Frog Prince Page 3

  Those were the qualities he thought about when he chose to think about Rebe, her inner beauty. Her outer beauty wasn't half bad either. He remembered the first time he'd seen her long toffee legs encased in tight short shorts. He'd gotten an instant erection. Then she'd turned around and he'd glimpsed her rear and had to turn away, but not before her brother had punched him in the arm and told him not to even think it. But he'd thought it. For over two years he'd thought it, every single time he'd looked into her eyes, or at her full lips begging to be kissed. They looked so delicious painted or natural and her eyes regardless of her endless array or colored contacts, always seemed to be just on the verge of revealing a secret to him. She'd teased him mercilessly.

  Sam sobered knowing it would be best not to think of the times the four of them had spent together. None of them with the exception of Rebe had dated much. All of them had for the most part been content to spend their time in their own little group. Friends to the end, or rather, it was supposed to be. No one could have anticipated their group would end with the worst tragedy they could imagine. Nowadays the foursome was more of a twosome with him and Kandi, or Rebe and Kandi. Rarely was it the three of them. And when it was, Sam was uncomfortable because he was unable to forget how it had been. And he could not make things go back to that time. For a mere second in time he finally admitted that he wanted that. No, it wouldn't be the same, because their foursome was no more. But they shouldn’t be at such crossroad because of it either.

  “Sam, is there nothing you like about me?”

  The sadness in Rebe’s voice permeated his senses. He smiled at her. “I like that you take your writing seriously enough that you’d date a frog.” She laughed and hit him playfully, her movement making his heart squeeze. It was with great effort that he didn’t grab hold of her fingers and give them a squeeze.

  By the time they'd reached the entrance to the hotel, Sam had already decided he would be everything Rebe needed in a hero tonight. He wouldn't make things any tougher for her. And he’d start by being a gentleman.

  After parking he made a mad dash to the passenger side and opened the door for Rebe. She gave him a curious look as she gathered her shawl and threw it around her shoulders, then reached for her clutch purse. She stepped out, gave him another look accompanied by a smile. Then the unthinkable happened. Rebe reached for his hand as they walked toward the banquet hall. Her fingers were trembling. She hadn't been kidding, she was nervous. This was a big deal for her. The instinct that screamed out for Sam to protect her, rose suddenly, like a fierce lion he gazed around the room stalking out would be prey, anyone who'd be an enemy for Rebe. She was his main and only concern. "You okay?" he asked.

  "I hate giving speeches. What if my throat closes up? What if I forget what I wanted to say what if…”

  "Didn't you write it down?"

  "Yeah and I memorized it. I didn't want to read it because I had a dream of the papers falling to the floor then me crying. It was a mess.”

  Now Sam really was feeling sorry for Rebe. Stopping their entrance into the ballroom, he turned her around and cupped her face in his hands. Something he should have expected but hadn't counted on happened. He noticed the softness of her russet skin, the luscious shape of her full, red, strawberry scented lips, which were made for kissing, and her deep chocolate eyes, sans her contacts... And then damn it, he could feel himself begin to harden. He'd better get this over and done with as quickly as possible."

  “Listen to me, Rebe. You're going to be great. Just look my way if you get nervous. I promise you will get through this."

  "How can you make that promise? You're going to be on the dance floor and I'm going to be up there at the podium." Rebe pointed toward the podium. "I'll be alone.”

  “Just do it. Make sure you know exactly where I'm standing and together we'll get you through this. Now come on, let's do whatever it is we have to do. Sign in and get our badges then you can introduce me as the troll in tow. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of that.” He saw a smile on her lips but the fear lingered in her eyes.

  Rebe, Rebe, Rebe, Sam whispered in his mind. Please don't cry or I'll be lost. You have to leave me something to keep the barrier in place.

  He gazed into her eyes and knew it was too late. He had sworn to never allow Rebe back into his heart and look how easily he’d broken that promise. The thought of her hurting was too much for him bear. The thought of him being the one to hurt her was never going to happen. If only he could, he knew he’d be much better off. With a sigh, Sam asked. "Are you ready for me to fawn?"

