Drawn to Life (17 page)

Chapter 41

Samuel—I Want More

En route to Biarritz, July 2012

“Biarritz?” she’d asked.

“Yes, Biarritz,” I said and stroked my thumb over her hand. We were sitting on the train.

“Never heard of it,” she replied. “We’re still in France, though, right?”

I laughed. “Yes, still in France. You wanted to travel. Let me be your guide.”

Mia leaned against my shoulder. “Well, well, Mr. Tour Guide. What will we be doing in Biarritz?” She kissed my cheek. Those soft lips on my skin always made my heart beat faster.

“It’s pronounced
bee-yah-rits
,” I corrected.

“See? I can’t even say it right.”

I chuckled.

Playfully, she tapped my upper arm. “And now you’re laughing at me.” She had to suppress her own grin.

“I would never dare do that,” I whispered against her lips and gave her a kiss. She leaned back and yawned. “Am I so boring?” I asked.

Mia covered her mouth with one hand and yawned again. “You know you’re not. But I’m exhausted.”

“You have enough time to take a nap.”

“And that I will do. But first, you go sit over there.” She pointed at the seats across from ours.

I raised my eyebrows. “You’ve already had enough of me?

“Never, Samuel Winter. But I need you to serenade me.” She couldn’t hide a smile.

I answered her smile, kissed the tip of her nose, then her forehead. “With pleasure.”

It took only one song for Mia to drop off. When she slept, she looked at peace, her face free of worry lines. She looked younger. Free. Even I felt calmer as I watched her.

I definitely worried about her, though. Although she seemed happy most of the time now, she wasn’t—not really. I could tell something weighed on her. Something she wouldn’t reveal. I suspected whatever it was had to do with her parents. They were still trying to reach her.

I didn’t know her well enough to question her decisions. This one made me wonder, though. From my own experience, I knew Mia would regret if something happened to one of them, and she’d continued to refuse their calls. I could only hope she knew what she was doing. I was still beating myself up for not picking up the phone that day in my own past when I should have.

Shortly before we arrived in Biarritz, I woke up Mia by whispering her name in her ear. It had become our ritual. I loved watching a smile play on her lips before she opened her eyes. She reached out an arm so I could help her to her feet.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

At the station, we hailed a cab and drove to the hotel I’d reserved while we were still in Toulouse. Mia didn’t complain anymore. Youth hostels were no longer mentioned, now that she’d spent a few nights in comfortable beds. She didn’t need to worry about the money; the room rate was no different if I paid for one person or two. But she insisted she’d pay back every cent of her share.

As soon as we were in our room, she fell onto the mattress, still wearing her backpack. “Can we stay in?” she said through a yawn. “I’d rather relax. I can’t even keep my eyes open.” She snuggled into the pillows.

“Sure. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable, though, if you take that thing off? And maybe some clothes?”

Mia sat up. “Take off some clothes? That’s what’s on your mind?”

Oh damn . . .

“Um, uh, no. No, that’s not what I meant,” I stammered. Of course I wanted to . . . When she touched me with her fingertips, my whole body tingled. But of course I’d only make love to her if she wanted to, too. “I mean . . . Oh, forget it.” I hit my forehead with my palm. I didn’t want her to think I was after only sex.

Suddenly, she was standing in front of me, tenderly holding my wrists.

“I know what you meant. Don’t sweat it.” She kissed both my palms. Then she stood on tiptoe, kissed the end of my nose, and whispered in my ear, “You’ll know when I’m ready.”

She grimaced when she shifted her weight back onto her heels, even swayed a bit.

I grasped her arm. “Are you OK?”

“Oh yes.” She smiled at me guardedly as she moved to the bed. “I just want to relax, that’s all. After spending an entire year at home, I’m just not used to traveling this much. I’ll be in good shape tomorrow, and you can show me Biarritz.”

“All right.” I gave her a kiss. “You’re already pronouncing Biarritz much better,” I teased.

Without further conversation, she huddled under the sheets and was quickly asleep.

I was agitated, restless. For hours, I lay awake next to her, trying to decide how far I should travel with her. There was something I had to take care of. Something I needed to do alone.

Chapter 42

Mia—Life Is Beautiful

Biarritz, July 2012

Unfortunately, my headache wasn’t entirely gone the next morning. I could still feel a dull throbbing. Hardly surprising, what with the hot temperatures where we were.

Over breakfast, I asked Samuel, “So what does my tour guide have in store for us today? What do people do here?”

“Surfing.” He smiled.

“S-surfing?” I stammered. “I’ve never done that. And I don’t really like to show a lot of skin in public.” I grew tense. No, going to the beach was clearly not a good idea. I began folding and unfolding my napkin.

