Chapter Twenty

“Oh, for goodness sake! Keep your pants on, dammit,” Samantha snapped as she approached the front door and the doorbell sounded again—for the third time. “Some people just don’t get the message,” she growled as she flung open the door. “I don’t want or need a new vacuum . . . Rhone?” She was so surprised that she felt on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Would I be invited in if I was trying to sell you one?” he asked with an amused twist to his lips. Lips, that drew Samantha’s gaze like a magnet.

“What are you doing here?” She asked. Her grasp on the door was the only thing that kept her upright but to Rhone she appeared to be in control of her emotions. He hated that she could hide her feelings from him so effectively now. On the other hand, he didn’t blame her. She’d learned from the master—himself.

His gaze traveled over her, satisfying the urgent need to see her that had brought him to her door. She looked like a little girl in black leggings and an oversized red t-shirt, with her bare feet and her toes adorned with bright red nail paint.

The feeling of desolation he’d felt while searching for Max, the long hours he’d spend at the hospital until Max was out of danger, had brought back the memory of the time he’d done the same for her. It was just twice as heart wrenching to remember what it had felt like to almost lose her. He’d known then that she was the only woman he truly wanted in his life. He cursed the past for subsuming him and drawing him back in the same rut that he’d been in for most of his grown-up life.

It was time to let it go. He needed Samantha in his life like he needed air to breathe.

“What do you want, Rhone? Or, is one of your friends looking for another ass to fuck?”

Rhone cringed at the condemnation in her voice. The vision of her twisting and submitting to Bruce flashed in his mind.

“Come now, luv. You know, as well as I do, I only gave you what you asked for. Although I have to admit, the sight of you and Bruce—”

“That’s not what I wanted, and you fucking know that,” she snapped.

“Are we gonna have this conversation on your doorstep?”

Samantha stared at him, elated and confused at the same time. He seemed in a strange mood. Relaxed, filled with humor and yet the twitch at his temple showed the tension he was trying to hide from her.

She turned and began walking toward the kitchen. “I’m busy preparing dinner. If you want to talk, you’ll have to do so while I’m cooking.”

Rhone sat down on one of the high chairs at the island counter where she was busy chopping up some vegetables. He popped a piece of carrot into his mouth and sat chewing while he watched her. The knife clattered on the chopping board.

“Very impressive. I never realized you can cook.”

“I’m a very good cook but with Enzo at your house, I never had the opportunity.”

“Hm, well, I think we should give him at least two days off a week so you can prepare our meals.”

The hesitation was brief in the tempo of the knife, before it rapped on the board even quicker.

“So, talk. What are you doing here?”

“You haven’t been back at the club,” he started tentatively. He knew he’d fucked up with her—badly, and it would take more than a few promises to make up for that.

“And that surprises you?” She threw the vegetables in a lightly oiled baking tray, seasoned it with rosemary and garlic and popped it into the oven to roast.

“Was the entire night that bad, luv?” Rhone prodded softly. He searched her face with an intent look.

Samantha shrugged. She was doing her best to keep her composure. Rhone Greer was not going to bulldoze her with his good looks, his gorgeous body and his fucking sexy smile. And why the hell has he grown his hair? How will she resist him now?

“Sex with you is always explosive, Rhone. You’ve had more than enough practice over the years. For me it was even more so that night because it’d been over two months since I had any . . . which can’t be said for you, if memory serves me correctly.”

Samantha was enraptured by the way his lips curved upward in a crooked smile. She loved the dimple in his cheek, the way his white teeth were perfectly aligned. She experienced a warm glow at his powerful smile. It reached a place inside her that the sun never could and warmed her very soul.

“I lied, luv.”

“You . . . what?” She held her breath, the crack that had formed in her heart on that night singed through her memory.

“I might have told a little white lie when I alluded to having had sex since you left me.”

“A little white lie! You . . . you . . . I—”

“I would’ve thought you knew me well enough by now to know better, Samantha. I was hurt that you’d even considered I would’ve had the desire to fuck anyone else.”

“You were hurt?” Samantha slapped the dishcloth on the counter. “Two months, Rhone! It’s been two months and not once in all that time did you even bother to phone me. What the hell was I supposed to think?”

“That maybe I was trying to work up the courage to come to you.”

Samantha gaped at him. He seemed like a schoolboy who had been caught smoking behind the gym. It was hard to believe that such a confident man had to build up courage, but the truth was there in his eyes. She was overwhelmed by the joy that filled her heart, as much as she was confused by him. She licked her lips.

“How is Max?” She changed the subject in an effort to sort through her wayward emotions. He was going to have to work a lot harder to win her back than this!

“He says he’s ready to come back to work but Ethan refuses to clear him. He’s hiding how he’s truly doing.” Rhone grabbed a piece of the warm bread Samantha had just sliced and bit into it. “Hm, very nice, luv.”

“By the time dinner is ready, you’d have eaten your fill,” she said with a smile as he buttered another piece and took a bite.

“Thanks for visiting Max in the hospital. It meant a lot to him. I know physically he’s pushing himself but emotionally, he’s suffering.”

“And Joanne?”

“He chased her away. He refuses to saddle her with the drudgery—his words—of taking care of him.”

“She wouldn’t walk away because of that,” Samantha exclaimed. After meeting Joanne at the club, she’d joined her, Paige and Lauren a couple of times for lunch and got to know her well.

