Perfectly Honest (4 page)

Sam stood at the net with his hands on his hips, grinning at her and shaking his head.

“This is better than winning the provincials and varsity title combined,” she said.

“What?” Sam asked. “Provincials? Varsity? You could’ve said something.”

“I could have, but that would've spoiled all the fun. Those briefs have got to go.”

“I think you’re enjoying this a little too much,” he said. “And I’m not sure you won that fairly.”

“Now, now. Don’t be a sore loser. Fair’s fair. I did warn you,” she reminded him. “Do you need a hand with that?” she teased. “Or maybe you think it would be fairer if I did this,” she said as she toed off her sneakers and slowly pulled her shirt over her head.

Sam looked at the lacy bra covering full breasts. His eyes roamed down to the curve of her hips with the scrap of fabric and came back to meet her eyes. He swallowed. “Losing never looked so good.”

Mikaela walked toward the net, her heart skipping at the intensity of his gaze. Sam stood still as Mikaela reached up and placed her hands on his chest. She felt hard muscles and the steady beat of his heart.

“I need to hit the shower,” he said softly.

“Or we could just get sweatier,” she said. She ran her hands slowly down his chest, loving the feel of muscles rippling as she roamed down to his waistband.

She felt his breath quicken as he grabbed her wrists. He crushed his lips to hers. The need inside Mikaela's head exploded as she pressed against him and jumped into his arms. He lifted her over the net and she wrapped her legs around him. She ran her hands through his hair and held him close, nipping at his lower lip and tasting the saltiness of his skin. Closer, closer, was all she could think. Her breasts strained against his chest. He tasted the skin of her neck and sent shivers down her back.

Mikaela held on tight when he carried her to the pool and waded in with her in his arms. Gentle hands stroked the length of her legs, drawing down the wisp of fabric she wore. The clasp of her bra was next, and she closed her eyes as Sam ravished her breasts with his lips and tongue.

“You are beautiful,” he breathed.

Sensation built inside her. It started as a slow swirl and built to a tornado of need. “Inside,” she panted, opening her eyes and reaching for him.

She pushed herself up, clinging to his shoulders, then lowered herself, taking him inside. Water splashed to their rhythm until they exploded over the edge. Mikaela clung tightly as the orgasm ripped through her. She buried her head in his shoulder as the tremors subsided, and every muscle in her body went lax.

Sam kissed the top of her head. Gathering Mikaela close, he floated on his back.

Mikaela was overwhelmed with his gentle touch as he continued to stroke and soothe. Oddly and inexplicably, she felt an urge to cry. The sex was great. The best ever. Sam was great. And yet tears gathered in her eyes. In a panic, she desperately tried to pull it together before Sam noticed.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sam asked, slightly alarmed. “You’re crying.” He stood up, drawing Mikaela up to face him. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, not at all,” Mikaela said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “It’s just the chlorine. See,” she said, wiping again, “I’m fine.”

Sam looked unsure.

She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I should probably go get ready.”

She made to move, but Sam held her arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Better than fine,” she corrected. “That was great,” she said in a rush and reached up to kiss him.

Sam deepened the kiss. He couldn’t help it. It was better than great. It was fucking amazing. Until he saw the tears.

Reluctantly, he pulled away. He never hurt a woman. Ever. One look at her face, at the look of embarrassment and panic, and he let it be. He watched her get out of the pool and wrap a towel around herself. She went outside and then into the house without a backward glance.

Fuck. What the fuck had he done?

He slapped the water. They’d have to talk about it. Obviously, not now. Fuck. After dinner, then. He heaved a sigh. It’d be right up there with having a root canal, but he needed to know what the hell happened.

It mattered.

She mattered.

Sam stood still as the thought sunk in. She mattered.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was fun to be with and made him laugh. She was easy with him. She wasn’t awed by what he did or who he was. That had been a problem in the past. And she kept her word. He figured the odds were better than fifty percent that she would back out of this weekend. But she hadn’t.

A painter, though? He never saw himself hooked up with a painter. Did it matter what she did?

Would she ever understand how unpredictable his lifestyle was? His hours were long, he never knew exactly when his day would finish, and being on call had ruined plans more than once. It made relationships . . . complicated. That’s why he avoided them. He knew he had a reputation that was much more embellished than his actual score. But it had the advantage of self-selecting the ones who liked to keep it fun and easy, which worked for him. It always worked for him. Maybe he should stick with what worked and forget the rest.

Sam dove underwater. He hoped it would be that easy.

Chapter 6

Written in the Stars by Esmeralda Garnet

ARIES(March 21-April 19) Look at your situation from a different angle. Keep an open mind and don’t limit what you can do because someone tampers with your confidence. Enjoy each moment.

Mikaela stood under the stream of hot water and sighed. Deep down, she knew what had triggered the tears, and she tried to wash away the feeling of sadness.

He was sneaky, Mikaela thought. He was charming and fun and had this single-minded focus that made you feel like you were the one. The sex was a mind-blowing twelve. That, she didn’t regret. But what she didn’t need, and hadn’t wanted, was to lose her heart to him. The deal was to walk away after this weekend. It was only going to be a one-time thing. A weekend of fun.

She would accept being one of many. It was a twelve. So yeah, she would learn to live with that. What worried her was losing her heart to a guy like that. She did not want to fall in love with him. Guys like him weren’t in it for the long haul. If she gave her heart away, it would be for the long haul. Sam was definitely not long haul material.

Mikaela lathered shampoo in her hair and scrubbed furiously. How did this happen? She had no intention of sleeping with him. She sighed again as she stood under the water and let it rinse away the suds. She knew how it happened. He was sexy and cute and she wanted him to touch her.

