In the Mood for Love (26 page)

She was on a shopping high and he was high on her. The air crackled as Sam angled for a kiss. His blood sizzled as their tongues dueled, as her hands roamed his shoulders, his back. When her deft fingers breezed up the hem of his tee, when she palmed his bare back—skin on skin—Sam wanted to feel her, too. All of her.

“What would you say if I said I want you naked?” he asked. “Here. Now.”

“I’d say stop talking. Start stripping.”

She already had his shirt shoved to his chest. He pulled it off then went to work on her dress—untying the sash and peeling the blousy fabric over her head. Now her ponytail was a little crooked and her beautiful face a lot flushed. Her blue eyes danced with mischief and hunger, tempting Sam to take her fast and hard. He knew her thoughts mirrored his. Once they married, once Ben and Mina moved into this house, there wouldn’t be a lot of room for spontaneous sex, let alone kink. And even though Sam liked his sex slow and intimate, he couldn’t deny the equal thrill of down and dirty with Harper.

Bending her over the sofa came to mind until he caught sight of the toys, which made him think of the kids.

“Upstairs,” Harper said, working the buttons of his fly even as she tugged him in that direction.

He waylaid her hands, throwing her over his shoulder and whisking up the stairs. He wasn’t sure how she’d managed it, but when he set her to her feet, she was braless. She backed into the bedroom wearing nothing but a black lace thong, shiny black heels, and a naughty smile. His mouth went as dry as dust but he managed, “You’re beautiful.”

“You’re wearing too many clothes.”

Sam shoved his jeans and shorts down his hips.

Harper swooped in and knocked him back on the bed before he got the chance to free his ankles.

Sam was entranced with her freaking hot body, her gorgeous face, and the raw lust sizzling between them. Lust laced with affection. “Leave the heels,” he ground out as she peeled off her thong.

Her impossibly saucy smile turned wicked as she straddled his torso and shoved his arms over his head, his hands into the pillows, similar to what he’d done to her the night before. But then he felt a silky band around his wrist, craned his head and saw her lashing him to the bedpost with black stockings. He didn’t know where she’d pulled them from. He didn’t care. What he knew was she’d turned dominant and he’d let her have her fun because, he knew from experience, she was going to blow his mind among other things. And he knew when this was over he’d turn the tables and slow things down. There’d be that intimate connection, and she’d be a step closer to falling in love with Sam. Blood flowed south at the thought, making him granite hard.

For Harper
.

She tightened the stockings, incapacitating his hands although he didn’t need his hands to make her squirm.

“What are you grinning at?” she asked after nipping his earlobe. “I’m the one in charge.”

“Enjoy it while you can, baby.”

She cocked a challenging brow. “I’ll have you begging for release.”

He nipped her lush lower lip then suckled. Then smiled. “Looking forward to it.”

TWENTY-EIGHT

“You sure about this?”

“Not sure if it’s a great idea, but I think it’s the right thing to do,” Harper said. “Besides, you already spoke to the kids. We can’t back out now.”

“Yeah, well. Can’t say I didn’t work up an appetite.” Sam winked at Harper then keyed the ignition.

She buckled in and tried to ignore the heat that wink inspired. They’d just spent two hours pleasuring one another first in bed then in the shower then—have mercy—midway between the bathroom and bedroom, up against the wall. She should be spent, every sexual desire sated, yet Sam stirred her juices with a damned wink.

How long could it burn like this between them? Surely things would cool at some point. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow. Maybe sex after marriage would sour because the marriage itself was a sham. Sam wanted a mother for his children. She needed a green card. They would mutually benefit from this alliance, but it was not a love match. She wondered if they could get the chaplain to refrain from using the word
love
, making their union less a lie. It shouldn’t bother her, but it did. Just like it bothered her to elope to Vegas without having some sort of interaction with Ben and Mina beforehand. She hadn’t seen them in over a month, and even though Sam had said they’d voted for her as his “wife,” she’d feel better if she reconnected with them before she got on that plane. She’d suggested dinner. They had to eat anyway and since Rocky had canceled, Harper and Sam had no obligations and a couple of hours to burn. Afterward, Sam would drop her at the farm and then he and the kids would return to their house for the night. She understood that tomorrow was a school day and they had a routine. Sam would drive them to school then pick her up and, together, they’d drive to Starlight Airfield.

