The Tycoon's Tender Triumph Page 0,36
with a hoarse voice, her eyes unable to break away from his gaze.
“I don’t play fair. Remember that.”
“Fine,” she said after thinking about it for a brief second. “But don’t forget that you’re teaching me everything you know. So payback will be hell.” She reached for the door handle and heard him say, “I’m counting on it,” with his sexy, deep chuckle.
Chloe stormed into her house, slamming the front door behind her and turned on every light she could. She wanted to break the spell that had captured her common sense out in the dark truck and the only way she could think of right at the moment was to make the world as bright as possible.
Chapter 5
“Take it back, Sam!” she demanded, storming into his office. She didn’t even care that he was on the phone.
“What’s up, Chloe?”
“It’s too much,” she said, slapping the contract documents onto the middle of his desk. “Take it back now!” She’d just been going over the contract with her father that Sam had sent over earlier that morning. When she’d come to the amount he was going to invest, she’d gasped and her father had chuckled. Confronting him immediately had been her only response.
Sam smiled into her blue eyes and chuckled. “Chloe, may I introduce you to George Wilson? He’s my ranch manager.”
Chloe turned abruptly, only then realizing that someone else was in the office. “Oh!”
The man who had been sitting in one of the big leather chairs in front of Sam’s desk, stood up, reaching out with one hand to greet her. “It’s a pleasure ma’am. I’ve seen you with those horses of yours and I’m real impressed with how well they’re treated. You’re doing a great job with them.”
Chloe forced a smile onto her face, trying desperately to counter her rudeness for barging in on a meeting. “I’m so sorry to have interrupted. I’ll just come back later.”
“We’re finished,” Sam said and stood up himself, shaking George’s hand as well. The man left a moment later and Chloe looked contrite. “I’m really sorry, Sam. I was just too angry…”
“Don’t worry about it. We really were pretty much finished.” He came around the desk and looked down at her, noting her bright blue eyes and rosy cheeks. “You’ve been out riding recently, haven’t you?”
That completely threw her off. “Yes, but how did you know?”
“You always look a bit more alive after you’ve been riding. Makes you look prettier than normal.”
He did it again, tossing out a compliment instead of doing what she expected. “Sam…”
“What’s on your mind?” he asked, taking her hand in his large, warm one and turning it over, examining the palm, running a pattern over the calluses. “You need to wear gloves when you’re riding, Chloe,” he said softly.
She tried to pull her hand away but he wouldn’t release it. “Sam, please..”
“Please carry you upstairs and make love to you?”
“No…”
“Ah, so you’re going to finally explain why I scare you?”
“No…”
“When then?”
She blinked, then shook her head, trying to concentrate but it was hard when he was doing that to her hand. It sent shivers all the way up her arm, then downward, pooling in her belly. “Sam…” she whispered.
“Kiss you?” he replied back just as softly. “Don’t mind if I do.” Without any hesitation, he leaned down and kissed her softly, his lips barely touching hers. It was just a ghost of a kiss but Chloe’s eyes closed.
When she realized he wasn’t going to do more than that, her eyes popped open, only to see him looking down at her hand. “You have lovely hands. Why don’t you protect them with gloves?”
Chloe tried once again to pull her hand free, but he only tucked it between both of his, then let their hands fall. She was painfully aware of how close her hand was to his manhood and wanted desperately to pull it away, but she was equally afraid that he might not realize how close it was, and making any movement might make him aware.
“What did you want to discuss?” he said, his hips leaning against his desk as he looked down at her.
She thought back, trying to remember what had made her so angry. “The contract!” she remembered, feeling proud of herself for finally figuring it out. “Your investment, you put in too much money.”
“I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. Look at the figure on the contract. You put too much money into my account and I don’t feel right. You don’t even know what I’m going to try