“And what?”

  And nothing. God, she couldn’t wait another minute. “You can shower later,” Sam murmured, closing the distance to Terri’s lips.

  Sam didn’t wait for Terri to catch her breath. One kiss and then another as she pushed her back a step toward the bed. She unhooked Terri’s bra while she distracted her lips. Another kiss and she had the dress all the way off. One more, crushing this time, and Terri readily submitted, her lips parting as Sam’s tongue pushed against hers.

  They tumbled onto the bed, Sam on top quickly pinning Terri’s arms. She didn’t need cuffs or restraints. Terri gave in. She panted between kisses, murmured Sam’s name, and then begged. “I need you. Please.”

  Sam shoved aside her panties and pushed inside.

  “Fuck, yes.” Terri was too loud for the next room not to hear. She tensed, squeezing Sam’s fingers, and then splayed her knees, opening herself to Sam. “I love what you do to me.”

  Sam slipped out, letting the panties slip back into position, demurely covering Terri’s mound. When Terri whimpered, she held the same fingers that had been inside Terri up to her lips. “I should tell you to stay quiet, but I like your sounds too damn much.”

  “Tell me and I will.” Terri’s tongue slipped over Sam’s middle finger.

  “You need more than my hand tonight.”

  Terri nodded.

  “Close your eyes and don’t move.”

  When Terri gave a second nod, Sam got out of bed and went to her suitcase. She’d purposefully left her harness and cock on top, guessing that she wouldn’t want to dig for it later. She quickly undressed, keeping one eye on Terri.

  In only the black panties, her breasts on display and her eyes closed, Terri was truly breathtaking. Sam pushed a bullet vibe into the base of her cock and tested it. The buzz made her clit pulse in anticipation. She grabbed lube, coating her tip and then squirting some more in her palm.

  Terri took a sharp breath when Sam pushed her panties aside the second time. Remembering her orders, she kept her eyes closed, only tilting her pussy up and murmuring her pleasure as Sam spread the lube over her folds.

  The bed creaked as Sam kneeled over Terri. She thought of sliding into her with the panties pushed to the side, but then the desire to have her completely naked won out. She tugged the silk off and pushed Terri’s knees up. Her own clit pulsed at the sight of Terri, glistening wet and ready for her.

  She drew a slow circle, lightly grazing her fingertip over Terri’s slit. “Do you know how much I want you?”

  Terri opened her eyes and met Sam’s gaze. She continued the slow circle pattern on Terri’s skin. Having Terri watch only spiked her arousal.

  “Who said you could open your eyes?”

  “Mmm.” Terri closed them again, a smile on her lips. “Sometimes I want to misbehave so you’ll punish me.”

  “But you’ve been so good all week.” Sam parted Terri’s legs further and shifted between them. She leaned down, kissing her way up Terri’s thighs until she reached the apex. “Waiting patiently for me.”

  “I have been good,” Terri murmured. She pushed her hips up. “And now I get my reward.”

  “You do.” Sam dipped her finger inside—not far enough to sate Terri’s desire, only enough to enjoy the slickness. “Reed told me you talked to her about the things we do…that you kiss and tell.”

  “I don’t talk about everything. Some things I’m too shy to admit. Even to her.”

  “I like that answer.” Some things they’d keep between them. Sam trailed up Terri’s body with light kisses, then positioned the tip of her cock. She didn’t try to push inside but pulled a nipple between her lips instead. She circled it with her tongue and then sucked, nudging her cock forward an inch.

  Terri gasped, her arms wrapping around Sam as she tried to spread herself more. Sam reached down and felt the cock. The bulb was at Terri’s rim, but she couldn’t take it any deeper. Shifting back, Sam let off the pressure, then moved back down, kissing a path over Terri’s belly and lower to her folds.

  “Why’d you take it away?” Terri pumped her hips. “I want you inside.”

  “You’re tight.”

  “I’m only tight because I haven’t had you. Three weeks is too long.” Terri whimpered.