“Joanne doesn’t know he’s paralyzed. He made everyone swear not to tell her. It’s probably for the best. Now, she might be able to find happiness elsewhere.”

“Just like that? Do you really believe it’s that easy, Rhone? For Joanne . . . or for me?”

“You’re the one who walked away, Samantha,” he reminded her dolefully.

“Because you pushed me to it.”

Rhone’s gaze didn’t waver, but he battled to voice the words he’d practiced on the way over. It all rushed out in one unpracticed, compressed sentence.

“I miss you.”

Samantha’s heart missed a beat and then started hammering wildly against her chest.

“Do you miss me, or do you miss having sex with me?”

Rhone stared at her, quietly considering the question.

“Sex, on its own, for me has always been about domination and was limited to the club. I can have sex with anyone, Samantha. There are more than enough out there begging for it. I’m not going to lie and tell you I don’t like sex or that it doesn’t matter. It does and it’s a big part of my attraction to you. And that’s where the difference comes in. With you . . . it’s always been about more than just sex. Dominating you is a journey of discovery every time we make love. Yes, luv . . . don’t look at me with shock . . . make love, even at times when it’s rough and wild. It scorches right into my soul, watching your reaction, your emotions and your complete submission. I’ve gone past the need to just possess your body, Samantha. I’m after your mind, your soul . . . and your heart. If it’s still mine for the taking,” he ended softly.

“Rhone—”

“One thing I do know is that my life suddenly lost direction the day you left. I know I’m not an easy man to live with, nor am I going to regurgitate the reason why I find it difficult to express my feelings or open my heart. You already know all of that.”

He reached across the counter and brushed his fingers over her cheek. “You make me want to change. I want to change. I need you back in my life, Samantha.”

Samantha was caught in the earnest expression in his eyes. It seared all the way into her soul to wrap her heart in a warm cocoon.

“Just like that? You want me to move back?”

“No.” He offered her a tentative smile. “I want to do this right. For you and for us.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I want to take you out to dinner, the movies, dancing, wherever you wish to go.”

Samantha’s mouth gaped open. “You want to date me?”

Rhone chuckled. “I haven’t heard that word since college. Which was also the last time I took anyone on a date.” His expression turned serious. “But yes, I want us to build on our future, together.”

“Our future?”

“If you have the patience and are prepared to give me another chance . . .” He took a deep breath. “I can’t promise that it’s going to be easy or that I won’t mess up, but I do know that you do something to me. You make me feel and it’s a treasure I don’t want to lose.”

Samantha allowed his words to flow into her heart where she closed it within a chamber to cherish and protect.

“So, does dating mean sex?”

“Miss Frazer, how forward you are,” he teased and laughed when her cheeks bloomed in a becoming rosy color. “No, luv, not outside the club.”

“I see. Just to get this straight. You're saying we’ll still be in a D/s relationship at the club and the only time we’ll have sex is there?”

“Yes, until the time is right to move to the next level in our relationship.”

Samantha was elated but did her best to hide her feeling of joy.

“Well, what do you say? Will you go on a date with me?”

The smile on her face brightened the entire universe. “Yes, I’d love to.”

“Perfect. So, Miss Frazer, would you like to have dinner with me tonight? Right here with the meal that you just cooked?”

Samantha peeled with laughter at his attempt to make an endearing face. “That’s cheating, but yes, seeing as the meal is ready.”

Samantha dished up while Rhone poured some wine that she had set aside to breathe. He deliberately kept the conversation light throughout the meal. He set out to make her laugh and got lost in her tinkling mirth that settled deep into his heart.

“It’s late and you need your rest. I better go,” he said hours later and walked toward the front door. “Tomorrow night at seven?” He smiled broadly. “For our official first date this time.”

“I’ll be ready,” she lilted as he opened the door.

“Thanks for a lovely evening, luv.”

“No kiss to end our date?”

“Oh, heavens no,” he exclaimed dramatically. “My mother would have an aneurysm. She taught her boys, no kiss on the first date.” He smiled at the disappointed expression on her face. He couldn’t stop his hand from lifting to trace the pouty fullness of her bottom lip. “And dress up, luv, we’re going out in style.”

Samantha stared after him with a tender smile on her lips. She pushed the door closed but before it shut completely, it was pushed open.

“Then again, I never listened to my mom, why should I start now?” Rhone growled and pushed her back against the wall. “But I will do it right and follow the other rule,” he said with glowing eyes. “May I kiss you, Samantha?”

She gave him her answer by wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him closer. Rhone immediately took ownership of the kiss with warm lips that enveloped hers. He ignited a fire inside her that shimmered on the verge of exploding. She moved urgently against him, flattening her soft curves against the unyielding steel of his body. Samantha inhaled with frantic gasps. It was all he needed to deepen the kiss, taking her higher on an emotional roller coaster ride that carried her all the way to the top. There, she hovered on the edge, ready to careen off in a rush of desire. She was dizzied by his passionate onslaught.

She’d forgotten how powerful Rhone’s kisses were. Desire built inside her so fast that it overwhelmed her with its intensity, forcing a husky moan of desire from deep within her throat.

Rhone exulted in her sweet submission to his demand. He forced deep breaths into his lungs as he entwined his tongue with hers. It was a moment to treasure. He sealed the passionate encounter with a brief, hard kiss before he reluctantly pulled back from her. His eyes darkened at the glistening enticement of her well-kissed lips.

“Sleep well, luv.”

And then he was gone.