Tantalizing Temptations (Inn Love 1 - England)

Chapter 1

Lightning seared across the inky night sky, almost immediately followed by a deafening crack of thunder that seemed to reverberate inside the car and inside her skull.

Samantha flinched, her fingers tightening to a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Easing her foot off the accelerator until she was all but crawling along the deserted country road, she squinted at the bleak darkness ahead. Even with the wipers furiously waving to and fro, she could barely make out the road. The rain fell in a continuous sheet, mercilessly pelting the windscreen and turning the scenery into a slushy mess of runny blackish greens and ghostly browns. The beams of her headlights were swallowed up by the downpour, casting a wavering yellow light ahead that was too feeble to be of much help.

Making herself loosen her grip on the steering wheel, Samantha gritted her teeth against the feeling of dread lodged between her shoulder blades like a weapon waiting to dig deeper into skin, flesh and bones. She glanced into the rearview mirror to check whether her little daughter was still asleep despite the incessant drumming of rain on the roof and the claps of thunder sounding much too close.

Mary-Ann was oblivious to the spectacle outside, long lashes resting against her chubby cheeks, her favorite stuffed toy clutched protectively to her chest, and one thumb securely in her mouth. Although it wasn't bedtime for her yet, the four-year-old had fallen asleep almost instantly after being strapped into her car seat. Visits to her grandparents, as rare as they were hated, always tired her out. They drained Samantha of energy as well, which was why she'd declined her parents' reluctant offer of staying the night and tackled the long drive back despite a weather warning.

With a silent curse, she told herself it'd be over in another half an hour or so. Weren't cars supposed to be safe during thunderstorms? And wouldn't a warm room and surprisingly snuggly bed wait for her back at the cottage in Hawkshead?

Lightning flashed again, so bright she reflexively closed her eyes for a moment and was unprepared for the mighty rumbling roar of thunder all around her, inside her.

With her eyes closed, her mind traveled back to a memory of a night like this, a thunderstorm wailing and whirling outside while she lay on her stomach in the king-size bed and cried into the pillow, trying to muffle her sobs and begging half-screams. Her hands behind her back, the brutal pressure of fingers on her wrists, the raw burning pain when the vulnerable space between her legs was violated again and again.

With a shudder, Samantha tore open her eyes and focused on the blurry semi-darkness ahead, repeating softly to herself, "It's all right. You're all right. You're both fine. It'll be fine."

There was a sudden snapping noise that didn't sound at all like thunder. The car lurched to the left and Samantha's heart sank all the way down to her toes. She stepped on the brake, which only made the lurching motion worse while the vehicle tried to get purchase on the slippery country road flooded with an inch or more of water.

For a few panicky seconds, there was only one thought in her mind. This is it. But then she reminded herself that she owed it to little Mary-Ann to not give up without a fight. She would not have an accident. Could not. It wasn't fair, not when she was so close to beginning a new life.

She put more strength into her steering motion, applied gentler pressure on the brake and brought the car to a halt at the side of the road, narrowly avoiding the muddy strip of grass and barely visible trees lining the asphalt.

With a sound that was both a sigh of relief and a groan of anguish, Samantha leaned her head against the steering wheel and tried to get some air into her lungs.

"Jesus, that was close," she muttered under her breath. Then her head snapped up and she whipped it around to check on her child.

Her little angel was still in dreamland, though the swerving motion had slipped her thumb out of her pouting mouth.