Sam watched her carefully and remembered the words that she had spoken during her delirium. His expression softened, and he couldn’t keep the smile from his face. Walking the few steps to the bed, he sat down beside her and reached out to touch her chin gently. He turned her face to the left and then to the right, as if studying her.
“What’re you doing?” she asked, unable to keep the smile from her face or the humor from her voice.
“Just checking out your looks,” he said, teasing. “I think you look like someone’s wife. You sure are pretty enough.” He dropped his hand and looked deep into the soft brown gentleness of her eyes. “And I know you’re nice enough.”
Rachel’s heart began to pound at his closeness. Her eyes closed as emotions filled her at his last words. “Don’t tease,” she told him quietly. When she opened them to meet his gaze, she couldn’t hide the sadness that she was feeling as she looked up at him.
She remained silent, unsure what to say. Anything she said at this point would just make her feel more awkward and alone. She didn’t want Sam to pity her. She certainly didn’t want him to laugh at her.
He leaned over her, and she was forced to lie down to keep his face from touching hers. As he looked down at her, she found herself lost in the crystal blueness of his eyes. She didn’t even realize the closeness of his mouth until she felt his lips gently touch hers. Her eyes closed and she could feel her body melting at the tenderness of the joining. His lips were warm and gentle on hers, tenderly tasting her, exerting slight pressure as he slowly moved his mouth to tease a response from her. She held her breath at the sweet gentleness. When he pulled away she looked up and saw him smiling down at her.
“I have never been more serious,” he assured her quietly.
He lowered his mouth to hers to taste her lips again. He kissed her once more, then again, and then a fifth time. His lips parted slightly and he brushed her lips with his tongue but went no further. The kiss was gentle and soft, and Rachel found herself leaning up to increase the pressure of his mouth upon hers.
When she leaned back into the pillows his mouth never lost contact with hers, his lips moving sensuously over hers, his head leaning toward hers, making the pressure more demanding and passionate. When he pulled back and leaned his forehead against her right temple, they were both breathless.
“I’d better stop or I won’t be able to control myself,” he whispered, sitting up and looking down at her, gently touching her lips with his index finger. “Unless you’d like to try and make that baby that Stan and Gwen were talking about.”
His eyes twinkled as he spoke the words, and Rachel couldn’t help but smile up at him. Before she could stop herself, she reached up and carefully brushed back the lock of curly black hair that had fallen onto his forehead as if it was something that she did every day. His hand captured hers, and he held it against his chest. She could feel the way his heart was pounding. She was glad that he was enjoying her touch.
“Don’t tempt me,” she whispered finally, smiling up at him.
His breath caught in his throat and there was a pull in his chest at her words. He had never expected her to respond in that way. Releasing her hand, he pulled away from her slowly. He found that he didn’t quite know what to say. When she squeezed his hand, he found himself holding on to it tightly, as if to reassure himself that she was actually there and had actually said what he had heard.
“You don’t really know me anymore, Sam,” Rachel finally told him seriously, breaking the silence. “It’s been a long time since we’ve spent time together.”
“That’s true,” Sam admitted. “We’ve both gone through a lot of years without spending any time together. But, I read the letters you sent me, even though there were only a few, and I’ve kept up with your life through Roy.”
Sam looked down at her silently for a moment then released her hand and stood to go to the side cabinet next to the camper door. He opened it up and removed the novel that he had finished reading just an hour before. He turned to face her and gently placed the book in her hand.
“Roy gave this to me yesterday,” he explained when he saw the confusion on her face. “I read it.”
Rachel looked down at the title and gasped when she saw that it was one of her own novels. Cold fear gripped her heart. She sat up slowly and held the book limply in her hand. When she looked up at him, her eyes were distant and cold.
“Go ahead,” she said finally. “Tell me how trashy and unrealistic it is.”
He leaned back against the cabinet and crossed his arms across his chest as he looked at her. “I can’t say that because it isn’t true.”
“Okay. Accuse me of writing porn,” she said, crossing her arms across her chest and waiting for the accusation that she had heard countless times.
Sam laughed softly. “I’ll admit that your love scenes were hot, but they’re hardly porn, honey. Porn is just sex. Your stories are all about love.”
She looked up at him, surprised, but remained silent. He could tell that she was trying to figure out if she should believe him or not. He turned and sat at the table with his back against the opposite bed so that he could still face her as she turned her body toward the center of the camper.
“I thought it was a very nice, tender love story,” he told her honestly. “I thought it was very well written. It held my interest and it made me want to jump in the cold stream more than once.”
Rachel smiled and slowly lowered her body back down onto the mattress to rest her head on his pillow. She didn’t realize it, but she was clutching the book to her chest as she looked across the camper toward Sam.
“Did you really think the book was good, or are you just trying to make me feel better?” she asked him, still smiling.
“I said I liked it because I did,” he told her, raising his right hand as if to swear to his honesty. He lowered his hand and smiled as he saw the obvious relief that crossed her features. “I was a little surprised that you know so much about the sadness that people feel. You’re a little young to have had much experience in that.”
“How old do you have to be to understand what it’s like to be hurt or lonely?” Rachel asked him calmly.
Sam watched her silently for a moment. He could tell that she
did
know all about those things and was saddened that she had come to know such things so well.
“I saw a lot of you in your characters,” he told her, changing the subject. “It was as if I got to know you better by reading your book.”
