Fated

by LouBlue

EJami fic. A different deal is made that December night of 2006. A story encompassing EJami & Santeen and the Brady & DiMera families. EJami - fated to be together or fated to be apart...

3. Chapter 19 to 27

FATED

(Chapters 19 - 27)

Chapter NINETEEN - Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

EVENING 5...

EJ walked into the living room, dressed in his gym clothes, black sweat pants and black tank top after having just returned from a run around the island. It seemed he had a lot of pent up energy to burn off and his companion on the island hadn't been exactly forth coming with help in that area. After their picnic by the lagoon and the events that transpired thereafter EJ hadn't seen hide or hair of Samantha all afternoon. They'd arrived back to the house and there had been this one moment when he'd helped her down from Jellybean as he was still seated on Jelly's back. He and Sami's eyes had met time had expanded and stretched out forever. Sami had looked up at him still sitting on the horse, her face flushed and wide eyed, so many emotions flicking across her face all at once that EJ had trouble reading them all.

There was this split second when EJ thought she was going to give in at long last to this thing between them, simply admit defeat against the pull that drew them inexorably towards each other and his heart had leapt in his chest. But then the fear returned to her eyes and Sami had pulled away from him and headed back up to the house without a backward glance. It had been hard to let her go, the urge to pursue her getting stronger every time she ran from him, especially after what had just happened between them. Some instinct still held EJ back though; he just knew she would come to him when she had exhausted every last excuse to stop them from being together.

EJ knew something else for certain as well - that Sami was going to come out fighting after this afternoon. She would find some crazy spin to put on it because slowly but surely she was being backed into a corner about her feelings for him and there was nothing guaranteed more to bring out that fighting Irish spirit of hers than the feeling of a wall against her back. EJ also knew that it would be the last ditch effort of a desperate woman so he was pretty much bracing for anything. Of course he'd hoped that they would have arrived back at the house and Sami would just give herself over totally to him but he hadn't been surprise when she'd yet again run from him - disappointed but not surprised. EJ blew out a thoughtful breath and walked over to the drinks tray and pulled out bottled water, pouring himself a glass of water.

Of course it would have been far preferable to him to have worked up this sweat from infinitely more pleasurable activities than just running but Sami's disappearing act had pretty much put paid to that. EJ wasn't overly concerned with where she'd taken herself off to - it was an island after all and despite her might wanting to he doubted that even Samantha Brady was impulsive and crazy enough to strike out for the mainland by herself. No, she was undoubtedly about having conniptions about earlier and well she might too. EJ grinned to himself as he sat down and took a sip of the water. It didn't matter what she said to him next or ever again really, she'd revealed her true self to him by the lagoon today. Despite his skills as a lover he knew what had passed between them hadn't been all about technique that was for sure. In those exquisite moments she'd given herself over to him utterly and no matter what words fell from those lips of hers now nothing would change that.

oooOOOOooo

Sami stood at the top of the stairs and took a deep breath. She'd heard EJ come in about ten minutes ago and she'd been standing there at the top of the stairs trying to work up her nerve ever since to go and join him. Sami knew she had to talk to him about earlier but she so didn't want to. If there had been some way she could have just wiped that time at the lagoon from both of theirs memories than she would have in a heartbeat. At least, that was what she'd been spending most of the afternoon convincing herself. The thought that she'd let her guard down and succumbed to EJ's advances like that was completely mortifying and Sami was deeply ashamed over how she'd been able to betray Lucas like that. But there was some other wayward part of her that every time she closed her eyes she could remember what it had felt like to have his hands on her body and what he'd managed to wring from her body and some deep treacherous part of her craved more. It had taken her until now to get that part of her back under control but it was done now and all that was left was to go down and confront EJ and put him straight on a couple of pertinent facts. Sami took another deep breath and then descended the stair case, heading for the lion's den.

EJ looked up from his chair to see Sami walk in and then go and stand in the middle of the room, nervously tugging on the bottom of her blouse. She stood, feet together, shoulders back and EJ was put in mind of a student about to deliver a little talk to the rest of the class and was all nervous at the thought of public speaking. EJ leant an elbow on the arm of the sofa chair he was sitting in and rested the right side of his face on his upturned palm and watched Samantha with interest. He was almost certain he knew what this was going to be about but like everything to do with Sami he was just intrigued to see how she was going to go about it.

"EJ," she began, trying to sound confident and almost pulling it off.

"Samantha," he returned evenly.

"We need to talk," she said, more fidgeting.

"I've always thought so," he agreed amicably.

"About this morning and the… umm….," she struggled to put a name to it, "Umm… the picnic and… ahh… well… you know… when we ahh…"

The corner of one side of EJ's lips turned up as he listened to her flounder so very badly and he could have sat there all day watching her stammer and blush so adorably but he could see she was getting upset and didn't want that so he decided to help her out. Of course he did it in a way that was guaranteed to annoy her.

"Can I just interrupt there for a moment sweetheart and ask something…?" he began, leaning back in his chair and turning to face her properly, "Will there be bathroom breaks during your introduction or should I go now."

Sami's embarrassment was immediately replaced with annoyance and she glared at him.

"I just wanted to say about this morning!" she snapped, her anger rescuing her which had been his intention of course but she hadn't quite put that together yet, she had other things on her mind, "I just want to make it totally clear to you that it was a… a…"

She seemed to be having difficulties again and he tilted his head, intrigued as to what kind of take she was going to be putting on this now.

"… an accident!" she managed to finish off triumphantly, pleased she'd found the right word to describe it, "It was an accident EJ!"

EJ folded his arms in front of his chest then and thoughtfully tapped a long finger to his lips and regarded her steadily.

"An accident?" he repeated slowly, pursing his lips at her, "You mean like when someone runs over your foot with a car?"

"Yes," she nodded, a little less certainly this time.

"Well that would certainly explain all the screaming you did I guess," he mused, seeming to be seriously considering her take on things.

Sami pressed her lips together and cursed her pale skin as she felt her skin heat as the blush washed over her face but she wasn't one to go down without a fight.

"I was… I was just being polite!" she said defiantly.

EJ's eyebrows shot up so high on his forehead they nearly in to his hair line.

"Well move over Miss Manners," he said ironically, "Because we have a new doyen in the politeness arena!"

"You're enjoying yourself aren't you?!" snapped Sami in annoyance at how he was toying with her.

"Not as much as I could be Samantha," he told her and gave her a pointed look and Sami flushed, knowing exactly what he was intimating to.

EJ leant forward then and rested his arms on his knees, both hands clasping the glass of water in front of him as he stared ahead for a moment.

"Or I might add as much as you enjoyed yourself this morning," he carried on steadily before lifting his head and fixing her with a gaze she simply couldn't look away from.

"You're a complete pig to bring that up!" she said in horror.

"Actually sweetheart," he pointed out quite reasonably, "You bought it up - as soon as you walked in the room in fact. I was just sitting here, minding my own business."

Sami shook her head and looked away in frustration. She looked back then and glared at him.

"It was a mistake EJ," she bit out, "It can never happen again - it won't ever happen again!"

"Is that right?" EJ asked calmly, standing up and walking over to return his now empty glass to the drinks cabinet.

"Yes!" Sami said forcefully but hastily moving out of his way as EJ walked past her to get to the drinks cabinet.

Sami looked at him then and pressed her lips together, stealing herself for the next part of the conversation.

"And to prove it I don't want you in the same bed as me tonight EJ," she said firmly, fixing him with a determined look.

EJ frowned a little then and looked confused.

"But don't you have that the wrong way round darling?" he asked, looking ever so innocent, "Wouldn't you be proving it to me if we shared a bed and then nothing happened? Your way doesn't make much sense."

"Look EJ," said Sami in irritation, "If you were any kind of gentleman you'd do as I asked, no questions asked!"

"Well less than a minute ago you were calling me a pig Samantha and now I'm meant to be a gentleman," commented EJ, feigning confusion, "I have to say sweetheart, I'm getting whip lash from all of these sudden about faces you're wanting me to do."

"Why do you have to make everything so hard EJ?!" she asked him despair, throwing up her hands.

"I could ask you the same question Samantha," returned EJ quickly and then looked her up and down and gave her a considered look, "And in case you're wondering sweetheart - that was a definite double en tondre!"

Sami flushed but didn't back down.

"I'm just asking you for one simple thing EJ," she said tersely, "Haven't I done everything you've asked of me this week so far?"

"With a lot of complaining," agreed EJ calmly.

"But I did it!" she said in exasperation and then tried to calm down, giving him her best cajoling smile, "So how about you return the favour EJ and sleep in your own bed for the remaining two nights we're here."

EJ regarded her calmly for a long moment and Sami felt her nerves stretch out as she held her breath. He smiled at her then and she felt herself begin to relax somewhat as he seemed to be agreeing to her request. Sami went to return his smile and thank him for his understanding but the smile froze on her face with his next word.

"No."

EJ moved past her then and went to take his seat again but she grabbed his arm as he passed.

"What?" she asked him, her face beginning to darken.

"No," repeated EJ, almost cheerfully.

"No?" she parroted, her face decidedly stormy now.

"Yes," said EJ helpfully, "It's the opposite of yes."

"I don't believe you!" said Sami, eyes flashing angrily at him.

"It is," said EJ straight faced, "I can prove it to you… where's that dictionary…?"

"Don't be an idiot EJ!" she growled at him, "You know that isn't what I meant!"

"I seriously don't know how you expect me to know what you meant when you seem to be having a fair bit of trouble in that department yourself Samantha," said EJ coolly.

"I don't want you in the same bed as me!" she shouted at him, "Is that clear enough for you EJ?!"

EJ pursed his lips and then looked back at her calmly whilst Sami gave him an impatient look.

"Well seeing as this morning was…an accident… politeness…," EJ trailed off then and looked thoughtful, "Sorry darling, where exactly did we land with that one in the end, I've gotten a little confused?"

Sami glared at him and EJ shrugged, unconcerned.

"Whatever the reason was Samantha you have been trying to convince me that it meant less than nothing to you and is never going to happen again," continued on EJ smoothly, "So surely that comes down to your complete indifference to me rather than an accident of geography. In the same bed, down the hall… what does it matter when you hold me in nothing but contempt and disgust?

"So you're not going to do it then?" she asked him tightly.

"What would be the point?" EJ asked her innocently as he sat back down, "You're complete apathy to me will be enough to see you through the rest of the week… isn't that right darling?"

Sami ground her teeth, seeing he wasn't going to budge on this point and unbelievably frustrated by that fact.

"You know if the wind changes your face could stay like that," commented EJ idly with a little smile and a nod at the decidedly unhappy expression on Sami's face.

"I only look like this because of how horrible this entire week has been," snapped Sami.

"Well you certainly seemed to enjoy the horse ride home anyway my dear," he said, the barest of smiles touching his lips as he leant forward and picked up the book he'd been reading from the coffee table in front of him.

Sami gave a distressed gasp, realising that he'd known what had happened to her on the ride home and wishing the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. How could things have gotten this badly out of control this quickly she wondered hopelessly?

"Perhaps if you're at a loose end you could go and check on Jellybean?" he suggested idly turning the page of his book and not looking at her and keeping a perfectly straight face, "Maybe you could share a cigarette with him or something?"

"I hate you!" she snarled at him, completely mortified by this turn of events.

"All evidence to the contrary eh sweetheart?" he asked her, looking up at her with a knowing smirk.

oooOOOOooo

Dinner was over and done with and Sami was still looking for suitable distractions between her and EJ to see the rest of the evening out. She was still reeling from his last revelation and rather than dwelling on how truly embarrassed she was Sami had decided to try and whittle away at some of EJ's overwhelming smugness.

"How about a movie?" asked Sami suddenly as EJ put the last of the dishes away from the washing up?

EJ looked at her and smiled, happy to do whatever as long as he was with Sami.

"Well there is a state of the art home theatre room that we haven't availed ourselves of thus far," he nodded, "And an impressive array of DVD's that run the gamut so that sounds like an excellent idea Samantha."

"Can I pick?" she asked him with a bright smile which made EJ immediately suspicious with her sudden good humour after her surly attitude throughout dinner.

"Of course," he said calmly, "Why don't you go and have a look at what is on offer and choose one and I'll finish up here and join you in a minute?"

"Alright," agreed Sami readily, handing him the tea towel she'd been wiping dishes down with.

EJ watched her leave and shook his head and smiled. Sami walked into the home theatre room and walked over to the built in wall cabinet that housed the DVD's. EJ hadn't been exaggerating when he said the DVD library was impressive. There had to be over two hundred DVD's all neatly lined up under categories. They ranged from black and white classics to movies that had just come out and covered every imaginable genre. Say what you will about the DiMera's - they certainly didn't' scrimp on the little luxuries of life. Sami lifted a hand and ran a finger over all the various titles, not knowing what she was looking for exactly but certainly knowing what she didn't want to watch. She pulled out a couple of selections before deciding on one.

"So have you decided darling?" asked EJ casually, walking into the room and taking a seat, looking up at her expectantly.

"Aha," she said and handed him the case.

EJ looked down at the case and turned it over and then back again before looking up at her in amusement.

"This is the movie you want to watch?" he asked, leaning back a little and looking up at her as his tongue ran over the bottom of his lip absently.

"Yes," she shrugged at him defiantly.

"This movie," he repeated, "This is the movie you've chosen?"

"Yes EJ," she said in exasperation, "That's the movie I've chosen and that's the movie I want to watch!"

"You do know what it's about right?" he pushed her.

"I can read," she sniffed.

"And you're okay with that?" said EJ sceptically, knowing full well what she was up to.

"Of course I am," she huffed, "Why else would I have chosen it?!"

"Why indeed," he said mockingly as he stood up and went to set up the home theatre system up to play her selection.

"What's the matter EJ?" she said with a sweet smile, "Not your cup of tea?"

"Not usually," he said easily, "But more is to the point I didn't think it would be your cup of tea sweetheart."

"Well then," said Sami blithely, "Just goes to show how little you know about me EJ DiMera doesn't it?"

"Indeed," said EJ dryly as he finished loading up the requested DVD and settling back in the large couch that when you pushed back on it became a joint recliner as well.

EJ patted the seat beside him and smiled charmingly up at her.

"Shall we get this party started darling?" he asked her teasingly to which she rolled her eyes but joined him.

oooOOOOooo

Sami pulled her feet up under her, her eyes riveted to the screen unable to look away even though she wanted to so badly. EJ turned his head and looked at her, his lips curving upwards in an amused smile.

"We can turn it off and choose another one if you'd like Samantha," he offered to her, seeing how anxious she was.

"No," she said, shooting him a quick look of defiance, "Why would we do that?"

"Well you don't seem to be enjoying this particular cinematic offering is all," said EJ dryly, "Perhaps something a little less… confronting might be the order of the day eh darling?"

"This is fine!" she snapped, not willing to back down as she looked rebelliously back at the screen, "I really like this… OH MY GOD NO NO NO!"

Sami screamed out and grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on which just happened to be EJ's arm as he sat beside her and buried her face in it before peeping out cautiously to look at the large screen again.

"Is it over?" she asked hesitantly.

"Ahh," EJ frowned and then there was a loud chomping noise and a broken scream from the movie, "I believe now it is, yes."

Sami attempted to loosen her death grip on EJ's arm but she didn't let it go totally. She'd thought she had been so clever in choosing this film because it was as far from a romantic movie as she could find. Her selection had been based on which movie appeared the least sexiest one in the whole collection because the last thing she wanted to do was cosy up to EJ on the couch and watch some romantic comedy with him. However she hadn't quite thought through one little thing - now she actually had to watch the thing!

The movie Sami had chosen was "Rogue" and on the back it said it was about a huge seven meter crocodile hunting down and killing this tour group in the Australian outback. That had sounded decidedly unromantic to Sami so that was the one she'd chosen but now she was stuck with watching it. She knew she was in trouble when in the first few minutes of the movie they'd shown a picture of a boy that they'd removed from the stomach of a captured crocodile. Sami didn't know if it was real or not but it sure looked like it to her! That had pretty much set the tone for the rest of the movie and she'd been growing steadily more anxious as the movie progressed, waiting for the appearance of the killer crocodile. So much so that when it did finally appear and take one of the unsuspecting tourists - and of course it had to be an American tourist - she had jumped so high and screamed so loudly that she'd actually given EJ a fright. The trouble was Sami didn't feel as though she could back down and change the movie now because it felt like EJ would be winning somehow so that meant she had to just try and make it to the end without wetting her pants.

"Do you think the dog is going to be alright?" she fretted, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Hmm," considered EJ and then gave her a rueful look, "Traditionally these things don't tend to work out too well for the four legged friends but I really don't know Samantha."

"Oh," she said quietly and looked upset.

Twenty minutes later and EJ dire predictions seemed to be coming true. Sami had returned to having a strangle hold on EJ's arm and had unconsciously scooted closer to him on the sofa, needing to feel the solidity of his presence all of a sudden.

"No," she said to the screen, shaking her head, "Don't go in there, don't go in there!"

Sami's face became stricken then and she began to hit EJ's arm.

"Oh no!" she cried out, unable to tear her eyes away, "He's going in there, oh no, stop, stop!"

Sami buried her head in EJ's shoulder again, not able to watch.

"Did he go in?" she asked, her voice muffled against EJ's arm.

"Yup," said EJ easily, "But the dog is fine… look."

Sami lifted up her head and warily looked at the screen and relaxed a little, blowing out a heartfelt sigh of relief. Then there was suddenly the sound of a bark/crunch/squeal sound and Sami gave a horrified gasp at what she'd just seen.

"Oh," said EJ, biting his bottom lip ruefully, "Not so much now."

"You told me he was okay!" she said accusingly, hitting EJ's arm in retribution for making her witness that.

"And he was when you asked," protested EJ, pulling his shoulder up to his ear, ready to protect himself if she decided to go for his face, "I haven't seen this movie before sweetheart - I'm as much in the dark as to what is going to happen as you are!"

"Oh my god," groaned Sami, moving even closer to EJ, feeling like she'd run a marathon all of a sudden because of how stressed she'd been throughout the entire movie.

"It's alright sweetheart," said EJ comfortingly, "It's only a movie and you know we can still always turn it off."

"I need to know if the man survives now," said Sami with a shake of her head.

EJ smiled down tenderly at her even though Sami didn't notice, her attention still rapt on the movie. Whilst he didn't enjoy seeing her frightened like this EJ was enjoying how she was snuggling up to him for comfort. He knew why she'd chosen the movie and EJ knew why she had insisted on seeing it through - too stubborn to back down. That stubbornness had thwarted him many a time not just on this trip but ever since he'd met her really. Despite that though EJ still found it to be a very endearing quality of hers even though it had made him want to throttle her on the odd occasion as well. Sami gasped then at the next bit and leant forward before making a horrified noise at what she saw next and the legs that she'd had pulled up under her chin began to creep onto EJ's lap without her even being aware of what she was doing. EJ smiled to himself and hoped this movie would never end.

oooOOOOooo

Sami lay in the bed, body completely rigid as she stared up at the ceiling, wide awake. EJ sighed heavily and rolled over onto his side, facing her.

"It was just a movie Samantha," he reminded her calmly yet again.

"I know that!" she snapped, sending him a quick glare.

"So there is no reason to be nervous sweetheart," he continued on.

"I'm not nervous," she said hotly.

EJ lifted his head and looked up and down the length of her body and could see how stiffly she was holding herself.

"Clearly you are the very epitome of calm relaxation," commented EJ mockingly, "I told you we should have stopped that movie."

"I don't need to take advice from you EJ!" said Sami sharply, angry at him for being right but her stubborn nature just wouldn't let her admit defeat and stop the movie.

Stupid stubborn nature.

"Well here's some advice you should definitely take my darling," he said wryly, "Try taking a deep breath in and out and unclenching a little."

Sami blew out a noisy breath and attempted to do just that but that movie had really freaked her out. She normally never watched anything so graphic and it was not sitting with her well. Every time she closed her eyes she'd see a scene from the movie with someone being eaten or hear a noise that sounded like the crocodiles bark and it was making her very edgy. Even the fact that she was lying in bed with EJ seemed like only a mild bother compared to the suddenly very real concern that a monstrous killer croc was going to burst through those doors at any minute and eat her alive. Sami knew she was being silly but telling herself that just didn't seem to be helping alleviate her fears any!

EJ meanwhile had pretty much given up any idea of romance with Sami tonight after the way she'd reacted to that movie. Sami was clearly rattled and he didn't know if even he could distract her from her anxieties after watching the show. It really wasn't all that romantic watching people fighting for their lives and getting eaten and mauled which EJ had known full well why Sami had chosen it. And all in all he had to admire her for her choice considering that 'thing' she had about being eaten alive. It was obvious that she hadn't just been making that up either - her reaction to certain scenes had been very real and as much as he might like to suggest something to help her take her mind off her worries EJ just didn't think Sami was going to take too kindly to the offer somehow. Sami meanwhile was wondering if she would ever sleep again.

"EJ," said Sami, a thought suddenly occurring to her.

"Samantha," returned EJ evenly, his eyes closed as he lay on his back beside her in bed.

"Are there any crocodiles on this island?" she asked him nervously.

EJ didn't answer he immediately and Sami became automatically suspicious. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at him even as EJ kept his eyes determinedly closed.

"EJ!" she repeated, this time her tone was much more demanding.

"Yes," he admitted, opening his eyes and looking up at her, "But…"

"Are you out of your mind?" she asked him in horror, her eyes wide, "What is wrong with you EJ?! What kind of a person would bring someone to a place crawling with man eating crocodiles?!"

"First of all I don't think you can say Ara Caman is crawling with crocodiles Samantha," said EJ ruefully, "And second of all they are all freshwater crocodiles, the movie we watched was about a saltwater crocodile."

"What does that matter?!" asked Sami in annoyance, not willing to give up her horror just yet.

"Freshwater crocodiles don't grow anywhere as big as saltwater ones and could hardly be referred to as man-eaters," continued on EJ calmly, "The worst they could do would be to take a bit of a nip at you."

"And that is meant to make me feel better?" she asked him in disbelief, "How could you let me go swimming around here knowing that there is a crocodile infestation on the island?!"

"Again darling," said EJ indulgently, "No infestation, at most the odd one or two and if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. Humans are way too big a meal for them."

"Says you!" said Sami hotly, "You're huge! What about me - I'm half your size EJ! I bet I look like the perfect snack to them!"

"Well darling," he purred up at her, his eyes twinkling mischievously, "I know I certainly enjoyed eat… OWW!"

