River of Love(5)

“Faith, I don’t cheat on women. Jesus, that’s what you think of me?”

She looked down at his hand, wishing the electric shock traveling through her wasn’t such a turn-on. “Come on, Sam. You don’t have to deny it. It’s not like I’m judging you.” She twisted out of his grip, instantly missing his touch and hating how it felt to say those things to him. She didn’t like thinking about Sam any way, because she shouldn’t think about him. But he was always there, lingering in the back of her mind. The sweet man who flirted with her at her office, the sexy dancer she’d seen out on the town, and the man who’d implored her to dance with him last night.

The type of guy who would hurt me if I let him in.

His serious stare nearly leveled her. “I do not cheat. I would never purposely hurt a woman, Faith. That’s not who I am. How could I, anyway? I haven’t had a girlfriend since high school.”

His anger took her by surprise, but it was the hurt and confusion in his eyes that made her stomach twist into a knot. Did he really think there was a difference between not having a girlfriend and sleeping around? Didn’t he know that the women he slept with probably hoped for more? Or was this all a crazy facade he put on? A game he played?

Ugh! Of course it was, and she didn’t have time for this.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, but I have to get back to work so we don’t fall behind.” She forced herself to walk away, hoping her racing heart would calm the hell down.

In the next breath he was beside her, taking off his shirt and stuffing it in his back pocket, making her head spin.

“What…?” She swallowed the drool pooling in her mouth. “What are you doing?”

“Helping.” He dipped his hand into a bucket and scooped out a sponge. With the other he slid his aviators from his head to the bridge of his nose, reflecting Faith’s face back at her. She looked mesmerized by him.

Lovely. She needed those glasses, darn it.

“You’re not part of the group,” she said in an effort to dissuade him from whatever pickup scheme he had in mind.

“No, but you are, and I want to be near you.” He shrugged and began washing his truck.

Her heart skipped a beat. Stupid, stupid heart. This was smooth-talking Sam. She was nothing but a conquest to him, something he couldn’t have, and he wasn’t used to that. Logically, she knew why he was acting like he was so attracted to her, but inside she couldn’t help feeling warm and good to be wanted by the object of her late-night fantasies.

“Hey, we have a hunky helper! I’m Brittany.” Brittany waved, but it was wasted on the back of his head.

“Nice to meet you, Brittany,” he said without ever looking away from Faith. “Just thought I’d help out Faith.”

“Lucky Faith,” Brittany said, passing a knowing glance in Faith’s direction.

There was no way Faith could work beside him when he was half naked, with all those glistening muscles on display. Her fingers ached to touch his ripped abs, because they were that beautiful. He had those muscles that formed a perfect V aiming straight down his pants toward the danger zone. Pleasure zone? Those were the muscles that didn’t need a name beyond muscles that make girls go stupid.

Everything about Sam made her go stupid, from his smile that said, I’m a really good guy, to his eyes that said, I want to feel you beneath me, all the way to the dimple just below the left side of his lip that she wished she hadn’t noticed.

She needed to escape just to get enough oxygen to her brain to function like a normal person again.

“I’m going to help the other team.” Faith walked over to the other line of cars, feeling Sam’s reflective gaze on her every step of the way.

She tried not to pay him any attention, but it was hard not to notice the laughter coming from the girls and Sam as they washed one car after another.

“What is he doing here?” Vivian narrowed her eyes.

“He said he wanted to help.” She didn’t know why she was covering up the rest of what he’d said, that he wanted to help her, but she felt strangely protective of those words.

“Right. He’s a nice guy, but don’t let him suck you into his orbit, Faith.”

“Please. I’m not stupid.”

“Uh-huh. Looking and smelling. And my vibrator never gets a workout,” Vivian said with a sarcastic tone. She took Faith by the shoulders and stared at her with the kind of demand only a best friend could get away with. “Trust me on this. It starts with looking and smelling, but soon you’re touching and kissing. And then he’s buried balls deep and you’re screaming out his name.”

She felt her cheeks flame at the thought of being in that position with Sam.

