Adam, time for bed, don’t you think?”
She gestured with her head towards Dylan and Sarah, who were sitting next to each other on the couch, pressed up against the opposite ends.
Adam shot to his feet. “Ah, yes. Goodnight, you two. My fiancée needs me to take her to heaven before we go to sleep.”
He stepped over and kissed Amy, who chuckled.
Amy smiled kindly at Sarah. “Nice to meet you. Don’t be fooled by the Quinlan tough-guy act. Underneath, they’re putty in your hand!”
Adam tickled her. “I sure do love to be in your hand, babe!”
He wrapped her up in his arms and they left, both laughing and in love.
The atmosphere in the living room scrunched up uncomfortably as Sarah realised she was now alone with the former love of her life. She shot to her feet. “I really should get going. My hotel needs me.”
Dylan stood too and held her hand. His touch shot pure lust through her body. She wanted to pull away, but – truthfully – more than that she wanted him to wrap her up in his arms and soothe her all over with his golden caresses.
He gazed into her eyes. “It would be nice to just talk. To find out what you’ve been up to. It really is awesome to see you again, Sarah.”
Sarah smirked. “I know what you mean by ‘just talking’. I’ve fallen for that one before.”
Dylan’s face lit up with a cheeky grin, making Sarah’s insides swoon like a teenager. “I swear, I won’t make the moves on you. Not for at least five minutes anyway.”
Sarah laughed. She’d forgotten how charming he could be. She sat back down, keeping her distance. “Alright, let’s talk. So how are the rest of the family? Your little sister? And your oldest brother – Ivan isn’t it? He was always a good guy.”
Dylan sat down and winced. “Actually, he’s dead.”
“Oh… I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah… And what about your mother?”
Sarah sighed. “Dead.”
“Sorry.”
They both laughed uncomfortably.
Sarah shrugged. “Ah, we all knew she only had a few years left in her.”
“But you were with her for those last few years. As she would’ve wanted.”
Sarah bit her lip. She couldn’t bear to have that conversation with Dylan right now. “So how did you come to be mixed up with Natalia?”
“She came onto me at a party at Orlov’s house a few weeks ago. I guess I just didn’t say no.”
“Poor you. Unable to resist a beautiful woman.”
“Hey, she’s the one who’s married – not me.”
“Well, maybe you’ll think twice before sleeping with the wife of a dodgy Russian next time.”
“I sure will.”
He gazed seductively into her eyes. Sarah suppressed her arousal and cleared her throat. “So… what business are you doing with Orlov exactly? I’m surprised you’d want to get mixed up with him – he always seems so arrogant. I don’t trust people who never smile.”
“I’m just trying to grab some publicity for Grafton Techs – that’s Amy’s company that me and Adam bought. My plan is we sponsor Orlov’s soccer club for one season, get the name of Grafton Techs known, then sell the company for big bucks.”
“But you didn’t expect to fall for his wife?”
“I didn’t fall for her, sweetheart. It was just sex. She enjoyed it and so did I. It was a weird situation, though. She kept asking me about my intentions towards Orlov. And about… Ivan. She’d heard about his death somehow. I wondered whether Orlov might be pimping her out as a spy, but I’m not sure. Maybe I’m just too suspicious.”
“You always were.”
Dylan gazed at her. “Don’t judge me on how I was when I was twenty-one, alright. It was a long time ago. I’ve changed a lot. Surely you have?”
“Yeah, I probably have.”
He rested his hand on her knee, sending spirals of lust up her thigh. “I think about you a lot, Sarah. And I didn’t get the chance to thank you for helping me out of this fix tonight.”
Sarah knew where this was heading and she suddenly felt out of control. If