Sami knew exactly where he was going with that and was not in the mood for his flirting right then so she grabbed her pillow and hit him as hard as she could across the face.

"Shut up EJ!" she glared down at him while he blinked a couple of times to get his vision back properly.

"It is so fortunate for you my love that I like a measure of violent tendencies in my women," he teased her, "Otherwise this relationship could be in serious trouble."

"I am not in the mood EJ!" she threatened him, glowering at him unhappily.

"I worked that out pretty quickly my love," he sighed regretfully.

"Go to sleep!" she ordered him huffily.

"Yes dear," said EJ meekly although the impish smile on his lips didn't really support it.

EJ settled himself more comfortably in the bed as Sami lay back down, reclaiming her pillow. Silence settled upon the room and the minutes ticked away but Sami was not feeling any more relaxed as time passed. EJ moved a little again and this time his foot accidentally brushed Sami's leg. Sami screamed and jerked away violently from the light touch, her imagination working overtime now as her nerves were stretched to breaking point after that movie. Her legs flailed wildly and because she'd already put herself as close to the edge of the bed as she could to avoid EJ the inevitable happened and she toppled out of bed. EJ watched her disappear off the side of the bed and shook his head and as he did last night he moved over to her side of the bed and peered down at her.

"So," he said perfectly straight faced, "Should we be investing in some kind of side rail for you darling? You do seem to be having the most frightful trouble with the whole remaining in bed thing."

"This is your fault EJ!" she pouted up at him even as she moved a hand to rub her put upon backside.

"I thought it might be," EJ sighed in resignation.

Chapter TWENTY - Ashes To Ashes…

DAY 6...

EJ lay there quietly as the growing morning light crept into the room and illuminated the peacefully sleeping woman beside him. Sami was lying on her side, with back to him and EJ was on his side, his head on the same pillow as she was lying on and his arm resting across her waist. She looked like a little girl when she was relaxed in sleep like this. EJ couldn't help but wonder if their daughter would like this and he had a sudden vision of he and Sami watching their child as she slept. The image made EJ tighten his hold on her unconsciously. How much did he want that and how much did he want to wake up beside this woman every day for the rest of his life. He dropped his head and kissed her bare shoulder, the softest of touches and Sami gave a little smile in her sleep.

EJ had never really experienced this kind of need to be near a woman before. Women had come and gone in his life but no one had come close to affecting him as profoundly as Samantha Brady. It was a mystery to him what she did to him and all he knew for sure was that he was utterly beguiled by her. The urge to kiss the sleeping beauty properly washed over him and wondered at the response he'd get. She was still fighting him so hard but there were so many chinks in her armour now that it couldn't be long now before Sami succumbed to the obvious feelings she had for him. EJ knew he was as much under her skin as she was under his but the difference was that he'd embraced that fact totally while Sami was still clinging to the expectations others had for her. It was maddening and frustrating and so utterly her.

Sami stirred a little in her sleep and rolled over onto her back, still asleep while EJ remained perfectly still, not wanting her to wake up just yet because she would immediately start working at putting distance between them when she did. How could she keep on denying what was between them was a mystery to him. It was so obvious and so impossible to ignore that it boggled the mind that Sami was still trying so hard to do just that. Sami stirred again and made a little noise, her eyelids beginning to flicker and EJ realised with regret that she was waking up. He quickly closed his eyes so that she would think that he was still asleep.

Sami came slowly awake, blinking groggily in the early morning light. She was immediately conscious of the man sleeping beside her, his long body pressed against her side, an arm casually flung across her waist. Sami tentatively turned her head to see EJ's face right there; fast asleep on the same pillow her head was resting on. She studied his face, the way his impossibly long eye lashes rested on his cheeks - not fair really, giving them to a boy like that. She knew that any moment those eyelids could snap open and she'd be staring into teasing brown eyes, amused at having caught her staring at him like this but for some reason Sami couldn't seem to stop. Her eyes swept down to his long, straight nose. She hadn't lied the other night when she'd told him it was a good nose and then tried not to think about where that conversation had taken them. Despite her best intentions her eyes dropped to EJ's lips and she had this almost uncontrollable urge to close the small distance between them and kiss those lips.

Sami's heart skipped a beat at the wayward thought. A week ago she would never have thought of such a thing but then a week ago he wasn't in her bed, warm and curled up against her, his body all hard planes and angles even in his sleep but somehow comforting. Sami bit her lip, she needed to get away from him and all the things lying like this next to him was stirring up in her. Yesterday's interlude was still too fresh in her mind to be comfortable with being this near. Fresh in her mind… heck, after what EJ had done to her body yesterday it was etched there for all eternity. Just the thought of it made her disobedient body tighten and begin to ache and Sami knew she had to get out of there before she embarrassed herself yet again on this trip.

Sami began to inch her way out of the bed, being very careful not to wake the sleeping giant. She felt a lot more confident in their little battles when she was upright, somehow lying down it definitely felt like a new ball game and Sami wasn't prepared to give EJ any more of an advantage then he already had. She began to slowly wiggle away from EJ, her eyes on him in case he should suddenly wake up. EJ made a half snort, half snoring sound suddenly and Sami froze, her eyes wide and her heart pounding. He moved in his sleep, rolling from his side to face down which unfortunately for Sami meant that she was suddenly almost buried underneath him, making Sami give a surprised squeak. EJ had rolled forward in his sleep and thrown a leg over the top of hers, trapping them in place even as one half of his body fitted itself on top of her, the arm around her waist turning her more into him as his head dropped to rest on her chest. Sami lay there stricken under the heavy sleeping weight of his body, barely able to breathe let alone move. EJ's breath she could feel on her neck, steady and even as he slept, oblivious to her situation.

EJ smiled to himself and would have loved to have lifted his head and seen the expression on Sami's face right then but that would spoil the fun he was having and he was definitely having fun. The feeling of all her softness wiggling away underneath was something he would love to wake up to every morning in fact. Sami meanwhile was trying her hardest not to wake what she assumed was the sleeping EJ while sliding out from underneath him but it was proving to be quite the task. EJ was just so heavy and she was having trouble finding something to leverage herself with to be able to move at all.

Finally she managed to get one leg free of his and started to feel for the edge of the bed, digging her heel into the mattress and at last being able to pull free of EJ somewhat. EJ felt her starting to get away from him and wanted none of that so he went to shift more of his weight onto Sami again, feigning more movement in his sleep but he had to lift most of his weight off her achieve that. Unfortunately for them both as it turned out EJ had underestimated the sort of strength Sami was applying to pulling herself away from him with her one free leg. As soon as EJ lifted himself off her Sami more or less catapulted herself out of bed with how hard she was pulling herself away from EJ. With a little cry she landed in an ignominious heap of tangled bed sheets. Sami lay on the increasingly familiar floor on her side of the bed and gave a groan of annoyance that she'd managed to fall out of bed yet again!

"I see gravity is still being somewhat unkind to you there sweetheart," she heard EJ's voice comment wryly from above her on the bed and she gave another loud frustrated groan.

Today was not off to a great start!

oooOOOOooo

Sami walked along the well beaten down track and wondered where she was going. She'd been careful to keep things light between herself and EJ all day today despite several attempts from him to discuss yesterday. She'd been so successful in her endeavours that she could see EJ getting more and more frustrated until finally he just took himself off and she'd seen him disappear down this track nearly two hours ago. Sami knew she should just let him be, after all, this was what she'd wanted right? Nonetheless for some reason that Sami stubbornly refused to admit to herself she found herself taking that same track in search of EJ as the afternoon began to draw to a close.

She rounded a curve and came to an abrupt halt at the sight in front of her. It was a small graveyard and just a quick glance told her the DiMera name was etched on all the tombstones and monuments that she could see. EJ looked up as he heard her surprised gasp and gave a little smile.

"Samantha," he acknowledged her presence calmly.

"There is a graveyard on Ara Caman?" she asked in horror, looking around herself, "You've bought me to an island full of dead people?!"

"It's a family graveyard Samantha," said EJ wryly, "You make it sound like this is where we bury all the people we dastardly DiMera's do away with."

"Obviously," said Sami flatly, "You'd need a bigger island… probably something more like Australia."

"Australia is the smallest continent in the world," EJ corrected her dryly, "Not the largest island darling."

"Whatever," said Sami with a roll of her eyes, "What are you doing here anyway - graveyards creep me out?"

"My father would bring me here and tell me all the stories of our family," EJ told her.

"Wow," said Sami mockingly, "That does sound like fun. What's the matter EJ? Didn't Daddy DiMera believe in Disneyland or the circus for a bit of bonding with his kids? I can't say I'm surprised thought - a graveyard seems about right for that man."

"Family is everything to my father," said EJ, ignoring her jab, "It's important to remember the past so that you don't repeat its mistakes he would always tell me."

"Clearly your father doesn't take his own advice," said Sami bitingly.

EJ blew out a tired breath and turned around to face the large tomb he'd been standing beside. He ran his hand over the top of the stone and felt it's hardness under his hand, ignoring her last comment.

"This is my grandfather's grave," he told her, "Santo DiMera."

Sami raised an eyebrow, surprised he didn't take the bait.

"I never knew him," continued on EJ quietly, "But my father always spoke of him with such love."

Sami frowned, finding it an odd thought that Stefano DiMera could have ever been someone's child somehow.

"You know Samantha we are so alike you and I," said EJ calmly, looking off into the distance, "It's like we're the halves of the same whole."

"You and I are nothing alike EJ!" exclaimed Sami, pulling back in horror.

"We are both deeply passionate, loyal people," EJ argued with her, "We both know what it is to have parents who have high expectations of us and to walk in their shadow. And we both know how to fight for what it is we want Samantha. Neither one of us takes life lying down, we are prepared to do what it takes to make things happen and in being so single minded we can hurt the very people that we love however unintentionally."

Sami looked back at him, stricken by his analysis of them both but not able to argue with it. EJ saw her hesitation and pushed his advantage.

"We believe the same things Samantha," he told her earnestly, "We want the same things. An enduring love, acceptance for who we are, to be totally honest with another person and not be afraid of losing that person because of it, a family, to be first in someone's heart."

"And I have that with L…" Sami stopped herself just in time and continued on, desperate to make him understand, "I have that EJ."

"Look me in the eye Samantha," said EJ and ducked his head so that they were more on eye level, "Look me in the eye and tell me that if Carrie hadn't married Austin and left town and had shown the slightest interest in getting back with Lucas that he wouldn't have turned his back on you and run to your sister without a backwards glance!"

"He wouldn't do that," said Sami shakily, not sounding very certain of that fact, "Not now."

"Yes he would sweetheart," said EJ with great certainty, "You know and I know it. He doesn't love you the way you deserve to be loved Samantha - a blind man can see that!"

"He's Will's father!" said Sami desperately.

"So what?" dismissed EJ, "You can still be parents to Will without being a couple - the two don't have to go together? You've concocted this picture perfect family in your head and come hell or high water you're going to make it happen Samantha but it's not real."

"And what is real EJ?" she sneered at him, "This?"

Sami made a sweeping gesture and looked back at him challengingly.

"You manufactured all of this," she told him harshly.

"But I didn't manufacture this," he told her sharply.

EJ moved suddenly then and pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard. Sami struggled but he was too strong for her. She was so mad at him for his high handedness, for the way he thought he could say or do anything to her and that she would just give in. The thunder rumbled overhead, the sky so dark now it was almost as though nightfall had come early but neither of them noticed as they did battle. Sami eventually gave in, knowing she was no match for him and returning his kiss but as soon as EJ loosened his grip on her she pulled back out of his arms and stumbled backwards.

"What makes you think you can just kiss me whenever you want to?!" she asked him harshly, "I'm in a relationship EJ - one that makes me happy and if you care for me as much as you claim to then you should just let me be happy."

"Happy?" repeated EJ roughly, his breathing as uneven as hers after that kiss.

He looked away and grimaced, trying to control his anger.

"Do you expect me to believe that you're happy playing second fiddle to Carrie and Kate in Lucas' life?" asked EJ tersely, "It's not in your personality to settle for being an afterthought Samantha! You're a person that needs to be front and centre in everything you do and there is nothing wrong with that! I know your family tells you that you should be ashamed of that but you don't. It's who you are Samantha and I'm sick to death of watching you apologising and bending over backwards to be something you're simply not!"

"All my family wants is for me to be a good person and to be happy," raged Sami, her face contorting with rage, "And you're one to talk about family expectations EJ! Who knows what that twisted old man expects of you! How could I ever trust a man who is so swayed by a monster like Stefano DiMera?! He snaps his fingers and you come running like some kind of mindless lap dog - it's disgusting!"

"You don't know anything about my relationship with my father!" said EJ angrily, "He's a good man…"

"He's a crazy, twisted, nightmare of a man that has only brought endless misery to my family," yelled Sami, unable to bear hearing anything good being said about the man, "He made sure that most of my life I was without one parent and created that whole mess when we all thought John was my dad! He messed with my entire childhood and still does! He threatens everyone I love and you expect me to stand here and listen to you tell me how wonderful he is! It's beyond disgusting EJ!"

"I agree that my father has made some questionable choices in life," said EJ, his jaw hardening, "But I rather think we could both be pretty understanding of that seeing as neither of us have exactly lived a blameless life thus far eh sweetheart?!"

"There is making a few poor judgement calls and then there is killing people for kicks!" bit out Sami, "You cannot possibly compare me to him - Stefano is an evil old man who deserves the hell that is undoubtedly waiting for him!"

"That is my father Samantha!" said EJ, stung by her comments about a man he loved so much.

"Like I can ever forget that EJ!" she said bitterly, "I look at you and all I see is him and I'm just waiting for you to unleash a new wave of pain and destruction on our family! In fact I'm pretty certain you've already started!"

"Are we back there again?" asked EJ in angry frustration, "As soon as we get to any real truth between us Samantha you trot out that tired little number claiming I'm nothing but evil personified when you know that isn't true! If we were to line up all of your deeds from your less than savoury past I think you would possibly be somewhat disinclined to sit up there on your high horse! You speak so scathingly of the DiMera's but as you once so memorably told me sweetheart you're the anti-Brady. I don't think I'd be reaching to say that you are far more a DiMera than a Brady any day Samantha Jean!"

Sami sucked in a horrified gasp at that, her eyes widening and she was so angry with him for saying that she couldn't even find the words. While they'd been fighting the storm clouds had grown ever lower and were now fit to burst with the rain they carried in the dark midst but so consumed with each other Sami and EJ didn't even notice, not even when some fat drops began to fall from the sky and land heavily all around them.

"The truth is Samantha that you don't care about my last name anywhere near as much as you think you should!" said EJ defiantly, "And that scares the hell out of you and you do what you always do when you're scared - lash out at the one who loves you the best!"

"And that's you is it EJ?" she asked him bitterly.

"Yes it is Samantha," he said with great certainty, taking a step closer to her and holding her gaze determinedly, "I'm the one who sees you for exactly who you are and just embraces that utterly. There is nothing I would change about you - to me you are absolutely perfect. Everyone else in your life loves you with conditions."

More rain began to fall and the sky grumbled noisily but still the pair didn't notice, so wrapped up in each other even as their clothes began to get increasingly wet as the rain fell on their heated exchange.

"How can you say things like that?" asked Sami in despair, "You've only known me for a couple of months and you're making all of these sweeping judgements like you've known me all your life."

"I feel like I have known you all my life," said EJ urgently, looking at her intensely, "I feel like I've been waiting for you my entire life and now that you are finally here I can't imagine my life without you. You have to be feeling this too Samantha, you just have to be!"

"I'm not feeling anything EJ!" she said, refusing to give in.

"Liar," he said flatly, blinking rapidly as rain water began to drip into his eyes.

Sami drew herself up at his stinging comment she opened her mouth to tell him that he was the liar here, not her but a sudden incredibly loud clap of thunder beat her to it and they both jumped. EJ looked around himself, noticing for the first time that while they had been arguing a rather serious storm had abruptly come upon them. The rain began to get heavier and Sami looked at him wide eyed, suddenly worried.

"We need to get out of here," said EJ urgently, taking her arm, "Now."

oooOOOOooo

Sami and EJ made it back to the house far too late to avoid being soaked to the bone. They came to a side entrance of the house, one Sami hadn't been in before but she didn't care as long as it meant they could get out of the rain.

"Hurry up EJ!" she exclaimed, still clutching his jacket over her head but she needn't have bothered for all the good it was doing.

"Hold your horses Samantha," said EJ as he pushed against the door with increasing force, "The door is stuck."

"Well unstick it!" she said in annoyance.

"Brilliant sweetheart," he said in exasperation, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

EJ gave the door one last hard push with his shoulder and the moisture swollen door jambs finally gave in, the door creaking open.

"Quickly," he said, reaching out a hand and grabbing for Sami, "There is a lot of lightening about, we don't need to be hit by that."

"Now who's brilliant?" muttered Sami at his statement of the obvious but let him drag her inside the door.

She looked around herself and frowned, taking in the entire sheet covered furniture.

"Where is this?" she asked him, wondering why she hadn't come across it in her travels.

"It's the east wing of the building," EJ informed her, wiping down his wet face and putting his hand on his hips, "Guest annex. It was actually here long before the main building in fact. My grandfather Santo had it built. My father said Santo loved this island and would often bring him here."

"Why couldn't I have stayed here if this is the guest house?" she grumped, looking up at him, still with his coat over her head, forgetting temporarily that she didn't need it anymore.

"But you would have missed me too much surely darling?" he teased her with a little smile on his face.

"A risk I was willing to take," she sassed him back, still upset from their interrupted argument.

There was another loud crack of thunder and the rain began to pelt down even harder and the dark room was suddenly illuminated by several bright flashes of lightening. Despite herself Sami moved closer to EJ as she looked out the window at the raging tempest outside.

"This storm came up really quickly," she commented, looking a little anxious, "It's not like the other rain we've been having on and off."

"No," agreed EJ with a nod, "It's a proper tropical storm that's for sure."

The wind began to howl now as it picked up speed and Sami looked even more worried.

"You don't think it's a hurricane coming our way or anything?" she fretted, not really having experienced a storm this fierce before.

"Of course not sweetheart," said EJ comfortingly, coming up and putting his arm around her and pressing a reassuring kiss to the top of her head, "I've been keeping an eye on the weather via my laptop and there have been no indications of a hurricane, typhoon, cyclone or any other kind of weather nasty. This is just a storm, albeit a vocal one and it will pass soon enough."

Sami felt better after his words. He really was the most impossible man. One moment she was screaming at him, sure she'd never hated anyone more in her life and then in the next he was the only thing that could make her feel safe. Sami hated how all over the place her emotions were around him but no matter what she did she couldn't seem to keep them just to the relative safety of hatred and disgust. How easy would her life be if she could she thought despairingly?

"You know," said EJ and right away she could hear the teasing tone was back in his voice, "We should really get out of these wet clothes darling before we catch our deaths… do you need a hand with your buttons at all?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Sami in disgust and pushed hard against his chest, making him let her go, "You are just the most opportunistic piece of pond scum I have ever met EJ!"

There was that sudden flip again with her emotions - what was it about this man that drove her so utterly crazy?!

"Trust you to use something like the weather to try and take advantage of me!" she huffed, stepping away from him and turning her back on him.

"I was just concerned for your health Samantha," he protested, "I'd hate to think of you getting a chest cold from all this… and with your chest that would be some cold."

"Are you right?" she scowled at him over her shoulder at his teasing of her, suddenly very aware that the top she was wearing was clinging to her like a second skin from being wet, something she doubted that EJ wasn't fully aware of, "Don't say those kind of things to me EJ!"

"Why not?" he said with a quirk of his lips, "You and I both know that you like the fact that I notice your body."

"What I'd like is for you to go out in that rain and get struck by lightning," she bit out between clenched teeth, turning her back on him again, not wanting to give EJ anymore of a peep show then she already had.

"Is that right sweetheart?" he asked flatly, folding his arms in front of his chest in annoyance, "You wish me dead… yet again."

"Yeah well maybe if I keep wishing it for long enough it will actually happen," grumbled Sami.

"You test a man's patience Samantha Brady," he said tersely, "You really do."

EJ turned around then and decided the situation needed some light on it. He stalked over to the light switch, trying to decide if he loved this prickly woman more than he wanted to strangle her with his bare hands in that moment. He was still deciding when he flipped the light switch. At the exact same moment there was a strike of lightening that hit so close to the house that it shook the very foundations. All that electricity looked for a place to disperse quickly and unfortunately for EJ the fact that he was wet and touching a power switch at that time did him no favours. The force of the jolt knocked him off his feet and onto the floor a good five or six feet from where he'd been standing. Sami screamed at the noise and the sight of EJ's body flying through the air as the room was plunged into darkness again. She looked down in horror at EJ's lifeless body on the ground, frozen to the spot.

Careful what you wish for…

Chapter TWENTY ONE - The Tempest Within

EVENING 6...

Sami made a choked sound, still hardly able to believe what had just happened. She finally managed to break out of her stunned stupor and rush to the still unmoving EJ.

"EJ!" she cried out, her voice high and not sounding like her at all as she looked down at him with anguish, "EJ are you alright?!"

She dropped to her knees beside him and tentatively put her hands on his chest but he didn't respond or move in anyway.

"Oh no, oh no!" she said in horror, dropping her head to his chest and trying to listen for a heartbeat, "Please no!"

Sami couldn't hear EJ's heart beating but the blood was roaring so loudly in her ears from the panic that she couldn't be sure. She lifted her head and put shaky fingers to the side of his neck but again could feel nothing. Her hands were numb though from the shock of having watched him go down like that and she wasn't sure if she could feel a pulse or not. Sami moved around to his side, bending over him.

"Oh god EJ don't you do this!" she pleaded with him brokenly; "Don't you dare die on me!"

Sami tried to remember her first aid, pinching his nose and tilting EJ's head back before pressing her lips tightly to his and blowing her breath into his mouth. She repeated the action again before beginning to do compressions on his chest.

"You never listen to me!" she raged at him in between her compression, caught as always with him between so many different emotions - fear, anger, desperation, "And this is the one thing you do! What is wrong with you EJ?! Why do you do these things to me?!"

Sami bit back a sob, tears beginning to blind her as she finished her thirty compressions and went back to the mouth to mouth. His lips felt soft and familiar against her own and it hit Sami that this might be the last time she would ever feel those lips against hers again. The realisation almost made her own heart stop beating at the pain that thought caused her. She'd been telling him for so long that all she wanted was him out of her life but not like this. As much as she continually had wished him dead this was not what Sami wanted.

