willingly. I need him to understand the dangerous game he’s playing with my heart. “You don’t know what I’ve been through in the past, what I’ve had to get over, and the truth is, I don’t know you either. I’m not sure I’m capable of jumping in with both feet, Sam. It scares me, not knowing whether or not I can trust you.”
He’s quiet for a moment and, although his jaw relaxes, his eyes remain stormy. “I don’t have anything to hide from you.”
Amber’s warning rings in my head. They’re not alarm bells, but they still give me pause. If he has nothing to hide from me, why can’t he just tell me about his ex-fiancé? It’s a pretty big secret to keep. “I can’t get my heart broken, not again.”
Sam turns to me, his face full of emotion. “I will never break your heart.”
“How can you promise me that?”
“Because the first time I saw you, you took my breath away, and it wasn’t until I walked into that bar three weeks ago that I felt like I could breathe again.” He takes three purposeful steps, stopping just in front of me. His eyes are wide and bright, full of truth and heavy with desire.
I can’t think anymore so I lunge forward and attach my lips to his. My body is acting on faith even if my heart is still undecided. He grabs my hip with one hand, bringing me solidly against him as his other hand snakes up my body to hold the back of my neck. His tongue sweeps against my mouth and I respond by sucking his top lip between my own. My hands find their way into his hair and I thread my fingers between the thick strands, pulling his head even closer to mine. I feel my body shaking slightly, humming in response to the electric charge I feel whenever he touches me.
Sam releases my tingling lips and kisses my neck just below my ear. “This is my favorite spot,” he says, nibbling at the area that drives me crazy.
“Yeah, the evidence of just how much you like it is hiding beneath three layers of makeup,” I tease.
Sam brings his head up, his playful smile pushing aside my doubts for now. “Is that what was going on at the Bath Shop the other day? I gave you a hickey, and you were trying to hide it?”
“Trying and failing.” I laugh. “You may have to find a new favorite spot to bestow your affections on me. One that isn’t quite so…obvious.”
“A challenge I’ll happily accept.” Sam runs a hand through my hair, holding on to the back of my head, keeping my gaze focused on him. “I know you’ve been hurt before,” he says, his hazel eyes fixed on me, “and I know it may take some time, but will you try to trust me?”
Having been around my fair share liars in the past, I’m a pretty good judge of sincerity. I can tell Sam believes that what he’s telling me is the truth, and every fiber of my being is telling me to leap and have faith in him. “Yes, I’ll try.”
“That’s all I need to hear.” Sam grabs my hands and pulls me forward toward the shiny black Chevy. As we reach the car, he opens the heavy driver’s side door. “Hey, Ellie?” he asks, folding the front seat forward and revealing a large and comfy looking backseat. “Have you ever made it to second base in the back of an old car before?”
“I can’t say that I have,” I say, unable to keep the smile from my face.
“Want to correct that?”
I look down at our clasped hands and then back to his face which looks honest and open. Maybe Hart was right and the past is better left where it belongs, behind us. If I’m going to try and trust him, I may as well start right now. “Alright, but don’t go telling any of your friends at school. They’ll think I’m easy.”
“I hope for my sake, you are,” he says, his smile eager and devilish.
Sam climbs into the backseat and waits for me to follow him inside. Once I’m through the door he grabs my hips and pulls me onto his lap. When he deftly unhooks my bra through the fabric of my dress, I let go of any lingering hesitation. My pulse, racing in anticipation of being with him again, has only confirmed what I’ve known since the first time I