  "Now is as good a time as any,” Rebe answered him, wondering what on earth Sam had in mind. His hand slipped around her waist and he drew her close to his body. His touch felt familiar and too good. She couldn't resist turning her head toward him and cupping his cheek as he'd done to her. Then she kissed him lightly on the lips while trying not to remember the good times they'd shared in the past.

  Her mind zeroed in on one particular moment. When she'd lived with Sam for two weeks she'd dared to come out of the shell of grief she'd built for herself to go looking for him. His apartment had been quiet and dark. She'd glanced at the clock wondering where he was at 3 am. She'd moved about his apartment as quietly as she could when she'd come upon him in the kitchen looking into the fridge. He was wearing dark blue boxers, the clingy kind and she'd stood for a moment staring in awe at his sculpted back. She'd been about to make her escape when he'd looked behind him, saw her, and smiled. "Couldn't sleep?" he'd asked. For a long moment their gazes locked and held and Rebe found herself breathing deeply. It took another moment before she could answer him. "I've gotten so use to having you next to me that I woke when you weren’t there," she'd answered.

  They'd stared at each other once again before Rebe turned and padded back to the room. A few seconds later Sam followed her with a tray of food, two glasses of juice and him in long pajama bottoms. They ate in a companionable silence then watched comedies until she'd drifted off to sleep

  She didn't know why that particular imagine came to her when it did, but it had. She hadn't thought he'd looked sexy that night she's seen him in his underwear, or if she had, she hadn't registered it. Now she had the full image and darn it all. Yes, Sam was sexy, more than likely that was an image she'd never wanted to have of him. Too dangerous.

  Kandi was right. Sam was a good guy. Suddenly she realized she was staring into his eyes, his beautiful eyes. For a guy who didn't even like her she'd have to give him major hero points. Maybe in her next book she'd make him a best friend, and find a really nice fictional girl to fix him up with. So she was about five inches taller than him while wearing heels, so what. This was one night. And he'd really saved her. “You’re sweet, Sam.”

  “Thank you.” Sam didn’t want to hear anything in Rebe’s voice that she wasn’t saying, but somehow he was hearing it anyway, a sort of longing.

  This was all supposed to be pretend but it felt too real. When Rebe pressed her lips against his he’d wanted to use his tongue to force her lips apart and taste her hidden nectar. He groaned. Wanting Rebe would be way more trouble than he wanted to deal with even for one night. But he was supposed to be fawning right? She’d asked him to be the loving boyfriend in her life, to make the fans believe she belonged to him.

  At that moment Sam heard a small sigh from Rebe and her lips parted. Somehow their positions had shifted; they were in perfect alignment to kiss. No thinking was involved. Rebe’s eyes closed and she became all soft and pliable. She was asking him in a non-verbal way to kiss her, so he obliged, moving slowly over her lips for the texture before entering and tasting.

  Sam explored Rebe’s mouth as though he was taking in sips of air, and then he stilled his tongue as she began an exploration of her own. When he felt the probing of her tongue he almost stopped the kiss to enjoy her examination. The moment their mutual exploration ended, the battle for dominance began with their tongues. He couldn't get enough of kissing her, which was why he finally en
ded the kiss. He wasn't the man Rebe wanted and when this dance was over she'd return to her real life. He couldn't allow her to think there was anything more to the kiss than him pretending.

  He stared at her lips still thinking how sweet she tasted, but knowing it was time for them to at least partially return to their reality "Rebe, did I tell you it doesn't bother me that you're excessively tall?”

  Excessively tall? Rebe’s mouth opened but she couldn't find the words to rebuke Sam. She was not excessively tall. “I'm not. I'm five-ten. Isn’t that being what you accused me of, a bit discriminatory?”

  “Hmm. You're right. Besides, you say you're not enormously tall and I have to take your word. My mistake. You seem a lot taller, more like a giantess. Oh well, I'm only five-nine.”

  “You are not five-nine.”

  “In my stocking feet.”

  “I've known you for almost five years. What did you do, have a growth spurt? You've always been this little bitty thing.” Rebe suddenly stepped out of the five inch killer stilettos and stood in front of Sam. He grinned and made a measurement with his fingers.