"I don't want you to die EJ!" she said shakily, her tears now streaking down her face, "I know what I said but you have to know I didn't mean it! Please EJ, please, don't die - I'll do anything - just don't die!"

There was no movement or sound from EJ at her sobbed entreaty and Sami felt herself really begin to panic now. She suddenly remembered that EJ had told her there was a two way radio in the generator shack that she'd first thought was where they were going to be staying when she'd arrived. EJ and his stupid teasing but Sami knew for certain he wasn't teasing now. She needed help, EJ needed proper medical attention, more than she could provide and that meant getting help from the outside world. If she could find the two way radio and get it to work she could make a call for help. Sami had no idea how long help would take to arrive but she had to do something, she couldn't let EJ die like this and do nothing.

"I'll be right back," she reassured him urgently, hands going to his chest, "I have to get help - stay with me EJ."

She looked down at him and bit her lip, fresh tears stinging her eyes at seeing him so helpless like this. He always seemed larger than life, a giant of a man not just in stature but in his whole persona - self assured, confident and vital. To think that she might be seeing him in his dying moments was an unfathomable one and moreover a deeply painful one. For so long now she'd wanted him out of her life but now that moment might be at hand and all it did was fill Sami with a sick dread.

"You fight EJ," she begged him, her voice no more than a whisper; "I don't want to lose you."

With a last anguished look at him Sami stood up, her legs shaky but she forced herself to start moving, heading towards the door. She made it to the door they'd come in through which seemed like hours ago now and she looked up at the violent storm still raging and made a distressed face, knowing it was madness to go back out in such a tempest but she had no choice, EJ needed her and she couldn't let him down.

Sami took a deep breath and ran out into the nightmare, running as fast as she could towards the generator shack around the other side of the house. The lightening still flashed around her making her tense every time wondering if she was going to be its next victim and the thunder still boomed, almost deafening her. She made it to the generator shack intact, soaked through but in one piece. She tugged on the door and then realised to her horror that it was locked.

"NO!" she cried out in anguish, tugging on the handle with all her might but it was no good, it was clearly locked.

Why would they bother locking anything around her Sami wondered in anguish - it was a deserted island - what was EJ worried about, Jellybean getting in and making prank phone calls on the two way to his other horsy friends?!

Sami gave a despairing groan, knowing she'd have to find the key but it could be anywhere, the main house was huge and she'd never even seen anything resembling a key rack in the place. Sami suddenly wondered if EJ might carry the keys on him - it was a faint hope but that was all she could cling to right then. Sami turned back around and ran back the way she came, hoping that her hunch was right and EJ did indeed have the keys on him. She made it back to the guest house as the rain began to pelt down even harder, stinging her skin and making it almost impossible for her to see. She'd never experienced rain like this; it was almost brutal in its intensity. She made it to the door of the guest house and ran straight in, desperate to get out of that relentless rain. Her eyes immediately went to the spot on the ground she'd left EJ lying in and gave a dismayed gasp.

He was gone.

She looked around herself wildly but there was no EJ and Sami just couldn't get her brain to work. She was so scared and worked up that Sami just couldn't figure out what had happened to EJ. It was like one of those murder mysteries where the body suddenly goes missing, making everything that much more creepy. Sami's already jangled nerves tightened as she turned back around and looked back at the door she'd just come through, as though somehow she'd come back into the wrong house - one identical to the one she'd just left but with no EJ in it - and it would all start to make sense any minute now. Sami gave a strangled scream as the lightning flashed and EJ was suddenly standing in the doorway. He looked a little bit taken back by her reaction.

"Oh there you are," he said dryly, "I thought you'd taken your chances while I was out cold and made a break for the main land."

"Wh… what are you doing?!" she stammered in horror, her heart beating wildly in her chest from the scare he'd given her as she backed up a little, trying to take this new twist in.

"I was looking for you and checking the windows were all shut properly," said EJ calmly, 'It's really pelting down out there and seeing as the wind is picking up, we don't need windows to be blown in on top of everything else."

"I… I thought you… you were electrocuted EJ!" said Sami, hardly able to get the words out.

"Not quite darling," he said with an arch of an eyebrow at her wild look, walking into the room and regarding her with mild annoyance, "I just received a bit of a shock from the electrics, lightening must have struck nearby at the same time I touched the switch – knocked me back on my heels a bit."

"I… I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, still trying to get over the shock of it all.

"No," he said ruefully and gingerly touched his finger to his tongue then, "But I bit my tongue and it hurts like buggary now."

"I thought you were dead!" she repeated herself, her eyes so wide she didn't know if she'd ever be able to blink again.

"So you keep saying," he said in exasperation, folding his arms in front of his chest, "I'm sorry to disappoint you sweetheart but if you'd hung around even for a second after I hit the ground you would have seen that I wasn't."

He gave her a put out look then, pursing his lips at her and made a vaguely annoyed sounding noise, taking a few steps closer to her before he continued.

"I mean had my body even hit the ground before you scarpered off to see if there was some way to escape my nefarious clutches…?"

EJ trailed off then as he had gotten close enough to see her face properly in the low light for the first time and he realised she was really upset.

"Samantha," he said with a frown, his voice suddenly urgent, "What's wrong? What's happened? Did you hurt yourself… and why are you soaking wet?"

He fired the questions at Sami but all she could do is look dazedly up at him, so overwhelmed by her emotions that she didn't even know what they were and she didn't want to know but he was looking at her worriedly so she had to answer him.

"I thought you were dead," she said weakly, repeating herself for the third time now, "I… I checked for a pulse and couldn't find one and then you weren't breathing so I tried to give you mouth to mouth but I think I did it wrong and…"

"You gave me mouth to mouth?" he asked her, finding this a surprising and intriguing piece of information.

Somewhere in the back of his mind there was a vague recollection of her lips on his but then he dreamed so often about kissing Samantha that he'd just chalked it up to yet another vivid fantasy of her but apparently that was not the case this time.

"You kissed me?" he asked with an interested tilt of his head.

"No!" she said sharply at even the suggestion, "I gave you mouth to mouth – there is a difference EJ! I couldn't just let you die in front of me could I?"

"Why not?" he shrugged, curious as to what this meant, "According to you it would solve all your problems and that of your family if I was to meet my maker here tonight."

"I'm not a murderer," she said shakily.

"Is that the only reason?" he pushed her, his gaze suddenly intent on her face, "Maybe you just couldn't bear the thought of me being dead Samantha? Maybe despite everything you say your heart tells you a different story when push comes to shove… have you considered that sweetheart?"

Sami shook her head at him, feeling suddenly desperate. She didn't want to have this kind of conversation with him right now. She felt disorientated and vulnerable, as though the ground wasn't solid beneath her feet anymore. This whole week had been so confusing and she had so many conflicting emotions about everything that she couldn't think straight. She was so sure on the plane coming over that she knew what she wanted and she'd been so certain that she could handle him but EJ was unlike any other man she'd ever known in her life. He was not easily swayed or manipulated. He was a force to be reckoned with and now Sami realised she'd been hopelessly unprepared for all of this.

"You're cold," he said with a frown, abandoning his line of questioning for the moment on seeing her start to shake in earnest now.

EJ put a hand up to her face, touching her soaked skin, letting his fingers trail down the cold flesh lightly as he moved a little closer to her. Sami looked up at him wide eyed, unable to move away from the gentle caress.

"I'll get a towel so you can dry off or you really will catch a chill," he said softly and she could see the tenderness in his face even in the poor light, "Stay here Samantha and I'll be right back."

EJ dropped his hand from her face and turned away, heading up the nearby stairs where she supposed he knew towels were kept. Sami stood in the middle of the room, the water dripping off her pants leg and making little puddles around her bare feet but she barely noticed. Everything was just pressing in on her and after the fright he'd given her nothing seemed to make sense or be real anymore. She didn't know why she was so scattered all of a sudden but she was. Undone and exhausted from being constantly on guard around him and their relentless tug of war it was just too much. An entire week where there was no escape from her thoughts and feelings, no one to distract her… only him, everywhere she looked, everywhere she turned… always EJ. Sami supposed that had been his plan all along but she'd been so sure it would have no effect on her other than revulsion and annoyance but once again she'd been caught off guard.

There was something that had always been at the fringes of her consciousness when she thought of EJ that she had determinedly pushed back there when she'd found out who he really was. And she'd left it there, unexamined and unwanted. She didn't know what it was and she didn't want to know what it was. Her life at last was beginning to come together and she didn't want to jeopardise that. She wanted the dream of family and security and acceptance and she was so close to it now and she wouldn't let anyone take it from her again… not EJ DiMera and not any vestigial feelings on her behalf for a man that never really existed in the first place.

That had been the plan anyway, it had looked good on paper but it had been surprisingly hard to maintain when he was always there. She'd spent nearly the entire time on this island wishing him ill but when it had actually happened it hadn't bought the grim satisfaction that it was meant to. She'd been frightened… really frightened. What if he'd died? The thought shouldn't have worried her – he deserved it and much worse probably if the truth be known – her father certainly seemed to think so. But as she'd looked at him lying there, helpless and vulnerable it had brought those fringe feelings to the fore all of a sudden. She didn't want to care about him – not even a little bit - but to her horror she realised she did, had never stopped in fact. It was so wrong of her to feel like that about this man Sami knew that but she'd tried everything to stop those wayward emotions but when it had come down to it in the end it just hadn't been enough.

She cared about this man, God help her and for Sami this was a desperate realisation that threatened her whole world.

EJ returned to find Sami standing in exactly the same spot as he'd left her and gave a little frown. He'd woken up on the floor feeling a little achy but that had soon been forgotten when he'd realised that Sami had deserted him in his hour of need, replaced with a real annoyance at her. He'd been genuinely hurt that she would have abandoned him like that; knowing he never would have done such a thing to her. As soon as he'd seen her face properly though he'd realised that wasn't what had happened. Her face had been almost ashen and her eyes were red telling him she'd been crying and her tears had been for him. Sami had looked at him like he was a ghost but she was the one who looked other worldly standing there, all paleness and shimmering from being drenched in the rain again.

EJ walked around to stand in front of her, raising the towel to start drying her down. He hadn't offered the towel to Sami as she seemed incapable of anything too much right then, still clearly in shock herself. Sami just continued to look up at him wordlessly, seeming to be lost in her own little world and EJ would have given a lot to know what she was thinking right then. The thunder crashed outside and Sami flinched a little.

"It's alright," he said softly, still drying her face and hair with the towel, "It's only thunder Samantha, it can't hurt you."

But it wasn't the thunder that was making her tremble as he gently wiped the rain from her hair. He seemed so intent on his task, every motion so deliberate. He was painfully slow and strangely tender as he did this simple thing for her and Sami felt herself becoming mesmerised somehow as he rhythmically stroked at her hair and face with the towel, his eyes fixed on what he was doing. The lightening flash, briefly illuminating the darkened room and Sami felt herself slipping further under his spell into this madness.

"What are you doing to me?" she whispered up at him in quiet anguish wondering how she was here, like this with him of all people and feeling something she didn't want to feel.

Her soft question made him pause in his self appointed task, his brown eyes almost black in the low light but there was still such warmth to them that if made her breath hitch.

"Nothing you don't want me to," he said huskily.

The hand that had been towelling her hair dry was level with her face now and EJ moved his thumb, stroking along her cheek to then tuck a her hair behind her ear.

"This is impossible," she told him achingly, "We can never be anything to each other EJ."

"Don't say that Samantha," he said with quiet desperation, "Never say that."

Sami gave a little shake of her head, more tears welling up in her eyes.

"Tell me sweetheart," he urged her with gentle desperation, "Talk to me Samantha."

"I… I saw you lying there," she whispered, her eyes caught in his hopelessly, "I thought you were dead… that I'd killed you… that I'd made it happen…"

"You're a force of nature to be sure Samantha Brady," he teased her gently, a little smile on his lips, "And you've bowled me over on more than one occasion but I don't think you really have power over the elements… what happened was an accident, nothing more."

"But you could have died," she said hoarsely, looking up at him with great distress.

"Would you have cared?" he asked her huskily, searching her face and seeing the answer there but wanting to hear her say it.

Sami closed her eyes, her heart pounding erratically. The storm outside was completely forgotten now as they fell deeper and deeper into their own world, everything fading until there was only the two of them. EJ dropped his head and rested his forehead against hers, seeing she was struggling but he couldn't let her stop there.

"You're everything to me Samantha," he said softly, rocking his forehead gently back and forth against hers, "You're my first thought in the morning and the last at night."

Sami took in a shaky breath, her eyes still shut as she listened to his confession, her heart beating rapidly in her chest now.

"Just say the words Samantha," he urged her quietly, "I can see the truth in your face. I know you feel as deeply for me as I do for you."

Sami opened her eyes then and their gazes met and held for a long moment.

"I… I…" her voice came out raspy and foreign even to her own ears, the enormity of what she was about to say overwhelming her.

"Say it," he implored her; his eyes full of aching need to hear those words fall from her lips.

"I… I don't want you dead EJ," she admitted shakily, "You drive me so crazy I can't stand it. No one has ever made me so mad, so frustrated, so out of control as you have…"

"But…" he urged her, not letting her look away from him now.

"But I… I can't stop thinking about you either," she whispered in quiet anguish, "I don't want to but I can't help it and I know it's wrong…"

"No," he said with an urgent shake of his head and a little frown, "Don't say that Samantha - what we have isn't wrong - it's the most perfectly right thing in the world."

"EJ," she said in despair, knowing that wasn't true - it was hopelessly complicated and utterly impossible.

"Let me prove to you how perfect we are Samantha," he begged her, his voice raw and full of emotion, "Let me make love to you."

Sami knew there were a thousand reasons why she should deny him his request, probably more but not a single one came to mind. All she knew was that when he was standing this close to her, looking at her so adoringly that everything faded into the background. Her body stirred and prompted her to answer him, begging her to end its torment and give into what had been an inevitability between them from the very first moment they'd laid eyes on each other.

"Yes," she breathed.

EJ made a low sound in his throat, a half growl, half moaning sound as he closed the small distance between them and claimed her mouth in a molten kiss that instantly set her body on fire.

EJ's hands went to the back of her head, cupping it and deepening the kiss and Sami could taste his desperation in her mouth and knew he could do the same with hers. Her hands went to his still soaking shirt, fumbling fingers undoing the buttons even as he worked on stripping the clothes from her body as well. They both seemed incapable of breaking their kiss even as they worked to discard each other's clothing. There was no need for words right then, it had all been said now and all was left was this urgent need to be naked in each other's arms and find some relief from the never ending tension that was between them.

EJ groaned loudly as Sami's hands pushed down his pants, her hand inadvertently brushing against his painfully swollen manhood. From the first moment he'd held her in his arms he'd begun to harden and now it was almost more then he could bear and they'd only kissed. Months of frustration taking its toll on his body and driving him to simply take what was being offered as hard and as fast as he could but EJ didn't want that. He wanted to pleasure Samantha endlessly, open her eyes as to the kind of bliss her body was capable of. He didn't want their first time to be some kind of quickie that was over before it began. Sami meanwhile had heard his cry and her hand returned to the source of his pleasurable pain, cupping him through his boxers and making EJ jerk suddenly.

"No!" he said tensely, grabbing her wrist and pulling Sami's hand away from him because he knew he wouldn't be able to last with her doing that.

Before Sami could protest EJ bent down and swept her off her feet so suddenly that Sami gave a shocked gasp and threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him for support. EJ immediately dropped to his knees, laying her gently down on the floor. He looked down at her as she looked back up at him wide eyed, a blonde vision of gorgeousness and pure lusciousness laid out before him. Sami still had her bra and panties on - both items plain and white and EJ had never seen anything sexier in his whole life. He quickly pulled his boxers off and enjoyed hearing Sami's gasp of amazement at seeing his fully erect member. She was looking at it wide eyed and EJ felt himself swell even more under her rapt gaze.

God if he didn't have this woman right now he was going to simply die!

Her breasts strained to be held by her bra, Sami's nipple standing tightly to attention he noted with pleasure, begging for his mouth and he actually began to salivate at the thought of being to suckle at those pert teats of hers, making him have to swallow hard all of a sudden.

"EJ!" said Sami tightly, grabbing his arm as he sat beside her, wondering why he'd stopped all of a sudden.

EJ reached out a hand and laid it on Sami's flat stomach and moved it a little lower, to just above her mound. He imagined his seeding flooding her womb that was underneath his hand right then and something deeply male flared inside of him, something base and almost animalistic. He imagined her body opening up to take what he was desperate to give her and the new life their lovemaking might be creating and couldn't stand not being inside her body for a second more. His long fingers hooked themselves into the top of her white panties and dragged them down her body. He disposed of them quickly and moved so that he was kneeling between Sami's legs.

EJ looked down at Sami as she looked back up at him. They held each other's gaze wordlessly, the tension stretching out between them. EJ looked for any uncertainty in her face, any hesitation and Sami saw that and decided to answer his unspoken question. She slowly began to draw up her legs, bending her knees until her heels were tucked against her backside. EJ was watching her wide eyed his breathing so increasingly loud and laboured as his arousal grew with every passing second. Now that Sami had decided to do this she didn't want there to be anymore hesitation between them. She wanted EJ, had always wanted him and now she was about to have him and she didn't want him to hold back in anyway. The way he was looking at her with such enthralled attention made her feel so powerful and unbearably sexy - sexier then she'd ever felt before in her life.

Her heels were now as tightly against her backside as she could humanly manage and then with deliberate slowness Sami let her knees fall to either side, exposing herself utterly to him. There was something deeply arousing to Sami about taking charge like this and after their time at the lagoon it wasn't exactly like this was uncharted territory for EJ. Sami knew she should be embarrassed about being so forward but instead she thrilled to the way EJ's manhood was twitching and pulsating wildly, obviously desperate for what she was revealing to it. EJ swallowed noisily as Sami slowly parted her legs for him, opening her flower for him to adore and there was so little blood around EJ's brain right then he was in real danger of simply blacking out if he wasn't careful. EJ reached out a shaking hand and rested it against her newly revealed glory.

"Do you remember my mouth on you?" he asked her raggedly, his eyes on hers now, "My tongue tasting you, my fingers making you scream out my name?"

Fresh moisture gushed from Sami's core at the question and she made a little moaning sound, moving restlessly under his hand and EJ could take no more. He moved over Sami's body, cupping her face before kissing her deeply and Sami could smell herself on his fingers and it made her shudder. Sami sighed and melted into the kiss, her tongue meeting his and doing battle in a dance that their bodies were soon about to echo and her core leaked out new juices at that thought.

EJ broke the kiss then and took both of her hands in his and holding them above her head, his fingers intertwining with hers, his face just above hers. EJ moved his turgid member to her opening, feeling his tip drowning in all of her juices and made an almost whimpering sound low in his throat. He pressed his tip into her the smallest amount, her scorching heat claiming his tip but he went no further. EJ held Sami's gaze, both conscious of the enormity of this moment. Their breathing was ragged and their bodies flushed as the blood coursed through their veins. Sami rested the soles of her feet on EJ's backside and applied pressure, silently giving him permission to enter her. He pressed for deeper entry into her and Sami's body yielded, her walls stretching to take all of his vast thickness. She made a choked noise in the back of her throat at being invaded so utterly and EJ stopped to give her time to accommodate his size.

"More," she encouraged him breathlessly, still holding his gaze, her heels digging into his buttocks and forcing more of him into her, "Don't stop."

EJ entered her so slowly that it felt like it was taking days to be totally encased in her liquid heat and it was the most profound experience of his life. It was like she was possessing him just as much as he was possessing her. He slid the last inch of himself home and they both groaned, the feeling of completeness like nothing either of them had experienced before. Sami began to move her hips, wanting to feel him inside of her, clenching and unclenching her walls around his steel, wanting to feel him utterly.

"Don't!" he rasped, the sensation of her rolling that wet cavern of hers all over what was the hardest erection he'd ever had almost killing him, "I'm going to come Samantha, stop!"

"Good," she breathed, her need now outweighing any other consideration, she needed to come and she need to come now.

Sami began to move her hips harder and more forcefully against his, making him penetrate her repeatedly even as EJ tried to resist her. His hope of making slow, measured love to Samantha this first time dissolving quickly as her body worked on relentlessly. His own body was howling at him to start thrusting but as soon as he did EJ knew there would be no stopping until he was spent.

"Samantha stop it!" he begged her, the sweat dripping off his body as that only made her pick up her pace, her fingers tightening around his as they were still stretched above her head.

"I want you come deep inside of me!" she said urgently, ignoring his pleas and making one of her own, "Please EJ, now, take me now!"

"God yes!" he grunted, giving up as all control left him totally at her words and thrusting into her so hard that it lifted Sami's bottom off the ground and she moaned her approval.

EJ braced himself with his knees on the ground and proceeded to hammer himself home into her, his body taking over completely. He couldn't slow down, he couldn't even vary his strokes, and all he could do was sob out his pleasure at the way she was taking him so beautifully and pray that he was going to survive this. His whole body was in agony, every nerve ending firing erratically and causing him to spasm even as he pounded his body into Sami's. EJ couldn't even tell if Sami was close to climaxing because of his body's overwhelming hold on him. He couldn't bear it if he didn't bring her to completion this first time but he was powerless to do anything about it as his body began to speed towards its inevitable conclusion.

"Come!" he rasped desperately to her, "God sweetheart please come!"

Sami didn't need to be told twice, she'd never had anyone ride her this fiercely and she was beyond ecstasy, every powerful thrust of his seemed to drive that magnificent manhood of his deeper into Sami until she thought she was going to be ripped in two but the harder he rode her the deeper she fell into a bliss she'd never experienced before. As soon as he told her to come and he rammed himself home into her one last perfect time Sami's world exploded and she came hard, her hips jerking and her legs twitching and flailing wildly as her climax blotted out everything for her other than a riot of glorious sensation. EJ felt her walls clamp around him tightly and with a guttural roar his own dam burst and he emptied himself into her, the exquisiteness of the sensation defying description. His hips continued to pump helplessly into her, making sure she received every last drop of his masculinity and EJ finally allowed his weight to drop down on Sami as his hips did a final desperate dance against hers.

