Page 62 of Tell Me Again
“And wear them like a hair shirt. Enough already, Sam. You’ve done so much to make things better. That counts for a lot.”
She shrugged and bit down on her lip. He scooted closer and traced his thumb across the soft flesh.
“Let it count,” he whispered. “Let us count.”
He held his breath as he waited for her answer.
Her chest rose and fell, and it was as if they were the only two people in the world.
“Hi,” she said after a moment, and held out her hand. “I’m Sam Carlton.”
He took her smaller hand in his, and as strange as it was, it almost felt like he was touching her for the first time. “Trevor Kincaid.”
“Nice to meet you, Trevor. I was wondering if you might like to...” She paused, gave him an almost shy smile. “Amazon and take it slow.”
“I’d like that,” he said. “Do we get to eat as we take it slow?”
She nodded. “I’m starving.”
“Me, too. I look forward to taking it slow with you.”
They talked and laughed all the way through dinner. Trevor couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent an evening laughing, and talking with Sam felt natural. They didn’t ignore the past but it also didn’t define their time together.
She wanted to know everything about Grace, all the tiny details that Trevor had filed away in his memory. He’d tried to catalog as much as he could over the years.
Being a single dad meant he was the only one to witness the little moments that made his daughter who she was today. Tea parties and countless nights tucking in all of her favorite stuffed animals. Skinned knees and a stretch of nightmares that had her waking up screaming in the middle of the night. Fevers and stomach bugs and a severe case of strep throat. These were the things that had defined him over the past thirteen years. Every moment. Every waking hour was filled with Grace and the awesome responsibility of shepherding her through all of the childhood milestones.
Some of the biggest were still to come, and he liked the idea that he might not have to handle them alone.
Sam had made plenty of mistakes, but her intentions were good and she seemed ready to help raise Grace to be a strong, independent woman.
By the time they walked back to the hotel, he felt more relaxed than he had in years. He listened as Sam told him a funny story about an elephant sifting through racks of designer clothes during a photo shoot in Africa.
Her life of traveling, parties, and a steady parade of exotic locations and fancy people had been the polar opposite of his. Her fame continued to boggle his mind. What impressed him more was the way she’d used her wealth to build the camp and turn her life into something meaningful.
But here and now she was just a woman, one he could no longer deny was a huge part of his life. He walked her to the door of her hotel room and brushed a light kiss over her lips, forcing himself to pull back when his need for her threatened to engulf him.
Take it slow.
“I had a great time tonight,” he told her.
“Me, too.” She held the room key in her hand, flipping it between her fingers. “Thank you again for coming with me.”
“Even though you don’t need me,” he added.
She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. “Even though I didn’t want to admit I need you,” she whispered and kissed him. It was slow and almost tentative. With heels on, she was only an inch shorter than him and as he pulled her closer, her curves lined up to fit snug against his body.
He slanted his head, deepening the kiss, unable to resist sliding his tongue into her mouth. He could kiss this woman forever and never grow tired of the feel of her.
Take it slow.
He hated those three words tumbling through his mind right now.
“I should let you get some sleep,” he said, forcing his arms to release her.
She studied him from under her long lashes. “You’re serious?”
“It’s killing me, but yes. I’m trying to do the right thing. To take it slow and let you go... download a book or binge watch a show or whatever it is you like to do on Amazon.”
