Thank you for your continued support.

Standard disclaimer.

Small reminder: Sam calls Mercedes Andy sometimes, because he learned her middle name is Andrea.

MERCEDES

It was like someone had pressed the pause button on life.

I stood a few feet from the bathroom, my arms at my sides, as I stared at Sam.

Neither of us moved for a long moment, but my heart pounded, as heat raced across my cheeks, down my throat and under the towel.

Pool water still clung to his bare chest, coursing down his abs, forming little rivers.

Sam...he stared at me with a heat and an intensity, that was hard to mistake.

He didn't look at me, like I'd just busted my ass right in front of him and fallen into the pool.

Right now, he didn't even look at me, like he thought I was a useless party girl.

He looked at me, like he saw a woman he wanted...a woman he needed.

And in that moment, my knees weakened for the first time in my life.

Then he moved.

Kicking the door shut behind him, Sam steadily advanced on me.

The thud of the door closing snapped me out of my stupor.

"What the hell?" I shrieked, clutching where I knotted the towel above my breasts, as I took a step back.

I was completely nude under the towel, and I'd never been this undressed in a room with him before. It was too much.

"What are you doing up here? Don't you know how to knock?" I asked.

Sam didn't look like he heard me.

"I came up here for a reason, but hell if I remember now."

"W-what?" I sputtered. "You probably came to hurl more insults at me."

He lifted his green gaze to mine and some of the heat evaporated from his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insulting, but I was. That's why I came up here. To tell you I'm sorry," he said.

For a second, I forgot I was in a towel and he had barged in on me. This was the second time he'd apologized. Never before had he ever apologized. Neither had I.

I blinked slowly, having no idea what to say.

Sam's gaze dipped again, and his lips parted.

A rough sound emanated from him, causing my toes to curl against the hardwood floors and my tummy to twist.

That was the moment, when I realized, there was one hell of a gap in the towel.

'Holy crap!'

Since I wasn't a size 2 or even a size 10, a normal towel didn't cover me completely. The towel parted just below my left breast, exposing the side of my stomach, my hip and my entire upper thigh.

I knew he could see the under-swell of my breast, and if he looked hard enough...God only knew what else he could see.

I couldn't even fool myself into thinking something different.

If I moved too quickly, he'd definitely get an eyeful of my goods.

I almost laughed, because, I'd been so against him seeing me in a bikini a few hours before, and now, he saw pretty much just the same.

But the back of my throat and my eyes burned, and if I laughed, it might've sounded a little crazed.

Sam exhaled harshly, jarring me, as if he was reading my mind.

"You're beautiful, Mercedes."

Anger and pleasure warred inside me. He'd said that earlier, but I'd dismissed it...buried it so deep in my thoughts, that it was like hearing it for the first time.

"Don't say things you don't mean. Not stuff like that."

He frowned, as his eyes met mine.

"I do mean it."

I swallowed hard as I shook my head and my fingers tightened on the knot. I didn't know what to say to that.

"You shouldn't be in here."

"I know." But he made no effort to leave. "You hurt your knee."

'Huh?'

I glanced down, and saw he was right. Tiny drops of blood beaded over my left knee.

"I...I must have skinned it when I fell." As impossible as it sounded, my face burned even brighter.

"Let me take a look at it," he said.

"It's fine. Just a scratch."

Sam's long legs ate up the remaining distance between us, and he was suddenly standing right in front of me.

"I'm sure it's fine, but I'd feel better if I looked at it. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but why don't you put some clothes on and let me check it out."

I wanted him to get the hell out of my room, and he was giving me the option to escape.

Shuffling to the bed, I grabbed the clothes I'd laid out before he burst into my room.

I stopped at the bathroom door and glanced over my shoulder. He was still there, with his hands clenched at his sides.

And something about his stance unsettled me. Actually, everything about him right then, unnerved me.

I slipped into the bathroom on shaky legs and my reflection in the mirror, confirmed that my face was completely flushed.

God, tonight had gone just amazing, hadn't it?

First, I slipped and fell into the pool like a dork and then got caught standing in a towel, which hid nothing.

I was ready to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. Or down half a bottle of tequila, because, if there were ever some moments to get shitfaced, these were two of them.

Picking up my clothes, I realized I'd forgotten to grab a bra.

Fuck me. Seriously?

Maybe I'd get lucky and Sam would fall into a black hole or something.

I quickly changed into the cotton shorts and shirt, cringing, when I could plainly see my nipples, pressing against the material.

The universe was not a fan of me right now. I was pretty sure it was punishing me.

My knee ached a little, and I grabbed some tissue.

I'd just sat down on the rim of the bathtub, when there was a knock on the door.

"Are you clothed?" asked Sam

"Yes."

Immediately, I knew I should've said no, because, the next second, the door was opening, and he was stepping into the bathroom.

Still shirtless. Still wet.

God, wet abs were hot.

I shook my head in disgust, as I scowled up at him.

"I could've been peeing."

He lifted a brow, as he stopped in front of me.

