Sam's Promise: Blackwater, Book 1 (13 page)

He made himself at home, opening the containers and sorting through my kitchen drawers after I placed the bags on the table. My mouth watered as we were assaulted by the scents of meat swimming in rich sauces and smoky char-grilled vegetables.

“So wait, you did all the work and they gave your project to someone else? What a slap in the face,” he said, continuing the conversation we’d had before we’d been interrupted by the doorbell.

“Exactly!” I don’t recall when I’d started telling him about Beth. Maybe sometime around when he’d asked what I did for a living. Tongue loosened with alcohol, I’d easily dished every bit of the office rivalry with him. I don’t know if I would have been so bold under other circumstances, but his attention made talking to him about it too easy.

“So what are you going to do about it?” He dished out the food onto plates, and settled into his chair.

I bit into an asparagus spear. “That’s the problem, I don’t really know. The PC thing to do would be congratulate her and take a back seat.”

We ate in silence for a few minutes, taking sips of wine between bites. Finally he said, “But you’ve worked hard on a project you’re passionate about.”

“And that’s why I’m tempted to
assist
.” I gave an exaggerated shudder as I said the last word.

Joshua laughed, then turned serious. “It wouldn’t make you less of a person to help the project succeed. It’s about the kids. Not about what’s going on between you and Beth.”

Of course he was right, but to hear him say it made something inside me melt. At once he didn’t seem as young as I’d thought only yesterday, but on par with any of my peers. Sure, some wrinkles around the eyes or a few strands of gray hair would have helped, but my uneasiness seemed to have vanished. “You think and act very much like an old soul. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” I murmured.

My lids were heavy from our libation, and I chalked up Joshua’s even more vibrant appeal to having consumed more wine than I should have. I saw from the corner of my eye three empty bottles, which tattled on just how heavily we’d been drinking tonight. All of it caught up to me, and my head swam with luxuriant intensity. Unfortunately, that was also my signal. Once I started feeling this way, my inhabitations would soon fall by the wayside.

With both our plates cleared of food and the wineglasses truly empty, I pulled the uneaten containers closer. “It’s getting late, Joshua—”

“Josh. Please.”

“Josh.” I smiled. It felt lopsided. “I need to put these things away and get ready to face Beth in the morning.”

“Sure, I understand.” He put his knife and fork on the plate next to him. “But I hope we can do this again. You’re great company.”

“I’d like that.” And I meant it. It dawned on me that we’d spent most of the night talking about me, and I knew very little about him still.

I rose on unsteady legs, unprepared for when they refused to support me. Josh jumped to his feet, obviously in a much better state than I, and wrapped his arm around my waist. Without his support, I would have hit the floor hard. “Whoa. Steady there.”

My breasts pressed against his chest, our faces only inches apart. I smelled the remnants of the gourmet delivery surrounded by subtle hints of alcohol. Desire swelled within me, and I weakly fought it into submission, though it would not die without a struggle. I saw a hint of lust reflecting in his eyes and prayed I didn’t imagine it.

Josh’s gaze dropped to my lips before travelling to meet my eyes again.

No. Not imagined at all.

“You’re so young,” I said softly.

“Twenty-six. Not that young.”

Fifteen years my junior. A full generation between us. The realization didn’t stop me from wanting him to lower his face to mine and devour my mouth in a kiss.

He brought his mouth to mine, brushing it with the gentlest caress that sent a shiver rippling through me instead. I ached for more and released a soft whimper of protest when he didn’t give in to my wants. Intense green eyes searched mine before he said, “Not like this, Regina.”

The use of my first name brought the reality of this evening crashing into me. He didn’t understand.
This
was exactly how I needed it. How I wanted it. With this lonely life, I’d earned the right to throw responsibility out the window and let my id run rampant. I’d promised Patrick I would live. And I wanted to do so now.

I threaded my fingers into Josh’s short brown hair and brought his lips to mine. I opened my mouth against his, the urgency of connecting to him on a physical level driving me until I knew nothing else. It crossed my mind only seconds after our tongues connected that he might reject me. When he breathed into me, tasted me, that thought shattered.

Finding his unoccupied hand, I brought it to my breast, offering more than just a kiss to him.

“You’re tempting,” Josh muttered after breaking away. “So very tempting…but you’ve also been drinking.”

I licked his bottom lip. “I’m fully aware of what I’m doing.”

“I need you to be able to say that in the morning.” He kissed me again. “I won’t be satisfied with just one night.”

Guiding his hand beneath my shirt, I let him touch my bare skin. “But what an amazing one night it could be.”

Sam’s Promise

Blackwater, Book 1

Anne Rainey

This Thanksgiving comes with all the fixings…and something extra hot.

Blackwater, Book 1

Sam Jennings promised his father he’d always take care of the woman who yanked him and his four brothers out of foster care. When his adoptive mom has a near-fatal heart attack, Sam knows it’s past time to live up to his word.

As he sets out to put the Blackwater Diner back on its feet, he runs into his first snag. Waitress Julie Rose’s sweet curves and long legs are driving Sam to distraction. Even his brothers aren’t immune to her kind heart. But Sam is determined to be the only man in her bed.

Julie doesn’t regret the years she lost caring for her grandmom, but now, between business classes and her job, she’s left with very little time and energy for dating. Then there’s her policy about never getting mixed up with the boss’s son. But Sam’s hard body and wicked ideas have Julie forgetting all about annoying things like rules, and she accepts his invitation to show her all she’s been missing.

Sam is more than willing to take things slow as he teaches her all about the pleasures of the flesh. Luckily for him, Julie is a darned good student…

Warning: Contains explicit language, a sexy carpenter, and extra helpings of naughty fun under the stars. Heat and increased heart rate may help burn off extra holiday calories.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

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Sam’s Promise

Copyright © 2011 by Anne Rainey

ISBN: 978-1-60928-778-8

Edited by Linda Ingmanson

Cover by Scott Carpenter

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: December 2011

www.samhainpublishing.com