The Jarrods: Inheritance

Six

Blake looked at the bedside clock and grunted to himself. It was almost seven o’clock and still dark outside, but he needed to get up and check on Samantha before he did anything else this morning. Today he planned on working from Pine Lodge so he could keep an eye on her, but he needed to go to the Manor and get some things out of the way first.

He’d spent a restless night, getting up every couple of hours to check on a sleeping Samantha in the bedroom next door. Of course it was easy for her to sleep so peacefully. She didn’t have to stand over an attractive member of the opposite sex who wore satin pajamas and looked deliciously alluring in bed. And she didn’t have to reach out to touch that person’s shoulder to shake them awake, nor rigidly ignore the urge to slide into bed next to her warm body and pleasure her senseless.

He would have done it, too—if he hadn’t had to wake her and ask questions to make sure she wasn’t suffering any sort of confusion. Even now the thought of her having any sort of aftereffects from the head injury still managed to clench his gut tight. He’d hated seeing her hurt. If he hadn’t been so focused on getting her away from that Ralph, then none of this would have happened.

Not even the kiss.

No, that kiss would have happened—if not there, then somewhere else. There was something going on between them now. It had started happening the night she’d handed him her resignation and it hadn’t let up.

And it wasn’t one-sided either. She’d dissolved in his arms so quickly yesterday he’d thought the marrow had melted in her bones. No woman had ever reacted quite like that for him before. It certainly made a man feel good.

Remembering the feel of her lips beneath his, he was tempted to just lie there and think about her, but he knew he’d never get out of bed if he did. And then Samantha would be bringing him breakfast in bed. The thought was more than pleasurable.

Giving a low groan, he tossed back the covers and shoved off the mattress in his pajama bottoms, then headed for the bathroom to take a shower. But as he opened the door and went to reach for the light switch, the light flicked on anyway and Samantha came through the connecting door.

She jumped back with a gasp. “Blake!”

A lick of fire sizzled through his veins as his eyes slid down over her slim contours, registering that what he thought had been green satin pajamas was an emerald midthigh nightshirt. It looked so sexy on her, suiting her complexion and rich brown hair.

He lifted his eyes back up to her face. “How’s the head?” he asked huskily.

She seemed to become flustered. “Er … it doesn’t feel too bad.” Awkwardly she spun to face the mirrored wall, going up on her toes to stare at her reflection. “I came to see if it was okay.” She lifted her long tousled strands to check the injury. “Yes, it looks fine,” she chattered. “There’s a bit of a bump and no sign of bleeding.”

He appreciated that she was okay, but did she know that stretching up over the sink like she was, the side split of her nightshirt was showing him more of her long silken legs than he’d ever seen before? All the way up her thigh to the line of her panties.

Suddenly she seemed to freeze in position as she stretched up at the mirror like that, and he realized right then she was looking at him in the mirror, with a hungry look that drifted down over his bare chest and the pajama bottoms he’d worn last night for her benefit. He tensed with arousal and she must have noticed. Their eyes locked together in the glass.

And then she slowly pushed back from the sink and turned to face him with her body, her chin tilting provocatively, her eyes inviting him to take her. Caught off-guard by such an unfamiliar look from her, he swallowed hard. His assistant was certainly showing him a new side of herself lately.

“Samantha,” he said thickly, galvanized into taking a step toward her. “Do you know what you’re—”

“Yes, Blake, I do.”

He reached her and she tumbled against him, her hands flattening against his chest, her mouth seeking his, her lips parting beneath his without any pressure at all.

Their kiss was hot and urgent and demanding, their bodies pressing closer and closer together, reveling in each other. Then a soft moan of hers breathed into him, and in a haze of desire, he deepened the kiss until he finally had to break away to suck in air.

But only for a moment, until he began planting quick, soft kisses down that creamy throat, before coming back up again to her lips, needing to be inside her mouth once more, needing to breathe her in once more.

He pulled her harder against him, running his hands hungrily over the satin material and feminine curves. She quivered all over from head to toe, wildly gripping his shoulders like she needed to hold on to him.

Mouth to mouth, he backed her to the full-length sink and lifted her up onto a folded fluffy towel. Her thighs fell open and he heard a button pop from the front of her nightshirt. He gave a groan of approval and wedged himself between her legs ….

And the coldness of the marble touched his erection through his pajamas.

