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With the room in an early evening shadow, the candlelight highlighted the features of her face in a golden glow. Her brunette locks fanned in a glossy halo around her head on the plush fibers of the rug. His opinion about the rug shifted in a more favorable direction. Everything she’d done to improve the apartment fit her, and that’s why he liked it.
Sam ran his finger along the line of her cheek and jawbone. She was absolutely perfect. When that same finger brushed along her lips, she kissed the tip gently before taking it into her mouth and swiping her tongue around it.God damn.Like Luna wasn’t already driving him wild before.
He dove back to kissing her, her legs wrapping around him, forcing his body against her. It must have been a long time since he got this worked up over a woman because he was reverting to his old teenage habit of rubbing himself against her, seeking relief. He brushed one of her soft, bare legs with his fingers and she tugged his hand higher on her thigh. He couldn’t quite believe things could shift this quickly between them, but he wasn’t about to complain.
Luna broke away from his mouth to yank off her tank top before grabbing him again. She tasted so good, so delicious, his craving for her deepened. His hands migrated from her thigh to her bare torso, her lace bra tempting him to such a degree it was as though his whole crotch was buzzing. That was a new experience—
No, wait.
That wasn’t his crotch. It was his phone, literally buzzing in his front pocket.
Part of him was determined to rip the device from his clothes and punt it out the door but, as property manager, he shouldn’t ignore calls.
“Wait a minute,” he panted while reluctantly pulling away in order to grab the phone from his pocket. It was his father. Dad could wait. He sent the call to voicemail before settling on Luna again to continue the exploration, his hand sliding to a breast.
His phone began buzzing again.Goddammit!The old man hated leaving messages and wouldn’t stop calling until Sam answered. “Sorry. I have to find out what this is about.” He wasn’t happy about being cockblocked by his father.
“Yeah?” he answered with more force than he had intended, but he was hoping the call could be finished fast and he could resume a more interesting interaction.
There was a pause. “Sam?”
“Yeah. Dad, I’m kinda in the middle of something. What do you need?”
“Is everything okay? You sound out of breath.”
Sam attempted to get his heart rate and breathing under control. “I’m just…working out.” He was definitely busy trying to burn some calories here.
“Oh, well, that doesn’t sound too important. There are a few things I need to discuss with you.”
Great. This conversation wasn’t going to be done anytime soon. He let an internal groan roll through his body. Luna watched him, while propped on her elbows. With mussed hair and swollen lips, she was an intoxicating vision of beautiful chaos.
He dropped his head backwards in depressing defeat. “Okay, just give me a second.” Sam muted his dad. “Sorry, I have to take this. It’s work stuff,” he said to Luna while jamming his hat on his head and grabbing his toolbox. “I’ll see you later.” And he did the thing he loathed doing the most: leaving her.
Sam unmuted his father as he took the stairs, returning to his apartment. “What’s going on, Dad?”
“You know the property on Ponderosa Way?”
“Sure.”
“The tenants cut the lease. They had to move unexpectedly across country.”
“Okay.” So far, Sam wasn’t sure what this had to do with him. In addition to Schnell Ridge, his father owned two other apartment complexes and several other rental properties, including the small bungalow.
“It’s been having some electrical problems in the kitchen and Leslie called an electrician but they’re booked a couple of weeks out. Do you mind swinging by and taking a look at it? Leslie said she’ll be there mid-week. You can coordinate with her.”
“Fine. I’ll take a look. But what’s the hurry? Why not just wait for a real electrician?” Sam had done a little bit of everything when it came to maintenance, but he didn’t consider himself a professional in this area. For someone who didn’t mind cutting a few corners, using his labor made sense (and cents) to his father.
“I was thinking that because there’s still some of the summer season remaining, it might be a good idea to switch the property to an Airbnb. Leslie doesn’t agree, but I think it’ll be a good idea.” Leslie was the main manager for all the El Dorado properties, except Schnell Ridge, since his father moved away.
“Okay.” If he agreed with his dad, maybe the call would end soon and he could bolt his ass upstairs.
“If we can get regular occupancy at a higher rate, it’d bring in more money. Maybe we won’t have to go through the whole process of losing money while trying to find a new tenant. What do you think?”
Previously, Sam hadn’t been interested in his father’s business. He’d spent years since the accident, putting his head down and getting through whatever he needed to get done. But doing the bare minimum was no longer fulfilling. It was as though these projects with Luna had unlocked a side of himself he hadn’t known existed. He’d found something he could not only do well, but take pride in. He could add value, if he wanted to. He was starting to want to.
“Sam?” his father said. “Are you still there?”
“Why do you have Leslie if you’re not going to listen to her? I think she’s right. I mean, maybe people might want to stay here because of the proximity to Tahoe but we’re still an hour and a half away. Once the bad weather hits, people aren’t going to want to drive over the pass in snow, especially when there are plenty of options at the lake. Plus, it’s not the same as having a long-term tenant. If you have a new person staying in the place every week, Leslie’s going to have to make sure the place is ready and either clean or hire a cleaning person between stays. On top of that, you’d have to completely furnish the place. It sounds like a hassle for taking a chance that you might make more money.”
