioning both mentally and physically?”

“Not the point.”

“We can safely assume hymen free?”

Dani gave in. She had to smile, damn him. Too charming for
his or Lila’s good.

“She has no experience with men who are so…
experienced.”

Sam could have stated the obvious. So what? If things went
according to plan, day after next he would leave town with a very happy memory
and Lila would stay — a little more experienced — equally happy. He wasn’t
worried about her feelings. He knew for a fact, you couldn’t break a heart in
forty-eight hours.

LILA SAW HIM the moment she entered the house. In her entire
life, she had never been so sexually aware of another human being. Pheromones,
hormones, good old-fashioned lust. She tingled. Her skin. Inside, outside.

Sam Laughton put every other man in the room to shame. He
made her want to do things she’d only read about. She smiled. She was sure he
would be an expert at every one of them.

She thought it wise to skirt around him for a little while
until she got better control of herself. This was, after all, a family party.
And
her brother was here. Alex was getting better at treating her as an adult.
Watching his little sister being sexually aggressive might be more than he
would handle.

Instead, she sedately sipped a glass of white wine, chatting
with Tyler and Rose.

“Your mother looks lovely tonight, Tyler,” Rose
said.

Tyler nodded, with a happy look on her face.

“See that hunky guy at the punch bowl?” she asked.

“The tall, slender man with the salt and pepper
hair?”

“That’s him. Seems the new doctor in town stopped at
the beauty shop where mom gives manicures. He was there for a haircut, took one
look at her, boom, the rest is history. I would say the man’s intentions are
definitely honorable.”

“How do you know?”

“Because.” Tyler gave Lila a wink. “No man
hangs around for over a month, not getting any, unless he really cares.”

“You’re sure they aren’t…” Rose searched for a
delicate way of putting it.

“Doing the horizontal mambo?” Tyler laughed at the
look the other two women gave her. This was her mother after all.

“Mom spent too many years with a man who treated her
like crap. She was lonely even when she wasn’t alone. If Dr. YumYum can coax
her into bed I say more power to him, and way to go, Mom.”

Since the topic was already sex, Lila casually asked a few
Sam-related questions. Just to satisfy her curiosity. If she was going to sleep
with the man, and she was, better to be well informed. She wanted him to leave
town with a smile on his face. She wanted to be… memorable.

“I read that Sam Laughton knows a thing or two about
pleasing a woman.”

“Ha,” Rose laughed. “He could write a book.
Volumes. Then teach a class using his own source material.”

“Then the two of you…”

“Mamboed?” Rose shook her head. “Not me. The
women I know who have, are practically legion. They like to talk, why wouldn’t
I listen? Not one negative review.”

“None?” Tyler whistled. “Impressive.”

“I know. It doesn’t matter how good someone is in bed,
he’s bound to have one or two dud sessions. Even if it’s just a woman with her
nose out of joint. Not Sam. He’s legendary.”

“Good to know,” Lila said, her heart rate
elevating.

Rose and Tyler exchanged looks. They recognized an
interested woman when they saw one.

“Lila, you need to get those thoughts out of your head.
Now.”

“What thoughts?”

Lila knew she was blushing; the heat in her cheeks was a
well-known feeling. Maybe if she ignored her reddening face, so would her
friends.

“You can’t hide anything with that fair skin.”
Rose put a comforting arm around her. She wanted to be kind about this while
still hitting her point home.

“Sam didn’t invent the one-night stand; he just
perfected it.”

“Before you go any further, let me make something
clear.”

Lila stood up straighter; annoyed that even at her full
height, in heels, both her friends topped her by several inches. To be fair to
herself, Rose and Tyler weren’t wearing flats.

“I think Sam Laughton is sexy. Who wouldn’t? For
anything to happen, the attraction has to be mutual.” Mentally crossing
her fingers, Lila outright lied to her friends. “That doesn’t seem likely,
does it? I’m wholesome. A glass of milk, if you will. Sam is lobster dipped in
butter. Not an appealing combination, is it?”

This time Rose and Tyler didn’t need to look at each other.
Their thoughts were in perfect sync.

“Grab some water, your pants are on fire,” Rose
declared.

“Her nose is growing by the second,” Tyler agreed.

“What?”

“Lobster and milk? More like sexy man meet sexy woman.
Whoosh. Fireworks.”

“You think I’m sexy?” Coming from these two women
whom she both admired and envied, Lila found it the ultimate compliment.

“Are you kidding?” Tyler looked Lila up and down.
“I came to terms with my lack of curves a long time ago. There was a time,
my friend, when I would have killed for boobs like yours. Rose has nice ones,
Dani’s are great, but you, Lila are what straight men salivate over.”

“Truth?” Lila decided confiding in her friends was
the better way to go.

“Hey.” Dani joined their little circle, her green
eyes glowing, her cheeks blooming with color. Her lips nicely swollen.

“There,” Lila pointed. “It would be obvious
to a blind man what Dani and Alex were doing. See her eyes? The little smile on
her face? She’s been kissed. With purpose.”

“Your brother knows his business,” Dani admitted,
her smile widening.

“No details, please.” Lila sighed. “I’ve
never looked like that, felt the kind of heat that sears your insides.”

“Ah, Lila.” Rose squeezed harder.

“You have. All of you. All the time. You don’t need to
be having sex to be having sex. I’d bet you anything, Rose, if your eyes met
Jack’s right now, I could guess what you both were thinking. Sex. When, where,
how. The same for Dani and Alex. Tyler has ten years to make up for with Drew.
I’m surprised they aren’t in an empty room doing it as we speak.”

“We aren’t that bad.”

All three women gave Tyler incredulous looks.

“Ten years
is
a long time.”

“I don’t blame you a bit,” Lila told her. “It
simply illustrates my point.”

“But Sam…”

“Is the perfect man to help me out of my sexual
malaise.”

“Good word,” Rose conceded. She looked at her two
oldest friends, unspoken understanding passing between them.

“We need to get Lila laid. You,” she pointed to
Dani, “have the hardest assignment.”

“Alex?”

“Right.”

“Oh, God. Alex.”

Her brother and his overprotective instincts did not bode
well for her.

“Why does he need to know?”

“Trust me. I’m not going to tell him about his little
sister’s plans to be debauched by a legendary ladies’ man.” Dani shuddered
at the thought. “If the subject
does
come up, I’ll remind him about
Portugal. He was a year older than I was, but he was miles ahead in experience.
That should give him pause. Alex hates a hypocrite.”