The shock of it made him still. Heaven knew he could do with cooling down … slowing down … but Samantha sat in front of him with her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Her cheeks were overheated, her breathing unsteady, and despite that come-to-me look she’d given him a short while ago, she appeared to be about to lose control. God knows he’d felt the instantaneous spiral of desire himself, but this was more and he really had to wonder just how inexperienced she actually was. He swallowed hard. Could she even be a virgin?

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but he did know he couldn’t continue this right now. His previous lovers knew the score but this woman may not. And if he was playing with more than her body … if her emotions were more than involved … he could cause her a lot of heartache. He didn’t want to do that to Samantha.

Yet this wasn’t the moment to talk about it, with her looking all sexy and ready for the taking. There was too much hunger in the air in here. It would only confuse things. He liked her too much to do this to her.

Unwrapping her arms from around his neck, he lifted her down off the bench, hating that he had to walk away from her. “I’m sorry, Samantha.”

Bewilderment spread over her face. “What’s the—”

“I just can’t do it,” he rasped. “Not like this.” As hard as it was to leave her side, he turned and went back to his room.

He badly wanted to turn right back around, sweep her up in his arms and carry her to his bed. He shuddered as he closed the door between them.

They would talk later and perhaps it would turn out that he’d have to keep the door closed permanently between them. Maybe she would be his road not taken. But he had to think what was best for Samantha. She deserved better than becoming his temporary mistress.

Samantha didn’t know how she made it back to her own room. Humiliation scorched through her. She’d done exactly what she’d wanted to do and given Blake a come-on. She hadn’t deliberately gone into the bathroom to entice him in there, but the opportunity had presented itself and she’d thought it had worked. Then he’d just upped and walked away and, despite his obvious arousal, he said he couldn’t do it.

Couldn’t make love with her.

She knew it had nothing to do with her having a minor head injury this time. He might say it was, but she knew this was about him not wanting her enough. His body had automatically responded to a female in his arms, but his mind had been elsewhere. As he’d said the evening before, any woman with the right equipment could attract a man. Unfortunately the attraction he felt for her hadn’t been enough. Not for him.

It was Carl all over again.

She plopped down on her bed as her legs gave way. Had she unwittingly done something wrong back there? Something to annoy him physically? Clearly he hadn’t been invested in the moment like she’d been. It had been wonderful in his arms but she hadn’t realized he’d been feeling different. She thought he’d felt the same way. It was obvious now that he could turn himself on and off at a whim—just like he had after their kiss on the mountain.

Unlike her.

Her emotions whirled like a spinning top let loose on the floor. Oh, God, what was she going to do? How was she going to face him? Worse, would he insist on letting her out of her contract now? She had the feeling he would tell her to leave sooner rather than later.

At the thought, her emotions stopped spinning. They stopped dead. Her chin lifted. Right. Okay. If she was being given the heave-ho, then she would certainly leave without protest. It’s what she needed to do anyway, she told herself. She regretted she would leave with this between them, but things had gone too far. It was a good lesson in being careful what she wished for. Now she simply wished this nightmare would go away.

Samantha took a shower and carefully washed her hair, but wasn’t sure if she was dismayed or relieved after she came out of the bathroom and heard Blake’s car leaving. Going over to peek out her bedroom window, she saw him driving toward the Manor in the early morning light. Evidently she was okay to be left alone now, she thought with a stab of hurt.

Then her heart dropped to her feet. Perhaps he was going to tell his family that she was leaving sooner? Would he tell them why? That she’d made a play for him and put him in an awkward position? Her cheeks heated at the thought and she wanted to curl up in a ball and not see any of them again.

Yet pride wouldn’t allow her to do that. She’d held her head high when Carl had rejected her and she would do it again now. She would go up to the Manor and finish her tasks, and she would arrange her replacement. If she smiled at the others and acted carefree, then no one would know how bad she felt.

No one except Blake.

Half an hour later she sat at her desk at the Manor, relieved not to have seen anyone she knew on the way here. She didn’t want to answer questions about her accident, or anything else for that matter.

Thankfully the door to Blake’s office was shut, though the red light on the telephone told her he was making a call. Quickly she got herself organized, then found the number she was after and reached for the phone, hoping someone at the employment agency would be at their desk early like her. She knew that as soon as the red button on his phone lit up with her extension, Blake would learn she was here, but it couldn’t be helped.