Only when they were both finally spent did they loosen the grip they had on each others' hands and Sami untangled one of her hands and brought it down, pushing on EJ's shoulder when he didn't seem to find the strength to move right away. Her breathing was so ragged from the force of her release that she didn't need all of his weight bearing down on her as well as she fought to catch her breath. EJ withdrew from her obligingly and rolled onto his side, looking over at Sami with rapt adoration even as he struggled to find his own breath. He still had a hold of one of her hands and he brought it to his lips and she could feel how he was still shaking. EJ kissed her hand, her fingers and she turned her head to watch him do it.

"Too fast," he complained breathlessly.

"Mm," Sami mumbled, her eyelids starting to droop after all her exertions.

EJ wanted to tell her that he wanted more, to make love to her slowly and properly next time but Sami was already half asleep and sleep's siren song was also calling him. With the last of his strength EJ pulled at the sheet above him that was draped over the furniture and pulled a few of the large couch cushions from their seats and threw them on the ground. He moved himself onto the cushions and reached for Sami, pulling her into his arms and off the hard floor so she too was on the cushions before covering them both with the sheet. Within minutes they were both sound asleep, utterly content.

Chapter TWENTY TWO - Make Love Not War

EVENING 6 (cont)…

A loud crash of thunder awoke EJ and for a split second he was disorientated. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep for, it could have been minutes or it could have been hours - the dark skies outside no help to him in knowing as the house was still buffeted by the fierce weather. What he did know straight away was that Sami wasn't lying beside him anymore. EJ craned his neck and saw Sami collecting her clothes and immediately jumped to his feet.

"What are you doing?" he asked her sharply.

Sami started at EJ's sudden movement, thinking he hadn't been awake yet. Curse the noisy weather she'd been hoping to make good her escape.

"I was… umm…" Sami floundered to give an explanation not least of which because EJ was standing there right in front of her as naked as a jay bird and not seeming to be giving a damn about it but it was very distracting to her.

"You were running," he helped her out, his handsome face marred with a sudden scowl, "Like you always do… isn't that right Samantha?"

EJ felt frustration well up inside of him. They'd just shared this amazingly intimate and life altering experience and all Sami wanted to do was scamper off probably so she could put some ridiculous spin on it. All to rid herself of some ridiculous self imposed guilt she was undoubtedly feeling and he was going to end up being the bad guy again but EJ wasn't going to let her get away with it this time. What they'd just shared was too deep, too important to let Sami just revert back to her old ways.

"I don't always run!" exclaimed Sami indignantly, holding her clothes up in front of her naked body to shield it from him.

"Of course you don't," said EJ bitingly, "So what is this…?"

He made a sweeping gesture at her standing there, clutching her clothes to her body.

"… a sudden fit of housekeeping come over you sweetheart?" he asked mockingly.

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" she said haughtily, drawing herself up to her full height which rather disappointingly was no match for his.

Sami would have flounced out then but that meant she would have had to turn around and expose her naked backside to EJ and it was hard to flounce out of a room backwards so she was a bit trapped really.

"I beg to differ my darling," said EJ, walking up to her and standing directly in front of her, his body tight with his own frustrated anger as he looked down at her, "I was just inside your body and I think that gives me certain rights don't you?"

Sami gave a distressed gasp at his graphic terminology, her face flushing.

"You don't have any rights when it comes to me EJ!" she said fiercely, "None - do you hear me!"

Sami looked up at him angrily, hardly able to believe that only a short time ago they'd been making love and now all she wanted to do was slap him as hard as she could across that smug face of his. Her emotions were all over the place when it came to EJ and she seemed to switch effortlessly from one wayward emotion to the other within the space of a single conversation. It was exhausting and confusing and Sami needed some time alone to think about what all this meant - to make sense of it but it seemed like EJ had other ideas. She needed to push back with him before he consumed her completely and she lost what little sense of herself she had left; the panic began to rise in Sami as their fight continued.

"Is that so?" asked EJ tersely, his jaw clenching and unclenching in his anger, "Is this the same woman who was just begging me to come inside of her a moment ago, the one who said she couldn't wait any longer, that she wanted to belong to me completely?"

"I only belong to one man and that's Lu…!" began Sami defiantly.

"DON'T!" EJ practically roared the command, his face darkening ominously, "Don't you dare say that man's name after what just happened between us Samantha! Don't you dare do you hear me?!"

"Lucas, Lucas, LUCAS!" she threw the name in his face spitefully, knowing it was the only defence she had against him now.

But if Sami had expected EJ to give up in disgust she'd miscalculated… again. He moved so suddenly that Sami had a sudden flash of fear, the livid look on his face making her heart skip a beat as he grabbed her arms his long fingers biting into her flesh painfully. Sami dropped her clothes in an attempt to ward him off, leaving herself standing there naked as well except for the bra that neither of them had gotten around to removing from her body. EJ hauled her against his body, putting his angry face right into hers.

"You heartless pit viper!" he growled the insult out at her, "Why do you do these things to me?!"

"You're hurting me EJ!" she said, struggling to be free of him but he only tightened his hold on her arms.

"Good!" he bit out, his eyes flashing with fury down at her, "Now you know how it feels!"

The sound of Lucas' name on her lips so soon after they'd made love had cut EJ to the quick and he felt completely gutted which he supposed had been her intention but he doubted if Sami fully understood how badly she hurt him every time she said that man's name. He hated that useless, whiny mama's boy with a violence he'd never known before and never more so then right now. Sami didn't know how lucky she was that they weren't in Salem just then because if they had been he would have hunted the other man down and killed him in a jealous fury without thinking twice about it and that wasn't just an idle fantasy. He could feel this violent rage welling up inside him against the man Sami kept claiming to love and he just wanted Lucas dead and out of their lives forever.

Sami meanwhile was oblivious to EJ's dark, homicidal thoughts and he was right, she didn't realise how much she'd hurt him, all she cared about was getting away from him and trying to sort this mess out in her head. Unfortunately Sami's options were limited though because EJ was holding her arms down by her side and too closely for her to knee him in the groin which she would have loved to do - that would have to be one advantage of arguing with a naked man - hard to miss the mark really. Sami was left with only one option and she took it.

"Let me go!" she raged at him before leaning forward and sinking her teeth into his chest as hard as she could.

EJ gave a yelp of pain at her actions and let go of Sami's arms but she was too slow to take advantage of it because EJ promptly wrapped one arm around her waist and held her tightly to him and with his other hand he gave one of her naked butt cheeks a resounding smack. Sami jumped and cried out at the hard sting to her exposed backside. She reacted without thinking, taking another bite of his chest because she had no other option open to her to retaliate and all that earned her was another sharp smack to her derrière.

"You bastard!" she yelled out at him, her bottom cheek still tingling from his latest assault.

"Don't think you can do what you like to me Samantha with impunity!" he snapped back unrepentantly, "I love you but I'm not going to take your crap!"

"You love me?!" she spat out in disgust, "You need a heart to love and you don't have one of those EJ's!"

"If I don't it's because I gave it to you and you ripped it to pieces you vicious little minx!" he threw back at her.

"You're not the wounded party here!" she raged at him, "I am! You took advantage of me… OOWWW!"

Her accusation was interrupted by yet another hard slap to her bottom and she knew it must be bright red by now after all of this rough treatment and she was caught somewhere between pain and the fact that her core tightened every time his hand connected to her flesh. But Sami refused to accept that she could actually become aroused by her rough treatment of her - she was definitely not that kind of girl! EJ on the other hand she had no doubt about because she could feel the evidence of his renewed arousal pressing against her thigh. Like Sami EJ didn't know if it was the heated fight they were having or the fact that they were basically naked and pressed up against each other or the primitive act of inflicting physical pain on one another but he was getting increasingly hard the more she fought him.

"You begged me to take you!" he practically yelled in her face, incensed that she would take that route in defence of what had happened earlier between them, "I took advantage of nothing Samantha - I just claimed what was mine…!"

The hand that had been inflicting the damage on her now throbbing backside moved to her cup her head, his fingers tangling in her soft hair there even as his other arm tightened even more around her, pulling her so firmly against him that Sami could barely breath. Sami was left in no doubt now as to how hard their fight had gotten him as he pressed her up against his swollen manhood. EJ caught Sami's hair with his fingers and made her tilt her head right back so that they could look each other in the eye.

"… and I'm going to do it again," he informed her, his voice no more than a sibilant whisper.

His promise was spoken with such great certainty it made Sami quiver and there was an answering wetness that rushed out of her core at the thought of him doing just.

"Don't you touch me you sick bastard!" she warned him - defiant until the end, trying to ignore her body's treachery.

"Oh I'm going to be doing a lot more than just touching you Samantha," he promised her, the anger gone from his voice now, replaced with a velvet certainty that should have enraged her even more and it did except it also made her even wetter.

In one quick motion EJ bent down and threw her over his shoulder and Sami gasped at his sudden movement - the man was just so very quick she never saw it coming.

"I'm going to show you who you really belong to," he told her sharply, his jaw set determinedly as he stalked over to where he'd laid out the cushions for them to sleep on.

"I belong to… AHHOOWW!" defiant to the last Sami tried to get the last word in but her efforts were rewarded with another hard smack to her backside which he had perfect access to seeing how she was slung over his shoulder like she was.

Her core pulsated wildly and to her horror she almost came right then and couldn't believe it was happening, that she was getting this aroused by his smacking of her.

"You don't get to say his name ever again!" EJ threatened her darkly, "Ever Samantha!"

The jealousy boiled up in EJ again the need to take her and claim Sami as his beyond any shadow of a doubt overwhelmed him, he was going to wipe the name Lucas Horton from her mind forever more. Even saying the other man's name in his head made EJ so wildly jealous he couldn't think straight. He reached up and slapped her backside again feeling the need to punish her for making him love her so much.

Sami gave a choked cry at this latest affront - not having expected it at all - and again her core nearly exploded as fissures of delight raced to her centre, making Sami have to clench down tightly to stop herself from disgracing herself.

"What was that for?!" she raged at him, when she had herself back under some kind of control at least, her face red with indignation.

"Because you deserve it," he told her simply, his breathing uneven, not from having to carry her but from his arousal, "That and a lot worse."

Somewhere in the back of her mind Sami thought that she should have been more afraid of that statement. EJ was a very big man and extremely strong - basically if he really wanted to hurt her she wouldn't stand even the slightest chance against him. Somewhere deep inside though Sami knew that EJ would never really hurt her. Despite all the hateful things they said to each other and no matter how angry she made him Sami had this deep sense of trust that she was safe with EJ - yet another confusing paradoxical element to their already confusing relationship.

EJ bent down and put the two cushions he'd pulled off the sofa earlier end to end and lay Samantha, not all that gently down on top of them as he knelt down beside them himself. Before she could scramble off them though he'd grabbed a third cushion and in one easy movement that had Sami boggling he flipped her on her side, legs out in front of her so that she was basically in the shape of the letter 'L'. He then slid the new cushion underneath her hip so that Sami's hips were now above her head a little and her backside was lined up directly towards him as he knelt there.

"I don't want this!" she cried out to him, even though her body was screaming at her to shut up and just let him have her because it was in so much agonising pain from not having found its release yet that it was beyond enduring.

He held onto her hip with one hand and her thigh a little further along Sami's leg with his other hand and looked down at the hidden delights that she'd displayed for him so willingly before and saw her lie for himself - her own body betraying her utterly.

Not only was she simply dripping with her juices but he could see from how swollen her folds were that she was heavily aroused already and was almost certain that as soon as he mounted her she was going to come and he didn't want that. He was going to give her a quick release now and then make her work for everything that came after that until she was hoarse with screaming her need for him.

"Liar," he purred the word, his finger and thumb finding its way between her slippery folds to her engorged nub and squeezing it hard for her.

Sami came instantly, her hips bucking as a sharp orgasm tore through her and she buried her face into the cushions as it ripped through her. EJ mounted her while she was climaxing, letting himself enjoy her convulsing wildly around his aching staff - why should she have all the fun anyway? EJ gritted his teeth; letting his still raging jealousy carry him through her orgasm maintaining hold of his control so he didn't just join her in her ecstasy and be done with it.

Sami had barely finished climaxing before she felt EJ begin to move inside of her and she gave a loud groan. She'd never been taken like this before and found this position to be incredibly pleasurable. The way he had her angled Sami was entirely at his mercy. She couldn't really move like she had their first time - this time round it was EJ setting the pace, EJ making the rules and Sami could do absolutely nothing about it. There was something darkly thrilling in giving over control to someone so completely, to allowing yourself to be utterly dominated and Sami found herself shocked yet again at herself for finding it so. It was like she didn't know herself at all, at least not the woman EJ seemed to turn her into - she was a complete stranger to Sami.

EJ kept his pace slow and steady inside of her, ignoring the screaming voice in his own head that told him to go hard and not stop until he was blowing every last drop of himself into Sami and making them both yell their heads off. EJ knew that if he was feeling that way then Sami must be as well and the frantic little gasps and frustrated noises she was making confirmed that for him. He might be torturing himself but he was taking her with him! He wanted to make sure after this that there was no question in Sami's mind as to who the man in her head, her heart and between her legs should be. The thought made him start to thrust a little harder inside of her but he caught himself, determinedly slowing his strokes again and enjoying the frustrated sob Sami made at him doing that.

"What is it sweetheart?" he taunted her breathlessly, loving having her at his mercy like this because he felt like he'd been at nothing but hers ever since they met, "Do you need something from me?"

Sami gave a low groan of frustration and bit her lip. He was too slow, she needed more and she knew he knew it. It was maddening, her body was trying to get there but there simply wasn't enough friction for it to happen, especially not after he'd given her that quickie to start with.

"Tell me Samantha," he said roughly, concentrating on keeping his own increasingly arousal in check, the sweat starting to drip into his eyes at the effort it was costing him, "Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you."

"You're… you're not playing fair!" she complained to him achingly, trying to clench down as hard as she could around his continually growing member each time he slid it into her.

God, how much bigger could this man get she wondered in anguish, how much more of him could she take?!

"You've never played fair with me sweetheart," he rasped, unable to stop himself from picking up the pace inside of her, his steel resolve finally faltering.

Sami felt him starting to move faster inside of her and suddenly realise she wasn't completely helpless in this position after all. EJ may have her all but immobilised in their current position but Sami still had one ace up her sleeve that he couldn't control.

"God EJ you're so big!" she gasped, looking up at him as she still lay on her side, her voice dripping seduction, "It gets me so wet… can you feel how wet you've made me?"

EJ's thrusting became a little harder again at her intentionally inflammatory words and she watched as he clenched his jaw, obviously fighting against it but the way he gripped her hip with new urgency told her it was a losing battle. He wanted to show her who was boss… well two could play at that game.

"Come on," she breathed up at him, "I know you want to come right now don't you EJ, come get some relief… you're so big right now… you must be in agony… make us both come EJ… right now."

"Don't," said EJ tightly with a shake of his head, knowing what she was playing at and also knowing that he would in no way be able to stand against it.

She was pulling out the big guns well that was fine… EJ still had a couple of tricks left up his sleeve.

"I'm so ready for you EJ," she told him urgently and was reward with a particularly penetration that made Sami groan happily, "More EJ, give me more just like that!"

EJ moved slightly then, changing his angle, looking for that spot inside of her that would give him back the upper hand because he was quickly losing control of the situation as his body demanded to have full control and for his stubborn mind to shut the hell up and just let him have this woman already!

"Oh EJ," she said seductively, still intent on tipping him over the edge before herself which in her mind would make her the winner of this game between them, "You… OOHHH GOD… OOOOOHHHH GGGOOODDD!"

EJ grimaced triumphantly as he found that perfect place inside of Sami that just removed any ability for coherent thought from her. He held her in place firmly, making sure he hit it again and again and driving himself ever deeper into her. Sami no longer was making actual words, instead there were guttural panting noises being wrung from deep inside her. EJ's plan had worked except for one minor detail that he'd failed to factor in. The sight and sound of Sami experiencing that much pleasure at his hands was an aphrodisiac like none other EJ had ever experienced. He was enthralled by her wild display and had this rabid desire to give her more and more of the same, his own pleasure unbearably heightened by hers. Soon EJ was joining her in those incoherent grunting noises, his body slipping into bliss that he'd never known before.

EJ had heard the expression 'Being screwed senseless' and had even fancied that he'd experienced it himself but now he knew he was mistaken. This was what it was like to be so simpatico with someone, so in tune with them that it was almost like you ceased to exist as a separate entity. EJ had no sense of himself outside Samantha, wasn't even sure if he would be able to survive if she made him leave her body ever again. A perfect union that transcended any other he ever known and would ever know.

"Samantha!" he cried out, finally finding his voice for the only word that would ever matter to him again.

"EJ!" she moaned, unable to believe that her body was capable of this amount of pleasure - she was in the ultimate agony, caught between never wanting it to end and desperate that it should.

EJ's was just lost now, pumping his distended thickness into Sami so wildly now that it was almost painful but he couldn't stop. EJ tightened his hold her on hip and spoke his truth to her just before his agony finally came to an end.

"You're mine!" he yelled out for the entire world to hear a second before he exploded inside of her.

"Yes."

But her answer was said as she sucked in a breath, her orgasm arriving at the exact same moment as his so that it was barely more than a soft gasp. This orgasm was like none other Sami had ever experienced, it was like her whole body turned inside out and then back again. Every tiny inch of her body burst into life, pulsating with the force of what he'd done for her and it made her sob out her gratitude loudly for him to enjoy and he did just that. EJ heard her cries of ecstasy mingle in with his own even as his body continued to squirt great wads of his seed into her; he just kept finding more of himself to give her and couldn't seem to stop. Not that he wanted to. EJ wanted his child growing inside of Sami and it made him howl even louder at the thought that they might be creating that child right now.

EJ slumped back when he was done at last, pulling out of her, utterly spent. He lay his sweaty head down on her hip. Sami squirmed a little at the feel of his scratchy cheek against such sensitive skin but her body was still throbbing so pleasurably from that unbelievable release that it only added to the sensation. Their combined laboured breathing was so loud that it almost drowned out the storm that was still raging on outside, doing its best to get their attention but Sami and EJ were totally oblivious to anything outside of each other. EJ kept Sami in the same position he'd made love to her in for a long time afterwards. For one thing they were both too exhausted to move even a muscle and for another EJ rather hoped that the elevated position he had Sami's hips in might further increase his hope of conceiving a child with her. He nuzzled against the soft skin of her hips and buttocks, kissing at the tender flesh.

"Tickles," complained Sami with a little laugh and EJ smiled at that.

He moved her at last, turning Sami onto her back but she still had that extra cushion but it was supporting her bottom now. EJ stroked the short soft curls covering her mound lovingly and Sami gave a little purr, too tired to open her eyes properly. He could see that Sami was covered in a mixture of both of their juices and he picked up one end of the nearby sheet and began to gently clean away all of the wetness between her legs for her. Sami was a little surprised by his thoughtful gesture, particularly considering how this latest bout of lovemaking had started but he was being so tender and caring and it was in such direct contrast to the he-man who had thrown her down on the floor and taken her so wildly. The man was such a contradiction in terms within himself, no wonder Sami didn't know where she was with him half the time.

EJ continued in his self appointed task, wiping away the last remnants of their lovemaking from her body but certainly from neither of their minds. The material scraped along her highly sensitised folds and caught her still throbbing nub. Sami groaned and bucked up, her orgasm catching them both off guard. It was short but intense and left Sami breathless and moaning. EJ moved up along Sami's body so he could lie beside her, removing the extra cushion from underneath her at long last.

"You are so amazing," he told her in wonder as she looked back up at him wide eyed, still trying to recover from her unexpected jolt.

EJ's hand found its way back between her legs and Sami squeezed her legs shut, not knowing if she could stand anymore right then but EJ was relentless. He sought out her bud and only a quick rub sent her tumbling over the edge again. This time EJ caught her orgasmic moans with his mouth, kissing her deeply as she groaned her pleasure out for him. EJ removed his hand and pulled Sami more fully into his arms, grabbing at the sheet to cover them both as he did. Sami snuggled up against EJ tiredly; sleep almost claiming her when she suddenly remembered something.

"Jellybean!" she cried out, lifting her head from EJ's chest and looking down at him wide eyed.

EJ pulled a bit of a face at that.

"You know I've already got issues about you calling out other men's names when we're in bed together," he informed her straight faced, "I don't have to widened that to include all mammals do I?"

Sami hit his shoulder for that bit of foolishness and clarified.

"Jellybean EJ," she told him, looking worried, "Will he be alright in the storm? Is his stable secure?"

"It's very secure and has weathered many a storm just like this," EJ reassured her, pulling her back down to lie on his chest again, "Don't worry sweetheart - Jelly is a seasoned farer of storms just such as these."

"You're sure?" pressed Sami still slightly concerned as she lay back down, the sound of his heart so comforting against her cheek.

To think the lack of that sound was what had started all of this off in the first place.

"Absolutely," said EJ firmly, "Now go to sleep."

"Alright," said Sami, never having felt this tired and content in her life.

She knew that tomorrow would bring its own problems but right now Sami didn't allow herself to think about that. Right now all she wanted to do was lie here in EJ's arm and fall asleep.

"Be here when I wake up," he ordered her and it was the last thing she heard before Sami fell into the soundest sleep of her life.

Chapter TWENTY THREE - What Goes Up Must Come Down

DAY 7...

Sami slowly came awake and rolled over onto her side, struggling to work out where she was. It took her a second to realise that she was lying on a cushions on the floor and then less than that to remember the events of the previous night. She blushed a brilliant hue of red and sat up; looking around herself only to find that she was alone.

"Be here when I wake up indeed," she huffed, "I'm here - where are you EJ?!"

Although Sami wasn't exactly sure if she was up to seeing EJ right then and she certainly had no idea what it was she wanted to say when she did! Sami quickly pulled on her clothes and headed back to the main house, not seeing any sign of EJ on the way. She went upstairs, showered and changed into fresh clothes but when she came downstairs there was still no EJ. Sami put her hands on her hips and blew out an annoyed breath. Deciding he'd probably find her, he always seemed to; she headed out to check on Jellybean. Despite EJ's reassurances she was still worried about the horse. She walked into the stable to find Jellybean there, happily munching on some grain which told Sami that EJ had already visited with the horse.

"Hello you," she smiled, going up and patting his soft nose, "Were you frightened last night?"

Jellybean blew out a snort of air, as though he was offended she should think that a manly horse such as himself should have been bothered by a little wind and rain and Sami smiled, patting his neck. If only she felt so utterly unaffected by the goings on last night. She put her arm up under Jellybean's neck and rested her cheek against his long neck.

"Oh Jelly," she sighed heavily, "I've made such a mess of things, I don't even know where to begin to fix it."

