The Man's Outrageous Demands (12 page)

“Five in the morning?” she asked, her fork clanking against her plate.

“Yes. Five in the morning. Why? Too early for you? We can call this off now.”

She pursed her lips. Now that she’d gotten a concession out of him, she wasn’t going to let him back out of it. “No. I’ll be there. But you’d better be ready to teach me something and not just patronize me. I’m strong enough to handle you.”

His eyes lit up at her suggestive comment but his only reply was, “We’ll see. Tell me what you’re doing for the hospital.”

Marabeth looked up at him, her eyes narrowing at his question. He’d never asked her anything about what she did before. She assumed that he already knew so was suspicious about why he was asking. “Why? Didn’t the details come through on the spy pages?”

“Yes. But I didn’t read them.”

That surprised her and it showed in her expression. “Why not?” she asked curiously.

“Because it didn’t pertain to your safety so I thought I’d ask you about them instead.”

She liked that answer. Could he really want to just talk to her like a normal person? Could he be slightly less domineering than she’d originally thought? It was a spark of hope, so she talked to him about the hospital’s needs and what she was doing to help them. He asked her questions and listened to her answers and it was an interesting change to the way they had conversed previously.

By the end of the evening, Marabeth realized that she didn’t dislike him quite so much. He walked her to the door of her suite and she turned shyly to him, ready to kiss him quickly on the cheek before slipping into her rooms.

Sam had other ideas though. He opened the door and closed it behind him, but didn’t go very far into the suite. In fact, he took her into his arms the moment the door was closed and leaned against it, kissing her deeply and passionately.

He didn’t let up until she moaned softly. Then he pulled his head up and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning at five.”

Marabeth nodded, licking her lips and wishing he would kiss her again. He didn’t. He slipped out of the room and walked quickly away while Marabeth leaned weakly against the door and listened to his footsteps fade away down the marble hallway.

Six hours later, Marabeth pulled herself out of bed and hurried into some work out clothes. She ran the whole way to the gym, ignoring her mother’s dictates that rushing was unladylike. She wanted to be in the gym on time for her first lesson. Despite the early morning appointment time, she was eager to learn whatever she could from Sam.

He was waiting there already, dressed in a pair of gym shorts and a tee shirt. “Good morning,” she said and walked over to the mat.

“Good morning,” he said and walked over to stand in front of her. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

Marabeth was almost too busy taking in the gorgeous sight of him with his muscles apparent in his arms and chest. She bit her lower lip, wishing she could keep her libido in check for just a few minutes around him. He was still waiting for an answer so she finally replied, “Yes. Very well, thank you.”

“I didn’t,” he said, practically growling at her. “Take off your shoes.”

Marabeth raised her eyebrows. “Is that my punishment for your inability to sleep well?” she asked.

“No. It is the requirement for karate,” he said and moved away from her to take the initial stance for attack.

“Oh. Well, then in that case, I’ll do it.” She quickly slipped her running shoes off her feet and placed them to the side of the large, matted area.

“So if it wasn’t to make me feel better, you wouldn’t have?”

“Nope,” she said in a sing-song voice. “If the stress of your job is too much for you, perhaps you should delegate more responsibility to others.” She came back quickly and stopped a few feet away from him, smiling up at his grumpy expression.

Obviously Sam was not going to take her perky quips without retribution. Marabeth’s only warning that she was in trouble was the spark that appeared in his steely gray eyes moments before he walked over to her and quickly flipped her on her back. Once she was down and staring up at the ceiling, he loomed over her. “That was your first lesson. Never let your enemy out of your sight and never trust them. Always be cautious,” he said.

“Ah,” she said and wondered why being flipped didn’t hurt that badly. It had looked pretty painful when she’d been watching Sam and her brother a few days ago. “Well, I guess I deserve that, although I’m not sure why.”

He reached down a hand to help her up. She accepted but he pulled her right into his arms. “I didn’t sleep well because I was thinking about how much I should have stayed in your room last night and made love to you instead of leaving you with that chaste kiss.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought the kiss was very chaste personally since it had ignited every nerve ending in her body. But she accepted that he was much more experienced than she was in this area. She also wasn’t going to challenge him about it while he was in this kind of mood.

“Step over there and put your hands up like this,” he said and Marabeth obeyed instantly.

The next hour was fascinating for Marabeth. She loved learning from Sam even though he was relentless. They went over the same move again and again until he thought she had it perfect. There were kicks and lunges, arm movements and body turns. Marabeth felt silly at first but when Sam explained the balance involved and how to use that balance to one’s advantage, she embraced the lessons with enthusiasm.

“Good job,” he said and stood up. Marabeth was breathing heavily as she tried to keep up with him but he hadn’t even broken a sweat. “I’ll see you tonight for dinner?” he asked, putting his hands on her hips and looking down at her.

Nodding and trying to slow her breathing down which was a useless effort since she was now in his arms and the expectation of a kiss was increasing her breathing, she put her hands on his chest and looked up at him. “What time?”

“Seven again?”

“That’s fine,” she said and watched him walk away. She was painfully disappointed that he didn’t kiss her again but told herself that it was probably a good thing. She’d be a basket case soon if she wasn’t careful. She wanted his touch but should learn to temper her needs with caution and reason.

The day flew by for Marabeth which was odd since she didn’t really have anything to do. She was still restricted from leaving the palace with no explanation so she had to cancel her appointments which weren’t urgent, thankfully. Instead, she raced her horse against the clock and was impressed with how fast he could run. Then she relaxed by reading a book she’d been trying to start for the past several months, never finding the time before because of her busy schedule.

