“Good, you?”
“At first, it was hard to fall asleep. I kept thinking about this gorgeous woman in my arms.” He winks at me and kisses my forehead. “But once I fell asleep, I slept really well. I made coffee.” He gestures to the pot sitting on the counter.
“My hero.” I clasp my hands together and wave them in front of me, batting my eyelashes.
Sam drops his gaze to the floor, and I brace myself for whatever he’s going to say next. “I need to go back to my dad’s house and help with a few house projects today. I was thinking, there's somewhere I want to take you.” He looks back up at me. “Will you go out with me tonight?”
“You mean, on aproperdate?” I wink at him.
He rolls his eyes. “Yes. A proper date, menace. I’ll even pick you up.”
The smile that crosses my face is immediate. “I would love to.”
“It’s a date then.” He returns mysmile.
That evening, I’m dressed in warm clothing, per Sam’s instructions, and sitting on my couch waiting for him to arrive. My knee is bouncing so much I’m afraid it’ll come loose from the joint and start walking on its own.
When I feel like I can’t take the nerves any longer, I hear the doorbell. Stopping to look at my reflection in the mirror by the door one last time, I open the door and greet Sam.
“Wait." Seeing the motorcycle jacket in Sam's hand makes me nervous. "You aren’t thinking I’m going to—I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Yes, I do, in fact, think you’re going to get on my motorcycle with me.” I feel the color drain from my face, and he adds, quietly, gently, “I’ll keep you safe, Kat. I promise.”
I can’t take my eyes off the black motorcycle jacket he’s holding out to me or the one he’s wearing himself.
Finally lifting my eyes to his face, I see he’s looking at my feet. “But you need to change your shoes. You can’t ride with me in those slip-ons.”
“Well, that’s too bad because just this afternoon, I threw away all my other shoes. Darn, I was looking forward to riding with you.” I shrug as if that is the end of the story.
“Nice try.” He steps inside, hangs the jacket he was holding onto a hook by the door, takes his off and hangs it on the same hook, and drags me down the hall to my bedroom.
Sam gently pushes me down onto the bed and walks over to my closet, pulling out shoes he deems suitable. Walking over to my dresser, he asks, “Which drawer has your socks?” I hear his words, but I’m too stunned to process them.
Is he serious about riding a motorcycle?Didn’t he crash last time?
“Kat?” His gentle voice breaks through my fog. “Which drawer are your socks in?”
“The top left.” I watch as he opens the drawer, chooses a pair of socks for me, and shuts the drawer before walking back to where I’m still sitting. He kneels in front of me, and that action shocks me out of my stupor.
“Oh my God, I can put on my own shoes.” He shrugs, handing me the socks, and sits on the bed next to me.
“Didn’t like me kneeling in front of you?” His voice is playful and enticing.
I’m remembering our time in Chicago when he was on his knees in front of me, and my cheeks instantly flush. I can see his big smile from the corner of my eye.
“Sam, I—” It comes out way too breathy. Shaking my head to clear the lust forming, I try again. “I thought the last time you rode a motorcycle was when you had your accident.” I frown at him, my eyebrows pulled together in concern.
“I rode it to my dad’s house the night your parents gave it to me, and I’ve been riding it each time I’ve been home. I was definitely nervous the first couple of times, but it all came back to me.” He looks at me with so much sincerity as he adds, “I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I were hesitant at all. The weather looks great, and we aren’t going too far. Trust me?”
He looks at me with so much hope shining in his eyes. “Yes. I trust you.”
“Then let’s go.” He stands and holds his hand out to me. I slowly take it and let him pull me up.
Before we move, his lips are on mine. His kiss is gentle, but the way his hands grip my waist tells me he's holding back. He breaks away from me too soon. “Shit. I meant to wait until the end of the night before kissing you.”
“I don’t mind the little detour.” I smile wickedly at him and bite my lip.
“Stop biting that lip, or we’re never going to get out of here, and I have special plans for us.” Sam tugs my lip from my teeth, grabs my hand, and walks towards the front door.
