never been gone.
"Beautiful night," Sam said quietly. "I miss Melbourne's nights. Sydney's just aren't the same. Sounds silly I suppose, but the stars seem brighter down here. It's nice to come home and just sit outside like this on a warm night and watch them."
"You still consider Melbourne home, even after all these years?"
"Yeah. I did a hell of a lot of growing up here."
"You did a hell of a lot of all sorts of things, but is that a reason to come back? Especially when everything's changed so much?"
He fingered the cuff of her jeans. "Some things changed." His knuckles grazed her ankle and Maddie caught her breath. "Others not so much, but I see them differently now. Maybe that's why I'm back." He glanced up at her and his eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "To discover the things I missed the first time round."
Oh boy. So much for loosening up. Everything inside her suddenly coiled up like a tight spring.
"Relax," he said, laughing softly.
"I’m relaxed." About as relaxed as a mouse that had just spotted a cat prowling outside its mouse hole.
Sam’s hand rubbed slowly up and down her calf beneath her jeans in what she supposed were meant to be soothing strokes. She felt anything but soothed. Her pulse rate spiked and blood pounded between her ears like a waterfall. Sam Hennessy was coming onto her. First the kiss, now the leg thing. Yep, definitely coming onto her. She didn’t need to have a science degree to read the signs.
Thank God she’d shaved her legs.
"Maddie," he said, massaging her calf muscle.
"Hmmm?" He was good. He definitely knew how to lull a girl into a false sense of security. She was aware she had to be on her toes right now but damned if she couldn’t think straight. Not with Sam Hennessy feeling up her leg.
Boy, she was in way over her head. None of the guys she’d dated in the past had made her feel this good. None had taken the time to gently caress her calf like this. They all seemed to want to start at her chest.
"Are you going to invite me inside?"
Oh. So he did want something more. She should have guessed. He was male after all. "It’s nice out here," she said.
"Yeah, but these steps are getting hard."
"Your car seats are soft." She cringed as soon as she said it. It sounded like she wanted him to leave and she definitely didn’t want that. He might have only one thing on his mind, and it might have been put there thanks to Pheramour but it felt sooo good. To hell with it. The opportunity to kiss Sam Hennessy wouldn’t come around every lifetime so she might as well make the most of it in this one. "But so is my couch. Let’s go."
She led the way inside and pointed at the couch. He made a show of testing the cushions. "Yep, they’re softer than the steps." He sat and stretched his legs out under the coffee table, looking like he belonged exactly there, on her couch, in her lounge room. All he needed was the TV remote.
"Coffee?" she offered.
"Got any ice cream?"
He was kidding, right? "You want ice cream?"
"Yeah, sure. Why?"
"Well," she regarded him quizzically, "it’s not very sophisticated."
He shrugged. "I’m not a very sophisticated guy."
"It’s not low fat," she said.
"Good."
Where did he put it? He didn’t look like the kind of guy who ate ice cream every night. She went into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with two bowls of triple chocolate and handed one to Sam.
He ate his with all the attention ice cream deserved—in deferential silence and with a great deal of attention. He even licked the spoon clean. She watched it slide in and out of his mouth, his tongue lapping up every last morsel, his eyes half-closing with the goodness of it. For a moment, she even forgot to eat her own ice cream, that’s how good the show was.
When he finished, he put his bowl on the coffee table and watched her. She pretended she didn’t notice when all the while her body was aware of his eyes on her, taking in every little thing she did to that spoon just
"Beautiful night," Sam said quietly. "I miss Melbourne's nights. Sydney's just aren't the same. Sounds silly I suppose, but the stars seem brighter down here. It's nice to come home and just sit outside like this on a warm night and watch them."
"You still consider Melbourne home, even after all these years?"
"Yeah. I did a hell of a lot of growing up here."
"You did a hell of a lot of all sorts of things, but is that a reason to come back? Especially when everything's changed so much?"
He fingered the cuff of her jeans. "Some things changed." His knuckles grazed her ankle and Maddie caught her breath. "Others not so much, but I see them differently now. Maybe that's why I'm back." He glanced up at her and his eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "To discover the things I missed the first time round."
Oh boy. So much for loosening up. Everything inside her suddenly coiled up like a tight spring.
"Relax," he said, laughing softly.
"I’m relaxed." About as relaxed as a mouse that had just spotted a cat prowling outside its mouse hole.
Sam’s hand rubbed slowly up and down her calf beneath her jeans in what she supposed were meant to be soothing strokes. She felt anything but soothed. Her pulse rate spiked and blood pounded between her ears like a waterfall. Sam Hennessy was coming onto her. First the kiss, now the leg thing. Yep, definitely coming onto her. She didn’t need to have a science degree to read the signs.
Thank God she’d shaved her legs.
"Maddie," he said, massaging her calf muscle.
"Hmmm?" He was good. He definitely knew how to lull a girl into a false sense of security. She was aware she had to be on her toes right now but damned if she couldn’t think straight. Not with Sam Hennessy feeling up her leg.
Boy, she was in way over her head. None of the guys she’d dated in the past had made her feel this good. None had taken the time to gently caress her calf like this. They all seemed to want to start at her chest.
"Are you going to invite me inside?"
Oh. So he did want something more. She should have guessed. He was male after all. "It’s nice out here," she said.
"Yeah, but these steps are getting hard."
"Your car seats are soft." She cringed as soon as she said it. It sounded like she wanted him to leave and she definitely didn’t want that. He might have only one thing on his mind, and it might have been put there thanks to Pheramour but it felt sooo good. To hell with it. The opportunity to kiss Sam Hennessy wouldn’t come around every lifetime so she might as well make the most of it in this one. "But so is my couch. Let’s go."
She led the way inside and pointed at the couch. He made a show of testing the cushions. "Yep, they’re softer than the steps." He sat and stretched his legs out under the coffee table, looking like he belonged exactly there, on her couch, in her lounge room. All he needed was the TV remote.
"Coffee?" she offered.
"Got any ice cream?"
He was kidding, right? "You want ice cream?"
"Yeah, sure. Why?"
"Well," she regarded him quizzically, "it’s not very sophisticated."
He shrugged. "I’m not a very sophisticated guy."
"It’s not low fat," she said.
"Good."
Where did he put it? He didn’t look like the kind of guy who ate ice cream every night. She went into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with two bowls of triple chocolate and handed one to Sam.
He ate his with all the attention ice cream deserved—in deferential silence and with a great deal of attention. He even licked the spoon clean. She watched it slide in and out of his mouth, his tongue lapping up every last morsel, his eyes half-closing with the goodness of it. For a moment, she even forgot to eat her own ice cream, that’s how good the show was.
When he finished, he put his bowl on the coffee table and watched her. She pretended she didn’t notice when all the while her body was aware of his eyes on her, taking in every little thing she did to that spoon just
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