The Break-Up Psychic (18 page)

“Well, look who we got here! Miss Ellie herself and looking good enough to eat! Dang, girl! You trying to give
ol
’ Sam a heart attack in that dress?” Jason’s voice is rowdy, echoing through the sparsely decorated room.

I nervously flatten the fabric of my dress at one side, hoping to hide a bit of leg, and do my best to smile politely at Jason’s attempt at a compliment.

“Hi, Jason, how’re you?”

“Can’t complain. Been busy here, been busy out there,” he says, wiggling his furry eyebrows at me and patting his impressive belly. “Where’s that fine
lookin
’ roommate of yours at today? She
pullin
’ a shift at The Cavern?”

“She is indeed. I actually just came from there and I was hoping to catch Sam. Is he here?”

Jason tosses back his head and yells for Sam. Luanne’s haircut has made him look less like a Yeti, but he’s so broad and jolly, he’s still got a homeless Santa Claus look about him.

“Hey, Ellie,” Jason whispers loudly, leaning mercilessly against the white Formica. He beckons me closer with a hotdog-sized finger. “You think Luanne will ever step out with me on a date again? This time I’m
thinkin
’ of taking her to a monster truck show. Think she’d like that?”

If I say yes, I could be party to Luanne’s future as a redneck trophy-wife. If I say no, I could be eaten. “Uh, well…maybe?”

Jason considers my stammering for a moment as though I’ve prophesized something miraculous. He nods and slaps at the counter, taking a step back. “Hell, I’ll take a maybe!” he shouts, laughing heartily at his improved chances of scoring with Luanne. I need to remember to warn her when I get home.

The door leading to the garage swings open as Sam enters the room. He’s wearing a white short-sleeve undershirt, body-hugging jeans, and a smile that’s too naughty for the workplace. He’s a little dirty and sweaty from a hard day’s work. Perhaps I should offer to lick him clean? I’ll start with the dimple.

“Hey there, Ellie girl. You’re looking better,” he says, coming within licking distance.

“Oh yes, I am. Feeling better, that is,” I lie.

“It’s
quittin
’ time, boss. I’m
gonna
tell the boys to head on out,” Jason says, shoving the door to the garage open with a meaty palm.

“Alright then,” Sam replies, though he doesn’t remove his eyes from me.

“Now, I’m going to hold you to that ‘maybe.’ You tell Luanne I’ll be by the bar later to start courting her good and proper.” Jason points his finger at me and lifts those gargantuan eyebrows as he disappears behind the swinging door.

“Is that why you came by, to secure a date for Jason?”

“Oh heavens, no. In fact, I may be employing your services as a bodyguard later, once Luanne gets hold of me.”

Sam moves closer to me, tucking a section of hair behind my ear. “I would have no problem guarding your body.”

He leans in for a tender, sweet kiss. I bring a hand up to place against the hard expanse of his chest and breathe into the kiss, deepening it. His hands caress my arms up to my shoulders, holding me in place so I can neither move closer nor step away. Not that I would. He smells wonderful. Sort of sweet and musky, so different from Tim with his expensive colognes and…Tim. I break the kiss at the memory of being in an identical situation with my ex not three days ago. Guilt settles in my stomach.

Sam’s thumbs rub small circles across my shoulders as he places a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Sorry,” he says, running his hands down my arms to capture my hands. “You’re probably still not feeling well and here I am, paws all over you the minute you walk through the door.”

Why does he have to be so damn nice? It makes deciding whether to keep the Tim fiasco from him really hard. “Don’t be silly, I’m fine,” I say, trying to avoid his gaze.

“You’re wearing the dress.”

I smile, well aware that my clothing choice this morning was no accident. “Well, I remembered how fond of it you are.”

“I am, but I like the lady wearing it even better.” Sam releases one of my hands and brings his up, placing a finger under my chin and tilting my head back so he can look me in the eyes. His eyes are so clear, it’s hard to believe the picture Amber’s painted of him. Could he hold me this gently and still break my heart?

