Love Makes the Difference (Sully Point Book 1) (17 page)

BOOK: Love Makes the Difference (Sully Point Book 1)
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"Oh--oh, no," she said breathlessly then realized
she hadn't take a breath. She gulped in air and bent over putting her head
down. It was like being hit in the stomach.

"Anna, are you all right?" Sam was beside her
lifting her hair out of her face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be okay." She stood up and Sam
put an arm around her for comfort. But she didn't want to be comforted, she
wanted to hit something.

She walked away from Sam, her hands in fists. "That--that--bitch!
Cut up my paintings, will she? I hope she does attack just so I can knock her
block off. What a piece of--"

"Whoa, calm down--"

"I will not calm down. We should be angry, both of us,
at what she has done. You lost your whole house that you worked so hard on,
fixing it up so nice. I liked that beach house. And your beautiful little car.
Burned up because that vile, cold, black-hearted woman wanted to get back at
you. Really? What kind of person does that? I'll tell you, an evil bitch from
hell, that's who."

Sam opened his mouth and then shut it again.

"Say something!" she demanded.

"I think I haven't really let myself be mad about the
house. Not till you said that. I was very angry about the car last night. But
the house--damn, I liked it and I loved the view. You're right, she is a bitch
from hell."

Anna nodded vigorously. She glanced around the room. "I
might as well leave the paintings all out so that your friend Stanley can see
them. Probably too late to call him now about an appointment."

"Are you kidding? He'll be up. Did he leave his gallery
number or his personal number?"

"Both."

"Call him. He'll answer. It's only eight o'clock, he
probably hasn't even had dinner yet."

Anna felt that was doubtful, but did make the call. She and
Stanley agreed that he would arrive tomorrow around one in the afternoon.
Evidently he did nothing in the morning hours but sleep.

When she was done, Sam held out a hand to her. "Come on.
Let's go check out the downstairs like we planned. I have an idea."

Anna looked around the large open first floor room. It was
much like the upstairs, with a decrepit small bathroom and only a sink and
small counter toward the back. "When do you think this was last used? The
fifties?"

Sam said, "I'm not sure, but what about fixing it up?"

"Why?"

"Because I think we might both need to have some space
when it comes to our creative work."

"Ah, yes, I can see that." She thought about
trying to paint with someone else in the room. Could be a disaster. Besides she
liked to play the music loud. "Okay, you have a point. It would take more
than just my Dad and Cody and you to fix up this space though. It needs new
floors, bathroom, lighting--I guess now that I say it, you guys could do it."

"No, I think we'll want to get this done very quickly.
We don't have the time to go slowly like we did on your loft. Let me do it. I'll
hire the help I need and get it done."

"If you're sure." It felt weird to have him fixing
up the place.

"I'm sure. What kind of floor would you like down here?
Hardwood? Tile? Concrete? Carpeting?"

"You're the one who will be down here, right? Because I
need the light I get upstairs. You should pick. But not tile."

Sam grinned at her and she felt a slight shiver go through
her body. That look of his, the way his eyes looked into hers, the shape of his
mouth and--
hey, he's coming over here--and--oh wow, what a kiss.

"Erhm. Hmm. Excuse me," Leo was saying to them.

Anna felt herself blush while Sam put an arm around her.

"We wanted to know if you know of anywhere we could
pick up some wood, nails and a hammer. We want to seal up the back door."

"Sure, let me call my Dad. I think we have some wood
over at the house and he has tools."

Within a half hour, her father's pickup was parked in front
of the building. Leo and her Dad carried lumber into the first floor. Between
them, Sam and Anna explained the latest news about the press conference, the
security team, and Patrice's break-in.

Her father seemed relieved to meet the bodyguards. Then he
began questioning Sam about plans for the first floor.

"I can help you out, in particular with the bathroom
and I can get the parts for cost. Check with Hank Albert, he's got Albert and
Son Flooring. He can do a nice job on the floor. What are you going to put
down?"

"Hardwood I think. Then we can get some rugs to warm it
up."

