Warm & Willing

THE YELLOW BULB above the motel-room door cast Sarah’s face in a soft light. As they stood there, saying their good-nights, Sam was now absolutely certain she was the most exquisite woman he had ever met.

Throughout the evening he’d searched for excuses to touch her, longed for opportunities to kiss her. But then he’d remembered the little lie hanging between them and he’d stopped himself. There’d never seemed to be a perfect moment to tell her.

And now that their “date” was over, all he wanted to do was drag her inside to her bed and make love to her. Yet he knew that would mean crossing a line he didn’t want to. He’d always prided himself on being a gentleman. And though he really needed a woman right now, there were limits to how far he’d go to get one.

“I had a wonderful time tonight,” Sarah said, her gaze fixed on the front of his jacket.

“So did I,” he replied. He reached down and tucked a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear.

Sarah looked up at him and his pulse quickened. This was the moment when need usually overpowered common sense, the moment when a simple kiss would lead to a night in bed.

In the end, Sam didn’t have to make the choice—Sarah made it for him. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Not a sweet, gentle first-date kiss, but a hot, frantic take-me-to-bed-sailor kiss. At first, Sam wasn’t sure what to do. Though he’d had sex on the brain from the moment he’d set eyes on Sarah, he hadn’t expected her to take the lead.

Her body molded to his and with a low groan, Sam furrowed his fingers through her hair and deepened the kiss. His tongue dipped into her mouth, tasting the wine they’d shared earlier. He’d always enjoyed kissing women, but he’d looked at it as a necessary prelude to sex. Kissing Sarah was pure sex—it was powerful and stimulating and unsettling. The feel of her mouth on his, her hands skimming over his chest, instantly dissolved any indecision he might have had.

“Invite me in,” he whispered.

She fumbled with her purse, refusing to break their kiss, then pressed the key into his hand. Sam reached around to unlock the door and they both stumbled inside. The sound of the door closing was like a starter’s pistol and they immediately began to strip off their clothes.

She wanted him as much as he wanted her, that much was clear. Sam had never been so desperate to feel a woman’s skin beneath his hands, to revel in the soft curves of her body. When their jackets and sweaters lay on the floor around their feet, he slid his palms up to cup her breasts through her lacy bra.

“Take it off,” she whispered against his mouth.

Sam reached around and unhooked her bra. She let it slip along her arms and drop to the floor. Then he quickly tugged his T-shirt over his head and pulled her back into his embrace. When skin touched skin and her breasts brushed against his chest, desire flooded his senses.

“This doesn’t mean I’m going to take you to Sam Morgan,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

Sarah furrowed her fingers through his hair and gently tugged his head back. She met his gaze. “And I’m not doing this because I want you to take me to Sam Morgan,” she countered. “This is just about the sex, pure and simple.”

“Then you expect we’re going to have sex?” Sam asked, grinning.

She returned his smile then let her hands drop to the button on his jeans. “We’re both adults, we both have needs. I didn’t invite you in to play Parcheesi.”

“There’s nothing standing in our way,” he countered. “Nothing except the rest of our clothes.”

“Then take them off.”

He bent down and untied his boots. She watched as he slid his jeans down and stepped out of them, kicking off his boots and socks along the way. “Better?” Sam asked, standing in just his boxers.

Her gaze drifted along his naked chest and she smiled. “Much better.”

“Now you,” he urged.

She unzipped her skirt and a moment later, she was standing in just her panties. Sam drew a deep breath and tried to focus his mind. Even in his dream, it hadn’t been so intense, so consuming.

He pulled her body against his, drawing her leg up along his hip. She wasn’t model thin or surgically enhanced or trainer toned. She was just…real, so soft and beautiful that he ached to touch every part of her.

His shaft strained against the fabric of his boxers, warm against her belly. Slipping his hands beneath her backside, Sam picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to the bed then knelt down on the mattress, carefully lowering her to the pillows.

Why was he so insane to have her? It wasn’t just a physical need with Sarah. He wanted to feel close to her, to connect in a way that was pure and perfect. He barely knew her, yet he was certain that if they shared this moment, he’d find something that had been lost to him long ago.

He’d never really surrendered completely to a woman, not body and soul. He’d always held part of himself back, certain that in doing so, he’d protect himself. He’d been taught early in his life that love could cause as much pain as it did happiness. For once, he wanted to forget his fears and just feel something again—something real.

As he stretched out beside her, she sighed softly and let her hand drift along his torso. Her touch sent a current racing through his body, awakening nerves that had been asleep for months. Slowly, they finished undressing each other, tossing aside what scraps were left between them until they were both naked.

