Sam absentmindedly tugged the loose strand behind her ear and continued talking. “You’d think so, but not always. My brothers weren’t always as appreciative of my help. They prefer to call me the Meddler. Apparently, I don’t know when to stop or mind my own business. I just get this idea in my head of how things should be and I can’t ignore the problem. I have to fix it.”
Brody watched the woman he’d allowed to breach his inner sanctum as she continued to eat. This dating thing was going okay so far. He was learning about her and sharing some of himself, like she’d described. They’d worked together to overcome a minor crisis. The boxes on his date checklist were being checked off, one by one. If he managed not to do something stupid to run her off, this might be a really great night. He enjoyed Sam’s company, which was something he couldn’t say for most people. She was everything he’d always hoped for in a woman. Sam was smart and funny, beautiful and caring. She hadn’t seemed very interested in his money, either.
From the monitor in his office he’d watched her eyes light up with delight at receiving that single rose just as if she’d received a hundred roses. Or diamonds. And most importantly, she looked him in the eye with the flame of desire instead of disgust.
What he couldn’t put his finger on was what she saw in him if money wasn’t the draw. It was one thing to be polite and friendly at work to develop a good rapport. But why had she kissed him? Or agreed to this date? She didn’t have to do any of that. Or perhaps she did. Maybe this was it. Was he only a project to her? “Are you going to fix me?” he asked.
She looked at him then, her wide dark eyes searching his face for something. He expected her to blow off the question, lie about it outright or make a joke. He knew that most people in his life disapproved of his lifestyle. If Molly, his foster mother, could tell him what to do again, things would be very different, he was sure. For someone with an itch to help like Sam, he was surprised she hadn’t broken into hives restraining herself.
But she didn’t dismiss the question. Instead she looked him straight in the eye and said, “Fix what?”
At that, he almost laughed. “Fix what?” he asked, getting up from the table to put his empty plate in the sink. “Come on, now. I’m a grouchy, scarred hermit. You’re the first woman to step into this house that isn’t related or paid to clean it. Certainly you’ve come across something about me that you’re dying to put right.”
Sam followed him through the kitchen and smiled reassuringly when he turned back to her. “All that stuff is on the outside. I’m not worried about that apart from how it impacts you on the inside.” Her hand rested gently on his chest, over his heart.
Brody’s blood started pumping furiously through his veins at her touch. His heart beat so hard, he was certain she could feel it pounding against her fingertips. Her innocent gesture had lit a fire inside him. The heat of it spread through his body like warm honey and caused every muscle to tense with anticipation.
“You’re a brilliant businessman. A computer genius. A strong leader for your company. You have amassed more money and power in a few short years than most people will in a lifetime. You do the work you love. I’m sure your life isn’t perfect, but whose is? Everyone has their own tolerance and thresholds of what they can live with. From where I sit, I don’t know what I could do to make your life better.”
“You could kiss me.” Brody said the words before he could lose his courage. She saw him as decisive and bold. He needed to be tonight if he was going to get what he wanted. And whether or not he should, he wanted her. More than he’d wanted any other woman in his life.
He took her hand in his, pulling it away from his chest and wrapping his other arm around her waist. He tugged her against him, sprawling his palm across her lower back.
Sam looked up at him in surprise, and then a coy smile curled her lips. She pressed into him, bringing her hand behind his neck to tease at his collar. “I think I can do that,” she said, climbing up onto her toes.
Brody dipped his head down and closed the gap between their heights. Without her heels on, she was more petite than he anticipated. Their lips met in a soft, tender kiss. He relished the feel of her fingertips against the stubble of his jaw and the gentle, probing glide of her tongue along his own. It was an easy movement, one he didn’t have to think too much about. But Brody was a strategist, and he was always focusing on his next move instead of enjoying the moment like he should.