“I could have a business deal in the works,” he said before taking a drink.
His friend laughed. “Now I know it’s not a business deal, because I just spoke with Hank the other day and all he did was complain about redemptions.”
Luke froze in surprise. He hadn’t known Adam and Hank were friends.
“So a woman, eh? Is that why you’ve been so busy lately?”
“I’m sorry I’ve been AWOL so much,” Luke lied. He’d much rather spend the night with Sam than with one of the guys, but doubted his friend would appreciate him saying so.
“Yeah. I’m sure you are. So when will I meet this woman who’s got your panties all twisted in a bunch?”
Luke frowned when he suddenly realized how bad things would look when he and Sam came out with their relationship. He doubted even Adam, who knew about Jason’s affairs, would be accepting. He’d think Luke was violating a bro code or worse, was taking advantage of Sam at a time she was feeling vulnerable. And maybe Luke was.
Though he’d told himself he’d been helping her forget about Jason when she’d come to him that first night, he also knew that he would have made up any excuse to be with her. And it wasn’t as if he could stop seeing her. He already felt uneasy when he didn’t see her for a day. He wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it if she ever broke up with him.
But the fact that it had taken him this long to realize how bad things could look if people found out about them was a testament to how Sam affected him. All he could think about when he was with her was her.
“Come on,” Adam coaxed. “How about just her name? If it’s this serious, I’ll probably meet her soon enough.”
His stomach dropped at the thought that he might never get to introduce Sam as his girlfriend, and he was surprised by how much he wished things were different. Though he knew there were many men who would’ve loved just sleeping with a beautiful, sexy woman without any commitments, he didn’t—at least not with Sam. He wanted so much more than that. He would spend the rest of his life with her if he could.
“There’s no one,” he said, the words feeling like dust in his mouth.
He hated lying to his friend, but he’d promised Sam. He wondered if she would ever be willing to go public with their relationship before he shook off the thought. She was so worried about what other people would think of them and their relationship that they did their own dishes whenever he stayed at her place. She didn’t even want her cook to find out that she was seeing anyone. He was dreaming if he thought that she’d ever be comfortable dating him publicly.
“So business is picking up?” Adam asked.
“You could say that,” Luke averred. “It’s definitely stabilizing. We’ve gotten back around a quarter of the business we’ve lost.” As expected, it was mostly high net–worth individuals, but they did land one pension fund.
“That’s good to hear. Hey, before I forget, can you give me Sam’s number? Her old one’s been disconnected.”
Luke’s blood froze. Did Adam want Sam, too? Was it possible Adam had fallen for her throughout the years as well? “What for?”
“What are you? Her bodyguard?” Adam laughed as he took another a gulp of his drink. “I need a date for Larry Thomas’s wedding. You know how women are with weddings. They get all these ideas in their head and push for a proposal regardless of how long you’ve been dating. I would rather just have a nice, uncomplicated date who won’t get any crazy ideas for once.”
“Sure. I’ll text you her number.” When pigs fly. No matter how innocent Adam’s intention may be, Luke didn’t like the thought of Sam with another man. His insides twisted at the memory of how snugly her body had molded with his last night. He didn’t want anyone touching her—in any way—except him. The fact that Sam had always been happy to see Adam whenever he’d visited the office cemented Luke’s decision. He wasn’t going to give him her number.
“Don’t you have it on your phone?” Adam asked. “I was hoping to ask her today. The wedding’s next Saturday.”
Luke’s jaw clenched. He’d been talking on the phone when he’d walked into the restaurant, so it wasn’t as if he could say that he’d left his phone in his office then conveniently forget to call Adam. Unless he told the man about his and Sam’s relationship, he was cornered.
He was about to tell Adam that Sam was taken before he remembered the vulnerability in Sam’s eyes when she’d asked him to keep their fling a secret. She would’ve never agreed to a fling if he hadn’t.
Knowing that he couldn’t betray her, he got his phone from his coat pocket. His fingers were stiff as he swiped his phone’s screen to get her number, and when he began reading it off, he practically had to force the information out of his throat. The temptation to give his friend one wrong digit was staggering, but he didn’t need his friend questioning his actions even more.
“Thanks, man,” Adam said as he clapped him on his back, and Luke wondered if he should try to warn Sam before Adam called.
But what if she actually wanted to go with him?
Luke’s stomach dropped at the thought. No matter how much he’d tried to think otherwise, what they had was just a fling. Sooner or later, she’d end things and all he’d be left with were memories.
He couldn’t help but think that he wouldn’t have to worry if she’d been anyone else. His wealth was significant enough that he was considered “a catch.” But not only did Sam have more money than she would ever need, she didn’t care much for it unless it was in ways she could help other people with it. The only reason she was with him was probably because he was familiar, and she had some crazy notion that he was a better person than he really was. Sooner or later, she’d realize her mistake and end things, but hopefully, it would be later rather than sooner, because he was nowhere near getting his fill of her.
* * *
Sam smiled as she looked through all the pictures Cindy had emailed her from the private cooking class she’d won at the charity auction. It looked like her sister had fun.
