The slow movement of Eliza’s head ended in a full nod and a smile. “How can a girl say no to that?”
“Good.”
“Mrs. Harrison?” the cook called from the entryway to the living room.
“Yes, Mary?”
“Your lunch is ready. Would you like it in here, or should I leave it in the dining room?”
Eliza’s sly smile told Samantha how impressed she was. “We’ll take it in there. I hope you’ll join us.”
Mary’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh, no, I couldn’t do that.”
Samantha and Eliza both stood and walked toward Mary. “Oh, yes, you can,” Sam laughed as she spoke. “I don’t expect you to cook lunch then eat alone.”
“But—“
“Besides, Blake’s birthday is in less than a week and to tell you the truth, I’ve absolutely no idea what to buy him. Maybe you can help.”
Mary’s mouth rounded to a perfect ‘O’. She stopped arguing and followed Sam and her new business partner into the dining room.
Halfway through their meal, Samantha realized how quickly she’d fallen back into the role of a woman with money. She stalled as she ate, and remembered how quickly it could all collapse.
In her situation, she knew it would. Hers and Blake’s was a temporary arrangement, with a definite beginning and a specific end. She’d have to lock those thoughts away for another year, or risk exposing her short-term marriage to anyone who looked.
And in order to lock it away, she needed to start acting like a married woman, she mused.
A happily married woman.
****
Blake drove through the gates of his Malibu estate two hours past the time he’d told Samantha he’d be home. With the upset in the Middle East, a few of his shipping routes needed to be diverted to avoid the international turmoil. It would have been easier handling the current crisis in his company if he’d been in Europe, but Blake had grown used to shuffling things between both Continents. Now with Samantha in his life, he had an even better reason to filter more of his work to the States.
When he’d called her at five thirty to tell her he’d be late, she’d sounded disappointed. That disappointment prompted him to move faster so he could manage a little time with her before she retired for the evening. He had a genuine desire to get to know Samantha better.
There weren’t any games with his wife. Blatant honesty, right down to the ‘I want to sleep with you’ words, were refreshing.
The memory of her shedding her shirt and kicking off her jeans left him hard every time he thought about it. The urge to have his wife in his bed and begging for his touch was strong. Blake had promised to give her time to think about his offer but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try seduction to get what he wanted. Hell, she wanted him, too. He saw it in her sideway glances when she didn’t think he watched, in the way she licked her lips while staring at his.
Blake purposely avoided kissing her since she’d moved in. Yet every touch, every time he helped her out of a car, or placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her though a door, was torture.
He couldn’t wait to explore their volatile attraction and see just how high it would explode.
Walking inside his home, Blake had a strong urge to yell, ‘Hi, honey, I’m home.’ He smiled at the thought and walked through the quiet halls until the soft glow of candlelight caught his attention from the dining room.
Samantha sat at the table wearing a delicate ruby silk dress and a smile. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in a soft curtain. Her eyes sparkled as she watched him walk into the room.
The smell of succulent beef met his nose and reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since noon.
Samantha lifted a glass of red wine and rose from her seat before walking toward him.
“What’s all this?” he asked as his gaze followed the slim lines of her figure. Her br**sts pushed up against the neckline of her dress, exposing her creamy flesh. Her legs, the ones she always complained were too short, peeked through the slit of her dress and fell to four-inch heels that did amazing things to her calves. He liked women’s shoes, he decided. A second closet was a small price to pay for the sexy view.
“I thought it would be nice to dine alone while we could. Your home in Europe sounds very… full.”
Blake took the glass she offered and listened for the sounds of Mary in the kitchen or Louisa in the hall. He didn’t hear anything other than the faint sound of the ocean through an open window. “We’re alone?”
“I gave Mary and Louisa the night off.”
He liked the sound of that, and the sultry look under Samantha’s hooded gaze brought several questions to the tip of his tongue. He tabled them and followed her lead. If she’d decided to take him up on his affair offer, he’d find out soon enough.
“I’m sure they didn’t argue.”
Samantha pulled out his chair and encouraged him to sit.
“All they asked is what time they should be here in the morning.”
“In the morning? They live here.”
Samantha removed the lid from one of the serving plates and steam escaped. She piled the plate in front of him with roast and trimmed it with scalloped potatoes and asparagus tips. “Louisa has a boyfriend, who was more than happy to put her up for the night.”
“I didn’t know she had a boyfriend.”
“And Mary was happy to visit her grandson and daughter.”