She also researched several new charities that had been introduced to her. It always amazed her how many charities just popped up that were completely false but were asking for her presence at some function or another. She knew several people created foundations simply as an excuse to meet her and that irritated her. But she accepted that as part of the job.

She had no idea what to wear to dinner that night so she chose a simple pair of black slacks and a white, turtle neck sweater since it was starting to turn cooler. She let her hair flow down her back and only pinned the front to the top of her head to keep it out of her eyes.

Marabeth smiled as she opened the door to reveal Sam standing there, leaning against her door with a bouquet of flowers. “How lovely,” she said, and didn’t mean just the flowers. Sam was wearing a pair of khaki slacks and a white collared shirt, open at the top. He looked incredibly sexy and she wished he’d just take her into his arms and kiss her, wrapping her up in his strength.

Where had that thought come from? She frowned as she took the flowers, letting him follow her into her suite. Wasn’t she still mad at him? Wasn’t he still the irritating, domineering man who was pushing her into a relationship she didn’t want?

Where had her spine gone? Could she not maintain her anger in the face of overwhelming charm?

How irritating, she thought as she stopped in the middle of her sitting room.

“Is something wrong?”

Marabeth jumped at his deep voice so close behind her. She swung around to look at him. “No, why?” she asked, trying to appear calm despite her confusing feelings.

“You’re frowning at the flowers as if a snake were about to jump out of them. I promise there are no hidden serpents,” he teased her.

Marabeth felt the butterflies again and wished they would just disappear. Was she so shallow? She’d always thought of herself as more dedicated but here she was, falling for his sweet lines and her heart fluttered each time he smiled at her.

Instead of answering him, she turned again and walked into her kitchenette. She busied her hands while searching for a vase, needing the distraction to help her put a little distance between herself and his magnificent body. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a vase large enough to hold the huge bouquet. She put them into a large glass and left a note for the maid to settle them into a vase the following day. “That was very thoughtful of you. What’s the occasion?” She asked, her fingers touching the delicate, fragrant blooms gently, admiring the perfection of each rose and lily.

“Are you saying I’m not thoughtful on a regular basis?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” she laughed. “I just have no idea what you’re thinking,” she said and turned to face him. She didn’t realize he was so close and she turned right into his arms.

His arms immediately wrapped around her body, pulling her closer so they were touching from shoulder to knee. “I thought about you most of the day,” he said lazily before his mouth descended to hers.

When he lifted his head after only a small kiss, she looked up at him, trying desperately hard not to lose her train of thought again after the kiss as she normally did. “Were you reading security reports or something and that’s why you were thinking of me?”
“You’re not very romantic are you?” he chuckled.

She pulled out of his arms and walked out of the small, unused kitchen area. “I’d say I’m more of a realist,” she countered.

He took her hand in his and pulled her out of the suite. “We’d better get out of here before I pull you towards your bedroom and show you exactly what I was thinking,” he said.

He led her to the veranda where a lovely, romantic setting had been created using candles and white roses. “Oh, Sam. This is beautiful,” she said, sincerely touched by his thoughtfulness.

“Thank you,” he replied, and bowed deeply to her.

She turned to look at him, impressed with his efforts despite her confusion. “What’s on the menu?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I just told the chef to make your favorite. They seemed to know exactly what that was,” he replied.

“You’re a very brave man,” she said.

“So you tell me, what are we having for dinner?”

“There are a few things I really like but it might just be a simple chef’s salad. That’s what I usually eat when I’m alone and not with the family.”

He grimaced at her response. “Hmmm…I hope not. I’m pretty hungry.”

She laughed and look up and down his extremely large frame, knowing he would need much more than a simple salad. “Well, maybe it will be something like beef Wellington or shrimp scampi, both of which are what I request when I have dinner guests.”

The relief was apparent on his face. “That sounds more interesting.”

He poured them both a glass of white wine and raised his glass. “How about a toast?”

“What to?” she asked, accepting the glass but trying to avoid touching his fingers in the process. He noticed and the laughter in his eyes spoke volumes. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything about it.

He picked up his own glass, then raised it towards her. “To getting to know each other,” he said and gently clinked her glass.

Marabeth sipped her wine, watching him the whole time. He seemed different tonight for some reason. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly how though. Something about him seemed more confident but she considered that he was more relaxed. “How are we going to get to know each other?” she asked, taking several steps away from him. Until she understood what was different, she acknowledged that he was even more dangerous. She could easily lose her heart to this dynamic man. And then where would she be? In love with her husband wasn’t a bad thing, just as long as he was in love with her as well.

But could Sam fall in love with her? She’d seen the pictures of the women he’d dated in the past as they splashed their story all over whatever publication would pay them the most for the intimate details. beautiful brunettes mixed in as well. figures. Marabeth had no illusions about herself. She’d seen the way George looked at her and although she had been trying to look her worst for him, choosing colors that made her skin look wan or brought out her freckles in the most obvious way, he still didn’t think she was very pretty. And since he was the only man allowed to get close to her since she’d been betrothed to him since birth, she hadn’t been able to flirt with other boys or men. Which meant her only validation for her self esteem came from the mirror or her late fiancé.
They were usually blonds but definitely some

They all had gorgeous, tan skin and incredible

Marabeth didn’t consider herself pretty. She knew she was passably attractive but her hair was too red and her skin too white. She had nice eyes but she suspected that most people were too overwhelmed by the color of her hair to notice her pretty blue eyes.

Sam’s comment drew her back from her self recriminations about her appearance. “There’s a game the American’s play called twenty questions,” Sam was saying and leaned against the concrete railing. “How about if you start?”

She immediately liked the sound of this game. It seemed like a wonderful way to get to know Sam without getting hurt in the process. “Do they have to be yes or no questions or can they be open ended?”