on?”
He laughs and nuzzles me. “Wow, your heart’s beating fast.” His warm palm flattens over my chest as if he were willing its blood pumping effort to slow down to a survivable rhythm.
“I think I know what will calm you down.” He gives me a lazy smile. He peels his body off of me and kneels down on the floor next to me like he’s about to propose or something. Seeing him like this only speeds my heart up to the cadence of a snare drum. I blink away unwelcome tears.
His velvet smooth voice starts in on a song. Sam’s got a voice that could make the top forty. His rendition of Rihanna's Stay, turns me into liquid. I want to stay alright, right here in this bed with him all damned day. Sans the guards from Amorous of course.
“I love it when you sing to me.” He turns away smiling, being a little bashful now.
“I’d serenade you every day if you’d let me.” Inara fans herself like she’s going to pass out from Sam’s smoothness. She elbows Elena. I guess she wants her to get on board the Sam-express. Elena taps her non-existent watch while glaring obstinately through me.
“I may hold you to that. You might just have to give Harvard yard a daily concert via Skype.”
“Oh no ma’am, only one pair of ears will ever hear these pipes.” His eyes dance as he laughs and I can’t help but smile too.
“I’d better go; Mrs. Rycroft will be checking on us any minute.”
“Later gator.” He grants me one cheesy grin.
“After while dile.” I say shaking my head while Elena shoves her finger in her mouth. My elbow finds her rib cage as soon as the door is shut.
“She’s just miffed her vacation is being spent holed up in a hotel bathroom ,” Inara chides
“You're supposed to be on vacation? I’m sorry Elena, this must be awful for you.”
“I just can’t wait until we get home. I like your house, it’s not a bad alternative to a vacation. You can make it up to me with some of your cheesecake later.”
“Only if you take us to Philippe's pizza place in Sicily.”
“You remember?” she says getting excited. I wobble my head around. I vaguely remember it. She swells with pride as if I just took my first steps.
“Is everyone still asleep?” I ask with my hand on the door handle. She nods and I slip in the room and stand at the foot of my bed.
“Up and at em ladies, time for a morning workout. Nothing will get those brain cells humming like a jog at six a.m. we’ve got to score big or go home today!” I get a pillow tossed in my face from the other bed. So I proceed to strip the covers off.
“Hale, you’re gonna die for this!” Taylor pipes up.
“Don’t make me get the ice bucket, Taylor. I’m going to wake up the others. Ya’ll meet me in the lobby in ten.” If I thought they were bad, the bitchy ones will probably bite my head off and feed it to me for breakfast. I use the shared door and give them the same treatment just as Mrs. Rycroft opens the hall door to rouse the team.
“Good morning Mrs. Rycroft. We need you to escort us on our morning jog.” She slumps as if I shot her in the gut.
“Screw you Hale!” Ari blasts.
“Can it Ari.”
I ignore all of the whining and finally get them out the door, miraculously. The same black and tan, large as a bear, dog assumes his rightful place by my side as we begin our jog through central park. This dog has been stalking me since I arrived in New York.
" Mutt magnet," Ari huffs out already out of breath. Elena slides a branch under Ari's feet, and the witch goes flying. I cringe at the thud her body makes as it plows into the pavement. I jog over to her and help her up, giving Elena a bemused glance. There's no way she's a real angel.
"Karma's a real bitch hmm?"
Ari examines her scraped knees and elbows and decides she'll skip on the run. We have to wait ten minutes while Mrs. Rycroft returns a battered Ari. I shoot Sam a text.
"Whatcha wearing?" My phone buzzes seconds later with a picture. A
He laughs and nuzzles me. “Wow, your heart’s beating fast.” His warm palm flattens over my chest as if he were willing its blood pumping effort to slow down to a survivable rhythm.
“I think I know what will calm you down.” He gives me a lazy smile. He peels his body off of me and kneels down on the floor next to me like he’s about to propose or something. Seeing him like this only speeds my heart up to the cadence of a snare drum. I blink away unwelcome tears.
His velvet smooth voice starts in on a song. Sam’s got a voice that could make the top forty. His rendition of Rihanna's Stay, turns me into liquid. I want to stay alright, right here in this bed with him all damned day. Sans the guards from Amorous of course.
“I love it when you sing to me.” He turns away smiling, being a little bashful now.
“I’d serenade you every day if you’d let me.” Inara fans herself like she’s going to pass out from Sam’s smoothness. She elbows Elena. I guess she wants her to get on board the Sam-express. Elena taps her non-existent watch while glaring obstinately through me.
“I may hold you to that. You might just have to give Harvard yard a daily concert via Skype.”
“Oh no ma’am, only one pair of ears will ever hear these pipes.” His eyes dance as he laughs and I can’t help but smile too.
“I’d better go; Mrs. Rycroft will be checking on us any minute.”
“Later gator.” He grants me one cheesy grin.
“After while dile.” I say shaking my head while Elena shoves her finger in her mouth. My elbow finds her rib cage as soon as the door is shut.
“She’s just miffed her vacation is being spent holed up in a hotel bathroom ,” Inara chides
“You're supposed to be on vacation? I’m sorry Elena, this must be awful for you.”
“I just can’t wait until we get home. I like your house, it’s not a bad alternative to a vacation. You can make it up to me with some of your cheesecake later.”
“Only if you take us to Philippe's pizza place in Sicily.”
“You remember?” she says getting excited. I wobble my head around. I vaguely remember it. She swells with pride as if I just took my first steps.
“Is everyone still asleep?” I ask with my hand on the door handle. She nods and I slip in the room and stand at the foot of my bed.
“Up and at em ladies, time for a morning workout. Nothing will get those brain cells humming like a jog at six a.m. we’ve got to score big or go home today!” I get a pillow tossed in my face from the other bed. So I proceed to strip the covers off.
“Hale, you’re gonna die for this!” Taylor pipes up.
“Don’t make me get the ice bucket, Taylor. I’m going to wake up the others. Ya’ll meet me in the lobby in ten.” If I thought they were bad, the bitchy ones will probably bite my head off and feed it to me for breakfast. I use the shared door and give them the same treatment just as Mrs. Rycroft opens the hall door to rouse the team.
“Good morning Mrs. Rycroft. We need you to escort us on our morning jog.” She slumps as if I shot her in the gut.
“Screw you Hale!” Ari blasts.
“Can it Ari.”
I ignore all of the whining and finally get them out the door, miraculously. The same black and tan, large as a bear, dog assumes his rightful place by my side as we begin our jog through central park. This dog has been stalking me since I arrived in New York.
" Mutt magnet," Ari huffs out already out of breath. Elena slides a branch under Ari's feet, and the witch goes flying. I cringe at the thud her body makes as it plows into the pavement. I jog over to her and help her up, giving Elena a bemused glance. There's no way she's a real angel.
"Karma's a real bitch hmm?"
Ari examines her scraped knees and elbows and decides she'll skip on the run. We have to wait ten minutes while Mrs. Rycroft returns a battered Ari. I shoot Sam a text.
"Whatcha wearing?" My phone buzzes seconds later with a picture. A