Double Dare (14 page)

But for the life of him, Sam didn’t care. He
simply didn’t care.

The only thing that mattered was Lou’s
deliciously responsive body, gloving him, milking him of reason and
sense, of logic and rationale. Her thighs gripped his hips, she
rocked against him, arching her entire body up to meet his each and
every thrust, drawing him deeper within herself.

Passionate couldn’t’ begin to describe her.
Lou’s inhibitions were gone, replaced by a hunger Sam could not
only feel in her, but had to satisfy. His blood pounded in his
groin, pumped through his body, and for time they were locked
together, everything else ceased to exist.

There was only Lou, and though he tried to
force the admission away, Sam knew beyond a show of a doubt, there
would always be Lou.

“
Oh, Sam, “ Lou panted, her
excited voice music to his ears. He could feel her tightening
around him, the draw and drag as he pumped above her, squeezing him
in an exquisite embrace. “I need…I want…I…”

Sam’s own release gathered force, building,
building, building. “Let it go,” he told her, clenching his teeth,
trying to hold on.

Lou’s body arched hard beneath him and a
keening sound of satisfaction tore from her throat.
“Yyyyyeeessss!”

Sam suddenly erupted with
the most powerful climax he’d ever experienced, spilling his seed
deep inside her body. A primitive sense of satisfaction ebbed
through him, illogically making him want to beat his chest and roar
with pleasure.
He’d
been the first to have her,
his
seed the first to christen her womb.

His lips curved into a
contented grin, Sam collapsed and rolled Lou against him, securing
at his side.
His side
, Sam thought, repressing the instinctive “Aw, hell” which
accompanied the tender sentiment. 

His side…where she belonged.

“
How did I end up in your
bed last night?" Lou asked later that afternoon.

Lou imagined the sights in Key West were
amazing, but she hadn’t seen any of them, and didn’t want to. The
sight of Sam sprawled on the bed like a dissolute sultan had to be
better than anything the islands had to offer. His hair lay in
mussed waves and his jaw had darkened considerably with more
stubble. Desire hummed through her veins at the mere sight of him.
The white sheets lay twisted about him, enhancing his healthy tan
and muscular form.

“
You lost your key,” Sam
explained, his foot absently stroking hers. “We came in here so
that I could call the front desk—”

“
But you wanted me too much
to make the call,” Lou teased smugly. “I can see where that would
happen.”

Sam chuckled. “Actually, you passed out.”

“
I passed out?” Lou smiled.
The truth wasn’t as flattering as her idea, but she liked in
nonetheless.

Sam’s eyes widened, slightly outraged.
“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?” He laughed, shaking his
head as though he didn’t quite know what to make of her.

“
Pleased isn’t the right
word. I’m…not disappointed.” Lou nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve
accomplished quite a bit on my adventure.”

A shadow moved across Sam’s face, giving Lou
pause, but he masked it before she could question him. “What would
you like to do today?” he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“It’s—” He checked the bedside clock. “—almost two. We’ve got
plenty of time to do a little exploring.”

Frankly, the only thing Lou wanted to explore
was Sam’s body. But for whatever reason, she didn’t think now would
be a good time to tell him. Though he hadn’t move an inch, she’d
felt him attempting to withdraw. Disappointment welled within her.
She’d fully expected Sam to pull back, but she hadn’t expected it
so soon. If she’d learned anything from this adventure, it had been
to savor and hold on to whatever happiness came her way.

She fully intended to do both.

Though she desperately wanted him to, Lou
didn’t expect Sam to fall for her as she had him. If she expected
it, then she would be all the more hurt when he didn’t return her
feelings. But his reticence wouldn’t keep her from enjoying him,
loving him while they were together.

She’d have plenty of time to love him even
more once they were in Atlanta.

“
Sounds good to me,” she
told him, striving for an upbeat tone, though despair clogged her
throat. 

