The same hair that Samantha had tugged and pulled on a short time ago as she’d returned—when he had thought she’d returned—the heat of his kisses. Hell, maybe she had been trying to push him away even then!
Xander turned away from the guilt he felt just looking at Samantha as she refastened her bra and straightened her sweater before sitting upright on the sofa, her eyes dark and bruised-looking, her lips puffy from their kisses. ‘I’m sorry,’ he repeated abruptly. ‘That really was inappropriate of me.’
Sam knew it had been.
But oh, how she wished she hadn’t needed to stop their kisses but could instead have taken what Xander had so obviously been offering: a night of uncomplicated and passionate sex.
Except it wouldn’t be uncomplicated, not when Xander was the man she wanted to make love with, rather than her ex-husband who was demanding she go to bed with him again. Just thinking about Malcolm’s threats earlier was enough to give her nightmares!
But her problems had nothing to do with Xander. The only reason she was staying in his apartment at all was to take care of him.
This was a job, for goodness’ sake.
A job that certainly didn’t come with the fringe benefit of sleeping with the boss.
Thank goodness Xander had spoken to her and broken the sensual spell she had fallen under, reminding her of where she was. Who she was with!
She was just so aware of his lethal attraction. The desire he had aroused in her that she had thought long dead.
But it wasn’t only that. She was just as drawn to knowing the reasons behind those dark shadows that she occasionally saw lurking in the depths of his eyes. As if he had his own painful memories he had to deal with on a daily basis. Memories Sam wanted to know, and possibly share with him.
Which was utterly ridiculous.
Why on earth would Xander Sterne, billionaire playboy, have any painful memories, let alone want to share them with someone like her?
Admittedly his father had died when Xander was still quite young, which must have been difficult for him, but other than that he had led a charmed life. He was rich as Croesus, was obviously loved by his twin and his mother and stepfather. And, if the bridesmaid from earlier was any example, then women were obviously falling over themselves just to be with him.
So why on earth would he ever feel anything more than a fleeting attraction towards her, let alone a need to share any of his private life with the woman hired to take care of him while his brother was away on his honeymoon?
He wouldn’t, came the unequivocal answer.
Even if there was something to share. Which there so obviously wasn’t.
‘I am sorry, Samantha.’
She didn’t look at Xander as she nodded abruptly. ‘So am I.’
‘What do you have to be sorry about?’
A desire that had shocked her to her core.
Acknowledging Xander’s lethal attraction and acting upon it were two distinctly different things, when Sam hadn’t so much as looked at a man with interest since the end of her marriage to Malcolm. Even without Malcolm’s threats earlier this evening, her ex-husband’s unreasonable behaviour during their marriage should have been a stark lesson to her never to be fooled again by a good-looking face and a charming manner.