depths—inviting her to take the forbidden fruit he’d packaged so enticingly. This man had no idea how potent his presence could be to the female species. Well, maybe not everyone, but she had difficulty breathing when he focused his attention on her. Not to mention the way he made her body ache for his touch.
Heavens, Samantha, get a grip . The man must be twelve years younger than you. He has an ulterior motive. A man like him could get any girl he wanted. What would he want with an old hag like you if he could get a supermodel to hang onto his arm?
Exactly.
She squared her shoulders. “Stop the games, Mister Russell. I’m too old for you and you obviously need something from me. So, get it over with so I can enjoy my ride home in peace.”
His hand slipped under the jacket and rested on her thigh. Skillful fingers softly stroked her leg. She moved her legs and glanced toward the men seated across the passage. Both men stared straight ahead and paid no attention to them.
“Stop it. You’re causing a scene,” she hissed.
“You’re the one causing the scene.” He stroked a stray hair from her face. “Relax, will you? I don’t want anything from you. Just the pleasure of your company.”
She let out an exasperated breath. “What do I have to do to make you leave me alone?”
She tried to pry his hand from her leg, but he held firm. “Have dinner with me. I want to get to know you better and find out why every time I think of you, I want you naked under me. Why I react like a horny teenager when you’re in the same room.”
“I don’t want to get to know you. I prefer my partners to be men, not boys.”
He chuckled. “Oh, baby, I’m all man, but don’t take my word for it. Take me for a test drive.”
“No thank you.” She pushed against his hand on her leg again. “Please take your hands off me.”
“I haven’t begun putting my hands on you.”
He sighed softly and took his hand from her leg. The loss resembled losing a limb. At least she could breathe a little easier. Then he flung his arm over her shoulders and buried his fingers in the few tendrils of hair that had escaped the French plait during her rush to the station. He twirled the strands around his fingers, sending tiny shockwaves of awareness through her veins. What was wrong with her? She’d lost her virginity in high school, so why did this man’s touch cause her body to react like a hormonal teenager?
“So tell me, where did you grow up?”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s what people do on a first date. They ask about one another. Find out what the other one likes and dislikes.”
“Are you on drugs? Because only someone abusing drugs or plain stupid can fail to understand that this is not a date and secondly, I can’t afford to get to know you any better than I already do.” She sat forward and shrugged his arm off her shoulders. He didn’t remove it but let it fall to her waist, his hand brushing the underside of her breast where he continued his kneading of her over-sensitized flesh.
“Please stop that.”
He moved his hand to her shoulder. “Better?”
She nodded, but refused to meet his gaze.
“Relax, Samantha. We’re just getting to know each other.”
She let out an exasperated breath. How could she argue with a man who refused to listen? Maybe if she ignored him, he would get the message. Although he didn’t strike her as someone who could be ignored easily.
Brent crossed his legs and relaxed in the chair. “As you know, I play international rugby, have my own businesses, very successful I might add, and hopefully within the next few months I will be divorced. Despite what Amber alleged, I never cheated on her. During our marriage she was the woman who always accompanied me to social functions.” Samantha glanced at him, noticing his frown and troubled gaze.
“You, on the other hand, invade my sleep and I can’t concentrate on my work. Unless I find out why, I’m afraid my life might go down the