The Fall Up (The Fall Up, #1)(22)

I’d spent the last few hours staring at various parts of his body until I had been physically unable to take it anymore. Whether it was his inked forearms, which flexed each time he lifted that beer, the way those plump lips wrapped around the mouth of the bottle, or even the way he purposely raked his teeth over his bottom lip each time he placed it back on the table, I had no idea. But watching that man drink a f*cking beer, much less two of them, had been damn near excruciating. He’d talked and made jokes while I’d dreamed about his callused hands gliding over my skin. That had been the easy part though. He was rugged and gorgeous. I couldn’t help but to be physically attracted to him.

The hard part was when I envisioned Sam actually wanting to stay with me once the novelty was gone. My life was chaotic, and not just because I lived it in the public eye. I brought on most of the craziness myself, exhausting myself on stage, existing on nourishment from vending machines, and fighting back tears at the bedsides of dying children.

But that night with Sam, my life didn’t seem so overwhelming.

Maybe it was the sangria, but I thought it had more to do with him.

I wasn’t usually the type of girl to take a man home, but Sam did things to me, most of which started with his mouth, and as I watched his lean body strolling back to my car, I hoped they all ended that way, too.

I didn’t want to get laid just to share an orgasm with another warm body.

I wanted Sam.

All of him.

But I really just wanted to keep him.

“Fuck,” he bit out as I slung my leg over his hips the moment his ass touched the leather seat.

I silenced him with my mouth, gliding a hand up his nape and into his hair. His dick became beautifully thick between us.

“Levee, wait,” he moaned into my mouth, but he palmed my ass, rocking me forward. “Wait. Wait. Wait. Not here.”

“Yeah. Please not here,” Devon deadpanned from the front as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I laughed and rested my head on Sam’s shoulder. I wasn’t embarrassed. It was Devon. I’d done full wardrobe changes in the back of that SUV. He’d caught more than an eyeful of me, but never like that. When it came to transportation, though, I didn’t have any options. Huffing, I cursed my lack of a driver’s license and my inability to leave the house alone.

“Look at me.” Sam tipped my chin up to study my eyes. “How far away is your place?”

“Twenty minutes.”

“Shit,” he huffed. “And, just so we’re clear, we can’t go back to my place? It’s, like, two miles away.”

I opened my mouth, but Devon got there first.

“Not a chance in hell.”

Smiling, I lowered my voice to a whisper, “He has a really scary vein on his forehead that’s probably twitching right about now.”

Sam rolled his eyes then sighed. “Put your head in my lap.”

My eyes flashed wide in surprise. And, okay fine…excitement.

“Jesus Christ. Don’t look at me like that. I just mean lie down and take a nap, something—anything—that doesn’t involve you straddling me. Mind if I smoke in here?”

“Yes. I do,” Devon snapped.

Shaking my head, I cracked the window and reluctantly crawled into the seat beside him. “Nah. Go ahead.”

I didn’t take a nap, but I did lay my head in his lap. Then I watched as he chain-smoked the entire way back to my house, perhaps while dragging a fingernail up and down the seam of his jeans. Maybe.

Definitely.





“THANK FUCK!” SAM said, swinging the door open before Devon even had the car in park.

“Oh, this isn’t my place. We’re just dropping Devon off. I’m about twenty minutes across town?” I tossed him a sugary smile then boldly shifted my hand into his lap, purposely brushing the bulge under his denim.

Grabbing my wrist, he narrowed his eyes and called out, “Devon, I’m gonna need to borrow a bedroom.”

I burst out laughing as Devon cursed loudly.

“Fine. This is my place. No smoking inside though,” I snipped as I climbed from the SUV.

“You better have some seriously exciting extracurricular activities to keep me distracted, then.”

“I have Ping-Pong!”

“Not exactly what I was thinking.” He mischievously cocked his head. “But I guess paddles and balls are as good a start as any.” Dipping down, he hoisted me over his shoulder. “Point me to the Ping-Pong table, my lady.”

I didn’t. I laughed hysterically as he carried me inside. Then I directed him to my bedroom instead.

I heard Devon locking up the house as Sam deposited me on the bed.

“Jesus. This view.” He pushed the curtains back. “Why the hell would you ever go up to the bridge when you have this here?”

“I don’t know,” I answered, pulling my earrings off and placing them on my nightstand.

Oh, but I knew. It might not have been what had originally sent me up that bridge, but it was why my feet carried me back every night. And that very reason was currently standing in front of me with entirely too much clothing on.

“You want a beer?” I asked, sliding my shoes off.

“Nah, I’m good.” He faced me, and I could tell something was off with his demeanor. He didn’t inch any closer. Instead, his lips were tight and his eyes uncomfortably flashed around the room.