Read The Tycoon's Tender Triumph Online
Authors: Elizabeth Lennox
And
now she was grown up. She’d gone to college, she’d dated despite the fury that made him feel, and she’d experienced enough of life to be able to make an informed decision. He definitely wasn’t going to give up this opportunity with her. And he’d make sure to use every possible advantage he had. Eventually, she’d end up exactly where he wanted her. In his bed right next to him and letting
tonight’s
kind of kiss end in a more satisfactory manner.
Chloe heard the soothing sounds but ignored them. She didn’t want to wake up. Her body was still aching with the need for more sleep so she wiggled into the warmth, sighing with pleasure and let her mind drift back to the dream she’d been having moments earlier.
It was a lovely dream. She was racing across the
Texas
snow, her strong horse plowing through the cold and snow while Sam chased her on his horse. And since his stallion was more than anything she’d ever be able to outrun, he eventually caught her, pulled her off her saddle
into his strong embrace
and kissed her senseless.
Something niggled in her mind, but she was so warm, so content, she wouldn’t let herself wake up.
Sam sighed heavily, accepting that Chloe was too tired to actually wake up right at the moment. He grinned at the idea of having her in his arms again, even if she was sleeping.
Sam groaned as he lifted her into his arms. It wasn’t her weight. She barely weighed more than a bale of hay. But the way she snuggled into his arms, as if she were content to just be there forever, made his body start aching again with the need to possess her, put his claim on her and feel her voluptuous curves against his body.
Her soft sighs against his chest were almost his undoing but he controlled his desire for her by placing her in the leather seat of his truck. Getting her back to the house took less than fifteen minutes since he’d built an air strip on the edge of his ranch for easier access. The other option was an hour’s drive to
Dallas
and he preferred not making that trip whenever he needed to get somewhere.
His staff had called ahead to alert Jessy, his housekeeper, that he’d be arriving and with Chloe. Despite his reply that
Jessy
should get to bed, she’d already made up
one of
the guest room
s
for Chloe. He shouldered the door open, t
hen laid her down on the bed. T
he sheets and down comforter had already been pulled back.
For several moments, Sam considered being a gentleman and just pulling her shoes off, then covering her up with the comforter. But he knew deep in his heart that she would be more comfortable if she didn’t have those slacks on so he deftly unbuttoned the waist line and slid them off.
If he stared at her long, smooth legs a bit longer than necessary, he was a man who appreciated a woman and Chloe was everything a man could want. She wasn’t too thin, nor at all fat.
She was just perfect with a little butt covered in white cotton that should be a turn off but just made him more painfully erect and throbbing.
There was just something off-handed sexy about a woman wearing cotton underwear. Not that he would mind a little lace or satin, he thought as he pulled the covers up, gritting his teeth in the process.
He thought about pulling her sweater off but thought the slacks would be enough. He was a gentleman, after
all, even if he’d fallen slightly with those legs.
The sun was shining on
Chloe’s
face
, warming her body and making her feel better than she had in a long time. She
stretched, feeling unusually comfortable and warm for some reason.
Normally her apartment was freezing in the winter because she had to turn down the heat in order to afford the electric bill, but also because the windows in her building were at least fifty years old and were little better than a screen in keeping the cold air out.
Rolling over, she pulled the
abnormally soft
pillow closer while her
sluggish
mind worked out the
mysterious
details
, wondering what was different about this morning from all the other mornings recently
.
Something was nudging her and she tried to push the hand away, scowling in her sleep before burying her head deeper into the pillows.
“Come on, darlin’,” Sam’s deep voice said from
right next to her
.
“You need to wake up and come see your dad. He’s been chompin’ at the bit to get a hug from you and he’s too lai
d up still to come up the stairs
. You’re gonna have to go to him.”
She suddenly felt the bed shift as he sat down next to her hip.
“The sun’s been up for hours now. Here’s coffee. Meet me downstairs in half an hour
and
I’ll show you where you’re dad has been sleeping
. Wear jeans,” he said
as she sat up quickly and looked around, trying to get her bearings. Sam had no mercy for her confused brain. He was walking towards her suitcase and pulling out a pair of jeans and a red, turtleneck sweater before she realized that he’d already deposited
a cup of coffee in one of her hands while
she tried to hold
the sheet against her chest
with the other
.
She blinked quickly, her eyes looking around as she tried to figure out where she was.
Her mind slowly started working and the night before came back to her, piece by piece.
She wished she could just bury her head underneath the covers and never come out when she remembered her reaction to his kiss.
The deep chuckle made her grit her teeth. “Don’t worry. Nothing can be that bad,” Sam said,
pushing away from the dresser
and walking back to the bedroom doorway. “Get dressed, honey,” he said. “Just follow the smell of Jessy’s cooking to the kitchen,” and he disappeared as the door closed behind him.
Chloe looked around. The bedroom was beautiful, done in soft shades of pink with the same shabby country style as her own bedroom, but the furnishings were obviously much more expensive. The sheets under her fingers felt like silk but they were just extremely fine combed cotton and the comforter was thick and fluffy with down, unlike her own polyester comforter that offered little warmth during the coldest winter months.
