I turn my head to give him better access and he smiles against my skin. "You smell different," he observes, nuzzling my hair.
"Huh?"
"You usually smell like honey and vanilla." He plants small kisses along my jaw.
"You know what Ismelllike?" I ask, incredulous. Honey and vanilla is the scent of my conditioner at home. Of course, I know his scent very well, but then, I'm in love with him, so the playing field isn't exactly level.
Sam nods and I feel rather than see it.
"I, uh, used the hotel's conditioner," I explain, and he doesn't respond, he just starts nibbling on my ear.
Holy hell, that's hot.
Ding.
The doors open and Sam steps away, but not far, and I'm once again left reeling as three men, presumably other spring breakers, enter the elevator and shamelessly check me out. I swallow nervously, but Sam pulls me possessively to his side, glaring at them. And I'm grateful.
"Just lookin' bro, no harm," one of them drawls, palms forward in a show of pacifism.
"Look somewhere else," Sam shoots back.
The stranger laughs. "No need to go all territorial, dude. If you don't want other guys checkin' out your girl you should probably get a less hot girlfriend, and youdefinitelyshouldn't have brought her to Miami for spring break," he slurs.How is he drunk already?It's barely one in the afternoon.
Sam subtly maneuvers me behind him. "And if you want to keep you fucking face arranged like it is, you should probably look. Somewhere. Else," he says both calmly and completely menacingly.
The elevator pings again and the doors glide open. Without breaking his glare at slurry stranger, Sam guides me out and starts pulling me through the lobby, and I practically have to jog to keep up with his long, agitated strides.
"Sam, it's fine," I murmur, and he finally casts me a glance, his gaze softening instantly, the tension in his muscles easing. His gait slows until I'm walking beside him instead of being pulled like a puppy on a leash. He releases my hand and slings his arm around my shoulder, pressing a sweet kiss to my hair.
"He was right, you know," he mutters. "It would be easier to get guys to stop looking at you if you weren't so motherfucking hot."
I laugh. I love that he thinks of me that way when for so long I was sure he wasn't even attracted to me. "But thenyoumight not want me," I reply, trying on his trademark smirk.
"Don't be ridiculous."
*****
We join the others by the pool, and though it isn't really all that odd for Sam to have an arm around me in a friendly sort of way, Carl still notices and shoots me a subtle smirk. I roll my eyes dismissively. Tuck sits behind her on a lounge chair, rubbing sunblock onto her shoulders.
"Hmm, you two showing up together, how interesting," Dave drawls.
"Quiet, Dave." Sam gestures for me to take the lounge chair next to Carl before settling on the one beside mine.
Lily is apparently asleep next to Tuck and Carl, and Tina and Andrew are in the pool.
"Hey Rory," she calls from the water, and I give her a small wave.
"Damn it, Tuck, grow up!" Carl admonishes when Tuck's hands wander past the sides of her bikini top.
"Hey, I don't want these babies to burn," he fires back.
"What do you care? It's not like you'll be touching them anyway if you keep acting like such a jerk," Carl spits, and Tuck falls back onto the lounger in dramatic exasperation.
"Too much information, you two. Get your shit together," Sam murmurs.
"Like you two did?" Dave teases, nodding to Sam and me, and a blush rises to my cheeks. "Interesting that the last time I saw either of you, you were stumbling into a cab together, and now here you are. It makes me wonder-"
"Don't get too excited, Dave. Cap was alone in his room this morning, so I'm pretty sure the only place he touched Pine was in his dreams," Tuck informs the group.