She got the answering machine. Having dealt with this employment agency before for other office matters, she decided to leave a message. At least that would get the ball rolling. “Yes, this is Samantha Thompson calling on behalf of Blake Jarrod Enterprises. Could Mary Wentworth call me back as soon as possible …” The red light on Blake’s phone went off. Her heart started to race as a second later his door was flung open. “It’s about a position that’s become available.” He strode to her desk. “It’s—”

He pressed the button to disconnect the call, his eyes slamming into her. “What are you doing?” he demanded in a low tone.

She angled her chin as she looked up at him. “I’m trying to work.”

“I thought you’d have enough sense to rest up today.”

“I don’t need to rest up. I did plenty of that yesterday.” Calmly, she placed the telephone back on its handset. “I’m perfectly fine now.”

His eyes narrowed. “And why the hell are you calling someone about your job?”

“You need a new assistant.”

“I’m happy with my old one.”

She arched one eyebrow. “Really? It didn’t seem that way to me this morning,” she said, staying cool when all she wanted to do was fall in a heap and cry her eyes out.

He swore.

“Don’t worry, Blake. I’ll be leaving Aspen soon, so you don’t have to worry that I’ll attack you. I know you’re not that into me.”

He blinked, then, “What the hell!” He swore again. “We need to talk.”

“It’s a bit late for talking, don’t you think?” She went to pick up the phone again. He grabbed her hand, not hurting her but not letting her make the call either. “Stop manhandling me, Blake.”

He tried to stare her down. “No.”

“Blake, this isn’t getting us anywhere.”

“Listen, Samantha. You’re—”

Erica walked into the office and stopped dead, blinking in surprise as her gaze went from one to the other, then down at their hands gripped together. “Er … Blake, your car is here to take you to the airport.”

He casually let go of Samantha’s hand. “Thanks, Erica.”

Samantha felt the blood drain from her face. “You’re leaving?”

Like Carl?

He looked at her oddly. “Something cropped up overnight at one of the hotels and I need to go to Vegas and sort it out. I’ll tell you about it later.”

As fast as it had tightened, the tension unscrewed inside her. So he was coming back. It had been crazy of her to even think he wouldn’t. Blake wouldn’t give up all this because of her.

She went to get to her feet. “I’ll come with you.” Once she was in Vegas, she would start bringing her life there to a close.

“No, you stay here. You shouldn’t be flying with a head injury,” he said firmly, surprising her. She’d have thought he’d be eager to get her out of Aspen now.

He cast his half sister a look. “Erica, can you keep an eye on Samantha and make sure she doesn’t stay here too long today? I don’t want her overdoing things.”

Erica looked startled then pleased. “Of course.” It was obvious she valued being asked by her brother to help out, but Samantha was still surprised that Blake wanted her to stay in Aspen.

He nodded. “Thanks. I’ll just grab my stuff.” As he spoke he headed back into his office before coming out with his briefcase and coat. He looked at Samantha. “I’ll be back tonight. I’ll explain everything then.” He started toward the door then hesitated. “You will be here when I return, won’t you, Samantha?”

It hadn’t occurred to her to leave behind his back, though she couldn’t discount that it might have. Then she remembered how she’d thought he might have issues with feeling abandoned over his mother’s death. Did he think she was about to abandon him, too? Tenderness touched a part of her that wasn’t reeling by the latest events. “I promise.”

He looked satisfied then he gave Erica a jerky nod as he passed by. He left behind a meaningful silence.

After a couple of seconds, Erica came toward the desk. “Are you okay?”

“My head’s fine now, thanks.”

She tutted. “You know I mean more than that.”

Samantha grimaced. “Yes, I suppose I do.” Then as she looked at the other woman, she wondered if Blake would eventually discuss her with his family. Would he even tell them she had made a play for him? Her breath caught. She’d never known him to talk about his affairs before to anyone. Huh! Affair? There was no affair. That was the problem.

“He’s concerned for you, honey.”

“He’s concerned for the job.”

“You’re wrong.” Erica paused. “Give him a chance to explain whatever it is he needs to explain.”

The telephone rang then, and Erica said she had to go check on something but would be back later. Samantha answered it and heard Mary Wentworth’s voice, and knew she needed to slow everything down a little. So she apologized to the other woman that she couldn’t talk right now and would call her back tomorrow. By then, she should well and truly know the score between her and Blake. Either way, she still had to leave. It was just a matter of when.

After she hung up, the workday began with the phone ringing, then the mail arrived. Samantha worked through it all, but a part of her mind was on Blake’s reaction earlier. He’d said he was perfectly happy with his old assistant.

