Summer's Lease (The Shakespeare Sisters 1)

‘Yeah. We’ve been working on this story together. And that guy, he deserves to make the heroine happy. Not break her heart.’ He eyed her carefully. ‘If he did, I’d have to beat him up or something.’

‘That’s very gallant of you,’ she murmured. ‘Threatening to beat up a make-believe character. I should be swooning or something.’

Sam flexed his bicep muscles, a grin lingering at his mouth. ‘I’ll always fight off fictional characters for you, babe.’

‘And there I was thinking you’d run for the hills.’

‘Just because I did it once before, doesn’t mean I’d abandon you again.’

‘No?’

‘No. I’m not an asshole. Not any more.’

She closed her eyes as his mouth moved from her hair to her neck, lips sliding across her skin. Goose pimples broke out as his hands brushed their way down her shoulders, caressing her arms before moving around to her chest.

‘We’re supposed to be working,’ she murmured.

‘You’ve finished,’ Sam whispered into her neck. ‘And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than this, can you?’

No, she really couldn’t. Cesca closed her eyes as Sam slid his hands beneath her vest top. It had been like this for the past week, ever since she’d woken up in his arms the morning after they’d first made love. When they weren’t talking, sharing stories, their hands were all over each other. It was as though they could never get enough, but they were going to try anyway.

It was like b

eing in a perpetual state of bliss. Light-bulb moments when you discovered something new, followed by the bonding that only mutual understanding could bring. They had so much in common, both being brought up in the theatre, and nearly everybody that one of them mentioned had connections with the other.

In the past week they’d had long days, talking about plays and exchanging stories, as Cesca worked at the computer. And at night they’d eaten well, then curled up together, sharing hopes and dreams before they shared their naked bodies. With each day that passed, she found herself falling a little further, letting Sam catch her in his willing arms.

And she was falling, that was for certain.

In the end, it was her body that made the decision. She turned in her chair, letting him take her into his embrace. His lips sought hers out immediately, kissing, touching, tasting. They couldn’t get enough of each other, their bodies saying what their words couldn’t. Cesca abandoned herself to the need, just like she did in the bedroom, the shower, the living room, at the beach . . . anywhere he touched her, her body would start to sing.

‘Tell me they have a happily-ever-after,’ Sam whispered into her lips. He pushed the straps of her top down her shoulders, revealing her tanned skin. ‘Or I’ll have to rewrite it.’

She laughed again. ‘OK, they got a happily-ever-after. Are you happy now?’

He moved his lips down, kissing the swell of her breasts. ‘Fucking ecstatic.’

Later, after their lovemaking turned into a nap, Cesca found herself waking in Sam’s bed, his arms wrapped around her in a muscle-bound clinch. The room smelled of sex and Sam, a combination that made her feel warm and turned-on at the same time. For once, he was fast asleep, his mouth open as he snored quietly. Another thing she’d discovered about him; he was a terrible sleeper.

There was a breeze coming up from the lake. It lifted the white gauze curtains covering the windows in Sam’s room, making them dance in its wake. Along with the air it brought the sounds of the lake, of the water lapping the shore, and the distant calls of people on boats. She sighed in contentment, turning in Sam’s arms to get comfortable. Another hour of sleeping, and then they would get up, and either lie in the sun or swim in the lake.

She’d almost fallen back to sleep when the noise woke her up. The sound of an approaching engine, and the crackle of tyres on gravel. Then there was the banging of car doors, and a low hum of conversation replaced the engine. Cesca’s eyes flew open in alarm.

‘Sam?’ She turned, shaking his shoulders to wake him up. ‘Sam, Gabi and Sandro are here.’

Lazily, he cracked open an eye. ‘They’re a day early. They’re not supposed to be here until tomorrow.’

‘Exactly.’ She escaped his hold, sitting up in his bed. The thin sheet fell from her, revealing her naked chest. ‘And they’re about to walk into the house. We need to get dressed.’

He was so much calmer than she was. ‘Relax, they’re used to us taking naps. We can go down and say hi in a minute.’

‘But they’re not used to us taking naps in the nude, Sam. And the last thing either of us want is to be found in bed together.’

‘Baby, calm down. Gabi and Sandro are loyal, they’re not going to say anything. And anyway, they’re not going to walk into my room, are they?’ He pulled her back into his arms.

‘Hello?’ A voice called up from the hall. Female and Italian. ‘Is anybody here?’

Sam sat up immediately, horror etched across his face. ‘Fuck. That’s my mom. What the hell’s she doing here? Jesus, we need to get up.’ He scrambled out of bed, searching for his clothes. ‘We need to get dressed, right now.’