Wanting Forever (A Nelson Island Novel) (7 page)

S
am attempted to avert his eyes from Aston’s exposed collarbone as she reached out to turn down the collar on the shirt he was trying on. The dressing room in the upscale department store she’d brought him to was roomy, with mirrors on every surface and comfortable lounge chairs scattered about the space. He’d never tried on clothes at a place this nice in his life.

And
dammit,
he was distracted. Aston was a distraction. She made him forget about the fact that he was only in N.I. because he was running from the cops. How would she feel about it if she knew? How would she feel about him?

She also made him forget about the ache he felt deep in his bones when he thought about Ever. Aston kept him, just for a little while, from thinking about how he was letting Ever down every time his face broke into a smile or every time he let himself think he might have a future here.

It wasn’t fair. Because he knew she was miserable back in Duck Creek.

So when Aston leaned into him, he used every ounce of strength he had not to inhale. Inhaling would allow the scent of wildflower and vanilla musk, the perfect mixture of spicy and sweet, to envelop him. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

He was a man. He and Ever had sex, of course they did. They were a couple, and that’s what couples did. He’d known her for as long as he could remember. So they had sex. With Ever, it was comforting. Like coming home to a warm fire after a long day out in the cold. But the attraction he was fighting with everything in him for Aston…that was something new. Something that had nothing to do with duty and protection, and everything to do with chemistry and heat.

He turned away from Aston’s nimble fingers and looked at himself in the mirror. His jaw dropped.

In the dark gray slacks and light blue pinstriped button-down shirt, he looked…professional. Like a man with goals and drive.

“Amazing,” Aston said, breathing.

He read her expression behind him in the mirror. His mouth watered a bit when her blue eyes darkened with a mixture of emotions. She pretended to dislike him, but what he saw in those eyes of hers? That sure as hell wasn’t hate.

“You think?” He put his arms out to the side and turned. “I honestly didn’t think this store was going to have clothes that fit me.”

“Well, it was a feat,” she admitted. “You’re a giant, Sam.”

She reached up and grazed her fingers against the scruff on his chin.

“This doesn’t…exactly go with your suit,” she murmured.

He remained very still while she touched him. She’d never touched him before, and for him, a nonreaction was the safest bet. Her fingers were soft and delicate, a complete juxtaposition to the strength he knew they were capable of. He struggled to keep his eyes from closing with the pleasure of her touch.

“I should shave?” he asked softly.

“No,” she admitted. “Because I kind of like it.”

He chuckled quietly and stepped back. “Okay, Princess. Now that your work here is done, I’d like to thank you by buying you lunch.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You can’t afford me.”

His laughter rumbled around them. “That’s true. But I can feed you. Let me get changed out of this and we can get the hell out of here.”

When he emerged, back in his comfortable jeans and T-shirt, she grinned at him.

“I hate to say it, Waters, but I like you this way, too.”

He stopped short. “I’m sorry, Princess, but can you say that again? Because I could be wrong, but I’m sure that’s twice in ten minutes.”

“No.”

His laughter followed them as they left the store and headed out into the sunny Charleston afternoon.

“This city’s pretty cool,” he admitted.

“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Charleston feels alive to me. Like the history here just envelops you and breathes life into everyone here.”

He studied the architecture as they passed. The buildings impressed him in a way he didn’t think they would in a larger, more notorious city. He appreciated the muted colors and the long, wraparound porches that adorned houses and businesses alike. He loved how the houses all had wide square posts holding up their illustrious balconies.

When they reached the meter where Aston had parked her car, he placed the mound of bags they had acquired in the trunk. He was surprised they all fit.

“So,” he said. “Is this what life has always been like for you? You just grab Daddy’s credit card and take off to get whatever you want? I’m going to pay him back for this, you know. There’s no way I’m letting him pay for my clothes.”

He wasn’t trying to insult her; he genuinely wanted to know what it would be like to live that way. Always knowing you had the money to pay for the things you need. And also being so carefree that you didn’t have to wonder where your next meal or pair of shoes was going to come from.

