Jesse's Brother (13 page)

“What do you think?” she asked.

He looked down at his chest. “That I should’ve put a shirt on when he came in.”

“Why? You would have taken it right back off.” She pulled him back down onto her.

CHAPTER 16

The rest of the evening with Noah was like a dream. The television had been left off so they could curl on the couch to talk and steal kisses now and then. Always a gentleman, he never pushed her boundaries. She smiled at him. The late hour was leaving her tired even though she didn’t want to leave.

She started for the door but was pulled back to him, her petite body against his bare chest.

“Don’t go.” His lips brushed against hers.

“If I stay, it could lead to more than this…” His lips pressed against hers cut the sentence in half. Pulling from his embrace and resting her hand on the knob, she tried to get the will power it took to actually walk away from him.

His hand went against the door to stop her from leaving. “Before you go, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes?”

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Heat shot through her body as his lips found the curve of her neck. “I was listening to the radio while I was getting ready this morning.”

“Mmm hmm?” She loved the way his lips felt against her bare skin. The fabric of her top slipped down to reveal her shoulder.

“There was an announcement about the Fourth of July Festival this weekend,” he mumbled while leaving trails of kisses across her skin.

“I’ve heard of it.” The words came out in a small breath of air as her nipples puckered against the lacy fabric of her bra.

His hand slipped under her dress to massage her tender mounds. She’d almost forgotten what they were talking about. Right, the Fourth of July Festival.

“Will you go with me?”

“I would love to.” Oh, how much she wanted to touch him, but she was scared to turn around. Her body leaned against his. Noah’s erection throbbed against her. “I should go.”

“Shh. I want to hold you. I would never push you for more than you want to give. Pushing you would hurt you and I don’t ever want to do that.” He grabbed her by the hand and slowly turned her around. “Please stay with me.”

She nodded slowly at him as he began to lead her to the bedroom. She’d promised herself, no matter what, she wouldn’t allow herself to make love to either of the men until she had made her decision. Noah’s touch set her on fire each and every time but she had to stick to her rule. His lips pushed the promises from her thoughts. Samantha trembled while his hands traveled over her body.

“Tell me when to stop,” he whispered.

“I will.” The heat from his touch rushed through her veins like wildfire. Would she be able to maintain control?

* * * *

Samantha felt the sun on her face. The shabby curtains didn’t do much to keep it out of the small room. She didn’t care, though. Noah’s arms were wrapped around her waist with his fingers barely tucked inside the t-shirt he’d loaned her. Underneath she wore only a pair of navy blue panties that matched her discarded bra.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear before kissing the top of her head.

Earlier in the morning, she had undone the clip to free the curls that now made a halo around her head.

“Good morning to you, too.” Her voice came out with a sleepy drawl. She shifted her body to look up at him but still be in his arms.

“I told you so.” His hearty carefree laugh filled the small room.

“Told me what?”

“That I’d keep my hands off you. When you told me to stop, I did.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Every moment she was with him, she fell more in love with this man.

“I don’t want to move. I want to stay here forever.”

“Then let’s stay here,” she suggested.

“But I have to do some work before we go to the festival. However, I will promise you one thing,” he said before climbing over her.

“What do you promise?”

“We’ll have many more mornings like this.” He bent down to kiss her forehead before he turned his back to her. He slid his boxers down over his hips, then let them drop to the floor. Her eyes were glued to his luscious body as he stood with his naked back to her.

How could someone be so sexy? Her first instinct was to reach out to touch his taut muscles, but she clamped her fingers tightly together instead.

He turned enough to show the front half of his thigh and nothing more. One more inch in her direction and she’d have a clear view of everything. He was teasing her, she knew it, and she loved when she spotted a part of his erection. Smiling at her, he grabbed a clean pair of boxers from the small dresser and slid them up his legs. His whole back was to her again as he slid them over his buttocks then around his hips.

“Not fair.” She didn’t mean to say the words but couldn’t contain them any longer. They escaped when she tried to take a breath.

