The Taming of Xander Sterne(55)

                Xander stepped fully into the room, immediately dwarfing what had previously seemed a spacious room. ‘Strange, the two of us were just discussing that too. Daisy would like us to take her to the cinema tomorrow and then she suggested we all go swimming.’

                Sam’s heart sank at the thought of a Xander-filled weekend; hours and hours when she would have to hide the growing feelings she had for him. ‘I really appreciate all the time and effort you’ve taken with Daisy this past week—’ she began.

                ‘But?’ He quirked one blond brow.

                Sam still couldn’t look at him directly, that disturbing awareness of him thrumming beneath her skin. ‘But perhaps you shouldn’t spend quite as much time with her as you do? Daisy shouldn’t come to rely on your attention so much,’ she added regretfully. ‘We’re going to be leaving here at the end of next week, and—’

                ‘And you think I’m then just going to forget all about her, is that it?’ Xander barked harshly, more than a little insulted by that assumption. ‘You said you trusted me, Samantha,’ he said gruffly.

                ‘I do trust you.’ Samantha chewed on her bottom lip. ‘It’s just—I appreciate the time you’ve spent with Daisy, I really do. It’s simply that I know you’re still incapacitated, at the moment, and can’t do the things you usually do,’ she hurried on as Xander scowled. ‘That it must be boring for you being stuck in this apartment all the time, as well as frustrating. But you’re improving rapidly, and once you’re completely fit again, you’ll obviously want to return to your own life, and—’

                ‘And then I’ll no longer have time for Daisy, is that what you’re saying?’ Xander realised that he and Samantha had deliberately not discussed personal subjects again since revealing so much about themselves to each other on Monday. Possibly because neither of them were used to doing that? But Samantha’s implication now, that he was just going to cast Daisy aside like a pair of old shoes once he was fit again, was hardly fair.

                He had grown genuinely fond of Daisy. For herself. But also, Xander knew, because she was a miniature version of her mother.

                He had grown more than a little fond of Samantha too. In fact, the desire he felt to make love to her was now a physical ache that he lived with on a daily basis. A desire he was determinedly denying himself from even attempting to satisfy, because he knew he shouldn’t take advantage of this situation.

                Maybe it was selfish of him, but he had been putting off discussing Howard with Samantha again, had enjoyed this past week too much, having Samantha relax in his company, having her trust him, to want to ruin that peace and harmony. He had even taken to having cold showers every morning, in an effort not to ruin that trust by attempting to kiss her again!

                That Samantha should now more or less accuse him of using Daisy as a diversion for his boredom, and that he would forget about her, and Samantha, once he was fit enough to resume his own life, just added salt to the wound.

                Did those confidences he had shared with her about his father mean nothing to her? And what of the trust she had placed in him by agreeing to let him help her?

                ‘Well, thanks for that, Samantha,’ he grated. ‘Nice to know you think me insensitive as well as shallow!’ He turned abruptly, leaving the kitchen to walk down the hallway, and shut himself in his study before sitting down heavily behind his desk.

                Before he said anything he might regret.

                Such as, that he hadn’t been bored for a single moment these last few days.

                That, despite the initial doubts he had voiced to Darius on the subject he liked having Samantha and Daisy living with him, and genuinely enjoyed their company.