"Shelby," he said raggedly. "You have to stop. Or I can't."
Shelby rose from where she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his head down to hers, taking his lower lip between her teeth. Her full breasts brushed against his bare chest when she moved and she pressed against his erection, squirming against him when he groaned again. He grabbed her butt and pulled her hard against him, backing her up against the bed and following her down when she fell back. She let her legs fall open and Sam probed between them with his fingers, stroking her while his mouth was busy with her breasts.
"Please… Sam, now, please," Shelby gasped.
And Sam lowered himself between her legs, pushing deeper and deeper into her swollen, hot center until she cried out again, raising her hips to meet him. They rocked together in a deep, smooth rhythm, slowly at first, then faster and faster until the room spun around them and they exploded together in a deep, pulsing climax. The room flickered with candlelight and the fragrance of roses drifted around them as they slowly came down from the heights of their passion, quivering with little aftershocks of pleasure.
Gradually, their breathing slowed, their sweat cooled, the little quivers of pleasure stopped. Sam rolled off of Shelby and she curled into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder and giving a satisfied little sigh.
"I love you, Mrs. Davis," Sam murmured.
Shelby smiled and said, "I love you, Mr. Davis. I love the sound of that."
Sam's arms tightened around her and he asked, "Do you want some more champagne?"
"Maybe in a little while. I don't want to move right now."
They drifted off to sleep in each other's arms. Sam woke a little later and slipped out of bed to blow out the candles, gazing at his new wife with his heart in his eyes. He got back into bed and pulled the sheet up over them and fell back to sleep with his one true love in his arms.
Chapter 5
Sunday morning, most of the residents of Boone slept in. GG rose before Savannah and brewed a pot of coffee, settling down with a steaming cup and the Sunday paper. James and Allison had elected to stay at the inn, and Maggie's bakery, usually open on Sunday mornings, was closed for the day. Savannah straggled down the stairs about a half hour after GG had gotten up, heading straight for the aroma of coffee. GG kept reading the paper, knowing her granddaughter wouldn't be up for conversation until she had her first cup of coffee.
Savannah carried her steaming cup into the library, grunting a hello, and settling down with part of the paper.
GG waited patiently until Savannah drained her cup and then said, "Good morning, dear. How are you this morning?"
"Good, Gran, how are you?"
"I'm wonderful, sweetie. It was a beautiful wedding, wasn't it?"
Savannah smiled. "It really was. Perfect for Shelby. And she's really happy."
"Your mom and dad will be over later, once they roll out of bed. They have to head back tonight. Your dad has some big thing going at work, so they insist that they have to get right back. I was hoping they'd stay for a few days, but you know how they are."
"Well, Gran, I know how you love it here, but Boone isn't for everybody. I'll be out of here in a couple of days."
GG said, "Actually, I need to talk to you about that. I was hoping you would consider staying for a little while longer. I have some plans for the shop, and I just don't think I can handle it without some help. I know you like to keep on the go, but it would mean a lot to me if you could stay and give me a hand for a while."
Savannah's immediate reaction was to say no, but a look at her grandmother's face made her pause. "What kind of plans are you talking about, Gran?"
"I need to bring some new artists into my shop. It's been a long time since I was able to really look at new work. Running the shop keeps me so busy that I can't find time to go investigate new sources. I have a whole list of people and places I'd like to check out, but I can't get away to do it. You have a great eye for what women like, and I thought if you could spend a little time in the shop with me to get the idea of what it's all about, maybe you could do some of that artist investigating for me. If you could narrow it down to really interesting work, that might work for my shop, then I could look at the ones you find to be possibilities and I wouldn't need as much time away." GG pitched the idea as carefully as she could. "It's not like it would be a long term situation. I don't have that big a market, but I really do need some fresh work."
Savannah said reluctantly, "I don't know, Gran."
"If you have something pressing that you need to get off to, I understand, dear. Just think about it a little bit. It would mean a lot to me."
"All right, I'll think about it." Savannah resolved to have a talk with her sister and brother about the situation.
Later that afternoon, the family gathered at Carter and Maggie's house, where they finished cleaning up from the wedding reception the night before. Joey came over to lend a hand with folding up all the chairs and tables. The rental company would be there the next day to take down the tent and haul everything away. Some of their friends had helped the night before to throw away trash and put things away, so they didn't have too much to do other than wipe the tables off and fold up everything.
They gathered in the big kitchen when they were finished, to eat sandwiches and reminisce over the wedding, sharing lots of hugs and a few tears. James and Allison were wishing that they could stay a little longer, but they knew they had to get back. They soaked up as much family chatter as they could. They always kept in touch with their children by phone and email, but it never was the same as being together.
Savannah said, "So, Maggie, what do you think about Gran's plans to expand the shop to include new artists?"
Maggie said smoothly, "I think she's right. The last time she really picked up any new work was at our first gala two years ago. It was a real boost to her business then, and I'm sure it would give her another boost if she got a new group now. But it's hard to run a business all alone and still be able to go out and scout up new artists."
Carter looked mystified. "Gran, I didn't know you were needing help. You've always taken—ow!"
Maggie looked up innocently at her husband and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, honey."
She stepped down off his foot, snuggling close to him and making sure he was distracted.
GG said regretfully, "Well, I used to be able to close for a day here and there and take these little trips. But it's not as easy as it was when I was a little younger."
Savannah looked at her through narrowed eyes.
"And, on top of that, there are only so many artists within a short distance. I think I'm going to have to travel a little further to find the kind of work that I'm looking for."
"Too bad the artists don't come to you to present their work," Savannah reflected, watching her grandmother keenly.
GG laughed. "Well, I'm fairly well known around here, but I'm not exactly a big name dealer."
Carter said thoughtfully, "Well, maybe we could—oops!"
Maggie had jostled his elbow as he reached for his beer, and the beer went over with a splash. There was a general commotion while everybody reached for napkins to sop up the mess and Maggie went for a wet cloth.