Taking Chances by Ann Omasta (best motivational books txt) 📖

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Chapter 23

I was so warm and relaxed that his soft knock on the door startled me. “Umm. I’m still in the tub.”

He opened the door but didn’t cross the threshold. I quickly moved to make sure the bubbles were covering all of my important parts and was relieved to find that they were. “What are you doing?” I asked, annoyed that he had opened the door when he knew I was naked in here.

“I brought you some clean clothes.” He held up some neatly folded black sweats to emphasize his point. “Your clothes are soaked. I can come back with these dry ones later, when you are standing there with just a towel to cover your wet, naked skin, if you like?”

My whole body tingled when he said the words ‘wet, naked skin.’ “No, just leave them over there, please.” I pointed to the antique dresser where he had retrieved the towels and bubble bath.

He pointedly ignored me, setting the clothes next to the sink and then walking over to sit on the floor beside the tub. I was unnerved by his nearness and overly aware of my nudity. “You can’t stay in here,” my voice sounded shrill.

“Sure I can. Besides, your girly bits are covered, and I won’t climb in there unless you want me to.”

I snorted with laughter at his reference to my girly bits, surprised by his word choice. He leaned his head on the tub and smiled at me. I felt my traitorous nipples pucker into hard nubs and looked down to verify once again that they were covered.

I needed to put some distance between us, so I said, “Would you please bring me the phone, so I can give Courtney a call as soon as I get out of the tub?”

“Already done,” he responded.

I was pleasantly surprised that he had listened and remembered the number, but that quickly wore off when he continued. “I told her you would be spending the night here, and that I would drive you home in the morning.”

“Absolutely not!” In my alarm, I started to sit up, but promptly remembered my state of undress and hunkered back under the water. A mental image of spending a hot, sweaty night rolling around in Sam’s bed flashed through my mind. I fought to suppress it as I added adamantly, “I will not be spending the night here with you.”

“You are as stubborn as a mule, Woman.” He shook his head at me. “You saw the storm rolling in out there. The road to town from here isn’t great in the best of conditions. It’s certainly not safe to drive it tonight.” As if to prove his point, lightening flashed and thunder boomed, shaking the whole house.

“You are my brother’s girlfriend, and I won’t touch you,” he reassured me, as I attempted to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. “No matter how much I want to,” he said so quietly I wasn’t sure if he had actually uttered the words, or if I had imagined them.

He feels it too! I was elated and confused. I didn’t want to like him. I didn’t want to crave him with every fiber of my being. I didn’t want him to want me and, at the same time, I wanted him to want me like no other. None of it made any sense.

We dropped the subject of where I was staying tonight, knowing that I didn’t have a valid argument, and that it was settled. My body felt electrified by his nearness. I didn’t know how I would survive an entire night in the same house with him, especially if he felt remotely the same way I did. I would just have to make sure we stayed as far apart as possible.

Chapter 24

Staying far from him was not going to be an easy task, especially considering he had made himself comfortable right next to the tub where I was currently soaking, completely naked. My body was achingly aware of his proximity, and my mind worked furiously to devise a reason why he needed to leave the bathroom.

I finally decided on, “Please excuse me, the water has gone lukewarm, so I’d like to get out of the tub.”

I was appalled when he reached down between my feet and pulled the drain up. “What are you doing?” I spluttered, panicked. I tried to scoot my body down to reach the plug without raising up to expose myself, but my arms weren’t quite long enough. “This sudsy water is the only thing that is covering me.”

“Believe me, I know.” He chuckled, obviously enjoying himself. He reached up to turn on the tap, tested the running water and adjusted it to his liking, then dropped his hand into the water and retrieved my foot.

He began rubbing my heel, so I jerked it away from him. “You are supposed to be relaxing,” he reminded me as he grabbed my foot again and set it on the edge of the tub. I wanted to protest more, but when he started circling his thumb from my heel up over the arch, I decided to let my defenses down and enjoy it for a minute.

I eased further down into the tub and let the relaxation wash over me. Despite my sore ankle, this was the best I had felt since I had last seen Seth.

As if sensing the change in direction of my thoughts, Sam said, “So, what’s up with you and my brother?”

“What do you mean?” I stalled for time, not wanting to admit that whatever was between Seth and I was over.

“Well, for starters, he showed up at our family brunch without you today.” I felt like I had been punched in the gut at this confirmation that Seth was alive and well and just avoiding me, but I tried not to let it show on my face. I had been hoping that there was some other logical explanation, even though I hadn’t been able to think of one.

Sam didn’t seem to notice my inner turmoil as he continued on. “And since you would rather spend time with the twin that you hate than to have me call him, I’m guessing that there’s trouble in paradise.”

“I don’t hate you,” I answered automatically. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for my response about Seth. I struggled to find the right words, and finally settled on, “We’re taking a break.”

I didn’t miss the sparkle that lit Sam’s eyes before he was able to mask it. “Hmmm,” he murmured noncommittally.

I was glad that he didn’t question me further and decided to use the opportunity to question him a little. “Enough about me, what’s with you and the ‘I’ girls?”

“Whatever do you mean?” He smiled and batted his dark lashes, letting me know that he knew exactly what I meant. He lowered the foot he’d been rubbing and gingerly lifted the injured one to give it the same treatment before continuing. “They serve two purposes. They look good on my arm and they feel good in my bed.”

I was surprised and rather taken aback by his blatant honesty. “So, women are just playthings to you, meant to be shown off and used, then tossed aside?”

He stopped rubbing as he looked directly in my eyes to answer. “Make no mistake. They are using me every bit as much as I am using them. They know exactly what they are getting into. I make no pretenses about it.”

“And that makes it okay?” I wondered aloud. “So, that’s why you never kiss them on the lips? You don’t want to give them any false hopes?”

If he was surprised that I knew this little tidbit of information about him, he hid it well. “It’s something like that, I guess. I don’t want anyone getting too attached.” I wondered if he was referring to the never-ending parade of women or himself.

The discussion had taken a serious turn. He still had my foot in his hands, but his fingers had stilled. I gently nudged him with my foot, and he smiled as he resumed the fabulous, relaxing massage.

“It’s a good thing you picked Seth,” he said somberly. I hadn’t even met Sam when Seth and I started dating, so I didn’t really have a choice, but I wasn’t about to point that out to him.

When he continued, his words surprised me. “Sometimes I think I’m the evil twin.” This uber-confident, stubborn man was opening up to me about his insecurities. I wanted to proceed carefully, lest he clam up or, worse yet, put up his overbearing, obnoxious façade.

“I wouldn’t say you’re evil.” At his grin, I decided to tone it down a little, “Ornery, and vain, and annoying, but not evil.” I smiled to let him know I wasn’t being too serious.

“Ornery, vain, and annoying – yep, that pretty much sums me up. I need to write a theme song.” He gently laid my foot in the water, turned off the tap, restored the drain plug and situated himself beside me at the head of the bathtub. I lowered