Turn Me On Read online

  Robin rolled over and instantly noticed the absence of her handsome lover. The bed felt cold and empty without him by her side. It was funny, because she was used to sleeping alone. Don’t get used to it. This is just temporary. He’s going back to Boston and someday, I’m going back to Chicago.

  The sun was already up and the smell of fresh brewed coffee filled her room, even though he’d closed the bedroom door. She didn’t have the energy to move, but staying where she was wasn’t an option. Robin knew Sam had started doing something without her help again today. Sam had to be as spent as she was. God knows he worked it really good last night.

  Her body still tingled and ached in the best of ways. Knowing he was still somewhere in the house, was enough motivation to get her up. When she left the room, she could hear him outside on his phone. Sam was cussing someone out for what seemed to have been a major issue. Eavesdropping wasn’t something she wanted done to her, so she wasn’t about to do it to someone else. Of course, what she had heard had only happened because of his decibel level.

  Robin opted to pour herself a cup of coffee and try to block it out. Unfortunately she was unsuccessful. When Sam entered the kitchen his expression said he was still pissed.

  “Coffee?” she offered. Not that it was going to fix whatever was wrong.

  “Gun?” he replied.

  “That bad?” Robin had told herself to mind her business, but there she was, asking damn questions when she shouldn’t.

  “Yeah. I’m going to need to go back to Boston for a few days.”

  Her heart was heavy and it was foolish. There was nothing to hold him here. Hell, he was only here to volunteer his time helping her.

  “Sam, you need to take care of you first. I appreciate everything you’ve already done to help me. Half the house is back on line and that is amazing.”

  He walked over to her and took the coffee cup from her hand. Putting it down on the counter, he pulled her into his arms. Being in his warm embrace was exactly where she wanted to be today. But he was holding her to say goodbye and she knew it.

  “Robin, I hope you know I don’t want to leave.”

  She couldn’t bring herself to look up into his eyes. “We’re not children Sam. Life isn’t about what we want, it’s about responsibility.”

  Sam lifted a hand, and tipped her chin up so she couldn’t hide from his gaze any longer. “I’m coming back.”

  “Can’t leave a job half done?” she said in a teasing tone. But her heart wasn’t in the mood for joking.

  “The job’s getting completed, with or without me here.”

  She was puzzled. “Although you’re a great teacher, I’m not that good of a student.”

  Sam shook his head. “I think you should keep to your tattoos and leave electrical work to the professionals. I meant a few of my guys will be here tomorrow to get everything else wired. By the end of the day tomorrow, this place will be safe and sound. Well, wired properly. The rest will take time.”

  Robin didn’t understand. He said he was coming back and now he’s talking about sending someone else. Can he make up his mind already? Does it matter anyway? End today. End in a week. Same result. Same heartache.

  “Sam, you don’t need to send anyone to complete this. I can function just fine like this.”

  He laughed. “Honey, no lights in your bedroom is only good for one thing, making love. But candles all the time is a hazard.”

  Robin blushed recalling how his body glistened liked a Greek god looming above her as he entered her again and again. Where he brought me was heaven on earth. Without him there, the candles were nothing more than lighting.

  “I don’t spend much time in there.”

  He ran a thumb over her bottom lip and responded, “We’ll correct that when I return.”

  Promise? Words were so easy. Yet she had no reason to doubt him. He’d actually gone above what he’d promised her so far.

  “I can’t see myself going anywhere for a while.” Unfortunately that was the only thing she knew to be accurate right now.

  “Good, because I’m getting fond of Tremont.”

  “I know. I saw how you devoured Dottie’s apple pie,” Robin teased.

  Leaning over, in a husky voice he said, “Nothing tastes as sweet as you.”

  He kissed her so tenderly that her legs threatened to give out from under her. Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around his neck and urged him to take more. But he didn’t. Instead he lifted his head and said, “I’m sorry, but I have to go. If I don’t fix the issue today, it could blow way out of control.”

  “You don’t have to explain. I hope it all works out.”

  “Me too, or there will be hell to pay. I don’t take it lightly when someone fucks with people I care about.” She knew then that this was a more delicate situation than she’d first thought. He continued. “My buddy Ron was checking one of our job sites. When he got there the security guards were somehow MIA and there was a RAVE party taking place. When he tried to shut the party down, they beat his ass and put him in the hospital.”

  “Oh my God. That’s horrible.”

  “It sure as hell is. When I get my hands on that security guard, he’s going regret letting that party take place. And if Ron doesn’t fully recover, they’re going to need an open bed for that asshole too.”

  She was seeing a different side of Sam. His protective nature had been kicked up a notch or two, or even five. It was for good reason too. She’d have been the same if anyone had messed with her employees. They used to laugh, saying she was a protective mother hen when it came to her employees.

  “I guess you better get going.” Not that she wanted to rush him out, but she could see how anxious he was to get back to Boston.

  He let her go and headed towards the door. Stopping abruptly, he turned back to her and asked, “Why don’t you come with me?”

  “To Boston?” she asked.

  “We can give the guys the keys to your place and you can stay with me while they finish up.”

