Page 60 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

Sam couldn’t believe that at last, he had Becca in his arms and that she was like putty in his hands. He could feel her conflict, knew that it was there, but she’d given it over to something else. Him. He wouldn’t take that for granted.

She angled her body and tilted her chin, offering her mouth to him. With her tongue, she reached out and sampled his lower lip, dragging the tip across it. Every nerve ending he possessed there cried out for more.

Hungrily, he took her mouth, deepening the kiss. They parried and thrust with eager tongues and heightened passion. She clutched him and kneaded her fingers along his back, bunching his shirt up in her fists. Groaning, he pushed her deeper into the couch, smoothing his hand down over her breast while he continued to claim her mouth. His palm cradled her breast inside the cup of her bra. Warm, full, firm...and ripe for his touch. The thought raced through him and settled in his gut. Damn, how he wanted her. Wanted it to be right, wanted to take it slow, wanted not to risk anything to make this go away. He needed Becca, and he didn’t want to scare her off.

Lick the flame, she had said, and that surely meant that she wasn’t scared, right?

He found her nipple and pinched with it between two fingertips. She moaned and thrust her tongue deeper into his mouth. He sucked and played, teasing her with his own. But he wanted more. A whole lot more.

He removed his hand from her bra and lifted the hem of her t-shirt over her breast. The cup of her bra rode low on her full breast and he teased it away with his tongue. She had a perfect round areola, set dark against milky skin, tender and silky, ideal for sucking, licking...just right for him.

One flick of his tongue sent her arching into his mouth. He bore down, lifting her breast with a free hand and taking her fully.

Perfect, perfect. God, she was so damned perfect for him.

He needed more of her. Wanted her closer.

She must have been thinking the same thing for she was tearing at the buttons of his shirt. One by one, she unfastened them, stopping only long enough to allow him to strip her t-shirt over her head and unclasp her bra.

“Thank God,”

he hissed out.

“Skin to skin.”

“Yes.”

Her breasts seared against his chest.

“Damn, Becca. I never intended for us to go here tonight.”

“Don’t think, Sam.”

“Probably we should think.”

“No. Don’t.”

“But Becca, I don’t want you to regret...”

“Flames, Sam. Lick them. Fan the flames.”

If she said lick one more time, he was going to do just that.

“Now.”

Before he realized it, he’d removed her pants, panties, too, and was smoothing his hands along her satiny smooth thighs and seeking the one place he knew that would be the source of so much pleasure for them both.

He knew it. But...

“Kiss me,”

she said. “Please.”

When she said those kinds of things, he couldn’t resist. He positioned her on the couch and perched himself straddle over her. He started at her mouth, kissing and sucking, then slowly and methodically dragged his lips over her body, giving equal attention to both breasts and those sinful nipples, first one and then the other. He laved tender affection and deliberate caresses over them until he had his fill. She whimpered and moaned, squirmed and arched... Lower, he traveled, to explore her cute belly button and then further, to the v-shaped curly patch at her center and the delicate, sensitive crease between her leg and hip. Sliding his tongue lower and then finally, settling between her thighs.

Her musk spurred him on, made him crazy with desire.

At the first touch of his tongue to the pearl between her legs, she jumped and called out. Her fingers grasped his hair and she held him close. She was ripe and wet, and as his tongue played, he knew she would come fast.

And hard.

She shouted his name on the crest of her first shudder and panted repeatedly as he rode her until her tremors subsided and her legs fell back languid against the couch. He gave her a moment before continuing, lifting his face to watch hers. Her head lolled to one side, her hair fanned over one shoulder and breast, her face flushed, her breathing slowing.

He watched and knew that he was falling hopelessly in love with this minx. From the first, she had captured his attention like no other woman. When she opened her eyes, reached out for him, and said.

“Come here, make love to me,”

he knew he was over the top in love.

With as much haste as he could muster, Sam rid himself of his clothes. He fumbled in his pocket for his wallet and removed the lone condom that had taken up residence there for way too long. He quickly took care of business and then ensuring no more time for a reality check, he plunged into her. Her legs wrapped around him, and her arms held him tight. He pumped into her, her silky insides drawing him deep. Nearly as ripe for an explosive orgasm as she, he knew it wouldn’t be long before he would experience sweet release.

With his sweet Becca.

His. Becca.

The upsurge overtook him with unleashed abandon. He poured into her like it was his last dying deed and buried himself deeper inside like there would be no other chance to do so.

Shuddering, dizzy, and totally spent, he lay over her and savored the moment. Her hands gently caressed his back as his breathing evened. And all he wanted to do was possess her like this again, and again, and again....

