Lover of My Dreams (27 page)

He kissed her gently, pulling away and taking a cleansing breath before touching her right cheek with the knuckles of his left hand. He extended his index finger to caress the beautiful birthmark at the corner of her eye.

“I need to calm down,” he told her, smiling. He took a step back from her, not trying to hide the effect she had on his body. His heart quickened with desire as he saw Rachel’s eyes cloud with passion at the discovery.

He watched her as she looked up at him with a gentle smile. There was no fear, no disgust in her gaze, just pleasure and, perhaps, matching desire. If possible, that made him want her even more.

“I’ll check on you later,” he told her finally, leaning forward to kiss her quickly before turning to walk away slowly, wiping at the beads of sweat that covered his forehead.

Rachel watched him as he walked away, her own heart pounding in her chest at the pure sexuality of what had just occurred between the two of them. She was not ashamed to admit the desire and the intense need she had for him.

His body screamed strength. Every step he took accented the long, muscled lines of his body. She was excited by his touch and was amazed by the reaction of his body. She wanted to reach out and grab his ass, knowing he would turn to face her so she could continue her bold explorations of the rest of his body. She wanted to touch him, draw him to her, rip the clothes from his body, touch every part of him, and make love to him.

She blushed at her bold, uncensored thoughts but was not in the least bit ashamed. She wanted him, but it wasn’t just a physical thing for her. Sam was the one man who had shown her caring and kindness from the time she had been a kid. His friendship, his humor, his support, even his teasing nature, had endeared him to her. He would always hold a special place in her heart. She loved him. She always had.

It took her a while to calm down. She had to control her desires and her dreams. What she wanted most was what she was most afraid to hope for. She looked out across the campground in search of Sam. He was no longer in view. She turned then and hobbled over to her lounge chair and sat down, leaning back and closing her eyes tiredly.

Memories of Sam’s gentle touch and his coaxing kisses washed over her, making her body tingle at the memory. His tenderness was totally unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She felt no threat from him and no pressure to accept his advances. She felt comfortable and safe with him. She always had. It was a nice feeling.

She thought about what it would be like if Sam had indeed stayed and helped her bathe. She closed her eyes at the thought of having him wash every inch of her body, touching her breasts, and finding the warm wetness that waited only for him.

She wondered what it would be like to make love with him. His gentle touch had soothed her and his kisses had aroused her. Her mind drifted as she thought about him. She remembered his words to her just days before. He had said that his bedside manner would leave her weak and satisfied. Of that she had no doubt in her mind.

Rachel bent over carefully and poured some of the warm water over her head with a cup, repeating the process until her hair was fully saturated. She put the cup aside and poured some shampoo into her hand. She had to close her eyes and breathe deeply for a moment as dizziness overcame her, but she was determined to do this by herself. Pushing through the wave of nausea, she scrubbed her hair slowly, doing her best to concentrate on the task and not the way her stomach was rolling.

Thoughts of Sam helping her wash her hair and her body made her face flush in embarrassment. She knew that it was not only embarrassment she was feeling, but excitement at the thought of him touching her so intimately. She wished with every ounce of her being that she could enjoy the feel of him touching her again. And she wanted to touch him, too.

Pouring fresh water over her head, she rinsed out the shampoo and wrapped her head in the towel she had set aside on the picnic table. Straightening up slowly, she held on to the picnic table as she made her way to the lounge chair and carefully eased herself down onto it. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and rested. The very effort of washing her hair had nearly drained her of all her strength.

She waited a few minutes to get some energy back then removed the towel and brushed her hair. When she was finished she found her eyes wandering to Sam’s camper. She couldn’t see him and wondered where he was and what he was doing.

“Pull yourself together, Rache!” she told herself angrily as she stood, flipping the towel across her shoulder and reaching out to lift the pan from the portable stove to slowly carry the remaining heated water into her tent. Her ankle was still pretty sore, and she wasn’t able to move quickly at all.

Once inside, she brought the pan of water to the back of the tent near her cot then returned to zip the tent securely closed behind her. She made her way to her cot and sat down tiredly. She tried to ignore the dizziness that continued to plague her but wasn’t successful. She had to wait a few minutes before she could stand and remove her clothes. She bent over to immerse a washcloth in the warm water and lather it up with the bar of soap she had brought along with her. As she scrubbed her naked body she found her mind wandering to the man who was now somewhere in the campground.

Memories of a cloth being passed over her body during her sickness were coming through with striking clarity, and she knew that it had to have been Sam. She blushed slightly at the thought of him touching her when she wasn’t aware and felt a little afraid at having been in such a vulnerable position. Somehow though, she knew that he had not extended his touch beyond the boundaries of decency.

Every instinct she possessed had made her trust him from the time she had been a child. She had always felt comfortable and safe with Sam. She liked that he was so gentle with her. She saw no reason to change her opinion of him now. She was especially relieved that she didn’t feel any of the tightness in her chest that she had felt with Richard whenever he had touched her.

She wished that she could remember everything that had happened during her sickness, especially how it felt to have Sam touch her body. She also wished that he would touch her for a different reason other than medical assistance. His tenderness was making her ache with the need of wanting to be touched with passion and desire.

She finished her sponge bath and wiped her body dry with the towel. When she was fully dressed in clean, warm clothes, she felt refreshed. Although she was still weak, she felt better now that some of the sickness had been washed from her body. She threw out the used bath water and stuffed her dirty clothes into the duffel bag beside the cooler before turning to lie down on her cot. She needed to rest for a few minutes to regain her strength.