Jellybean gave a sympathetic swish of his tail but didn't stop eating his oats.

"Ah here you are," said a voice over to Sami's left and she turned to see EJ standing there with a bucket of water in his hand, "And you're with Jelly… tell me sweetheart, is there cause for concern for me when it comes to you and Jelly at all? He and I aren't going to have to stage a duel for your affections at midday now that we are together now are we?"

EJ grinned as he walked towards her, teasing her already. All the anxiety that Sami had been feeling about seeing EJ again dissipated as soon as she heard his impish words. Her natural fighting spirit rising to the fore as always when challenged, particularly by him.

"We're not together," said Sami quickly.

"Right," nodded EJ straight faced, "You're just naked in my bed last night because we're passing acquaintances."

"We weren't in a bed!" retorted Sami, her face flushing hotly.

"Oh yes," said EJ with a little laugh, "Because that was the most important part of that statement eh darling? Guess that fixes everything up from your point of view."

"You think you're so smart don't you?" asked Sami in disgust.

"I don't know about smart but I do think I'm a little more truthful about how things are then some people that shall remain nameless," said EJ calmly, putting down the bucket of water near Jellybean so he could reach it easily.

"Oh right," snorted Sami, folding her arms in front of her defiantly, "And you're the truth wizard aren't you EJ?"

"You my darling," said EJ easily, walking past her and stealing a quick kiss from her before she could protest, "Are definitely not a morning person."

EJ looked back at her curiously over his shoulder then, studying her intently.

"And how are you feeling this morning by the way?" he asked her, more to that question then just enquiring after her health, "You look…"

EJ paused then and turned around, looking Sami up and down lingeringly, making her flush under such intense scrutiny.

"… glowing," he finished off huskily.

"I'm fine," she said shortly, not willing to go into any more detail than that.

Truth was she was confused, aching in strange new places, annoyed, torn, guilty and wondering if there was going to be a repeat of last night between them and trying her hardest to fight against wanting that and not really succeeding. EJ for his part was so blissfully happy that he could hardly stand still. He'd woken up beside the woman of his dreams and just stared at her for so long, hardly able to believe she was where she belonged at last, naked and in his arms. If he hadn't felt a pressing need to check on the state of everything after the severe storm of last night EJ would have been still lying next to this little prickly pear of his and making her forget all her doubts that were clearly on her face now.

EJ wasn't worried though; he had the rest of today and tonight to convince her that this was the right thing, that their love for one another was the only thing that mattered. EJ was confident now that Sami did indeed love him after their frantic lovemaking of last night. She'd given herself to him utterly and he knew Sami, she wasn't one to do that without loving the person deeply. EJ's heart swelled in his chest at the knowledge that Samantha loved him and he wanted to burst out singing, he was so happy. The only thing holding him back from doing just that was the unhappy look on Sami's face that told him she was still struggling with all of this.

"Do you want to know how I am?" asked EJ softly, moving closer to her and feeling the need to kiss her again, the quick kiss he'd stolen from her only whetting his appetite for more of her.

"Not really," said Sami hastily, moving away from him quickly when she saw that look in his eye.

"Still running I see Samantha," he noted dryly, going to stand beside Jellybean again.

"I'm not running," said Sami haughtily, drawing herself up, "You… you were the one gone this morning and I just came out here to check on Jellybean."

"Did you miss me this morning?" he asked her, his question only half teasing.

"Of course not," she snapped, "Why would I?"

"Because it's nice to wake up in your lover's arms the first time you make love," said EJ simply, "I know I certainly enjoyed it but I didn't want to disturb you, you looked so peaceful."

"You're not my lover EJ!" said Sami with a gasp of shock at hearing his turn of phrase.

"And yet that ache between your legs that you are undoubtedly feeling this morning would tell a different story eh Samantha?" he noted calmly, not to be put off this morning.

"Oh!" Sami gasped in dismay and blushing yet again and EJ's lips curled up ever so slightly as he knew he'd hit the mark with that one.

"You know what EJ?" Sami retaliated, the fire in her eyes again, "I'd sooner have Jellybean as a boyfriend then you!"

"Well you certainly do seem to have a type Samantha," commented EJ idly, patting Jellybean's long neck, "Long legged, dark haired and you like to ride us hard."

"OOHH!" exclaimed Sami in utter disbelief that he'd say such a thing to her.

She stormed off then and EJ let her go.

"What?" he said a little defensively when he saw Jellybean give him an askew look, "I know what I'm doing Jelly - trust me, that little spitfires likes a good fight - this is foreplay for us."

Jellybean didn't look over convinced and just went back to his snuffling through his feed bag to see if he'd missed anything.

"I know what I'm doing," muttered EJ again, under his breath and praying that was true.

oooOOOOooo

"Just stand there, hold the ladder and don't move," instructed EJ, "I'm going to go up on the roof and see if I can get that fallen tree branch off it."

Sami pouted at him ordering her around like that but seeing as she really didn't want to go up on the roof herself she just gave him a glare that told him she was annoyed with him and left it like that. EJ had been busying himself with taking care of the storm fallout all morning and eventually Sami had gotten bored with waiting for him to finish and even though she told herself that she wasn't actually seeking out his company she'd gone outside to see what he was up to.

"Why don't you just leave it up there?" asked Sami, craning her head right back to see where EJ was heading, climbing up the ladder that she was keeping steady for him.

"Because it may have done some damage to the roof Samantha," explained EJ patiently as he hauled himself up onto the roof and looked down at her.

It was a long way down and even though EJ didn't seem to be having any problem, Sami's head swum a little bit to see him up there.

"The weather forecast said we are due more rain," said EJ, "So I want to make sure that we've got a water tight roof for tonight."

The thought of spending another night with EJ made Sami shudder a little bit. She was rather surprised and perhaps just the smallest bit put out that EJ hadn't made any more advances to her other than his usual outrageous remarks and flirting. Sami couldn't help but wonder if he'd lost interest in her now that he'd gotten what he wanted and was shocked at how hurt that thought made her feel. She should be over the moon that EJ seemed to be over his obsession with her, not feeling so dismayed by the fact.

God but this man confused her!

EJ disappeared from her view then and she heard the scrapping of something that sounded very large to her and assumed it was him moving the tree branch. Sami leant against the ladder and wondered idly how she'd managed to get herself into such a mess when she heard a sudden cry from above her head, followed by a swishing noise and then a heavy thud as something big hit the ground and the sound of breaking glass.

"EJ?" asked Sami tensely, wondering what had just happened, "Are you alright? What just happened?"

There was no answer and Sami had a suddenly panicky feeling that EJ had just fallen off the roof.

"Oh no!" she cried out, "EJ!"

There was still no answer so Sami hurried back into the house, heading directly through the house to the other side of the building where she'd heard whatever it was land, her heart racing.

oooOOOOooo

"Samantha?" called out EJ, standing at the edge of the roof and looking down, seeing the ladder there but no Sami.

He shook his head and started down the ladder, mumbling to himself. He got to the bottom and looked around again.

"Can't that woman ever do one thing I ask of her?" he grumbled to himself, "Stand here, hold the ladder and don't move - it's not exactly rocket science now is it?!"

No one was there to answer his annoyed question and then EJ figured that Sami must have gone to check on the tree falling. He blew out a frustrated breath and headed off around the side of the house.

"Don't go near it Samantha," he called out as he trudged along, "I broke a window - there will be glass everywhere."

"Which wouldn't be a problem if you'd done as I asked and stay where you were," muttered EJ under his breath.

oooOOOOooo

Sami looked around at all the debris with the broken branches, leaves and scattered glass everywhere but couldn't see EJ. She frowned, wondering what was going on. Sami turned around and headed back in through the house to get back to the other side and to where the ladder was propped up outside, wondering if he was there waiting for her now.

"What kind of idiot goes up on a wet roof?" she huffed away to herself to hide her growing concern over him, "EJ DiMera - that kind of idiot!"

oooOOOOooo

EJ got to the tangled mess of trees and broken glass and looked around but couldn't see Sami anywhere. A frown darkened EJ's face as he tried to work out where she might be. He'd been so sure that Sami would have come here to check on what had made all that noise. A sudden thought occurred to EJ and made his stomach turn nervously.

"Don't tell me that she's gone up on the roof to look for me?" he asked himself and then shook his head, attempting to dismiss the notion, "No, even Samantha wouldn't be that fool hardy… surely?"

EJ stood there for a split second thinking about it.

"Bloody hell!" he raged, turning on his heel and headed back into the house, making a beeline for the front again, certain now that was exactly what she was doing now, "The insane woman can't even stop herself from rolling out of bed on regular occasions and now she's going to go up on a twenty foot, wet roof!"

EJ felt the sick feeling in his stomach grow and he picked up his speed, heading back into the kitchen.

"She's going to break her neck!"

oooOOOOooo

Sami looked up at the ladder and called out again.

"EJ!"

Still no response which either meant that he was unconscious up there on the roof after falling and hitting his head or she'd somehow missed him when she'd looked out the back and he was under that huge tree limb. Sami decided she'd better check again before she braved that ladder to look for EJ, not having the slightest idea how she was going to get him down from there even if she did find an unconscious EJ! Scouting the ground again seemed like the best way to go really before she took her life into her own hands for a man she despised she told herself.

Sami rushed back into the house, moving pretty quickly to check on a man that she supposedly despised but only made it to the foyer when EJ suddenly appeared, heading towards the door she was standing in front of from the living room. He stopped abruptly when he saw her, a mixture of relief and annoyance on his face. Sami meanwhile cried out loudly in shock, putting her hand over her mouth too late to stifle the sound as she looked at him in horror.

"Why do you always scream every time I come into a room lately?" asked EJ in exasperation as he took in Sami's shocked expression, although he was unbearably relieved to see her standing there rather than on the top of a roof, "It's a bit annoying I have to say."

"E… EJ," stammered Sami, extraordinarily comforted to see that he was alright.

The same bolt of fear had ripped through her as last night at the thought that EJ might have been hurt but this time it had been even worse after their shared intimacies Sami was finding. Her heart was hammering in her chest at the fright he'd given her and she didn't know if she wanted to kiss him in relief or hit him for making her worry in the first place. EJ quickly helped her out with that dilemma though.

"Although…" continued on EJ thoughtfully as though she hadn't spoken, "Interestingly enough I enjoy it immensely when you scream as I come inside yo… OW!"

Sami punched him hard in the arm for where that particular line was heading.

"That was a little unnecessary sweetheart," pouted EJ, rubbing his arm but then couldn't help the smile that came to his lips at the way she was looking at him with so much outrage.

"In my opinion it wasn't enough!" she huffed, "What were you doing EJ, why didn't you answer me when I called? I heard you scream and then all that breaking glass and I thought you'd fallen off the roof!"

"Firstly," said EJ, looking a little put out, "I didn't scream - that was a manly grunt on my behalf when part of that tree gave me a whack in the chest on the way down to the ground which unfortunately also took out the glass window directly below it which is a bit of a bother. And secondly, as for me falling I'm not the one who has trouble with gravity around here. You're the one who's always falling off things, not me sweetheart."

"Why didn't you answer me?" asked Sami, glaring up at him accusingly, "You did that on purpose to make me think you'd gotten hurt, didn't you?! Another of your little games wasn't it? Well I'm a wake up to you EJ DiMera! I know you just do these things to get my sympathy and pity!"

"Excuse me Samantha!" said EJ indignantly, "Whilst you are extremely annoying I'll give you that but you haven't quite driven me to the point of throwing myself off a roof but another few absurd accusations like this one and I'm sure it will sound increasingly like a good idea! I didn't answer you because I didn't hear you - simple as that!"

"You expect me to believe that EJ?!" she huffed at him.

"Sweetheart," snipped EJ, "I gave up long ago expecting any kind of rational thinking from you!"

"You're just trying to come up with pathetic ways to make me care about you!" she accused him, "Well it won't work EJ - I'm indifferent to you and your games!"

"Indifferent?" repeated EJ, his eyebrows shooting up with incredulousness, "That was what last night was eh sweetheart? You being indifferent to me?"

Sami crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked back at him defiantly although she didn't have much else to back her words up with but EJ didn't seem to require her to say anything.

"I tell you what Samantha," he continued on mockingly, "Let me know when you develop even the slightest interest in me won't you because I'm going to need a back brace and a saline drip to cope with it if last night was any indication of what your indifference towards me results in!"

"You do nothing for me EJ!" she spat out, incensed by his words, particularly when she couldn't realistically deny them but Sami wasn't one to let the facts stand in the way of a good argument, "And I'll prove it to you!"

With that Sami just launched herself at EJ, catching him completely off guard for once. She wrapped her arms around his neck and dragged his mouth to hers and kissed him as hard as she could, intent on proving to him how little he affected her. EJ quickly recovered from his shock, his hands going to cup her backside and pull her even closer to him.

Sami knew that this was a bad idea as soon as her lips touched his, it was like a bolt of lightning ripped through her entire body at his touch and they were only kissing. She forgot completely the point she was supposed to be making as EJ pressed for entrance into her mouth and the taste of him exploded against her tongue as he hungrily sought it out. Those large hands massaging her bottom cheeks didn't help any she had to say, the growing wet patch between her legs an answer to that and the feeling of his rapidly stiffening member against her stomach. Sami realised that she'd better stop this kiss from going any further and with the last remnants of her self control she pushed hard against EJ's chest as his hands moved from her backside to her waist and she had a fair idea where they were on the way to so she pushed even harder on his chest in an effort to break free.

EJ however was not so willing to let her go, tightening his hold on her waist and plundering her mouth even more deeply. Sami eventually managed to pull away and took a rapid few steps back from EJ, her face flushed with her arousal and she looked almost delirious as she raised her hand and tried to gather her senses to make the point that seemed pretty moot at this junction but Sami was never one to apply too much logic to a situation.

"There!" said Sami shakily, her eyes wide and her chest still heaving erratically as she stared back at EJ, "You see… nothing!"

EJ just stared back at her like she'd lost her mind, his head still spinning wildly from her kisses and his own breathing painfully ragged as hers was.

"I'm going to make lunch," she announced dazedly, valiantly trying to keep up the façade that they hadn't just aroused each other almost to the point of no return just from a few simple kisses, "I'll make sandwiches - we should use up the last of the bread anyway."

With that Sami swept by him on unsteady legs, leaving a bemused EJ standing there.

"That woman is certifiably insane," muttered EJ under his breath, shaking his head at her last little production.

EJ turned around and looked at the kitchen door Sami had just disappeared through and this time shook his head at himself.

"And why does it only make me love her more?" he asked himself in quiet despair.

"Do you want ham or tuna on your sandwich?"

Her question was called out to him and he rolled his eyes at the contradictions that were Samantha Jean Brady. EJ didn't answer her, just simply stalked through the living room, into the kitchen to find Sami standing there with a loaf of bread in her hand and a knife in the other.

"Ham or tun… aahh!" Sami gave a little cry as EJ didn't let her finish, simply walking over to her and grabbing both the bread and the knife out of her hand and throwing them on the bench, "EJ!"

"I want something that isn't on the menu," he growled at her and simply bent down, his hands going to her bottom and hauling her up into his arms, her feet lifting off the ground.

Sami had no option but to wrap her arms around EJ's neck to steady herself and EJ instantly took advantage of that, crushing her lips beneath his hungrily.

He moved with her then, depositing Sami on the kitchen table without breaking the kiss and pushed apart her legs, standing in between them as his hands pulled on her backside again, holding her flush too him so she was in no doubt as to where this was heading. Sami felt his hands move from her backside to the skirt she was wearing, pushing it up to her hips before he pushed her back onto the table. His hand moved between her legs and stroked her core through Sami's panties as he leant over her, keeping his weight off her by leaning on one hand he'd placed by her shoulder.

"I've developed the taste for something different," he purred to her and Sami gave a little moan, her traitorous body remembering what it had done for her at the lagoon and begging for more of the same.

EJ felt the sudden flood of her juices soaking his hand and gave a satisfied groan of his own.

"I see you have as well sweetheart," he rumbled, his voice low and full of seduction.

Sami held her breath as he slowly moved back down her body and she couldn't help herself, spreading her legs for him, so eager for what he was about to do that she couldn't stand it. He stripped her panties from her heated body and then supped on what was offered. Sami moaned loudly at the first touch of his tongue to her core. She felt him trace the outline of her opening delicately before thrusting his tongue into her. Sami gasped and rewarded his action with a new burst of moisture which EJ seemed more than happy to lap up. He'd barely started and Sami could already feel her core begin to pulsate, tensing and releasing as it began to build towards an orgasm.

He could feel her muscles contracting and couldn't believe that she was ready to come so quickly, his swollen member begging him to be the one to finish her off but somehow EJ found the strength to deny himself. He quickly inserted two fingers inside of her before attaching himself to her nub and suckling. EJ didn't even get a chance to make her ride his fingers before Sami was exploding around him, crying out as she came noisily for him.

God, hearing her scream out loud like that got him so unbelievably hard - EJ had never experienced anything like it before!

EJ straightened up then and looked at Sami lying there on the table, her face a picture of ecstasy and knew the next time she came he just had to be inside her. Sami managed to open her eyes and saw the way EJ was looking at her so ravenously and just wanted him so badly. She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him and tasting herself on his lips and it was such a decadent feeling to taste herself in this way.

"More," she breathed into their kiss, not caring that she was not making a very good argument for her 'you do nothing for me' statement, "More."

EJ shuddered at her breathy request, almost screaming at the pain of not being inside her yet. His shaking hands went to his sweat shirt, pulling it off over his head before ridding himself of the rest of his clothes, finding himself suddenly clumsy in his haste. Sami was working on her clothes at the same time until they were both completely naked.

"God you're perfect!" EJ groaned loudly at seeing her breasts naked for the first time, never having quite gotten around to it the last time, "I knew you would be!"

EJ pushed Sami back on the table, holding her hands above her head so he could enjoy these new delights properly. His mouth found a pert nipple and he suckled and teased at it until it was plump and swollen from all of his attentions. EJ lifted his head and surveyed his handiwork through suddenly heavy lidded eyes and gave an approving growl before attaching himself to its mate and inflicting the same treatment. Sami purred under his skilful ministrations, her hands going to his dark head and holding him in place, encouraging him even further.

He finally managed to drag himself away from her breasts, promising himself he'd return to give them the attention they deserved once he had better control of himself. EJ moved up Sami's body, finding her mouth again and kissing her, never able to get enough of her lips under his. Sami met his ardour with a passion of his own and he adored how she was holding nothing back from him.

"I want to make love to you so badly Samantha," he whispered in her ear.

"Oh yes," she sighed, "Please EJ, yes."

EJ needed no further encouragement, moving so that he was now standing at the end of the table again between Sami's legs. He pulled her backside down so it was right on the edge of the table as she looked up at him excitedly and that look alone was almost enough to undo him. EJ hands went to the backs of her knees, pushing her knees back towards Sami's chest. He left his hands there as he pressed for entry into her heat and Sami gave a long, low groan as he impaled her on his thickness. The sound of her moaning as she took him in nearly drove EJ over the edge, particularly as she seemed to be even tighter then he remembered from last night.

"No one has ever felt like you have Samantha," he told her, his voice choked in awe at the sensation of being inside her body again.

"Oh EJ," groaned Sami, revelling in the way he was filling her so totally.

EJ began to move inside of her but Sami stalled him.

"Could you…?" she stopped then, her breathing uneven and flushing a little as she asked him this, "Like last night… could you…?"

EJ smiled, more than happily to oblige her request and moved Sami so that she was on her side now, her legs pushed up to her chest. The whole time he was repositioning her he kept himself squarely embedded insider her, delighting in the sensation of her moving around on him like that. He settled her into position, EJ's hands going to hold onto Sami's hip and thigh again.

"Like that sweetheart?" he asked her, his voice catching a little.

"Yes," she moaned her happiness, "Just like that EJ!"

EJ began to move inside of her now, sure and steady thrusts, angling himself until this way and that and listening to her mews of pleasure. Sami shouted out when he hit that magic spot inside of her and he realised that was what she had been waiting for as he began to move determinedly inside of her.

"Oh god yessss!" she hissed, screwing her face up against the intense bursts of pleasure he was giving her.

"I can do this for you in any position sweetheart," he promised her raggedly.

To prove his point EJ pulled out of her even though every nerve ending in his body was screaming at him not to.

"No!" gasped Sami in despair at being denied what he was doing to her.

It had felt like beyond perfection and she couldn't bear him to stop yet.

"EJ please!" she said desperately, "Don't stop - I need you!"

"I'm not Samantha," he promised her unevenly, hearing her beg for him to take her music to his ears, "I need you too."

EJ grabbed Sami's hips, dragging her down to the table and flipping her over now so that her feet were on the ground as he bent her over the table. Sami felt his hands go to her back side and suddenly that turgid member of his was claiming her again from behind this time and she groaned loudly at having to take his increasingly gigantic girth in this new position. Sami propped herself up on her elbows as she felt him moving around inside her, tilting her hips this way and that. Sami gave little gasping grunts of enjoyment at his movements until he nudged that spot deep inside Sami with his tip and she just screamed out at the top of her lungs.

"Oh there sweetheart," he groaned achingly, "It's there isn't it?"

"Oh god yes!" she gritted out through gritted teeth, "God EJ right there, don't stop!"

EJ began to ride her in earnest then and Sami could do nothing else then begin to scream out her pleasure for him. He hadn't been kidding when he said he could do this for her in any position she decided faintly even as her body throbbed and pulsated around him, rapidly heading for another orgasm. EJ looked down and watched in utter bliss as his body demanded and received entrance to her body with ever growing urgency. Her sobbing cries were driving him insane and he was starting to join her in hollering out his delight. She was coming now, strangled gasps of delicious pleasure and guttural groans of bliss but still he rode her, ever more fiercely. He knew his climax when it came was going to be one of the most intense of his life as the tension continued to grow and grow inside him.

"EJ!" she moaned under him, beginning to roll her hips, teasing his already painfully engorged member now that her release was complete.

"Samantha!" he whispered shakily, barely able to form the word as his body found ever greater delight in hers, "Come with me again sweetheart… pl… please!"

Sami groaned, wanting him to find his end and wondering if her body could sustain any more pleasure. She managed to slip a hand between her legs though and began to rub at the distended nub she found there and EJ couldn't take it. Watching her pleasure herself like that all for him pushed him screaming over the edge. He surged powerfully into her one last time and released his seed, the sensation along with her own stimulation sending Sami into her third orgasm in quick succession. EJ for his part was having all his climaxes at once as wave after wave of his multiple orgasms crashed over him, in ever growing bursts of shattering pleasure and he howled his ecstasy at the top of his lungs.

