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It’s clear neither of us wants to be apart. We spend practically every spare moment together, reaching for the other’s hand or exchanging quiet, lingering looks to comfort one another.
The police are steadily working the case, chasing down every lead. However, they don’t have any concrete suspects for the arson as of yet. But they feel confident it’s simply a matter of time.
As for Alexis’s abduction, the lead detective is strongly convinced she was targeted by mistake. The real victim was another female physician at St. Luke’s who bears a striking physical resemblance to Alexis. Sydney Cunningham. The pretty surgeon I met through the dating app all of those months ago.
I thought that ex of hers looked like he belonged in the mafia.
Even with their updates, I refuse to let my guard down. I keep my workdays at the vineyard as short as possible, leaning on Shep, Hank, and Marcus to manage the fields while I focus on the administrative tasks. And I bring whatever I can back to my home office.
I hate the thought of her being alone, even though Rosario, Walter, Lilly, and Georgia have been taking turns checking on her nonstop.
By evening, the house is quiet. We wrap ourselves up together on the living room sofa under a thick fleece blanket. She’s put on Pretty Woman.
Lexi rests her head against my chest, her fingers loosely hooked in the hem of my shirt. The soft glow of the TV screen flickers across the dim living room, but my focus is entirely on her. I take in the rise and fall of her chest, the sweet smell of her floral soap, and the way she relaxes deeper into me as the night progresses. I have one arm wrapped around her shoulders while my fingers absentmindedly play with the ends of her hair.
On screen, Pretty Woman shifts into a quiet bedroom scene. But it’s not sexual. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are lying in bed together, the mood turning vulnerable as she shares the painful truth of how she ended up on the streets. How she never chose a life like this.
Then Gere looks at her earnestly, telling her that she could be so much more. Julia’s character peers over at him, her voice cracking with emotion as she delivers a poignant line. She tells him that when people put you down often enough, you can’t help but believe it.
The words cause me to swallow hard in their truth.
He tries to reassure her. But again, the main female character’s words haunt me. She asks if he’s ever noticed that the bad stuff is easier to believe. My chest tightens so hard it’s nearly suffocating.
Her words hit me right in the gut. Years of being told I was a disappointment, a screw-up. That, unlike my brother, I was an irresponsible kid who’d never amount to anything. Years of believing it so deeply that I almost threw my entire life away. Destroying the relationship with the best person I ever knew.
A suffocating knot chokes me. The instinct to grab the remote, change the channel, and make a joke takes over. Anything to shatter the heavy emotions settling over me.
“Sam?” She must sense the tension in my body before I can pull away. Her hand rests over my heart as her big blue eyes look into mine.
The room is quiet, save for Richard Gere and Julia Roberts’ voices on the screen. That and the faint whisper of the wind against the patio glass. Her eyes are on me, unreadable in the dim light. Her thumb softly traces a slow line back and forth over my forearm where it rests over the blanket.
“You tired?” I ask, kissing her temple.
“A little,” she admits.
My heart is suddenly hammering, reacting to the electricity lingering in the air between us. “It’s late.”
She doesn’t say anything for a long beat. Slowly, she untangles our legs from the fleece blanket and sets her feet on the floor. Standing, she stretches her arms overhead before reaching her hand toward me.
I take it without a second thought. She pulls me up effortlessly, bringing me flush against her chest before I can even balance on my own two feet. “Come on.” She smiles, her breath warm against my chin as she presses a tender kiss against my overheated skin.
Her fingers lace loosely through my belt loops as we walk toward the bedroom. Every step through the quiet house feels momentous, completely stripped of the hesitation or unspoken rules that usually keep us apart.
When we reach our bedroom, I take her hand, leading her straight through the door. I reach over and turn on the small lamp on the nightstand, casting a warm, golden glow across the king-sized bed. Turning back to face her, I lock my gaze onto hers, the sheer weight of everything I’m feeling taking over.
“Alexis,” my voice cracks with raw emotion and need.
She doesn’t wait for me to finish. She steps straight into my space, sliding her hands up my chest and wrapping her arms around my neck, pulling me down to her. Her hands slide up into my hair, pulling me closer, and the unspoken boundaries of our contract evaporate into the dark.
One thing leads to another and we’re both pulling at each other’s clothes. With slow touches and breathless whispers, our shirts and pants fall to the floor. There’s no turning back now. We’ve waited too long for this moment.
Lexi
When Sam’s lips meet mine, the last remaining threads of tension from the past few days completely snap. The kiss isn’t fast or reckless. It’s slow and deep. There’s a reverence that makes my heart ache.
His hands slide up from my waist, cupping my face with an exquisite tenderness. His calloused thumbs gently dusting over my cheeks as if reminding himself that I’m really here. Safe in his arms.
I pull him closer, my fingers burying into the thick, dark hair at the nape of his neck. A soft sigh escapes my throat into his mouth, and I feel a growl expel from his chest as he deepens the kiss. His tongue traces my lower lip before sliding against mine.