Sam wanted to take her right then, to drag her beneath him and sink into her until he lost himself in her heat and damp. But suddenly a brief night of pleasure didn’t seem so appealing. He wanted to know that this wouldn’t be the only time he would make love to this special woman, that she would find her way into his bed again and again.

He stared down into her eyes, caressing her face with his fingertips. There was still a lie standing between them. But he didn’t care. It didn’t matter what had brought them together, all that mattered was this magic now between them. “All right,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on her lips. “I’ll take you to Sam Morgan.”

Sarah smiled, then crawled on top of him, weaving her fingers through his and pinning his arms above his head. “I’m glad we got that out of the way.” She kissed him lightly, then crawled off the bed.

With a soft groan, Sam sat up. “Where are you going?”

She picked up his jeans from the floor and withdrew his wallet, then held it out, just beyond his reach. Sam felt a sliver of fear shoot through him. All she had to do was open it and she’d find out that the man in her bed wasn’t really Charlie Wilbury. And that would probably be the end of their evening together. Maybe he ought to tell her the truth right now, before it blew up in his face.

He held his breath as she opened the wallet then smiled. “You must have been a Boy Scout,” she said.

“Why is that?” Sam asked warily.

She held up a strip of three condoms then tossed the wallet back on the floor. “Always prepared.” As she slowly crossed back to the bed, she opened one of the foil packages. “Were you thinking you might get lucky tonight?”

He’d hoped for luck. But this wasn’t just luck, having a woman like Sarah, holding her in his arms. This was something much more profound. He felt as if he were standing at a crossroads along the long trail that was his life. He could continue down the path he was on, taking pleasure when it was offered and then walking away without a second thought.

Or he could turn in a different direction, wander down another trail, and allow himself to feel all the emotions that went along with desire and need and passion. For the first time in his life, he wanted more. All this, inspired by the incredible woman before him. But was he really ready to accept the risks?

Sam braced himself for her touch, trying to maintain control as she sheathed him. “It isn’t luck,” he murmured. “I knew we’d end up here. It was fate.” He grabbed her hand to keep her from sending him over the edge right then and there. “Maybe we should take this a little slower,” he suggested, his gaze skimming over her naked body.

“I’ve waited too long already,” she said as she crawled back on top of him.

“So have I.” Days, months, years. For whatever reason, he somehow felt it had all led to this point in his life. But now, it was time to let the past go and surrender to the present.

Sam trailed a finger from her shoulder to her breast, teasing at her nipple. When she closed her eyes, a thrill raced through him. He wanted to learn what made her moan, wanted to memorize every reaction so that he knew her body like no other man had. He grabbed her hips and brought her closer. Her expression gradually shifted from anticipation to sheer bliss as she settled herself above him, the tip of his shaft slipping inside her a tiny bit at a time.

Though they’d begun unhurriedly, passion soon overcame restraint. She moved above him, her eyes closed, her head tipped back. He watched her, sensing the subtleties in her expression as her pleasure mounted. Waves of desire washed over him, and he tried to focus, but the urge to come made it impossible to think rationally anymore.

Though it had been months since he’d had sex, somehow it felt as if he’d never been with a woman before. Every sensation with Sarah was new, extreme, electric, her body a perfect match for his. Sam reached up and drew her toward him, his lips searching for hers, craving the taste of her mouth.

It felt so right, his body one with hers, and everything else between them stripped away. He didn’t want to come yet, but there was nothing he could do to slow her pace. So he reached between them and began to stroke her at the spot where they were joined, teasing her sensitive nub with his fingers, urging her toward her own release.

Sarah sighed softly and began to move faster and he knew she was close. And then she froze, her eyes opening and her breath catching in her throat, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. Their gazes met and in that instant, he felt the connection, an absolute surrender between them.

A moan slipped from her lips and then she tumbled over the edge, convulsing around him, sinking down until he was buried deep inside of her. A moment later, Sam joined her, giving over to the shudders that wracked his body, driving into her one last time.

When the last of their passion had been spent, he gently drew her down beside him, pulling the bedcovers over them both. He closed his eyes as he languidly toyed with her hair, his lips pressed against her forehead.

For so long, he’d been all alone in the world, with no one to trust but himself. First his mother, then his father, and then his best friend, they’d all left him, taking tiny bits of his heart along with them until there was barely enough left to pump blood through his body.

Sam pressed his hand to his chest and felt the beat, sure and strong. He was still alive and he could still feel something. And though he wasn’t sure what it was, he did know that Sarah Cantrell had made it happen.