They were both quivering masses of jelly after they were finally spent and EJ was having trouble keeping his weight off Sami when all he wanted to do was collapse, his wildly shaking legs barely able to hold him upright. He ever so reluctantly withdrew from Sami and she shuddered at the sensation of his hot seed dribbling down her inner leg. EJ laid his sweaty face on her back even as she lay exhausted; face down on the table still. EJ barely had any strength left in him but he managed one word.

"More…" he whispered against her slick back.

"Yes," Sami groaned in exhaustion, already feeling her body begin to pulse back into life.

How was that even possible after what he'd put her through she wondered hopelessly but her answer had elicited a similar response from EJ and she felt him twitch against her leg.

God, they were going to be the death of each other at this rate!

Chapter TWENTY FOUR - Your Love Is Better Than Chocolate

EVENING 7...

Sami swallowed the last mouthful of the delicious pasta EJ had prepared for them and put down her fork. At least she assumed it was delicious, everything else he'd cooked for in the past had been but she couldn't taste anything right then. She snuck a look over at EJ as he took a sip of his wine and looked out at the surrounding rainforest. He looked as handsome as ever in his grey suit and tie. They had both dressed for dinner without consulting the other, as though they both knew it was important to mark this occasion with a little bit of formality.

His predictions of more rain had come true but this time it was just a gently, steady offering from the heavens rather than the noisy deluge of last night. Sami followed his gaze and tried to wrap her head around the fact that this time tomorrow she was going to be back in a cold, bleak Salem in the middle of winter.

It didn't seem possible somehow.

Actually nothing seemed possible about this trip. She thought of all the things that had transpired between herself and EJ and her mind just boggled, not understanding how any of it could have happened. It was like she didn't know herself at all, like the real Sami Brady hadn't even gotten off the plane seven days ago and she was some counterfeit intent on destroying the true Sami Brady's world. If she listened to EJ though the Salem Sami was the impostor and this was who she was really meant to be and Sami felt a desperate confusion well up in her at that thought. Sami took a sip of her wine just for something to do rather than actually wanting the alcohol. Since this afternoon's latest bout of lovemaking Sami had felt this strange calm settle over her for the most part - like she was having this out of body experience somehow. She didn't know what it meant but for the most part it was a welcome relief from all the internal conflict she'd been experiencing for what felt like forever now.

They hadn't spoken very much over dinner but that didn't matter to EJ. After their perfect unions that after afternoon and the night before they didn't need words. And they had been perfect unions - the way he and Sami had come together it was like there could never have been any other choice for them. EJ was so happy that he could barely speak right then. Everything he'd ever dreamed of since first laying eyes on Samantha was coming true. Now if only their child was starting to grow inside of Sami even now as they sat there his dreams truly would be complete. A surge of love swelled EJ's heart at that thought. He put his hand out and covered Sami's small hand as it rested on the table and held her gaze.

"Let's go to bed," he said huskily.

Sami looked back at him steadily, for once not looking away or running.

"Yes," she said simply.

EJ closed his eyes and raised her hands to his lips, kissing the soft skin of the back of her hand.

oooOOOOooo

Sami walked into the room and gave a little gasp to find EJ already naked and very, very hard. He looked back at her steadily; obviously not embarrassed about the aroused state his body was in.

"You're wearing clothes," observed EJ with the faintest hint of censure in his voice, his eyes wandering over the little white satin slip she was wearing with shoe string straps.

"I thought…," Sami hesitated then but then realised they were way past the point of that now.

It was like she'd been on a diet and hadn't had chocolate for months and had allowed herself a little taste and seeing as she'd ruined her diet utterly now she may as well eat the whole damn block!

"I thought you might enjoy taking it off me," offered Sami coyly, looking out at him from underneath her eyelashes.

The way his manhood jumped suddenly at that told Sami that he liked the sound of that very much. EJ prowled towards her; there was no other way to describe it. He was like a giant cat stalking his prey and despite herself Sami backed up, putting her hands up to his chest as her heart racing at the pure hunger and lust in EJ's eyes.

She'd never had a man look at her quite like that before and it was beyond thrilling but it was also a little frightening, particularly when her back hit the wall and EJ kept on coming so that he was standing so close to her that she had nowhere to go. He loomed over her, making Sami feel tiny in comparison before he lifted up one arm and rested his forearm above Sami's head, holding himself over her and making her feel even more consumed by this man.

EJ reached out a finger and traced the neckline of her slip lightly but Sami felt her nipples instantly harden, begging for his attention. EJ listened to their pleas and dragged the same finger over one swelling teat, rolling it around before giving it a hard tweak and moving on to her other breast and repeating the action. Sami felt as though her whole body was on fire as he played with her slowly, every one of his actions slow and measured as though they had all the time in the world. EJ's hand stopped in its torture of her now aching bud and drifted back up to the neckline of Sami's of night dress.

He held her gaze for one long wordless moment before gliding his hand back and forth over the top of her slip in unhurried sweeps. Sam's body tightened, desperate for him to just slip the little straps off her shoulder and stop playing with her like this. EJ bent his head and began to languorously kiss her then, slow and deep, his tongue tasting her deeply. Sami melted into the kiss, relaxing completely as he plundered her depths until he finally straightened up, both of them breathing hard. He gave a little smile and Sami returned it, the moment soft and gentle between them.

With one hard yank of the delicate fabric EJ shattered that calm between them as he tore the night dress from Sami's body in one smooth motion, the rough action so at odds to his previous gentleness that it made Sami cry out and then get unbelievably wet at his sudden savagery. EJ surveyed the bounty he'd uncovered, the front of her slip completely torn away now and only the back of the night dress was still in place, held on by the almost destroyed shoulder straps. There was an animalistic glint in EJ's eye seeing her on display like that. He lifted his head from her pale body with its flat stomach, gently swelling hips, and full breasts with their burgeoning nipples exposed - his for the taking.

"You're right," he growled in her ear, "I did enjoy that."

"EJ!" she groaned shakily.

He bent down and picked her up easily then, scooping her up in his arms and holding her gaze steadily as he walked with her to the bed and placed her carefully down on it and then stood at the end of the bed, looking down at her.

"This is the first time I would have made love to you in a bed," he observed roughly, his eyes wandering ravenously all over her flushed body.

Sami moved a little around on the bed then, the way he was looking at her making her squirm with a growing need for him to do more than just look.

"Tell me you want me Samantha," he urged her, his eyes dark and full of hunger now.

"I want you," she said breathlessly.

His eyes flared at her confession.

"Prove it to me," he rasped, toying with her.

Sami looked up at him and felt a sudden surge of confidence when she saw the little flicker of uncertainty pass over his face. For all his confidence she realised that he was as much at her mercy as she was at his. Sami sat up then, moving so her feet dangled over the edge of the bed. She reached out and put her hands on his waist and began to kiss her way down his tightly muscled stomach.

EJ gave a happy sigh at her touch, her soft blonde hair tickling his stomach as she moved ever lower. His manhood was at full attention by the time she reached it, swollen and eager for her touch but Sami pulled back then and looked up at him coyly through her lashes.

"Samantha," he prompted her tightly, unable to remain silent as she left him standing there, aching for her next touch.

The smallest of smiles touched Sami lips as she realised how utterly desperate he was for her. It was nice to finally feel like she had some power in these encounters. He'd completely swept her away with their previous bouts of lovemaking and now Sami had a sudden urge to do the same for him. Her heart hammered noisily in her chest as she contemplated doing something she'd never done before but suddenly wanting to throw him off balance as much as he'd done her. Sami moved then, kneeling on bed now before sitting back on her haunches. EJ was watching her every move with intrigue but she made very certain that he was watching her as she leant back, resting on one hand behind her and then with the other hand she moved to the front of her panties.

She had EJ's rapt attention as she slowly moved her hand down the front of her panties, her fingers finding her sopping wet core and loading her fingers up with its juices before removing them from her pants and then beginning to cover his engorged member in those same juices. His thick shaft jumped almost violently at her first touch and then began to twitch helplessly under her ministrations. The pained whimpering sounds EJ was making told Sami he was enjoying the show she was putting on for him… very much. She repeated the action several times until she was satisfied that EJ was well lubricated, finding the pre-cum dribbling from his tip very useful for her purposes as well.

EJ waited with bated breath, despite how laboured his breathing was for Sami's next move. He couldn't take his eyes off her and his arousal level was at an excruciatingly painful level. EJ didn't know if it was actually safe to sustain this intensity of arousal for the length of times his encounters with Sami called for but he could honestly say he didn't care. So what if this woman permanently damaged him in some way, it would be absolutely worth it! He quivered with expectation, waiting for her to take him into her mouth at long last after all of this teasing and more of his juices oozed from his tip at the thought.

"Do you want me?" she asked him throatily but it was a somewhat unnecessary question considering his massively distended manhood was on full display, throbbing away in front of her.

"More than I thought humanly possible," he told her through gritted teeth, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Sami gave a satisfied little smile at that and moved closer to him and began to kiss along his stomach again. EJ held his breath, his whole body coiled tightly as he waited for her to finally claim him properly but Sami had other ideas. She cupped her breasts in her hands and pressed them around EJ's engorged member, looking up at him. She'd never done anything like this before but EJ had left her in no doubt this afternoon as to how inspiring he'd found her breasts and she wanted to know just how far that went. She began to move her breasts up and down on his hardness, stimulating him with the friction. EJ gave a strangled gasp, his eyes wide as he looked down at her doing this for him and amazingly it got him even harder.

"Oh god YES sweetheart!" he said urgently, thrilling to her creativity.

EJ hadn't done actually done this before either but he'd never had a lover with breasts quite as amazing as Sami's either. He found them unbearably arousing and to see them pressed around his manhood, swamping them in their luscious softness was doing things to EJ that he didn't think previously possible - how could he keep finding more and more ways to want this woman?! He began to frantically pump himself desperately into them, all semblance of control completely gone now. He grabbed at her shoulders, steadying Sami as his thrusts became more violent and Sami tightened her breasts around him, increasing the friction between them so that despite all the ample lubrication she'd provided it was still an agonisingly tight fit and EJ couldn't stand it. His desperate grunts began to get louder and louder as his thrusting became more powerful. EJ gave a loud shout, suddenly tensing and Sami felt a warm flood of wetness between her breasts and knew he was coming. EJ quivered and shook as he delivered his seed into the valley of her breasts and Sami couldn't stand it, her own arousal at seeing his wild abandon making her desperate.

Even as he continued to shudder against her Sami dropped one hand from her breast and quickly moved it down the front of her panties again. She was so slippery from her own juices that it should have been embarrassing to Sami but it wasn't. Her nub was easy to find, standing at full attention, engorged from her own arousal and she began to frantically rub it, needing a release of her own. EJ watched her through hooded eyes as he tried to return to his senses, his mouth going dry at her actions and he had to swallow noisily. Sami leant back on her hand again, her head lolling back as soft moans began to escape her lips. She came quickly, her hips bucking frantically as she gave a prolonged groan, her eyes tightly closed. Watching her pleasure herself like that, his sticky seed dribbling down her chest was enough to drive EJ crazy and he wanted her again. He pushed her back on the bed, lying down beside her as she looked back at him groggily, still tingling from the release she'd just given herself.

"God that was so amazing sweetheart!" he panted his praise for her, looking down at her adoringly.

"Had… had you done that before?" she asked him curiously, blinking up at him, her voice roughened and croaky.

"No," he said with a shake of his head, his brown eyes darkening with renewed arousal at just the thought of it, "It was magnificent."

"I'm glad," she said shyly.

"You have the most gorgeous body of any woman I've ever been with Samantha," he told her sincerely, his eyes devouring her again, "I can't bear to take my eyes off you."

"EJ!" she said huskily, enjoying hearing those words from his lips.

Sami's quick climax that she'd just given herself was in no way satisfying and she needed him to do what he'd just done again but inside of her this time and very quickly. She reached up and dragged him down for a heated kiss, rubbing her body against his. Experience told her that EJ would be ready for her again very quickly and she marvelled at this man's stamina. She wasn't entirely sure it was normal, never having been with a man who could recuperate so quickly after making love but seeing as she had no trouble in answering that arousal with a severe need of her own Sami was hardly in any position to judge. The feeling of her body writhing against his quickly had the desired effect and EJ felt his manhood rise to the occasion so to speak. Sami could feel his returned stiffness against her leg now as they kissed passionately, one of his hands cupping her face.

"God you're always so ready!" she gasped in amazement, breaking their kiss and looking up at him wide eyed as she rubbed her inner thigh against his returned erection.

EJ's hand found its way between her legs and found her body just as swollen and wet in an answering state of heightened arousal and in a more than ready state to receive him.

"So are you," he moaned.

"EJ quickly!" she encouraged him, sick of waiting now.

He hooked a finger in her panties and with a hard tug he'd removed them from her body as he'd done her night dress, having no time for any other way to see her naked beneath him at last. Sami's fingers dug into his back, encouraging him in his endeavours. EJ quickly covered her body with his own and entered her with a hard thrust. Sami squeezed her eyes close at the feeling being impaled on his body once again, a heartfelt groan leaving her lips. She wrapped her legs around his waist, encouraging EJ even deeper into her body.

"I love you!" groaned EJ as he began to move rapidly inside her, wondering how many times he would have to have her before he could make love to her as slowly as he wanted to.

He just needed her too much to do that right now. It seemed like every time he possessed her it made his need for her only grow instead of satisfying it. EJ kissed Sami deeply then, the feeling of her breasts scrapping against his chest, driving him mad. Sami's head was spinning, her body beginning to tense around his, shocking herself how quickly she was rushing towards her next orgasm. She was insatiable when it came to him it seemed and the way EJ was pumping himself so desperately into her only drove her more quickly to that edge.

"I love you," choked out EJ again, his body starting to go rigid, his orgasm overtaking, "Samantha!"

"EJ!" she moaned, following him almost instantly, her body milking his as she felt him empty himself into her, her walls clenching wildly around his, bearing down hard on him and prolonging both of their pleasure.

"Can't… can't breathe EJ!" squeaked Sami, his body having collapsed totally from the absoluteness of his release, leaving EJ utterly spent and his weight was crushing her.

EJ gave a low groan, mustering the last of his strength and withdrew from her and rolled to one side, hauling his weight off her in a careless motion. What EJ hadn't realised was just how very close to the side of the bed they'd been and because he didn't even look before he moved off Sami he found that he only had half the bed to land on. His body's momentum carried him over the edge of the bed and because all of his muscles were completely fatigued from working so hard inside Sami's body he had nothing left to save himself with.

"EJ!" gasped Sami in dismay as he disappeared off the side of the bed, landing with a heavy thump on the floor below.

Sami quickly flipped herself over and moved to the side of the bed, peering down at him, half worried, half amused.

"Are you alright?" she asked him wide eyed.

EJ looked back up at her, blinking a couple times and obviously coming to grips with what had just happened.

"Well," he said eventually, looking up at impishly, "That ride was definitely worth the fall!"

Sami's mouth dropped open at his cheekiness and his reward for such talk was a face full of pillow… which EJ made her pay for long into the night.

Chapter TWENTY FIVE - There's Got To Be A Morning After

"Rise and shine my beautiful girl!"

The sound of EJ's happy voice coming from somewhere above her pulled Sami from her sleep and she opened her eyes, blinking groggily in the morning light. She sat up in bed and looked up at EJ who was standing there holding a breakfast tray, just like he'd done for her first morning on the island. Things had certainly changed somewhat between them since then and Sami couldn't help but remember their intense lovemaking of the night before. They'd barely gotten any sleep at all the entire night and new aches and pains in Sami's body testified to exactly how energetic they'd been in exploring their need for one another.

"My very beautiful girl," said EJ huskily, his eyes wandering all over her hungrily, her naked breasts on full display for him.

Sami had sat up without really thinking about it and forgotten that she was naked beneath the thin white sheet that now lay at her waist. She blushed and quickly pulled up the sheet to cover herself.

"Don't," he said quietly, coming to sit beside her on the bed, facing Sami as he put the tray down across her lap.

EJ leaned over the tray of breakfast delights and kissed her, his tongue running teasingly over her bottom lip until she granted him access and he could deepen the kiss. Sami lost herself in his kisses, forgetting everything else but EJ and his hungry kisses. She felt his hand go to the sheet she was still holding up against herself and slowly tug it down as he kissed her. EJ finally broke away and leant back, his breathing ragged as he surveyed his handiwork with warm brown eyes. Sami's lips were swollen from his kisses and her whole body was flushed which EJ had a good view of now that the sheet was back around her waist.

"Breathtaking," he announced to her, his voice sounding tight and uneven.

Sami bit her lip and let him have his way, secretly thrilling to the way his eyes kept dropping from her face to run over the exposed parts of her body. She reached out, picked up a piece of toast and started munching on it, just for something to do really. A little smile touched EJ's lips and he picked up some toast as well, spreading jam onto his though before beginning to eat it. It was a rather strange experience Sami thought, her sitting up in bed like this, her naked breasts on full display as she and EJ ate breakfast together. Mind you, EJ was also naked from the waist up, his only clothing his black sweat pants so Sami certainly had something to look at as well as they breakfasted together.

They had light conversation between the two of them - the weather, it looked like it was going to be fine day, that they should take Jellybean out for one last ride - nothing that mattered but the whole time Sami was unbearably conscious of EJ's eyes on her body. His tone was easy going and casual but from where she sat she could see the ever growing bulge in the front of his sweat pants and Sami doubted that it was their conversation that he was finding so stimulating.

"All finished?" he asked her at last and Sami looked down in surprise at the now empty tray.

She hadn't noticed it but between the two of them they'd managed to finish off all the food EJ had prepared for them. Sami had been so distracted by their easy conversation and EJ's heated looks that she hadn't even realised. She nodded and EJ moved the tray away, setting it on the ground beside the bed.

"You've got crumbs," he informed her throatily and Sami looked down, following where he was looking and saw that she did indeed have a smattering of toast crumbs across her chest.

She went to brush them away with her hand but he caught her wrist easily, staying her hand.

"Allow me," he said huskily, briefly holding her gaze before ducking his head, his tongue finding her body and seeking out all the little crumbs that had fallen.

Sami closed her eyes and leant back against bed head heavily, enjoying his ministrations. The feeling of his hot tongue lapping at her body, running across her chest and then down between the valley of her breasts in search of every last crumb. She could feel herself getting wetter by the second and when EJ lifted his head to look at her, obviously having finished his self appointed task Sami was in no way ready for him to stop.

"You missed a spot," she said, her voice low and eye lids drooping as she looked back at him, her breathing already a little forced.

Her hands went to his head and she buried her fingers in his dark hair, guiding him to one of her breasts. The nipple was already puckered and eager from his 'cleaning' duties and EJ knew exactly what it was she wanted.

"Insatiable," he growled against her skin just before her took her into his mouth.

Sami didn't know if he was referring to her or himself with that observation. The way he latched onto her teat so eagerly and ravished it wildly just then told Sami she wasn't the only one still starving. EJ's skilled mouth was quickly wringing little purring groans of pure delight from Sami and watching through hooded eyes as EJ hastily pushed down his sweat pants, revealing him in all his naked glory. Her other breast received the same treatment before EJ tore away the sheet that still separated them and grabbed her hips, dragging Sami further down on the bed so that she was no longer sitting up but on her back looking up at him.

"We… we just ate," she panted up at him as he held himself above her, the look in his eye as much as his huge straining member he was positioning between her legs telling her what he wanted next.

"But it's not the water I want to get back into sweetheart," he told her impishly even though his breathing was decidedly ragged and she could see that he was already starting to sweat, "It's this…"

Sami groaned loudly as he pushed his thickened shaft into her with one confident thrust, her aching muscles remembering instantly what was required of them to take him this quickly. Their complaints rapidly gave way to eager accommodation as his swollen manhood reminded them of the way it could pleasure them. Sami grabbed at EJ's backside, short nails digging into his flesh and urging him to go deeper, harder as she surrendered herself over to the sheer ecstasy of it all.

oooOOOOooo

EJ sat on the sofa in the living room, long legs crossed and looking down at the folder he had in his hands with a little frown.

They were some new business from his father and reports about what had been going on in Salem this last week. The most pressing order of business for EJ was that apparently John hadn't had the good sense to up and die yet. This posed somewhat of a sticky problem for EJ. It would definitely not be in EJ's best interests for John to suddenly rejoin the land of the non-comatosed but his newfound bond with Sami demanded that this annoyance be handled with some finesse. The last thing EJ wanted to do was jeopardise his relationship with Sami now that she was finally his. All it meant was that he was going to have to be very vigilant in keeping his role in the DiMera empire carefully separate from the life he was going to be building together with Samantha.

A smile came unbidden to EJ's lips as he thought about his future with Sami and his heart started to beat an excited tattoo. EJ put away the business paperwork, no longer able to concentrate on it when thoughts of Samantha filled his head. She was upstairs, packing all those ridiculous suitcases of hers in readiness for their departure in a few more hours. EJ propped his elbow up on the arm of the settee, putting his hand to his face and looked unseeingly out the window as his thoughts became consumed with the woman upstairs.

This week away had gone nothing like he'd planned. Of course he'd been expecting for Sami to end up in his bed but he hadn't figured on taking quite so long or how simply absorbing he'd found the whole journey. She'd held his rapt attention through every single moment of their time together and no woman had ever enthralled him so. Everything she did fascinated him completely and their lovemaking… well, that was something even he struggled to find words to describe. Sami had wrung previously unimagined pleasure from his body these last couple of days. EJ didn't know if it was because they were such kindred souls, a physical and emotional match beyond compare or that for the first time he was truly in love with the woman he was making love to. Perhaps it was a combination of both but all EJ knew it was like no other coming together he'd ever experienced before.

Again EJ couldn't help the smile that came to his lips and he imagined the many ways they were going to continue to explore that physical connection between them as they grew ever closer together over time. EJ mused to himself that he could probably cancel his gym membership now because loving Sami Brady and keeping her satisfied was going to more than keep him in shape. He ran his finger back and forth over his bottom lip as he remembered breakfast that morning, squirming a little in his seat at the memories. Something told EJ that the sight of toast from now on was going to be getting him hard and he actually laughed out loud at that thought. The things that woman did to him. His body pulsed and the familiar throb began to insist on his attention. EJ wondered idly if Sami needed some help packing her suitcases or something else far more pleasurable.

