Ivan stared at her as if he was trying to placate a mental patient. There was no sign of aggression or desire for retaliation in his face – just love for her. She could see how much he’d missed her; that he’d yearned for her and had suffered just as she had.
She stood by the door and closed her eyes, trying to shut him out, desperate not to cry. A wave of emotion swept over her, drenching her heart with tender joy as well as with devastated regret. Her throat crackled as stinging tears pricked her eyes, and she hugged herself around her shoulders, determined to keep him away from her. But – as the first few tears escaped down her cheeks – she felt his arms wrap around her and pull her close. His toned flesh was warm on her now-wet cheeks, and his muscly arms were even stronger than she remembered. As much as she wanted to resist him, she couldn’t stop the emotion from bursting out, so she allowed herself to sob heartily as she sunk down into his secure solid chest.
He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her on the head. “I’m so sorry, baby… I’m sorry I put you through all that pain.”
She whimpered and composed herself, then she gazed into those gorgeous brown eyes – they were kind eyes, like a horse’s eyes. And they were full of so much love for her. But this couldn’t happen. He couldn’t stay here. There was too much at stake now.
She opened her mouth to tell him to go, but she ended up clinging even closer. He lowered his face and cupped her chin, raising her head and kissing her tenderly on the lips. She didn’t resist – she couldn’t. A rush of lust swept over her and the kiss grew in passion – his tongue slipped into her mouth and their lips desperately pressed against each other. God, she’d missed him so much! He ran his hand down her back and squeezed her ass in his strong palm, pulling her pelvis against his straining cock.
“I need you,” he said. “I love you.”
Samira gasped as she kissed his neck and collarbone, allowing him to push down the straps of her dress, revealing her breasts and rock-hard nipples that yearned to be licked and sucked by his commanding lips.
She let her head drop back as she almost allowed herself to sink back into Ivan Quinlan. But – in her mind – she suddenly saw a flash of her new love and quickly pulled away. She held out her hands to fend him off. “I can’t do this, Ivan. I’m sorry.”
“No, Samira,” he whispered. “You’re mine. We belong together.”
She shook her head. “No. Please leave here.”
“I know you still love me.”
She stared fiercely into his eyes. “I don’t.”
It was a lie and he saw right through it. He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe you. Look, whatever it is, I can help you to–”
“You can’t, Ivan. I want you to go. Just leave and forget you saw me. My life has changed too much, and there’s no longer any room in my heart for you.”
She turned and pulled open the door with shaking fingers, determined to leave before she surrendered to his charms.
He watched her from the doorway. “I’m not leaving this ranch without you.”
Samira strode off on quivering legs, knowing he meant it. But she wasn’t playing hard to get. The sooner she got Ivan Quinlan out of her life, the better it would be for them both – and for everyone else involved.
Chapter Four
Later that afternoon, Ivan stood in the scorching sun near the front of the ranch, bent over the engine of a gleaming blue truck.
Feeling hot, he stripped off his shirt and threw it in the truck, glad that his cowboy hat was shading his eyes. If Samira came out of the huge ranch-house now, she’d get a glimpse of his bare sculpted torso and muscular arms. He willed her to at least look out the window, knowing how much she enjoyed his body.
Life tingled with hope now since he’d found her. It felt so good to enjoy the glorious weather and the beautiful surroundings – things that had been lost on him during the time he’d been obsessed with his search for her. But now here she was, lighting up his life. It was like returning home… she was the missing piece of the puzzle that made him feel alive with love.
Samira brought out the best in him, even when they weren’t physically together. But just soaking up her vibes made his life sparkle with a purpose. She’d wrenched him out of his doldrums and reminded of him how great life was. Love did that.
He stood up straight and wiped his brow, still trying to process everything that had happened. He’d found her, at last… He’d kissed her… she’d slugged him a punch so hard he’d almost fallen over with shock. But he wasn’t giving up on her just like that – not after the way she’d kissed him. He was confident she still loved him. And he still loved her. He needed her…
But he understood why she was resisting. During the last year – when they’d been apart – he’d wondered so many times how she was doing – how she was feeling. It tore his heart to think of her feeling sad over him – thoughts of her feeling bad were more painful than his own heartache. He knew she loved him – she’d fallen as hard as he had – and she would’ve felt the agony of his ‘death’ and their forced separation just as hard as him.
But it made se
nse that she’d tried to carry on without him. She’d thought he was never coming back. So of course she’d want to try to put their love affair behind her and try to get on with her life.
But he sensed there was something else preventing her from getting back with him now… something she wasn’t telling him. He understood why she was hiding out here, since her college funding had been cut and she’d been told to leave the country – but surely she knew he’d take care of her now… marry her, do anything he could to keep her in America. In fact, his sister Clara had a friend in the department of immigration – so maybe he could help. Clara was in Texas at the moment and Ivan was due to meet her later, so he could talk to her then.
But for now, regardless of how desperate Ivan was to stride into the huge ranch-house and throw Samira over his shoulder, he knew he should at least pretend he was working. The ranch manager had asked him to service the pickup trucks today, which was perfect, because it was easy work – allowing him to figure out his next steps to win back Samira.
With the engine of the truck running, he twisted the wrench in his oily hand, and gazed at the house which was about twenty yards away. Envy bubbled inside him. He’d yet to meet the owner – Mr. Langdon – because the man obviously didn’t do his own hiring and firing. But somehow he’d won Samira over with promises of… a better life than Ivan could give her? No way. No one loved Samira as much as he did; no one would treat her as good as he would.
And if it was money she needed… Well, it was clear this guy could offer her that. The house was a typical ranch mansion, set in its own landscaped gardens, surrounded, of course, by the sprawling fields of corn and cattle. The house itself was white with external pillars and a huge front door – a fortress of luxury compared to the servants’ cabins. The windows were large, letting in the light, and Ivan imagined it was probably bright and airy inside with the best furnishings and air-conditioning. It was certainly a home worthy of Samira. But Ivan’s bank account was practically infinite – and he would gladly spend every last cent on Samira if it would make her happy. If she wanted a big house like this, he’d give her one.