“No.”
“I'm sorry. I’ll be out of here in the morning. I'm so sorry.”
Rage bubbled inside him. He hated hearing Naomi so despondent over something she had no control over. If he got his hands on her stalker, he was going to rip the man to shreds with his bare hands.
Apparently interpreting his silence as anger directed at her, she said again, “I'm sorry.”
If he heard her apologize just one more time he would explode. Before his brain even processed what he was doing he was beside the bed, roughly grabbing hold of one of Naomi’s arms and flipping her over onto her back so he could see her. Fear flared in Naomi’s large eyes, and he instantly let go of her. Didn’t she know that he would never do anything to hurt her?
“Just leave me alone tonight, please, Sam. Whatever you have to say to me I’ll listen to it tomorrow before I leave,” she pleaded.
She looked so lost, guilty, and alone that he didn’t fight the swell of emotions inside him for once. Instead, he reached out to her. She flinched as his hand moved closer, but surprise filled her beautiful face when he gently caressed her cheek, and she finally lifted her eyes to meet his.
“What? I thought …”
“Then you thought wrong,” he interrupted. “And I have to say I'm a little offended. You should know me better than to think I would blame you.”
“But your nephew.” She winced as she said the word as did he.
“His death is not your fault.”
“But if it wasn't for me, he’d still be alive. He targeted you and your family because we’re …” she trailed off, looking up at him uncertainly.
“What are we, Naomi?” he asked. This was it. Crunch time. He needed to know here and now whether there was any chance of a future for them.
“We’re,” she hesitated. “We’re not just friends,” she finally said.
Relief washed over him. That was what he needed to hear. It wasn't much but he knew it was a big admission for her. He understood because it was just as hard for him. “I want to be more than friends, too.”
At his words, her gaze dipped again. “I'm so sorry, Sam.”
“Stop apologizing to me,” he snapped, more harshly than he had intended. “He did it to isolate you because he thought I would walk away, but I'm not going anywhere.” He took hold of her shoulders and shook her gently. “Do you hear me, Naomi? I'm not going anywhere. You are not alone.”
Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but she remained silent. He was going to ask her about it, but she lifted her hands to his face. Her fingertips traced the face as though she were seeing him for the first time.
He turned his head slightly and pressed his lips to the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist. Naomi sucked in a breath, then chewed on her lower lip. The sight of her hit him low in the gut and he knew he needed to know now whether she wanted this because if she didn’t, then he needed to stop now. He would never take advantage of her, but if they went any further, he would soon get past the point of no return.
“Naomi …?”
“Yes,” she answered without even needing to hear the question.
Slowly, reverently, his hands roved her face, then tangled themselves in her hair. She was so gorgeous, so perfect, so much more than he deserved. He joined her on the bed, positioning his body on top of hers. Millimeter by millimeter he brought his mouth to hers, they were about to take a big step, one that they could never take back. Sam wasn't worried about the fact that things might not work out between them, he was nervous about the fact that they would. He wanted to be everything Naomi deserved, and he worried about failing her.
He wanted to move slowly savor every second, and he enjoyed the way Naomi squirmed slightly in anticipation. He paused, his lips hovering just above hers, so close he could feel her warm breath whooshing into his mouth.
“Sam,” she whimpered when he didn’t move any closer.
A smile crept over his face. “Patience, patience.”
She groaned in impatience and took hold of his face, bringing it the rest of the way to hers until their lips met.
Corny as it was, fireworks exploded behind his eyes, and he felt an instant punch of emotion right in his heart. After this he was never letting her go. As he kissed her his hands roved every inch of her body that he could reach without breaking contact with her lips. He loved the feel of her, but it wasn't enough, he wanted to rid her of her clothes so that his hands could touch her bare skin.
Beneath him eager expectation had Naomi wiggling, each movement of her body against his had him growing harder until his length strained against his jeans.
He somewhat reluctantly pulled his mouth from hers, a small mew of protest escaped her lips. Such plump, soft, kissable lips. Keeping his own lips from falling back to them was difficult, but there was so much more of her for his mouth to discover.
“I want you naked,” he whispered huskily.