  Sam moved up to Terri’s lips. Her own body begged her to drive the cock inside, to open Terri with the force she wanted. But she made herself hold back, savoring how her clit pulsed with need.

  “Please?”

  When Terri pushed up against her again, Sam gave one gentle nudge to part her. This time there was less resistance. With a slow thrust, she slid all the way inside and Terri let out a long, low moan.

  “Oh, yeah,” she breathed. “Like that.”

  Sam pulled out, repositioned, and then thrust her hips. She buried the cock deeper this time, feeling Terri’s belly brush against hers.

  “Again.” Terri moaned, her face flushed with desire. “Please.”

  Sam pulled out faster the third time and drove in hard enough to make Terri groan with pleasure. She repeated the move a few more times and then felt Terri straining to hold her inside.

  “I want a little vibration. Tell me if it’s too much.” Sam reached down to turn on the bullet vibe and a tremor raced through her. Her own orgasm wasn’t going to take long. “You okay if I come inside you?” She brushed her fingertip over Terri’s swollen clit.

  “I love it when you use me to get off,” Terri said, her eyes still closed. “But fuck me hard enough and I’ll be good and come for you too.”

  Sam shifted her position and started pumping faster. Terri matched her rhythm. Every time Sam pulled back, she pushed up. Sweat coated Sam’s back and her arms trembled from holding her weight off Terri’s body. But she couldn’t stop now. The wetness between her legs was her cum and not the lube and her clit was firing. “I can’t hold off much longer.”

  “Use me. That’s what I want,” Terri said.

  Sam gave in then and felt the climax hit. Squeezing her thighs, she let the wave roll through her. Before it was done, while her body still buzzed with an orgasm, she started thrusting again. Her muscles complained, but she fought through it, then reached down to press her thumb on Terri’s clit.

  Terri bucked hard, arching her back and screaming out as her orgasm took hold. Her nails gouged Sam’s back, and she cried out again.

  Sam pulled her close, kissing her neck, her chest, her lips, anything she could reach. God, she loved her. Loved everything about her. How strong she was…how hard she fought…and how beautiful she was when she surrendered.

  It didn’t seem possible, but she knew Terri was hers. Finally she could feel it. She’s mine. And I’m hers. Tears welled, but she didn’t rub them away. She pressed into Terri’s lips again for another long kiss.

  Minutes passed before Terri’s tremors finally stilled. Sam tried to relax, but her heart banged in her chest and she was still tingling from the orgasm that hadn’t exactly finished. And she didn’t want to pull out. Hopefully Terri wouldn’t ask.

  They lay together as their breathing slowed. Every passing minute, Sam became more aware of the tightness in her chest and the words she longed to whisper.

  “I love having you like that,” Sam said. It was almost what she wanted to say. Not quite, but close. “You’re so damn hot…”

  “I love you,” Terri murmured. “I know I’m not supposed to say it right now, but I can’t help it. I love you.” She sighed softly. “I wasn’t supposed to fall for you at all.”

  “I love you too.” Once the words were spoken there was no going back, but Sam didn’t care.

  Terri clutched Sam closer to her. “Don’t pull out yet. I like this part. Having you inside me. And I think I already knew, but thanks for saying it. The ‘I love you’ bit. I like hearing it.”

  “Me too.”

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Terri tried to lie still. For once, she’d woken first and she couldn’t fall back asleep. Not as soon as her mind reminded her of what she needed to tell Sam. And of everything that had been said last night. She stayed on her side, watching Sam’s slow, even breathing, and tried to convince herself that what came next wasn’t a big deal. She loved Sam and Sam loved her back. The rest would be only logistics. Unless it wasn’t.

  Sleep smoothed Sam’s features, relaxing muscles that were usually tense. But even at rest Terri doubted her mind wasn’t busy. Determined, Reed had called her. And focused. But the day Sam had left the hospital, turning her back on everything she’d worked for, Terri had questioned all of that. In fact, she’d thought Reed had been plain wrong about her. Months later she now realized that she’d been the one who was wrong.

