I wondered if this was some sort of sick game with him. Was I just a pawn in a messed up way to compete with his brother? I didn’t know what to believe anymore. “Yes.”

I pushed the button to send the answer to his question, but his name was grayed out. He was offline. Had he gone to rub it in Seth’s face that I had picked him? Was that all he had wanted – to find out that he had won? Or had he decided that there was no point in continuing to talk to me, since I knew that he had been with another woman?

I wasn’t sure what the reasoning was for his abrupt departure from our online chat session. The only thing I knew for sure was that he was done talking to me. I was too sad to cry. I sat there for a while before clicking the button to shut off the computer. My enthusiasm for online shopping had completely dissipated. Rather than walking all the way to my room, I slid down on the rug in Peanut’s room and shut my eyes, trying to block out the overwhelming sadness.

16

It didn’t seem like I had been curled up on the floor for long, when a loud pounding started on the front door. It wasn’t the polite knock of a stranger, but the ‘let me in’ knock of someone with urgent business. I bolted upright on the floor, startled by the noise. Buster even let out a few bellowing barks, warning the visitor that he was on patrol. I scurried down the steps as the rhythmic thumping continued without pause.

When I stopped to look out the peephole, I could see shiny dark hair. It had to be Seth or Sam. I quickly opened the door, wondering what was wrong. Sam rushed into my space, taking all of the breath from my lungs. He placed his hands on either side of my face and I closed my eyes, delighting in the tingling sensation of his touch.

“You chose me?” His voice was scratchy and intense. I opened my eyes to look at him. He was beyond handsome. The lower half of his face was covered with short, black stubble. It made him look darker, more dangerous, if that were possible. His beautiful green eyes were looking deeply into mine. I took a deep breath through my nose and savored the scent of him. He smelled male and delicious, pure Sam.

I couldn’t find my voice, so I nodded my head in confirmation of his question. He closed his eyes, as if relishing my response. We stood there like that for a while. When he opened his eyes again, he peered at me, as if trying to look into my soul. “You chose me?” he repeated the question in a whisper, needing additional confirmation. I returned his gaze and nodded slightly, his hands still encompassing my face.