CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Unfortunately, there had been a snafu on the set and the final camera setup and lighting took far longer than Sam had anticipated. He’d called Riley apologetic and sounding exhausted. She’d assured him she wasn’t upset and hoped he’d be home soon.
That was six hours ago.
She’d eaten the dinner that Callie had ordered and packed the leftovers in the refrigerator for warming later when Sam arrived. Except that the time kept ticking away as she watched television and tried to stay awake. She was sure he was fine but she felt badly that he’d had such a long day. He’d warned her about the crazy hours on a movie set but she hadn’t thought she’d see it so quickly.
At some point she must have fallen asleep because her lids felt heavy but she could hear a key turning in the lock. Rubbing her eyes, she could see Sam trying to tiptoe into the condo, probably hoping not to wake her.
“What time is it?” He whirled around, clutching at his chest. “Oops, didn’t mean to scare you.”
Chuckling, he bent down to brush his lips over her forehead. He’d done that same thing this morning before he’d left. “I thought you were asleep. It’s about one. Why aren’t you in bed?”
He’d kept his tone hushed as if they already had a little one sleeping in another room.
“I must have fallen asleep watching television.” She didn’t recognize the show that was currently playing and it definitely wasn’t what she’d been watching. “You look tired.”
He had dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders sagged with fatigue. If he leaned against the wall, he’d probably fall asleep on his feet.
“That’s because I am tired. We were working on a fight scene all day. I’ll be black and blue by morning.”
“I thought they had stunt men so you wouldn’t get hurt.”
Scraping his fingers through his hair, he rubbed at the back of his neck. “They don’t want me jumping out of an airplane but pretend fighting is okay. Except that my idiot co-star is trying to macho-up his image and wasn’t pulling his punches and kicks. Eventually I had to return the favor. He didn’t act so manly then.”
Riley was more than a little fascinated by the glimpses she received from Sam regarding the backstage moviemaking. It was far more work than she’d ever imagined.
“Did he cry?”
Sam chuckled and shook his head. “No, but I think he wanted to. He muttered something about how it wasn’t fair, which took nerve since he’d been smacking me around for twenty takes.”
She couldn’t stop herself from speaking her mind. “I’m not sure what it says about you that it took twenty takes for you to put a stop to it.”
“I was following direction.” Sam shrugged, not taking offense to her words. “He wasn’t. After twenty takes I didn’t give a shit if I got in trouble with the director.”
“But he didn’t get in trouble?”
Groaning, Sam fell into a chair and propped his long legs up on the ottoman. “Every goddamn take the director yelled at him but he kept doing it. So I decided that if he wanted to act like a badass, I’d be happy to help him out with that.”
“Because you’re a badass.”
Sam snorted. “Being a badass is too damn much work. I’m just a guy that needs to soak in a bathtub until it’s time to get up in the morning.”
“I hope you get to go in late since you worked so many hours today.”
Pushing himself to his feet, Sam sighed loudly. “That’s not how it works, honey. They have a schedule and a budget that they’re trying to stick to. My quick trip to Florida for a few days didn’t help. I have to be on set bright and early tomorrow. Oh-six-hundred.”
“That’s in five hours,” Riley gasped in shock. “That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”
“That’s moviemaking. Now I’m seriously going to take a soak in the tub. You should go to bed and get some sleep. You’re resting for two now.”
She could climb into bed but she was wide awake now after her nap. “How about I go warm up some dinner for you? There were lots of leftovers. Are you hungry?”
“Starving, but you don’t–”
His denial was interrupted by a huge yawn that had her yawning in return when she wasn’t that tired. It really was contagious.
“I’ll warm something up and you go take a bath.”
She used the same tone with Sam as she used with her kindergarten students. No nonsense and assumptive. She expected to be obeyed and it worked. He grumbled a little but did as she directed, kicking off his shoes and padding on sock-covered feet into the master bedroom.
Riley headed into the kitchen and pulled out the myriad of food containers, placing them on the counter. Callie had ordered enough food for an army and by the time Riley had emptied the shelf in the refrigerator she’d filled all the space on the countertop.
