Chapter 11: Never Sounded Sweeter

As the evening wore on, the crowd swelled. The music had just about everyone rocking and swaying to the lively beat. It made Sam happy to see Tara having a good time and he was determined to keep it that way. He pushed the last conversation he had with Marvin out of his mind, at least for now. He just wasn't ready to reveal his true self to her.

"Hey there." Tara spun around and sat on Sam's lap after just dancing up a storm. She rested her toned arms lovingly around his broad shoulders.

"Hey you." He smiled at her proudly as she sat daintily on his lap. He planted a kiss on her perfumed neck and enjoyed her, her spirit, her innocence, her beauty, her love.

"Sam..." Tara began with reservation.

"Yes hon?" Sam looked at her tenderly with eyes that were the same color as the sapphire earrings that dangled from her ears.

"I..." Say it you fool! A lump formed in her throat.

Just then, the music switched from upbeat to slow and steady. 'I've Been Loving You' by Seal began playing. As Sam looked deeply in her brown eyes, he took her by the hand. By his electric gaze she knew what it meant. She slowly rose to her feet and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. As Sam and Tara held each other close, their bodies touching, their hearts beat in synchrony with the that of the music. Tara rested her head on Sam's strong shoulder while his cheek and neck cradled her head. With their arms wrapped around each other, they rocked slowly to the soothing tunes. Enveloped in his scent and warmth, Tara felt she belonged in his arms, safe and loved.

"I love you." Tara whispered in Sam's ear as the music continued playing in the background.

Sam paused. He held her face in his hands, still standing close to her. Her eyes glossed over as she said the words again, the very words he'd been waiting to hear. At that moment, it was as if they were the only ones on the planet and everything else around them ceased to matter. Those three words never sounded sweeter to Sam. He kissed her cool trembling lips while she whispered 'I love you' again and again.

He bent down and wrapped his arms around her thighs and raised her up high. Tara wasn't even embarassed one bit as they ony had eyes for each other. She looked down into his piercing blues and smiled.

"Wooo, yeaaah. She loves me!" Sam shouted at the top of his lungs, looking up at her as he spun her around. Then, he slowly eased her back down on her feet and said, "I love you too, Tara, I love you." Then they kissed with their eyes closed oblivious to others looking on, pointing and smiling. Meanwhile Marvin and Morgan who were watching in the sidelines cheered on, "One love, one love!" Others moved by the scene joined in with whistles and woos.

The DJ picked up the pace with 'Hot Boyz' by Missy Elliott. Feeling on top of the world, Sam broke out into two step double and other dance moves Tara never dreamed he had. Not only was she surprised, she was delighted to see this country boy dance to rap and hip hop and doing a darn good job of it. Smiling she joined him in 'dropping foot'. There was not a person seen sitting in the room, everyone was up on the dance floor.

At about 2 am the crowd began to thin and Sam and Tara bid their farewells before leaving. Marvin and Morgan joined them at the parking lot across the road. The guys did their man hugs and the girls embraced tightly vowing to meet up again just before they went their separate ways.

While Sam and Tara was on the road, Sam looked over at Tara and asked,

"So, did you have a good time?"

"Yes, I really did. Thanks for taking me, it's a nice club. I've got to tell Sooks and Lafayette and the others about this place. Hey, one day a group of us should go.

"Yeah. We should."

"Sam, you were dropping some serious foot back there." Tara chuckled as she looked at him.

"I know a few moves." Sam playfully did a little jig in his seat while his hands steadied the steering wheel.

"You go bad boy!" Tara laughing cheered him on.

"I have some other moves I want to show you too." Sam giving a devilish grin.

Tara slid over in the seat, snuggled up to him, kissed his neck and said, "Well, so do I."

Sam heart sped up when her warm tongue sensually measured his neck and slowly inched her way up to his ear. She tarried there a while sucking on his delicious lobe. As she did this, he cradled the back of her head with his right hand. Blood immediately rushed to his midsection.