It seemed like a sound plan to Harper. All the same, the closer they got to the Kesslers’, the more she twirled her bracelet.

“Whatever you’re worrying about, stop.”

Harper sighed. “What if I say something wrong?”

“Then you’ll spin it around to something right.”

“I just … I want the kids to like me.”

“Then you can definitely stop worrying. They already do.”

“The Kesslers. What if they don’t like me?”

“They will.”

“You’re the most confident man I’ve ever met. Confident without being arrogant, that is.”

Sam didn’t respond, not that she expected him to. He focused on the road and Harper focused on her phone. She scrolled through several apps checking for e-mails, voice mails and texts, messages—public and private—on her social sites.

“Everything okay?” Sam asked.

She’d been checking periodically, partially out of habit, partially to make sure Edward hadn’t issued a new taunt. “No crises.”

“That’s good.”

Not hearing from Edward? Definitely good. Not hearing from previous clients? “I used to thrive on running to the rescue,” Harper said honestly. “Calm seas are disconcerting.”

“You want chaos?” Sam asked. “Brace yourself.”

He pulled into a driveway and Harper tensed. She couldn’t help herself. Four people poured onto the front porch before Harper and Sam even got out of the cab. Mina raced across the lawn. Ben followed, more slowly, dragging two backpacks. An older couple hovered on the porch side by side—
smiling
.

Harper registered their blinding kindness a split second before homing in on the kids.

“Daddy!” Mina rushed forward and jumped into Sam’s arms. They hugged and then the little girl bounced over to Harper. “Hi, Harper! Like my shirt? It’s purple!”

Harper stooped down to eye level with the five-year-old ball of energy. Mina twirled and Harper smiled. “I like the sparkles on the kitty.”

“Hi, Harper,” Ben said with less zeal. “Dad said we could pick where to eat tonight. We pick Rock ’n’ Roll Lanes. Burgers and bowling. It’s kind of fun.”

Harper suppressed a cringe.
Bowling?
She hadn’t planned on making a fool of herself this evening.
Crap
. At least she was dressed for the occasion. Jeans and a peasant blouse. Sandals, no heels. That was something anyway. She flashed one of her most polished smiles. “Okay.”

He kicked at a nonexistent stone then chanced her gaze and lowered his voice. “It’s okay if you stink at bowling. I stink, too.”

Harper’s heart cracked then swelled. She squeezed her own hands together instead of reaching for Ben’s. “I stink worse.”

He looked away. “Wanna bet?”

Harper stuck out her hand. “Sure.”

“You’ll just pretend to be worse,” Ben said while eyeing her hand, “to make me feel better. Nice people do stuff like that.”

Self-conscious now, Harper hugged herself. “You think I’m nice?”

“Sure. Don’t you?”

Harper blinked. It wasn’t often that someone struck her speechless. Crazy that a nine-year-old had just given her cause to search her soul. No. She didn’t think of herself as nice. Rae was nice. Chloe was nice. Mrs. Kessler’s aura screamed nice, and from everything Harper had heard, her daughter, Ben’s mom, had been the epitome of nice.

“We should go.” Sam touched Harper’s shoulder, calling her back to the moment.

“Yeah, let’s go! Let’s go!” Mina chirped, clutching a ratty rabbit wearing a pink boa and jumping up and down like a crazed pogo stick.

“Get in the truck,” Sam told the kids. “In the backseat and buckle up!” he called as they raced for the extended cab.

“Ready to meet the folks?” Sam asked as he helped Harper to her feet.

She rolled back her shoulders and squeezed his hand.
Ben thinks I’m nice
. “Ready.”

*   *   *

Sam pushed through the evening battling a barrage of emotions. He noted a few key points throughout the heart-bending sequence of events.

Mina dialed it down a notch in Harper’s presence. Typically, his animated, chatterbox daughter dominated the conversation. Typically, she demanded Sam’s full attention, showing off or acting out. Typically she clung to him like a three-foot swatch of Velcro. But tonight she was on her best behavior. No tantrums, no clowning around, no clinging. She interacted and listened—mostly to Harper, but to Sam and Ben, too.