  Sam hadn’t taken the easy way out. If anything, she’d done exactly the opposite. And when she talked about photography and the goals she’d set for herself, her focus and determination were more clear than ever. Terri hoped she could help her reach those goals. But what if she’d only be in the way?

  Last night they hadn’t bothered closing the drapes and light poured in with the sunrise, catching the flecks of gold in Sam’s hair. Terri had to hold herself back from brushing a few wisps that fell across Sam’s forehead.

  Her eyes opened and closed. She reached for Terri, snuggled closer, and then eased back to her slow, even breathing. Several minutes passed before she opened her eyes again.

  “Morning,” Terri whispered.

  “You’re awake?” Sam murmured. “How’s that possible? I always wake up first.”

  “I used to be a morning person before I met you. Hard to believe, I know.”

  Sam rubbed sleep from her eyes and yawned. “I’d blame whoever you were sleeping with for that.”

  “That was definitely part of it.” Terri kissed Sam’s cheek. “I gotta go pee. I didn’t want to move and wake you up.” She scooted out of bed. It wasn’t only that she had to use the bathroom. She suddenly felt anxious, thinking of what she had to say.

  When she got back, Sam lifted the covers so she could slip back in. She tried to settle in Sam’s arms, but her mind leapt from one what-if to the next.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” Terri breathed in Sam’s scent. The musk of sex and sweat mixed with a faint memory of her cologne. Was it possible to want someone too much?

  If she asked, Sam would make love to her again. Right now. They wouldn’t have to talk.

  “Something’s on your mind.” Sam kissed her shoulder. “I can tell. What is it?”

  Terri shifted, rolling on her back to look at Sam. “It’s weird being with someone who’s maybe more intuitive than me. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

  Sam ignored the deflection. “Is it about what we said last night? The ‘I love you’ part? We can go back to saying ‘I like you’ if that’s what you want.”

  “I do like you, but I also love you. It’s not about that. However. While we are on the subject of how much I like you, this morning hair of yours is really sexy.” Terri ruffled Sam’s already tousled hair and smiled. “It looks like you spent all night fucking someone.”

  “Nice try, but I’m not letting up on this even if you try to distract me with sex.” Sam pecked Terri’s cheek. “Is it something about Reed and Julia’s wedding?”

  “No…” Terri took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to decide. But I’m nervous about telling you. There’s a chance you’ll freak out, and then things will be weird, and we’ll both pull back, and I don’t want that to happen.”

  “I only pull back when I don’t know where we stand.”

  Terri had noticed that. But this news could change that pattern. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake starting the day with it. “I went for an interview last week. Actually it was a second interview. And it went well.” She took another deep breath. “Yesterday morning I got a call saying they want to hire me.”

  “I didn’t know you were looking for a new job.”

  “It’s been on the back burner for a while now. About six months actually. But other things distracted me.” She smiled and caressed Sam’s arm. “And before you say anything, I promise that I wasn’t trying to keep this from you. A friend told me about this job, but I wasn’t sure it’d be what I really wanted until I checked it out myself.”

  Sam still didn’t say anything. Terri pushed her pillow against the headboard and shifted up on her elbow. “You know I love my job, but it’s too much. The days are long and I rarely get a weekend completely off. I’m always on call. There’s no real break. Not without worrying about what might be going wrong or what I’ll come back to.”

  “What’s the position you interviewed for?”

  “Medical director. It’s a group practice. Ten doctors now and it’s growing. I’d have my own patients and oversee the other doctors. But no residents, no stress from being in a crazy busy hospital. At five, everyone goes home.” That part was possibly the most appealing. Well, other than how close she’d be to Sam. “Plus they offer four weeks vacation every year. To start.”

  “That sounds perfect. Why were you worried about what I’d say?”

  “Your dad wrote the offer letter.”

  “My dad?” Sam’s brow creased. “Wait, you interviewed at my grandfather’s practice?”