He knew they still had things to work out between them - that little nuisance Lucas being on the top of the list of course. The sooner she was out of that apartment and moving into his the better. EJ knew that Lucas was still in hospital recuperating but he also knew that when he got out Sami wouldn't be waiting for him like he no doubt expected. EJ rather hoped that he was going to be in the room when she told Lucas it was over - that thought was probably beneath him but there was something about Lucas that just bought out a less than gracious side to his personality.

God but he hoped she made him cry.

More than likely he'd rant and rave though - that seemed to be his modus operandi for dealing with Sami, that and guilting her into things. That was actually the main reason he wanted to be there for Samantha when pulled the plug on their train wreck of a relationship at last. EJ wanted to protect her from all the venom that would be no doubt spewed her way by the spurned man - getting to see Lucas cry would just be a happy bonus. His father would be so happy to hear that he and Samantha were together at long last and even happier to know that she was quite possibly already carrying the next DiMera heir. When his father had charged him with choosing a Brady woman to bear the next generations of DiMera's EJ had no idea that the fruition of that directive could have made him so utterly ecstatic.

"I've hit a small problem."

EJ turned his head at the sound of Samantha and saw her standing in the doorway, so lost in his happy thoughts that he hadn't even heard her come in.

"What's that darling?" he asked with a smile, standing up to face her, realising that he'd missed her so even after their short time apart - sappy or what?

"My clothes must have swelled with the humidity because I can't get them to fit all back into my suitcases," said Sami with a bit of a frown.

EJ's lips twitched at that and Sami's frown deepened.

"What?" she said, looking back at him defiantly, "That can happen!"

"If you say so sweetheart," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up in amusement.

"I guess I'm just going to have to repack them again," sighed Sami, looking decidedly unhappy at that - she'd already had three attempts at it but to no avail.

"Not necessarily," said EJ calmly.

"Why?" asked Sami with interest, "Do you have another suitcase I can borrow?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of unpacking them altogether and we extend our stay," said EJ, watching her face carefully as he made his suggestion, "Indefinitely if we so choose."

Sami's jaw dropped open and she looked at EJ like he'd just suggested they shave their heads, give away all worldly possessions and join a cult.

"I'm sensing some hesitation to that idea sweetheart," said EJ ironically, taking in her shell shocked expression.

"You can't be serious EJ!" she exclaimed finally finding her voice, "We can't not go home!"

"Our home is with each other now Samantha," said EJ, his eyes suddenly warm and full of love, "You have to see that now. As long as we are together then we're home."

Sami didn't know what to say to that. She'd been up in her room packing and trying to make sense of all this and work out what it was exactly that she wanted to happen next and she hadn't come up with any real answers. EJ obviously seemed to be having no such problem and appeared to be fairly advanced in his thinking about what was come next and Sami couldn't help but feel particularly nervous about that fact. She was at the point of admitting that there was definitely something between them and as much as she'd like to say it was all about the sex she knew it wasn't true. How much of that she wanted to admit to EJ though Sami was still very uncertain about.

"You're getting kind of scruffy," Sami said, just to say something and stop him looking at her like that and change the subject, "You should shave before we go back to Salem."

"Really?" said EJ, running his fingers back and forth the stubble along his jaw line, the action making a small rasping sound as he looked at her mischievously, "I rather thought you enjoyed my scruff darling… you seem to find it especially edifying when it's between your legs and heading for… pfhh!"

A cushion in the face stopped him from getting anymore graphic with that one and EJ grinned as he bent down to retrieve it from the floor and replace it on the sofa.

"I'm beginning to think that you find pillows and cushions to be somewhat a necessary part of foreplay my love," he teased her with an impish wink.

"You are just beyond belief with the things you say to me EJ DiMera!" said Sami hotly, her cheeks flushing.

"And I do so adore how you manage to be so completely outraged each time despite the fact that they are utterly true my darling," he laughed at her.

Sami shook her head and sat down on the sofa, in a bit of a huff now and EJ found that to be very endearing for some reason.

"Well seeing as you're intent on us returning to a cold and bleak Salem and relinquish our island paradise here we should probably discuss some details Samantha," said EJ conversationally.

"Details?" frowned Sami, looking suddenly worried and in no way prepared for this conversation.

"Now I realise that you have a sentimental attachment to that apartment of yours," began EJ easily, "But I do feel it would be for the best if you were to move into my apartment on our return rather than the other way round. Call me old fashioned but I don't really fancy residing somewhere which has already seen Austin and Lucas calling it home. I mean it's all short term anyway, we'll be moving into a house of our own as soon as we can find one that we both like and…"

"Stop!" said Sami, looking up at him in real distress, her voice starting to rise, "EJ, you can't possibly expect me to go home and simply turn my whole life around the moment I get off the plane?! You have to be reasonable!"

"I don't see it being an unreasonable request that you move out of your ex-lover's apartment to be with me Samantha…," said EJ determinedly, "… your actual lover."

"But… but…" this was all moving way too quickly for Sami and she couldn't seem to get her thoughts together in any kind of coherent order, "Lucas…"

"Is your past," said EJ firmly, "I'm your future. Samantha, you can't possibly deny that we belong together after this week!"

"Lucas will need me!" said Sami in agitation, unable to believe that he was wanting to move things along so quickly between them and trying to throw things in the way to slow things down.

"I need you Samantha!" said EJ strongly, "In my apartment, in my life, in my bed!"

"There are a lot of things to think about EJ!" said Sami with a shake of her head, trying not to enjoy the possessive tone in his voice and not quite managing it, "I mean, I don't even know what any of this means yet… if anything!"

EJ stopped then and folded his arms in front of his chest and looked at the ground, her words stinging him. How could she still be in any doubt as to what all of this meant he wondered hopelessly? Their lovemaking spoke of a connection that was impossible to deny. Even the heavens told them that they were to be each other's fate when they'd seen that shooting star together and still she hesitated. It was so blaringly obvious to EJ that it just baffled him how she was refusing to embrace it as fully as he had done. He looked up at her then, tilting his head to one side and running a thoughtful finger along his chin as he gave her a considered look.

"What are you scared of Samantha?" he asked her finally, his voice soft and his tone gentle, "Sweetheart, whatever it is we can face it together. I know you have ties with Lucas and that there are obligations there on your behalf…"

"Lucas is Will's father EJ!" said Sami sharply, "And it's way more than just ties and you know it!"

"Do I?" he asked idly, his arms dropping to his side, "That must be why you've been so utterly inconsolable at being parted from him this last week. That you thought about him nonstop every moment of every day, worrying over him, missing him, aching to be with him again."

Sami swallowed hard at his words, her heart starting to beat erratically in her chest, both of them knowing that hadn't been the case at all and she cursed him for being right.

"What?" he asked her, arching an eyebrow at her, "Nothing to say my love? I thought you'd be falling over yourself to agree with me?"

EJ started to walk towards her then, looming over Sami as she sat on the sofa. He bent down, putting an arm behind her on the back of the sofa so he could lean down and put his face on level with hers. Sami sat there frozen to the spot, wanting to say that it had been only Lucas she'd been thinking of all week but she just couldn't get the lie past her lips.

"Perhaps…" he purred the word, leaning in more so that he could begin to run the scruff she'd commented on earlier up and down the length of her neck in a tickling and erotic caress, "… perhaps it's because there has been only one man consuming your thoughts this week eh darling…?"

EJ moved now so that he was sitting on the sofa beside her, pushing her back on it and quickly covering her body with his own and Sami didn't resist, already under his spell after a few simple touches.

"Only one man making your body ache…"

EJ's hand went to her breast cupping it before beginning to knead it with the right amount of pressure that had Sami melting underneath him.

"Only one man…" she felt his hand go to her jeans now, quickly unzipping them and tugging them down her legs and discarding them along with her panties and then returning to seek out her core, long fingers dipping into her centre, "… to get you this wet for him."

"EJ!" she moaned, feeling him beginning to move his fingers in and out of her steadily and she instantly wanted more.

"That's right sweetheart," he said, his voice decidedly roughened now, "EJ."

He kissed her then, unable to hold himself back any longer. Sami's hands went to his shirt, tugging it off blindly as their kisses grew more heated, only stopping when the shirt needed to come off over his head but then quickly returning to one another. EJ's hand went to his jeans, releasing himself from the painful confines of the denim. She got him so hard so quickly, it was simply astounding. He felt Sami spread her legs for him and took the silent invitation, not needing any more foreplay at this point and slid his throbbing length into her waiting heat.

"God I can't get enough of you!" he ground out through gritted teeth, the feeling of being encased in her tight heat thrilling him endlessly.

"Don't talk," Sami gasped, grabbing EJ's face between her hands and looking at him urgently, "Just… ahhh!"

"That?" he prompted her tightly, plunging himself as deeply into her as he could, watching her face avidly as it screwed up in delight, "Is that what you wanted me to do sweetheart?"

"Oh god yes," she said weakly, not understanding how she couldn't have gotten enough of this man yet but she hadn't.

EJ withdrew himself from her and thrust into her forcefully again, making them both groan raggedly.

"You're always so bloody perfect!" he gritted out, squeezing his eyes closed against the intensity of emotions at being inside of her again as he began to move sharply inside of her, her sudden strangled hiss telling him when he'd found the perfect place.

"EJ!" she cried out and threw her head back.

"Oh that's it!" grunted EJ excitedly, his hips moving like pistons now to intensify her pleasure and his, "That's what my girl likes isn't it sweetheart?"

"Oh yes!" whimpered Sami mindlessly, unable to believe that EJ could continue to make her feel this good each and every time, "So much EJ!"

Their fierce coupling ended noisily, both crying out their pleasure for the other to hear, grunted out cries of ecstasy as their bodies took them to ever greater nirvanas of exquisite release.

oooOOOOooo

"Well I managed it," said Sami, walking back into the room and sending EJ a sideways glance as he stood at the drinks bar, pouring himself a final scotch for the trip home, "My bags are packed."

"Excellent," said EJ happily, still facing the bar as Sami took a seat on the coffee table but turning his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye, "Now all we have to do is defy the laws of physics yet again and see if we can't get them all to fit back in the jeep again. Just as well I love a good challenge eh darling?"

Sami looked at EJ who had changed into a suit and tie, his change of attire suddenly making it all the more real to Sami that they were going to be heading back to Salem, back to the real world and back to some very real problems. EJ for his part didn't seem to be holding the same reservations as he sipped at his scotch and faced her. Clearly he thought their little interlude on the sofa earlier had settled any qualms that Sami might have been having… if only he knew.

"So who's ready to go home?" he asked her brightly and gave her a big smile.

Sami gave him a weak smile in return and wondered what it was exactly that she would be returning to.

Chapter TWENTY SIX - Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began.

~ Leo Tolstoy ~

"Samantha!" his ragged cry was muffled against the skin of her neck as she felt him push himself deeply into her one last time and then he was flooding her with his hot seed, moaning helplessly against her as his hips worked frantically to deliver himself utterly into her.

Sami leant back against the mirror behind her tiredly, her own walls still fluttering wildly from the two orgasms he'd just given her. She was sitting on the little vanity in the bathroom, legs wrapped around his waist, the two of them barely fitting into the small airplane's amenities. Sami ran her fingers through EJ's sweaty hair, enjoying the feeling of him still spasming inside of her. It seemed to be taking him a long time to be done and his choked gasps testified to the fact that he was enjoying a particularly long climax.

She'd had no intention of having sex with him on the plane ride back to Salem but then he'd looked at her, put his hand on her knee and leant over, whispering impossibly sexy things in her ear about what he wanted to do her. Sami had protested but it had been half hearted at best and she'd quickly found herself being led by the hand into the bathroom. How it was that they could still have such a frantic need for one another after all the sex of the last couple of days and even earlier that day Sami had no idea. She couldn't even understand how EJ was able to continue to perform at this level but the fact that he rapidly had her swallowing her cries of release within minutes of mounting her left Sami in no doubt of his abilities.

There just had to be something wrong with them - this simply wasn't natural - real life wasn't a never ending porno flick decided Sami hopelessly.

Nonetheless Sami gasped as EJ withdrew from her, feeling instantly bereft and wishing him back inside her again and she closed her eyes against how hopeless this whole thing was. EJ meanwhile took a handful of tissues that were on the bench and quickly cleaned himself up before grabbing some more and setting about doing the same for her. As it had done the other night when he'd performed this intimate act for her Sami jerked suddenly as a sharp spasm ripped through her, making her walls contract wildly again in the wake of another orgasm by his hand.

"God but that's the sexiest thing in the world how you do that for me," growled EJ, his eyes flaring as he looked at her hungrily, still flushed and breathless from their lovemaking.

"EJ we can't, not again," said Sami shakily, knowing that look in his eye by now and her protest was as much for her benefit as his, "We have to get out of this bathroom - Adam and Genevieve will think…"

"They're my employees," interrupted EJ, moving in to kiss along her sweaty neck, his hands massaging her thighs, "They'll think what I tell them to think."

Sami looked a bit troubled by that and EJ softened his approach, not wanting to give her any reason to think twice about things.

"I just love you so much Samantha," he said softly, kissing her cheek gently, "I don't want you to ever forget that. When you truly embrace the fact that you love me as well then you're not going to be so paralysed by what everyone thinks of you."

"I'm not paralysed," protested Sami with a frown.

"I'm sorry," apologised EJ quickly, "Poor choice of words - concerned then."

"Is it such a horrible thing to be worried about hurting people EJ?" she asked him, looking serious now.

"Of course not," said EJ quietly, "But it's not a good thing either if you end up denying your own happiness just to please others."

He kissed her then, his lips sure and confident against hers.

"Come on," he said teasingly, "I've worked up a thirst trying to keep my woman satisfied, I need some liquid refreshments."

EJ stepped back then and let Sami down from the vanity and she hastily rearranged her clothing so it didn't look like she'd just had sex in an airplane toilet which of course she just had done. EJ gave her a smile and headed out first back into the cabin, giving Sami some room to fix herself up. Sami leant against the wall and stared unseeingly at the wall.

My woman.

Sami didn't know what to think or feel about that statement at all.

What the hell was going to happen when they got back to Salem and why did Sami have this sinking feeling that it wasn't going to be any good.

oooOOOOooo

Sami looked around airport a little guiltily as though expecting someone to leap out her and scream two timing whore in her face which for the first time in her life she wouldn't be able to deny it. She'd cheated on Lucas – there was no other way to look at it and Sami felt incredibly guilty and ashamed of that. Of all the terrible things she could quite rightly describe herself as – liar, manipulator, blackmailer, forger, black marketer of babies – up until a couple of days ago she could have least said she'd never cheated on a man. Sami blew out a despondent breath at that, her body still throbbing pleasantly from their latest encounter on the plane, making her uncomfortably aware of the truth.

There was no way around it no matter how she spun it – Sami had cheated her brains out the last couple of days.

She snuck a look at EJ who was busying himself with their bags. He looked so happy – damn him! Didn't he know that this was impossible and that what they'd done was only going to hurt so many people that Sami couldn't even bear to think about it. What had she'd been thinking Sami wondered in despair? EJ bent over then to check his bag with his back to her and Sami got a very nice view of his rear end. Oh yeah, she thought ruefully, unable to stop herself from admiring his taunt backside. Sami had a sudden sharp image of the feeling of that firm buttocks underneath her hands, nails digging into his flesh as wave after wave of a delirious orgasm ripped through her.

Sami looked away abruptly. Thoughts like that weren't going to help her think any more clearly about this situation but even still there was a helpless fluttering in her core that was hard to ignore. Sami closed her eyes against the hopelessness of the situation.

"Tired sweetheart?"

His soft question was spoken close to her face and Sami's eyes flew open to see EJ had sidled up to her and was now stretching out a hand to stroke her face lovingly, his eyes warm and tender.

"Perhaps I should take you home and put you to bed eh darling?" he said, his tone light and teasing but there was a sudden heat to his gaze that told Sami that it was doubtful she'd be allowed any rest once she was there.

EJ moved even closer then, his long body pressing up against her side as he bent his head and began to nuzzle along her neck. Sami's eyes quickly darted around to see who might be seeing them in the crowded airport but it seemed like everyone had other things to be concerned about. One of EJ's hands came up and buried itself in her soft blonde hair.

"I want you again Samantha," his voice a low rumble in his chest as he began to nip along her neck now, sharp little bites of growing need.

Sami's body responded immediately and she felt her panties grow damp once again.

"EJ no," she said weakly but tilted her head to one side to allow him better access to her neck, completely ruining the impact of her denial.

"I'm starving for you sweetheart," he told her, his voice sounding raw to her ears as his other hand dropped from her face to drag his fingers lightly down the front of her body until he was at her stomach, fingers splaying out over the material of her clothes possessively.

Sami's hand went to his quickly, trying to remove it from her stomach, the gesture seeming suddenly too familiar considering where they were.

"EJ stop!" she said, her voice starting to raise in panic a little, as her heart began to hammer nervously in chest, "Someone will see us."

"Let them," he said, the tiniest amount of hardness creeping into his voice now, "Everyone will know soon enough about us anyway Samantha."

"But not like this EJ!" said Sami determinedly trying to move out of his grasp.

EJ relented and relaxed his hold on her but didn't release her completely, instead coming to stand in front of her, his arms loosely around her waist.

"What is it Samantha?" he asked her, his face suddenly serious now.

EJ had expected there to be some hesitancy on Sami's behalf once they were back in Salem but he was determined that they should move through her fears together and come out the other side of it so they could get on with building a life together.

"Samantha?" he urged her, tightening his arms around her.

"Don't push me EJ," she said sharply, feeling her tension growing and always finding EJ an easy target, "I've got a lot to think about right now."

"I understand that sweetheart," said EJ calmly, "I know you're not looking forward to ending things between yourself and Lucas and if you think it will help I would be happy to come with you now."

"Now?" gasped Sami, her eyes going wide with shock, "You want me to speak to Lucas now EJ?"

"No time like the present eh darling?" said EJ with a little smile.

"But he's in hospital!" she protested, looking up at him in real horror.

"That's perfect when you think about it sweetheart," said EJ with a quirk of his lips, "He's already lying down so he won't have far to fall when you give him the news about us."

Sami pulled back then, breaking free of EJ's embrace as she looked up at him in disbelief.

"You can't possibly expect me to go in there right now and just… just…" Sami faltered then but EJ didn't.

"Just tell the truth?" he offered up helpfully, "That you have to follow your heart and be with the man you love?"

"What kind of a person does that to someone who is lying in a hospital bed after almost dying EJ?" asked Sami in horror.

"Someone who is wanting to put the past behind her where it belongs and move on with her life with the one man she knows she is truly meant to be with?" suggested EJ with an arched eyebrow, "Samantha, you do that man no favours by continuing in this pretence that you actually love him. I know you may not believe this but I do have Lucas' best interests at heart. Once you tell him the truth he can start the process of picking up the pieces of his life and moving on. Every moment you keep the truth about your love for me from him you let him live in a fool's fantasy. All three of us need to have this sorted once and for all so we can move on with our lives sweetheart."

"So you want me to go to the hospital right now and break up with Lucas on his sick bed because you actually have his best interests at heart?" said Sami, folding her arms in front of her chest and looking at him with a great deal of scepticism.

"Absolutely," said EJ firmly and then couldn't help the mischievous look that came to his eyes, "The enjoyment I'm going to get at the look on Lucas' face when you tell him is merely icing on the cake."

"EJ!" scowled Sami, unhappy to hear the obvious delight in EJ's voice at the thought, "How can you be so unfeeling?!"

"Samantha," said EJ wryly, "This might have escaped your notice sweetheart but Lucas and I detest one another. If I were to die tomorrow he'd be wheeling that hospital bed of his out to the cemetery just to do a hoe down on my grave!"

"You're exaggerating EJ," said Sami with a frown.

EJ looked steadily back at her and Sami flushed and looked away knowing that he wasn't.

"I can't do what you're asking," said Sami finally, looking back at him, "I can't do that to Lucas while he's still in hospital, it would be just so wrong of me. We share a child together EJ and there have been many, many years where we were just so rotten and disgusting to one another and I don't want to go back to that… ever."

"I understand that you have a bond in Will," said EJ firmly, "And I don't want there to be any animosity between the two of you knowing it will cause you stress Samantha and I certainly don't want Will to be put back into a war between the two of you. I know you think you are doing the right thing sweetheart but the longer you string him along the harder the fall will be and believe me you – he will not thank you for it. In fact it is guaranteed to cause the one thing you are dreading. If you make the break now, at the beginning, yes Lucas will be upset but he will get over it and he can't accuse you of misleading him. It's the only way Samantha. A quick, clean break is the only answer here."

"Stop pushing me EJ!" said Sami, sounding distressed now.

The trouble was there was sense in what he was saying… if she'd decided that EJ was the man she wanted now which seemed to be the assumption he was working under by what he was saying. But Sami wasn't so certain. She knew she had a lot of turbulent feelings about the man that she'd managed to suppress before and now Sami was having a lot of trouble even identifying what those feelings were let alone working what they meant and what she should do about it. He had them already moved in together and setting up house and EJ's calm certainty was beginning to freak her out completely. She didn't know what she wanted and having EJ tell her how it was going to be was just making her want to go the other way just to try and get some control back.

"I don't mean to Samantha," said EJ quietly, "I really only want to make your life easier."

Despite herself Sami gave a humourless laugh at that.

"When have you ever made my life easy EJ DiMera?" she asked him in exasperation.

"I bought you breakfast in bed," he reminded her cheekily.

Sami shook her head at that, trust him to have an answer for everything.

"And I'd very much like to bring you dinner in bed tonight as well," he said, a little smile on his lips now as he moved towards her again.

"I am not going to say anything to Lucas about anything until he is out of the hospital," said Sami determinedly, "And if you care for me at all you'll respect my decision EJ."

EJ stopped in front of her again and pursed his lips, giving her a considered look at that.

"Alright," he conceded at last, taking her chin in his hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth over her lips, "But as soon as he's out I expect you to tell him Samantha… or I will."

"You're so domineering," Sami criticised him, deeply unhappy at being given an ultimatum like that.

"You love that about me," he said confidently, his free hand going around her waist and pulling her more firmly into his arms, "Just like I love it about you."

"I'm not domineering!" she insisted heatedly.

"God but I love it when you pout like that," said EJ huskily, his thumb running back and forth over her bottom lip then, "All I can think about when you do it how badly I want to kiss it all better."

