She knew he was waiting for her to drop the ‘not’ in. But she didn’t.
“I thought I was in love with him.” She almost smiled at the widening of his eyes, the hardening of his jaw. But didn’t. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but he swept me off my feet. He was kind, made me feel important.”
“He was your boss?”
“Yup.”
“The great provider giving you work, money and love.” He paused. “I didn’t put you down as the type who’d have an affair with a married man though.” She almost thought for a second there that she saw disappointment in his eye. But she was kidding herself.
“I’m not. I didn’t know he was married, the only person who didn’t probably. He told me we had to be discreet because he was my boss, and I bought it.”
“You were young.”
“I was naïve and stupid, so bloody stupid.” He pulled her closer, so she could feel the length of him through the satin of the dress. “But as soon as I found out about the wife and the baby on the way, I lost it completely. But he didn’t see any reason to split up and he wouldn’t let go, he said I’d only got the job I had because he fancied me, and without him I’d never get anything else. Then he got me sacked.”
“Ah, that explains a lot.” She closed her eyes at the soft sigh of warm breath against her neck.
“And he knew all about Mike, he told me that if anyone made the connection that would be it, no one would trust me. He said that the whole industry knew about Mike and what had kicked off, that he was hated and distrusted and I was tarnished with the same brush.”
“That’s rubbish, Sam.”
“It’s not, he’s told people and they’ve dropped me like a hot coal.”
“That wasn’t because of Mike; it was because Andrew was in charge of the newspaper, silly girl.”
“Oh.” She leaned into the warm body. It was nice, comforting.
“So he’s been blackmailing you basically since you ditched him.”
“More or less, I thought maybe if I could get one good job behind me then I could tell Andy where to go.”
“But you’ve told him now anyway. How do you feel?”
“Great.” She edged closer. “Sod him, if he gets off on trying to destroy my life then that’s his kinky obsession. Let him try.”
“Come on.” He took her hand, sending ripples right down to her Louboutin clad toes. Nice ripples. Then he lifted her hand to his lips and sent the ripples into a maelstrom. “Let’s go home, I want to show you something.”
* * * *
“Some stuff is better not being on a computer. That’s all we could uncover about Mike and what probably happened.” He dropped a manila folder on her lap, and then sank down beside her.
She traced a nail gently down the length of the file.
“You did this for me?”
“Yes darling, it seemed important to you.” He tugged at his bow tie, undid his top button. “Aren’t you going to read it?”
“I’m not sure it matters as much anymore. I don’t want to ever forget Mike, but I don’t want him to control who I am and what I do any more.” She glanced up at him. “Will it make anything better?”
“Probably not. He was no angel you know, but he was a man on a mission. He was doing what he believed in. We should be proud of him really.”
“Was it an accident?”
“We’ll never know for sure, but I think it was. He was running scared. Exposes are one thing Sam, but blackmail is a dangerous game, especially with people like Carlisle, people who don’t have the same morals. I know he’d been threatened, and he was drinking more and who knows what else. I think the accident was probably just that, brought on by circumstances. I owed him Sam, but you’ve made me realize it wasn’t my fault he died.”
“Maybe I’ll read it later. One day. Thanks though.” She smiled up at him. “You didn’t have to.”
“I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to. Don’t you get that? For some unknown reason I want to do things for you.” He took her hand, pulled her over to sit closer to him on the couch. “I’ve got something else for you too.” He reached across the table and picked up a small bag. “Close your eyes.” Then he held something up to her ear, for a moment she was confused, then it gradually dawned on her, it was the sound of the sea.
“A shell.” Her eyes shot open. “My mum used to make us hold shells to our ears when we were little so we could hear the sea.”
“It was the closest thing to the sea that I could put in a packet.”
She turned the shell slowly over in her hand, and then held it up to her ear again, trying to resist the tears that were threatening. “No one’s ever given me the sea before.” He was watching her intently when she glanced up.
“Have you ever told anyone you wanted it?”
“Only you.”
“I’ve been trying to keep you at arm’s length until now, kidding myself I was just fulfilling a promise. I didn’t realize until you threw me out just how stupid I was being.”
“What?”
“I want to look after you, if you want the sea I want to give it to you. And I want time to discover all your wants, your needs, your fantasies.” His mouth trailed down her neck and the hairs on the back stood up, heat flooded down between the thighs and suddenly it was hard to think straight, to think of anything but him and the sensations he was stirring in her.
“Mmm. Bad investment, relationships are a very uncertain market.”
“Sometimes you need to take a risk, take a long term view.” His hand cupped her breast, his thumb slowly circling the nipple.
“Meaning?”
“I want us to be together.”
“None of that together forever crap?” She tried to pull away. She wanted him, oh boy did she want him. She felt like some sex-starved nymph. She’d have to invest in manual aids if she didn’t let him carry on now.
“Why not, what’s wrong with that? I thought you wanted commitment, I’m offering you everything I can.”
“That’s not commitment, that’s just an offer to join an institution.”
He sighed. “You’re crazy.”
“It’s been said before. Look Ben,” she pulled further away “I don’t want to be in some relationship where I’m taken for granted like my mum was.”
“You’re not your mum.”
“And I don’t want to be told what to do.”
“If you want to get married I’ll marry you, and if you just want me to carry on screwing you senseless I’ll settle for that. I just love you for being you and I can’t imagine life without you, even if that sounds soft.” He shrugged suddenly looking unsure of himself. “I want to look after you, Sam. Will you let me?”
She wriggled her way onto his lap. “I’m willing to take you for a trial period, will that do?”
“Anyone ever told you you’re too cheeky for your own good?” The warmth of his hand moved further up her thigh.
“Ben?”
“Mm.” He’d reached the top of her stocking.
“About Mike.”
“Oh shit, please not Mike again.” He groaned.
“Isn’t it a bit incestuous if you treated Mike as a brother and I thought of him as my brother?”
“Believe me, my darling, I don’t think of you as a sister. Can we forget Mike now?”
“Oh I’m sure you can think of some way to distract me. Ben?”
“Yes, Sam?”
She ran a finger slowly down the side of his face. “I love you too.”
“I know.”
His brown eyes darkened almost to black as he ran his fingers slowly round her stocking top sending a shiver of pleasure right to her core. She pulled him closer.
“I love you, I want you and I need you.”
“And you my darling–” the rough edge to his voice made her body tighten with anticipation “–are just about to get me.”
About Susie Medwell
Susie admits to being a geek, but where she once spent time
at the keyboard fixing computers she now spends it creating stories with slightly geeky, very feisty, heroines and hot alpha heroes.
Chatting to people online always used to be an occupational hazard for Susie, but after a chance meeting with someone she really connected with, she realized it can be love at first byte rather than sight!
Text Me, Tweet Me, Need Me is the romance that grew from that first thought, and her next geeky heroine is currently a work in progress, screwdriver and laptop in hand!
Text Me, Tweet Me, Need Me
9781616504694
Copyright © July 2013, Susie Medwell
Edited by Ann-Marie Smith
Book design by Lyrical Press, Inc.
Cover Art by Renee Rocco
First Lyrical Press, Inc. electronic publication: July, 2013
Lyrical Press, Incorporated
http://www.lyricalpress.com
eBooks are not transferable. All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Published in the United States of America by Lyrical Press, Incorporated
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