Page 28 of Almost Priest

How could he be satisfied with this lackluster chemistry? There was something about their interactions that made Sam believe it would never be anything more, and anything appearing as more between them would be completely artificial.

She pulled back. “Braydon, I think we need to talk.”

He looked down at her with lowered lashes. “About?”

“Us.”

“What about us?” He attempted to kiss her again and she turned away. He frowned. “What, Sam? Just say it.”

She really wanted to avoid setting him straight until it was time for her to leave. There was nothing fun about having to awkwardly be a guest in the house of someone you broke up with, especially with his entire family there.

Once she finished college she’d probably acquire more of a social life. She never really dated seriously. It wasn’t that she wasn’t sexual. She simply led a more pragmatic life. Always crossing point A to get to B, all the while remembering she’d soon be approaching point C. Apparently, losing her virginity was on a whole different end of the alphabet.

She was an excellent student. School had been an amazing distraction for her when life was simply too hard for her to cope. She invested all of her energies in her studies rather than examining her fear and regret. She never allowed herself to surrender to the pain that would swallowed her whole. Instead, she put all her energy into school and became a straight A student, but now that school was ending she’d need something else to occupy her time. Perhaps she should start on her Masters.

“I don’t think this is working.”

His mouth opened and she suspected this was coming out of left field for him. They really were on two separate wavelengths. “Sam, you haven’t given us a chance.”

“I have. I like you, Braydon, but I’m not sure us dating is the best idea.”

He stepped closer, placing his hands on her hips as he looked into her eyes. “Why? We’re good together. We have fun.”

What fun? They’d barely hung out. “I just…” The sound of someone clearing their throat and a soft knock on the door had them breaking eye contact.

When Sam saw that it was Colin she jumped away from Braydon so fast she nearly stumbled, but Braydon caught her by the elbow and steadied her.

“Bray, Luke’s waiting for you in the truck.”

Braydon turned and retrieved the key he placed on the dresser again then quickly kissed her cheek. “Thanks. I’ll see you later, Samantha.”

She looked down at her bare feet as he left and waited for Colin to follow him.

He didn’t. She felt him watching her once again, knowing he probably saw them kissing.

“Are you about ready to go to the lake?”

She looked up at him and felt some sort of invisible barrier between them as if he were hiding an emotion he didn’t want to share. Suddenly swamped with guilt as if she betrayed him, she nodded. He was dressed in loose fitting swim trunks and an old faded O’Malley’s T-shirt, this one kelly-green with a washed out shamrock on the chest.

“Aren’t you going with the guys on the boat?” she asked.

“I was going to go to the lake, but I…I just remembered I have something I need to do.”

It was a poorly disguised lie, but Sam was grateful for it. “Oh.”

His gaze left hers and traveled over her body from her shoulders to her feet. The dark triangles of Sheilagh’s bikini were visible under the soft cotton of her shirt. By the time his stare wondered over her exposed thighs a second time she couldn’t help the chill that ran up her spine. Her nipples tightened.

“Right,” he said meeting her gaze once more. “Well, have fun, Sammy.”

He turned and walked to his room, the soft but final click of his door closing behind him filling her with ominous regret and shame.

CHAPTER6

The lake was peaceful. It was different than a Jersey shore beach. The sand was coarser, the water browner, and the atmosphere lighter. Although it was private property and only the McCulloughs and close friends were there, there were enough of them that it reminded Sam of a 50’s styled resort. If she looked hard enough she could probably find a log bridging over a creek to dance on.

The warm sun caressed her skin, countering the cooler breeze as it danced across the land coming off the lake. It was a great body of water that curved and wrapped around pine trees and mountains in the distance. Although she couldn’t see Braydon and the others at the moment, she could hear the boat speeding and chopping through the surface.

There were no waves like in the ocean. Although the lake had a gradual incline from the coast, it was calm enough to spot ripples when a beetle landed on the surface.

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