Page 20 of Defending What is Mine

Vanessa nods and giggles through what might be the widest, happiest, smile I’ve ever seen. Sam lowers her back to the ground as she eyes the clock on the wall. “Alright, your guests will begin arriving in a few minutes. Aunt Mollie, would you mind helping Nessa with her birthday dress?”

Mollie looks at me, then Sam, then back at me. “I’d be happy to,” she says with a knowing grin. “Come on birthday girl, let’s go get dressed for your party.”

Vanessa slips her hand in her aunt’s, then takes off skipping down the hall, dragging Mollie behind. As if that isn’t enough reason to bring a smile to a man’s face, when I turn my attention back to Sam, I’m met by a pair of sumptuous, apple-balm-flavored lips pressing into mine. In a flash, the room falls away, the urgency of an impending birthday party dissipates, and all that remains are the two of us. Her arms drape from my shoulders. My hands explore her hips. Our tongues twine in perfect harmony. If ever there was a reason to believe magic exists, surely this is it.

When Sam finally pulls away, she looks up at me and asks, “Why didn’t you take the credit you obviously deserve? You don’t like the idea of being a superhero?”

Still reeling from our moment of perfect, I gently dab at her bottom lip with my index finger. “For one, I really didn’t do much. Truly. And what little I did, wasn’t to earn credit. Now, if there was someone I wanted to score points with...” I wrap my arms around Sam’s waist and pull her body back to me.

“Yeah? Well, a gesture like this might just earn a man enough points for the grand prize,” she says as she hugs me tight. “Thank you again.”

I cradle the back of her head and lean in to kiss her, losing myself yet again to the feel of her, the taste of her. As my hands roam her curves it becomes obvious, the chemistry between us is undeniable and very definitely not one-sided.

“It’s the least I could do,” I say when I pull away, then lightly kiss the top of her head. “Your family already has to deal with the second biggest pain-in-the-ass Wilde.” I kiss her forehead. “Consider this a small gesture to try and make up for that.” I deposit a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see what kind of petting zoo this traveling circus has to offer.”

“In a minute,” Sam replies as she stretches onto her toes and kisses me on the lips.

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