Moonlit Wishes
Book III, Part X

Sami dreaded picking up the kids from her mom's. First off she didn't want an inquisition from her mother who would probably be trying to shrink her head while doing her best to chink away at what exactly was going on between her and EJ. Secondly, at this juncture in time she really had no clue what was going on between them other than EJ was opting to stay as far away from her as he possibly could. Thirdly she was wondering if she was a slut for wanting to jump EJ's bones last night.

The only thing she was thankful for was not having a hangover this morning. She might have drunk more than her fill last night, but she knew exactly what she had been doing, or rather not doing after EJ put the brakes on their foraging through another romp in bed together.

Right now though it wouldn't have even mattered if they hadn't made it to the bed, but she'd just have to wait him out. Surely EJ would cave soon enough.

Honestly she didn't know how EJ stood it every time she had turned him down, because this one refusal by him was driving her crazy as she racked her brain hoping she could come up with something to make him change his mind. She knew he wanted her, he'd admitted as much, but still he had held off.

Well time enough to worry about that later Sami thought as she put on what she hoped was a happy smile as she knocked on the door to her mother's penthouse apartment. Her family wouldn't know she got shot down because she and EJ were trying to convince them they were just friends.

EJ could lie to himself all day if he wanted to, but she wasn't going to lie to herself anymore. They had something she couldn't quite define, but she knew it was something incredible and for the first time ever she wasn't going to run away from EJ and whatever it was that was between them.

Those thoughts were instantly shattered as Marlena greeted her daughter, "Good morning Sami. How are you doing?"

"Couldn't be better," Sami lied through her teeth, not wanting her mother to think otherwise, better for her to think life was fine and dandy than for her to suspect anything else or Sami would never escape from her mother's presence today.

"Well the kids are still asleep, they stayed up way past their bedtime playing with Claire, they were all so excited to see one another again," Marlena gushed happily.

Sami wasn't a fool, she knew her mother was happy for Belle's return because Belle was a perfect sweet daughter whereas she mainly was either a source of embarrassment or aggravation for her mother. But Sami had to admit she was glad Belle was home even if it put her lower on the family totem pole than ever.

Sometimes being lower kept you under the radar which was a good thing considering the one thing Sami didn't want was her mother's interference or advice concerning EJ.

Usually Marlena didn't hold EJ in high esteem even if EJ had been the one to turn on his father and bring John back to her when Stefano had kept John captive and erased his memory.

Damn their families were both twisted, she doubted many families had so many combined skeletons in their closets, but she guessed in Salem anything was possible.

"Sami, did you hear what I said?" Marlena asked and Sami hated her mind was wondering off in a thousand different directions when she needed to be focused on keeping her mother out of her business, not in it.

Sami smiled even wider, "Sorry Mother, I was just thinking how wonderful it is to have Belle back home with us."

"Sami, what a sweet thing to say," Marlena pulled her into a hug which Sami tried to return without grimacing. Her mother and hugs were not something she usually associated together all that much.

"I have the best big sister in the world," Belle reached for Sami pulling her away from Marlena's clutches something Sami was secretly thankful for because Marlena hugging her frankly made her uncomfortable as hell.

"Glad you realize this," Sami joked with Belle as her younger sister led her to the couch and they both plopped down on it together while their mother looked on at them.

"Of course I do," Belle said taking Sami's hand within her own before adding, "Mom would you mind giving me a Sami a moment alone?"

"No, you go ahead I'll just be in the kitchen whipping you up something for breakfast," Marlena went into the kitchen providing Sami and Belle a chance to speak without her being present.

"Want to come over to my house for breakfast instead?" Sami asked in a quiet voice knowing her mother couldn't cook a single thing without burning it to a blackened crisp. The family dinner last night had been catered, every single bit of food that had graced the table last night Marlena hadn't touched beyond taking it out of the box that it came packaged in for delivery.

"Can I? We need to have some girl talk."

"Sure, but don't invite Mom. I can't handle her this morning," Sami spoke honestly with her sister.

"Okay, let me get on some clothes on, wake the kids up and we'll go because I am dying to see your new house," Belle said hopping up from the couch before Sami could tell her it wasn't her house, it was EJ's. "You tell Mom not to worry about cooking."

"I'm on it," Sami went to the kitchen to tell Marlena she was taking Belle and the kids back to her house promising to bring Belle and Claire back later thus insuring she wouldn't have a surprise visit from Marlena sometime today.

A little while later they were back at the house, the kids running around having a great time playing with each other, Belle gushing over how everything looked, praising Sami for her decorating choices. Seeing the house through Belle's eyes made Sami feel proud. She had done this, well most of the renovations on her own and after EJ came back he helped her too so it was a joint effort.

