Star-Crossed Lovers

Candace felt like a heel. She was so caught up in the Sam whirlwind over the weekend, she forgot to check on her friends to see if they were feeling any better.

"How are you feeling?" she texted Sarah Monday morning. "Sorry I forgot to check on you yesterday. Worst friend ever."

"That's ok. I guess I'll forgive you. ;) Feeling much better, thank God! That was awful! Be glad you missed out now. Lol"

"Lol No kidding. I'm just sorry you guys missed out. You'll never guess who I met at the club. :D"

"Who?!"

"Sam Worthington! Can you believe it?!"

"No way! Of all the people you could have run into. Lol"

"Crazy, right?!"

Her friend Sarah knew how crazy she was about him before she even met him. She had watched Avatar and Terminator: Salvation numerous times, and even some of his harder-to-find Australian movies. Candace shook her head, thinking about how crazy it was that he actually had a great personality too.

"You didn't make a total ass of yourself, did you?" Sarah's text broke her from her thoughts.

"Lol No. Well, yes. Maybe. Idk. Maybe at first."

"At first?" Her friend was wanting more of the story.

"We ended up talking for a while. He's the one who actually convinced me to stay after I found out you guys weren't coming."

"Oh reeeeally?"

Candace rolled her eyes, but smiled despite herself.

"Yes, really. :P"

"Come on, man! Quit holding out on me!"

Candace laughed to herself, just imagining her friend speaking in real life, growing animated the more she divulged. She finally spilled the beans about the rest of the night.

"You dog! Well, I'm kinda glad we couldn't make it now. Hate to have 'cock blocked' you for that once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Idk...I know you probably think it's just my wishful thinking, but I have a feeling I'll be seeing more of him. :) He's really sweet. He even came over to pick my car up from the club yesterday."

"Alright, just...Don't get your hopes up. I just don't want to see you get hurt. That's all. I love you."

"I know, I know. Thanks, mom. :P Love you too."

Candace smiled, but still sat there wondering what the hell she was doing. She tried to push it out of her head. No sense in driving herself mad over it.

Enjoy it while it lasts, right?

"R u busy?" Sam's text popped up on her phone 30 minutes later. Candace couldn't help but smile to herself. She thought about asking him if his ears were burning, but didn't want him to know she had been talking about him, let alone whether he was even familiar with the expression or not.

"Not really. Just editing some photos. Why?"

Candace jumped when her phone started ringing a few seconds later.

"Hey. What's up?" she answered.

"Hey. Just taking a quick break at work. What are you up to?"

"Just doing some editing for that family that was here yesterday." Candace rolled her eyes, remembering how nosy Allison had been concerning Sam lurking in the shadows.

"Oh, nice. So listen, I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner this weekend? If you don't already have plans," he quickly added.

Candace smiled at his sudden shyness. The lowering of his voice when he asked wasn't lost on her either.

"So a proper date?" she tried to keep the amusement from her voice.

"Yes, a proper date, if that's ok with you," he laughed softly.

"Going about this a bit backward, aren't we?" It was all she could do not to laugh. There was a pause on the other end. She pictured him blushing.

"A simple 'yes' or 'no' would suffice." Candace could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I know. I'm sorry. That sounds great. When and where?"

"I thought maybe you could help me with that. You're more familiar with the restaurants around here than I am. I've just been living off a little burger joint down the street from my place," they both chuckled.

"I'll figure something out and let you know."

"You give me the name and I'll take care of the rest." Just imagining his smile on the other end made her melt.

"And Candace?"

"Yah?"

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you again."

Now it was her cheeks growing warm.

"I'll text you soon."

Candace had a hard time focusing on the rest of her work after hanging up with Sam. Her growling stomach was not helping matters. She finally finished up 40 minutes later and made herself a deli sandwich for lunch. She brainstormed where she and Sam should go on their date as she ate.

There were plenty of restaurants around the city that she loved. The question was, which one would have just the right evening atmosphere and not be so expensive that it seemed like she was trying to take advantage of Sam's treat?