The hand on my back pulls me forward until our bodies are touching. Sam inches toward me, keeping his eyes focused on mine as he leans down and places a chaste kiss on my still lips. I’m not one for kissing with my eyes open, but if this is the view I’ve been missing, I may be converted.

Sam leans back, an errant strand of his hair brushing my cheek as he pulls away. This time I’m the one who reaches up and tucks the hair away behind his ear. I allow my fingers to linger for just a moment, battling feelings of guilt and lust as I try to work out where a leap of faith may take me.

“I’ve got something I’d like to show you.”

“Alright,” I say, allowing him to pull me forward.

We pass through the door and step into the garage. Jason and another worker are pulling aluminum doors closed and both wave a goodbye at Sam who’s leading me around to the furthest door’s dock where a shiny black car sits.

“Ellie, allow me to introduce you to Charlotte.” Sam drops my hand and walks over to the old car, running his fingertips lightly across the waxed paint of the trunk.

I have to admit, I was sort of hoping he was going to show me the secret bed he keeps in the back of garage, not an old Chevy. “Oh no, don’t tell me you’re one of those guys that names their cars?”

“Well, it’d be a touch presumptuous of me to play under Charlotte’s hood if we weren’t acquainted with one another first.” Sam smiles devilishly at me, continuing his slow journey around the car.

“Sounds pretty sexy when you say it like that,” I agree, reaching out to touch the swell of the shiny front bumper.

“Oh, it’s sexy all right. This car has seen its fair share of backseat lovers over the past six decades. I found her under a tarp in an old wheat silo. She’d been left sitting, waiting for someone to come along and remind her what it’s like to have some power between her tires.”

Sam caresses the curved hood, lightly biting on his bottom lip as his hand glides across the smooth surface. First science experiments and now classic cars? Is there any subject this man can’t make sexy?

“Charlotte, is it? Is she named after anyone special?” I know it’s devious, trying to get Sam to tell me about his ex-fiancé when he’s not aware I know of her existence. As much as I want to take Hart’s advice, let the past stay forgotten and have faith, I want Sam to trust me enough to tell me what happened between them.

“Nah, just the name I gave her. She took to it just fine, though. When I’m not on the Harley, Charlotte and I paint the town red. She’s a real bitch on wheels, this one.”

Hmm, maybe the car’s named after his ex after all… Sam leans against the driver’s side door, his tour around Charlotte complete. His eyes beckon me forward, but I’m stiff with indecision. I hold his gaze, letting unasked questions pass between us. He smiles at me and I try to return his smile, but I can’t match his sincerity.

“What’s going on, Ellie?”

“What do you mean?” I ask, looking around the garage, looking at everything but him.

“You weren’t really sick, were you?”

His question startles me into looking at him. His brow is relaxed and his arms are spread wide across the car’s roof as he leans back against the door, patiently waiting for my answer. How can he be so calm when I feel as though a tornado is spinning inside of me? “No,” I admit, shrugging, “I wasn’t.”

Sam nods his head and brings his arms down off the car, placing a hand in a jean pocket. “Then I guess you were just avoiding me?”

“Sort of, I mean, not really. I just needed some time to process this,” I say, motioning between us.

“This?”

“This thing that’s happening between us.”

“And what’s happening between us, exactly?”

I’m flustered, irritated by his relaxed questioning. “You know what I’m talking about,” I charge.

“Ellie, the only thing I know is that I’m enjoying spending time with you, and I thought you were enjoying spending time with me too.”

“I am, but it’s not as easy as all of that.”

“It can be if you’ll let it.”

I shake my head, running my hands through my hair as I turn, exasperated, away from him. “No, it’s not and you can’t just will it to be. We have baggage. Pasts we’d both rather forget.”

Sam pushes away from the car and walks across my line of vision, standing just out of reach. “What’re we talking about here, your ex-boyfriend?” His tone is harsh and I watch as his patience is replaced by frustration. The muscles in his jaw clench as he works to carefully control his words. “Cause I thought we moved beyond him the other night.”

The memory of Clara’s bar, of the way he held me to him as we danced, hits me square in the chest. “It’s not about him, exactly.”

