Anastasia Maltezos Two In the Lion's Den (pdf)

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his body.
Alarmed, she raised her head from his shoulder and looked at him. His gaze dropped to her
lower lip caught between her teeth and he gave her a smouldering look that sent an involuntary
rush of heat to her face.
Leo, please& please put me down. I m& I m fine now.
Without saying a word, he carried her from the stable.
Sam bristled in his arms. Leo, I said put me down, she said more firmly. She squirmed
and wiggled in his arms. I m too heavy, she added inanely because he carried her as though she
weighed no more than a sack of air.
Leo halted his steps and gave her a hard look. You ve just had a brush with certain death
and you re worried about your weight? he remarked dryly. Sam, you never cease to amaze me.
I m happy for you, she quipped. Now put me down.
No.
This is ridiculous. I m not a helpless waif. For heaven s sake, I grew up with horses. I know
how temperamental they can be.
Anastasia Maltezos 81
I said no, he replied calmly and he continued to carry her into the house through the back
door that led to the kitchen. And for the record, he added dryly, the term helpless waif has
never crossed my mind about you. You should not have disobeyed my orders.
Sam gasped. Disobeyed? Orders? She shot him a sharp look. I didn t realize I needed to
report to you. How dare
He held her gaze and a curious mixture of anger and excitement flowed through her veins.
One look from his compelling, dark eyes and she almost forgot her head. Almost, but not quite.
She wiggled furiously in his arms. Will you please put me down?
Without answering her, Leo strode to the foot of the stairs in the main hall and paused at the
stairs. Her startled gasp was met with a curt, Do not alarm yourself, Sam. I have no wish to ravish
you after what you ve just been through.
Her face flamed with embarrassment and she stared at the neat, little nerve pulsing at the
base of his throat. It& it never crossed my mind.
You lie. You thought I was going to take you up to my bedroom.
Of all the arrogant, conceited
The library or your bedroom, Sam? he asked abruptly.
What? she asked momentarily nonplussed.
He raised a sardonic brow. You have a choice. I can put you down in the library or your
room. Which do you prefer?
The& the library.
I thought so, he commented dryly and proceeded to go through one of the doors in the
main hall.
Leo carried her to the settee and placed her gently on the soft, floral print before he strode to
a bar at the corner of the room and reached for a crystal decanter filled with clear liquid. He poured
some into a glass. Sam tore her gaze away from the wide breadth of his back and surveyed the
room. She loved this library. The floor to ceiling bookshelves; the green, leafy plants; the warm
atmosphere of panelled wood. She decided if she lived in a house with this room, all her extra time
would be spent in here.
What treasures, she thought, picturing herself reading from one of the small collection of
children s books to a little girl. Elizabeth came to her mind and she smiled. Elizabeth loved stories
being read to her more than she loved to draw, and Sam felt an ache in her heart, longing to hold
the little girl in her arms again. Some of her most precious moments at the orphanage were tucking
Elizabeth in bed and watching her drift into a peaceful slumber as Sam read her stories about castles
and princesses and magical kingdoms.
Her thoughts changed abruptly when she saw Leo striding toward her.
Drink this, he said as he offered her the glass.
What is it?
Something that will make you feel better.
82 Two in the Lion s Den
But I told you I m fine.
Granted you re not in shock, but your nerves are on edge and this will help calm you down.
Her nerves were on edge because of him, she thought testily, and took the glass. His fingers
brushed hers and she pulled away sharply almost spilling the clear contents. Leo gave her a slow,
lazy smile as he settled casually on the settee beside her. Sam s heart beat erratically and she shakily
raised the glass to her mouth, taking a deep gulp. Big mistake.
The drink burned her throat as it went down, like liquid fire, and she sputtered and coughed
as her eyes pricked with tears.
What is it? she gasped, her startled gaze flying to his face.
Ouzo. It s a Greek liqueur. I gather you ve never tasted it before.
No and I don t care to again, thank you very much, she replied tartly. She caught a glimmer
of a smile on his face as he took the glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table before
them.
Now, he said sombrely, as he brought his dark gaze back to her face. Why did you
approach Lightning? That was a foolish thing to do after I warned you against it.
She remembered the reading she had given him and the lightning bolts she d seen. She must
have been the woman she d seen would be in some type of danger. She tried to ignore the tantalizing
effect his nearness had on her. If it s an apology you re looking for, I apologise, Leo. I m sure the
last thing you want is an accident. How would you explain that to Toni?
His face hardened. Precisely. I want you returning back home in one piece.
Sam tensed. Were they back to square one? Was Leo worried she would lay the blame on
him to Toni? Her spirits dropped. After the nice day they had spent together yesterday, she had
thought things had changed between, but now she wasn t sure.
Why do you dislike me, Leo? she asked suddenly.
He slid a sultry look over her flushed features and lower to her breasts as they rose and fell
in anticipation to his response. He glanced lower to her lap and Sam knew he could tell she was
nervous because of the white knuckled clasp of her hands.
Do I? he asked. His chiselled lips twisted into a tight smile. On the contrary. I find you a
very attractive woman, Sam. All your lovers must attest to your desirable qualities.
Lovers? Sam almost laughed. I thought you said I wasn t your type?
When did I say that? he asked.
At the airport.
As it happens, I find you very attractive and I ve wanted to kiss you since we went to Nitsa s
house and I discovered you were a woman of compassion and strength.
Oh. Sam lost her voice. No one had ever said that to her before and she was warmed by
his admission. Warm and nervous, she decided. Well, that& that won t do. A kiss would serve no
purpose. She rose to put as much distance between them.
Anastasia Maltezos 83
He rose as well. And the more I get to know you, the more I want to kiss you, he said
deeply as he took a couple of steps to bring him directly in front of her.
Sam looked up into his eyes and a myriad of emotions went through her. Confusion,
excitement, fright. Yes, well, she said, hearing the catch in her voice as she took another nervous
step back, I m flattered, but considering I ll be leaving in a week and a half, sharing a kiss would
be fruitless. Not& not to mention you have a girlfriend.
He took a step toward her, his eyes growing darker. I don t have a girlfriend.
Sam frowned. Katina?
He shrugged nonchalantly. We see each other from time to time. That is all. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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