  “Well I'll be,” Rebe laughed. “You did grow. You're almost taller than me.”

  “You're a liar, Rebe. I’m taller than you after all. You're not that tall.” He gave her a smile before adding one more thought. “You're a poser.” She gave him a cheeky grin and held on to his shoulder as she stepped back into her stilettos.

  “Now I'm taller than you," Rebe grinned.

  She was teasing him and it was fun, just like in the days when they were friends, and on occasion more than friends. It felt good. It felt right. Sam stared at Rebe remembering how it had been.

  “Of course I’m not surprised that you thought you were taller, or that you’ve always thought I was short. It was all in your mind. Heck, you even Jamie was short, and he was six three.” Sam stopped short remembering Rebe didn’t like for anyone to mention her brother since his death. “I'm sorry, Rebe.”

  “Don't be. I have no problem talking about my brother with you, Sam. You two were friends. And you're right, I thought he was short. But you're shorter.”

  Sam studied Rebe for a moment wanting to make sure their mentioning Jamie was truly okay with her. Her eyes were sparking with mischief and her smile was melting a bit more of that ice his heart had been encased in for the past two years. He’d always enjoyed teasing her and being teased back. He didn’t know why but for this instant his old Rebe was back and he intended to hold on to that as long as possible.

  He watched as she strutted around in the stilettos smirking at him, her hands on her hips. He couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought we just proved that in actuality I'm taller than you. I knew you wrote fiction, but I didn't know you actually believed it. Then again, being a lawyer I guess would account for that.” He grinned and waited for her comeback.

  “We did not prove any such thing. Like you said, I'm not just any fiction writer, I write romance and I can spin the story to my advantage. The heroine is the real star of the books. The hero is only there for window dressing, for someone to provide the heat, you know, a good kisser.” Then she stopped gave him a look that would scorch and smiled. “As I was saying, if you're only an inch shorter than I am, how the heck can you call me excessively tall?”

  Sam shrugged. “Since I'm here to do your bidding, we'll play let's pretend, even in matters of heights. You're in charge. So here's my answer… I'm a man.” Then he shrugged again and grinned at her.

  He held his breath when the mischief disappeared from her eyes to be replaced with fear. “What’s wrong, Rebe?”

  "Sam, do you really think I look okay? You were glaring so much at me when I picked you up that you didn't look at me.”

  “Why are you so nervous? I've never seen you unsure about anything."

  Rebe gave a short snort. “You've seen me much worse.”

  For a moment Sam stared at her knowing what she was talking about, surprised she'd mentioned it. For two years she'd behaved as if it had never happened. Another fracture could be felt around his heart. Damn it all to hell. She was killing him.

  "You're right. I didn't give you a good look. Stand back a little.” You're always beautiful and you always look stunning, he wanted to tell her. Suddenly it was becoming hard to breath. He moved a couple of feet away and put his hand on his chin to pretend he was doing a critical analysis of her. He knew there was no need for the inspection but he did it because she was worried.

  Rebe’s dress was exquisite, some really soft blue that clung to her curves, and her shoes were clear. He frowned; they were nice and so damn high that she probably did think she was taller than everyone else. But the sparkle at her earlobes was what caught his attention. She was wearing the diamond earrings he'd given her more than four years ago for her birthday.

  His heart caught in his throat and he wondered if she even remembered who'd given them to her. It couldn't be that she'd deliberately worn them because of him. He took another moment to see she was wearing the diamond bracelet her brother had given her. He knew what it meant to her, she'd told him that when she was nervous having something on given by someone who loved her, someone she loved, made her feel better.

  Could that be her reason for the earrings? Did she love him? Stop it he wanted to scold himself. Rebe was getting nervous, biting her lips, and turning him on. He had to tell her how gorgeous she looked before she shattered him.

  "Well, do I look okay?" Rebe asked.

  Sucking in a breath, Sam released it in jerky movements. "You look spectacular. I love the color of your dress. It's different. What color is it?"

  "Ice blue."