A few minutes turned into nearly an hour as her body took over and demanded rest. When she opened her eyes she looked at the portable clock on the suitcase beside her and gasped in shock. It was nearly three o’clock. She sat up quickly, grabbing her head in an effort to stop the dizziness that surrounded her. After a moment, the dizziness subsided and she was able to stand. She was determined to finally get some work done on her book. She reached for her laptop and glasses and carried them out of the tent.

Going to her car, she unlocked it and sat in the front seat. She kept the door open as she started the car and plugged in the portable charger for her laptop. After a moment, she turned off the engine and connected her computer. She opened it and started it, looking around the campground as it went through the booting process.

She waited while it recharged, thinking through the revisions she had to make to her latest book. Once it completed the charge, she started her car once again, glad when she saw that the car battery was at one hundred percent. She shut off the engine and slowly made her way back to the comfortable lounge chair, sitting tiredly, and placing the laptop on her legs. Opening the file for her latest book, she began from page one, reading and editing her latest story of love.

It was only a matter of moments before she was totally absorbed in the revisions. It was difficult for her to maintain her concentration, though, because she still wasn’t feeling very well, but she forced herself to work diligently for nearly an hour.

Her attention began to wander, and she found herself looking toward the site across from her to see if she could catch a glimpse of Sam. She had to force herself to get back to work. She couldn’t seem to keep her mind on her revisions. Sam’s face kept invading her thoughts. She thought about the comfort she felt lying next to him in his bed when she had slept beside him, wishing she could remember it more clearly. The memory of the way that he had touched her and kissed her haunted her, making her want more.

She removed her glasses, set them on her lap, and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She was already exhausted and didn’t think she would be able to do any more work. She was too distracted, and she really wasn’t feeling all that well. Saving her edits and shutting down the computer, she sighed tiredly and did her best to take slow, even breaths to calm herself.

Holding her laptop loosely on her lap, she sat back and closed her eyes, taking a moment to relax. When she opened her eyes, she looked across the campground and found herself smiling when she saw Sam walking the distance that separated them.

“Hi,” she called to him, unable to keep the blush from her face as she remembered his touch. She hoped that he was far enough away not to notice.

“Hi, yourself,” he called back, walking toward her slowly, stopping in front of the foot of her chair. She looked wonderful. Her hair was freshly washed and her face held a touch of color that complemented her features. She was dressed in light pink sweats and he found himself wanting to reach out to touch the softness of her.

He had wanted to come over long before now but had forced himself not to push her by moving too fast. He knew that she needed time to wash up and rest, and his appearance would not have been appreciated. It had been a long afternoon of waiting for him.

“Checking up on me?” she asked him finally, not sure if she should be annoyed or not.

“Not really,” he told her calmly, squatting beside her chair to bring them to the same height. “I wanted to invite you for dinner. It’s not ready yet, but I could sure use some company while it’s cooking. Feel up to it? If you don’t, I understand.”

Rachel looked into Sam’s blue eyes and saw the guarded hope that was there. She was surprised at his sudden boyish insecurity. She had to stop herself from reaching out and touching his face to caress it lightly. It amazed her how much she wanted to touch him and soothe him all the time.

“I never turn down an offer for dinner,” she teased, unable to keep herself from smiling when she saw the relief on his face.

It was time to put aside the threat that Edwin McCoy had held over her head for so many years. She no longer had to worry about protecting Sam from his father. Only the threat to her Aunt Kay’s home was the one threat that could still be wielded to hurt her family. She would have to talk to her aunt about accepting the money that she needed to finish paying off her mortgage. Only then would all threats from Edwin McCoy be empty promises of hurting the ones that she loved.

“Do you want to take your work with you?” he asked, pointing to her laptop. “You can work on it after dinner while I check the campground if you want.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to do any more writing. I’m pretty tired. But I’ll take it with me just in case,” Rachel said as she reached for the computer case. She quickly slid the laptop inside of it, placed her glasses beside it, and zipped it closed.

Sam stood before her, worried at her tiredness. “Are you feeling dizzy, honey?”

Rachel looked up at him, surprised by the endearment he was becoming more and more comfortable using. She liked it.

“Sometimes. Only a little,” she admitted.

He nodded and offered her his hand to help her up. Taking her computer bag, he slung the long strap across his shoulder before pulling her toward him firmly and encircling his arm around her body.

Rachel felt a rush of desire race through her as he held her body so tightly against his. She was glad to have his help as she walked awkwardly with him across the campground.

“I’ve got you, honey,” he told her reassuringly.

She didn’t trust herself to answer him. She just held on to his arm and followed his lead.

He led her to the campfire that he had built a safe distance from the picnic table not far from the edge of the stream and settled her in a chair that had already been set up for her. She sat down, looked up at him and smiled.

“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you, Dr. McCoy?” she teased him.

“Actually, no,” he told her honestly. “I just hoped that you would agree to join me.”

Rachel was warmed by his words. As she watched him walk toward his camper and disappear inside of it, she knew that this man was the one that had always held her heart. He had since she had been a very young woman.

She had to be completely honest with herself. She knew that every male character in her books had Sam’s characteristics. He was kind, gentle, caring, honest, and sexy as hell. Every female character was a representation of herself. She had written about Sam over and over again. Each novel ended the same way—with Sam’s character loving her and making a future filled with love and babies.