CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tuesday Evening
Lucky stepped out of her tub and wrapped a towel around her body and then wiped the steam off the mirror. Looking into it, she noticed her color was high and her eyes were bright.
Recognizing it was happiness that was making her look that way, she wondered if it was the win at work or the company she’d been keeping.
She dropped the towel, squirted lotion into her hand, and as she rubbed it along her legs, she knew it was Sam who was giving her the giddy feeling. The thing at work was satisfying, but she’d done it before and the thrill had never made her feel like she was floating outside her body.
Ever since they’d had dinner at the Athletic Club and he admitted why he’d behaved the way he had, she’d been mentally giving him another chance.
Not that she was going to be telling him that anytime soon. Because with his tactician’s mind, he’d consider it a small victory and then build a battle plan that would have her surrendering before she even knew what happened.
And she hated surrender.
The very idea made her nauseous and she knew invariably that made her a pretty bad candidate for love since that’s exactly what is required. Which is why she’d avoided it since she started dating at seventeen. Even her relationship with Grif had never required her to play around with the concept because, essentially, they were peers who respected one another and had amazing physical chemistry. Nothing more.
But Sam wasn’t a man who would be satisfied with anything less than owning her very soul. Some people were built to want everything when they were in a relationship and she guessed Sam was one of them. Everything in his life he’d done with a hundred and fifty percent of his mind, body, and soul and the way he looked at her told her she wasn’t going to be the exception to the rule.
Almost made her miss his indifference.
The chime alerting her to the front door opening told her they were back from the walk, so she grabbed her robe and slid it on. Twisting her hair, she clipped it on top of her head and walked out of her bathroom to see Sam walking in. “I was just coming down.”
“Jeeze, Lucky. Could you be any more desirable?”
Looking down at her pink fuzzy robe that was decorated with polka dots made her snort. “Sam, this is the least sexy thing I own.” His light green eyes grew a bit darker as he stalked toward her. “Really, nothing sexy about it.”
Standing in front of her, she felt the weight of his presence. Not only his height but the sheer mass of him. He was over six-foot-two and solidly built, which made her five-foot-four stature no match. She looked up and saw nothing but unguarded carnal hunger and knew their time was coming.
“I want nothing more than to slide that robe off your body and run my mouth from your head to your toes, and then let my hands read your skin like braille as our bodies finally become nothing more than servants to the lust brewing between us.”
He lifted his hand and ran his finger along her collarbone and up her neck and then behind her head. Pulling her forward, he dropped his head and captured her mouth, and she knew surrender was no longer an option but an eventuality.
Before she was ready, he ended the kiss and she stumbled forward. Resting her hands against his snowy white shirt, she sucked in a lungful of air. “Sam…I…”
“No, Lucky, not going to let you deny what’s happening.” He stepped back and ran his hands through his hair and nodded. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
“Mmm…kay,” she replied quietly as she watched him walk out of the room. “Dolce dio, what am I in for?”
Looking around the room blindly, she had no idea what to do. The man she had lusted after, crushed on, and then dismissed had just proven she didn’t have an ounce of restraint. If he’d tumbled her back on the bed and told her to spread her legs, she would’ve. Hell, she’d probably follow any command he gave her.
Sam Barton was her weakness and she needed to protect herself fully until she knew what to do.
Pulling out her ugly underwear, she slipped them on and then added a pair of sweats and an old T-shirt. Nothing sexy about the get-up and she planned on keeping it that way because she needed to hold him off until she had a firm plan in place.
By her calculations, it shouldn’t take longer than forever.
***
Walking into the living room, Lucky saw Sam sitting on the couch with the dog at his feet and a beer in his hand as he watched Sports Center. “You realize you’re living the American dream.”
“I’m well aware, and the fact that’s it’s taken me thirty-six long years to achieve it doesn’t make it any less sweet.”
“Did Judit eat her dinner?”
“Yes, just like the lady she is and now she’s enjoying hearing the updates about the teams we care about.”
“She’s asleep and snoring.”
“Taking it all in subconsciously.”
Turning toward the kitchen, she gave him an ingratiating smile and then walked away. “Sure, Sam.” She opened the cupboard, pulled out plates, and set them on the table. When she saw him walk in, she gave him a smile. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Dinner, walking the dog, and the general kindness you’ve been showing me.”
He gave her a kiss and then sat down at the table. “Just getting started.”
She pulled the pizza out of the oven and set it on the table along with the carton of salad he picked up. “Anything else?”
He stood and went over to the counter and lifted the bottle of wine. “Can’t forget this.”
Watching him pull out a wine glass and then fill it made her smile. “Sam Barton, you are a surprise.”
“Just because I couldn’t get my shit together in the first year of knowing you, doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of becoming the man of your dreams.” He handed her the glass of wine and then returned to the table. “Come on, woman, sit, so we can get this party started.”
Taking a seat, she looked at his impossibly handsome face and smiled. “You’ve managed to get me a dog, charm my relatives, and feed me in the span of a week. I don’t know what else is in store, so I should probably just brace myself.”
