"Hmmm," Sam muttered, her eyes focused on my lips.
I stood there for a second, waiting, and then sighed in relief when Sam moved in and bridged the distance between us. Her soft lips covered mine, and I could taste the cherry-flavored gloss she had on her lips. It nearly pushed me over the edge.
Our mouths fused and our tongues tangled. Sam stepped closer, molding her body seductively against mine. I placed my hand on the small of her back and drew her tighter against me so she could feel the effect she was having on my body.
It seemed like ages since I"d tasted her.
I pulled back, my body screaming at my betrayal, and put some distance between us. The sight of her swollen lips and heavy-lidded eyes almost broke my resolve, but I wanted to give her an evening to remember, and not just take her quickly on the ratty old couch.
"How about that wine?" I asked, my voice a little shaky.
Sam just stood there for a moment before she nodded. She looked like she was in a daze, and I knew exactly how she felt.
I poured us each a gla.s.s of wine as she sat down on the couch. I grimaced at the sight of her delicate skin against the burnt orange of my uglier-than-h.e.l.l sofa.
I don"t think I"d ever realized how ugly that thing was until I saw Sam sitting on it. I needed to get some new furniture.
Sam didn"t seem to mind though. She took a sip of her wine and smiled at me as I sat down next to her.
"It"s good," she said.
"I wasn"t sure what to get," I admitted. "This is the first bottle of wine I"ve ever bought."
She grinned at my admission. "You did a good job. Reds are my favorite." She reached up and rubbed her shoulder for a minute before dropping it back to her lap.
"You hurt yourself?" I asked, gesturing to her shoulder.
"Huh?" Sam looked confused for a moment. "Oh, I"m a little sore from picking up Karrie. She"s getting bigger, but she still wants to be carried whenever possible."
"I can rub it for you."
"You can?" Sam looked surprised by the offer.
I"d offer to lick her toes if it meant I got to put my hands on her.
"Sure," I replied, trying to sound innocent. "Lay down and I"ll give you a little ma.s.sage. I get them in the locker room all of the time. It helps a lot."
"Okay." She sounded a little unsure, but she set her gla.s.s on the coffee table and started to lie down.
"Wait," I said, not wanting her to lie on the sofa. I was starting to think that I would throw it out as soon as she left that evening. "I don"t want you to lie down on the couch, so why don"t we go back to my room?"
Sam looked dubious at that.
I held my hands up. "Just a ma.s.sageascouts honor."
I stood and held out my hand to help her up off the couch and then led her to my bedroom. I opened the door, forgetting about the setup I had ready until I heard Sam"s sharp intake of breath.
She walked in and looked at the flowers all around the room, then turned back to me, the surprise apparent on her face.
"Did you do all of this for me?"
s.h.i.t.
"Yeah. It"s no big deal. I just wanted the place to look nice."
Sam walked over and into my arms, hugging me tightly.
"It looks beautiful," she said, her eyes appearing suspiciously damp.
I really hoped she wasn"t going to cry.
"Go ahead and lay on the bed," I said, trying to distract her from the possibility of crying. I picked up a lighter and walked around the room, lighting the candles.
When I was done I walked toward the bed, my hands itching to touch Sam again.
She was on her stomach, her head turned to the side and her hair fanned out across my pillow. Her eyes were closed and she had a small smile on her lips. She was beautiful.
I really liked the way she looked in my bed.
My eyes were closed. I could smell the flowers and the calming scent of the candles throughout the room. I had a smile on my face. To say I was shocked when he opened the door was an understatement. I was floored. The last thing I"d expected was to see flowers covering every available surface of his bedroom.
It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.
I could feel him moving around the room, and my body tingled in antic.i.p.ation of his touch.
I heard him messing around in the corner, and then the music of Staind began to fill the room.
When his hands touched my shoulders I flinched, and then giggled.
"Okay?" Judd asked softly near my ear, causing goose b.u.mps to break out over me.
"Mmmhm," I murmured, wishing he would put his lips on that very spot.
With the music playing, the sweet scents surrounding me, and Judd"s strong hands kneading my shoulders, I began to relax.
It felt wonderful.
Judd"s hands traveled down my back, rubbing and putting pressure in all of the right areas. I moaned unintentionally and heard Judd breath in deeply, pausing his movements before continuing the ma.s.sage.
I was starting to drift when I felt Judd"s fingertips brush the side of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and suddenly I was wide awake. It felt like every nerve was standing on end. I became aware of every spot on my body where Judd"s hands touched, and I began to feel the warmth spread.
I shifted and tried to get control of my raging hormones, but my movement caused Judd"s hands to graze the top of my a.s.s, which seemed to trigger something in him.
The next thing I knew, Judd"s hands were focused on my a.s.s. Rubbing, kneading, caressing. He seemed to be enjoying the fullness he"d found there.
Judd"s hands moved up my sides, tickling me briefly, but before my brain had a chance to register that, his hands were at my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. His palms covered me, and I elevated myself slightly to give him better access.
I began to feel hot and light-headed.
He laid his body on top of mine, his erection pressing against the cushion of my a.s.s. I pushed up, rubbing against him and causing him to moan, the heat of his breath hitting me right below my ear. I moved my head to the side, hoping he would take the hint and put his mouth on my neck.