EJ licked his lips slowly then and Sami shuddered, the sudden predatory look in his eyes telling her that he didn't want to talk anymore. Before she could protest that they were in a public place EJ had managed to move her a few feet away into a little nearby alcove that afforded them some privacy. He moved in, pinning her to the wall with his body but didn't make any other move. They held each other's gaze for a long moment, both breathing unevenly as the tension between them grew until Sami thought she would start screaming from it all.

"Kiss me Samantha," he said eventually, his dark eyes flashing.

Sami didn't think twice about it, going up on her toes to nip at his bottom lip that still glistened a little from when he'd whet his lips a moment earlier. An unnecessary enticement. Sami kissed him with a sense of urgency that EJ quickly echoed. His hand went to the back of her head and held her mouth tightly to his, not willing for her to pull away ever again. The kiss was quickly spiralling out of control until there was a discreet cough off to their right. A middle aged business man was standing there, having passed by their hidey hole and was giving them a decidedly disapproving look which EJ just steadily returned but Sami was immediately embarrassed.

The interloper moved on then under EJ's cool stare but Sami just wanted to be out of there now. She moved to get past EJ but he quickly stalled her, holding onto her waist he turned them both around so that his back was against the wall now and Sami's back was pressed up against EJ's front. He kept his arms loosely around her waist and moved so that Sami was more or less forced to lean back against him. EJ dropped his head and his hot breath was in her ear speaking quiet words that were only meant for her.

"I don't want to stop Samantha," he told her throatily, his breath tickling her ear, "I want us to go home and so I can take you to bed."

Sami's eyelids began to droop a little at that.

"I want to lay you down on my bed… strip the clothes from your body… and worship every little inch of your perfect body."

Sami made a breathy gasp at that, imagining him doing just that, her core tightening in approval.

"I know you're already wet for me my darling," he said, his voice low and gravely, "I know that when I spread your legs and move into you that you will be wet and hot and oh so very tight sweetheart… it makes me want to cry from the sheer pleasure of how it feels to mount you…"

Sami was beginning to shake in earnest now, finding it difficult to breath all of a sudden. She could so clearly see the picture he was painting in her mind's eye with his words and Sami was scared by how much she wanted him to do all the things he was saying to her.

"Every time I claim you it's perfection Samantha," he told her, his voice becoming decidedly ragged now as he inflamed not only her but himself with his words, "Utter…"

EJ kissed her neck again, arms tightening around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

"… perfection," he finished huskily.

EJ felt her body melt into his and knew her resistance was gone now. The need to be alone with her suddenly becoming paramount to everything else to for him.

"Let's get go home Samantha," he told her.

He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and was straightening up, moving her away from him reluctantly so he could sort out their luggage and get them on their way. Sami knew she should be protesting, telling him that she needed more time to think and that simply going back to bed wasn't going to solve anything but the truth was she wanted that oblivion that came when he made love to her. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed and her world was suddenly so complicated that it made Sami's head ache just to think of thinking about it.

When she was in EJ's arms she couldn't think of anything else and even though Sami knew it was cowardly of her, she wanted just a few more minutes of blissful diversion to stave off the inevitable train wreck that was coming. Whatever her choices were from here on in it was going to get ugly - there was just no way around it. The sound of her cell phone ringing diverted Sami from any more of her morose thoughts and she retrieved it from her bag. There had been no reception for it on the island so this was the first time it had rung all week.

"Hello?" said Sami into the receiver and EJ watched her out of the corner of his eye as he stacked their suitcases onto a trolley, "Oh hey Mom…"

EJ's jaw tightened slightly - looks like it was starting already with Sami's family wanting a piece of her.

"Oh no!" gasped Sami and EJ turned around to look at her properly with a frown.

"Yes… yes of course," said Sami hastily, "I'll be right there… don't worry Mom."

She hung up then and looked like she was in shock.

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked solicitously while privately wondering if his luck was good enough that her mother had just told her that somehow Lucas had taken a bad turn with his injuries and was currently being wheeled to the morgue as they spoke, "What's wrong?"

"It's… it's John," stammered Sami, clearly upset.

Okay, if Lucas couldn't be on that trolley to the morgue than John would be EJ's next choice he decided but he kept a carefully concerned look on his face for Sami's benefit who was looking very distressed all of a sudden.

"Samantha?"

Chapter TWENTY SEVEN - Back To Reality

"Samantha?" he prompted her, "What about John? What's happened darling?"

"He… he's been rushed back into surgery," said Sami dazedly, this news a harsh dose of reality to Sami, "There was bleeding… his heart failed and… and they had to revive him and take him back to surgery to see if they could stop the bleeding in time."

Sami looked up at EJ then, blue eyes full of distress.

"It… it doesn't look good," she said, her voice wavering, "Mom said the doctors told her not to get her hopes up… that it was unlikely he'd be coming out of surgery."

One can only hope.

"Oh sweetheart I'm so sorry," said EJ instead of what he was really thinking, pulling the still shell shocked Sami into his arms and hugging her tightly.

As much as it would solve a lot of his problems to have John finally turn up his toes, EJ hated to see Sami so upset.

"I… I have to go and be with Mom," said Sami, her cheek against his chest, still trying to fathom the fact that John might actually be dying.

As rocky as their past history had been John had all she'd known as a father for a long time and it horrified her to think that she might lose him for good. Sami didn't want to think what that would do to her mother either, she would be simply devastated.

"Of course you must go," said EJ smoothly, "I'll call for a cab, don't worry about your luggage, I'll make sure it gets back to your apartment."

"Thanks," mumbled Sami, still distracted by this bad news.

EJ quickly and efficiently organised her taxi and then he was helping her into the back seat, closing the door behind her. He bent down then and looked for her.

"Give Marlena all my bests for a good outcome with John," he said calmly and then looked Sami in the eye, "And sweetheart, don't worry, I'm sure everything will work out."

Sami nodded mutely, not sure her mother would appreciate well wishes from EJ of all people but didn't say anything. EJ watched Sami being whisked away from him in the taxi and decided in vague annoyance the he should have tried harder to convince her to stay on the island a little longer. He wasn't willing to share her with others just yet which their return to Salem pretty much guaranteed he would have to. Case in point they hadn't even been back half an hour in Salem and already she was rushing off to see to her family.

They had a hold on her to be sure which would have to be dealt with sooner rather than later EJ decided. He didn't want Sami to give up her family but he did want her to stop being so dependent on their good opinion. To his way of thinking Samantha Jean Brady had absolutely nothing to apologise for and the fact that she seemed to be endlessly crawling for her family's acceptance was a real source of outrage for him. EJ was sure that once Sami stood on her own two feet and made no excuses for herself than her family would begin to respect both her and her choices for that.

Of course, the acid test was going to be how Sami would have to stand up to them when she told them that they were now a couple. It was a pretty big one to start on for Sami to exert her independence from the Brady's but it wasn't like she was going to have to go through it alone. He was going to be there, right by her side the whole time. It was unlikely that they were going to take the news well… more like guaranteed to cause at least one of them a stroke in fact! When her family found out that Samantha had given her heart to a DiMera rather than the Brady sanctioned Lucas Horton then all hell was going to break loose.

EJ was rather looking forward to it truth be told. Her family would undoubtedly have a very negative reaction which would be in direct contrast to his own father's. Stefano would welcome Sami into the family fold with open arms and EJ was excited to be able to show Sami that he wasn't the monster that her family would have her believe. He wanted Sami to love his father as he did and maybe with the undoubted shunning that was heading her way from her own family she would allow herself to look at his father with fresh eyes.

EJ's dreams of building a life together with Sami and delighting his father with the beginning of the next generation of DiMera's was tantalisingly close.

oooOOOOooo

"Mom!"

Sami rushed into Salem University's waiting room, being unfortunately familiar with where it was after many such anxious vigils with so many members of her family.

"Sami," said Marlena as Sami hurried up and hugged her fiercely, "Oh honey, I'm so glad you're here!"

"Of course I'm here Mom," said Sami as she returned her mother's embrace.

She pulled back then and looked at Marlena anxiously.

"How is he Mom?" she asked, her eyes full of worry.

"It doesn't look good honey," said Marlena with a quiet dignity but her eyes were tinged with great pain, "The doctors aren't very hopeful… they've told us to prepare for the worst."

"No!" said Sami, more loudly than she'd intended, "They don't know John - they don't know what a fighter he is. He'll come through this Mom, I just know he will!"

"Oh Sami," said Marlena, her eyes starting to fill up with tears, "I hope so… I don't know what I'll do if I lose John."

"You're not going to lose John Mom," said Sami firmly, her own eyes starting to water at seeing her normally stalwart mother so upset, "John is strong and he's going to pull through."

"You're right sweetie," said Marlena, putting on a brave face and blinking away her tears, "Of course you're right."

"Where is everyone?" she asked Marlena, looking around, "You're not here by yourself are you?"

"Belle and Shawn are in the chapel saying some prayers for John," said Marlena, "And Abe was here too but he got called away. He promised he'd be back though. Your dad is in court but I know he'll come as soon as he's done testifying."

"Well I'm here now," said Sami firmly, "And I'm not going anywhere until we get the news about John going to be okay."

"Thank you sweetie," said Marlena with a grateful smile and then shook her head, suddenly realising, "Oh honey, I haven't even asked - how did your business trip go? Did you manage to get that Mr Devlise to come on board as a sponsor for Mythic?"

"It doesn't matter Mom," said Sami quickly with a shake of her head, feelings of guilt at lying to her mother washing over her, "We'll talk about it later. It's not important right now."

Sami led her mother over to one of the waiting room chairs and made her sit down, taking a seat beside her. She held her mother's hand and just tried to be there for her and all the while trying determinedly not to think about what exactly had happened while she was away.

oooOOOOooo

"What is taking so long?" asked Marlena in anguish, unable to sit still any longer she stood up and began to pace.

It had been over an hour now since Sami had arrived to be with her mother. Shawn and Belle had turned up but then they'd had to go again to pick up Claire but they'd both promised to return once they'd dropped their daughter off at Caroline's.

"You said it was a tricky operation Mom," said Sami, quickly getting up and following her mother, "You said it might take a while for the doctors to find exactly where the bleeding was coming from."

"But John's heart has already failed once," worried Marlena, "It's doubtful how much longer it can stand being under anaesthesia like this. It's a lot of stress on it and John might go in to cardiac arrest again… which I'm sure is exactly what you'd love - isn't that right?!"

Sami gasped at Marlena's sudden vitriol until she realised that her mother was not longer looking at her but somewhere over her left shoulder. Sami turned her head and gave another gasp to see who was standing there.

"Isn't that right EJ?" Marlena repeated her question bitterly, "What are you doing here anyway - come to make sure the job you started gets finished?"

"I was here for a board meeting that I thought was on today but I was mistaken," said EJ smoothly, looking between the two women, "I saw you both standing here and wondered if there was something wrong and if I could do anything to help at all."

"Help?!" Marlena spat out the word with such force that Sami looked back at her normally calm mother with surprise, "The only way you can help EJ is by swapping places with my husband… you remember him, the man you put a bullet into the day after Christmas?!"

"Marlena," said EJ, holding up a placating hand to her, "I assure you that I had nothing what so ever to do with the tragic shooting of John, I give you my word."

"Oh and your word as a DiMera means so very much doesn't it EJ?" asked Marlena bitingly, angry tears filling her eyes.

"Despite the Salem police department's very best attempts and your ex-husband's what could only be called a vendetta against me there is absolutely no proof of me being anywhere near John the night of the shooting Marlena," said EJ evenly, "I know that pinning anything that goes wrong in this town on a DiMera is pretty much a way of life here in Salem but this time you are wrong."

"I don't believe a word you say EJ!" said Marlena angrily.

"Well that is very regrettable," said EJ and he seemed so sincere as he said it that it made Sami's head spin to see it, "Mainly because it means that while you are all fixated on me being the mad man who shot John, the real perpetrator of such a heinous act is being allowed to get away with his actions scot free."

"You are unbelievable the way you can just stand there and lie through your teeth like that," said Marlena in disgust, "I bet you're standing there just praying that John won't make it through this latest surgery!"

Sami looked at her mother in surprise at her accusation but EJ seemed unfazed.

"Actually it's quite the opposite Marlena," said EJ determinedly, "I'm praying John does pull through the surgery and wakes up very soon so he can once and for all clear up this matter and tell everyone that I am not the man who shot him."

"You will never convince me of your innocence EJ DiMera," said Marlena angrily, "Never!"

"Obviously this is a bad time," said EJ calmly, "I'll leave you both to your privacy."

EJ straightened his coat and gave Marlena a tight smile.

"I am sorry for what you and your family are going through right now Marlena," he said quietly, "Whether you believe that or not, it's the truth."

EJ inclined his head slightly at both women and turned around, heading back down the hallway.

"That man is a snake," said Marlena bitterly as she watched EJ leave.

EJ turned a corner and was gone from their view and Marlena turned back to look at Sami worriedly who hadn't spoken a word the entire time EJ had been there.

"I hate that he only lives across the hall from you and Lucas," Marlena worried.

"It's fine Mom," said Sami, trying to sound calm but the obvious hatred her mother had for EJ had thrown her for a bit of a loop.

She'd known her mother distrusted him and didn't like EJ but there had been real hatred in Marlena's eyes when she'd looked at the other man. It made Sami almost faint with fear over what her mother would make of what had happened between her and EJ this last week. Sami could just imagine the disgust and revulsion on her mother's face if she ever found out.

"Maybe you should come and stay with me until Lucas gets out of hospital honey?" offered Marlena sincerely, "I don't like the thought of you being all alone in that apartment with that man only a few feet away."

"I can handle EJ Mom," protested Sami with a frown.

"Sami he's a DiMera," said her mother tightly, "You should never underestimate how truly evil that man really is."

Sami swallowed hard and her heart sunk, not answering her mother.

oooOOOOooo

Twenty minutes later John was finally out of surgery and back in his room. He'd survived but the doctors had said the next twenty four hours were going to be critical. Sami had left her mother to go and get them both something to drink while Marlena kept a worried vigil beside John's bed. Sami found all the wires and tubes that John was attached to quite frightening and she was happy to have something to do and try and make herself useful. She rounded the corner on the way to the coffee machine and came to an abrupt halt at seeing the person heading the other way.

"Abe," she said, remembering just then that her mother said that her god father had planned on coming back, "Hi."

"Sami," said Abe with a little smile, "Back safely I see."

"Mm," mumbled Sami, not wanting to talk about it, "John's out of surgery."

"That's great," said Abe and he looked as though he'd breathed a giant sigh of relief, "I knew he'd pull through."

"The doctors are still being pretty negative," said Sami unhappily, "Mom's with him now if you want to go and visit for awhile, I know she'd appreciated it."

"I was planning on doing that," nodded Abe before fixing her with a steady look, "But I'm glad I ran into you Sami, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Oh?" said Sami, suddenly feeling very nervous, "About what Abe?"

"EJ Wells," said Abe flatly, "Or rather EJ DiMera as we now know that is who he really is."

"Wh… what about him?" asked Sami, her nerves tightening.

"Sami new information has come to light about Steve and Kayla's poisoning," said Abe, looking very serious.

"You… you have evidence that EJ was the one who poisoned them?" stammered Sami, a sick feeling rising up in her stomach.

"No," said Abe, "He's too clever for that. But there are some holes starting to appear in things and it's only a matter of time before it all unravels around that smug SOB."

"Right," said Sami weakly, her shoulders slumping.

Talk about a wakeup call, she'd only been back in Salem a couple of hours and already it was being made brutally clear to her what a huge mistake she'd made in forgetting even for a moment who EJ DiMera really was.

"Patrick Lockhart along with Eve Michaels are still missing, presumed dead," said Abe before his face hardened even more, "Along with Lexie and Tek."

"Oh Abe," said Sami compassionately, putting a hand on Abe's arm solicitously, "I'm so sorry."

"EJ DiMera is at the bottom of all of those peoples' disappearances," said Abe harshly, "I'm sure of it."

"But Lexie is EJ's half sister," protested Sami fretfully, "Surely he wouldn't…"

"Don't ever underestimate what a DiMera will do Sami," Abe interrupted her bitterly; "Those people have no morals and no limits."

Sami looked away, her heart thumping erratically in her chest at the harsh reality of who EJ really was staring her in the face.

"I need to ask you a favour Sami," said Abe, looking at her intently, "I wouldn't ask it of you if it wasn't important but seeing as you live so close to EJ I need you to keep an eye on his comings and goings for us. We just need to catch a break with him - his luck can't hold forever."

"You're really sure that EJ is behind all these things aren't you Abe?" asked Sami faintly, clinging to some last sliver of hope.

"I've been a cop for a lot of years Sami," said Abe firmly, "And my gut tells me that EJ DiMera or his father is behind every one of those things we've been talking about."

Abe looked at her enquiringly then.

"So will you do it Sami?" he asked her, "I don't want you to take any risks - make sure you're never alone with EJ but if you can just keep an eye on him for us so we can finally get a head in this game he is playing with everyone in Salem?"

Over Abe's left shoulder Sami saw EJ suddenly appear, keeping his distance but watching the two of them talking with great interest. Sami tried to keep her face carefully unreadable as she looked back at Abe.

"Yes," she whispered, "I'll do it."

"Thank you Sami," smiled Abe, moving in to kiss her cheek, "And remember - no heroics, just watch the man, nothing more. The less you have to do with him the better."

"Of course," said Sami with a weak smile.

"I'd better go and check on John and Marlena," said Abe, going to move past Sami, completely oblivious to EJ's presence behind him.

"Now that you're going to be there could you please tell Mom that I'm going to visit with Lucas for a bit?" Sami asked him and Abe smiled and nodded, heading off down the corridor Sami just came up herself.

As soon as Abe was out of sight EJ approached her, looking at her a bit cautiously as she stood there, her expression inscrutable.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" he asked her softly, "You look very pale."

"I'm fine," said Sami sharply, looking over her shoulder to make sure that Abe hadn't doubled back for some reason and would find her and EJ together.

"Is John…?" began EJ a little hesitantly.

"He's out of surgery and the doctors are very hopeful he'll make a full recovery," said Sami, her lie intending to evoke some kind of response from EJ about how he felt about that but he just looked back at her calmly.

"Well that is good news," he said easily, "Marlena must be very relieved."

"She is," said Sami, almost defiantly, annoyed that she couldn't make out what he was thinking.

"You know you haven't had anything to eat since that snack on the plane sweetheart," said EJ, putting a gentle hand on her arm, "Perhaps now that you know that John is going to be alright you and I could go and get something to eat?"

Sami looked back at him with a bit of a frown.

"I… I have to go and see Lucas," she stalled him.

"Do you?" he asked her mildly but there was the slightest hardening of his jaw as he asked her that question.

"I'm not going to tell him about… about… the island," said Sami quickly, looking up at EJ for his reaction.

"Of course," he said easily, "I understand that Samantha."

"You… you do?" she said in amazement.

"Yes," said EJ, holding her gaze steadily, "I meant what I said before Samantha, I do want to make things as easy for you as I can. I agree that broadcasting what occurred between us on Ara Caman would be unnecessarily inflammatory under the circumstances."

Sami looked at him in confusion over that, completely taken aback by how he was taking this.

"Darling," said EJ calmly, lightly tracing a line down one of her pale cheeks, "All Lucas needs to know is that you no longer want to be with him, that's it. Who you do choose to be with and when is none of his concern past that point."

"There is too much going on EJ," said Sami with a distressed shake of her head, "I can't deal with this right now!"

"Then by all means take a moment Samantha," said EJ, leaning in towards her, "But you have to know that waiting on ending things between you and Lucas is not going to make the task any easier."

Sami opened her mouth to protest but EJ didn't let her speak.

"I will however abide by your decision to do this your way," said EJ smoothly before fixing her with an intent look, "Up to a point Samantha. I know your tendency to drag out unpleasant tasks in the vain hope that they will simply evaporate and that can't happen with this situation. I'll give you a couple of days to get your bearings if that is what you truly want but after that I really am going to have to insist that this is dealt with darling."

EJ moved closer then and pressed a lingering kiss on Sami's forehead and she tensed, concerned at how might be seeing them but the familiarity of his touch and the things it did to her ensured that she didn't move away.

"I love you Samantha," he said with great certainty, "We'll get through this little bit of unpleasantness together. Just don't forget what we shared on Ara Caman - how amazing our time together was. We have such an amazing future ahead of us, just focus on that and everything else will fall into place, I promise you."

Sami gave him a weak smile and nodded. She stepped back and started to head towards Lucas' room on the floor below, leaving EJ standing there. As soon as she was out of EJ's eyeshot she collapsed against the wall and gave a choked sob, closing her eyes in anguish.

Sami was used to her life being impossible and complicated but she'd really outdone herself with this latest mess. All of Abe's and her mother's words about EJ came back to her in full force. If even half of what they were saying was true about EJ it still meant that she'd slept with a complete monster. Sami's stomach churned violently at the very thought of it. On the island Salem and all that had been going on it before she'd left hadn't seemed real but all of a sudden it was very much so to Sami now.

John was barely clinging to life and there seemed to be no end to the evil deeds that could be traced back to EJ… Patrick, Steve and Kayla, Tek and even his own sister. Sami put a hand on her stomach, trying to match up the charming, flirtatious and adoring man that had wooed her so relentlessly on the island with this cold blooded killer that everyone seemed to be certain he was. Sami just couldn't seem to process the information and have it make sense. She wanted to believe that none of it was true, that it was all a big misunderstanding and that she just hadn't given herself to a soulless killer.

And the worst was yet to come to she realised despairingly. How was she meant to go and see Lucas and just pretend like she hadn't betrayed him in the worst possibly way? That day she'd caught her mother and John in the conference room, cheating on her father like that had been a defining moment for Sami. Of all the lines she'd been prepared to cross and there were a lot of them - infidelity hadn't been one of them. When she was with someone she loved them with her whole heart and wasn't looking for anyone else. In fact that had always been her problem in the past, becoming so obsessed with one person that she couldn't see beyond that.

So what was it about EJ that made her just go against something that was so important to her when she'd never been so much as tempted to consider it before now?

Sami wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer to that - finding it easier to blame it all on EJ and his smooth ways. She'd fallen for it hook, line and sinker and now Sami had to deal with the consequences. She swallowed hard, dreading going and seeing Lucas, knowing she should confess all to him but knowing that she wouldn't. Sami was still so very confused by everything that she just didn't know which way to turn.

All she knew was that nothing could ever be the same again.