Outback Hearts (Beyond Reality Book 1) (14 page)

“Tell me what you think of the other women,” he said earnestly. Alex wanted to know what Sammi thought, but he also wanted to know what she knew about Kathi. When he’d asked Ashley and Kiki about what they thought about the other contestants, they were all too happy to tell him all sorts of negative things about everyone. He felt disappointed they were so eager to trash talk everyone else.

Sam looked at him with indecision. She’d never been the type of person to tell tales about other people, but she also really liked Al and didn’t want him to make any decisions that he would regret when the show was over.

She decided to tell the truth as much as she could, “I like Amy, Ashley, and Lori. They are pretty friendly and seem to like you a lot. I think you should choose one of them,” she told him with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

“Not you?” Alex asked with a smile.

Sam laughed a little sadly. “We both know I’m not going to make it to the finals,” she told him, holding up her hand to forestall his comment. “Look at me, I don’t know how I even made it onto the show, but I’m definitely different from the other women. Personally, I think it was a mistake. I think somehow the producers messed up when they picked me. Television is about looking good, and while I certainly don’t think I’m hideous, I can’t hold a candle to the other women here. I don’t know who’s deciding who stays and who goes when there aren’t competitions, but I bet the producers want the “pretty” people to stay the longest.”

Alex looked at her in shock. “They wouldn’t do that. Look at yourself. Seriously. You’re beautiful.” At her snort he continued a bit sternly. “Honestly, I wouldn’t lie to you. Not all men want a woman who is skin and bones. While you have a soft glow about you, you also have a backbone of steel. I know I could be with you, in bed, and you wouldn’t break,” Alex said with a smile. He’d had the same suspicions lately about Eddie and the other producers and thought they were manipulating things as well, especially after they’d kept the tape Kina had brought to him secret.

Sam blushed a fiery red at Al’s comment about them in bed. She’d also thought about it, but wasn’t about to admit it to him. “Well, anyway, thank you for that, but I know my appeal, and if we were in the “real” world, I know a man like you would never look twice at me.”

“And what kind of man am I?” Alex asked her, irritation sounding in his voice, knowing she was probably right about if he met her back home in Austin, in his normal environment, he might not have asked her out.

“Gorgeous and successful, the kind of man who could have any woman he wanted,” Sam told him honestly.

They sat there looking at each other for a long moment.

“A couple of weeks ago I was cursing myself for agreeing to be on this show,” he told her earnestly, “but now, I’m thanking my lucky stars. Do you believe in fate, Sammi?” he asked.

“No,” Sam said without pause. “I think we’re lucky to meet someone that we can love and get along with, but I don’t necessarily believe that there is only one person out there for each of us.”

Alex knew the conversation was getting pretty intense and was determined to lighten it up a bit.

“Okay, you told me who I
should
pick, so why not the others? What about Kathi or Missy? They seem very nice.” Alex watched her reaction carefully. He knew what kind of person Kathi was, and honestly wasn’t sure about the others. He wanted to know what Sammi thought. If he was completely honest with himself it was also a bit of a test.

“You’re going to have to make up your own mind about them,” Sam told him firmly. “I’m not going to get in the middle of a fight over you. And if they hear I was talking about you, that’s what will happen.” She tried to smile at him. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she didn’t want to tell him her opinions either. They were
her
opinions after all. “Are we going to get on with this mystery date or what?” she asked playfully, changing the subject, deciding the conversation had gotten way too serious for a first date.

“Okay, okay, I’ll let the subject drop. But I only asked because I value your opinion, you know,” Alex told her. He smiled and let the subject drop. “Let our date begin.”

* * *

They drove for a while and finally arrived at a small town. It was more civilization than Sam had seen in a while now. She didn’t say anything to Al, figuring he’d tell her what the plan was for their date in his own time. They pulled into a parking lot that was across the street from a small amusement park. It looked like one of the same traveling fairs that occasionally set up back home. Sam looked at Alex in confusion.

“Is this okay?” Alex asked with a bit of trepidation. “You seemed like the kind of person who would enjoy having some fun.”

Sam beamed and resisted clapping her hands and jumping up and down in her seat like a lunatic. “It’s perfect. I’m not sure I’d know what to do with myself if we did the “lunch by the river” thing!”

Alex smiled back and thought she was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. He loved that she wasn’t afraid to show her excitement about their day. As they walked toward the entrance to the carnival he grabbed her hand. He looked at Sammi with his eyebrow raised as if to ask if it was okay. Sam smiled, squeezed his hand reassuringly and they continued on.

They spent the better part of the morning on all of the rides, some more than once. They hadn’t noticed any cameras around, which they both still thought was odd, but they were having so much fun, they didn’t even care. Alex kept a hold of Sammi’s hand as much as he could. When they were on the one roller coaster she held it tight. When they went on the “zipper,” Sam buried her head in his shoulder. She’d always hated going upside down on rides, but Alex had dared her to ride it with him and of course she never turned down a dare! All in all it was a great morning. They laughed, a lot, and there was no more serious talk about the show or the other women.

Finally, they’d had enough of the park and decided to go to lunch.

“Where would you like to go?” Alex asked Sammi as they headed back toward the jeep.

“Anywhere is good. I don’t really like seafood, but I can usually find something to eat in a seafood restaurant if you really want to go to one,” she told him.

“We could get something to go and eat it in a nearby park that I saw.” He suggested, rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand as they were talking.

“Okay, you pick,” Sam told him, distracted by his nearness and by the goose bumps that spread over her arms at his touch.

Sam laughed when she saw his pick of restaurant. It was a popular fast-food burger place they had back in the States.

“This okay?” Alex asked nervously, knowing she might not want to eat the greasy food.

“Oh my God! It’s perfect!” Sam laughed. “I’ve been craving their french fries!”

