“It’s me.”
There was a pause, then a, “Good morning.”
Considering his tone went from chilly to so warm that Samantha’s toes curled in response, she figured he knew who he was talking to now.
Her throat choked a little, her body reacting in more ways than one to that note in his voice…
Amazing how, from him, she felt this way, and yet the cute delivery guy had inspired nothing but dread in her.
“What’s wrong?” he snapped, seeming to misread her silence.
She licked her lips. “Nothing’s wrong.” Her voice hitched, and she whispered, “You’re coming around tonight, aren’t you?”
“Need my help with something?” he asked, sounding amused.
“A little ache here and there,” she retorted, turning waspish at his amusement.
“Ben, I just need five minutes, can you shut the door on your way out?” he declared, his tone strident as he spoke to someone who was obviously in the office with him.
Samantha’s lips curved. “You’re so rude sometimes.”
“I’m the boss. I don’t have to be polite,” he said, satisfaction lacing his tone. “Anyway, what kind of aches are we talking about? I’m not sure I like the sound of you aching, especially when I’m here to help with things like that.”
“I have one, right between my thighs. I have no idea where it came from.”
He laughed, then his voice turned husky as he murmured, “I wish you were here. But yes, I’ll be there tonight. Did the TV arrive?”
She grunted. “Yeah. It did. Thanks for asking if I wanted a monster in my living room.”
“Can’t watch a movie with that tiny little thing you had before,” he said, his tone reasonable even as she knew she was losing his attention—she heard the clacking of the keyboard as he worked on his laptop, then papers shuffling.
It didn’t bother her that he was distracted because she’d called him in the middle of the morning when he was at work, so couldn’t expect to hold his full focus, regardless of that, she murmured, “Well, I’ll have to make sure there’s something worth watching tonight then, won’t I?”
The faint scratching of his pen in the background disappeared. “What kind of something?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think of something.” She grinned at the repetition. “What time will you be coming?”
He cleared his throat, apparently understanding her double entendre. “Around six?”
“Erin will be awake at that time,” she cautioned, tone turning serious.
“I know. The TV’s for him too. There should be some DVDs with the package. I thought we could watch something with him first.”
Her heart, already in knots thanks to this man, just melted at his inclusion of her son.
“Oh, Josh, thank you.” Her voice was thick and warm like honey, she knew, simply because he hadn’t forgotten Erin.
“What for?”
“The DVDs.”
He snorted. “You’re thanking me for the DVDs but not the TV?”
“Well, I’m grateful but it was unnecessary.”
A laugh came down the line, and she loved that she could make him chuckle when he was at work. When his mind was going in a million different directions, when the world of finance and only who knew what else was his priority…
He could be so somber and serious sometimes. She wanted to be the softness to brighten his days. Samantha wasn’t sure if she could be that, but it didn’t stop her from wanting it.