Ben was oddly protective of Harper, making sure she had the right-sized bowling shoes and weighted ball. Like with other live sports as well as anything mechanical, Sam had thought Ben had turned a deaf ear to Sam’s advice regarding the finer points of bowling. He’d been stunned to hear his specific instructions on technique flowing from his son to Harper. He’d also been stunned by a noted difference in Ben’s attitude throughout the game. Ben wasn’t particularly skilled at bowling, but instead of getting discouraged and sulky, he kept his cool and tried his best. He scored better than usual and Sam had fought to find the right tone and amount of praise. He didn’t want to make too big a deal out of it as it would embarrass Ben, but he was damned proud of his son’s efforts and improvement.

As for Harper … She didn’t excel at bowling, but she didn’t suck, either. At least that’s what Ben told her. Honestly, she sucked, but like Ben, she tried. She even seemed to have fun. With the exception of scrolling through her phone apps every now and then, she’d participated full-out in the family event. She munched on a burger and fries with a smile, even though Sam knew she would’ve preferred a salad, and she’d answered all of Ben’s and Mina’s questions which, to Sam’s disappointment, centered on her ties with Hollywood, rather than her everyday life—although Ben did ask if she liked pancakes.

At one point, Sam had tried to give Harper tips on form. It meant getting up close and personal—hands-on. He’d heard Mina giggle and he’d turned to see Ben giving him a shy thumbs-up. Sam knew in that moment that his kids had been on their best behavior as a way of impressing Harper. They wanted her to like them. They wanted her for a mom.
“We don’t want you to be a lonely old man.”
Sam had choked up for the second time in one day.

Two hours flew by in five minutes. Before Sam knew it, he was loading everyone in his truck and driving Harper home. The closer they got to the farm, the darker Sam’s mood. He didn’t want to leave her alone, not for the entire night. What if she got another taunting message? What if the bastard called? What if she decided to watch television while packing and saw some news report that set her off? What if … “Aw, hell.”

“You cussed, Daddy!” Mina called from the backseat.

“I know, pumpkin. Forget you heard that.”

“Anything wrong?” Harper asked in a soft voice.

“No.”
Yeah. I’m thinking the worst and obsessing. I’m pulling a you
. He kept that thought to himself along with several others as he turned onto Swamp Road. He hadn’t heard anything back yet from Jayce. Harper wasn’t distracted or anxious. Sam had no immediate reason to worry and he sure as hell didn’t want to set those wheels in motion for Harper.

“Are we there yet?” Mina asked.

“Almost,” Sam said.

“Seen any ghosts yet?” Ben asked.

“No,” Harper said. She shifted and turned. “You don’t have to worry about those old stories, Ben.”

“You don’t think it’s haunted?” He sounded disappointed.

“I think something sad happened there once and that sadness seeped into the walls. But I’ve been cheering things up, giving the walls and floors and every inch of every room a makeover with the help of your dad and Aunt Rocky. It’s happy there now.” She glanced at Sam, crooked a smile that hugged his heart. “And it’s going to get happier.”

Sam pulled into her driveway, scanning the property, the house. Nothing out of sorts.
Nothing to worry about
.

“Can we come in?” Mina asked.

“You’re supposed to wait for an invitation, honey.”

She poked Harper’s shoulder. “Will you invite us inside … please?” she added.

Harper smiled. “I wish I could. I want to. But you have school tomorrow and it’s getting late.”

“You should walk her to the door, Dad,” Ben said.

“You’re absolutely right, son.”

“And don’t forget to kiss her good night!” Mina said as he swung out of the cab.

Sam rolled his eyes as he rounded the hood to help Harper out. He had no idea where Mina had gotten that from. Probably television or maybe one of the babysitters. Harper slid out of the cab into Sam’s arms and it was all he could do not to kiss her then and there. She looked radiant in jeans and a loose-fitting, puffy-sleeved blouse, her thick hair twisted in a loose knot.

“Did you ask her yet, Daddy?” Mina called from the backseat.

“Ask her what?” Sam responded, transfixed by Harper’s glittering blue eyes.

“To be our mom.”

“That’s private stuff,” Ben said to his sister. “Stop being a Nosey Nate. You’ll ruin it.”

“I’m not a Nosey Nate!” Mina pouted.

So much for best behavior
. “I’ll be right back,” Sam told the kids. “No fighting.” He escorted Harper up the porch steps.

She lingered at the front door. “I’m really glad we did this, Sam.”

“So am I.”