Sam covered my hand with his and stroked the back with his thumb. “Hey, we won’t actually go surfing, sweetie. I don’t know how, myself. We’ll just watch, if you like. I think a day at the beach would do us good, don’t you?”

We’d walked on the beaches in Nice, so OK, I could probably survive a full day at one, too. As long as I didn’t go into the water. I wouldn’t look too ridiculous sitting on the beach in a light tunic shirt. I nodded reluctantly. Samuel flashed a reassuring smile.

The beach was crowded. Overcrowded. I turned to Samuel. “Quiet day at the beach, eh?”

He scratched his head. “Um . . . well. I didn’t expect this place to be so packed. We’ll find a spot, though.”

“No worries. I’ll be fine,” I said, not knowing whether I said the words to convince myself that the flocks of people didn’t matter to me or to show Samuel I wasn’t mad at him. Eventually, we found a spot big enough for our towel at the farthest end of the beach.

While I wasn’t going to take off my shirt, I still asked Samuel to put cream on my back. His grin told me everything. He was craving an excuse to touch me, and the same was true for me. The faintest caress from him threw my body into turmoil.

He rolled up my white tunic very gently. “Hold it here so it doesn’t fall down.”

Very tenderly, he applied sunscreen on my back while placing soft kisses on my shoulders and neck. I had to squeeze my eyes shut to restrain myself from visibly reacting. Eventually, Samuel rolled down the shirt, moved closer, and pulled me to a seat between his stretched-out legs so I could lie back against him, and then rested his forearms on my naked thighs. He didn’t stop kissing my neck.

“What’s this perfume that smells like vanilla?” he murmured.

“I don’t use perfume.”

“A shower gel?”

“Why all these questions?” I twisted around to look into his eyes.

“You’re not aware that you’re emanating this incredibly enchanting vanilla aroma?”

A timid smile curled my lips, and I nuzzled closer into his embrace.

The afternoon flew by, although we didn’t do much. We just sat and watched the sunbathers and surfers. Watched each other. We talked and then fell silent. We laughed and kissed. Everything seemed normal, routine. Like a perfect everyday routine

I liked that.

It was getting dark when Samuel took off his T-shirt. By then, we were lying on the beach, facing each other. I let my index finger trail down his chest to his belly button. I had totally fallen for those abs. Every night, I enjoyed feeling his muscles under my hand as I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder.

I heard Samuel catch his breath. His lowered eyes followed my movements.

“So, now you’re showing me this?” I indicated his sculpted chest. “Now, when I can hardly see anything?”

“Who wants to see, when you can feel?” His voice was rough with desire. I snuggled closer, but he moved away. I looked at him, surprised. I made a second attempt, and he scooted back again. Then I saw his mischievous smile. He jumped to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. Slowly, I rose, too, then took a step toward him. He took an equal step back.

“I guess you’ll have to catch me,” he joked, before turning and running off.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” I yelled and ran after him as fast as I could, but, oh man, he was quite a sprinter. I would never catch up with him and was already out of breath. Pressing my palms against my thighs I let my head hang down, hoping it would be easier to breathe in this position. When I looked up, I didn’t see Samuel anywhere.

“Samuel?” I called. Nothing. “Samuel, where are you?” Still no answer. Then suddenly two strong arms grabbed me from behind. I screamed. Samuel laughed in my ear.

“Don’t scare me like that!” I slapped his arm, but he only laughed louder and ran off again. This time I was on his heels. I caught up with him and jumped on his back.

“This isn’t the plan! But—” Samuel didn’t put me down. Instead, he grabbed my knees and ran even faster. When I realized what he was up to, anxiety filled me.

“Samuel, no! No, don’t do this!” I flailed and kicked, hoping he’d stop.

“You bet I’ll do this!” We were nearing the water.

“No, no, no!” I shouted. I had a stranglehold on his neck and my legs gripped his waist. He raced straight into the surf, continuing until the waves washed over us.

Gasping for air, I surfaced. “Shit, it’s freezing!” I said.

“Oh, come on. It’s not that cold.” Samuel was still grinning from ear to ear.

“I usually don’t go into water where the temperature can’t be adjusted. Look . . .” I stretched out my arm. “Goose bumps everywhere.”

Water dripped from his hair, and he wiped his face. “Let me see.” He took my hand and slowly kissed his way up my arm. When he reached my neck, he paused and tickled my ear with the tip of his tongue. It felt so wonderful I started to shiver. He nibbled on my lobe. I flung my arms around his neck so that I could pull him closer. “It’s too dark to see goose bumps, so maybe I should try to feel them?” he whispered.

