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Sam woke earlythe following morning on his back with Luna’s arm slung across his stomach and Duchess the cat on his chest in full loaf position. While his mattress was probably better than hers, he couldn’t remember when he’d slept so well.
Too bad he had to go to work. Lifting the sleeping cat from his chest, he resettled her on the pillow before slipping from the bed to get dressed. Sam kneeled on the bed beside Luna, brushing a mahogany strand away and planting a tender kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Queenie, I have to go to work. Gotta rip out some old carpeting in Nicholas’s place.”
“Hmm?” she replied half asleep. “Okay, I’m going to visit some thrift stores today to see if I can find anything for the place. You’ll take me out later?”
Sam smiled as he nuzzled her jawline. “Yeah, you check your calendar and let me know when you’re free. I’ll text you later, okay?”
“Okay.” She curled deeper within the comforter.
While Sam hated leaving, he also felt pretty good. And if Zabe asked about his whereabouts, he could say he’d definitely been visiting his girlfriend.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
For Luna, beingin a relationship had always been a balancing act. There were guys who immediately demanded more of her than she had been willing to give, which caused her to release the guy immediately. And there was someone like Viggo, who didn’t care about having more of her, as though having less than a hundred percent was fine.
Sam was different. Here was a man who was aware of all the undesirable bits of her personality, someone she’d already tested and pushed away, and yet he remained. Luna could try to get away with her usual tactics to prevent him from getting too close, but she didn’t have the desire for it, especially when he treated her as though she was something special. Finding someone she didn’t have to pretend with, who gave it to her straight, with no games, was a rare find in her world. Perhaps if she gave a little more of herself, he wouldn’t leave. Luna had agreed to give their relationship a chance but, in a sense, she was also agreeing to give herself one as well. It was a challenge to keep herself grounded and fight the desire to flee.
Surprisingly, Luna discovered she could be with someone and not be suffocated or bored. Sam did his own things but would check to see if she wanted to meet him somewhere, never being pushy about it. She actually wanted to be with him. On the physical side, he excited her. His touch and kisses could be electric, lighting every cell in her body. No matter how many nights he slept in her bed, he still had the ability to sneak up and surprise her.
“The place is looking really nice,” Luna said while touring Nicholas’s old apartment. “You did a good job, pleb.” The transformation from old and rundown to modern was as exciting as it had ever been.
When he’d told her about his vision for Schnell Ridge, she’d loved the idea straight away. She liked shopping for a purpose, and she wanted to make him happy. Plus, helping to show up Sam’s father, proving he was wrong about this, was icing on the cake for Luna. On top of that, she was hoping this was the beginning of something new for her too, perhaps she’d do more than the accounting at the jewelry store.
“The new flooring should be arriving tomorrow. Thanks for getting that extra discount so I could make the budget.”
“Hashtag dimpled secret weapon.”
He laughed. “You see that edging?” Sam wrapped his arms around her from behind while keeping his paint-speckled hands off her body. He sunk his face into the nook where her neck met her shoulder.
“Mm-hmm. Looks like you’ve been edging all day, you poor thing.”
He snorted a laugh into her skin. “That could be why I’m so happy to see you. I’d grab you right now, but I don’t want to get you dirty.”
“I don’t mind getting a little dirty.”
Sam groaned in frustration. “You look at the rest of the place. I’m going to wash my hands at least.”
He later found her perusing the bathroom. The walls were a warm gray and the cabinet had been replaced with an ebony one with a bright white countertop. The mirror was large and circular with a gold frame Luna found at a thrift store for fifteen dollars. It was fun to add her own unique touches, which had hardly cost anything for Schnell Ridge.
“Nice,” she said.
“You like it?”
“I like it a lot, Sunderland.”
His smile grew dangerous. “I like you a lot.”
“Is that so?”
Sam shut the bathroom door before grabbing and yanking her close, pressing her back to his front. She gasped a laugh as he nibbled an earlobe, his hands sliding along the curves of her body.
“These leggings are really doing it for me.” One of Sam’s hands dipped past the waistline, his fingers slipping between her legs.
Luna sighed softly, her whole body heating. Her reflection confirmed a deep flush spreading across her skin. His gaze met hers with a devilish glint. Oh God, she was going to get caught in the tornado again, wasn’t she?
She couldn’t keep her eyes from the mirror, watching as he closed his eyes while slowly kissing along her neck, his other hand continuing to stroke her. He seemed to sense when her body weakened, his eyes opening and lighting with hunger when she let out a breathy moan.
“What do you want, Luna?”
