Page 114 of Sing it, Sam

“Yeah, maybe one day,” he says on an exhale.

With my back to Sam, I sit between his open legs and lean against his chest. “No, Sam. Not maybe. It will happen.”

We sway in each other’s arms until the song fades to silence.

“I wanna see what you think of this next one,” Sam says, swiping the surface of his iPhone.

Another reggae song starts. When the first line blares through the speaker, talking about love and being treated right, goosebumps push up all over my skin.

“Every song is like life,” Sam says in a soft voice and finishes the last of his wine, setting the glass aside. “It has low notes and high ones. Sometimes you have to spend some time in the low depths of life to appreciate the euphoria of a high.”

I place my glass beside his. “That’s a beautiful way of looking at it. I totally get that.”

I shuffle back onto the cushion at the head of the bed, and snuggle into Sam’s side. “Can we listen to your music?”

“Sure.” He does something on his phone and the room is soon filled with the sweet strumming of a guitar. Sam returns to my side. “It’s as if I can finally breathe when I’m with you,” he whispers in my ear. “As if a piece of me is back.”

I look up at him through my lashes and dance my fingers over his chest in time with the music. “I’m not far away, you know.”

He grips my hand and holds it over his heart. “Yeah. I know.” Sam sighs. “Life has thrown a lot of shitty obstacles at me, and this distance thing … we’ll work around it.”

“Three hours is nothing. I’ll even deal with crazy impatient city drivers for you. That’s how much I love you.” I sit up and move to straddle his waist. My tight jeans prevent me from spreading my knees as wide as I’d like.

Sam wraps his arms around my waist and hums.

“When did you realise?” I ask, and curl my hands overhis shoulders.

Sam squirms beneath me. His brows pull tight. “Realise what?”

“That you loved me.” I can’t believe I’m asking this. But I need to know.

Sam slides his hands up either side of my waist. His fingers tease at the underside of my boobs.

Gulp.

“Well, it seemed to creep up on me, but then it hit me all at once.”

My chin quivers. His words are like a direct hit to my heart. “Me too.”

Our lips meet. Each slow movement of our mouths causes me to moan deeper in my throat. As our kisses turn feverish, Sam fumbles at the buttons at the bottom of my shirt. I break my lips from his and undo the top button and rid myself of my top.

“Good idea,” Sam says, his voice thick.

I yank at his T-shirt and help pull it over his head. I’m gifted with a view of his bare chest, and a spattering of blond hair over his pecs. A long red graze runs across his hip, and a dark bruise is starting to form on his left shoulder.

My breath hitches.The fall. “Does it hurt?”

“I’m tough.”

I lean in and softly kiss the bruise. His body shudders.

“I’m gonna make you sing, Janie,” he croons.

I reach back and unclip my bra. “You sure it’s not the other way around?”

Sam swallows. His eyes feast on my bare skin. “Gonna make you sing like the beautiful bird you are,” he says in a deep monotonous voice.

He plants kisses along the side of my neck down to my boobs. My back arches as he takes a nipple into his hot mouth, swirling his tongue around the hardened nub.

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