Her brows furrowed. “Financially, yeah. I know it’s weird to you. But I’ve worked my ass off for everything else I’ve gotten. I was always at the top of my class in school. I know what hard work looks like, Sam. You don’t always need to get paid for it with money, either.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “How else would you get paid?”

“Well…never mind.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not gonna happen. Tell me, Princess.”

She kept her eyes aimed down at the sidewalk. “In Louisiana, I work with underprivileged kids. You know, the ones whose parents don’t give a shit about them. There’s this place they can come to after school, and I work there three nights a week helping them get homework done and just hanging out. So, that’s hard work, too, but it pays me in a different way than a corporate job will one day.”

He stared, marveled, and melted just a little inside. This girl, with her rock-hard exterior and ice-cold beauty, worked with
kids
who had so much less than her in her spare time. His heart pounded in his ears as he watched her. “Impressive.”

“I didn’t tell you to impress you.”

“I know.” He nodded. “All this money stuff is new to me, though. If you knew what life was like for me and Ever growing up, you’d be horrified. I
was
one of those kids you work with.”

Aston looked at him sharply. “Ever?”

He sighed. “Ever’s my girlfriend.”

“Oh? We’re going to talk about the girlfriend? Finally.”

She opened her car door and climbed inside, and Sam did the same. She looked at him expectantly once he was buckled in.

He tugged on his earlobe and avoided her stare. “What do you want to know?”

“Let’s start with how you met.”

“I don’t know the answer to that.”

Aston kept her eyes on the road. “Huh?”

“What I mean is, I’ve known her pretty much my whole life. The town where I grew up isn’t very big. It’s probably even smaller than N.I. And a hell of a lot poorer. So everyone knows everyone, and Ever, Hunter, and I have just always been together. There was a field separating her house from our trailer.”

“Who’s Hunter?”

“My brother. He’s eighteen months older than I am.”

“I see,” Aston replied. “And…if you and Ever are so close, why are you here and she’s not?”

“Uh, next question.”

This time she took her eyes off the road to glance at him. “Why?”

“I can’t tell you that. Honestly, Aston, there’s more I can’t tell you than stuff I can. That’s just the way it has to be.”

“I see. Sam…I really hope she deserves your loyalty. And your love.”

“What do you mean? Of course she deserves it.” Sam leaned his head back on the headrest behind him. “I’m not so sure I deserve hers.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Look around, Princess. The town I’m from isn’t like this. She’s miserable right now, trust me. And I’m here doing all of this…stuff I’m doing. I’m starting to think it’s wrong, and I should go back and do what’s right.”

“I wish you’d stop feeling so guilty all the time. Whatever happened, whatever secret you and Ever are keeping, it doesn’t mean you don’t get to live your life. You’re not on pause.”

“I know I’m not. God, I know.”

She watched him smooth his hands through his hair, watched the frustration and pain chase each other across his face.

He couldn’t believe that Aston was wondering whether or not Ever deserved him. The thought was insane. Ever was his reason. Without her, he wouldn’t have made it through the verbal assaults he’d internalized from his mother. She’d torn him down, made him feel like less than nothing. Then he’d be able to help Ever through another beating, and he’d know he wasn’t worthless after all. Without Ever, he wouldn’t be strong enough to protect anyone.

She deserved nothing less than loyalty from him. And nothing but his undying love.

So far, Sam had only worn his brand-new clothes to Gregory’s home office.

“So, here’s the program we use when we’re setting up travel and reimbursement procedures for the researchers.” Aston’s mane of hair surrounded her face as she leaned over Sam’s shoulder.

She pointed to the computer screen. “See? There’s a group of them heading to South America in a few weeks. They’re going to meet with a small business that has been harnessing geothermal energy off the coast of Peru.”

Sam studied her actions, taking mental notes of what she showed him. Her scent was a bit distracting. He inhaled, and the spicy-sweet aroma of her hair kicked him in his gut. He held his breath as she leaned back.