Her.

And that made her wonder if he might still want her to work out her contract. Her heart raced at the thought, then came to a shuddering halt when she remembered this morning in the bathroom. She probably couldn’t stay at Jarrod Ridge past tomorrow, but at least on his return tonight she might learn what had turned him off her. It may not be something she wanted to hear, but she needed to know or she would always wonder.

Erica returned an hour later, but Samantha still felt physically fine and convinced her not to worry. She’d decided to work until lunchtime, then she got a ride back to the lodge, where she made herself a light lunch. Afterward she felt tired, so she stretched out on the couch and took a nap.

The front doorbell woke her sometime later. It was a florist with a vase filled with the most gorgeous yellow tulips she’d ever seen. Something flipped over inside her heart. Her family wasn’t into sending flowers, and only one person here knew she loved yellow tulips.

There was a card with them. “Dinner tonight. Pine Lodge. All arranged. See you at seven.”

Her throat swelled with emotion as she carried the vase over to a side table and set it down. They looked so stunning that she was about to race upstairs to get her camera, but then wondered if that was a good idea. Did she really want to take away more memories of Blake?

The telephone rang then.

It was Joel. Oh, Lord. She’d forgotten her date with him tonight. The tulips caught her eye and she knew she’d rather spend her last hours here in Aspen with Blake than go to the movies with Joel.

She opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything, he apologized and told her that his cousin was in town overnight and this was his only chance to catch up with her. Did she mind? No. Could they go to the movies tomorrow night instead? She said she would let him know. She had no idea whether she would still be here tomorrow night. Then he mentioned that he was in town right now and would get the nurse to check on her later today, but she thanked him and said it wasn’t necessary.

More than relieved, Samantha looked at the tulips as she hung up the telephone, Joel already relegated to the back of her mind. Blake might just want to discuss her job tonight, but right now she didn’t care. She needed to know where it had all gone wrong this morning. More importantly, she wanted to know if there was even a slim chance it was something that could be fixed.

Seven

Samantha hadn’t been sure what she should wear for tonight. While the flowers and the dinner were very thoughtful of Blake, and while he’d said he would give her an explanation as to why he walked away from her this morning in the bathroom and that sounded promising, none of that meant he wanted her.

In the end she decided to keep it fairly low-key, just like she would if she were dining with him for business reasons. She wore a thin brown sweater over cream slacks and a pair of low-heeled pumps, adding a gold chain at her neck to make it a little more stylish.

Just after six-thirty one of the hotel staff arrived as sunset spiked through the lodge. He placed a cooked casserole in the oven to keep warm, dessert in the refrigerator, then lit the log fire before beautifully setting the table in the small dining alcove. Had Blake requested the two candles on the table? She was about to ask the young waiter when Blake came in the front door.

“Blake!” she exclaimed, her pulse picking up at the sight of him. Realizing she might be giving herself away, she pulled herself back and toned it down. “You’re early,” she said more sedately. “I didn’t expect you quite so soon.”

“We had a tailwind.” He nodded at the waiter. “It looks good, Andy. Thanks.”

Samantha wasn’t surprised that he knew the man’s name. Blake was good with people—as long as you did the right thing by him.

“No problem, Mr. Jarrod.” Andy’s smile encompassed them both. “I’ll come and collect everything tomorrow.” He nodded good-night, then went through to the kitchen.

Blake stood there for a minute looking at Samantha, his eyes flicking down over her outfit then away. “I could do with a shower,” he muttered, and made for the stairs.

She felt nervous all of a sudden. She twisted away herself. “I’ll just make sure the food’s okay.” She left the room and went into the kitchen, glad that Andy was still gathering a couple of things together before he left. It brought the world back into focus and took it away from her and Blake. She needed the balance.

Andy left and she busied herself unnecessarily checking on the casserole, then poured herself a glass of water and stood there sipping it to calm her nerves. She could only stay in there so long, and soon she wandered back into the lounge area and drew the drapes against the encroaching night, before switching on the lamps.

It was too quiet, so she put on a CD to fill the silence and sat down on the couch to wait. The wood scent from the burning logs in the fireplace wafted throughout the room, and after a few minutes, she could feel the soft music begin to ease the tension inside her. And then it hit her and she realized how romantic the whole place looked. She groaned slightly. It hadn’t been intentional but would Blake believe that? It all looked so intimate.