"Will this front window bother you when you're writing?"
Anna asked. The window was made of the old-fashioned glass blocks that couldn't
really be seen through. That, however, didn't seem relevant to Kevin.

"Ma'am, step away from the window please. I know you
can't really see through it, but the shape of a body can be seen."

She felt a shudder of fear run through her body. She walked
back to stand with Sam and her father.

Sam looked at the window musingly. "Let's just say that
I'm not going to work up next to it. I'm going to need furniture down here, a
desk for the new computer. And we'll need to get the sink area changed into a
small kitchenette."

Frank said, "Let me help you with that, and I'll get
Cody as well. He's all bummed out since his girlfriend broke up with him."

Soon enough her father and Leo had the back door boarded up
and Sam and Anna went back upstairs after her father left. Kevin was told the
plans for the early morning at the bakery and Sam's need to be out and about
town arranging things for the first floor. The new guards showed up and the
couple was at last alone in the loft.

"I feel like this day has gone on forever. I think I'll
be glad to get up and out to the bakery by five a.m. tomorrow. Baking bread
sounds almost sinfully simple."

Sam moved to stand in front of her and put his arms around
her. He began kissing her, then he was murmuring against her lips. "I've
been waiting all day to do this."

"Me too," she said breathlessly, and clothes were
suddenly flying. They fell onto the couch together. "The bed...."

"Can wait," he said in a deep voice. "I can't."

 

 

Chapter 9

 

The next morning she was awakened by two things--the alarm
going off and Sam pulling her close to him. He reached over her and hit the
alarm button on the clock. "Stay here with me for a few minutes."

Laying her head on his chest and her body across his, she
said, "As I recall, it takes more than a few minutes. I think it was hours
last night."

She felt the laugh go through him. "All right. I can't
guarantee you'd ever get to the bakery today if I had my way. I just can't get
enough of you."

"The feeling is very mutual. I'll see how early I can
get off work. Kayla wants more hours."

"Good," he said with feeling.

"Oh damn, we never got my clothes from the house. I've
got to go there now if I'm going to be on time for making the bread."

"I'm coming with you."

"Sam, you'll only distract me."

"Yes, that was my plan."

"You're terrible!" She scrambled away from him and
out of the bed they'd opened up at some point last night.

She was aware of him watching her walk naked across the
room, gathering up clothes and she found that she'd lost all sense of
embarrassment around him.

"You're utterly luscious."

Maybe not all embarrassment, she thought as she felt herself
blush.

"Come on, get up and make coffee if you're coming with
me."

"If I'm coming with you I'm waiting to have better
coffee at the bakery."

"Good idea."

They both dressed and met up with Kevin and Leo and the
other guards outside and then took off for the house. She led Sam quietly in
the back door and up the stairs hoping not to wake her father. When Sam saw her
computer he looked at her in disbelief.

"Do you know how old that thing is? We've got to get
you a new computer."

"I hardly ever use it. Grab those two suitcases in the
closet and start emptying drawers while I change clothes."

Within minutes they had the bulk of her clothes packed and
ready to go. "We can come back later for books and other stuff," she
said, grabbing the smallest bag.

"Thought you could sneak in and out, did you?" Her
father's grumbly voice startled her so much she nearly dropped the suitcase. He
stood right outside the door of her bedroom still dressed in pajamas.

"Dad! I thought you were asleep."

"Nah, I heard you come in."

"We've gotta dash so I can get the bread made. See you
later?"

"Yeah. Sam, stop by the store at some point today so we
can start ordering supplies for the first floor." He ambled back down the
hall to his bedroom, shabby flannel robe flapping around him.

"He's really taken me moving out and you moving in with
me very well."

"He's a good guy."

Once at the bakery, Sam cadged some day-old muffins from
Anna. He seemed impressed when she told him how the day-old items were donated
to the homeless shelter every day. Sully Point didn't have a huge population of
homeless, but there were enough that her food donations made a difference. They
talked while she made bread, then Sam left with his set of bodyguards. That was
after he'd overwhelmed her with a deep passionate kiss.