“You see?” Her brusque tone reminded him that she had no idea what just went through his head, and he was snapped back to his senses.

“Got it.”

She’d been training him every single day for two weeks. They worked together at the home office while she showed him what Gregory’s assistant usually did at the corporate office in Charleston. Gregory popped in on occasion, when he was home. He was pleased at how quickly Sam was learning the ropes.

Sam leaned back in the plush office chair, eyeing the computer screen, and then slid his gaze to Aston.

“So, you usually spend your summers working for your dad?”

She nodded. “Built-in internship. The only company I want to work for after college is this one, but it’s nice to earn internship credits, anyway.”

He nodded. “And you’re a finance major?”

She nodded.

“Okay, so I’ve seen you working here for the past couple of weeks. I’ve seen you training horses. What else do you like to do?”

Aston’s icy blue eyes settled on his. “I don’t know. That’s pretty much it, Sam. Isn’t that enough? What’d you do to relax back home?”

His mouth tugged up in a crooked smile. “I like to fish.”

She clicked her tongue against her teeth and wrinkled her nose. He watched as she used her index finger to stroke the pulse point on her neck, a habit that was quickly becoming his new fascination. “As in, disgusting worms on a hook and sitting and waiting for a tug on a line…for
hours
?”

Now his face broke into a full-fledged grin. “Yeah. That’s my favorite kinda day. Ever, Hunter, and I did it a lot in the creek where we grew up. It calms me down, brings me back to earth when I’m feeling like I need to hit something. Now that I’m here, and I can’t fish, I just run.”

“Why would you feel like you need to hit something? Not that I don’t understand the feeling.” She sat down in the chair across from Sam, giving him her full attention.

In a sexy white pencil skirt and sleeveless turquoise blouse, complete with plunging neckline, he found it hard to keep his full attention on their conversation.

“Lots of reasons. Back there, anyway. Here, I haven’t found any reasons to want to hit something yet. Just need to clear my head with a run sometimes.”

“Oh, good. Wouldn’t want any of our friends to be in your line of fire, would we?” Her quiet chuckle reminded Sam of the water rushing over smooth stones in the creek, and he smiled.

“Nope. We wouldn’t.”

Sam walked in the front door of the tack house after a long day of working with Aston. She’d continued to show him different company routines and procedures, and their easy conversation had flourished. When he’d first met her, the last thing he’d thought was that she’d be easy to talk to.

She kept surprising him, proving his first impressions incorrect. Every time he thought he needed to step in and pull her out of a tough situation, her own capability pushed him back. It was as if she were always wearing a shirt that said
I GOT THIS
.

 The first thing he noticed was the cell phone sitting on the desk.

The second thing he noticed was the ringing landline right next to his brand-new cell phone.

His cautious voice spoke into the receiver. “Hello?”

“Bro. Good to hear your voice, man.”

“Hunter. Hey. Good to hear yours, too. How’s Ever?”

“She’s good. Everything seems to be dying down, Sam. Sheriff hasn’t been to see her in weeks. People around town have stopped asking about you. She’s just…living life.”

Sam didn’t miss the catch in Hunter’s voice. “So…what’s wrong, then?”

Hunter sighed. “She’s got a lot of emotions she needs to figure out.”

The panic rose like hot lava in Sam’s chest. “What do you think she needs, Hunter?”

“She, uh, we…she and I both want to see you. I think I can get her out of town unnoticed, now that some of the pressure is off. Can we come for a visit?”

Sam sank down onto the desk chair. “Damn, Hunt. I want that more than anything. I’m just terrified to say yes.”

“Say yes, Sam. We really need to see you. Give us a couple of days. Then we’ll come back to Duck Creek.”

Sam couldn’t hold back his desire to see his girl and his brother. Caution flew out the window as he melted into the chair. “Yes. Bring her. When can you come?”

“Dude, we can be there this weekend.”

“Okay. Listen, Hunter. I know this hasn’t been easy for you. Thanks for looking out for her. I owe you everything.”

“You…you don’t, man. You don’t owe me anything.”