He laughed softly as he grabbed a pair of faded jeans from the closet. The process was the same, him teasing and her wanting him so badly she was afraid she’d lose control of the situation and grab him. “I never said I wouldn’t dress in front of you. I kept my promise to stop when you wanted me to.”

“I know.” She sighed and let her head fall back onto the pillow. The room was filled with his scent and she didn’t want to get up. She didn’t have to do work like he did, but she was sure her mother would be on the warpath once she realized she’d gone out and hadn’t come home. Even though she was an adult, there was going to be hell to pay when she got home. This wasn’t making the situation with her mom any better.

When he left the bedroom, she covered her head with his blanket and wished she could rewind the clock.

Oh no! Breakfast!

If she didn’t hurry, she wouldn’t be able to surprise her mom with breakfast. Noah was outside rummaging through something. Afraid of disturbing him, she jumped up and pulled open one of his dresser drawers and looked through the clothes until she found a pair of sweats that

might fit her. She threw them on and dashed out of the trailer.

“Where are you going?”

“I forgot I’m making breakfast this morning. Come to my house in half an hour.”

“Aren’t those my sweats? What about your car?”

“I’ll get it after breakfast.” She gave one last wave before sprinting down the path toward her house.

* * * *

Samantha made it back to the house within an hour of when her mom’s alarm clock would’ve gone off. It amazed her that her mother could actually get up so early to fix breakfast for the family.

She didn’t bother to change her clothes but went straight to the kitchen. Even though she’d grown up in the house, she had no idea where most things were located. She began to look through cupboards to get a feel for the place. Mom had always catered to her and Daddy. Did he know knew where anything was, either?

She considered herself an adequate cook. She rarely burned meals, but would never take on the task of cooking for a dinner party or anything close to that caliber.

Her mom always baked the biscuits, then froze the leftovers so that course was easy for Samantha. All she had to do was pull a container of biscuits out of the freezer and pop them into the oven for a few minutes to reheat. While the sausage sizzled, her mind wandered to Noah.

She pictured this being her house and Noah coming in from working on the farm. In her fantasy, a blond little girl with a head full of curls sat at the table while a dark-haired little boy ran in beside his father. A smile spread across her lips. Realizing what was happening, she pulled herself from the fantasy and gave her head a shake. No, this couldn’t be happening. She looked back down at the sizzling breakfast before her.

As soon as she was done with the sausage and fried potatoes, a freshly shaven Noah came in. He wore his faded jeans and a t-shirt. A big grin appeared as soon as he spotted her at the stove.

She glanced at his protruding biceps barely covered by the rolled up sleeves. The memory of those arms being wrapped around her all night burned her cheeks. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of looking at him. She’d spent the entire night in his arms under his kisses and yet she longed for more from him.

“Sammy Baby,” he called as he wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her in a circle. “You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen in front of the stove.”

“Even in sweats?”

“Yes, even in my sweats. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks. You look good yourself,” she said with a giggle.

He planted a kiss on her forehead, then let her turn back to cooking. He started grabbing plates out of the cupboard, then glasses for their juice, and followed up with the silverware. She turned to find a beautifully set table.

“I’ll be right back,” he called as he ran out of the kitchen, slamming the back door behind him.

Samantha stood at the window to watch him run across the back yard and disappear behind the barn. He was out of sight for a few seconds. When he reappeared, a handful of wildflowers were clutched in his hand.

A giggle escaped her mouth as she watched Noah run all the way to the back porch. When the back door opened, she turned to grab a vase she had noticed during her kitchen exploration. The vase was ready with water so Noah could drop the flowers in. The bouquet made the final touch to the table. As soon as it was in the center, footsteps approached the kitchen door.

“It’s perfect,” she replied, looking over the delicious food she had cooked. It sat on platters in the middle of the table.

Mom walked in, then stopped abruptly. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of Samantha, Noah and the prepared breakfast.

Samantha sucked in her breath. Her heart pounded as she waited for her mother’s praise. “Good morning,” said Samantha softly.

“Good morning, Frances,” greeted Noah.

Mom didn’t say anything at first. She looked at the spotless counters, then back at the food on the table waiting to be eaten, walked over to the table and slammed her body down into her seat. Her arms crossed her breasts.