Love in the Shadows

Chapter Fourteen

(Sam's POV)

Being back in Lake Ridge wasn't exactly a pleasant experience. For many reasons, starting with why I was here in the first place and ending with all the ghosts that I had left behind here.

It wasn't until I saw Lucy pulling into the driveway that I felt even the littlest bit of excitement to be home. I liked that she had come to help, was strangely elated about the fact that we were about to experience a forced proximity and more than a little bit excited that she was meeting my family.

I assumed that my mom's teasing about me talking about her would make her uncomfortable but she handled it like a pro.

"They only have three bedrooms, so you're going to sleep in my room and I'll take the couch."

As we entered my bedroom, it occurred to me that I had never been in a room with Lucy, not a room that had a bed. A bed that she was going to be in. A bed that I had been in. It shouldn't have been a turn-on, but somehow, all my mind could focus on was that bed.

"It's a pretty big bed Sam. I don't think you have to sleep on the couch."

I swallowed, hard. I mean she wasn't wrong but could I handle sharing a bed with her?

Be cool. She's thinking this is platonic. For sleeping.

"You sure? I honestly don't mind the couch." If she noticed the squeak to my voice she didn't mention it.

"Yeah." She added a shrug, pulled out a small case and pointed at the bathroom door, slightly ajar. "Is that the bathroom that I should use?"

I nodded, still scared to use my voice and show her that really, deep down, I was still a prepubescent boy.

She gave me a little smile and the door closed behind her, leaving me standing there speechless. I walked out to the kitchen.

My aunt and mom were still sitting at the island and both looked up as I walked in. "She's quite lovely, Sam and I think you are completely wrong, the feelings are there for you both." My aunt Rose nodded her head in agreement.

I was majorly regretting the fact that I had ever talked about my feelings with my mom."So, I would love it if you two could be cool about this and not make it weird." I stopped to let it sink in, watching my mom open and close her mouth, looking a little bit offended, like she didn't love to embarrass the shit out of me. "Lucy figures there's no need for me to sleep on the couch."

She gave a little squeal but Aunt Rose elbowed her and she laughed. "Yeah, I think that's a great idea. Don't worry about protection, I'm ready for a grand baby."

Holy Fuck.

"Jesus, mom." I rolled my eyes but she wasn't looking at me because she was too busy snorting at her own joke.

I stopped at the door, waiting for her giggles to calm down. "Please remember that Lucy isn't used to you and your shenanigans. Don't embarrass her tomorrow morning, okay?"

My mom gave me a nod, letting me know she understood. For all her teasing, my mom didn't have an unkind bone in her body and I knew she would be on her best behaviour, with Lucy anyway.

"Goooooooood night." Her sing-song voice and their giggles followed me as I walked back to my room, grinning at their foolishness.

I stopped in the doorway, a smile frozen in place. Lucy was bent down, zipping up her overnight bag. She was wearing little blue and white plaid shorts that made her tanned legs look extra long and a black thermal shirt. It shouldn't have looked sexy, but of course on her, it did.

Her pyjamas had my mind racing. As someone who normally sleeps naked, I wondered if there would come a time that I could do that, with Lucy?

Naked.

Just the idea of it left me with a raging hard-on and I knew that I needed to sort myself out before getting any sleep. I took one more look at her and grabbed a pair of plaid pyjama pants and a t-shirt. "I'm just going to grab a shower."

A cold shower.

I came out to find Lucy typing on a little computer. She had black rimmed glasses on and her hair was up in a messy bun.

Jesus Christ, this woman is my kryptonite.

I walked over to the empty side of the bed, taking a drink of the water bottle that I had left there. I was suddenly thirsty. Very thirsty.

Utterly oblivious to the impact that she had on me, she was focused on what was actually important right now. She looked up at me. "Did you tell me that your cousin, Wolfe, works at Tanya's High School?"

"Not just Tanya's, the High School. There's only one in this area. He teaches math and gym. "

"Has anyone questioned her friends?"

"I don't think so. Based on what I've seen, I don't think the police have done much."

She stopped typing and shot me a disgusted look. "I'm not going to like their police force, am I?" I shook my head and she continued. "Think Wolfe could give us the run down of who her closest friends are and get us in a room with them tomorrow? Your call if you want to run it through police here or you want to try to do it on the sly. I trust your judgement."

I wasn't sure I had as much faith as she did in me. "I don't think it hurts to keep things close to our chests." I gestured at my own as I talked and felt my mouth go dry again as her eyes traced my muscles.

"Wolfe is coming over for breakfast tomorrow morning so we can arrange it then."

She closed her computer, set it on the floor and set her glasses on the bedside table. Then she rolled over to look at me. "I have a search running through the missing person's database. We'll see if we can catch a match on the Air Jordan."

"Thank you. I know I've said it before but I'm really glad you're here."

She gave me a sleepy smile. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you."

"You don't need to apologise but can I ask, what was with the radio silence?"

She took a deep breath, gave her nose a rub and then grimaced as she explained. "You know how they say to assume, is to make an ass of you and me."

I nodded.

What had she assumed?

She pinched the top of her nose and I could see the fatigue, weighing her down. "Not this time. The only ass here..." she gestured between the two of us. "Is me."

I reached out, lacing our fingers, letting her know that I was listening. "I don't know..."

She sighed. "I thought that my confession about my dad had scared you off."

Oh. I hadn't even thought...

"You're not the ass. I'm the ass. I'm sorry Luce. I swear, I do not care who you are related to." I paused, knowing that I needed to take the chance. We weren't going to get anywhere, if I kept playing it safe and I really wanted this to go somewhere.

I squeezed our linked hands, noticing the gold streaks in her dark eyes. They were like liquid bronze, and then they shut. She gave another one of those sleepy smiles and I felt my chance slipping away. 

"I just want to be clear right now. No more misunderstandings." Her breathing deepended and I knew that the moment had been lost, but whispered it anyway, "I like you."

I let my words settle, float through the air between us. I closed my own eyes, letting her even breathing and the fact that she was right here with me, lull me to sleep. "I really fucking like you, Lucy Baylor."