  “Come on, let's go in. People are starting to stare at us.” Sam held his hand out for her and when Rebe placed it in his; he felt a tingle and another slight crack. Darn it all to hell.

  He'd thought he was in trouble with his hand around her waist, but the skin to skin contact of holding her hand in his was having a most disturbing effect on his body. He found himself rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

  Stop it, he scolded himself, but didn't. And to his surprise Rebe didn't attempt to pull away. In fact, he felt her give his fingers a squeeze as she pulled him from group to group, introducing him to fans and writers alike. He saw her eyes light with pleasure when the women began quizzing him about when they’d met and he had a ready but true tale. He’d been bowled over, literally. He’d fallen over a stool and he laughed telling the women that was the moment he’d fallen for Rebe. He could tell one reader doubted him by the pursing of her mouth, so he waited for her to ask her question.

  “So, Sam, can you tell us how you feel about your girlfriend writing romance and having to be around such hunky guys?”

  “I love that Rebe uses her talents to entertain.” His gaze connected with Rebe and she gave a slight nod. Gazing around at the group of women gathered around them he could sense most wanted to believe that he and Rebe were a couple, but there was always an exception to everything. The one exception came in the form of a very well dressed, but catty woman. Her eyes held a challenge. He didn’t have to be a psychic to know what her question would be about. Chase.

  “Are you Chase’s replacement, or do you not know about him?”

  “I know Chase. And to answer your question, I’m not Chase’s replacement. He was merely standing in for me, until Rebe came to her senses, and realized the worth of a true hero.”

  That did it. The women approved and so did Rebe. She kept looking at Sam as though she'd never seen him before. As though she'd not slept in his arms, in his bed, for two weeks. Better not go there, he chided himself. The subject was taboo. And it was what had ruined their friendship. It was strange that she thought he hadn’t known what was going on. He’d just allowed it to continue until it seemed they’d gone too far to turn back. Watching her now it was beginning to look as if the tide had turned.

  This romance event was more fun than he’d thought it would be. And he’d imagined it as be
ing plenty of fun. Hell, he’d imagined it for the four years she’d been going when she’d never taken his hints and invited him.

  Being with Rebe, even as her friend, her pretend lover wasn't nearly as hard as he'd thought it would be. Matter of fact it was downright easy. Too easy he realized. The lines were becoming blurred. He needed to not do that. Tomorrow would be another day and Rebe would be back to making snide remarks. And he would be back to thinking her despicable. But Sam couldn't stop himself, Rebe was having a great time and so was he.

  When the sound of the unadjusted mile screeched loudly he knew the round of speeches would begin. Rebe stood in front of him and it was only natural that his arms slid around her. It was even more natural that his lips found her neck and nibbled, planting soft kisses, feeling her shiver, and kissing her again.

  Sam groaned when Rebe made no attempt to move, not even when the hardness of his body couldn't be ignored. It hadn't been planned, but it also wasn't something that was strange. It had been a long time since he'd been with anyone he realized. It wasn't Rebe, he tried to tell himself. His body's reaction would have happened if he'd been in that close a proximity to any woman. Yeah right, and chocolate cows produced chocolate milk, and strawberry…he laughed and nuzzled Rebe’s neck again. She smelled so good. She always had.

  He stood behind her, holding her, until it was her turn to go to the podium. Then she turned to him, gazed into his eyes and asked, “How about a kiss for luck?” Before Sam could answer, she'd laid one on him, a kiss that burned away several more inches of the ice he'd erected around his heart to keep Rebe out.

  Chapter Three

  Breaking the kiss off, Rebe made her way for the podium, stumbling a tiny bit when she glanced back at Sam. What in the world was happening? The pads of Sam’s fingers had ignited something deep within her. Heat pooled in her midsection and spiraled downward. No, she wanted to scream, not Sam. She'd worked so hard to never become attracted to him, to not allow her feelings for him to become more than friendship. With Sam there would be no turning back, no relationship where neither of their feelings smattered. Sam mattered to her. As much as she'd tried to make him believe otherwise she'd always known. With a groan she realized this was a bad idea coming here with him.