“A wise idea, Ms. Santorini.” He opened the pizza box and slid a slice on her plate and then one on his own. “What are you going to do with your free time, now that you’ve figured out the hack?”
“Breathe,” Lucky responded as she took a bite of the pizza. “Ivy informed me that my department is in for major changes and I have to figure what they’re going to look like.”
“Meaning?”
“I have to decide if I want to become more of a manager or cede some of my control.”
“And what is your gut telling you?”
She watched him eat his pizza as she did the same and realized she had no answer. “I don’t know.”
He dropped his crust on his plate and then wiped his mouth. “At least you have time to think about it, now that you’ve taken care of your client.”
Lifting a shoulder, she shrugged. “I told Ivy that you’d be perfect for one of the jobs that’s being created.” She watched his face and saw a myriad of emotions run across his features. “We need someone to oversee the ops, and I think you’d be great at it.”
“And what makes you think I’d want to leave my illustrious career at the FBI?”
“Nothing. It’s a totally selfish suggestion on my part. The company has become big enough that we need each office to run their own direct-action missions and someone has to supervise and make sure they’re getting what they need. It’s a Director of Ops that we need and the person who fills the position needs to have combat experience.”
“I’m happy at the FBI and don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
“I know, and my suggestion had more to do with a ‘type’ we were looking for as opposed to SAI offering you a job. Don’t worry, Sam, I have no illusions about what you’re accomplishing in the Organized Crime Division. I know you’d never want to leave it.”
“Despite the fact that they don’t always appreciate my methods, I’m a highly valued member of the Chicago office.”
“Of course.”
“And even though they sometimes operate very close to a snail’s pace at developing intel, I’m in no way frustrated with the strict rules and regulations.”
“Was never a question,” she said as she pulled out another piece of pizza and internally rolled her eyes. Sam Barton was gifted, but that didn’t mean the FBI appreciated it, and she wasn’t going to be the person who convinced him otherwise.
And to be totally honest, she didn’t want him up in her business and kingdom roaming around. She was the queen and she wasn’t sure he would understand that if he ever decided to join the team because he was an alpha through and through, and she’d bet he’d never want to work under her.
Lifting the top off of the container that held the salad, she served him some and then herself. “How’s life at the FBI these days?”
“Uneventful,” he replied glumly. “The Intelligence Division is developing the intel on Vazov and Yolkin and we’re months away from having anything actionable.”
“That’s got to be frustrating,” she replied as she ate some salad.
He tipped his head and gave her an inquisitive look. “I know you have more to say, so don’t hold back.”
Slapping her hand on the table, she grinned. “I almost forgot to show this to you.” She stood and pulled her phone out of her purse. “I saw this thing on IG today and I have summer goals for you and Judit.” She opened the app and slid through it until she found what she was looking for. Holding it up, she beamed. “Look, the man has matching swim trunks with his dog. I can totally see you two on the lake this summer rockin’ matching outfits.”
He took the phone and studied it. “She’s going to be matching you and not me.”
Taking the phone back, she looked at it again and nodded. “You have a point.”
She set it down and then lifted her wine glass. “I thought it was cute.”
“I’m totally up for matching outfits when and if we have a son; until then, you can count me out.”
Her head flew up and she stared at him with her jaw slack.
Did he just talk about children?
With her?
“Close your mouth, because you look like a fish.”
“I swear I’m going to kill you if you say anything remotely like that again.”
“Noted.” He took her hand and lifted the corner of his mouth. “I mentioned our future children and I can see the concept shocked you, so as opposed to dealing with my hurt feelings that you thought it was crazy, I said something snide.”
“The speed at which you processed that lets me know you’re fully aware of what you’re saying and how it affects me, so don’t expect any slack.”
“Understood.” He ran his hand over her fingers and then smiled. “Can we go make out now?”
“Are you done eating?”
“Yes.”
“All right, we can watch TV for a while before I kick you out and, if you manage not to irritate me, then I’d be happy to kiss you.” She watched him stand and hold out his hand and when she took it, she saw a look of satisfaction that was unparalleled. “I don’t know what to think one moment to the next.”
“Lucky, I’m crazy about you, so whatever you see me do or hear me say is a reflection of that. It’s not always going to be pretty or polite, but it will always be genuine, and I hope you can forgive my fumbles and see past them.”
“I don’t want some polished version of you. I just want to know what’s real.” He pulled her closer and held her tightly.
“Feel my heart beating?”
Laying her head against his chest, she felt it thunder under her ear. “Yes.”
“That’s for you.” He moved his hips close and moved back and forth. “Feel that?”
“Yes.”
“That’s how you make me feel.” He lifted her chin and gazed into her face. “If I could show you my brain, you see something that resembles scrambled eggs. Being around you knocks me out and all I’m trying to do is hold on and hope I survive.”
Raising on her tiptoes, she pulled him down and pressed her mouth against his. When he licked her lips and she let him in, she knew nothing was ever going to be the same. Sam had annihilated her defenses and all she could do was hope to survive.