'You made your point.'
'So is she any good?'
Mac let out a hearty chuckle. 'Now, that's the Zee I expected.'
The old man reached for one of the bowls Samantha had filled earlier. 'She must be if you haven't given her the boot yet.' A loud crunching sounded in Mac's ear.
'Gentlemen don't kiss and tell. Your rule.'
'No, that one belonged to your daddy. I revealed plenty. The only way to corner Bear's mama into marrying me was by ruining her reputation.' He grinned. 'So you tell Sammy Jo the truth yet?'
'No.' The answer earned Mac another swat in the shoulder. 'She's from New Jersey,' Mac said. As if that explained anything.
For the first time, he let himself think about the fact that not only would Samantha leave in a few days for her conference, but she had a life and a father who needed her back East. A strange emptiness accompanied the admission, one he knew he'd have to deal with, and soon.
Zee shrugged. 'Heck, I thought the Wright boys invented the airplane.'
'You're hilarious,' Mac said. He wasn't ready to deal with a long-distance relationship any more than he was ready to reveal his feelings for Samantha to Zee. 'I met the woman less than forty-eight hours ago.' Funny, but it felt as if he'd known her much longer. 'I barely know her.' Yet he'd been more intimate with her without the benefit of sex than with any other woman he'd known.
'So why not level with her? Afraid she'll run the other way if she knows you're too wealthy for us mere mortals?'
'Actually, I'm more afraid she won't.'
'Aah.' Zee placed an understanding arm on Mac's shoulder. 'I figured that was why you never picked up one of them spa bunnies. That's no excuse for not introducing me to one of 'em, but I'll forgive you.'
Mac grinned. 'And now I feel much better.'
'When's she going back?' Zee asked.
Mac felt his smile turned to a frown. 'Soon enough.' Unless he changed her mind. He rose from his seat. 'Just forget about it,' he said to the well-meaning older man.
'I will… if you can do the same once she's gone.'
He was about to respond, when the sound of footsteps running down the stairs stopped him. Unwilling to embarrass Samantha further, Mac crumpled the napkin and tossed it into the trash beneath the bar. Zee's knowing cackle followed his movement.
She cleared her throat, and Mac turned to see her standing beside him, dressed in a soft pink T-shirt, tight jeans and a matching bandanna threaded through the belt loops. Her hair fell over her shoulder, a soft smile touched her lips, and Mac knew he was in deep.
Things between them had shifted, and he wondered if he'd ever reclaim level ground.
Sam clasped her hands together in front of her. The ring shone on her finger, a reminder of how close she and Mac had become. Their trip hadn't given her time to think. Neither had his absence today. She hadn't learned how to handle him, just the opposite. She'd grown to care for this man who was supposed to be passing through her life. A life that until now had been dull in the extreme. She was approaching thirty, had lived an ordinary life, held an ordinary job and had dated ordinary men who she'd had little interest in becoming intimate with. She'd done the obligatory thing, seeing co-workers and allowing friends to set her up. She'd even slept with one man who had lasted beyond the awkward dating stage, one she'd hoped she could care for, but things had fizzled fast. Even then, she had never, ever contemplated the intimacy she craved with Mac.
True, she'd come out here seeking excitement, but her emotions were never supposed to come into play. He'd broken many barriers, she thought, fingering the token of his… what? Friendship, certainly. Affection? She met his gaze, and he treated her to a wink before continuing his conversation with Zee. The flutters in her stomach increased until she thought she might jump out of her skin. She didn't dare name anything else.
Each time she even looked at Mac, another emotional wall fell. She'd come to Arizona seeking passion, and she'd found it without even sleeping with him. Heaven help her when his body eventually did fuse with hers.
The churning in her stomach gave her a clue. How was that possible? How could her body crave him with such intensity, as if it knew what awaited her in Mac's arms?
'Hey, you okay?' Mac's warm hand touched her arm as he walked up to her.
She met his concerned gaze and forced a smile. 'Couldn't be better. The bar opens in less than five minutes. I've got my sneakers on and I'm ready to work.'
'That wasn't what I meant.'
'I know what you meant.' Reaching over, she touched a trembling hand to his still damp lips. Surely passion that burned so strong would douse itself soon.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder how she'd live the rest of her life without him if it didn't.
5
He'd taken his time stacking the stools onto the tables. The glass top of the long bar now sparkled and shone. If he washed the bar glasses any slower, he'd collapse from the sheer boredom of the task. Mac glanced at his watch. Surely Samantha had fallen asleep by now.
The only way he could trust himself to strip down to his briefs and climb into that small double bed beside her, was to make sure she was out for the night. His patience was near to breaking, but he drew the line at taking advantage of a comatose woman.
He'd like nothing better than to rouse Samantha from sleep with erotic whisperings in her ear and sensual strokes of his hand. Unfortunately, she wasn't ready. She might be free with her touches… and her tongue, he thought wryly. His body was on fire just thinking about her dainty licks against his chest. But the hesitancy wasn't gone from her gaze, the tremors still evident in her touch.
Mac might have been selective over the past couple of years, but he knew women. An experienced female who knew what she desired didn't hesitate to take what she wanted. Samantha did. He still believed she saw sex as the answer to… whatever she'd left behind at home. Mac didn't. Hanging out in the bar was the only way he could guarantee that he kept his hands to himself.
He leaned down to put a rag beneath the bar and found an envelope with Theresa's name and the word
He exhaled hard. Oh, yeah. Hanging out in the bar was definitely his safest bet.
Sam sat up in bed. For the third morning in a row, she awoke to the sun forcing its way through the blinds, the sound of the shower in her ears, and country music reverberating throughout the room. For the third morning in a row, she woke up alone.
It was ironic, really. She'd come west intent on seducing a man, and here she'd had Mac to herself for three whole days and he hadn't made one move to take her to bed.
Oh, he'd slept with her, all right. But that's all he did. He worked so hard after hours, she couldn't manage to stay awake until he walked up the stairs… and she'd tried. To add insult to injury, he beat her out of bed every morning, and it didn't matter that she'd woken up earlier each day.
She didn't doubt his interest. She couldn't. Between his sultry looks and his heated touch, she knew he wanted her. She glanced toward the closed bathroom door and bit down on her lower lip. Her body couldn't stand another second of deprivation. But that wasn't the only reason she had to approach Mac, and she had to do it now. Before she lost her nerve.
