The Jock (12 page)

Sam
threw his head back and laughed. Candy always could dish it out as quickly as
it was given to her. "Nah. Not lately, sweetheart."

Sam
stopped a passing waiter and offered glasses of champagne to everyone assembled
around him. Harry accepted it and thanked him, then took his leave, needing to
use every available moment to mingle with potential contributors and voters.
"So Can, how does it feel to be a famous romance author?"

Candy
frowned. "About as interesting as it feels to be a famous baseball player
I would imagine."

Sam
snorted. "That bad, huh?"

Candy
considered that for a drawn out moment. "No, I like it most of the time.
But sometimes I want to spread my wings and try other things."

Gwenyth
chuckled, bemused. "Sometimes?" She shook her head, grinning widely.
"That black eye Webster Carr gave me was due to one of Candy's attempts at
'spreading her wings'."

Sam
smiled halfheartedly, not caring overmuch to talk about a man he planned to
tear apart one day in the not too far off future. Still, he could hardly be
rude. "How so?"

Gwenyth's
dimples popped out as she grinned at her best friend. "Candy decided to
try out tabloid journalism, so she talked me into following her into the woods
to snap the now infamous photos of Senator Green and
the NAMers."

Candy
winced. "I still feel guilty about that."

Sam
needed to change the subject. He didn't want to think about Webster Carr. He
could already feel his blood pressure rising. He inclined his head toward
Candy. "I take it you gave it up?"

"Yeah.
I decided that I was born to write. For now," she added with a wink and a
grin.

"You're
a hell of a good romance writer, Can. That last book you had out a few months
back..." Sam whistled through his teeth. "Steamy."

Gwenyth
smiled up at Sam. "
'The Spinster Virgin'
was one of my favorites
too."

Brian's
ears perked up. He turned to Candy, his eyes widening. "You're
that
Candy Crawford? You wrote '
The Spinster Virgin'?"

Candy
noticed Brian standing there for the first time. Her jaw went slightly agape.
Good lord the man was gorgeous! "Y-yes," she stammered out. "One
in the same."

Sam
shook his head, vexed with himself. "Where are my manners? Candy, please
meet my friend Brian Goodman, starting pitcher for the New England Crusaders. Brian,
this here is my Gwen's best friend Candy Crawford."

My
Gwen?

Gwenyth
hadn't missed that little two-letter "my" Sam had used to describe
her with. The butterflies grew worse.

Candy
and Brian smiled into each other's eyes and shook hands. The tension radiating
between them was palpable. Candy was the first to break through the haze. She
turned from him discreetly and cleared her throat. "A pleasure,
Brian."

"Likewise,
Candy."

Gwenyth
bit her lip and leered at Candy knowingly. For all her best friend's talk, she
was just as nervous around an interesting, good-looking man as Gwen was. Candy
glared briefly at Gwenyth, wishing like hell she had a piece of bubble gum to
chew on. "Well then, shall we eat?"

Harry's
campaign dinner was a smashing success. With the election only two weeks away,
Gwenyth could only hope that the momentum of the evening carried through to
Super Tuesday.

Sam
sat next to Gwenyth throughout dinner, his manner toward her very proprietary.
His arm had remained draped across the back of her chair the entire evening,
straying occasionally only long enough to brush her cheek or rub the nape of
her neck.

Granddad
Willy had raised his eyebrow questioningly at one point, but after meeting
Sam's authoritative gaze, had acquiesced with dignity, inclining his head in
approval of their courtship. A noble gesture on Granddad's part. An extremely
paternal gesture. A gesture that had Gwenyth worrying her lip half the evening.
It seemed that everything was moving a bit fast.

Sam
had lost his cool only once throughout the seven-course meal. Thankfully, that
once had been obvious to no one but family. The incident had occurred after
Trevor approached their table. The lawyer had kissed her cheek and gushed
profusely over how gorgeous she looked. Trevor had ogled her chest
embarrassingly. Gwenyth had immediately felt Sam tense in reaction, the muscles
in his arm bunching up behind her neck. In retaliation, Sam had nuzzled
Gwenyth's ear with his teeth. Verlene had looked away, hiding a smile behind her
raised glass of champagne.

Three
hours later, Gwenyth shed her clothes and plopped into bed naked. She was too
exhausted to worry about putting on a nightgown. Between having to stay on her
best behavior for Harry's benefit and the overwhelming feelings for Sam that
seemed to grow more and more overwhelming with each passing minute, she was all
wore out.

And
depressed.

Yes,
damn it, she could admit it... the thought of leaving Sam tomorrow morning to
get on a plane and go to LA was not as appealing as it should have been. She
should have welcomed the respite, cherished the time away to collect her
thoughts, but truth be told she was dreading it. Sam Trevianni had managed to
wiggle his way back into her every thought in the span of a few short days as if
he'd never left them. Another depressing thought.

Gwenyth
exhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes to go to sleep. She needed to get
some rest. She could sort all of this madness out while she was in California.
Tomorrow, after all, was another day.

* * * * *

Gwenyth
awoke to the feel of Sam thrusting gently into her body. The muscles in his
neck were corded, his biceps bulging as he stroked in and out of her at a
leisurely pace. When her eyelids fluttered open and she met his gaze, he
crooked his face down to kiss her. "I missed you, Cupcake," he
whispered thickly. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensation of
being inside of her tight passage. "God baby, you feel so good."

Gwenyth
wrapped her thighs around Sam's narrow waist, clinging to him as tightly as she
could. When they were like this, making love, being a part of each other, she
had no doubts as to how she felt about him.

She
was in love with him.

Sam
groaned softly then picked up the pace of his thrusts. His hands sought out her
nipples as his hips rotated, grinding into her body until she climaxed. He
continued to work at her nipples the way she liked best, grabbing them at the
root and pulling gently but firmly to the crest, over and over. Never stopping.
Never relenting.