“Then what’s it about?”

I want to tell him it’s about his past and his reluctance to open up to me, but I want him to do so willingly. I need him to understand the dangerous game he’s playing with my heart. “You don’t know what I’ve been through in the past, what I’ve had to get over, and the truth is, I don’t know you either. I’m not sure I’m capable of jumping in with both feet, Sam. It scares me, not knowing whether or not I can trust you.”

He’s quiet for a moment and, although his jaw relaxes, his eyes remain stormy. “I don’t have anything to hide from you.”

Amber’s warning rings in my head. They’re not alarm bells, but they still give me pause. If he has nothing to hide from me, why can’t he just tell me about his ex-fiancé? It’s a pretty big secret to keep. “I can’t get my heart broken, not again.”

Sam turns to me, his face full of emotion. “I will never break your heart.”

“How can you promise me that?”

“Because the first time I saw you, you took my breath away, and it wasn’t until I walked into that bar three weeks ago that I felt like I could breathe again.” He takes three purposeful steps, stopping just in front of me. His eyes are wide and bright, full of truth and heavy with desire.

I can’t think anymore so I lunge forward and attach my lips to his. My body is acting on faith even if my heart is still undecided. He grabs my hip with one hand, bringing me solidly against him as his other hand snakes up my body to hold the back of my neck. His tongue sweeps against my mouth and I respond by sucking his top lip between my own. My hands find their way into his hair and I thread my fingers between the thick strands, pulling his head even closer to mine. I feel my body shaking slightly, humming in response to the electric charge I feel whenever he touches me.

Sam releases my tingling lips and kisses my neck just below my ear. “This is my favorite spot,” he says, nibbling at the area that drives me crazy.

“Yeah, the evidence of just how much you like it is hiding beneath three layers of makeup,” I tease.

Sam brings his head up, his playful smile pushing aside my doubts for now. “Is that what was going on at the Bath Shop the other day? I gave you a hickey, and you were trying to hide it?”

“Trying and failing.” I laugh. “You may have to find a new favorite spot to bestow your affections on me. One that isn’t quite so…obvious.”

“A challenge I’ll happily accept.” Sam runs a hand through my hair, holding on to the back of my head, keeping my gaze focused on him. “I know you’ve been hurt before,” he says, his hazel eyes fixed on me, “and I know it may take some time, but will you try to trust me?”

Having been around my fair share liars in the past, I’m a pretty good judge of sincerity. I can tell Sam believes that what he’s telling me is the truth, and every fiber of my being is telling me to leap and have faith in him. “Yes, I’ll try.”

“That’s all I need to hear.” Sam grabs my hands and pulls me forward toward the shiny black Chevy. As we reach the car, he opens the heavy driver’s side door. “Hey, Ellie?” he asks, folding the front seat forward and revealing a large and comfy looking backseat. “Have you ever made it to second base in the back of an old car before?”

“I can’t say that I have,” I say, unable to keep the smile from my face.

“Want to correct that?”

I look down at our clasped hands and then back to his face which looks honest and open. Maybe Hart was right and the past is better left where it belongs, behind us. If I’m going to try and trust him, I may as well start right now. “Alright, but don’t go telling any of your friends at school. They’ll think I’m easy.”

“I hope for my sake, you are,” he says, his smile eager and devilish.

Sam climbs into the backseat and waits for me to follow him inside. Once I’m through the door he grabs my hips and pulls me onto his lap. When he deftly unhooks my bra through the fabric of my dress, I let go of any lingering hesitation. My pulse, racing in anticipation of being with him again, has only confirmed what I’ve known since the first time I saw him. When it comes to Sam James, there’s no place where my heart can hide.

I surreptitiously feel the cotton pillowcase beneath my head for evidence of drool. In the movies, women always wake up with perfectly tousled hair, spotless skin and remarkably fresh breath. Of course, reality is a little different. I stretch out my arm, fingertips searching for the strap of my purse that’s lying on the floor next to the bed. I’m hoping there’re a few errant Tic-
Tacs
lingering in the bottom. Jackpot.