Lover of My Dreams (42 page)

“Sam,” she moaned, unable to articulate exactly how she was feeling.

“I know, honey. Don’t hold back. Come for me.”

Rachel arched her back, presenting her breasts to him as she reached for her orgasm. Leaning forward, he captured her right breast with his mouth and sucked firmly on her turgid nipple, biting down on it lightly and snapping his hips harder at the same time.

Rachel opened her mouth in a silent scream as her orgasm ripped through her. She gripped Sam’s forearms, digging her nails into them and holding tightly as her body came apart.

Rachel’s hot channel clamped down on his cock. The ripples of her release caressed his shaft, making his balls draw up tight against his body and pulling his orgasm from him. He pressed into her and held himself tightly against her as his cock erupted, sending a torrent of seed deep into her womb.

“Sam,” she whispered, holding him tightly as she felt his shaft throbbing deep inside of her.

He kissed her then, devouring her mouth and pulling her closer against him as his cock spurted over and over again. His heart hammered against his chest. He released her mouth and gently kissed her cheek to settle contentedly against her neck. As Rachel held him tightly and kissed his shoulder over and over again, he smiled at the gentle loving she gave him.

“That was really nice, Sam,” she whispered, smiling when he chuckled against her neck.

“Yeah. It was.”

He smiled against her neck, kissing her gently. Pulling out of her carefully, he smiled at the groan that left her. Lying to her left, he drew her toward him and tucked her safely against his body. She cuddled against him and rested her head against his shoulder, making him know that this was exactly as it should and would always be.

This incredible, kind, and loving woman was going to be his wife and the mother of his children. Their lovemaking might have already sparked their baby’s life. And he was completely okay with that possibility.

Sam pulled his truck alongside the doorway to one of the most elegant clothing stores in Denver and waited while Rachel opened the door and stepped out. She turned and reached in to gather up her purse and found her hand captured by his. She looked up and smiled at him, happy nearly to the point of giddiness.

He pulled her toward him and lightly placed a kiss upon her lips. “I’ll be back in two hours,” he told her quietly. “I have an errand to run. My cell phone is on if you need me. I don’t have your number. You can give it to me later. Do you have mine?”

“Yes,” she whispered, nodding. She let go of his hand reluctantly then stepped back and pushed the door shut.

She took another step back to stand safely on the sidewalk and watched as Sam pulled away then turned and entered the store. She made her way toward the lingerie department and found herself blushing as she remembered the intimacies that she and Sam had shared during the past week.

Each night, they had slept side by side, holding each other, touching and kissing, and making love. Each time was beautiful. Each time was exciting as hell. Sam was an incredible lover who always showed her tenderness, concern, and mind-numbing orgasms.

They had talked about so many things. They caught each other up on all that had happened in their lives during the time they had spent apart and all the events that had shaped their lives over the past ten years. They talked about their future together, the children they would lovingly welcome, and the family they would tenderly create and nourish.

Their time together had been so special, and Rachel found that she loved Sam more with each day that they spent together. She admired his strength of character, his intelligence, and his accomplishments, but she truly adored him for his gentleness and caring. His tenderness with her made her feel warm and special. He treated her with kindness and respect. He listened to her. He respected her thoughts and opinions. He enjoyed her. The friendship they had shared as children remained a deep part of their relationship. They had fun together. Whether it was the both of them working around the campsite or Rachel quietly working on her manuscript while he studied, they were content to spend time with each other and settled in to a comfort of sharing their days. Every day seemed to add a new dimension to their lives together.

His concern for her well-being made her feel like a queen. He had been so serious when they had gone for their blood tests. He had held her hand tightly in his without realizing it, supervising the young woman who had taken the blood from her. Rachel was deeply touched by his honest caring.

Memories of the way he had held her each night and caressed her body and made love to her flooded her mind as she walked through the store, making her breathing become somewhat erratic as she waited for the store elevator. She pushed the call button and waited for the doors to open then stepped inside and selected the second floor button. Her thoughts wandered once again as the doors closed and she was lifted toward the intimate apparel department.

The elevator doors opened and she exited to make her way toward the lingerie department, thinking of Sam as she walked. The memories of Sam’s touch were very vivid. He had driven her wild with desire every time they made love. She wanted to grab him and make love to him right then.

“You’re out of control, girl,” she whispered to herself, wiping at her face in an unconscious effort to brush the heat from her cheeks. She couldn’t help but smile to herself as she walked toward the displays of the beautifully delicate lingerie.

She had to mentally shake herself and set about to buy herself a strapless bra, a slip, and nylons. While she was at it, she would buy the delicately decadent panty and bra set that she noticed when she approached the center of the department. She lifted up the soft pink set before her and smiled, knowing she would feel sexy and feminine in it. Sam would love it. She couldn’t wait to see his face when she stood before him wearing it and nothing else.

She could feel her body tensing in anticipation of what Sam would do to her. She smiled a knowing smile and picked up three other sets to add to her purchase. It should prove interesting to watch Sam try to control himself as he removed her clothing to see what color would entice him each day. She couldn’t help but giggle as she added three more colors to her bundle.

“Might as well have one for each day of the week,” she said softly, making sure to choose different styles to keep his interest.

When she finished in this department she would look for a pair of shoes, a purse, perfume, and some makeup. She hoped that once she was immersed in shopping she would be able to push her erotic thoughts aside.

