Seducing Sam by Angela Verdenius Page A

about his dreams, he
doubted she’d be sitting so calmly across from him.  Probably run away
screaming if she even had a hint.
    “Is there anything I can do to
help?” Almost straight away he wondered why he offered.
    Sheesh, he never got involved in
other people’s problems.  Yet somehow the words just fell out of his mouth, and
even as he was silently appalled at himself, he meant it.
    Helping people at work was one
thing, being there for friends another, but he’d only known Carly for a few
days, and Ed, well, he’d just met him last night, yet there was something about
them both that he liked.
    “That’s sweet, Sam, but we’ll be
fine.”
    He should have felt relieved, so
he wondered why he didn’t.
    Taking a biscuit, Carly slowly turned
it over and over between her fingers.  “Ed’s my uncle.”
    Glad he hadn’t yet taken a bite
from his own biscuit because he’d have surely choked, Sam stared at her. 
“What?”
    “Ed.  He’s my uncle.”
    “Are you kidding me?”
    Her eyes crinkled engagingly at
the corners.  “I’m dead serious.”
    “Kind of young.”
    “Yep.  Late life baby.”
    “Ah.”  Now it made sense.
    “Big surprise for my
grandparents.  In more ways than one.”
    “So you two are close.”
    “Yeah.  We grew up together like
cousins.”  Carly dunked her biscuit into the mug.  “He’s an all right bloke,
you know.”
    “He seems like it.”
    She looked seriously at him.  “Ed
isn’t the kind to get drunk normally.  I know you must be a little worried
about things.”
    Sam raised his eyebrows in silent
query.
    “I met your neighbour, Debbie.”
    No guessing that Ed hadn’t made a
good impression on Debbie.  Sam knew how she valued appearances, and Ed wasn’t
exactly what she perceived as having good taste in that area.
    “Debbie’s a little more…refined.” 
Picking up his mug, he took a sip to hide his grin.
    “Yeah.  She wasn’t impressed with
Ed’s jokes.  Not that Ed let her think it was one.”  Carly sighed.  “Anyway, I
just want you to know that Ed loves his bikes, and he has like-minded friends,
but they’re not a rough group.”
    He could see where this was
going.  “Carly-”
    “Please.”
    Not about to argue, he nodded. 
“Okay.  Go on.”
    “They’re not a bikie mob, not like
Hells Angels or anything like that.  They’re just a bunch of blokes who like
motorbikes.  They meet now and again, have a few drinks, but they’re not rowdy,
there’s no fighting.  And it’s actually only a few blokes, you know?  Not a
club or anything.”
    Why was she so worried?  Frowning,
Sam studied her.  She was biting her lip, fidgeting with the handle of the mug.
    Looking up, she saw his frown. 
“Sam, I promise you, there’re no wild times, wild parties.  No drugs.  We’re
just ordinary people.  Last night wasn’t something that’s going to happen
regularly, I promise you.  Ed’s not like that, we’re not like that.  I-”
    Understanding dawned, and leaning
across the table, Sam laid his hand over hers to stop her fidgeting fingers. 
“Honey, stop.”
    “Sam, I-”
    “Carly.”
    Dropping her gaze, she went
silent.
    “Honey, look at me.”  When she raised
her eyes, he could see the uncertainty in them and it tugged at something way
down deep inside him.  Soothingly, he rubbed his thumb over the back of her
hand.  “Nothing of the kind crossed my mind.”  Wisely, he didn’t mention his
fleeting doubts about the peace of the neighbourhood when he’d heard the
motorbike roaring off down the road.  “I don’t think you’re that kind of
people.”
    “We’ve just met.”
    “And already I’ve patched you up
and helped pour Ed into bed.”
    “Pour?”
    “In his sodden state, it was definitely
‘pour’ and not ‘put’.”
    She grinned faintly.
    “And yet I still came over to
check your hand, didn’t I?”
    “Yes.”
    “And I’m sitting here drinking
your tea and eating your biccies,