Sam couldn’t help himself: he laughed. ‘Oh, I think I can.’
He watched the long, lean lines of her body as she stalked straight-backed away from the car. When she was safely inside her glass security door he leaned his head back against the seat, gave the driver his address and asked himself what it was about this woman that drove every civilised thought from his head. Even now, when he told himself to go and find a nice, even-tempered woman who knew how to appreciate him, he wanted this one with a fierceness that defied logic.
Ruby Clarkson, it turned out, was more than a simple conundrum; she was a colossal pain in his rear end.
CHAPTER SIX
RUBY WOKE THE following morning with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bed, a particularly carnal dream of her and Sam naked and sweaty and horizontal front and centre in her mind.
Groaning, she collapsed back against her fluffy pillows and stared at the ceiling. If last night had proved anything at all it was that her willpower to keep away from the man who haunted her days and her nights was practically zero once he put his hands on her, making that potential job in London look better and better.
Determined that next Friday night she was going to keep well away from him, she rolled over and checked the time.
Molly had stayed at a friend’s the night before so she wouldn’t be bursting in any second to push her to do yoga.
Maybe she’d skip it today. She had a ton of work to do anyway, along with another embarrassing escapade with her boss to try to forget about.
God, when would she learn?
Not any time soon, it seemed. Thankful it was Saturday, the first day of the long weekend and she’d have no reason to see Sam for three whole days, she flipped onto her stomach and thought about going back to sleep. Then her phone pinged, sending her senses onto high alert.
Miller’s name flashed on the screen and Ruby groaned out loud. Oh, no! Long weekend. Beach house. A month ago Miller had suggested that they have a girly weekend together. How had she forgotten that?
‘Would you believe I’m nearly ready?’ Ruby hedged, answering the phone as she stumbled out of bed and staggered into the bathroom.
‘How could you forget?’ Miller complained. ‘I left a reminder message on your phone last night.’
She had? ‘Sorry, I didn’t get it. I’m a really bad friend.’
‘Were you working late again? Is that the problem?’
‘Yeah... I had a function and...never mind.’ She peered at her wan reflection in the mirror, pressing on the dark circles beneath her eyes. ‘Am I too late to still make it?’
‘Of course not. But there’s been a slight change of plan. Red is a bit under the weather, so he and Tino are joining us. I hope that’s okay.’
Red was Redmond Ventura, Miller and Tino’s adorable toddler and, as the first baby in their circle of friends, a pseudo-nephew to both her and Molly. ‘Of course it’s okay,’ Ruby said. ‘I’ll even take Red tomorrow morning so you and Valentino can have a sleep in together.’
‘I knew I loved you.’ Miller laughed. ‘By the way, Tino has—Oh, drat, Red’s crying.’
‘Go and get him,’ Ruby urged, grabbing her toothbrush and turning the shower on. ‘I’ll be there in...twenty minutes?’
Miller snorted. ‘Sure. See you in an hour, then.’
Ringing off, Ruby ducked into the shower. She had a special bottle of champagne in the fridge to help celebrate the long weekend with her best friend. The fact that she’d forgotten that as well was a testament to how much Sam Ventura was messing with her head.
But not any more. As of now, Ruby would banish the man from her mind and her life and pull herself together. And a weekend away with Miller and her family was just the ticket. She wouldn’t have time to moon over Sam, or wonder what he was doing and with whom he was doing it. She certainly wouldn’t have time to think about kissing him.
Fair warning, sweetheart, the next time my mouth is on yours we’ll be horizontal and I’ll be taking my time.
Good grief! She blew out an unsteady breath, a rush of desire turning her insides hot and shivery at just the memory of how he had kissed her in the back of their limousine.