Page 20 of Quarterback Sneak

Sam flipped the hoodie over his head. Crouched behind the pillar, he counted the seconds until the van drove past.

“They’re gone.” Ivy sank onto the rough planking and twisted her body at the last instant to avoid contact with a large spider web stretched between two pillars.

Experience told Sam to be cautious as he peeked around their hiding spot. The sight of the van turning up Alaskan Way towards the Space Needle sent a shot of relief through him. All of that and they weren’t even after him. He was growing even more paranoid by the day. “Sorry about that. It’s always better to err on the side of caution.”

A distinctive growl issued from Ivy’s stomach and she clutched at it. “I’m a stress eater. Breakfast sounds good but we’ll have to do it at the restaurant. I have to practice for the photoshoot tomorrow.”

“Then the restaurant it is. Are you nervous?”

She flashed a resigned smile. “Would you believe me if I said no?”

“No, but I can say yes if it makes you feel better.” He slid his fingers along her jaw, needing to touch her.

She lifted her chin, soft lips parted. He wanted to remain here with her forever, crouched on the creaky dock away from prying eyes.

Something furry rushed at them from a crack in the dock.

Ivy released a muffled scream, jumped to her feet, and ran through the spider web in her effort to escape the rat. The black spider occupying the web scrambled up her left breast and into the thickness of her hair. She shook her wrists, jumping from foot to foot as she brushed a frantic hand over her chest. “Eeeeew, where did it go?”

“It’s in your hair.” Sam darted from the hiding place and gripped her arm to steady her. “Hold on.”

Nodding, she bent at the waist, removed her hat, and shook her head. “Eew, I hate spiders, is it gone?”

“Hold still and let me see.”

She halted, wrinkling her nose, eyes bright with embarrassment. “Hurry up then and don’t you dare laugh.”

He allowed his fingers to run through the thick strands until he reached the back of her neck. “I am not amused the slightest bit.” Sam drew her up and into his body, his low chuckle contradicting his answer.

“Liar.” Ivy shuttered then released a nervous giggle, chin raised. “Although I can’t say I blame you. I overreacted a tad bit. In my defense, I’m not a big fan of the creepy-crawlers.”

“It’s gone but you do have something right here.” Sam rubbed his thumb along her bottom lip and leaned in closer. He couldn’t resist kissing her, not for another second.

“Hmm.” She moaned in the back of her throat and raised herself to meet his lips.

Heart drumming a mad beat, he played his mouth over hers, his arm sliding behind her back. The soft cushion of her breasts teased his chest and he had to remind himself that he was on a public street. After one last, lingering caress, he broke the kiss. “We should probably get out of here.”

Nodding, she stepped out of his embrace, her disheveled ponytail falling haphazardly about her shoulders “Good idea. Let’s leave before the rest of varmints decide they want scare the bejesus out of me.”

“Most mornings I take the stairs to the market, all one hundred sixty-three of them.” Ivy crossed Alaskan Way toward the Pike’s Street Market and halted at the bottom step. “The first hundred are easy.”

Sam rested his hands on his hips and inspected the stairs. “It’s easy for you to say.”

“You can take the elevator if you want. I won’t judge.”

He slipped his hand to her bottom and squeezed. “Yeah, right. There’s no judgment in that statement. I can handle a few steps if you can.”

“To the elevator?” Ivy laughed at her own taunt and began to ascend. His surprise visit this morning solidified the rightness of her decision to be with him. The crack in his self-assuredness had comforted her in a weird way.

“You worry about yourself. I’ll be right behind you, admiring the view.” He followed her lead. “And what a view. You could bounce a quarter off that ass.”

An immediate visual of him performing the task caught her imagination and a silly grin crossed her lips. Maybe she should call in sick and take him up on his offer. Envisioning herself lying in bed with him, his body prone to her exploration threated to derail her sense of responsibility. Sam proved to be more of a distraction than she’d ever dreamed. Was he as perfect as he seemed, or a devil in disguise, ready to steal her heart the instant she let her guard down?

She might be rushing the finish line, but when it came to relationships, slow and steady won the race. The mantra repeated in her head as she focused her attention on her goal to reach the top without losing her momentum. The screech of seagulls and cars on the street below faded into nothingness and her breath set the pace. Two flights up and she chanced a glance at Sam who showed no issues with keeping pace with her.

Her own stride quickened and her thighs burned with the effort of trying to outrun him, as if she could outrun her own growing weakness for him.

Sam’s speed increased with hers, each footfall a bit heavier than the last. His arm brushed hers and the soft hair of his forearm proved a gentle reminder of their intimacy on the boat. He might be her boyfriend but his morning he was her challenger, one she wanted to defeat on a base level.

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