bad moments for you.”
“Not your fault, Sam. I have insecurities of my own. I just don’t usually let anyone know.”
He turned her around and lifted her chin with his rough fingertips. “Andrea, you’ve still got Buck. I don’t have anybody. Now my house is hurt too.”
“I know, Sam. I’m sorry.”
“Andrea, love, please, I need you to hold me. Let me hold you. Let us comfort each other,” he said softly.
“Yes.” She moved into his arms and pressed herself against him. For a long time he just held her, caressing her back and her arm. He didn’t kiss her. He nuzzled her cheek and murmuredlow comforting words that made holding each other seem right. He needed to be held. She understood that need. With that sudden truth, she accepted the knowledge that she wanted this man, his tenderness and his strength.
“It feels right,” he said in a low tight voice, “being close. But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered as her legs turned to water, and she allowed him to draw her down to the ground. Sam’s arms moved from her back to her shoulders. He was on his knees, facing her. She felt it again, that invisible blanket of sensation that wrapped around her whenever he touched her. Except now the blanket was surrounding him too.
His hand left her shoulder and played lightly down her neck. He skimmed the tops of her breasts through the soft cotton of her shirt, never relinquishing the intensity of his gaze.
Then his hand was underneath, lifting the shirt, touching her bare skin. His gaze followed the path of his fingertips. Her heavy breasts were encased by sheer lace that accentuated the full peak of her nipples.
Sam didn’t talk anymore, and neither did Andrea. She knew that all along she’d been fighting the attraction she felt. She’d convinced herself that Sam’s coming to town had only rekindled the memories she’d suppressed, memories of loving David and the pain of losing him.
But it wasn’t David who filled her mind. Nor was it the sudden loneliness. She was being forced to examine the everlasting sameness of her life, not as security, but as an escape. Sam stayed onthe move, and she remained in one place. But their motives were the same. They both wanted to be safe.
The rough texture of his fingers touching her breast through the lace sent shivers of desire through her, and she trembled. With each stroke of his fingertips the trembling intensified. Sam lifted his gaze, and she saw the plea in his eyes as he caught her chin with his other hand. Then with a groan of anguish, he kissed her. She couldn’t hold back a whimper as she swayed against him, following his body willingly to the warm, thick grass beneath the trees. And the kiss she returned was wrought with a need that closed out the orchard and everything else in her world.
Rolling over, he pulled her on top of him and locked her against him. His tongue was more demanding than his hands, and he plundered and examined every part of her mouth. At last, tearing his lips away, he lifted her, shifting her upward so that he could reach her breasts. Arching her back, she offered her body to him so that he could work from one aching nipple to the other. She wanted to feel his mouth on her—here—now, not in her bed as she’d imagined during the hot sleepless hours she’d paced her bedroom floor.
“Andy? Are you out there?” Ed Pinyon called out from the yard below.
“Hell!” Sam stiffened and rolled over, thrusting Andrea away as he sprang to his feet and rushed forward to meet whoever was moving up the hill in their direction. Andrea caught her breath and lay in unsated misery for a moment before she realized what he’d done. Certainly he was asaroused as she, yet he’d gone forward to intercept their intruder, giving her precious moments to put herself back together.
She sat up, lifting her breasts to hook the bra that had come unfastened sometime along the way. Damn Ed Pinyon for coming after her.
“Not your fault, Sam. I have insecurities of my own. I just don’t usually let anyone know.”
He turned her around and lifted her chin with his rough fingertips. “Andrea, you’ve still got Buck. I don’t have anybody. Now my house is hurt too.”
“I know, Sam. I’m sorry.”
“Andrea, love, please, I need you to hold me. Let me hold you. Let us comfort each other,” he said softly.
“Yes.” She moved into his arms and pressed herself against him. For a long time he just held her, caressing her back and her arm. He didn’t kiss her. He nuzzled her cheek and murmuredlow comforting words that made holding each other seem right. He needed to be held. She understood that need. With that sudden truth, she accepted the knowledge that she wanted this man, his tenderness and his strength.
“It feels right,” he said in a low tight voice, “being close. But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered as her legs turned to water, and she allowed him to draw her down to the ground. Sam’s arms moved from her back to her shoulders. He was on his knees, facing her. She felt it again, that invisible blanket of sensation that wrapped around her whenever he touched her. Except now the blanket was surrounding him too.
His hand left her shoulder and played lightly down her neck. He skimmed the tops of her breasts through the soft cotton of her shirt, never relinquishing the intensity of his gaze.
Then his hand was underneath, lifting the shirt, touching her bare skin. His gaze followed the path of his fingertips. Her heavy breasts were encased by sheer lace that accentuated the full peak of her nipples.
Sam didn’t talk anymore, and neither did Andrea. She knew that all along she’d been fighting the attraction she felt. She’d convinced herself that Sam’s coming to town had only rekindled the memories she’d suppressed, memories of loving David and the pain of losing him.
But it wasn’t David who filled her mind. Nor was it the sudden loneliness. She was being forced to examine the everlasting sameness of her life, not as security, but as an escape. Sam stayed onthe move, and she remained in one place. But their motives were the same. They both wanted to be safe.
The rough texture of his fingers touching her breast through the lace sent shivers of desire through her, and she trembled. With each stroke of his fingertips the trembling intensified. Sam lifted his gaze, and she saw the plea in his eyes as he caught her chin with his other hand. Then with a groan of anguish, he kissed her. She couldn’t hold back a whimper as she swayed against him, following his body willingly to the warm, thick grass beneath the trees. And the kiss she returned was wrought with a need that closed out the orchard and everything else in her world.
Rolling over, he pulled her on top of him and locked her against him. His tongue was more demanding than his hands, and he plundered and examined every part of her mouth. At last, tearing his lips away, he lifted her, shifting her upward so that he could reach her breasts. Arching her back, she offered her body to him so that he could work from one aching nipple to the other. She wanted to feel his mouth on her—here—now, not in her bed as she’d imagined during the hot sleepless hours she’d paced her bedroom floor.
“Andy? Are you out there?” Ed Pinyon called out from the yard below.
“Hell!” Sam stiffened and rolled over, thrusting Andrea away as he sprang to his feet and rushed forward to meet whoever was moving up the hill in their direction. Andrea caught her breath and lay in unsated misery for a moment before she realized what he’d done. Certainly he was asaroused as she, yet he’d gone forward to intercept their intruder, giving her precious moments to put herself back together.
She sat up, lifting her breasts to hook the bra that had come unfastened sometime along the way. Damn Ed Pinyon for coming after her.
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