“
Good,” he murmured. Sam’s
gaze darkened as it glided down her bare legs. He swallowed, then
forced his eyes to meet hers. “How about we shower, then head
out?”

Well, at least he couldn’t control his
attraction as well as he would apparently like to, Lou thought, her
flagging spirits marginally restored. Sam didn’t want to want
her—but he did. She could work with that.

Lou stood and stripped off the T-shirt she’d
borrowed from Sam, then with an exaggerated swing of her hips,
strolled nonchalantly to the shower. “A shower would be great.” She
threw him a look over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”

Sam answered with an agonized groan, then
vaulted off the bed and joined her in the bathroom.

Hot water, steam and Sam…another healthy
addiction, Lou thought as Sam’s lovemaking transported her into the
stratosphere.

He’d made a monumental mistake—he’d
underestimated her. But more than that, he’d underestimated his
feelings for her.

Sam watched as Lou strolled through the
Hemingway house, absently appreciating the various antiques the
home of the admired author had to offer.

She’d been particularly delighted by the bed
and its headboard, made from a seventeenth-century Spanish
monastery gate. It had taken Sam’s hormonally charged imagination
less than a fraction of a second to picture them tangled in the
sheets, rocking the giant bed across the room.

That thought had quickly led to others, the
most visual of which had been when he’d had Lou, flushed and wet,
backed against the shower wall, pumping into her until he’d rent
his name from her throat.

Nothing had ever affected him like the sound
of Lou’s voice, Lou’s throaty cries of satisfaction. No, her
particular voice seemed to vibrate something deep inside him.
Strike some sort of invisible chord. And frankly, it scared the
hell out of him.

Sam feared when the time came to let Lou
go…he wouldn’t be able to. Already the thought of her adventure
coming to an end left a big gaping hole in his life. Though he
hadn’t known her long, Lou’s presence had made a profound impact on
Sam’s existence and he didn’t know quite how to handle the
implication of that feeling.

Did he love Lou? Was that it? If he weren’t
so practical—excluding the last few days of his life—Sam would say
an unequivocal no. But, quite simply, he didn’t know. He didn’t
want to love Lou, he knew that. She’d undoubtedly break his
heart.

Admittedly Lou had come a long way on her
adventure. She’d thwarted her father and left a man she didn’t love
at the altar. For every dare he’d tossed in her direction, Lou had
double-dared him. She’d embraced her adventure like a child who’d
never been permitted to play. Like an adult, who’d suddenly
discovered the courage to stand on her own two feet. Like a loving
woman who had never made love.

But would that be enough? Would she truly be
able to walk away from her father? Or when her adventure was
completed, would she simply go back and play the part of the
dutiful daughter? Sam didn’t know, but he damned sure didn’t want
to risk his heart and find out.

It was a moot point because, despite how he
wanted to feel, Sam knew his heart was already at risk. It was
simply a matter of damage control at this point.

Lou chose that moment to look up at him and
smile. Her baby blues sparkled with happiness and a well-loved
flush tinged her creamy skin. Her hair, all those silky curls he
couldn’t seem to keep his fingers out of, floated about her face
and shoulders in sexy disarray. Those cupid’s-bow lips curled into
an irresistible grin which hit him much too hard.

And in that instant, with twenty people
milling around, the curator’s voice droning in the background and
more than ten feet between them, Sam knew he loved her.

He loved her.

Lou gazed at the red message light on the
telephone as it blinked in time with her rapidly beating heart.
Despair weighted her body, making her sink onto the edge of the
bed.

That light, innocent as it seemed, could only
mean one thing.

Her father had found her.

She knew Sam hadn’t left any messages on her
phone. Why would he? For the past three days, she’d been staying
with him. Most of her things had been moved over to his room, but
she’d needed to double-check this room before they left.

On impulse, they’d decided
to pack up and go to New Orleans. It was Sam’s idea and Lou had
been secretly thrilled. The past three days had been pure fun. Sam
had relaxed, become less an adventure guide, and more her
companion. He’d told her why he’d accepted her extra recompense in
the first place, excitedly shared his plans for
The Edge
. The idea that she could help
make part of his dreams come true pleased Lou beyond reason. Sam’s
happiness had become increasingly important to her.