His tender kisses wandered across my cheek to my mouth. My blood raced. I put my hand over his heart and felt its steady rhythm. He leaned his forehead against mine. His right hand wrapped around my neck, and his thumb stroked my cheek.

“You are so amazingly beautiful, Mia,” he whispered and looked deep into my eyes. His shone with excitement.

In my lowest voice, I murmured, “I wish I had met you sooner.”

Chapter 43

Samuel—You Are Magnificent

Biarritz, July 2012

I wasn’t sure I’d heard Mia correctly. Yet I didn’t ask her to repeat her words, because I didn’t want to ruin this amazing moment.

I bowed my head. She smiled, emanating a wonderful warmth even in the chill of the surf. She’d lowered her wall. For good, I hoped. I liked this version of Mia. She was a little shy but natural. Without her barriers, I could see how she really was—intelligent and stunning. She took my breath away.

“I’m going to kiss you now, Mia,” I whispered.

She nodded, still smiling. I took her lips with mine and tasted the salt water from the ocean and the sweetness of her mouth. Her tongue slid out and circled my lower lip. I held her closer.

Our tongues danced. Every cell in my body went on high alert. Mia sighed and grabbed my hair, pulling me even closer. My erection pressed against her stomach. Again, she sighed. This was almost too hot.

I let my hands cradle her butt and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around me. Our kiss deepened. Dizzy with wanting her, I paused. Mia touched her forehead to mine. She was breathing as heavily as I was.

“Let’s go back to the hotel,” I whispered. She nodded.

The hotel was only a short walk from the beach, and we ran all the way, laughing and holding hands. Mia had the towel wrapped around her, and I wore my now-soaked shirt. I held her fingers tight. A small puddle formed around our feet while we waited for the elevator in the lobby. Her continuing laughter sent shivers down my spine.

“They’ll be so pleased with us for this mess,” I said in a low voice. Giggling, she hid her face against my chest.

The elevator moved slowly upward. Once inside, Mia had grown quiet. Biting her lip again, she gave me a timid glance. I stroked my thumb over her mouth. She looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“You’re driving me crazy,” I whispered and kissed her softly. Instantly, she wrapped her arms around my neck and threaded her fingers in my hair.

When the elevator doors opened, Mia let go, then tugged me toward our room. I opened the door as fast as I could. Once inside, I closed it with a kick of my foot. Mia stood in front of me, the towel still wrapped around her body. Her chest was slowly rising and falling. We looked at each other. I drowned in her eyes. Then Mia let the towel glide down to the floor. Her white tunic shirt clung to her wet body; I could see her bra through the thin cloth—and all the contours of her body.

I pushed my wet hair back and finally came closer, putting both my hands on her hips. Mia leaned into my chest.

“You’re trembling. Do you want to take a hot shower?”

She shook her head and took a few steps backward. Slowly, she lifted the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head. My eyes wandered over her perfect body. I wanted more. I wanted it all. After she dropped the shirt on the floor, I took her hand and pulled her close again.

“You are magnificent.” She blushed and ducked her head. I lifted her chin with my index finger. “Mia, really, you are so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Then she stood on tiptoe and gave me a kiss. I held her close. She deepened the kiss, and I pulled her tight against me. Her hands wandered across my back and stopped at the hem of my shirt. I felt her cold fingers slip underneath, to my naked skin, and my flesh prickled. She started to lift the shirt, and I could feel her trembling. Reaching behind me, I grasped her wrist.

“Mia, you don’t need to do this,” I said.

She whispered in my ear, “What if I want to?”

My breath caught. I didn’t need to hear more. I helped her rid me of my shirt. With a fingertip, she traced an invisible line from my shoulder to my belly button.

I led her to the bed. Lowering herself onto her back, she edged up until her head reached the headboard. I settled myself beside her, then lavished her with kisses. On the tip of her nose. Her mouth. Up her neck. I let my tongue glide over the softest skin I had ever felt. Drift over her collarbone. I placed a kiss over her heart. Kissed a path down between her breasts.

She sighed softly, which aroused me even more. Her body arched under my touch. She gripped my hair. When my mouth neared the big scar on her right side, I paused and looked up at her. I wanted to ask how far she would allow me to go. Her eyes were squeezed tight, and she was frowning.

“I can stop, if you want me to,” I said. She opened her eyes, and I could see the panic in their depths. “Breathe, Mia. I won’t continue if you tell me to stop.”

Mia took a deep breath. “No . . .” Her voice trembled. “I want to feel.” I rose up to study her more closely. “Samuel, will you be careful?”

I nodded. “Of course. Always. Just tell me if it gets to be too much, OK?”

“OK.”