  Sam made it sound so easy. Just turn over keys to people she didn’t know. But he trusted them, that should be good enough for her, right? Robin was tempted to say yes. She’d been wanting out of Tremont. But this wasn’t the time. He wasn’t asking her for a sweet little getaway.

  “Sam, can I take a rain check on this? The timing just isn’t right.” She knew where his focus needed to be and if she was there, he would feel obligated to entertain her.

  He looked like he was about to argue until his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and by his expression, she could tell he wasn’t looking forward to answering it. “I’m holding you to that, you know.”

  Robin smiled at him. “Good.”

  “I got to go.” He kissed her quickly and then walked out the door while answering the call.

  Goodbye. She couldn’t bring herself to think ‘see you soon.’ It would be holding on to hope and she hadn’t forgotten where that had gotten her. She’d held on way too long with her shop thinking things were going to get better. They never did. And here I am, alone again.

  Well she wasn’t about to sit around feeling sad. Sam had been around for the last few days and not only did she enjoy his companionship, but she actually could see well in the house again. Since there wasn’t anything else to do today, and Sam’s workers weren’t showing up until tomorrow, she might as well tackle the closets.

  When she couldn’t hear the sound of his truck any longer, she headed into the living room. The sight of the blanket and pillow on the couch was a reminder she didn’t want to keep passing by all day. It was only going to make her miss him even more.

  “This is crazy.” Picking up the blanket and pillow, she walked over to the closet, quickly pulled open the door, and regretted her actions. How had she forgotten the sea of clown stuff she’d crammed inside? As she went to pick it up, she stepped on one of the red squeaky noses. Hopping off that, she tripped on a pair of oversized shoes and fell backwards onto her butt. “Really
?”

  Robin couldn’t believe this was happening. This was pissing her off. Angrily, she yanked on a few of the things that caught beneath her. There was mistake number two. What had still been wedged up on the top shelf had somehow gotten tangled with a few things below. That one hard tug was all it took to send another wave of clown shit tumbling down. This time she didn’t land in the pile, it landed on her.

  “What the hell!” Sam said from behind her.

  Robin waved her arms trying to get the stuff off her. The more she moved, the more seemed to cover her. In total frustration she said, “I could use some help here.”

  She could feel things being pulled off her, and finally she could see Sam. It wasn’t a look of concern that she saw either. He reached out a hand to help her out of the mess.

  “I guess I’m glad I forgot my bag, otherwise it might have been days before anyone found you,” he teased.

  “This is not funny. I could’ve gotten hurt,” she pouted.

  Sam picked up a rainbow wig and a red nose. “I can see how wearing this would hurt. Your pride, that is.” He placed the wig on her head and burst out laughing. “Don’t move,” he ordered.

  Robin thought there was something dangerous around her and he needed her to be very still so she didn’t get injured. She was mistaken; it was Sam who was at risk of at least his phone suffering some serious damage. As he pulled his cell phone out, Robin warned him, “If you’re thinking of—”

  It was too late. The flash went off and Sam turned the phone to show her. Robin had never sat in such a sea of bright colors in her life. The wig was hideous on her.

  “Priceless.”

  Robin glared at him. So you think. Trust me Sam, you’re going to pay for taking that. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to get up.”

  Sam slipped his phone into his back pocket and bent over, scooping her up into his arms and out of the mass of clown clothes. “Maybe when I come back next time, you can model a few of these things.”

  Robin huffed as he put her down. “I thought you needed to leave?”

  Sam kissed her forehead and said, “I do, but that picture of you will give me something to think of while I’m gone.”

  “Feel free to bring all this crap with you. I don’t want it. Any of it.”

  With a look of surprise, maybe shock, Sam asked, “Are you serious? You’re not keeping it?”

  Robin shook her head. “I’m going to chalk that up to you being under stress. Because if you think for one minute I’m going to dress up and role play as a clown, then you’ve lost your mind.”

  “We’ll discuss it when I get back,” Sam laughed as he left her standing with her mouth wide open.

  Oh no. This stuff will be gone before then. There was no way she was taking the chance that he hadn’t been joking. I’m not wearing a squeaky nose for anyone. Not even Mr. Sexy Sam.

  Before she even had a chance to start picking things up again, her phone rang. Once again it was Barb. As soon as she answered the phone, she realized that Barb was stressed. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, but the story of what had just transpired with Sam was definitely cheer-someone-up material. What are best friends for?

  Sure enough, by the time she and Barb ended their call, Barb’s ribs were sore from laughter. What was surprising was how much good it had done Robin as well. It really helped having something, someone else, to think of besides Sam.

  Of course that distraction didn’t last long enough. Soon the sun was setting and she headed back to her bed. The sheets still smelled like him. This is going to be one long-ass night. She could only hope it would be better tomorrow. She highly doubted it. It was going to take more than one night for her to forget how amazing it felt being in Sam’s arms.

  * * *

  Sam left the hospital and felt a hell of a lot better after seeing Ron for himself. The guy was one tough son of a bitch. There was no doubt he was going to be hurting for a while, but he would fully recover.