"I'd actually hope you would've said that."

"Why would I tell you I was peeing?" I fired back. "I shouldn't have to tell you anything. You shouldn't walk willy-nilly into rooms."

"Willy-nilly?"

His lips twitched, and I swore in that moment, if he laughed, I was going to kick him in the balls, total kung-fu style.

He grabbed the tissues from my hand and knelt.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I didn't know what he was referring to at first.

"I said I was okay."

He tilted his head, as he wrapped his hand around my left calf, causing me to jump a little.

Pausing, he peered up through thick, blonde lashes.

"Did I hurt you?" His voice was low, thick like velvet.

There was a distinct impression, he meant more than touching my leg. But before I could respond, he went back to staring at my knee.

I tried to picture him doing this on calls when he worked. Unlike now, he'd be covered head to toe, but I bet with that uniform, he'd induced a lot of swoons.

Sam gently swabbed at the skin, dabbing at the blood. Several moments passed and then he said,

"I really didn't mean to say what I did out there. I don't think you sit around all day and do nothing."

I stared at the top of his head. When his hair was wet, it looked dark blonde...almost brown, and I could see the tiny droplets clinging to the short strands.

"Are you sure about that? Because, I honestly think you do believe that."

His hand froze a few inches from my knee and then he lifted his chin. Green eyes pierced mine.

"You know, you're right to ask that." Settling back on his haunches, he didn't look away. "And you do deserve my honesty. Up until a couple of days ago, I really didn't think you did anything with your spare time. I had no idea you volunteered at the hospital or the suicide hotline."

I sucked in a breath.

"Shay opened her mouth?"

He nodded.

There was a tiny, black-haired girl, who was going to get throttled. I could not fathom why she'd tell him about that.

Then again, she could've overheard our argument by the pool, which proved, she could multitask, while she sucked face with Caleb.

I wasn't embarrassed by my volunteer activities. It just wasn't something, I thought Sam would care to know.

"I think that's pretty amazing," he said, flashing a quick smile. "Not a lot of people could do that."

"True."

Most could not surround themselves with those who were ill, or listen to the calls from people, who so desperately needed help.

I honestly had no idea how I could do it, but I guessed it had something to do with...well, with who I was.

"So, what? Now you think I put the 'awe' in awesome?" I asked.

He grinned wryly.

"I've always thought you were pretty awesome, despite my obviously incorrect assumptions about you."

I pursed my lips together.

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true."

Leaning back, he tossed the used tissues in the little wicker trash-basket and went on.

"I always knew you were smart. You were taking pre-med when we met and it wasn't like you were failing at that. You've always been funny...no one can twist words quite like you. And I've seen some profound moments of sweetness from you."

Oh geez, my throat suddenly went dry, and I had to look away.

I ended up seeing our reflection in the mirror, and it was so strange, him kneeling in front of me, his head tilted back, staring up at me.

"And you have to know that I always thought you were hot," he added. "For fuck's sake, you have curves...for days. That alone puts you into the sexy-as-hell category."

I coughed out a short laugh.

"That's not what most people say about curvy women."

"Fuck them."

His hand slid up to the back of my knee, causing me to draw in a quick breath. And a series of shivers traveled over me.

"You probably already know, you should put some peroxide on this, but you'll live," he finished.

My belly was fluttering, as he ran his thumb along the back of my knee.

Sensations rioted. I had no idea, that area was so sensitive.

"I know," I replied. It came out almost as a whisper.

Curling his hand around the space just above my knee, Sam peered up at me again, a small half-grin on his handsome face.

Then he rose, slipping his hand off my leg and instead of straightening, he clasped my cheeks in a gentle grasp, that sent my heart thundering.

"Let's start over. Okay?" he suggested softly. "My name is Sam Evans."

I stared at him, in what had to be an attractive, bug-eyed look. He was being serious. There was no ignoring the earnest touch to his expression.

Could people ever truly start over?

I didn't think so.

The past didn't just simply vanish, because, we wanted it to, but what harm was there in pretending? That was something else that I excelled at.

"My...my name is Mercedes Jones."

There was a brief glimpse of his smile growing wider and then he kissed the tip of my nose.

"It's good to finally meet you."

Tuesday night was different. Not bad or anything, but most definitely different.

The four of us sat on the deck, under the stars, and chatted about everything and nothing in particular.

All of us were drinking, but not to get sloshed, and I was okay with that.

Maybe it was the peaceful scenery. Maybe it was the people I was with. Either way, I didn't feel like I needed more, to have a good time or to relax.

Caleb was excited to start veterinary school, while Shay was eager to get done with grad school and she hadn't even started it yet.

Sam and I were the odd people out, both of us were on hold, until the spring.

Not once did we argue.

Okay. That wasn't entirely true. We bickered, but it wasn't a knock-down, drag-out argument, that ended with me threatening his ability to reproduce in the future.

Even after starting over, I wasn't sure, we'd ever be able, to not snap at one another.

We stayed up late, and I ended up pouring myself into bed, falling asleep, without having to take a pill for that to happen.