Sam rolled her eyes when Cindy said that José Patron was even more handsome in person. Her sister had already mentioned that fact multiple times since the class. Sam was about to respond to Cindy’s email when her phone rang. Her stomach dropped at the thought that it was Luke calling to say that he couldn’t make it tonight. Though they spent most nights together, he sometimes had to cancel because he’d gotten held up at work.
Knowing that ignoring his call wouldn’t change the fact that he couldn’t make it, she picked up the phone.
“Hey,” she answered, hoping her disappointment wasn’t too obvious. No matter how much she hated it when he cancelled, she didn’t want him to feel guilty about it either.
“Hey, Samantha.” Surprise and relief coursed through her when she heard Adam’s voice. Luke wasn’t calling to cancel on her.
“Hi, Adam. How’s everything going?”
“Good, although I’m hurt you changed your number without bothering to tell me. I had to get it from Luke.”
Sam laughed. “I’m sorry. The press was hounding me like crazy. I just needed it to stop.” She knew the interest would’ve died eventually, but she hadn’t wanted to wait.
“I know. I was just joking. How’ve things been going with you?”
“Good. I’m trying out my hand at investing.”
“That must be…interesting.”
A smile tugged at her lips. She knew how boring it must seem to other people that she spent her days poring over page after page of financial statements, but she thought it fun. It was like trying to find a needle in the haystack, except she occasionally struck gold.
“Maybe you could try it one day,” she suggested. She’d never pictured herself investing until Luke had mentioned it and she found that she really enjoyed it. She didn’t have to convince a portfolio manager to buy or sell a position, because she was the one in charge now.
“You know just as well as I do that Luke can manage my money better than I ever coul
d, so I’ll leave the investing to him and stick to buildings. Now, the reason I called was because I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to Larry Thomas’s wedding next Saturday.”
Sam froze. Hadn’t he said that he’d gotten her number from Luke?
Did Luke know Adam was going to ask her out? Probably. It was unlikely Adam would just ask for her number without an explanation, which meant that Luke knew about this. Her stomach dropped. Was Luke seriously okay with her being Adam’s wedding date? Though it was all probably innocent, she couldn’t help but feel miffed that Luke didn’t seem to care whether she went or not. She knew she’d be bothered if Luke accompanied another woman to a wedding.
The fact that he hadn’t even blinked at her being someone else’s date just showed that he wasn’t serious about her. And though they’d made no commitments, she was hurt. Even if what they had was just temporary, he should only want her to be with him for the time being, right? He shouldn’t be passing out her number to other men!
Cursing herself for her foolishness, she answered, “I already have plans.” She hadn’t really thought that Luke was starting to feel something more for her, had she? “But thank you for thinking of me.”
Adam groaned. “Do you know how hard it is to find a sane date for a wedding?”
“I’m sure you’ll find a replacement easily enough.” Not only was Adam handsome, he was rich and had a fun sense of humor as well.
Adam sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just go by myself. It’s been getting harder and harder to date ever since Luke and I were included in that eligible bachelors list.”
“You’re not actually expecting me to feel sorry for you, are you?” Hell, Jason must have been jealous about Adam being on that list as well, she now realized.
At the time, when Jason had kept mentioning Luke being featured on the list, she’d written it off as him wanting to embarrass his friend. Luke had never liked the attention he got from the press and it was just like Jason to tease him. But she now knew that that had been a clue that Jason had been unhappy with their marriage. If he hadn’t married her, he would’ve been one of those “eligible bachelors” as well.
Perhaps the three of them—Jason, Luke, and Adam—were more alike than she’d ever imagined. No matter what Adam said, she knew that he enjoyed getting attention from the women and she was sure Luke did as well. Was it just an aberration that Jason had married her?
He’d gotten bored and restless with her quickly enough. Would the same happen with Luke? Was it happening already? Maybe that’s why he’d been okay with giving Adam her number. In the back of her head, she realized that this was why she’d suggested a fling. She wouldn’t have had to worry about other women if what she and Luke had was just temporary.
She hadn’t counted on her falling for him and she was. Frighteningly so. She wouldn’t have been so hurt that he didn’t care about her going on a date with someone else if she wasn’t.
Adam laughed. “No. I guess not, but it was worth a shot. Let me know if you change your mind.”
Disappointment coursed through her as she hung up a few minutes later. She’d actually begun to really like Luke and thought he’d felt the same. But it turned out that she was, once again, wrong.
* * *
Luke’s mind was in a whirr as he approached Sam’s apartment door that night. It was a little earlier than he’d planned, but he hadn’t been able to concentrate at the office. All he’d wanted to do was to see Sam.
He’d been itching to call her since he’d left the restaurant, but he hadn’t known what to say. Adam is calling to ask you out. You’re going to say no, right?
Luke hadn’t even wanted to think of the possibility of her saying yes. He wished he had the right to tell her not to go with Adam, but they didn’t have that kind of a relationship. She’d think he was overreaching, and he would be. Just because he’d tricked himself into thinking this fling was something more than it really was didn’t make it true.
His chest tightened as he opened the door and saw Sam on the couch, looking at him over the edge of her eReader. How many more times would he get to come home to her before she decided she deserved better?