It was Becca who spoke first, and the words she said weren’t exactly the ones he had expected to hear.

“I hope this wasn’t a mistake,”

she murmured. Alarm coursed through him.

He loved her. This could never be a mistake, unless....

He didn’t raise his head to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“It... So fast. Happened so fast.”

“You wanted it, Becca, as much as I did.”

She shivered a little beneath him.

“I would never have moved forward unless you hadn’t encouraged me to do so.”

“I know. I did. It’s not that. I lost control. I just needed. Oh hell, what you must think of me.”

She started to cry. Sam felt like a heel. And this was not how he wanted to feel at this moment.

“Becca? I care for you. I don’t think anything other than that. What’s wrong?”

“I... Oh hell, Sam. This was a mistake. Please, let me up.”

No... No.

But he sat back and let her up. He wanted to argue with her. Wanted to tell her how much he loved her. Wanted to sweep her off her feet and take her home with him for the rest of their lives.

The look on her face, however, told him to back off.

“Becca, this will be okay.”

“I’m not sure.”

“You will be okay. Nora will understand.”

He stood and found his pants and pulled them on. She glanced about and found her yoga pants too.

“It’s not about Nora,”

she said, slipping them back on.

“It’s about me. I shouldn’t have let this happen. I shouldn’t have been so eager. I don’t want to break Nora’s heart, of course, she’s had enough heartbreak. But this…”

“This isn’t about Nora, Becca. It’s about us. You and me. We did nothing wrong.”

She stared at him, not responding at first.

“I... I’m confused. I like you. I don’t want this to be casual. I don’t do casual well. But I don’t know if I want more, a relationship, and I... Oh hell, never mind.”

Casual.

“Becca, this was far from casual.”

And then he added.

“For me, at least.”

Her face screwed into a puzzled mess and she glanced away. Couldn’t make eye contact. What was going on here? Panic gripped him.

“What are you afraid of, Becca?”

She rose and reached for her t-shirt, holding it in front of her.

“I’m not afraid Sam. Of course, it is about Nora, in some ways. I don’t have a clue what I will say to her.”

“What about just saying, ‘Nora, I’m seeing Sam. I hope you’ll be happy for us.’”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Why? I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all.”

By now, he was convinced something else was going on. There was a little comfort in that. It wasn’t about him. It was about something else. He continued.

“Is that really what this is about, Becca? Or are you just afraid to try a relationship of your own?”

The stunned look on her face gave him his answer.

“You should go now, Sam.”

Bingo.

He dipped his head in a nod.

“All right.”

He quickly dressed without saying anything else but before he left, he stepped closer and hooked his forefinger under her chin.

With only a slight tip of her chin, he angled her face toward his, but resisted the temptation to reach out and kiss her mouth.

“Whatever you can’t say, Becca, it’s okay. I might walk out that door tonight but that doesn’t mean I’m walking out of your life. This was not a one-night stand. Think about what’s bugging you—and I’m pretty sure it isn’t only Nora—and then let’s talk. And truly, I mean talk.”

He dropped his hand and her gaze lowered to the floor.

There was one more thing he wanted to say.

“Oh, and Becca? Remember this. Whatever you think of yourself right now, forgot it. You’re worth it. You deserve to be happy, whether you think you do or not. I don’t regret one bit what happened here tonight, and I don’t think you should, either. In fact, I want to make love to you many more nights and not on your couch. Because I love you.”

Hell, the words fell from his mouth, openly and honestly. He did love her.

Finally, Becca lifted her face and looked into his eyes. Hers were misted over.

“Good night, sweetheart.”

Sam leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.

“I’ll give you space if that’s what you need to realize that you love me too.”

Then he, reluctantly, left.

****

It hadn’t been the easiest week of her life. Sam was scarce. Her mother kept asking questions. And all Nora could talk about was the upcoming shoot at Suzie’s. And Sam.

Sam. Sam. Sam.

Do you think Sam will like this dress?

I wonder what Sam will wear. Should I call him? Should we match?

Sam has the cutest butt, don’t you think?

I wonder what our first kiss will be like?

Ugh. Becca wasn’t sure how she’d endured five days of work with Nora without going crazy or blurting out, guiltily, that she and Sam had made mad passionate love on her sofa.

No. She couldn’t. It would hurt Nora.

Now that the week was through, and she’d had time to digest the entire situation, maybe things were different now.

