Chapter 39
39
D ylan turned off the taps and stepped from the shower, wishing the hot water had done more to soothe his aching body.
He’d had a week of sleepless nights thanks to his obsession with Sam, tossing and turning until the wee hours, and the flight to Brisbane hadn’t helped. The only seat available had been economy and folding his long legs into such cramped quarters had been beyond uncomfortable.
To make matters worse, the entire trip had been a waste of time. and he couldn’t wait to return to Melbourne and put the whole sordid mess behind him.
A tentative knock sounded at the door and he cursed whoever had the audacity to disrupt him tonight of all nights. He needed peace, and with his phone turned off the anonymity of a hotel room could provide it.
He wrapped a towel around his waist before padding across the plush carpet and wrenching open the door.
Sam stood on the other side, doing her utmost not to stare at his chest and failing miserably. It reminded him of the day they first met in his bedroom, when he’d seen the flicker of interest in her eyes despite her attempts to hide it.
He wouldn’t be so foolish to misinterpret her reaction this time.
“Can I come in?”
Her voice came out a whisper, and for one, insane moment, despite all that had happened and all she’d said, he wanted to reach out and envelop her in his arms.
“I’m going to bed,” he muttered, hoping his glare would drive her away.
Unfortunately, his words conjured up visions of taking her with him, and a certain part of his anatomy responded in predictable fashion.
“This won’t take long.”
Her green eyes pleaded and she worried her lower lip with her teeth. He’d never seen her like this—nervous, vulnerable, almost fearful— and despite his intentions to push her away, it shook him.
“Fine. But make it snappy.”
He opened the door wider and gestured her in, trying to ignore the waft of floral perfume that enveloped him in a sensuous cloud as she entered his hotel room. Rather than gaining control of his libido, his body flared with desire at the familiar scent and he mentally chastised himself for still wanting her.
She strolled to the window and looked at the view, before squaring her shoulders and turning to face him.
“I came here to apologise.”
“Too late for that, isn’t it?”
No matter what she said now, it wouldn’t make one iota of difference. He’d resolved to forget this woman and throw himself into what he knew best, making his family business flourish.
“I hope not.” She stared at him with sad eyes, beseeching him to listen. “I shouldn’t have said those things about your father. I was way out of line and hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Forget it.”
He waved away her apology as if it meant nothing. Words were useless now. Too much had happened for a trite apology to mean much.
“Please, let me finish.” She plucked at a loose thread on her gown and he imagined the gossamer-thin thing would unravel before his eyes. Yet another indication of how sleep-deprived he was, ridiculous wishful thinking. “I know how you feel—“
“You have no idea how I feel.” His patience finally snapped. “I was like you once, trying to shirk family responsibilities with every fibre of my being. And you know what happened? It killed my dad.”
He stalked toward her, wishing she’d stop staring at him with pity in her eyes.
“I couldn’t wait to escape, especially Budgeree. My dad would rave for hours about how that piece of land would be the crowning jewel in the Harmon fortune, and all that time I would listen and nod and plan my life away from it.”
He snapped his fingers. “Then I finally did it. I left dad, his pipe dreams, and the whole damn lot behind me and didn’t look back.”
He shook his head, the old familiar pain cleaving his chest in two. “Do you want to know what happened? The pressure of running the business alone killed him. I killed him,” He shouted, willing her to understand, the sight of tears welling in her eyes doing little to calm him.
He turned away, wishing she’d get the hell out of his life. He hadn’t meant to tell her all that. The truth had spilled out, leaving him strangely relieved.
She’d been the first person he’d ever voiced his guilt to, though he knew his mother suspected how he felt.
“Don’t you think he would’ve wanted you to live a little before taking on such a huge responsibility?”
“How would you know what he wanted? You weren’t there. You didn’t see the disappointment in his eyes the day I told him I was going away, with no idea of when I’d be back.”
The pain of that memory had eaten away at Dylan for more years than he cared to remember, though he’d done his best to make up for it by shouldering the family’s responsibilities on his return.
“Your mother told me,” she said, so softly he wondered if he imagined it.
“Told you what?”
“How your dad felt when you left. We discussed it that first day when I told her my family secrets. She mentioned you’d be a tough taskmaster but there were reasons for it, then she told me about your dad and why you drive yourself so hard.”
Dylan turned back to face her, wanting to hear the truth yet wishing they never started this conversation.
“Why would my mother would confide in you, the queen of deception?”
She ignored his barb, though he noted a downward turn of her lips. “He loved you, more than you ever knew. He was proud you’d stayed around so long to learn the ropes from him and he hoped you’d return one day to continue his dream. He never begrudged you that time away, nor did he kill himself trying to make up for your absence. Heart attacks happen for a lot of reasons and he died doing what he loved best, running the family business.”
She paused to wipe away a lone tear that trickled down her cheek. “Your mother said she’s tried to tell you several times but you always change the subject, so she decided to leave well enough alone. Though I think it’s time you sat down with her and had a long chat about your father, don’t you?”
Rather than Sam’s tears abating, as he expected once she finished her spiel, they now flowed unchecked, leaving him at a loss.
“Save the tears, Sam. I don’t need your sympathy.”
He turned his back on her and strolled toward the window, wishing she’d leave him the hell alone. He needed to assimilate what she’d told him, to sort out his feelings regarding his family.
“If you don’t want my sympathy, what about my love?”
The whispered words slammed home, though it took him a good ten seconds to register their meaning.
“What did you say?”
He jumped as she slid her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his back.
“I love you,” she said, squeezing him so tightly he could hardly breathe. Or was it the overwhelming sensation of disbelief that had him struggling for air?
He loosened her grip and turned to face her, searching for the right words and failing miserably.
Sam took a steadying breath and continued before she lost the last of her courage.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I lied to you earlier. Again. What happened at Budgeree between us was proof of how I feel about you. I fell in love with you almost from the beginning but didn’t want to admit it, and when I thought our time together was drawing to a close, I wanted to take away some lasting memory of our time together.”
“So, you used me for sex?”
To her delight, a slow smile crept across his face, the same sexy smile she’d grown to love, and she knew in that moment she had a chance to win him back.
“I wouldn’t call it using.” She allowed her hands to play over his back, raking the bare skin lightly with her nails. “Call it a mutually satisfying arrangement.”
He growled in response and pulled her close, his lips crushing hers in a scorching kiss. Her tongue snaked out to meet his, teasing, tasting, and she wanted him with a ferocity that staggered.
She thought she would never have this chance again, so she’d thrown caution to the wind and admitted her true feelings.
She loved Dylan Harmon and wanted to shout it to the world.
He leaned into her, the evidence of his arousal sending a flood of pleasure rushing through her, and with a slow, deliberate movement, she ground her hips against his.
He broke the kiss, staring at her with undisguised lust and more than a hint of confusion.
“You do know I love you too?”
As her body throbbed with soul-wrenching need her mind managed to assimilate what he’d said, and she smiled, a seductive upturning of her lips designed to entice.
“Show me.”