After the Dawn (29 page)

Samantha opened her mouth to deny it, then slumped back in her seat. “He's giving all he can.”

“Knowing that doesn't help ease the loneliness your heart feels.”

“No, it doesn't,” Samantha admitted.

“I came to Elms Fork because I thought it sounded quaint, and I'd always heard that small towns were almost like a big family where everyone worked together to help everyone.” Marlene's slim fingers circled her glass. “It wasn't that way for us. Perhaps it would have been different if I had grown up here. Dillon's memories of Elms Fork aren't all good. If I wasn't here, he never would have returned once he left for college.”

“Just like I wouldn't have returned if Granddad hadn't gotten sick,” Samantha murmured.

Marlene's smile was sad. “You both needed a reason to return permanently to the place that holds so many unhappy memories. You found yours. Given time, Dillon will find his.”

“What if he doesn't?” Samantha asked, aware that she sounded desperate.

“Then, just as I did you'll have to decide which is more important, accepting what he can give you or walking away. For me, I already have enough regrets.” Marlene came to her feet. “I better check the food.”

“I'm not as brave as you are.”

Marlene opened the top of the grill. Hickory smells and smoke wafted upward as she removed the chicken breasts and vegetables. “I'll admit, when you first came here, perhaps. But you're not the same woman anymore. You stood up to Evan and Dillon. Don't sell yourself short.”

True,
Samantha thought,
but risking heartbreak was an entirely different matter.

Roman rounded the corner of the house. “Just in time to help.” Marlene's gaze dropped to his hands. He chuckled. “I washed them at the sink in the garage.”

“Please take a seat.” Marlene picked up the platter. “You're going to be up to your wrists in soil very shortly.”

Roman took the stoneware from her. “And you've worked all day, then grilled, and stayed up late to bake a cake from scratch since I kept you out late.”

“You know, you can be pushy,” Marlene said, but she began putting the meat on the platter.

“And you have no problem putting me in my place,” he answered.

Samantha watched the interchange with interest. It was easy to see they cared about and respected each other. Marlene had taken a chance, and it had paid off. She might have regrets later, but she'd also have good memories and know that she hadn't let fear rule her. Samantha had to decide if the possible pleasure outweighed the possible pain.

*   *   *

Shortly after nine that night, Dillon pulled up behind Roman's car and honked his horn. Climbing out, he stretched his arms over his head. He and Ricky, his head mechanic, had worked hard to get the husband's Ferrari back in shape.

Before he'd even looked at it, Dillon had told the woman to lose his phone number. He could understand once, but not twice. Sneaking around wasn't the way for any marriage to last. Crying, she had promised she wouldn't drive it without permission again. Somehow, Dillon didn't believe her.

It was her problem now. He had problems of his own. At the top of that short list was Sam. No matter how he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had let her down. He wanted her, but not if it meant helping run Collins. He had his own life.

Using the key, he let himself into the house through the front door. His mother was playing the piano while Roman, arm braced on the top, gazed down at her.

Dillon wondered if they'd heard the horn. “I'm home.”

“Hi, Dillon,” his mother greeted him.

Roman waved and went back to staring at Dillon's mother as if he'd never get enough.

What happened to her watching him eat?
he mused as he continued on to the kitchen. There was no food on the stove or on the countertop. He glanced at the table and saw a note with his name on it propped up against a crystal salt shaker. He recognized the lilac stationery as his mother's. Thinking she'd left instructions about warming the food or where to find it, he opened the envelope and pulled out the note.

Please come to the guest cottage. I'll be waiting.

Samantha

All of the reasoning he'd been doing that day took a backseat to the sudden burst of joy.
They still had a chance.

Shoving the note into his jeans pocket, he headed out of the kitchen. “Mama, I need to go out. I'm not sure when I'll be back,” he called as he hurried through the living room.

“Drive carefully,” his mother called, but he was already closing the door.

