The Taming of Xander Sterne(21)

                ‘I can’t bend down that far,’ he drawled as he saw the direction of her gaze.

                ‘You should have called me,’ Sam said briskly.

                ‘I didn’t want to embarrass you again.’

                ‘I wasn’t—’

                ‘Yes, you were,’ he rasped harshly. ‘Are.’ He moved to sit on the side of the bed as he looked up at her through narrowed eyes. ‘The question is why are you, when you’ve been married and have a daughter to prove it?’

                ‘I told you, I’m not embarrassed.’ Sam moved briskly across the room to drop down onto her knees in front of him as she began to towel dry the long length of his legs, taking care to gentle her movements on his injured leg, avoiding the several healing scars running the length of it.

                ‘Liar,’ he drawled.

                Sam looked up at him sharply. ‘I think you have an overinflated opinion of your own sexual prowess, Mr Sterne.’

                ‘Not recently I don’t,’ he admitted.

                The perfect opening... ‘I should have mentioned this to you before.’ Sam kept her head bent as she concentrated on drying his feet. ‘I don’t think—I would prefer, for the duration of our stay here, that you didn’t—I realise this is an imposition,’ she began again, ‘but Daisy is only five, and I really don’t—’

                ‘Do you seriously think there’s a danger of any woman being interested in going to bed with me the way I am at the moment?’ Xander bit out harshly as he obviously guessed where her fumbling conversation was going.

                What Sam thought was that there was a distinct possibility that women would still want to go to bed with this devastatingly handsome and sensual man, even if he were on his deathbed!

                There was an innate sensuality to Xander Sterne that would no doubt still be with him when he was ninety. And the bone structure of his face was such that he would always have that chiselled handsomeness that so many women—including Sam, unfortunately—found so devastatingly attractive.

                ‘Or that I’m even capable of making love to a woman at the moment?’ he demanded.

                Sam raised her brows. ‘I’m sure if you were to experiment that you would find a position that was comfortable— Forget I said that,’ she dismissed as she stood up quickly from drying his feet, her cheeks once again blazing with embarrassed colour.

                What had she been thinking?

                Too much about being in bed with Xander, that was what she had been thinking about!

                ‘I’m intrigued, Samantha.’ He now regarded her teasingly. ‘Exactly what position did you have in mind?’ He looked thoughtful. ‘The woman on the top would probably be the most comfortable for me, I suppose.’

                ‘Look, all I was trying to say a few minutes ago was that I know this is an imposition, but I really would prefer it if you refrained from bringing any women to your apartment for the next two weeks while Daisy and I are staying here,’ she muttered exasperatedly.

                He arched one blond and arrogant brow. ‘Are you going to make it worth my while?’

                Sam blinked. ‘Sorry?’

                He placed his hands on the bed behind him as he leant back on his arms, emphasising the muscles of his shoulders and arms as he looked up at her challengingly. ‘What are you offering if I agree not to bring any women to the apartment while you and Daisy are staying here?’