She viewed the silk slips with a critical eye. She wanted to get one that was feminine and alluring. She smiled to herself as she thought about wearing it, and only it, for Sam. She couldn’t help but blush as she imagined him reaching out to pull it slowly from her body. How she was consumed with thoughts of Sam! She made an effort to stay focused on her shopping and smiled at the young saleswoman who approached her.

“May I help you?” the pretty blonde with sparkling blue eyes asked her, smiling sweetly at her.

“Yes, please, Aubrey,” Rachel answered, reading the young woman’s name tag, and concentrating on pulling herself out of her decadent thoughts. “I’d like to buy these.” She handed the lace trimmed black slip and the delicate underwear sets to the girl. The soft material of the slip floated from her grasp as she handed it to her, the texture gently caressing her hand as she released it.

Rachel sighed happily as she opened her purse to remove her wallet. She knew that the heightened sense of awareness that she had for textures, colors, and smells was the direct result of the new appreciation she had for life—which was directly related to her feelings for Sam.

As she shopped she realized that she was finally happy with the way her life was turning around. When she had left Connecticut, she had never thought that she would leave behind her pain and loneliness. She certainly never would have dared to believe that she would be reunited with Sam and find such beautiful and absolute love with him. And she did love Sam. She always had. Her childhood love for him had deepened to one so true that it often scared her with just how right it felt.

The fact that Sam never said that he loved her bothered her a little but, deep in her heart, she knew that he must. He could never share his life and desires with her if he didn’t have deep feelings for her. They were just words. It was more important that he showed her how much he cared for her in the way that he cherished her.

The time passed quickly, and she found herself rushing to get all that she needed in the time she had left. Her many bundles hung from her hands, and she realized that they were shaking slightly. Was it anticipation? Fear? Longing? Probably all of those. She looked at her watch and saw that she had about twenty minutes before Sam would be coming back to get her.

She walked quickly through the busy store. She gathered her bags of exciting new purchases in one hand and rang for the elevator. It seemed an eternity before the elevator doors opened before her. She stepped inside, turned to push the main floor button, and shifted her bundles to get comfortable for the short ride down to the main floor of the store. There was a man dressed impeccably in a black suit standing at the back of the elevator. His height and coloring were oddly familiar. His cologne bombarded her senses with the familiar scent of another man—another man who had haunted her thoughts and had tortured her memories.

The man behind her stepped forward slightly, causing her to step aside to lean against the wall of the elevator. He was too close to her. The steady hum of the elevator fan made her lose focus on her immediate surroundings, and she found herself slipping into a place where her memories overwhelmed her.

Richard’s face suddenly flashed across her mind’s eye. His mocking look and cold eyes seized her heart as she remembered vividly the cruel words that he had spoken to her the last time she had seen him. The physical attack he had made on her replayed in her mind in a split second, and she was sickened at the memory. His face loomed before her, cruel and intense.

The memories of that night assailed her. She suddenly felt unable to breathe. It didn’t matter how successful or confident she had been before that night. He had made her question her worth, her confidence, and her sexuality. His physical attack played into her deepest fears of insecurity and pain.

She had to get off the elevator before she was sick to her stomach. The elevator doors finally opened. She rushed out before the man could take one step. She desperately needed fresh air. She walked quickly through the store, clutching her bags tightly in her fists as she went.

She hated that she was suddenly consumed by panic and fear. Rushing out of the store, she took deep, even breaths to try and calm down. It was a long time before her heart rate slowed, but her nerves never settled.

* * * *

When Sam drove up to the store’s doorway, Rachel was waiting for him. He smiled and reached over to open the door for her. She allowed him to take the bags containing her purchases from her and place them in the rear seat of the truck then climbed in and closed the door, trying to avert her face from his gaze.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, noting her pale complexion.

“Just a little tired,” she offered lamely, sitting back to buckle the seat belt securely around her.

Sam looked at her a moment but didn’t say a word. He looked to his left to check the traffic flow before pulling out and driving away. They drove in silence toward his apartment, but it was not a comfortable silence.

“Did you find everything you needed?” he asked her quietly, stealing a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t like her complexion at all. She looked as if she was going to be sick.

“Yes,” she barely whispered, staring out at the traffic ahead of them, lost in thought.

He wanted to reach over and hold her hand but knew better than to touch her when she was so tense. Her hands were gripping her purse, her knuckles white from the strain. Something was very wrong.

When they finally arrived at his apartment on the outskirts of the city, he parked his truck and climbed out then walked to her door and opened it for her. Reaching in, he offered her his hand and helped her to step out then leaned in to lift out the many bags and the garment bag that held Paulette’s dress that was hanging in the back. When Rachel reached out to take some of the bags from him, he didn’t protest. It was obvious that she needed to carry something to occupy herself.

Rachel followed him into the building, concentrating on carrying her bags and keeping her gaze averted from his. They walked through the foyer of the apartment building and waited for the elevator in silence. It seemed to Rachel that she could hear Sam’s heart beating as he stood so closely beside her. She was relieved when the elevator doors finally opened and they stepped inside, only to become nervous once again as they were forced to stand close together in the small space inside of it. She saw Sam reach into his pocket and pull out his keys. She found herself settling somewhat as she watched his right hand select the key to his apartment door and remembered how beautifully he had touched her.

Sam watched her worriedly, noticing how she looked away from him every time he looked toward her, but he said nothing. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, he led the way to the right of the elevator to the door of his apartment. He inserted the key to unlock it then stepped back to allow Rachel to enter before him, and closed and locked the door behind them.