*   *   *

Marlene's hands paused over the keys as soon as she heard Dillon's car motor fire up. “I hope they can work it out.”

“They will if how fast he left is any indication,” Roman said.

“Dillon can be stubborn.”

“I wonder where he got that from?” Roman said, the corners of his mouth tilted into a smile.

Marlene lifted a brow. “That coming from a man who kept badgering me when I said no.”

Chuckling, Roman sat beside her on the bench, his back to the piano. “Giving up wasn't an option.” His hand cupped her face tenderly. “Once I saw you, there was no turning back. Kissing you sealed it for me.”

Lowering his head, he brushed his lips across hers, once, twice, then settled.

Marlene was trembling by the time he lifted his head. She felt the same way, but she had reached out once for what she wanted and regretted it ever since. With unsteady hands, she started playing the piano again.

*   *   *

The drive to the guest cottage took the longest five minutes of Dillon's life. Her note could mean she wanted to talk business or put both of them out of their misery and fall into the nearest bed.

Turning into the driveway, he shifted gears and became aware of the engine's noise. The only lights were those on the third floor. He distinctly remembered the landscape lights being on when he'd picked Sam up for their business dinner. It could be a coincidence or …

Switching off his lights, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness and drove around the side of the house. He parked off to the side, then got out and followed the path to the guest cottage a hundred feet behind the garage.

He'd barely knocked before the door opened. She wore a dress that bared her exquisite shoulders and stopped above her incredible knees. His mouth dried.

“Please come in.”

Somehow he got his legs to move. He closed the door behind him.

“Thank you for coming.” She bit her lips, started toward the small kitchen in back. “I know you probably haven't eaten. Marlene sent tons of food.”

He caught her arm, felt her tremble, then caught her other arm. “Are you all right?”

“That depends on you.”

“Is Evan on your case again?” he snarled.

“No. Thanks to you I can stand up to him and not feel guilty.”

“Then why are you trembling?”

“Don't you know?”

His hands flexed on hers, afraid to hope that what he saw in her eyes was desire. “Maybe you should lay it out for me.”

“I'll take you for as long as you want me.” She leaned against him, her arms going around his waist. “Life has no guarantees. I know that better than anyone. I don't want to waste another minute. I want us to be lovers.” She lifted her head. “Is that plain enough?”

Dillon dragged her to him, his lips finding hers. His mouth moved to burn a path to her shoulders and met the top of her dress. He pulled it down and moaned on seeing her bare breasts. If he kissed her there, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop until he'd made her his again. He picked her up.

“First door on the left.”

He didn't waste time getting them to the queen-sized bed. Setting her on her feet, he peeled the dress from her exquisite body. He got harder and hotter as inch by incredible inch, she was revealed to him. He accepted that he'd never get tired of looking at her.

She grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and tugged it over his head, then made short work of his pants. Together they fell into the bed, their mouths locked again in a heated kiss as they touched and tasted each other.

His mouth and teeth closed over her taut nipple. She arched against him. Her hands held him to her as he suckled her, then he moved to the other breast. She twisted restlessly beneath him.

His hand drifted down her body and found her wet and ready. Lifting upward, he sheathed himself and then brought them together. The fit was tight, exquisite. He thrust again and again into her satin heat. She met him stroke for stroke.

Whimpering moans of pleasure slipped past her lips. Or were they his?

He was lost in the pleasure they gave each other. They went over together, with her name on his lips, his on hers.

*   *   *

Their bodies touching from breast to thigh, sharing a pillow, Dillon and Samantha stared at each other. He enjoyed the smile, the contentment, on her face. “I never thought we'd be together like this again.”

“My fault.” She kissed his chin. “That's behind us now. When it's time for you to leave, I'll be sad, but I'll understand.”

Unexpectedly, he felt a stab of annoyance. His eyes narrowed.

She cocked her head to one side. “I'm almost afraid to ask why the scary face.”

