She knew what he was getting at. Her heart raced with a growing excitement. “Blake, we can’t make love in here every afternoon.”
“Who said we can’t?”
“But I have to go now,” she said, knowing she was weakening.
“In a minute,” he murmured, sending her an intimate look across the desk. “Come and give me a kiss goodbye first.”
She wagged a finger at him. “That’s all, Blake. One kiss and no more.”
“Trust me.”
She moved toward him. “Okay…”
Half an hour later she left the office a very satisfied woman, amused at how easily she had fallen for his trickery. Of course, she couldn’t fully blame her boss. She’d wanted to fall for it.
“Lady, you’re far too dangerous to let loose on our male guests,” Blake said, watching Samantha step into high heels. She wore a beaded jacket over black evening pants that flattered her slim figure, and she’d curled the brunette strands of her hair into a bubbly halo around her gorgeous face.#p#分页标题#e#
“You think I look okay?”
“More than okay. You’ll knock ’em dead.” He stepped closer and went to pull her toward him but she put a hand against his chest, stopping him.
“Wait! You’ll mess up my lipstick.”
Blake was amused. “I’d like to mess up more than your lipstick, beautiful.”
Her blue eyes smiled back at him. “You already did that this afternoon. ‘Trust me,’ remember?”
He gave a low chuckle. “I remember.” Even now he felt the stirrings of desire, so he stepped away from temptation. “Come on. I’ll drive you up to the Manor.”
“I can call the valet.”
“That’s okay. I want to look over those documents Gavin gave me about the new bungalow. It’ll be a good chance to study them without the phones ringing.” It was an excuse but she looked so good that he wanted to make sure she got home okay. If anyone hit on her they’d be sorry.
Ten minutes later they walked down the corridor toward the ballroom, but as they got closer she suddenly stopped. “Blake, please. Don’t come in with me. You’ll only make me more nervous.”
“Okay. I’ll be in the office until you’re ready to go home.”
“But—”
He leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll wait for you.”
He looked up and saw Erica and Christian coming toward them. They were a distance away so he nodded at them then turned and walked in the other direction, taking the private elevator up to the office. He didn’t care that they’d seen the kiss. He did care that they might think Samantha was his weak spot.
Christian had proven his integrity months ago, but the other man had his own weak point—Erica. It could make him blind to whatever his fiancée was up to, Blake thought, then winced. She may not be up to anything at all, he corrected, aware his hard attitude toward his half sister was diminishing with each passing day.
Yet he couldn’t discount Erica was fooling him as well as Christian, though he was feeling less and less that was the case. He was usually a pretty good judge of character—when emotions weren’t involved. Unfortunately finding out he had a half sister had brought out an emotional response in him. He hadn’t liked that.
And he didn’t like the emotional response he was feeling now as he sat down at his desk and saw the file with the résumés. It all came back that Samantha was actually going to leave. It had either been let her go in three weeks’ time or lose her now. He hadn’t been able to bear the thought of the latter.
And he wasn’t up to reading those résumés right now either, he decided, putting them to the side. He would deal with it when he had to and not before.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been working when he heard piano music drift up from the bottom floor. He sat back in his chair and listened. Samantha was clearly talented as she went from one tune to another, even throwing in some classical music. He heard clapping at the end of that one, though whether it was for Samantha or in honor of the birthday guest, he wasn’t sure. The music started up in another medley of popular tunes, so he figured it was for Samantha.
And rightly so.
Unable to stop himself, he knew he had to see her play in person and not merely listen from afar. He got up from his desk and went downstairs, hearing the clink of glasses and cutlery and the murmur of voices, but it was the music that drew him as he approached the ballroom.
Pushing open one of the large doors, he slipped inside and stood at the back, watching people half listening and half talking as Samantha played another piece of classical music. She didn’t see him, but she appeared totally at ease at the piano, concentrating on the music, her hands flowing across the keys, looking very feminine and beautiful. Suddenly he was so proud of her that a lump rose in his throat.#p#分页标题#e#