Her hand was warm as she held the coffee so she took a sip, hoping the caffei
ne would jump start her brain. She sat back against the pillows, letting the coffee seep into her bloodstream. Okay, it was coming back to her now. Her father was hurt, he couldn’t fly up to New York, her job was on hold, Sam had…she skipped that part about the kiss….the last thing she remembered was watching Sam as he discussed something on his cell phone. Everything after that was a blank. Lots of warmth, but no specific memory.
She looked down and noticed that her slacks were neatly folded on the opposite side of the bed but her silk blouse was still on. That was something at least. Her shoes were to the side of the bed, she noted as her eyes moved about the room.
A shower. That would definitely clear out the rest of the cobwebs. She slid out of the bed, carrying the coffee with her into the gorgeously appointed
bathroom with yellow walls and white marble everywhere else.
Fifteen minutes later, she felt significantly better. As she dressed then applied mascara and a bit more makeup than normal, she felt more confident and in control. For work, she would pull her hair back but today she decided that just blowing it dry so it was soft and fluffy would be a better choice. It had nothing to do with wanting to show Sam that she was a woman now and not a k
id who used to run around the ranch during the summer months, or a college student to be humored as she gushed on and on about her art classes.
Twitching her bangs into place and dabbing her lipstick slightly, she hoped that Sam would treat her a bit differently.
No! She didn’t care how Sam treated her. He was the past! He wanted the more sophisticated kind of woman, someone she could never be. The women in those pictures all those years ago were brittle, hard looking and so thin it looked as if they ate maybe one or two pieces of fruit a day.
This was who she was, she told her reflection in the mirror. He hadn’t wanted it before, he won’t want it now and she’d be so much better off to just accept that fact. Mooning after Sam was pointless and heartbreaking.
Walking downstairs, she followed his instructions and simply followed the smell of breakfast. It was a huge house but the smell of bacon and hot, pungent coffee drifted through the air. By the time she found the enormous kitchen, Chloe’s mouth was watering hungrily.
“Good morning, miss,” an elderly lady said from the stove. “You must be Chloe,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron as she walked across the ceramic floors. “I’m Jessy,” she explained, extending her hand.
“You’re dad just went back to bed for a rest, silly old coot. He’d been up since dawn trying to give me orders but he learned that wasn’t going to work very well. I’ll make sure he’s awake after your breakfast.”
Jessy bustled over to the oven to peek inside, then closed it with a satisfied look in her face.
“You just sit down over there and get yourself settled. I can’t believe you’ve finally arrived,” she said and made her way back to the stove and pulled out a plate with a dishtowel. “I’m guessing by your presence here this morning that the old goat didn’t give you any choice this time, eh?” she snickered. “He can be pretty convincing when he wants to be, can’t he?” she asked, setting a plate down at one of the kitchen chairs.
Chloe sat down in the chair offered to her, staring at the huge pile of food in astonishment. Did the woman expect her to eat all of this? There was a mountain of scram
bled eggs, five pieces of bacon and
four pieces of toast already buttered. A moment later, a tray of honey, strawberry and blackberry jam, more butter and some orange marmalade was set by the warm plate and a cup of coffee on the other side.
“Eat up, darling,” she said and hustled back to the
cooking area
. “You don’t want to let them eggs get cold. Nothing worse than to start off the day with disgusting eggs, in my mind,” she continued. Jessy rattled on, chatting about the weather, the horses, the problems that have been happening on the ranch over the past few weeks. Chloe ate until her stomach was painfully full, not wanting to offend the obviously warm hearted woman but when she couldn’t eat another bite, she knew that it didn’t look like she’d made a dent in her food.
At that moment, Sam walked in, slapping his Stetson against one jean clad leg. “Aren’t you going to eat?” he asked, pulling off his suede coat and draping it against one of the chairs. “You need to have something because its going to be a long day,” he explained a moment before he walked over to Jessy and hugged her, nuzzling her on her neck until she laughed and swatted him on the butt with her dishrag.
“Get going with you,” she admonished but Chloe could see how happy she was. She had a glow about her and shook her head at Sam’s antics.
Sam poured himself a cup of coffee, then came back to the table, leaning against the wall t
o watch her. “Hurry up, darlin’
.
Your dad wants to see you and then I’ll take you out to introduce you to the horses. We have several new ones that you’re really going to love.
”
Chloe blinked and looked back down at her plate. “I’ve had enough,” she said and slid out of the chair, picking up the still full plate. “Jessy, thank you so much. This was delicious but I’m just not able to do it justice.”
Jessy looked at her plate and shook her head. “You’re just too skinny. We’ll have to do something about that and quick because you won’t make it through the winter, all skin and bones like that.”
Chloe looked down at herself, wondering what Jessy was referring to. Chloe was constantly fighting a battle with her weight, wishing she could lose just another five or ten pounds. In confusion, she looked over at Sam and her face turned red once again when she saw the admiration in his gaze. He was looking at her legs, traveling slowly up until his green eyes rested on her blue ones, amusement lingering in their crystal-like depths.