Physically touch her, she thought with chagrin. She didn’t want him to touch her heart. She didn’t want to care. That was annoying.

Well that’s a lesson learned, Mikaela thought as she turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Men who have a reputation of being playboys get that reputation because they’re good at it. They’re charming and fun and make you feel like you’re the only one who matters. And probably in that moment, you are.

She dried her hair and rubbed a scented lotion over her skin. Until the next attractive woman comes along and you’re no longer in the moment.

Mikaela shimmied into a turquoise knit dress, with a scooped neck in front and draping in the back, and let it fall to mid-thigh, enjoying the way it clung to her curves and showed off long, toned legs. So she had two choices. She could either leave with regrets, which was hard to do because really, the sex was fantastic. Or she could suck it up, live in the moment, enjoy Sam’s company and the fantastic sex for the weekend, and then move on. Lower her expectations, ignore the ache in her heart, and move on.

Mikaela pulled her hair back leaving loose curls to frame her face, then added dangling earrings and a matching turquoise crystal necklace. A silver bracelet at her wrist and a delicate silver anklet made her feel feminine and sexy. She stepped into high heels, grabbed her clutch, and checked the time. Six forty-five.

Here’s to living in the moment, she thought, then went to find Sam.

Chapter 7

happenstance horoscope

ARIES (March 21-April 19) You’ve got what it takes to make things happen. Choose your direction and follow through. Build greater support by doing what’s expected.

Sam was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with his cell phone in his hand, when Mikaela came to find him. He straightened when he saw her. “You look beautiful,” he said. He searched her face.

Mikaela couldn’t hold his gaze. “Thank you,” she replied. “You look . . .”
hot, sexy, good enough to eat.
Her brain came up with a lot of adjectives, but none that seemed appropriate. “Very handsome,” she said finally, thinking she sounded lame, but safe.

He smiled and her heart melted. She was toast. Stay in the moment, she chided herself.

“You know,” Sam said, with a gleam in his eye, moving closer. “We could always ditch the dinner and stay in tonight instead.”

“Tempting, very tempting,” she replied, trying to keep it light. “It does have the ring of career suicide for you, though.”

“Yes, unfortunately, it does. That it does,” he agreed. “Maybe we could just eat quickly.”

She chuckled. “Sounds like a better plan.”

“I wanted to give you this,” he said, and reached for a small box.

He lifted the lid to show the most exquisite diamond ring she had ever seen. A round cut pink diamond, as wide as a baby’s bellybutton, sparkled in a nest of white diamonds. A row of diamonds glittered around the band. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

“We’re supposed to be engaged,” he explained hastily. “I thought you should wear a ring. But if you’d rather not . . .”

“No, of course I will,” she agreed. For a moment it felt real, and she struggled to rein in the yearning.

He held her left hand gently and slipped the ring on her finger. Her heart swirled, she couldn’t help it. Live in the moment. “Okay,” she said, a little too brightly. “Any other details I should know about tonight?”

“I’ll fill you in on the drive there," Sam said. They settled into his Jaguar.

“Tonight we’re having dinner with members of the board of directors. Last I heard, all ten were coming with their spouses. I’ve met Bill Truent, the board chairman, and Shamir Adubha, the treasurer. The rest are community members, mostly lawyers and financial advisors, I think, whom I’ve not met. But if they’re anything like Bill and Shamir, they’ll be welcoming and friendly.”

“Have you told anyone anything about me or us?” Mikaela asked.

“I’ve told them I’m engaged, but that’s it.” He smiled at her. “That seemed enough.”

“So what is our story?”

“Dunno,” he replied. “We met, banged, liked it, and decided to get hitched,” he drawled.

“How romantic,” she said dryly. “But I think we better go with something a little more . . . sophisticated, if you really want this job.”

“Okay, create away.”

“We can’t be perfectly honest, but I think we should stick as close to the truth as possible.”

“Okay, how about we met, made love, and decided we couldn’t live without each other.”

She wished. “Or,” she drawled. “We could say we met when I painted your house. We met six months ago and got engaged two months ago. Does that work?”

“Sounds good. When’s your birthday?”

“What?”

“When’s your birthday? It seems like something I should know.”

“Oh. April tenth. When’s yours?”

“November eighth.”

“I know you have a brother who’s an architect. What's his name? And what about the rest of your family?”

“His name is Jonathan. I also have a younger sister – Olivia. My parents live in Cannebury, but they spend the winters in Arizona. My dad’s retired. He is or was, I guess, a general surgeon and my mom’s a librarian. How about you?”

“I’m an only child. My parents are retired, but they keep pretty busy. Well, my dad’s retired. My mom considers it her full-time job setting up blind dates for me.”

Sam laughed. “And how does that work for you?”

“Not surprisingly, not that well.”

“The advantage of having siblings,” Sam commented. “Olivia is married to Ron and they have a new baby, Arielle. The wedding and baby gifts were actually expressions of my thanks for distracting Mom and Dad.”

Mikaela laughed. “Good deal. You’re lucky.”

He looked over at her. “I am.” Sam pulled into the restaurant parking lot. “Would you like me to drop you off at the front door?”

“No, I’d rather go in with you.”

Sam pulled into a spot and got out to open her door.

“I really hope you get this position, Sam. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

Sam looked into her worried eyes and smiled. “Have a little faith in me, darling. Just be yourself and you’ll dazzle them. And thank you again for doing this.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck,” Mikaela said and hooking her arm in his, leaned in to enjoy being in the moment.