She finally decided on The Meeting Stone. It was one of the more modern affairs, being downtown where most of the city's younger residents liked frequenting on the weekends. The owners knew their client base well, which meant their prices weren't outrageous. It seemed like the perfect spot. Plus, maybe they could walk around afterward and she could give him a mini-tour. Assuming their feelings didn't get the best of them. She texted Sam, giving him the name and address.

"What do you think?" Candace asked with a smile plastered to her face. She hadn't been on a good date in a while. She loved going to the fancier places in downtown Knoxville on occasion. Plus she had no complaints about her date at all. It was nice to already feel comfortable with him. Not that awkwardness that filled most first dates.

"It's great," Sam smiled back before taking a sip from his wine glass.

"I know it's probably not up to LA standards, but I didn't want to go anywhere too fancy."

Sam rolled his eyes a little, but laughed.

"You keep comparing here to LA a lot. I like it here. The whole city, I mean. It's less busy. Not as much noise. And the lack of smog is nice too," they both laughed.

"Sorry. I don't know why I keep bringing it up," her cheeks flushed a little.

"Don't be," he reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"So, you never really said how you got into photography."

"Oh. My dad gave me one of his old cameras when I was young. It was just one of the good ole point-and-shoot film ones. I'm sure they spent a ton on getting them developed. My parents gave me a better one for my birthday a few years later once they saw how into it I was. I did pretty well in the 4-H shows with my pictures. My dad loves taking pictures too, but it wasn't long before the student surpassed the teacher," they both chuckled.

"I suppose not. So your parents, they're still alive?"

"Oh yes. They just live down the road, maybe 10 minutes."

"Wow, that must be nice."

"What about you? Are your parents still around?"

"Oh yah. They still live in Australia outside of Sydney. I regret not seeing them more," a hint of sadness filled Sam's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't go visit my parents whenever I want. That must be hard."

"Yah, I'm thinking about taking some time off to go visit them after this shoot is over. But enough about that," he forced a smile. "What else are you into? You strike me as the intellectual type," he squinted and raised an eyebrow at her. Candace couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't know about that. I like reading sometimes. I like painting more, though. I've always been into artsy-fartsy stuff, I guess."

"What about acting? You ever do that whole musical thing in high school?"

"God, no!" she laughed. "Paint the scenery for them, maybe, but I'm not really the 'sing and dance in front of a bunch of people' type. I prefer hiding behind the camera," she smiled.

"How the hell did you get into acting, though? Just because you seem kind of shy and quiet, I mean."

"Funny enough, that's kind of how I got into it," Sam laughed. "I was even worse when I was a kid. My mates and my mum eventually talked me into trying out for the school play one year. To help me get over my shyness. I thought they were crazy, but I was tired of them hassling me, so I did. As it turns out, everyone thought I had a knack for it and I enjoyed it more than I expected, so I kept doing it. It's kind of freeing to pretend to be someone else for a while."

"I never really thought about it that way. It clearly helped a lot after all with your social issues," Candace smiled.

"I suppose," Sam chuckled.

"Although not completely," she looked at him mischievously. "I think that's a good thing, though. A little bit of mystery is nice," they grinned at one another.

"Speaking of acting and whatnot, what kind of movies do you like? Besides horrible foreign films? He cracked, making fun of her for choosing one of his own cheesy Australian movies the night they met.

Candace burst out in laughter.

"I'll watch just about any genre so long as it's a good movie. And listen, no one is perfect. You should see some of my paintings that didn't turn out the way I had envisioned them. Sometimes you just gotta pay the bills, ya know?"

"True," he paused. "But you seem pretty perfect so far," he tried to hold back a smile as he took her hands in his.

"Sam," Candace drew out, lowering her eyes at him.

"What?" he pleaded innocently. "Just being honest."

"I'm glad you asked me out. I had a really great time," Candace said to Sam as they stood in front of her house.

"Me too. Thanks for letting me take you," he took one of her hands and kissed the back of it. They stood staring into each other's eyes for several long seconds before Candace made a move. Sam didn't hesitate when she kissed him, but had a hard time controlling the feelings inside of him desperately trying to escape. He reluctantly let go of her. The air was thick between them.