And on Wednesday morning, Caleb and Shay made breakfast, before they headed off on their first hiking adventure.

I stayed behind, because, well, bears...and coyotes...and deer. And physical activity. Plus, I was pretty sure, they'd be stopping every couple of minutes to make out, and I really didn't need to see all of that.

Sam strolled by, where I sat on the bar-stool, in front of the kitchen island.

He tugged one of my curls and then leaned against the island, angling his body towards mine.

"So, what are we going to get into today?" he asked.

"Why didn't you go hiking with them?" I asked instead of answering. One just had to take a look at him, to know he was all about physical activity.

He shrugged one shoulder, causing the faded T-shirt he wore, to stretch across his chest.

"They didn't want me to go along with them, so you're stuck with me."

I thought it was a little strange, that they would've said that, but knowing Shay, she probably purposely dis-invited him, the moment she realized I wasn't going with them, leaving him behind to babysit me.

But...after our little one-on-one in the bathroom yesterday, I wasn't sure being stuck with him was a bad thing.

"I guess I am."

"Yep. So why don't you go upstairs, put that bathing suit on and we'll spend the day being lazy and getting sun-burnt."

I started to make up an excuse, but considering he'd seen me in a towel, that barely covered anything the night before, it seemed stupid, to not want to go out there in a swimsuit.

Still, I hesitated.

"Come on, Andy." He caught my hand in his and drew me off the bar-stool. His other hand settled on my hip. "Spend time with me."

Staring into eyes, that reminded me of a lush rain-forest, I found myself nodding.

His grin was easy and contagious, as he tugged me against his chest.

My heart stuttered at the contact and he seemed to have no idea, how he affected me, as he swept his arms around me.

Hugging me tight, he lifted me clear off my feet and gave me a little shake.

And I squeaked like a dog toy.

"Sam!"

"Sorry." He didn't sound remorseful at all. "I get a little excited sometimes." He put me down and let go. "Hurry. I'll be waiting for you outside."

I did just that, before I changed my mind.

Dashing up the stairs, I changed into the bikini and then tugged a tube dress made out of terry cloth over it.

I didn't stop to check myself out, or take time to really think about the fact that, it felt like we'd paired off...Caleb and Shay and Sam and me.

Of course, the four of us went out a lot, but it never felt like we were coupling.

'Coupling?'

I giggled out loud, as I ran a hand through my hair, brushing it back from my face.

Back downstairs, I stopped in the kitchen and before I knew what I was doing, I was standing in front of the fridge, reaching for a bottle of Miller Lite.

I figured one could help me relax, so I started to kneel to grab one.

I stopped and drew in a shallow breath.

What was I doing?

Clutching the door handle, I pressed my lips together in dismay.

Did I really need a drink to relax?

No. I didn't. I didn't need one. I wanted one. Big difference there.

Drawing in a deeper breath this time, I shut the door and took a step back.

Turning around, I gasped.

Sam stood next to the sliding glass door. I hadn't even heard him come in and I had no idea how long he'd been standing there, but I knew he'd seen me.

He smiled at me, giving me no indication that he was judging me, but he probably was, because, I was judging myself.

"You ready?" he asked.

Leaving the fridge, I went to him and smiled weakly, when he opened the glass door.

Then, I stepped into the bright, warm sunlight, sort of feeling like a different person. Like I'd stripped away a layer, that had been itchy and uncomfortable.

Sam prowled passed me, peeling the shirt over his head as he walked.

Dear mama, those green swim trunks, a shade or two lighter than his eyes, hung indecently low on his hips.

How in the world did they stay on him?

When he turned to me, I couldn't stop staring at those V-shaped indentations at his hips. Good Lord, his body was downright distracting.

He winked at me and then turned, diving into the pool like a damn pro. My eyes narrowed as I sighed. Even that was graceful.

I approached the edge of the deck, on the other end of the pool, where there were steps, careful not to slip and fall again, like a total turd.

Sam swam to the other side of the pool. With his back to me, he called out,

"Are you getting in?"

Expecting him to turn around, I waited a second, but realized that he was...goodness, he was giving me time to get the dress off.

That was so sweet of him.

Fingers trembling, I gripped the dress and tugged it over my head.

When I scanned the water, I saw him swimming under it.

With my heart pounding, I dropped the dress within easy reach and had just reached the first step in the pool, water licking at my ankles, when his head broke the surface.

I froze.

He made his way to where he could stand, bringing his chest out of the water.

Sunlight glinted off his glistening skin, but it was the way he stared at me, that tugged my breath right out of my chest.

His gaze was like a physical touch, and my body hummed in response.

"Andy," he murmured, voice deep and low. "I have a secret to admit."

Feeling breathless and foolish, I resisted the urge to fold my arms across my stomach.

"Is it an interesting secret?"

"Oh yeah." His lips curled slowly. "Caleb actually invited me to go with them today."

My brows rose.

"He did?"

Sam nodded.

"I told him no, that I'd rather spend the day with you."

Stay safe!