  That didn’t mean Sam hadn’t made a few other stops afterwards. First, he’d swung by the security agency to fire their asses, then he headed to the police station to press charges. He had no issue with giving second chances, but not under these circumstances. Ron could’ve been injured worse, if not killed. There were other guys on his staff who weren’t so physically fit and might not have survived the ordeal. He needed to make sure nothing like this happened again.

  Of course, there was no guarantee and he knew that. He knew this wasn’t his fault, but damn, it felt like it. Ron would’ve still stopped and checked on the site. That was his style and hell, it’s why Sam paid him so much. But the fact that he’d been in Tremont with Robin made this difficult to accept.

  He didn’t even call in to check with his staff to see how the workday had gone. If Sam had just been working on her electrical like he was supposed to, then he could’ve rationalized it easier. But last night he’d been making sweet love to her and didn’t give anything or anyone a second thought. He would’ve chewed someone’s ass out for this shit. How can he let himself off the hook?

  That’s why he had decided to send a few of his guys to finish wiring Robin’s house. The next time he went there to see her, he wanted it clear that it had nothing to do with work.

  The issue was he still couldn’t leave his company, his staff, for as long as he had. Financially he could afford it, but at the end of the day, this was his company and they were his responsibility. He might not be able to prevent another accident, but he would feel better looking them in the eyes knowing he hadn’t been screwing off when something did go wrong.

  Sam knew his employees were highly skilled electricians. His fear so far had been someone getting electrocuted. Never had he thought he’d need to prepare for this kind of shit.

  He told himself again and again how much he hated traveling to Tremont once a month. But he had to admit, there was something nice about the sheriff knowing everyone in town, and there was really no crime to talk about. It made him feel much more at ease knowing Robin was there. With her electrical being repaired, she should be good to go for a long time.

  Sadly, he had a feeling she wasn’t going to stay there. Robin had mentioned several times about rebuilding her business in Chicago. There wasn’t a need or want for a tattoo shop in Tremont, so her choices were unfortunately limited. But Chicago? How could he keep her safe there?

  The answer didn’t agree with him. He couldn’t. No different than he could his employees. It was a roll of the dice every day.

  Lying on his bed, he wished he’d made the long drive back to her house. Tonight, his king-size bed seemed…uncomfortable. He’d even be happier on her damn couch. At least she’d be close by.

  Asking Robin to come with him to Boston had been a spur-of-the-moment invite. It didn’t make any sense at all. She would’ve been sitting in his brownstone townhouse while he attended to all the issues at hand. What fun would that have been for her? None.

  He looked at the clock and wondered if she was still awake. Probably not. Last night they didn’t sleep much at all. No regrets on that for him, but he hoped she had opted to call it an early night. Sam had sent her a text message early to let her know what time his guys were going to arrive, then a quick ‘how are you’ message as well. But there was something lacking in their conversation. All the texts felt…dry, one note. He missed the snarky retorts and the sound of her trying to hold back her laughter. Robin had the cutest snort right before she lost it.

  What I’d give to hear it right now.

  His phone rang just then and he couldn’t help but hope it was her. Unfortunately the caller ID said it was his father.

  “Hi Dad. How are things?”

  “Sam, I heard what happened to Ron. Is he okay?”

  “Yes Dad. Ron will be in the hospital a day or two, but he’ll be fine.” His father hated the fact that he had chosen Boston as the place to build his business. But Sam never would’ve made the money h
e had in a small town. He’d taken a risk by trying to make a name for himself in Boston, and with hard work and luck, it paid off. But his father didn’t rate success by one’s bank account or status. Dad was a family man and until Sam had one, Sam would always be the one who didn’t do much with his life.

  “What is it going to take for you to realize Boston isn’t the place for you?”

  Even though he knew he was wasting his breath, he said it anyway. “Dad, this could’ve happened anywhere.”

  “You’re right. But the odds of it happening in a place like—”

  “Tremont. I know Dad. It’s the perfect place to live.” But you’re not living there. He wasn’t going to disrespect his father by saying the words out loud. “Not everyone is meant to live the country life 24/7. Some of us like living in a place that doesn’t close all their shops at six.”

  “If you keep them open later, then no one would have dinner with their families. Oh wait, you don’t have one. That’s why it’s not important to you.”

  Damn. He’d set himself up for that comment. “Nope. Haven’t run off and found a bride since the last time you hinted about it.”

  “I don’t know about you. Your sisters are all happily married raising their families. So are all of your cousins. Do you know what I think is the problem?” Sam didn’t answer. “I don’t think she’s in Boston.”

  “Who is she?” Sam asked.

  “The one.”

  “Oh ya, her.” He’d heard the story a million times how his parents had met years ago. They were in college and his mother couldn’t find her classroom. Even though it meant his father was late for his lecture, he walked his mother all the way to the other side of the campus.

  “So you agree?” he asked.

  “Dad, I’m not saying I won’t ever get married, but it will be on my terms, in my time. Right now I have a business to run.”

  “I really thought you’d have something different to say this time.”

  “Why?” Sam asked.

  “Sheriff Bob called and said you’d been spending a lot of time with the Charleston girl. I hear she’s quite the looker too.”