If I Had You (Christmas In Harper Falls) by Mary J. Williams Page A

straightened. Her only consolation was she
    could blame her red face on her head being upside down instead of
    embarrassment. If she was honest, the two were equally to blame.
    “Do you often let dubious romance novels guide your sex
    play?”
    “This was the first time,” Lila admitted. When Sam
    began to laugh, she gave him a dirty look. “Hey, it worked for Lance and
    Angelique.”
    “Honey, those names alone should give you pause. Lance?
    As in, his lance thrust into her pleasure hole?”
    Lila lost it. She collapsed onto the sofa in a fit of
    giggles. It wasn’t just the words; it was who said them. Sam Laughton, big, bad
    entertainment mogul spewing horribly dated romance novel euphemisms. If they
    weren’t naked, she would have wished for a camera.
    “You need to get with the times, my friend. These days,
    authors call a spade a spade. Or in this case, a cock a cock.”
    “Maybe,” Sam conceded. “But Lance? Come
    on.”
    Hours later, lying in Sam’s arms, Lila smiled. He could be
    so silly. Making her laugh in unexpected ways. Then, on the turn of a dime, he
    became a focused, passionate lover. At those times, she felt they were the only
    two people in the world — that she was the only woman he could ever want with
    such single-minded intensity. If she saw something that wasn’t there, she
    didn’t want to know. For the next day and a half, Sam was hers. When he left?
    Lila mentally shrugged. She refused to miss him before he was gone.
    “I can almost hear your mind working,” Sam
    whispered. He nuzzled the side of her neck. “I thought I wore you out.
    What has you awake when you should be resting up for our next mind-blowing
    sexual escapades?”
    I’m going to miss you. I can’t begin to comprehend how
    much. You’ve become important. Too important. Who will I talk to late at night?
    Whose silly jokes will I laugh at? Who will make love to me with white-hot
    passion, and then hold me as if I’m made of spun glass? And how can I tell you
    any of this? The answer was simple. She couldn’t.
    “Lila? Honey? Is something wrong?”
    “Yes.” Lila wound her arms around Sam’s neck.
    “It’s been a whole fifteen minutes since you kissed me.”
    Sam knew there was more to it. Her tense shoulders, the
    sadness in her eyes. But he let it go — didn’t push. For Lila’s sake. And his
    own.
    “A whole fifteen minutes?” Sam rolled her underneath
    him. “How have you survived?”
    Good question , Lila thought. She lifted her mouth,
    taking Sam’s kiss. Savoring. How would she survive ?
     
    “HELLO, STRANGER. I was wondering if I would see you
    before you left town.”
    Sam smiled. Rose yelled the words as she hurried across the
    street. He took the overflowing canvas bags from her hands.
    “Did you cancel tonight’s party?”
    “No,” Rose said. She gave him a friendly kiss on
    the cheek, efficiently rubbing away the dab of lipstick she’d left behind.
    “Those bags are full of last minute party necessities. I thought you and
    Lila might opt out. Word around town is you only venture out to walk the
    dog.”
    “Are people saying nasty things about Lila?”
    “Of course not,” Rose laughed. “She is
    universally adored. You’re both legal and single. The men are jealous. The
    women are envious. Why would you think otherwise?”
    “Harper Falls is a small town.”
    “Peyton Place.” Rose smiled. “You need to
    update your reading material, Sam.”
    “That’s the second time in the past day someone’s told
    me that.”
    “Sounds like a story.”
    Sam shook his head. “A private one.”
    “Those are the best kind.” Rose hooked her arm
    through his. “Where is the lady in question?”
    “She had a shipping snafu to wade through.” Sam
    escorted Rose to her car. “She’s meeting me in a few minutes for
    lunch.”
    “Any chance you’ll be sticking around after
    tomorrow?”
    “No,” Sam said firmly. He loaded her bags into the
    trunk. “Why would you ask?”
    “You