Not sure what he wanted to eat, she decided to heat up a little of everything. She piled his plate high with warm food and her own with just enough for a snack, then grabbed a bottle of beer, Sam’s preferred beverage when eating dinner. Just in case though, she also added a bottle of her ginger ale. He did have to be at work in five hours so he might not want to drink. Caffeine also seemed like a no-no as he’d want to fall asleep as soon as possible.
She quickly set the table, her own stomach growling to be fed again. It was one of those rare moments when she wasn’t nauseated and food sounded and smelled like nirvana. The home was quiet, however, with not a sound from the bedroom area. Riley peered around the corner of the doorway but the room was empty. Sam must still be in the bathtub. Softly, she knocked but there was no answer. Concerned, she cracked open the door and peeked in only to see Sam fast asleep, his head pillowed on the edge of the tub, snoring away.
Poor guy.
She couldn’t let him sleep in the bathtub, though. It wasn’t good for the back and he might slip down and drown. Trying not to stare at his exposed chest, she tiptoed across the marble floor so as not to startle him – again. Calling his name, she lightly placed a hand on his damp shoulder, the muscles firm under her palm. He jerked awake, his lids snapping open before relaxing when his gaze landed on her.
“Damn, I fell asleep. How long have I been in here?”
He held up his hand and rubbed his prune-like fingers together.
“Not too long but dinner is all warmed up. Do you still want to eat or do you want to go straight to bed?”
“Eat then bed.” Sam rose out of the water, sending a wave over the side and splashing at her feet. Not one bit self-conscious, he stood there with rivulets of water running down his magnificent body as he reached for the towel he’d placed nearby. Images of their night together flashed through her brain and the room suddenly felt way too hot. Escape was the only thing on her mind. “Thanks for waking me up.”
She backed toward the door, averting her gaze so she could only see him from the knees down. It didn’t matter. He had great calves and feet, which was weird for her to notice, but then she was fascinated by everything with this man. “You’re welcome. So…I’ll see you in the kitchen.”
Turning and not realizing how close she was, she smacked her forehead right against the hard wood of the door, knocking her a few steps back. For a moment, she stood there too stunned to move or speak as she processed the fact that her head hurt. But not nearly as much as her pride. She’d been caught out as a creeper and embarrassed herself.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Sam twisted her around and bent down so he could look at her head more closely. His gentle fingers grazed the goose egg that was beginning to form above her temple along with a king-sized headache that she couldn’t take anything for.
I am so stupid.
“I’m fine. I guess I’m a little tired, too.”
Sure. Yeah. Blame being a horn dog on fatigue. He might buy that if he happened not to see the lust in her eyes. This is what happened when she started to feel normal. She went from puking to lusting in seconds. Damn hormones.
Rubbing at the knot, she ignored the pounding in her head to instead stare into Sam’s blue gaze. For a long moment the world seemed to fade away, their breaths co-mingling as she took in every detail of his face. The slight scruff at his jaw, the way his damp hair curled slightly, the sharp tang of his skin that made her want to run her tongue up the center of his chest. Because she knew from experience that he tasted as good as he looked and smelled. She turned her face up slightly, just enough to cue him that a kiss was welcomed. She’d spent last night lying next to him but not touching.
It had been far too long since they’d kissed.
A knife of disappointment sliced through her heart when he instead stepped back, hitching the towel around his waist. He didn’t want her anymore. All the morning sickness had turned him off. She shouldn’t have expected anything else. It was hard to keep the romance alive when one person in the couple was sick as a dog and about to blow up like a balloon in a parade.
“Let me get dressed and we’ll put some ice on that.”
And now she’d been dismissed.
Fleeing from the bathroom, she tried to hide the hurt by tucking into her meal and ignoring Sam when he came out to join her. Dressed in a pair of gray sweat pants and a form-fitting black t-shirt, he looked gorgeous as always. Being together like this in such a domestic scene…it felt warm and cozy. The two of them together hanging around the house and eating a late night supper after a long day. Then after eating, they’d climb into bed and cuddle, maybe even make love. It was like they were a real couple.
This is getting bad. What is my problem?
She’d gone much longer without sex before without blinking an eye. Now back with Sam, it was all she could think about. According to the pregnancy book, this rush of hormones shouldn’t be happening for a few weeks.
Was it pregnancy or was it Sam?
Dumb question. It had to be Sam.
This might be one long and tortuous summer.