They ordered their lunch and set out for the park. Alex parked the jeep and held up his hand for her to wait as she was about to get it. He ran around the front of the jeep and opened the door for her. He held out his hand in a gallant gesture and helped her to the ground. They found an empty table in the middle of the park under a tree that was throwing a lot of shade. Sam sat down and was surprised when Al sat next to her rather than on the other side of the table. They ate their lunch and laughed and joked with each other. Sam asked most of the questions she’d been thinking about yesterday. She honestly felt as if she knew him a lot better after they’d eaten and talked. It was a good feeling. After they were finished, Alex swung one leg over the bench seat and encouraged Sammi to do the same.

“What are you doing?” she asked him.

“Shhhh, just swing your leg over and put your back to me.” Alex soothed her, holding on to her hips and turning her as he spoke.

Sam did as he asked and he pulled her back to rest against his chest.

They sat there for a while, enjoying the feeling of being close to another human being and watching the other people in the park. Alex finally broke the silence.

“I’d like to think that if we’d met somewhere before this show, I would’ve been interested,” he said quietly with his breath tickling Sam’s ear. “I know in the past I’ve been somewhat of a ladies man, but this show, and you, have taught me what I really want.”

“And what is it you really want?” Sam asked, turning her head around to look at him.

“I want someone I can laugh with. I want a woman who I can sit with on a park bench and not speak, but still be comfortable with. I want a woman who wants me for who I am, not for what I can give her. I want a woman who can be my friend as well as my lover. I want a woman who will stand in the rain just because it’s there and not worry about her makeup or her hair. I want a woman who is strong, but who can still lean on me. I want to look forward to going home because I know she’s there. I want a woman I can take care of. Who will let me pamper her just because I want to.”

Alex took a deep breath and looked down at Sammi. “I want a companion. I want someone to call my own and a woman who can call me hers in return.”

Alex saw a tear fall from Sammi’s eye. He reached up with his finger to brush it away. “I want this,” he said softly and dipped his head to her lips. Alex’s hand went to the back of Sammi’s neck and tightened, drawing her to him. His lips moved on hers. Sam let out a short moan.

Alex ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, tracing the opening as if asking permission. When he was about to pull away, Sam’s tongue came out to meet his. Alex took the moment and plunged inside. Since Sam was bent at an odd angle, with her back still to his front, her hand snaked up and grabbed the back of Alex’s neck as if to anchor him to her. Alex’s other arm came around her waist and pulled her closer. Sam could feel his hard length in the small of her back.

Sam could barely think. God. It was as if her brain had turned to mush. Had she ever been this turned on with her other boyfriends? Had a kiss ever made her want to throw caution to the wind and give in? Alex’s tongue ran over her teeth and dueled with her tongue. He thrust in and out of her mouth as if telling her how he’d take her if they were in bed together. Finally, Alex eased away, panting. He rested his cheek alongside her head and she turned to face forward again.

“I probably should apologize for that, but I won’t,” he told her in a hoarse voice. Sam could feel his heart beating against her body as well as his shaft hard against her back. “I don’t know what it is between us, but I’ve never felt like this.” Alex took her earlobe between his teeth and bit down softly.

Sam shivered. Her ears and neck had always been sensitive. It was hard to think with his arm across her body, his hand resting at her hip and his breath gliding over her neck.

“I know, I think I feel the same way,” she answered breathlessly, hardly knowing what she was saying.

“You think?” Alex whispered in her ear.

“I don’t know what to make of this,” Sam answered honestly, determined to get this out. “I mean, I heard all about your other dates and how romantic they were. Essentially you’re dating all these women at the same time. It’s just hard for me to believe you aren’t saying these things to the others as well.”

Alex disentangled himself from her, stood up and squatted down next to the bench, looking up at Sam. He wrapped one hand behind her neck gently and palmed her cheek with the other hand. He looked into her eyes and willed her to believe him as he addressed her concerns.

“I swear, Sammi, the other dates I’ve been on were completely innocent compared to what I’m feeling here. I know we don’t know what’ll happen and how this game will turn out, but I want you to know that I’m being completely honest with you. I don’t want to lie to you. I hope you feel the same about me.”

Sam looked at Al. She was scared, she hadn’t lied to him. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man. She wanted all the same things that he did. When he was talking earlier about what he wanted in a woman, she could imagine herself doing all those things with him and being his woman, and it scared her to death. What did she really know about him? They were practically strangers. Was this just a result of being isolated in the Outback and him being the only available guy around? It wasn’t like they could feel their way and take things slowly. She was in a competition. She could lose tomorrow. Her heart hurt when she thought about that. But Sam was also practical. She knew you couldn’t have everything you wanted in life and this might not turn out the way she wanted it to. Then there was the honesty Al was pleading with her to give him. She knew she should tell him about Kathi and the stunt she’d pulled at the lake, but it wasn’t her place, it really wasn’t. She wouldn’t stoop to Kathi’s level to win. She’d just have to make sure Al wanted
her
around, and not the other women.

“I do feel the same and I’ll do my best to be honest with you. I don’t know if this is just our circumstances or if it’d be like this between us back in the States, but rest assured, that it’s not one sided,” she told him.

Alex beamed. “Awesome!” he said softly, leaning forward at the same time pulling her head toward him. He took her mouth again, not waiting for her to reciprocate, but plunging inside with enthusiasm. They finally pulled apart when a group of boys walking by yelled, “Get a room!”

Sam blushed and noticed her hands were holding on to his arms with her fingernails digging in. Alex leaned his forehead against hers and said, “Unfortunately, I think we have to head back, it’s getting late. At the crestfallen look on her face, he said in a softer voice, “I know, I don’t want to go either, but think about it this way, the faster we get back, the faster this game will be over!”