  “I didn’t know it was your grandfather’s practice when I sent out my resume. It was months ago. And I didn’t even realize it when I went for the first interview. It was only when I got the official offer and I saw your father’s name listed as the CFO. I hoped maybe it was a different Samuels, but it’s not.”

  “He does financial law mostly…but my grandfather asked him to help with the business end of things at his practice.” Sam sat up in bed. No part of her looked relaxed anymore. Terri might as well have dumped a pail of ice water on her head.

  “Are you mad? I really had no idea. You made it sound like your grandpa had this little solo practice.”

  “He did. Then he joined with another doctor and it grew from there.”

  Terri didn’t miss that Sam hadn’t answered the question. Was she mad or only thrown by the news?

  “I sent my résumé in before we ever got together. I didn’t know…” Terri waited, wondering if Sam would argue that once she’d figured out it was her grandfather’s practice she could have moved on and looked for another position. But Sam didn’t say that. “I’d have to move if I took the job. I couldn’t commute all the way to San Jose every day.”

  “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me you were going for an interview. Even if you didn’t know it was my grandfather’s practice.”

  Terri met Sam’s gaze. “What if an offer never came?”

  “Then we’d talk about it. Process it together.” Sam reached for Terri’s hand. “If we’re really trying to be in a relationship, I want you to tell me what’s going on in your life. Obviously I don’t need to know everything, but we’ve talked every night for the past three weeks—not one of those nights did you think it might be a good idea to say you had a second interview at a practice in San Jose?”

  “I should have told you.” Certainly when she’d gone for the second interview. But even when she’d driven down for the interview, considered how close she was to Santa Cruz and Sam, she’d held back. “Don’t laugh, but I was scared.”

  “Scared of what?”

  “Of not getting the job and disappointing you.” She was embarrassed to admit it, but it was the truth.

  Sam gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You are not going to disappoint me. There’s not even a chance.” She let go of Terri’s hand and stared out the window for a long moment. “When do you have to tell them your answer?”

  “Monday. I wanted to talk to you before I made any decision. They want me to start as soon as possible, but I want to give at least two months’ notice at the hospital. I won’t take the position if you don’t want me to. But I am going to keep looking for something like it. I finally reached a breaking point.”

  “This could be perfect for you,” Sam said. “You won’t have to work as much, still have patients but you’ll be in charge…”

  “Exactly.” Terri felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe Sam wasn’t mad. Maybe she’d only needed a minute to digest everything. “I didn’t realize how unhappy I was working so much until I spent four days in paradise with you.” Terri touched Sam’s arm. She needed to feel her, needed to know they were still okay. “You kind of ruined me, you know. I don’t like to be away from you.”

  “Don’t tell Weiss,” Sam joked. “He’s already mad at me.”

  “It can be our little secret.” Terri stroked down Sam’s arm to her wrist. Sam spread her palm and Terri traced the lines on her hand. “I don’t want to go three weeks without seeing you. But I don’t have to take this job. It’s your grandfather’s old practice and your father’s the CFO. The whole thing is messy.”

  “Messy is a good word for it.” Sam’s hand closed around hers. “Is it okay if I ask for some time to think?”

  Terri nodded, feeling doubt settle back in. She’d hoped Sam would immediately agree, but it was fair to ask for time to think it through. “Just so you know, if I take the job, I was planning on getting my own place. I’m not suggesting we’d move in together. At least not at first.”

  “The practice is only a forty-minute drive from the beach house. I tried the commute when I was still thinking about taking the job.”

  Was that Sam’s hesitation? That in some small way, Terri was taking her job? Of course it wasn’t the same position. Being the medical director was a lot different than joining the practice as a newbie doctor. But still.

  Sam brought Terri’s hand up to her lips and brushed her knuckles with a kiss. “I love you.”

  “I know. And it’s amazing.” Terri felt tears prick her eyes. “But the weird thing is I love you more.”