Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers by Emily Matthews (best mystery novels of all time TXT) 📗

something I’ve wanted to do since I was a teenager, but my parents could never afford. I didn’t really make any other physical changes until just these last couple of months. I had my hair dyed blond and purchased some clothes that fit properly. After losing the weight, I had to buy new clothes anyway, so I had someone help me find what fit well for my body type. I’d never been into makeup and fashion, but that was easy to learn and implement.” Sam was silent but listening intently, so she continued.

“The real work was the internal growth. My coach would make me do these exercises,” she put the word in air quotes, “that were supposed to help me grow.” Again, she used air quotes.

“Like what?”

“Things like, speak up in a staff meeting, tell someone no, wear a bikini to the beach, initiate a conversation with a man—stuff like that. He taught me to walk tall, look people in the eye, and shake hands properly. I was a real mess, Sam.”

“A hot mess,” he said, and they both laughed.

“Anyway, the point of all that is to say that going to the beach was one place I could be alone to think and plan. I suppose I could have done it anywhere, but I just love the beach.”

“I get it,” he said. “It took guts and hard work to make those changes. I admire your tenacity.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I guess another point to telling you all that is that my confidence is newfound and still falters. I’m definitely a work in progress, but then I suppose we all are.”

“So profound,” he said wistfully, and she slapped him playfully on the arm.

“This place is mind-blowing, Sam. Thanks again for arranging it.”

“No problem. I can’t believe I don’t do this more often. Seattle can get so gloomy. This is the perfect antidote. And it beats the hell out of the Washington beaches where you have to sit around a fire to keep warm and still freeze your ass off most of the time. We’ll have to do Ocean Shores in late July or August. Otherwise, it’s just too cold. Nine times out of ten, it’s raining too.”

“This does sound like a much better option.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I booked the place for the night. If you don’t want to stay, we can still fly back tonight.”

“I’d love to stay. It’s so pretty here.”

“Do you want to go anywhere? See the island?”

“No. This is fine. I’ve never been to Maui, but I can wait to see it another time. This was the most relaxing day. I’ve really enjoyed myself.”

They had dinner brought in and ate sitting in the same chaise lounges they’d spent all day in. She feasted on grilled shrimp and stole a bite of his swordfish. They had wine and a sinfully rich chocolate cake for dessert.

When Pika came to pick up the dishes, he insisted they let him rearrange the lounge chairs in time for the sunset. They helped him move the table and make one big sofa out of the two chairs. Then, cuddled up in each other’s arms, they watched the most glorious sunset she’d ever seen. It was not even eight o’clock, but she couldn’t hold back a yawn.

“You tired?” he asked.

“Aren’t you? We got up so early, and the sun makes me sleepy. The drinks don’t help either. How late do you want to stay up?” she asked. If he thought she was being coy, he was wrong. She was genuinely exhausted.

“I’m game to hit the sack whenever,” he said, smiling.

“Okay. I’m gonna take a quick shower. Oh, I just realized I didn’t bring pajamas.”

“Pajamas? Where we’re going, we don’t need pajamas,” he said, doing an impression of Doc Brown from the movie Back to the Future. She laughed.

After showering, she put on the extra T-shirt she’d packed and tiptoed back into the room. The lights were dim, and what seemed like a hundred candles were flickering around the room.

“Sam, wow, this is unbelievable,” she said.

“It was all Pika,” Sam said. “But I’ll take the credit if you like it.” He rose from the couch and strode over to her. He bent and kissed her. Without asking. She melted into him immediately.

“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he said between kisses.

“Mm, then why didn’t you?” she asked, rubbing her hands up and down his back.

“I wasn’t sure where we’d landed on the whole physical part of this relationship. We jumped the gun at the beginning and then talked about dialing it back, but we didn’t say how far back or for how long.”

“True. Well, we could pretend the first time didn’t happen and that this is our third-ish date. How far would you go on a third date?”

“The question is, how far would you go on a third date?” he retorted.

“Just kiss me, and we’ll see where it goes,” she said as she leaned into him once more.

The passion that flared the first night they met ignited again. His slow, lingering kisses suddenly weren’t enough. She tilted her head to get better access and pushed her tongue into his mouth. He tasted like chocolate cake, smelled like sunscreen, and felt like heaven. He grabbed her thighs and lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist. He kept kissing her as he slowly made his way to the bed.

He laid her down and then covered her with his body. She could feel the length of him pressing against her inner thigh. She needed to decide how far she was going to let this go. She’d said they needed to slow down, but at every turn her actions betrayed her words and, so far, she hadn’t shown much restraint.

“Your hair smells good,” he mumbled into it while kissing her neck.

“It’s just what’s in the bathroom,” she said. “You too can smell this good.”

“Are you saying I need a shower?” He sat, and she groaned. Before she could respond, he stood. “I do need a shower,”