From her vantage point, standing in her apartment looking out her kitchen window looking over Old Harbor Falls, Becca figured there was only one thing to do now. Tell Nora. And she had to tell her before ten o’clock this morning, when they were due at Suzie’s bed and breakfast, Sweet Hart Inn, to get ready for the shoot.

It wasn’t going to be easy. To say the least, Becca was a mite tired of listening to every rehashing of the plans, but by later in this day, it would all be over.

Thank goodness.

Becca had a plan of her own. She was to pick Nora up in fifteen minutes to take her to the inn. Somewhere during that time, Becca planned to tell Nora the truth. Or, the almost-truth. She would leave out the details about what happened on her couch, but she would tell her that she and Sam were, sort of, seeing each other.

But was that a crock, too? Wasn’t it?

She’d not seen Sam or talked to him all week. Of course, he was giving her time, right? What had he said? Time to realize that she loved him too? Did she?

Of course, she did. She’d contemplated that all week too.

She loved him. How could she not? He had captured her heart from first glance at Haven’s Hill a few weeks ago. Even though giving her space was difficult, it was a good thing. Her heart had grown around the idea of holding Sam inside it forever.

She loved him.

More reason to tell Nora the truth. The only way she would be able to move forward with Sam was to do it. Then she’d deal with her on insecurities.

Yes. Her mother was right. Sam was right. It was more than just Nora.

She’d let her one serious boyfriend rule her life.

She hadn’t let anyone get close.

Since the wham-bam in the car with the match date, she’d been over-cautious and unsure of herself. She hadn’t ever wanted to feel like that again.

She’d gone from one extreme to another—letting a man control her life to reckless abandon with a man who only wanted to get off and move on.

But Sam wasn’t like that. She knew that in her heart of hearts.

And she missed him. Her heart had ached all week. The only thing that kept her going were the last words he spoke before leaving Saturday night.

“No regrets”

an.

“I’m not walking out of your life”

were two things she’d held on to all week long. She’d searched her soul pondering those statements. And, of course, the three words.

“I love you.”

Becca moved out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. It was time for her to get moving. As she slipped into her jeans, her cell phone rang. Nora’s name popped up on the screen.

“Hey, Nora. I’ll be leaving soon to pick you up.”

Nora jabbered from the other side.

“But I thought you needed a ride?”

She listened for another few seconds.

“Oh, okay. I understand.”

She clicked off the phone and stared ahead. Nora was hitching a ride with Patricia, who had a rental car, so Nora could show her the way to Suzie’s. Well, all right then. So much for GPS.

Confession time would just have to happen in some other way, but it had to happen today. She knew that in her heart of hearts. Maybe it was better that she tell her after the shoot anyway. Then all would go well with the show, Nora wouldn’t be upset, and Patricia and Suzie would be pleased.

“And there I go again,”

she muttered to herself.

“Working around things to make everyone else happy and not myself.”

At least she realized why she was doing it now. That hadn’t always been the case.

****

Sam pulled into Suzie’s driveway with a knot as big as his fist firmly embedded in his gut, right under his ribcage.

Sometime in the night, the thing had appeared, and by morning it was nothing more than a big, fat ball of bundled nerves. It had been nearly a week since he’d seen Becca but that didn’t mean she wasn’t constantly on his mind. She was. Both nervous about seeing her, and how they would get through this taping, as well as how she would react around him, was eating him up inside.

He arrived early, just so he could settle himself in for a few minutes before everyone else arrived. If he knew Suzie, she’d have some cinnamon coffee brewing and with any luck, that might quell his nervous stomach.

God, how he’d missed Becca. It was going to be hell not to run to her and fold her into his arms.

He used the back entrance, as was his usual custom, and found both Suzie and Brad milling around in the kitchen.

“Hey, man!”

Brad greeted him with a handshake. He turned to Suzie.

“Look at Mr. TV Man here, Suze.”

Grinning, Suzie glanced his way while shuffling recipe cards and pouring a measuring cup of milk into a mixing bowl.

“Yeah, he’s quite our local celebrity, huh?”

“I’m afraid I’d rather leave that to you, Ms. Matthews.”

“Not the TV type?”

“No, ma’am. I’m ready for this to be over.”

“Oh!”

Suzie glanced out her kitchen window.

“Looks like the crew is here. There is a van and very nice car following them. Must be Patricia and Nora.”

Sam groaned a little and followed her gaze. Yep, there they were. The van, the car and, yes, Becca’s small sedan bringing up the rear. That ball in his gut clutched again.

“That’s everyone,”

he said, to no one in particular.

“Nope.”

Suzie shook her head.

“We have one more person coming.”