Without even looking, Maya knew the set of her mother’s jaw.
Maya cleared her throat. “Actually, there’s a young actor Samantha has a crush on with that same last name.” She forced a chuckle. “Haven’t you seen the poster in her room?”
“She gave me a full description of the lawyer. Complete with details of how the two of you shared coffee.” Her mother grabbed Maya’s arm to face her. “What have you done?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MAYA
Maryland, 1996
MAYAANDSAMhad been together for a month, and it was all Maya could do to focus on anything but him. She wasn’t sleeping well, and so many happy butterflies had taken up residence in her belly, she found it hard to eat. She’d always rolled her eyes at girls who claimed no appetite and no sleep because of a boy, but now she was thinking maybe they weren’t so crazy.You just don’t get it if you’re not in it.
“Look what I found.” Sam stood behind the sofa where Maya was sitting and handed her a brochure. She was babysitting Ben and Niki for the weekend while his aunt and uncle took a well-deserved weekend away to celebrate their anniversary. Which really helped, because it meant sleeping over at the Mehta house with the children, and a whole weekend away from her uncle’s overprotectiveness. Sam had a free hour before his next shift started and was spending it with her.
Maya put the brochure aside. She turned slightly and reached for his hand over the back of the sofa. “Why do you have to have three jobs, Sam? You’re running yourself into the ground.” Dark circles under his eyes and a stifled yawn proved her point.
He kept his gaze on the TV as he absently answered, “I’m just saving up for school expenses.” Sam picked up the brochure again. “Look! I found it on the desk.” He leaned over the back of the sofa, his face was next to hers and Maya lost herself in his clean, masculine scent.
She forced herself to focus on the brochure, which advertised a bed-and-breakfast in Virginia, a mere three-hour drive from Maryland. Her heart raced. “Are you serious?”A bed-and-breakfast?
He was all wide-eyed innocence. “What? You said we should spend more time together.” A mischievous grin broke through, sending butterflies free in Maya’s belly. “And I happen to agree.” He opened the pamphlet. “See, there’s hiking and horseback riding. And I can get the weekend off.” He gently nudged her cheek with his, his scruff scratching her cheek in the most intimate way, sending a thrill all the way to her core. “And did you also see there’s breakfast?” He cleared his throat. “And a bed?”
Yes, she had seen that there was a bed. It was really the only thing she saw. Warmth traveled the length of her body and she bit the edge of her bottom lip, as she flipped through the brochure, purposefully avoiding his eyes.
“Yes, I did see that.” She looked at him sideways and laughed. “Hiking and horseback riding sound great.”
He kissed her neck, sending tingles all the way down that side of her body. “Or you could let me come over after work and...stay.”
She pulled back just enough to whisper. “Probably not a good idea. Because there are children in this house, and I’m working.”
Sam deftly vaulted over the back of the sofa so he was seated next to her. His eyes were darkened with desire, making her heart pound. “The rug rats are sleeping now.”
There was no reason, and no way to resist that low and husky voice. She closed her eyes and leaned closer to him as he pressed his mouth against hers, deepening their kiss.
“Maya!” Niki’s voice cut through their moment. “Maya!”
Maya stiffened and started to push away from Sam. He didn’t release her. “Pretend you can’t hear.”
She glared at him. “Sam!”
He released her with a groan. “Virginia, Maya.” He nodded at her. “Virginia.”
Maya smiled as she gathered herself from their interrupted kiss and called to Niki. “I’m coming.” She started for the steps and nearly ran into the little girl. Niki was clutching a blanket and a teddy bear in one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other. “Oh, hey, sweetie. What’s the matter?” Maya knelt to look Niki in the eye.
Niki stopped rubbing and squinted at Maya through a screen of hair. “I had a bad dream.” Her voice was small and scared. “Can I stay here with you and Sammy?”
“Oh, sure you can.” She flicked her eyes at Sam as if to say,“See what I mean?”
“Come on, monkey.” Sam called out to his cousin, patting his lap. “Tell us all about it.”
Niki curled up into his lap and Maya sat down next to them as Niki began a detailed account of the monster chasing her in her dream. Niki fell asleep just after describing how the monster had fur all over his body and huge eyes and thought Niki would taste good in soup. Sam held the little girl close.
Maya reached her arm over and absently played with Sam’s curls. “Let’s go to Virginia.”
Sam’s eyes lit up. He whispered over Niki’s head, “What about your uncle?”
Maya pressed her lips together and looked past him. “I need a plan to sneak out.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call Ami. She has two older brothers. If anyone knows about sneaking out, it’s her.”
