The Tycoon's Tender Triumph Page 0,11

having her in his arms again, even if she was sleeping.

Sam groaned as he lifted her into his arms. It wasn’t her weight. She barely weighed more than a bale of hay. But the way she snuggled into his arms, as if she were content to just be there forever, made his body start aching again with the need to possess her, put his claim on her and feel her voluptuous curves against his body.

Her soft sighs against his chest were almost his undoing but he controlled his desire for her by placing her in the leather seat of his truck. Getting her back to the house took less than fifteen minutes since he’d built an air strip on the edge of his ranch for easier access. The other option was an hour’s drive to Dallas and he preferred not making that trip whenever he needed to get somewhere.

His staff had called ahead to alert Jessy, his housekeeper, that he’d be arriving and with Chloe. Despite his reply that Jessy should get to bed, she’d already made up one of the guest rooms for Chloe. He shouldered the door open, then laid her down on the bed. The sheets and down comforter had already been pulled back.

For several moments, Sam considered being a gentleman and just pulling her shoes off, then covering her up with the comforter. But he knew deep in his heart that she would be more comfortable if she didn’t have those slacks on so he deftly unbuttoned the waist line and slid them off.

If he stared at her long, smooth legs a bit longer than necessary, he was a man who appreciated a woman and Chloe was everything a man could want. She wasn’t too thin, nor at all fat. She was just perfect with a little butt covered in white cotton that should be a turn off but just made him more painfully erect and throbbing. There was just something off-handed sexy about a woman wearing cotton underwear. Not that he would mind a little lace or satin, he thought as he pulled the covers up, gritting his teeth in the process.

He thought about pulling her sweater off but thought the slacks would be enough. He was a gentleman, after all, even if he’d fallen slightly with those legs.

Chapter 2

The sun was shining on Chloe’s face, warming her body and making her feel better than she had in a long time. She stretched, feeling unusually comfortable and warm for some reason. Normally her apartment was freezing in the winter because she had to turn down the heat in order to afford the electric bill, but also because the windows in her building were at least fifty years old and were little better than a screen in keeping the cold air out. Rolling over, she pulled the abnormally soft pillow closer while her sluggish mind worked out the mysterious details, wondering what was different about this morning from all the other mornings recently. Something was nudging her and she tried to push the hand away, scowling in her sleep before burying her head deeper into the pillows.

“Come on, darlin’,” Sam’s deep voice said from right next to her. “You need to wake up and come see your dad. He’s been chompin’ at the bit to get a hug from you and he’s too laid up still to come up the stairs. You’re gonna have to go to him.”

She suddenly felt the bed shift as he sat down next to her hip. “The sun’s been up for hours now. Here’s coffee. Meet me downstairs in half an hour and I’ll show you where you’re dad has been sleeping. Wear jeans,” he said as she sat up quickly and looked around, trying to get her bearings. Sam had no mercy for her confused brain. He was walking towards her suitcase and pulling out a pair of jeans and a red, turtleneck sweater before she realized that he’d already deposited a cup of coffee in one of her hands while she tried to hold the sheet against her chest with the other.

She blinked quickly, her eyes looking around as she tried to figure out where she was. Her mind slowly started working and the night before came back to her, piece by piece. She wished she could just bury her head underneath the covers and never come out when she remembered her reaction to his kiss.

The deep chuckle made her grit her teeth. “Don’t worry. Nothing can be that