The Taming of Xander Sterne

by Carole Mortimer

  Now she had gone, crept from his bed like a thief in the night. As if last night had meant nothing to her. As if he meant nothing to her.

  And perhaps he didn’t, Xander realised with a frown, as he recalled their conversation just before they had made love. Their discussion of the problem of her ex-husband, and the way in which he intended dealing with that problem, for both her own and Daisy’s sakes.

  Could Samantha have gone to bed with him, made love, out of gratitude for just the thought of that help reaching fruition?

  Because he had made it obvious he wanted her, and she hadn’t liked to say no?

  * * *

  ‘Cereal, pancakes, or eggs and bacon?’ Sam prompted briskly as Xander made an appearance in the kitchen doorway just after eight o’clock, her daughter already seated at the breakfast bar eating the last of her pancakes.

  It was a grim-faced Xander who looked at her with dark and wary eyes, nothing like the wild and satisfying lover of the night before. Or the relaxed and satiated man Sam had left asleep in bed earlier this morning.

  Any more than she looked—or felt—like the uninhibited woman of the night before.

  Her cheeks felt warm just thinking of the intimacies the two of them had shared the previous night. ‘Or maybe just your usual coffee?’ she carried on hurriedly as Xander made no reply but just continued to look at her searchingly with those dark and enigmatic eyes.

  But searching for what?

  Regrets?

  Sam had plenty of those!

  Rebuke?

  She had absolutely nothing to rebuke Xander for, had been a more than willing participant to their lovemaking.

  So what was Xander looking for as he gazed at her so intently?

  Whatever it was, he didn’t seem to have found it, the expression in his dark eyes becoming even more guarded as he stepped further into the kitchen. ‘Just coffee is fine, thanks,’ he answered as he moved to sit opposite Daisy. ‘How are you this morning, Daisy-flower?’ His voice noticeably softened as he spoke to the little girl.

  Sam efficiently poured coffee into a mug and placed it in front of him before collecting up Daisy’s empty plate and returning to tidy up the stove top, her back turned towards the room as tears blurred her vision.

  This was awful. Worse than she had even imagined it might be.

  In her imaginings there had at least been a stilted conversation between herself and Xander, in which he would say something like you were right, last night was a bad idea, and Sam would urge him to forget about it, as she already had.

  The fact that Daisy was present this morning, and would be all weekend, was going to make even that brief conversation difficult, if not impossible.

  And Sam wasn’t sure her already frayed nerves could take the added tension, especially if Xander decided to spend time with them this weekend.

  Because they weren’t a normal family. And they never could be.

  Xander’s past record, of having been involved with a legion of women, clearly spoke for itself, and he certainly hadn’t made any rash declarations of love to Sam the evening before. He hadn’t needed to, she reminded herself, after she had made it more than obvious she’d wanted him as much as he’d wanted her.

  She had been a willing scratch to Xander’s itch, at best. And the fact that he meant so much more to her than that wasn’t his problem.

  That was something Sam definitely intended keeping to herself.

  Xander would run a mile if he thought for one moment that she had feelings for him. Worse, that she had been stupid enough to fall in love with him.

  Just the thought of leaving Xander at the end of next week, of never seeing him again, was enough to break her heart.

  ‘Daisy, how about I put a cartoon on for you?’ Xander suggested lightly as he stood up, very aware of the fact that Samantha was keeping her back turned towards the two of them for a reason; the slight shaking of her shoulders, and the occasional soft sniff he could hear, clearly indicating that she was crying.

  Could he feel any more of a heel than he already did? Xander wondered heavily as he accompanied Daisy into the television room and put a film on for her.

  He had taken advantage of Samantha last night. Had used her emotions against her—fear of her ex-husband? Her gratitude for Xander’s help? The compassion she felt for his past? Take your pick! And then he’d forgotten all of those things in order to take what he wanted.

  The fact that Samantha had left his bed before he had woken up, that she was crying this morning, had to mean that she regretted what had happened between the two of them last night.

  And Xander had no idea how to put things right between them.

  Did he apologise and tell her that he knew and accepted that last night had been a mistake?

  Even if it hadn’t been?

  Did he promise her it would never happen again?

  A promise, desiring her as much as he still did, that Xander knew he couldn’t keep.

  Or did he put her through the even worse embarrassment of being the one to speak first about last night?

  No, that last definitely wasn’t going to happen; it would totally humiliate Samantha, and that was the last thing Xander ever wanted her to feel in regards to him or their lovemaking.

  What he had wanted to happen was for the two of them to wake up in each other’s arms this morning, to make mind-blowing love again, before they discussed exactly where they were going to go with their relationship.

  Except Samantha had already left when he’d woken up this morning.

  Consequently there had been no opportunity for a repeat of the night before.

  Both of those things telling him that, as far as she was concerned, at least, there was also no relationship for the two of them to discuss.

  At the same time as Xander knew they couldn’t continue to live together for the next week without one or both of them saying at least something about last night. Acknowledging that it had happened, at least. Not to do so would be juvenile. And their actions last night had been anything but that.