"I am so impressed," Belle stated as she and Sami went to the breakfast nook, each with a cup of coffee in their hands.

"Well I can't take all the credit," Sami began in between taking sips of coffee.

Belle started to giggle, "That's a switch, Sami Brady not wanting the full credit for anything."

Sami shot her a look, then broke into a smile, "I know it's hard to believe, but really if it hadn't of been for EJ we wouldn't even be here right now."

"So speaking of EJ," Belle placed her cup down and took Sami's hand in hers. "Spill now. I want all the juicy gossip. What is going on between you two? I wanted to talk you about things last night, but you know how Mom can be and things seemed kind of tense with Brady having Nicole as his date."

"Tense doesn't begin to cover it," Sami stated as a frown started for form on her face. She really did hate Nicole. "I just can't stand that gold digging whore and now she's trying to get her hooks into Brady once again."

"Forget about Nicole. We just have to introduce Brady to someone new and maybe he'll drop her without a second thought. Now quit evading the subject, I want to know how all of this came about, the kids, you and EJ all living here."

"Long story," Sami looked around not really wanting to talk about EJ. She was so frustrated and confused over everything how could she make sense of it talking about it to Belle? "But before we go into my life why are you back in Salem? Boat getting refinished, Shawn D. visiting his parents while you came to see yours?"

"Not exactly," Belle looked down and began to fiddle with a button on her jacket.

"Not exactly what?"

"I'm back in Salem for different reasons. Shawn and the boat are sailing somewhere in the Caribbean as we speak."

"And you?"

"Look at Claire," Belle pointed out to Sami, "she's happy, she needs her family around her, not for us to be sailing from port to port. I guess I just got tired of the nomadic life. I want to be back home with people that Claire and I both love."

"Don't you still love Shawn? I mean I thought he was the love of your life?"

"Part of me will always love Shawn, he was my first love, but there's another part of me…"

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Sami asked her younger sister as it was finally dawning on her on a reason why her sister might be back in town after sailing around the world for a couple of years.

"I'm not saying anything, I just wanted to come home," Belle dismissed anything else from being said about why she was here in Salem.

"Sure you did and it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Philip has moved back to Salem with his son Parker without that tramp Chloe coming with him?"

"I wouldn't know anything about that at all. I've been out of touch with everyone." Belle shrugged not giving anything away. "But I want to hear about everything you've been doing since I was away. Things certainly have changed between you and EJ."

"I don't know about that," Sami replied with a shrug. "I mean we aren't fighting with each other anymore, but as for more than that…"

"You mean you two aren't together, together?"

"Far from it Belle, EJ and I are just friends that's all."

"You and EJ kissing last night at Mom's didn't seem like just friends."

"It is, there isn't anything going on between us beyond us working together to make sure our kids are happy and safe."

"Yeah right," Belle said skeptically. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed how hot EJ is and you haven't made any kind of move physically."

"You think EJ is hot?" Sami asked wondering what in the world had gotten into her little sister.

"Seriously Sami, you can't fool me. EJ is a total hottie, the looks, that voice."

"Are you interested in my…" Sami stopped herself before saying more, stumped on what exactly EJ was to her at the moment.

"Your what Sami, your boyfriend, lover, ex-husband, enemy? What is EJ to you?"

Sami slumped down in her seat some, "I don't know what EJ is to me. It's so confusing."

"You mean you two haven't slept together again?"

"I wish," Sami blurted out before she clasped her hand to her mouth, realizing what she had just said out loud to her younger sister.

Belle burst into laughter, "If you could only see your face right now. Looks like the queen of denial is slipping in her old age."

"First off, I'm not the queen of anything, much less denial and furthermore I'm not old."

"Whatever," Belle rolled her eyes not believing anything Sami was trying to disclaim at the moment. She reached down into her bag she had brought with her and handed Sami a book.

"What is this?" Sami asked as she took the book in her hand as recognition dawned on her. Surely her sister wasn't reading such smutty trash or so she had been told it was such when she could hear some of the women from the office gossiping amidst bursts of laughter.

"I'm finished with this one and I'm reading the second one right now. Maybe you need to read this and see if you don't think EJ kind of sounds like he could be Christian Grey."

"I can't believe you are reading this type of book," Sami began only to have Belle start to laugh again.

"Apparently there are lots of things you don't know about your little sister. Read the book, you won't be sorry."

Famous last words Sami thought hours later after Belle had taken Claire back home along with her kids too since they were begging to spend more time with their cousin Claire thus leaving Sami only with the company of the book which somehow engrossed her so much she failed to hear EJ enter the room while she was sitting on the couch reading intently, lost in an entirely different and decadent world.

