fleetingly wondered if he had awakened some time during the night and noticed that she wasn’t lying next to him. She doubted it. If he had, she was certain he would have come looking for her.
As she placed the crispy strips of bacon on a plate, then scrambled a couple of eggs, she couldn’t help worrying. Last night Sam had been so exhausted, he hadn’t noticed that she had gone to bed in another room. But as he started feeling better and regained his strength, he was bound to question why she wasn’t sleeping with him. What was she going to tell him when he did?
She wasn’t going to lie, but she couldn’t tell him the truth either. Mentioning that they had been in the process of getting a divorce when the accident occurred certainly fell into the category of things that would cause him stress. But trying to do everything she could to keep his stress level down was driving hers right off the chart.
When she put the finishing touches on Sam’s breakfast and placed it on a tray, she decided not to think about it until she had to. Maybe by the end of the day an idea would present itself that would adequately explain why she was going to bed down the hall. She wouldn’t allow herself to contemplate what would happen if it didn’t.
Carrying the tray upstairs, she decided Sam probably wasn’t going to be overly happy about her serving him breakfast in bed. No doubt he would misinterpret the gesture and think she viewed him as feeble or some other such nonsense. His pride and self-confidence were stronger than anyone’s she had ever known and two of the many things that had drawn her to him in the beginning. Unfortunately, as time went on, those very qualities had become a huge obstacle and one of the main reasons she had felt she had no other choice but to leave him.
But his accident had changed that—if only temporarily. For the first time in the five years they had been together, she actually felt as if Sam needed her as more than the object of his affections. It was just a shame that the feeling had to come at the end of their marriage, instead of being an integral part of their relationship from the beginning.
When she opened the bedroom door, Bria placed the tray of food on the dresser then walked over to the side of the bed to wake him. “Sam? Would you like to get up? I brought your breakfast.”
Before she realized that he was already awake, he reached up to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her down on top of him. “I’m perfectly capable of walking the distance to the kitchen to eat,” he said, rolling them to their sides to face each other. “But what I want for breakfast isn’t found in the kitchen. She’s right here in my arms.”
The smoldering light in his dark blue eyes stole her breath and caused a flutter of anticipation deep in her lower belly. “I—I thought we settled this yesterday evening. I told you it’s not a—”
“I know, it’s not a good time.” He gave her a lazy grin. “But making love isn’t just about having sex, sweetheart.” He brushed her lips with his. “It’s also kissing.” He slid his hand beneath the tail of her yellow T-shirt. “And touching,” he finished as his mouth covered hers at the same time he cupped her breast in his callused palm.
A lazy heat began to flow through Bria as Sam deepened the kiss to explore and tease with a thoroughness that caused her heart to skip several beats. She knew she was playing a fool’s game and that nothing but heartache would come of allowing him to continue. She told herself that he thought they were still a couple and short of telling him about the divorce, she didn’t have a lot of choice. But deep down she knew better. She simply loved the way he was making her feel.
Fortunately for her, his cell phone on the bedside table rang at the same moment Sam moved his hand to unfasten the front clasp of her bra. As he cursed and reached for the phone to quiet the incessant noise, Bria seized the opportunity to roll to the opposite side of the mattress and get out of bed.
She watched him check the caller ID before taking the call. “Your timing sucks swamp water, little brother,”