Worried that that time would come soon enough, he forced the thought out of his mind, walked over to her, and kissed her. Was it his imagination or was she not kissing him back? Shaking the thought off, he smiled as he sat next to her and settled her legs over his lap.
“What are you reading?” he asked. With her, he never knew what to expect. She could be reading anything from a biography of a president to a highlander romance.
She set her eReader down and tucked her hair behind her ear as she straightened. “Adam called, asking me if I wanted to go to a wedding as his date.”
His heart sank. Was this how she was going to say that she couldn’t see him next weekend? On top of hating the thought of her being with another man, he hated that their time together was being cut short. Weekends were the only chance they had to really spend any length of time with each other, and she was going to spend one with another man?
He gritted his teeth. “And what did you say?”
No matter how much he wished it otherwise, he knew he had no say in the situation. He’d only risk losing her if he tried to stop her and he wouldn’t dare that.
“I said no.”
Relief like he’d never known flooded through him. Thank goodness. He smiled as he leaned against the couch, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from him.
“I know it’s petty of me, but I’m happy you’re not going with him,” he said as he began rubbing her feet.
Her eyes widened. “You are?”
He smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. Call me a caveman, but I don’t like the thought of you in another man’s arms.”
She removed her legs from his. “Then why did you give my number to him?”
“What was I supposed to do? With us keeping this relationship a secret, I couldn’t tell him to find another date when he asked for your number.” Luke shrugged and gestured towards her. “Besides, I wasn’t sure if you actually wanted to go to the wedding or if you wanted to see Adam.”
“Oh.”
He blinked in surprise as understanding dawned. “Wait. You thought I wanted you to go with Adam?”
“I don’t know… After everything that’s happened with Jason…” She sighed. “I just wanted to let you know that if you ever want to end things, you can let me know—no hard feelings.”
How could she talk about them breaking up so calmly? How could she act as if what they had was nothing? Didn’t she feel anything for him? The thought of her feeling nothing for him when she ended things was a sobering thought. Was he just wasting his time in trying to make her love him? No. She had to feel something for him. A bond as strong as theirs couldn’t just be one–sided, could it?
“All right,” he murmured, though he didn’t ask her to do the same. He knew he’d be wrecked when she broke up with him. But since that was neither here nor now, he pushed the thoughts aside.
His chest ached at the thought of everything she’d been through. Hating that she’d been hurt, and grateful that they weren’t ending things just yet, he kissed her. Her lips softened against his, and he groaned. So soft. He snaked his hand around her small waist and settled her onto his lap. They might not see eye to eye on their relationship, but at least they connected in bed.
His hands dipped beneath her shirt as he explored the silky skin underneath. He trailed a line of kisses down her throat before settling on that sweet spot he knew made her weak and suckled it. She moaned, and the sound went straight to his cock.
Greedy, he removed her shirt and felt his head lighten when he saw her bare breasts. He loved it when she didn’t wear a bra. He cupped both breasts, one in each hand, and flicked his thumbs over her nipples. Power coursed through him as her eyes fluttered and she leaned towards him. He was the one doing this to her. He was the one who was making her feel this way. Not Jason. Not Adam—hi
m. Drunk on the thought, he took one of the pert tips into his mouth.
As if she couldn’t get enough of him, she ran her soft hands all over him and his grip around her tightened. He loved it when she touched him and hated the thought of her hands on anyone else.
She gasped when he bit her nipple. He grinned, then laved it, soothing it, before biting the sensitive nipple again. Her nails dug into his back as he moved towards her other nipple, giving it the same treatment. Her moans filled the air, going straight to his cock. Needing her now, he wrapped her legs around his waist and stood. She began unbuttoning his shirt as he captured her lips in a kiss.
She removed his shirt as they tumbled into bed seconds later and began running her hands over him. Knowing that he wouldn’t last if she kept that up, he moved lower, leaving a trail of kisses down her sexy stomach as he removed her pants and panties. He sent a prayer of thanks when he found her wet. He couldn’t wait any longer. He quickly shed his pants and boxers and joined her in bed.
He entered her, and the sweet sensation of being gripped by her made his head light. So good. She felt so fucking good. He moved in and out of her, letting himself get lost in the sensation. She groaned, and it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.
Her hair was spread out over the pillow, her eyes were glossed over, and her cheeks were flushed to a delectable red. The thought of another man seeing her like this, either in the past or in the future, had him suddenly seeing green.
“Say my name,” he said as he pumped into her. Her eyes fluttered as she moaned, and he repeated it again. “Say my name, Sam.”
“Luke,” she finally said breathlessly.
Male satisfaction poured through him. He loved hearing his name on her lips.
“Again,” he demanded as he pounded into her.
“Luke.”
He wrapped a leg over his shoulder and moved deep inside her again. The sensation of being so deep inside of her made him dizzy. She must’ve felt the same, because she gasped as her nails bit into his back. “Luke.”
Like a man on a mission, he moved faster. Soon, her muscles tightened around him and her sweet moans filled the air as he felt her spasms. “Luke. Luke.”
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