  ‘I’m just going back to the kitchen to have a chat with Mummy, okay, Daisy?’ he told the little girl lightly as he raised the volume on the television.

  ‘Okay.’ Daisy nodded distractedly, her attention already focused on the animated film on the screen.

  Xander closed the door softly behind him as he stepped out into the hallway, drawing in a deep breath once he was outside; he wasn’t in the least looking forward to the next few minutes’ conversation with Samantha. Or what the outcome of that conversation would mean for the two of them.

  Any thoughts of that conversation fled his head the moment he walked back into the kitchen and saw how deathly pale Samantha’s face was as she stood as still as a statue, the telephone receiver about to fall from her limp fingers.

  ‘Samantha?’ Xander quickly crossed to where she stood to look down searchingly into that pale face as he took that receiver from her and placed it back on the wall, frowning darkly as he saw the pain in those dark amethyst eyes as Samantha stared off into the distance. ‘Samantha?’

  The way she now looked up at him so blankly, as if she not only didn’t see him, but was having trouble even remembering who he was, wasn’t in the least reassuring.

  Xander lightly clasped the tops of her arms as a way of gaining her attention. ‘Samantha!’

  ‘Security just called from Reception downstairs.’ She spoke flatly, not an ounce of emotion in her voice as she continued to look up at him blankly.

  ‘And?’ he prompted tensely as Samantha didn’t add anything to that statement.

  She blinked, seeming to come out of her stupor slightly as she finally focused on him. ‘Malcolm is downstairs.’

  ‘He is?’

  She nodded. ‘And apparently he tol
d Security that he has no intention of leaving until he’s spoken to one or both of us.’

  Xander had known this confrontation was inevitable, had deliberately designed this situation so that Howard would make him the target rather than Samantha and Daisy.

  He just hadn’t expected it to be this morning, and before he’d even had a chance to talk to Samantha about last night.

  CHAPTER TEN

  MAYBE IF HE hadn’t been so caught up, so blinded by his desire for Samantha and the need he felt to protect her, he would have realised that the bombastic Malcolm Howard was arrogant enough to come to his apartment. Everything Xander had learnt about the other man this past week had indicated he was someone who didn’t care about anyone else’s feelings, least of all Samantha’s.

  ‘I thought you said that your lawyer would contact Malcolm and arrange for him to visit his offices?’

  Xander winced at the complete lack of accusation in Samantha’s tone. At the lack of any emotion in her voice at all. ‘He was going to do that on Monday morning.’ He grimaced. ‘Obviously I underestimated the speed of Howard’s powers of deduction.’

  She smiled without humour. ‘Don’t feel bad about that; a lot of people have underestimated Malcolm’s intelligence,’ she said flatly.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Samantha.’ Xander looked down at her, frowning as he saw her expression was just as unreadable. As if the shock, the possibility of seeing Howard again, had robbed her of all feeling. ‘You don’t have to do this, Samantha,’ he reassured her gently. ‘I can go downstairs and tell Howard that my lawyer will contact him on Monday morning as planned.’

  Sam knew that would be the safest thing to do. But it was also the coward’s thing to do. And she no longer wanted to be that person. ‘No,’ she said firmly, determinedly rousing herself from the stupor of the shock of knowing that Malcolm was actually downstairs refusing to leave until he had spoken to her. And Xander...

  It was her worst nightmare realised.

  Well, no, that wasn’t strictly true any more; her worst nightmare was knowing she had fallen in love with Xander, while understanding that that love wasn’t, and never could be, returned.

  So, did she want to talk to Malcolm?

  Absolutely not.

  Did she want this situation between the two of them settled once and for all?

  Absolutely yes.

  ‘Is Daisy fully occupied with the TV, do you think?’ She chewed worriedly on her bottom lip at thoughts of her young daughter so much as realising that the man who was her father was actually here, in Xander’s apartment.

  Xander’s mouth twisted. ‘She’s watching one of her favourite animated movies. Very loudly,’ he added dryly, as the volume was audible all the way down the hallway.

  Sam nodded. ‘Then I would rather the two of us talked to Malcolm now, if that’s okay with you?’ She looked up at Xander expectantly.

  ‘Are you sure?’ He frowned darkly, obviously not happy with her decision.

  ‘Just say if you aren’t comfortable with this.’ Sam frowned, noting Xander’s pallor, the tightness of his jaw, the nerve pulsing at the base of his throat, and the grimness of his expression. ‘You’ve done so much for us already.’

  ‘The fact that Howard is here at all would seem to imply I didn’t do it quickly enough!’ He scowled darkly.

  ‘I’m really grateful for all the help you’ve given me.’ Sam frowned as he gave a pained wince. ‘I am grateful, Xander, but I can deal with the rest of this on my own if you would rather not be involved any further.’

  ‘That’s the last thing I want! Sorry,’ he muttered as Samantha flinched at the fierceness of his tone. ‘I apologise for raising my voice.’

  She grimaced as she placed her hand lightly on Xander’s arm. ‘Your reaction is perfectly normal, Xander,’ she reassured him. ‘Believe me, Malcolm has this effect on most people.’ She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze before stepping away from him. ‘Let’s just get this over with, shall we—before I lose my nerve?’ she added shakily.

