The Man's Outrageous Demands Page 0,38

promise there are no hidden serpents,” he teased her.

Marabeth felt the butterflies again and wished they would just disappear. Was she so shallow? She’d always thought of herself as more dedicated but here she was, falling for his sweet lines and her heart fluttered each time he smiled at her.

Instead of answering him, she turned again and walked into her kitchenette. She busied her hands while searching for a vase, needing the distraction to help her put a little distance between herself and his magnificent body. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a vase large enough to hold the huge bouquet. She put them into a large glass and left a note for the maid to settle them into a vase the following day. “That was very thoughtful of you. What’s the occasion?” She asked, her fingers touching the delicate, fragrant blooms gently, admiring the perfection of each rose and lily.

“Are you saying I’m not thoughtful on a regular basis?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” she laughed. “I just have no idea what you’re thinking,” she said and turned to face him. She didn’t realize he was so close and she turned right into his arms.

His arms immediately wrapped around her body, pulling her closer so they were touching from shoulder to knee. “I thought about you most of the day,” he said lazily before his mouth descended to hers.

When he lifted his head after only a small kiss, she looked up at him, trying desperately hard not to lose her train of thought again after the kiss as she normally did. “Were you reading security reports or something and that’s why you were thinking of me?”

“You’re not very romantic are you?” he chuckled.

She pulled out of his arms and walked out of the small, unused kitchen area. “I’d say I’m more of a realist,” she countered.

He took her hand in his and pulled her out of the suite. “We’d better get out of here before I pull you towards your bedroom and show you exactly what I was thinking,” he said.

He led her to the veranda where a lovely, romantic setting had been created using candles and white roses. “Oh, Sam. This is beautiful,” she said, sincerely touched by his thoughtfulness.

“Thank you,” he replied, and bowed deeply to her.

She turned to look at him, impressed with his efforts despite her confusion. “What’s on the menu?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I just told the chef to make your favorite. They seemed to know exactly what that was,” he replied.

“You’re a very brave man,” she said.

“So you tell me, what are we having for dinner?”

“There are a few things I really like but it might just be a simple chef’s salad. That’s what I usually eat when I’m alone and not with the family.”

He grimaced at her response. “Hmmm…I hope not. I’m pretty hungry.”

She laughed and look up and down his extremely large frame, knowing he would need much more than a simple salad. “Well, maybe it will be something like beef Wellington or shrimp scampi, both of which are what I request when I have dinner guests.”

The relief was apparent on his face. “That sounds more interesting.”

He poured them both a glass of white wine and raised his glass. “How about a toast?”

“What to?” she asked, accepting the glass but trying to avoid touching his fingers in the process. He noticed and the laughter in his eyes spoke volumes. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything about it.

He picked up his own glass, then raised it towards her. “To getting to know each other,” he said and gently clinked her glass.

Marabeth sipped her wine, watching him the whole time. He seemed different tonight for some reason. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly how though. Something about him seemed more confident but she considered that he was more relaxed. “How are we going to get to know each other?” she asked, taking several steps away from him. Until she understood what was different, she acknowledged that he was even more dangerous. She could easily lose her heart to this dynamic man. And then where would she be? In love with her husband wasn’t a bad thing, just as long as he was in love with her as well.

But could Sam fall in love with her? She’d seen the pictures of the women he’d dated in the past as they splashed their story all over whatever publication would pay them the most for the intimate details. beautiful brunettes mixed in as well. figures.