“And then…” Vivian lowered her voice. “He starts showing up smelling like other women’s perfume, getting less and less interested in sex with you. The man who once stole your heart has gotten bored. Meanwhile, you…me…whoever we’re not talking about here, have fallen in love or lust or whatever. And it all ends badly.”


**

FAITH SPENT THE next few hours replaying Vivian’s words in her head, trying to remember all the reasons her friend was right and trying to ignore the way Sam was not only helping with the car wash, but having what looked like serious conversations with the girls, too. He’d been talking with Lira for the past hour while they washed cars. What could he possibly have in common with any of them?

What am I missing out on?

Embarrassingly, when she’d uploaded more pictures to Facebook, she’d searched for Sam’s account. He didn’t have a personal profile, only a Rough Riders fan page, which had little info about him. She didn’t know why, but she’d pictured him as being all over social media.

Hilary sidled up to her. “Sam’s been here all day.”

He was going to a lot of trouble for a guy just looking to hook up, especially for a guy who owned the only rafting company around. She’d heard about the Rough Riders barbecue coming up in a few weeks. Everyone in town was talking about it. Shouldn’t he be busy running his company today, or planning his own event?

“Hot guys usually lead me to trouble, but he’s super cute,” Hilary said, eyes on Sam.

“I guess. If you like that kind of guy.” You know, full of muscles, bedroom eyes, and probably wielding a magical, orgasm-producing ten-inch cock.

“Um…?” Hilary laughed. “The kind of guy who makes you laugh and jumps in to help? Or the kind of guy with a body that could make a blind girl weep?”

She stole a glance at Sam, crouched beside a car scrubbing the bumper, the muscles in his back bunching and flexing with every move. His tanned flesh glistened beneath the afternoon sun. He turned in her direction, and she could actually feel his gaze even before he lifted his glasses. He smiled and lifted his chin, as if to say, Hey, baby—that was her harmless fantasy speaking, of course. Heat coursed through her body, but it was the butterflies swarming in her belly that gave her pause.

“Both, I guess,” she said quietly, but Hilary had already moved on. Faith was alone, staring at Sam, who was staring right back. She felt herself smiling despite her misgivings, and as she did, his smile widened.

“Sammy!” one of the girls yelled.

He unfolded his tall, rugged body gracefully, like a snake uncoiling, unhurried and unflinching as Lira aimed the hose at his back and soaked him from head to toe. His eyes remained on Faith as a hearty laugh burst from his lungs and hit Faith square in the center of her chest. She could get lost in that laugh.

Sam turned away, breaking their connection, and chased the shrieking girls. He snagged the hose from Lira. Faith wanted to be Lira, or maybe she just wanted his big hands wrapped around her.

He had enough women chasing him. She turned away, feeling a little…what? Disappointed? Jealous?

Cold water drenched her back and she shrieked. Sam’s laughter followed her as she jumped on her tiptoes in a futile attempt to avoid the water streaming from the hose as Sam soaked her from head to toe.

She was no match for Sam. He was too fast, too focused.

For a smidgen of a weak second, she wondered if she ever could be.





Chapter Four


SAM STUCK AROUND after the car wash ended, helping clean up and hoping to have a few minutes alone with Faith. He’d watched her throughout the afternoon. She was an incredible mix of determination and focus as she dealt with customers, took photos and posted them on Facebook and Twitter, and God only knew where else, and washed cars with the rest of them.

After the others left, he waited for Faith to finish her conversation with Vivian, a snarky blond who appeared to be closest to Faith. She’d been giving him less-than-friendly glances all afternoon, and now she and Faith seemed to be getting into something. Faith’s face was pinched tight, and her whole body looked rigid. Sam ducked into his truck, not wanting to make Faith uncomfortable. He grabbed his checkbook from the glove compartment, and when he stepped from the truck again Vivian was hugging Faith, while Faith remained unmoved. When Vivian finally left, Sam made his way across the lot.

He’d caught Faith watching him at least a dozen times today, but now she was back to dropping her eyes as he approached, and he wondered if that was because of him or something Vivian had said.