  Once this conversation with Malcolm was over, and the matter was hopefully settled, Sam knew then would be the time for her and Xander to talk. If last night had made it awkward for them to continue living together for the next week, this added fiasco with Malcolm could make it impossible!

  ‘I should have been able to protect you from this confrontation,’ Xander said.

  ‘Because your instinct is naturally to protect rather than to destroy.’

  Xander drew in a sharp breath at the total trust in Samantha’s voice. ‘We’ll talk to Howard in my study,’ he stated decisively before picking up the receiver and calling down to Reception, instructing them to send Howard up before ending the call and turning back to Samantha. ‘Would you like to go and wait for us in my study, and I’ll go and meet Howard at the lift?’

  ‘You really don’t have to do this, Xander.’

  ‘Yes, I most certainly do,’ he bit out tensely. ‘I’m responsible for him being here, and I have absolutely no intention of leaving you to speak with him alone.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Please go to my study,’ he repeated gently before turning to make his way out into the hallway, deliberately leaving his stick propped against the breakfast bar. The last thing he wanted was to appear physically weak in front of Malcolm Howard.

  To that end Xander was leaning casually against the wall outside the lift when the doors opened to reveal his unexpected, and equally unwanted, guest.

  His eyes glittered with challenge as Howard stepped out into the corridor. Xander disliked him on sight.

  For so many reasons.

  For having once mattered to Samantha.

  For having been married to her and not appreciating her as the jewel that she was.

  For being Daisy’s father.

  Most of all, for having made both of their lives a misery.

  The feeling of dislike was obviously mutual as the older man’s face flushed with anger as he looked at Xander. ‘Are you aware of the humiliation you caused me last night when I arrived at the club with my date, only to be told that the almighty Xander Sterne had personally cancelled my membership?’

  Xander’s top lip curled back with distaste. Howard believed his ex-wife and daughter were currently living with Xander in his apartment, and yet all that was bothering the guy at this moment was his cancelled membership to one of his clubs?

  Xander’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. Only Samantha’s continued faith in him, her complete belief that he wasn’t a violent man like his father, held him in check.

  ‘You no longer met the criteria of membership to the Midas nightclub,’ he dismissed harshly, at the same time cursing himself for having acted so impulsively by cancelling the other man’s membership when he did, prematurely alerting Howard to his plans.

  It had been a stupid reaction on Xander’s part, even petty, and was the reason for Howard’s unwanted presence this morning.

  But just the thought of going to Midas one evening, of seeing this man enjoying himself in his club, a man capable of blackmailing his ex-wife into going to bed with him, had just been too much for Xander to contemplate. He wasn’t sure even Samantha’s faith in him would have been enough to prevent him from reacting under those circumstances.

  ‘And what criteria would that be?’ the other man challenged. ‘No man is allowed to be a member of the Midas nightclub if you are currently sleeping with his ex-wife? If so, then I’m surprised there are any men left in London to fill your club!’

  Xander counted to ten in his head. And then counted another ten. And another. And another.

  He was determined, he would not let Samantha down, and let his temper get the better of him.

  ‘Nothing to say?’ Howard challenged.

  ‘I resent even having
to breathe the same air as you,’ Xander said icily.

  Howard’s face twisted into an ugly sneer. ‘I’m guessing you conveniently forget that aversion when it comes to you sleeping with my ex-wife?’

  ‘Don’t say another word,’ Xander warned harshly. ‘Not. Another. Word.’ A nerve pulsed rapidly in his tightly clenched jaw.

  How he would like to knock this man unconscious and put an end to this conversation. Just one little punch to that sneering face, that was all it would take for him to silence Howard and his vile mouth.

  But Xander knew he couldn’t let himself do it, no matter what the temptation. That he couldn’t betray the trust, the belief, that Samantha had in him.

  He drew in a deep and controlling breath. ‘I have no intention of saying anything else to you without Samantha being present. She’s waiting for us in my study.’ He didn’t wait to see if the other man followed him as he turned and walked down the hallway, ignoring the jarring pain in his leg as he did so.

  Welcoming that pain if it stopped him from giving in to the anger now consuming him.

  Malcolm Howard was supposed to have loved Samantha and Daisy, protected them both, and instead he’d deliberately hurt them.

  How could Samantha have ever thought she was in love with such a man, let alone married him?

  But Xander knew exactly how. From their conversations he knew she had been very young and completely alone in the world when she and Howard had met.

  No doubt she had been flattered by the attentions of this older and seemingly charming and sophisticated man. The man she had trusted to love and take care of her.

  Xander turned to look at the other man coldly as he paused outside the closed door to his study. ‘Know this, Howard—if you hurt Samantha again, then I would also advise that you keep a watchful eye over your shoulder in the future.’ He showed his teeth in a feral smile.

  Howard’s face flushed angrily. ‘Are you threatening me?’

  ‘That wasn’t a threat, it was a promise,’ Xander assured him softly as he opened the study door before standing back to allow Howard to enter the room ahead of him.