Gwenyth
climaxed again.

Sam
felt the second set of tremors course through her body, pulling him deeper
inside of her, closer to her core. Knowing his orgasm was coming on quickly, he
kissed Gwenyth fully on the mouth, his tongue delving inside to meet with hers.
She felt the vibrations of the low rumble in his throat as he thrust once more
before spurting his orgasm deep inside of her.

They
fell asleep together, clinging to one another, their bodies knowing the needs
of their hearts far better than their minds did.

Not
that their minds weren't learning. It was more a matter of accepting what their
hearts already had.

* * * * *

Gwenyth
smiled sweetly toward the front desk clerk after the affable older woman handed
her the card key to her hotel room. She nodded once in thanks then followed the
bellhop to the set of polished silver elevators just off the main entrance to
the lobby.

Two
minutes later, Gwenyth was shown into her suite and her suitcases were set next
to the bed. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a ten to tip the bellhop
with, but he held out a hand to forestall her. "The Vantrys have already
seen to that."

Indeed,
Gwenyth mused, the Vantrys had seen to everything so far. They had treated her
well during her last assignment, but this time around they were sparing no
expense in seeing to her comforts.

It
was a nice feeling.

Not
because Gwenyth's hotel suite was large and elegant, or even because of the
first class treatment she'd received since stepping off the plane this
afternoon. That had been nice—very nice. But Gwenyth was a simple person of
simple tastes.

The
real reason she was basking in the star treatment the Vantrys were bestowing
upon her was because it was a symbol of the fact that she was truly making it
in her own right. Her name wasn't taking second stage to Verlene's any longer,
the way it had been when she'd first formed
Jones
& Jones
with
Grandmama. Respect for her own unique abilities, Gwenyth decided, felt
extremely good.

Gwenyth
smiled after the bellhop as she watched him take his leave. Once the door to
the suite was firmly closed behind him, she did another quick check on her
photography equipment to make certain that nothing had been damaged during the
trip upstairs. Certain all was as it should be, she plopped down onto the bed
and reached for the phone to call home and let Willy and Verlene know she'd
made it to LA in one piece.

"Fine,
sugar. Call me tomorrow to let me know how it went. I have a proposal I want to
go over as well." Verlene bit the tip of her pen as she stared at the
sheet in front of her. "Looks like Martel was so pleased with your efforts
in the 'Kiss me' line that he wants
Jones
& Jones
to come
back and catalog his 'Touch Me' line after the new year."

Gwenyth
squealed excitedly into the telephone connection, causing Verlene to chuckle.
"Really? He said that?"

"Uh
huh. And Martel's newest collection is huge, sugar. We'll have to work together
on this one."

Gwenyth
smiled sentimentally. "That's wonderful news, Grandmama. We haven't gotten
to work side-by-side in over two years."

Verlene
agreed. "I know it. I believe Granddad is going to join us this time
around since the entire shoot will last two or more weeks from start to
finish."

Gwenyth
clicked open a pen laying on the desk next to the bed and began to absently
doodle on a notepad the hotel had left for her use. "Where is it located
at this time?"

"Aix-en-Provence."

Gwenyth's
voice turned wistful. "A beautiful village. Perhaps the loveliest in all
of France, which is saying a lot. I'm certain you and Granddad will enjoy spending
time together there."

"I'm
certain we will as well. Do you think Sam will enjoy it?"

Gwenyth's
face flushed. She cleared her throat, but her trill tone gave away her racing
heart. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Verlene
chuckled. She clucked her tongue in a gesture of mock exasperation.
"Sugar, we all know. We have eyes, you do realize."

Gwenyth
frowned into the phone. Her grandmother was obviously referring to Sam's
proprietary behavior toward her at Harry's campaign dinner. The memory of the
way he'd possessively monopolized her presence should have annoyed her.
Instead, it caused this ridiculous warm feeling to trickle through her veins.
"I do realize."

A
charged silence followed. Finally, Verlene broke it, albeit hesitantly.
"What do you plan to do, sugar?"

Gwenyth
sighed. "I just don't know," she admitted morosely.

"You've
always loved him, sugar."

"I
know."

"But?"

Gwenyth
audibly blew out a breath. "But I don't know that he feels the same way
about me."

Verlene
snorted rather inelegantly.

"I'm
serious, Grandmama." She tapped the pen impatiently on the notepad.
"He's never come out and said that he feels anything other than just lust
for me."

Verlene
was silent for a moment. And then, "have you given away the cow yet,
Gwen?"

"Grandmama!"
Gwenyth's cheeks flamed. "I refuse to discuss such an awkward topic with
you!"

"Uh
huh. You've given him the cow."

Verlene
sighed deeply, inducing Gwenyth's blush to brighten further. "Are you
disappointed in me, Grandmama?" she asked quietly.

"Heavens
no, Gwenyth Marie! You know I'd be the last person to balk at a little tussle
between the sheets."

"But?"

"But
please Gwen, don't bring home any fatherless calves, hm?"

Gwenyth
winced in reaction. She could understand her grandmother's concern. "I'm
on the pill. Don't worry about that, Grandmama."

Ten
minutes and a lecture on responsible sexual practices later, Gwenyth hung up
the phone and lifted the room service menu from the cradle of the desk.
Ravenous was the only word to describe the hunger pangs gnawing at her belly.
She hadn't eaten much on the plane, seeing as how airline food had never been
high on her list of must-haves.

Gwenyth's
concentration on the room service menu in front of her was broken when a
pounding on the hotel room door jarred her attention. Sighing, she rose to open
it. The pounding grew louder, causing her blood to all but boil over. Agitated,
she called out a couple words of warning.
"I'm coming!'"