"I guess I'd better let you get to bed," he turned for his car.

"Sam!" Candace called. He stopped and turned abruptly back toward her, waiting for her to speak.

"Do you want to come inside?" she spoke quietly, tilting her head toward the door.

"I was trying to be a gentleman," was all he could think to say.

A smile spread across Candace's full red lips.

"I wouldn't have asked you in if I wanted you to be a gentleman," she shifted nervously.

Without a word, Sam walked swiftly back up the short distance of her sidewalk to her, kissing her more passionately than before. Candace finally pulled away a minute later.

"Let me unlock the door," she said breathily, giggling.

Sam gave her just enough time to unlock the front door and twist the knob before kissing her again as they entered her home.

He closed the door behind them by pressing her against it. Candace kicked her high heels off hastily. They made out like teenagers for what felt like hours before Sam said, between kisses, "I have to confess. I'm glad you asked me to come in. I've been thinking about how much I would like to make love to you again."

Candace barely paused to answer.

"I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it too."

Sam had never felt as strongly about a woman as he did with Candace. He wanted to consume her. He'd had a taste of her, now he wanted more.

They each fell victim to the sexual tension that had risen quickly between them on Candace's front porch. Needless to say, they didn't take things as slowly as they had the first time. Both of them were nearly naked by the time they had fumbled down the hall to Candace's bedroom.

It was a flurry of clothing. Sam's shirt laid near the bathroom door, with Candace's dress not far behind. His pants dropped heavily to the floor in the bedroom entrance. They flopped down on the bed together, their hands exploring each other's bodies.

After a few minutes, Sam's hand trailed down between her legs. He easily slid two fingers inside of her. The moan she elicited was music to his ears.

"I was going to get you warmed up, but I don't think you need any help," he leaned down and spoke low in her ear. He felt a shiver run through her body.

"Not tonight," she giggled some through heavy breaths.

With that, Sam pulled her lacy, red panties down her toned, tan legs.

"Were you planning this all along?" he couldn't help the small smirk that formed on his lips.

"Just in case," she smiled down at him.

He shook his head a little, but continued.

There were so many things he wanted to do to her, like eat out her glistening hole that was currently on display in front of him, but those would have to wait for another time. More than anything, he wanted to fill her with himself and hear her moan his name. So he did.

Sam looked deep into her eyes as his member slid just as easily inside of her as his fingers had. She arched herself to meet him. He pulled himself out slowly, but slammed into her the second time. Her nails sunk into his back as she cried out.

He had a hard time controlling himself. Sam had unchecked feelings about this woman and didn't want to just "screw her", but his hormones were getting the better of him. Candace had crept into his thoughts off and on all week. He hadn't been lying when he told her he'd been thinking about making love to her all week.

She didn't seem to mind, though, judging by her readiness for him and the cries of pleasure as he pummeled into her. In fact, he took solace in knowing she seemingly wanted him just as badly as he did her.

It didn't take long for them to reach a crescendo together, gasping and moaning as they climaxed. Sweaty and out of breath, Sam rolled off of Candace. They situated themselves facing each other, both trying to suppress goofy grins.

"Sorry. I know you said you didn't expect me to be a gentleman if you let me in, but you probably weren't expecting that," he apologized.

Candace laughed. "It's ok. I like it rough sometimes," she admitted, looking down at his chest as she played with some of its light hairs. He ventured to kiss her forehead. A blissful silence followed. Sam let his mind wander and stifled a laugh after a while.

"What is it?" Candace finally looked up at him with her dazzling blue eyes.

He shook his head slightly, almost afraid to bring it up, but knew he would have to tell her.

"I was about to ask if this means you won't be running off tonight before I remembered we're at your place." He looked at her apologetically, but Candace was good-natured about it.

"Yah, I'm kind of stuck tonight. But I could always kick you out, you know?" she teased.

"You could, but I don't think you want to," he teased back, inching his face closer to hers.

"No, I don't. I would have stayed, though, for the record. If you would have let me," she played along and leaned her face in closer as well.

"I think this will answer that..." Sam closed the gap between them and kissed her tenderly on the lips.