Anna couldn't understand her feelings. When she was with
him, she was consumed by him, needing him, wanting him--not just for sex but
for being around him. Hearing him laugh, watching his eyes crinkle at the edges
when he grinned at her, feeling that incredible body holding hers...

Then once she was away from him she began to feel like it
couldn't be real, that he couldn't really love her.
You'd think I'd be
getting it by this time. He says he loves me. Maybe I should start believing
him.
She knew the reason she hadn't told him she loved him was because of
this feeling of disbelief. To tell him that, and then to have him leave her--she
didn't think she could stand it if that happened. She trusted him, the man, but
somehow she didn't trust his love--not quite yet. She knew last night there had
been a moment when he'd waited, expecting her to say she loved him. When she
hadn't, she'd felt a slight pulling away coming from him. Like a small little
wall between them. Barely seen or felt, but still there.

Do I love him?
The answer, she knew, was yes. Maybe
it was time to take the leap and say it to him. Could she trust her heart to
him?

* * * *

Sam met his favorite early-morning car salesman, Joe, to
arrange a gift for Anna. The man showed only a modicum of surprise when Sam
said he wanted to order a special Porsche for her. He wanted it to have all the
bells and whistles and more--and of course, once again, paid for the whole thing
with his there-is-no-limit credit card. Joe was only breathing slightly fast
during the transaction.

The morning sun was up and shining brightly by the time Sam
met Frank at the hardware store. They were in the middle of choosing a sink for
the kitchenette when the older man stopped talking and took a deep breath.

"I have one thing to say to you," Frank said to
him in a stern voice. "If you ever hurt her--"

"I never will, sir, never."

"You're a lot more experienced than her--not just with
women, but with life in general. You've had a broader worldview than she has. I
can see you're helping her to take steps into that bigger world, but be careful
not to overwhelm her. Anna's strong, but she's also been in her own little
world for quite some time. You two are moving fast, like with having someone
look at her work. I just hope it isn't too fast. You take care, Sam."

Sam said, "I love her. More than I could ever have
imagined doing before this. I think she's ready for the paintings to be seen.
But maybe the Porsche I just bought for her to replace that heap of hers is too
much. What do you think?"

Frank's eyebrows rose to his hair line. "Porsche?"

"Yeah, I think that car of hers is dangerous. Do you
think I should wait to give the new car to her?"

"I think you should let me drive it first," Frank
said, laughing. "Good grief man, are you made of money?"

"Pretty much, yeah. The books and movies--it's been
more than I expected. Aside from buying myself some fancy cars, I never had
much to spend it on, until now."

"She is attached to that old car," Frank said
musingly.

"The Porsche is going to take a couple weeks to get
here, maybe I can prepare her for it before then."

Frank chortled. "Prepare her for it? Not in a million
years. But you go ahead and try, son. I'd sure like to see a Porsche in the
family." He slapped Sam on the back and headed over to help out a customer
at the register.

Sam shrugged and decided a farmhouse sink wasn't the right
look for the first floor. Stainless steel contemporary would do fine.

* * * *

Anna waited nervously at the loft, pacing up and down.
Stanley Walters was due to arrive any minute. She'd debated putting a painting
up on the easel but left it empty. He might want to put a painting there to
look at it.

She wished Sam was with her...and was accordingly shocked at
how strong a desire that was. Surely she could handle this on her own!
Yes,
but maybe having him near would have been nice.

There was knock on the door, and she opened it to see Kevin
handing a driver's license back to a tall, thin man with a full head of wavy,
white hair. As he turned to smile at her, she remembered she'd neglected to
mention the guards.

"I'm so sorry! I forgot to tell you about the security.
Won't you come in?"

"Actually I expected them. Norman Crawford called me at
an ungodly hour this morning. He said I'm to talk to him when it comes to
negotiating my commission--that is, if I'm interested in the work. He mentioned
a problem with someone."

BOOK: Love Makes the Difference (Sully Point Book 1)
8.4Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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