He did.
As he kissed his way down my neck, I swiveled my hips, pushing against him over and over, reveling anytime a grunt or groan was emitted from his lips.
I wanted to drive him crazy.
I arched my back and pushed even harder against him, trying to get the response I desired.
Judd removed his body from mine, but before I had a chance to protest he had me in his arms and was frantically pulling the clothes off my body. Caught in the frenzy, I worked to remove his clothes as well. Kissing and biting each other in between taking off each piece of clothing, I was fully turned on and eager to have him inside me.
When all of our clothes were in a heap on the floor, Judd fused his mouth to mine as his hands traveled lower, as if memorizing every inch of my body.
With a growl, Judd turned me, and I pressed my back up against the length of him. He moved my hair to the side and began nibbling up my neck, stopping to take my earlobe in his mouth and sucking it roughly.
He bent me over the bed and I put my hands out to hold me in place, moving my a.s.s as I did, rubbing against his naked flesh as he reached for the condom. Once it was on, he ran his hands up and down my back, and then fisted his hands in my hair and pulling as he entered me from behind. I cried out at the conflicting yet equally enjoyable sensations of pleasure and pain.
Judd thrust in and out, pounding as he entered, again and again. I held on and concentrated on pushing back, loving the places inside of me that he was able to reach in this position.
He reached around and began to caress me quickly, helping me build toward my release. I came with a moan and Judd followed quickly behind me.
He pulled out and I collapsed unceremoniously on the bed, exhausted and satisfied. When Judd curled up next to me, I leaned into him and smiled, inhaling deeply. He smelled incredible. I kissed his chest gently and he ran his hands through my hair.
I moved my head so I was looking up at him; his green eyes were crinkled at the side as he smiled down at me. We stayed like that for a few minutes, not saying anything, just enjoying the after-glow.
I was going to say something about finishing my ma.s.sage, but I remembered the babysitter and asked, "What time is it?"
Judd turned to look at his clock and said, "Almost six."
"I have to go soon," I responded with regret.
"I"d better feed you then," Judd said, getting up off the bed and pulling on his jeans. He helped me up, and I tried not to be distracted by his muscular torso and the happy trail leading into his jeans.
I sighed and picked up my clothes. d.a.m.n, he was hot. How did I ever end up here with him? I couldn"t help but wonder. He could definitely get any girl he wanted.
I watched his naked retreating back and sighed again.
I was a lucky girl.
I put my clothes on and stopped in the bathroom to clean up before going back out to meet him in the kitchen. He was plating the spaghetti ca.s.serole.
"Do you want fresh parmesan cheese on top?" he asked, cheese grater in hand.
"Yes, please," I answered. "It smells great."
"Thanks," Judd said with a smile, handing me a plate. "Sorry that I don"t have an actual dining room table. I usually just use the coffee table."
"That"s fine."
"I don"t usually have people over here, so it"s never been an issue."
"I don"t mind, Judd. Really," I said, trying to a.s.sure him. He"d been to my place, so he knew I wasn"t exactly living in a palace of my own.
I waited until he was seated with his food before I began to eat. After I swallowed the first bite I said, "This is wonderful."
Judd smiled broadly at me and said, "Thanks, my mom used to make it all of the time."
We enjoyed the food, and when we were done I took the plates to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. I was going to wash them, but Judd stopped me.
"Don"t worry about that, I"ve got *em."
"Okay." I turned to him and wrapped my arms around him. "I wish I didn"t have to go, but it"s a school night, so my babysitter needs to get home."
"Yeah, I wish you didn"t have to go too. I"d love to hang out and watch a movie or something," Judd responded, kissing me on the top of the head.
I pulled away and looked up at him. His face was laced with regret. This was one of the downsides of dating me. I wasn"t free to do whatever I pleased; I had a daughter to think about.
"Thanks for dinner and the ma.s.sage," I responded with a slight frown.
Judd leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss before saying, "Anytime."
I gathered my stuff, turning to him when I reached the door.
"Coffee tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," Judd said, brightening a bit.
I left him there, standing at the open door wearing only jeans and a smile.
It seemed like the last few weeks had flown by. I was deep into my last season of baseball, and we were kicking a.s.s and taking names. We were number one in the league and were starting to hear chatter about scouts coming down to a couple of the upcoming games.
My dad was doing well in rehab, and I had been able to see him a few times. He still seemed a little sad though. I was afraid that would never change.
Sam and I met for coffee every Monday and Wednesday, but with practice, games, and both of us working, it was hard to spend as much time together as I would have liked.
Today she and Karrie had come to the game. I saw them sitting high in the bleachers, and having them there fueled my desire play my best.
"Some of the guys are going to get drinks, you in?" Tuck asked as we were packing up our gear.
"Nah, I"ve got plans," I replied.
"Again? Looks like someone"s whipped," Tuck said with a laugh, slapping me on the arm.
"Whatever, man," I said, not taking the bait. "I"ll catch you at the gym tomorrow."
All of the guys headed to the locker room, but I headed out to catch Sam before she left. They were coming down the bleachers as I rounded the corner.
"Hey!" I shouted, trying to get their attention. Karrie saw me first and broke into a run.