"Hmm, I could just take you now." Sam confessed while trying his darnest to keep focused on the road.

Sam saw a Jameson Inn sign up ahead and angled his truck into the well lit semi-circular driveway. Tara lifted her head up and looked around to see a three story Georgian style building. She smiled at him as he pulled up and found a parking spot. After he killed the engine, Sam hopped out of his side and rushed over to her's slamming his door shut behind him. He opened the door for her and helped her out of the vehicle. Holding hands they ran past the perfectly manicured lawn straight through the doors and right up to the check-in counter.

The sun was shining brightly and not a cloud was in the sky. Sam and Tara drove down a straight road, Tara behind the wheel. Sam drummed his hands on the dash-board to Linkin Park's New Divide tunes blaring on the radio. Tara glanced at him and threw her head back laughing before returning her focus on the road. Sam settled his stares on her. She looked so pretty, radiant. Her smiles lit up the universe.

"I'm a shifter."

"What?" Turning to Sam, Tara's smiling face instantly took on a look of disbelief.

"I'm a..."

"I heard ..." Her voice sharpened and before she could end her sentence, something ahead of them caught their eyes.

With little time to react they drove right into a thick mist. The low anchored dense cloud enveloped the truck seemingly erased any trace of trees and road around them. Sam turned his head to the right, and saw that the seat was empty, Tara was gone. As the tiny rubix cube key-chain dangled from the ignition, the radio continued playing and the truck kept on driving all on its own.

"Tara!" Sam cried out frantically. Confused and frightened, he quickly slid behind the wheel.

Then the cloud broke just enough for Sam to see the road again. He mashed his foot on the brake, but, in vain as the truck broke past a barrier and nosedived over the cliff.

Sam forced his eyes open and sat up, sweating he looked around the dimly lit room trying to make sense of where he was. Tara had already been sitting up as she was startled out of her sleep by his cries. According to the clock radio it was just 4:30 am. It was still dark outside except for the lightning flashes that intermittently filled the room through the large glass windows and sliding doors that lead to the balcony. Breathing hard, Sam turned and faced Tara, his eyes were wide and he looked like a lost and frightened little boy. Tara grab hold of him and pressed him to her. She could feel his heart pounding away in his chest. Sam madly hugged her as if he hadn't seen her for decades.

"Shh...it's OK, you were just having a bad dream." Tara hushed him softly in the dark. After Sam calmed down a bit he asked, "Where am I? How did we get here?" His chin rested on Tara's shoulder.

"Jameson Inn. We came here after the party in Vanceville. Remember?" Tara rubbed his broad back as though she was burping a baby and could feel the tenseness in his body slowly ease away. Now wide awake, Tara wondered what could be bothering him. Just as she was about to ask him he pepped up.

"Oh yeah." Relieved, Sam raised his head from Tara's shoulder then threw himself backwards in the bed and landed flat on his back, his head sank in the fluffy king-sized pillows. Tara could make out his face and wondered how he looked cute this early in the morning. By this, the sheet had slipped past her chest. Tara looked seductive with a lock of her dark hair hanging loosely over one eye. Sam looked up and let his eyes wander over her exposed smooth and succulent breasts.

"Hmm, now I remember why we came here in the first place." Sam grinned devilishly as he ran a finger up and down the center of her chest, lightly and tantilizingly traced circles around the areola of one of her breasts.

Tara gasped softly and could see him growing from under the sheets. It was obvious that he'd fully recovered from the dream.

"So you do remember. Pity. I guess I don't need to remind you after all." Tara teased and pretended to be uninterested then covered herself up with the sheets.

"Remind me again how sexy you are." Sam commanded and slowly pulled the sheet down past her breasts.

They made unhurried love in the kingsized bed while nature's random pulsating electric displays filled the room. In the distance, there were low rumblings of thunder of an impending storm.