Sam’s head came up with a start. His face softened; his mood lightened. “Oh,” he said, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you both. I didn’t realize Cat had two brothers.”
It occurred to her that Sam thought she was engaging in God knows what with two guys. At once! Like she was the one who was the local amusement ride.
“And we didn’t realize she had a boyfriend,” Mason said, assessing Sam.
Cat squared her shoulders. “That’s because my private life is none of your business.” She turned to Sam. “Sorry, Sam. Growing up the youngest girl with six older brothers hasn’t been easy.”
Sam smiled. “Six brothers?”
“Yeah, six brothers who come and go at all hours to check up on me.” She turned to Mason and Luke, giving them a look that made them both take a measured step back. She loved her brothers with everything in her, but she just wished they’d give her a bit of breathing space. “Was there something you both wanted?”
Mason kicked at an imaginary stone. “Not really. I called a few times last night and you weren’t home and Luke stopped by your paper today and you weren’t there so we just thought we’d come by and see if everything was okay.”
Exasperated, Cat shook her head and grinned. “I’m fine.” She waved her hand at them. “Go home to your wives.”
Sam clapped Mason on the back. “She’s fine. Trust me. She’s in good hands. I promise.”
Cat shivered, remembering exactly how good those hands were. Leaning in, Cat gave her brothers a kiss on their cheeks and shooed them away. As they turned to leave, she grabbed Mason’s elbow and said, “Give little Matt a hug for me and let him know I still have my rock. Tell Sarah I’ll try to get by on the weekend.”
As they moved away, Sam turned to her. “I like them,” Sam said, sounding much happier than he had a few minutes ago.
“Good,” she said, and wondered why that was so important to her.
As they continued on their way to Sam’s condo, Cat wondered for a brief moment if she’d get a glimpse of his bedroom, to see if it looked any different from the inside. Sam unlocked his door, pushed it open, and gestured for her to enter. Always the gentleman, she mused.
She looked around, orienting herself. Familiarity hit. A replica of her place. Same layout. Same gray-colored carpet and off-white walls. Cat had planned to change the awful color just as soon as she found some spare time.
She tipped her head and glanced at Sam. “For a second there I thought I was home.”
Sam shrugged off his coat, eased hers from her shoulders, and hung them in the entrance closet. The simple, domestic, normal, everyday act of him hanging her coat made her feel all weird inside.
He gestured with a wave. “Then I guess you already know where the kitchen is?”
Cat smiled and slipped off her shoes. Her feet were still killing her from her heels last night. She followed Sam down the short hallway. Her gaze journeyed to his ass. She brushed her tongue over her bottom lip and suppressed a growl of longing. Shame that her condo lacked that lovely masterpiece.
He motioned toward the cluttered table. “Sorry about the mess, I would have cleaned up if I had known you were coming over.”
“It doesn’t look any different from my place. I like to think of it as organized clutter.”
Sam chuckled. “I’ve never quite heard it put that way before. Just push the stuff out of your way and grab a seat. Would you like a coffee or tea?”
“I’d love a tea, thanks.” Cat gathered the newspapers from the chair and table and neatly piled them while Sam filled the kettle and then made a quick trip to the bathroom to wash up. A stack of cutout articles caught her attention. She reached for them. Her breath stalled as she flipped through the pieces. She spent a long moment just staring at them. Sam returned from washing up and grabbed the cheese slices from the fridge.
She worked to recover her voice. “Sam?”
Sam placed the frying pan on the stove and turned to face her. “What’s up?”
She fanned the articles in the air. “You read my articles?”
He folded his arms and leaned against his countertop. “Yeah.”
Surprise registered on her face. Her voice rose a notch. “And you cut them out and keep them?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Sam pushed off from the counter, took two steps toward her, and brushed her hair from her face. His soft caress, so tender and gentle, made her knees wobble. Sam dipped his head, his voice softened. “Is that so hard to believe?”
She shrugged and lowered her eyes. “I…I…it just surprises me is all.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be surprised. Your articles are great, Cat. Worth a second read.” He cupped her chin and lifted her gaze to his.
She opened her eyes wide and met his glance. “You really like them?”
Sam rolled one shoulder. “Sure. Everyone at work does too.” He rifled through them. “This one here about a guy’s quick trip to the E.R. after his girlfriend turned him into a banana split and mistakenly chomped down on the wrong banana is my favorite. Someone read this one out loud in the lunchroom. It had us laughing all day.”
She lowered herself into the chair, furrowed her brow, and tossed him a skeptical look. “Really?”
He threw his hands up. “Yes, Cat. Really. Why do you find that so hard to believe?”
She stammered. “I don’t know. I knew they were popular but they’re just fluff pieces.” She rotated her ankles and rubbed the pad of her thumb over her heel. Sam sat across from her, gathered her feet, and took over the massage.
Cat shimmied lower in her seat. “Mmmm…feels good. Thanks.”
His voice had taken on a serious edge. His lips thinned. “Cat, do you enjoy writing these articles?”
She smiled, then hesitated before answering. “I do.