“We just got back together, and you're ready to wave me good-bye.”

Sighing, she stroked his chest with the pads of her fingertips. “I just don't want you to feel trapped. Marlene helped me understand and reminded me that it wasn't too long ago that the last place on earth I wanted to be was Elms Fork. Now, I can't imagine being anyplace else, and I understand now why I never felt content anyplace else. For me, this is home.”

“And I can't imagine living here permanently.” His hand closed over hers as shadows darkened her eyes. He felt her tremble. “But no woman has ever had me as angry and as mixed up as you have. I certainly never wanted one more.”

Sam grinned. “Really?”

He smiled at the pleased look on her face. He liked making her happy. “Really, but don't let it go to your head.”

Stern-faced, she shook her head. “Wouldn't dream of it.”

Dillon chuckled. “Somehow I don't believe you.”

She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. “Shows how smart you are.”

Dillon had always thought so, but becoming involved with a woman he couldn't get off his mind wasn't smart. Yet he was incapable of walking away from her and staying away. He worried about her almost as much as he wanted her. “Did you eat today?”

Her gaze flicked away. “A dozen chocolate-chip cookies. And before you say anything, I was in a funk because we were at odds, and that's how I handled it.”

His hand tenderly swept over her hair. He liked touching her, holding her. “You never order them when we get take-out.”

“Because too many will go straight to my hips.”

Grinning, he ran his hand over her butt. “I'd say you don't have to worry about that. It's my favorite cookie.”

“I know. You told me when we met for the first time at the bakery.”

“You were with your mother.”

Her eyes widened with delight, then narrowed in anger. “And you were with that shameless woman. She was clinging to you like wet tissue paper in those disgraceful short shorts and a nothing top.”

“I can hardly remember her, let alone what she had on,” he said with a total lack of interest. “How can you?”

She eyed him. “You'll get an even bigger head if I tell you.”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously as seconds ticked by. “You had a crush on me.”

Sam lifted one shoulder in dismissal. “At thirteen, I was an impressionable young girl.”

His finger turned her face toward his. “You were already growing into a beautiful woman like your mother. The night of your prom, even knowing you were trying to seduce me because you wanted to forget you'd lost your parents, it took a hard talk with myself to take you home.”

Her eyes shut briefly, then opened. “I missed them, wanted to forget, but despite all the talk about you being related to me, I couldn't get you out of my mind and I was just tipsy enough to be able to blame my seduction attempts on the alcohol.”

“Your mom and dad were good people.” He screwed up his face. “Unlike Evan and his wife.”

“I don't think they even like each other,” Sam admitted quietly.

“Probably not. They're both selfish and think they're better than anyone else. They let me know the first time I met them that I was dirt.”

Gently, she touched his arm. “I'm sorry.”

“Long ago and forgotten.”

Samantha wondered. She might have gotten past her bad memories of Elms Fork, but she didn't think Dillon had. “I'm hungry. Besides the grilled chicken, your mother baked an Italian cream cake.”

Dillon threw back the covers and got out of bed. “I'll go fix us something.”

Samantha took a moment to enjoy the view of all those sleek naked muscles and prime butt before sitting up to hold the sheet over her breasts with one hand while she tried to move the covers around with the other. “I'll help.”

“What are you looking for?”

She felt her face heat, but she answered, “Lingerie.”

Dillon grunted, picked up his shirt, and handed it to her. “You won't need that until morning.”

*   *   *

When dawn came, Dillon quietly let himself out of the cottage. He would have liked to wake Sam up, but that would have led to another round of lovemaking. A kiss on her bare shoulder had to do. There was no way he was taking a chance that Evan would find out about them.

In his car, he slowly turned around and drove with the lights off until he hit the street. He wasn't ashamed to be with her, but if Evan found out, he'd give her grief. If it was in Dillon's power, he was going to make her life happier. He'd never felt this strong need to protect and keep safe any other woman except his mother.