One Blazing Night. Jo Leigh

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СКАЧАТЬ pushed against his hard chest. “How come you’re not bothering your family instead of me?”

      Matt let her go so quickly she had to take a step back. “Hey, I’m sorry, Sammy. I didn’t mean to—”

      “Stop. You didn’t.” Her heart hurt at his wounded look, and she wished she could take the words back. She felt like a fool, a terrible fool, for making him feel bad when she knew better. He was just being nice. “Fine,” she said, knowing it was a mistake. “We’ll eat. Somehow. Together.”

      “Wait. Will that mean you’ll have to work until some god-awful hour?”

      He had a point.

      She looked down and gasped a little when she saw her hand was still on his chest. He’d let her go, but she hadn’t followed suit.

      She smiled in what she hoped was a cavalier way, patted said chest and took a few steps back. “When was the last time you went for a run in the Fens?”

      “Oh, man,” he said, pushing a hand through his neatly trimmed brown hair. “I can’t even remember.”

      Perfect. “How about you get settled here while I go to the lab for a couple of hours? Then we can go for a run. Or walk. Whatever.”

      He laughed. Shook his head. “For your information, Miss O’Connel, I’m in excellent shape, which I know you know. You want to run? I’m in. But after that? We eat.”

      She didn’t want to discuss dinner. A run was already on her schedule. For her it was a must, no matter how much work piled up. So it was the perfect solution. They could talk and get caught up with each other. Best of all, she’d be less likely to do something humiliating if they were doing something so casual. “Can you do ten miles?”

      “I can, but I don’t want to. I’d rather save time for dinner, even if it’s just a quickie.” He paused while she blushed three shades of red and then he continued as if he hadn’t noticed. “If I remember correctly, a lot of unsavory folks hang out at the Fens.”

      “It’s different now. It’ll be nice. I go there a lot. Let’s meet at Westland Gate.”

      Matt nodded, then said something she didn’t catch. He’d shifted so that the sunlight coming in through the window picked up some gold in his brown hair. The past ten years showed in his handsome face. Fine lines fanned out from the corners of his eyes. His mouth was the same, only now there were long grooves bracketing each side, making him look a little more rugged and very sexy.

      “Sam? Did you hear me?”

      “Hmm?”

      “I asked what time.”

      “Time for what?” She remembered as soon as he smiled. And dammit, her cheeks got hot. For the millionth time. Jesus. That makeup idea was sounding better and better.

      * * *

      IT TOOK HIM no time to unpack. He’d learned all the tricks. Had to, with all the traveling he did for work. But this was different. He hadn’t taken any real time off in so long that he’d forgotten about relaxation brain. It was as if he’d taken a mild anesthetic, so everything was a bit hazy. A strong cup of coffee and a brief nap would solve that. Or a shower.

      Coffee first, call his office second, his father third, then shower.

      The coffee, it turned out, was simple to make and fantastic. He texted a note to his assistant about the brand, which he’d never heard of, determined to have it stocked in his New York office. There was an extravagant number of treats in the pantry—those gingersnaps turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. His personal favorite, shortbread, was there—three different types of it. He liked them all. But he had to ration things like that because he still hoped to have dinner with Sam after the run.

      He was on the phone for a few minutes with his assistant, Andrew, who’d been busy supervising the work they’d done in Budapest, where Wilkinson was buying land for a new hotel. Nothing new had come up, and they arranged to speak again in a few days.

      Matt refilled his coffee before he speed-dialed his father’s private line from his cell phone.

      “Matt, I was just thinking about you,” his dad said when he picked up. His old man wasn’t that old. Sixty-two, and he worked out five days a week. Didn’t smoke. Drank in moderation. Was still married to Matt’s mother after almost forty years. “When are you coming to Boston?”

      “I don’t know. I’m taking some downtime before all the hoopla starts.”

      “Good for you. I told you about that new resort upstate, right?”

      “Yeah, you did. It sounds great, but mostly I just want to sleep. You know how it is coming back from Asia.”

      “The work you did on the Tokyo job was top-notch. I’ve sent a report to the board. It’ll help.”

      “Thanks. But we still have to get Bannister, Truit and Lee over to our side. Or at least one of them.”

      “It’ll happen.” His father sounded so sure. “Let me know when you’re coming in. Will you be staying in the hotel?”

      “I don’t know yet. I’ll give you a call.”

      His father made a sound, which was his way of saying goodbye, and Matt hung up the phone. Matt didn’t make it a habit to lie to his father. He just didn’t want to face work yet. The fund-raising gala was coming up, then the board meeting two days later, which would determine his future. Jesus, he hated that his life was out of his direct control.

      For now, though, his most pressing concern was getting in the shower.

      He pressed the remote that controlled the many, many jets in the shower proper, but he didn’t explore their permutations, because he was too busy checking out all the creams and lotions. Sam hadn’t skimped on anything. The body creams alone were worth several grand in total. La Mer, La Prairie, Guerlain. There were also sea-salt scrubs, high-end body washes and ridiculously expensive shaving gel. The Wilkinson Hotels were known for their luxurious accommodations, but even their finest suites didn’t boast the cornucopia of indulgence that Sam had supplied. She’d even stocked his particular favorites. Had to be pure coincidence since there was no way she could’ve known.

      Her paying guests were never going to want to leave after staying here. He hoped she realized she’d be asked to customize the homes of private individuals. If he ever built a home, he was calling Sam first.

      Thinking of Sam while his body was being massaged by water from neck to toe, he couldn’t help imagining how much fun it would be to experiment on her. He’d use the La Mer, of course, and the Creed body wash. But that Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile shower gel was too sweet for him—perfect for her. Especially if he got to be the one to slather it on.

      Oh, shit.

      He wasn’t allowed to masturbate to thoughts of Sam. Nohow, noway. He focused on other images. Like Sam in running— No. Even his tried-and-true go-to for nights when all he really wanted was to go to sleep wasn’t cutting it. At last, after he turned the temperature on the jets way down, his libido calmed down, and he finished showering as quickly as he could.

      By the time he got СКАЧАТЬ