"Samantha, didn't you hear me? I've been calling for you and the kids ever since I came home five minutes ago."

Sami looked up from the book with a guilty look on her face, immediately pushing it behind her back so that EJ couldn't see what she was reading.

Now he sought her out apparently wanting to talk to her, she never would understand men.

"Samantha, what were you reading?"

"Nothing," Sami shook her head, hoping EJ would just let it drop, she didn't know if he knew about this book, and she sure didn't want to talk to him about it, especially after Belle had mentioned EJ could be like the lead male character in the book.

While EJ had tried to keep his resolve about not engaging Samantha in any kind of conversation, he realized they would have to speak about something and now she had his curiosity piqued over whatever book it was she was trying to hide behind her back.

He moved over closer to her, only to have her scoot as far back on the couch as she possibly could go without falling over the side of it.

"Let me see it," EJ said as she firmly shook her head no to his request. "Come on Samantha, it's not like you are reading porn or something is it?"

"No," Sami's voice went up an octave or two which immediately let EJ know she was lying, plus her face was a delightful shade of pink.

This was too good to pass up, Sami obviously was reading something she didn't want him to see so that made he want to see it all the more. So he reached around her back and pulled out the book she was reading from behind her.

"Oh my," EJ exclaimed as he examined the cover of the book and began to open it to a page that was earmarked.

Sami stood up on the couch hoping to reach EJ better and pull the book out of his grasp. "Give it back EJ!"

"Samantha Brady reading this type of literature," EJ started to laugh seeing how exasperated Sami was becoming when she couldn't take the book away from him.

"EJ I'm warning you," Sami gritted her teeth as each time she tried to grab the book back EJ only held it away from her, making his way across to the other side of the room.

"Oh my, my, my this is naughty," EJ started to read a passage aloud only to have Sami start yelling for him for god's sake to please shut up and take a running jump at him knocking him down on the floor as she scrambled trying to get the book back from him.

EJ was caught off guard by Sami's tactics, but his reflexes were quick enough to roll Sami over so that she was beneath him.

"EJ get off of me," Sami grunted having the air knocked out of her by him.

"No way," EJ shook his head. "You tried to tackle me and I'm just retaliating in self defense."

"Self defense my ass," Sami snarled as she tried to wiggle out from under him. "If you hadn't of been nosy and stealing my personal property I would of never had to take you out."

"Take me out eh?" EJ asked with a devilish smile bringing one hand up to brush Sami's hair out of her face as he looked into her eyes. "How exactly do you plan to take me out when clearly I'm the one in control?"

"EJ you know what they say about control don't you?"

"No, what?

"It's highly overrated."

Then her eyes darkened with desire feeling EJ's body above hers and she just went on pure emotion and reached one hand of her own to pull EJ closer to her and she kissed him, softly at first, then it grew into something more quickly.

This was no gentle press of lips for them, this was a kiss that instantly consumed them both, her body pressed against his, her fingers woven through his dark hair tugging him closer to her. EJ's body went rigid for a moment, pulled his lips away from hers surprised by her impromptu action, but then he relaxed against her momentarily, his fingers reaching out once more to brush her cheeks, to tenderly touch her which was in stark contrast to the intensity of the kiss they had just shared.

His lips parted again and for what seemed like an endless moment in time they kissed like it could be their last. Then EJ pulled backed again and stared at her with wide eyes full of bewilderment, their breath coming in short gasps in the otherwise quiet house.

"Oh god Samantha, I'm sorry."

Sami fingers lifted to brush EJ's lips. "Why EJ?"

He pushed up and away from her, not wanting to meet her inquisitive look she was giving him. "You know why Samantha. We discussed this last night.

"Right, we did," Sami concurred although she knew EJ was feeling it just as strongly as she did. They had a connection that hadn't faded over time, if anything it was growing stronger with each passing day.

But she could wait him out, he wasn't ready for this even if her body was quivering with unspent desire for him. She took a shaky breath of her own, ran a hand through her messy hair and scooted over to where she could retrieve her stolen book from where it now lay discarded on the floor.

"You know I've got to go pick up the kids from Marlena's. We can just forget this ever happened."

Now that sounded more like the Samantha he knew. He nodded his head in quick agreement with her. This was for the best. They were just playing around with one another and it had gotten quickly out of hand.

Sami disappeared further into the house a secret smile on her face. EJ wasn't immune to her at all and even though she'd rather be still on the floor with him, getting up and leaving him behind wondering what her motives were was worth a little guilt she might be feeling.

EJ was eventually going to come around to her way of thinking. The amazing kiss they had just shared was a very clear indication she was heading in the right direction.

One step at time, no matter how long it took her she knew EJ DiMera was going to be hers, heart, body and soul.