Rachel smiled and reached out to place the book on the counter beside her. “I guess I can’t help but put some of myself in each book,” she admitted truthfully. “Sometimes I have to stop myself from writing from my heart rather than from my head.” She turned onto her back and looked up at the top of the camper, lost in thought. “Sometimes I even write my own fantasies.”
She was quiet then, and he watched her silently as she became lost in her own thoughts. He thought it was wonderful to have such power over words and such talent to create such beautiful stories. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath to calm himself as one of the love scenes she wrote flashed through his mind. When he opened his eyes to look at her once again, he smiled softly at the woman who occupied his bed, totally unaware of the turmoil she was creating in his mind and his body.
Rachel turned and faced him once again, her face calm and happy as she looked at him. They faced each other in silence for a moment. Rachel found that she wanted to explain what she meant a little further. She could tell from Sam’s searching eyes that he really wanted to understand and know what she meant. She opened her mouth as if to speak then closed it suddenly, unable to tell him anything more that might make her the object of his disbelief, or worse, his laughter.
Slowly easing herself forward, she made a move to step down from the bed but found her path blocked almost immediately by Sam’s rather large and immovable body. She raised her hands and steadied herself by holding on to his arms, not sure if she should push him away or latch on to his strength.
“Where’re you going?” he asked her gently, offering to help her step down from the bed.
“I want to go to my tent and get cleaned up and changed,” she explained, her breath coming quickly at his closeness. She found herself looking at his mouth and remembering the feel of his lips on hers. She looked up into his eyes and saw him smiling down at her. She blushed slightly, realizing that he must have guessed what she had been thinking.
“Let me help you,” he offered sincerely.
She hesitated a moment, then nodded and was rewarded with a full smile. “You’re trying to capture my heart, Sam McCoy,” she told him, relaxing finally as he helped her step down from the camper and supported her as she slowly made her way to her tent.
“I’m doing my very best, ma’am,” he teased, happy to see her smile up at him. “I’ll even help you bathe if you want me to.” His offer was sincere even though he said it with humor. Just the thought of soaping up her naked body made him hard.
Rachel laughed and squeezed his arm, unable to keep the blush from her face at the thought of Sam helping her bathe. She found herself thinking of other things that she would like Sam to do to her and had to mentally shake herself. Her thoughts were getting completely out of control.
When they reached her campsite, Sam unzipped the tent for her and stepped back out of her way. She hobbled into the tent carefully and was reaching for her portable stove when she saw Sam’s hands reaching in to take it from her.
“That’s okay, I can manage,” she protested.
“Please let me help get you set up,” he offered. “I promise I’ll leave you alone after that.”
Rachel looked up at him, her expression calm and serious. “You don’t have to leave me alone,” she said quietly.
Sam faced her and smiled, certain that she could hear the way his heart was beating within his chest. He took the stove from her and carried it to set it atop the picnic table. He turned to see her hopping out of the tent with a large pan and went to her quickly and took it from her.
“I want to heat up some water to wash my hair and bathe,” she explained, a little nervous at how close he stood beside her.
He nodded and placed the large pan on the picnic table, lit the burner with the pack of matches that he kept in his pocket, and placed the pan on the burner.
“Do you have a water container?” he asked her, turning to face her.
“It’s in the tent,” she said, making an effort to turn and retrieve it.
“I’ll get it,” Sam said, halting her movement with his hand.
Rachel looked down at the large hand that touched her arm gently and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “Thanks,” she said finally, her voice soft.
She remained where she was while Sam disappeared into her tent and reappeared quickly with the water container. She watched him as he filled the pan and replaced the container in her tent.
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to being alone?” he asked her, concerned. He stood before her waiting, unsure what to do. “I’ll stay with you if you don’t feel strong enough.”
“I’m fine,” she reassured him. “I’ll just sit in the lounge chair and rest while the water is heating and take my time cleaning up so I won’t get dizzy.”
He stepped toward her and reached out to touch her left arm gently. “Are you sure you don’t need any help bathing,” he teased. “I’m very thorough, and I’ll be very gentle.”
Rachel blushed and had to push away the images that flooded her mind. She felt a tightness deep within her body at the thought of Sam touching her intimately, and her breath became noticeably labored.
“I have no doubt that you would be, but I’ll manage, thank you,” she said finally.
Sam smiled and nodded, very aware of the effect his words were having on Rachel. His own body was beginning to coil in anticipation at the thought of taking a warm, soapy cloth and erotically washing every inch of her body.
Leaning toward her slowly, his lips claimed hers, and his arms gathered her body snugly against his, making her absolutely aware of his arousal. He lifted his lips from hers and his warm breath caressed her face as he fought to control himself.
“You have no idea how much I want you, Rachel,” he whispered, his crystal blue eyes clouded with passion as he looked into the gentleness of her eyes.
Rachel couldn’t speak. She could see the passion in his eyes and feel the hardness of his body. She was shocked that he was affected as strongly as she was by their closeness and the possibility of their intimacy. She could feel her core throbbing and knew her body was wet from wanting him.
“Do you have any idea the torture you have put me through the past twenty-four hours?” he asked her quietly, fighting to control his breathing and calm his body.
“What do you mean?” Her voice was a little shaky as she asked the question.
“Your body next to mine all night. The way you snuggled your bottom against me. The way you put your arms around me and kissed my chest. The way you draped your leg across my hip.” He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. “Every touch, every intimacy you shared with me made me nearly crazy with desire.”
Rachel gasped at the intensity of his words and the way he was looking at her. She wanted to reach out and pull his body toward hers to bring their mutual desires to fruition. She wanted to feel him touch her, make love to her, and bury himself deep inside of her.