BYTHETIMEMaya’s car tires crunched onto the driveway of the bed-and-breakfast, it was past 11:00 p.m., and she was grateful to see a light on. She grabbed her bag and headed up the porch steps as quietly as possible. Her skin was sticky from the thick mid-July humidity, and she willed herself not to sweat. When she reached the door, she found it was locked. She knocked lightly.
A man close to her uncle’s age greeted her with a warm smile. “Hello!” The man’s voice was just above a whisper. “Let me get that.” He took her bag and stepped aside to let her in.
Maya let out a breath of relief inside the coolness of the house. “I’m Maya, and I’m awfully sorry for the late hour. The traffic was terrible.”
“Not a problem,” he said. “We understand.” He continued to smile as he waved off her concern. He offered her his hand. “I’m Dave. That DC to Virginia traffic drives us all crazy. That’s why we live here now.”
Dave’s manner reminded Maya of Sam’s father and as she shook his hand, she was immediately at ease. “Thank you, Dave.” She stood in a small foyer that opened to a family room of sorts on her left. There were sofas and cozy, overstuffed chairs. To her right was a dining table large enough for twelve people. In front of her was a staircase. She caught the lingering scent of coffee and something sweet, like baking cookies. There was no Sam. Her heart dropped. “I’m, uh...supposed to be meeting someone here. Sam Hutcherson?”
“Oh, of course. He waited for a while, but he’s gone up to your room.” He indicated the staircase to Maya. “He said to just bring you up when you got here.”
She smiled, relieved. Of course he was here.
“Shall we?”
Maya nodded and followed Dave up the carpeted steps. There were three doors on the second floor. Dave led her to the farthest one and handed her bag to her.
“This is as far as I go. Good night.”
As Dave’s footsteps faded away, she faced the door and contemplated what was waiting for her on the other side. She took a deep breath before she picked up her bag and turned the knob.
The room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. Candles were on the windowsill to her left, and also covered the bureau to her right. A small tea table with two cushy chairs in the back corner hosted more candles, some of which were barely still flickering. The wardrobe next to the tea table set had a small ledge with a few candles placed there. The effect was calming, romantic. Maya put down her bag and shut the door quietly. To her left was a four-poster bed of cherrywood.
On the bed, handsome as ever in the glow of romantic candlelight, lay Sam. He was fully dressed to go out and stretched out on his back, fast asleep. Maya didn’t realize that she had been holding her breath until she saw him. His creamy skin showed off its brown undertone in contrast to the stark white of the pillow. He took up almost the whole length of the bed. Even in sleep, when people were at their most vulnerable, Sam emitted an aura of strength that immediately put Maya at ease. She finally released her breath and then sighed deeply with—what? Disappointment? Relief? Maybe a little bit of both. She took off her shoes and blew out the candles. A sliver of moonlight lit her way back to the bed.
She climbed onto the bed and lay down next to him. He didn’t move. She found comfort in the familiar scent of his cologne and the warmth of his skin. Maya kissed his stubble. He shifted a bit, but didn’t open his eyes. She snuggled down and lay her head on his chest. Without waking, he brought his arm around her and pulled her close. She fell asleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
When Maya woke, the sun was up and Sam was gone. Puzzled, a bit groggy and still in yesterday’s clothes, she took a shower. She took advantage of the floral-scented lotion she found and then wrapped herself in one of the plush robes provided by the inn. Her hair still damp, she stepped out from the bathroom just as Sam entered the room.
He was fully dressed in khaki shorts and a T-shirt, but his feet were bare. The rich aroma of coffee followed him into the room and mingled with the clean scent of her shower and the waxy-floral fragrance from last night’s candles. Sam’s presence filled the small room, and Maya became acutely aware of the fact that all she had on was a robe.
“Hi.” She spoke quietly and brought her arms across her body, trying to meet his eyes, but instead noticing how well the T-shirt formed around the muscles of his chest, and how his slightly damp curls touched the nape of his neck. When she looked away from him, her gaze found only the bed. She swallowed hard.
Sam was frozen in place. “Hey.” He openly stared at her, lips full and slightly parted.
Maya pressed her own lips together. Silence banged around between them.
Maya pulled the robe tighter and finally met his eyes. They looked a bit glazed. “Um, is one of those for me?” She indicated the two mugs in his hands.
“Huh?” Sam continued to gawk at her and then apparently seemed to remember he had hands. He looked down. “Oh, uh, yeah.” He started to hand her one then the other. “I don’t remember which is yours.”
Maya crossed the room and took one of the mugs. Her fingers grazed his and sent a tingle up her spine. “The sweet one is yours.” She closed her eyes as she inhaled the unique aroma of orange mixed with coffee. She took a sip and her taste buds flooded with the sweetness of the citrus and the slight bitterness of the coffee. The combination was intoxicating. Or maybe it was just being here. In this room. With Sam. “Yours.” She switched mugs with him.
“Okay, good.” He had been watching her this whole time. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in a week.”
She backed over to the chairs and carefully took a seat as she tilted her head and motioned for Sam to join her. “Five days. But who’s counting?”
Sam had small, dark circles under his eyes, and he stifled a yawn.
“Did you get yet another job?” Maya asked. “Sorry I was late.” She started rambling before he could answer. “The traffic was ridiculous and Ami didn’t mention how things get clogged up on that highway.”
Sam seemed to relax, and his crooked grin, complete with sexy dimple, reappeared on his face. “I thought so.” He sat down in the chair next to her. “Sorry I fell asleep.” The small tea table was between them, but their feet could touch. Even that felt electric. Mischief made his lip twitch, made his eyes glint with amusement. “Though I will say that I didn’t think my first night sleeping with you would end up with usactuallysleeping.”
Heat rose to her face as she caught his eye. The amusement left his eyes, leaving behind what Maya could only guess was longing. She cleared her throat. “This coffee is incredible.” She took another sip. “I’ve never had...the orange taste...with coffee...” It was impossible to look at him and speak at the same time. She brushed her upper lip with the back of her hand. Was it warm in here?
“Hmm-mmm.” Sam sipped again and Maya became mesmerized with the way his lips gently touched the mug. His molten-brown gaze never left her face. “They get it specially made.”
The heat continued to rise up her neck, but now it started to spread throughout her body. She nervously crossed her legs and the robe fell open, revealing her leg almost to the hip. She hastily uncrossed her legs and readjusted the robe, but was forced to lean forward and caught Sam staring at her, frozen again. He swallowed hard. Maya tensed and automatically sat back up again.