In short, Sam had become her lover…and her
friend.

By day, they explore the islands. By night,
they explored each other. Lou had grown accustomed to having his
arm slung across her shoulder, the feel of his strong fingers
threaded through hers, the press of his lips against her temple. If
she’d ever been happier, Lou couldn’t recall it.

Lou tried not to read too much into their
time together, but she prayed that his willingness to make her
adventure more like a vacation for both of them meant that he
wanted to continue seeing her once they were back in Atlanta.

Lou hadn’t been brave enough to mention their
inevitable return and neither had Sam. It was almost as though they
didn’t want to shatter the bubble of happiness they’d found.

That blinking light changed everything.

Lou took a deep, fortifying
breath and steeled herself for what she knew she must do. She
checked the voice mail. The message was classic James Honeycutt,
quick and to the point—
come to me or I’ll
come to you.

Lou bit her lip and blinked
back tears. She wasn’t ready to go back. No, Lou thought with
amazing calm. She was ready… She simply didn’t
want
to go back. She wanted to stay
with Sam. She wanted to spend her days drinking in the sound of his
voice and spend nights wrapped in his arms.

Thanks to him, Lou had gotten the time she’d
needed to get her act together. She’d tapped into an inner strength
and acquired the courage to face her father like an adult, not an
immature teenager. And, though she was reluctant to admit it—and
even more reluctant to end her time with Sam—Lou knew she had to go
back. She had to return to Atlanta and set things to rights. She
needed to have a long talk with her father and she desperately
needed to apologize to Chad. And, she supposed, though she dreaded
it, she needed to tender an apology to Edwina as well.

Dragging in a deep breath, Lou picked up the
phone and dialed her father’s private line. She’d fully expected to
hear his deep, booming baritone, but a distinctly feminine voice
which answered startled Lou.

“
Hello,” the impatient,
lilting voice repeated. A feeling of unease assailed Lou. She
recognized that voice.

“
Edwina?” Lou asked. What
was Edwina doing at her house, much less answering her father’s
private line?

“
Yes, Lou. Jimmy wishes to
speak to you.” Jimmy? A beat passed, then her father’s voice filled
the receiver. “Lou? Lou, are you coming home?”

Regret tugged at Lou when she heard the note
of worry in her father’s voice. “Yes, Daddy. I am. We need to
talk.”

“
Damn right we do! Do you
have any idea what you’ve put me and Edwina through? And poor
Chad?”

Him and Edwina? Lou wondered, astounded at
the intimate way he’d linked their names together. She had to be
imagining things. Lou pressed her fingers to her forehead. “I’m not
going into this over the phone, Dad. We’ll discuss this when I get
home.”

Silence met her statement, and she could
imagine her father’s baffled expression. James had always been the
one to schedule discussions—not her.

“
I’ll call you when I know
my flight information,” she continued. “Until then…”

“
Be careful, Lou” her father
told her, gruffly affectionate as always. A lump rose in her
throat, remembering all the other times he’d issued the same caring
warning.

“
I will, Daddy.” Lou
replaced the receiver and wiped the moisture from her
eyes.

“
I take it new Orleans is
off?”

Lou started at the sound of Sam’s voice and
she whipped around to face him. His arms were crossed over his
chest, and he leaned nonchalantly in the doorway, a guarded look in
his eyes.

Lou hesitantly nodded. “It’s time to go back,
Sam. I need to—”

His lips flattened. “No need for you to
explain. I’ll call the airline and make the necessary
arrangements.”

The flat tone to his voice just about broke
Lou’s heart. So this is how it would be? Back to business as usual?
So much for hoping they’d have a future together. Lou thought
bitterly, misery knifing through her. Perhaps it was better that
they didn’t go to New Orleans.