Page 52 of Breaking the Ice

Get a grip, Samantha!

Unfortunately, he was the first thing she saw as she walked in and he looked at her like he had in the dream just before he had picked her up, thrown her over his shoulder and taken her to his bedchamber and said?—

“What on earth are you wearing?”

She blinked. “Wh… what?”

“Around your neck.”

Samantha struggled to bring herself out of the sexual morass of the fantasy and absently stroked her neck. Her niece’s necklace hung there in all its garish splendor. Made from broken cannelloni tubes that had been dyed black, it looked like the mandible of a prehistoric beast complete with rotting fangs.

“Jess made me a necklace at school. I promised her I’d wear it today.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Black?”

She shrugged. “It’s her favorite color.”

“Is Bec not worried about that?”

Samantha almost smiled at the familiar way he mentioned her sister. As if he knew her. Which of course he didn’t. But she supposed he felt like he did given how often she talked about Becand the kids. “Nothing much worries Bec. She figures it’s just a stage.”

“She sounds like a pretty cool mom.”

“She is.” Samantha brushed past him to offload her bag in the back room, glad to end the conversation. It was absurd to be jealous of Bec and especially ironic considering that Bec was a little jealous of her and her footloose and fancy-free lifestyle.

Why was the grass always greener?

She picked up the feather duster and took a deep breath.Must. Act. Normal. Must not think about what had happened in the dream. Must pretend did not fantasize about being ravaged by Nick all night.

“Oh, so you’re going to keep it on?” Nick glanced at the necklace.

“Yes.” Samantha didn’t glance at him as she answered, just disappeared into some shelves. “I told her I would wear it, so I’m wearing it.”

“She lives in Denver. She’ll never know.”

“She’ll know.”

“She’s five!”

Samantha suppressed the glow she got from Nick knowing her niece’s age. “I’llknow.”

“You’ll scare the customers.”

Samantha sighed. Nick obviously didn’t understand his client base or the emotional connection women had with children.Take that, eggs. Ever since the kiss they had been fixated on Nick, but this proved he’d be lousy father material.

Quit whining about him already.

Samantha peeped at him from between the shelves as she dusted. “The customers are female. They’ll think it’s cute and sweet and will come back because that girl at Birdie’s was wearing a particularly horrendous piece of edible art around herneck that her five-year-old niece made for her. The grannies will love it. Think of it as a marketing strategy.”

“Hmm.” He looked dubious. “If you say so.”

“Nick.” She strode to the end of an aisle, shoving her hands on her hips, exasperated. “You have a gazillion nieces and nephews. You should know this stuff.”

His gaze fell to her necklace again and then lower and she was rooted to the spot by that stare until the bell dinged, breaking the weird inertia.

“Samantha, how are you today, dear?” Dulcie asked in her crackly voice.

“Never better, Dulcie.”And you have excellent timing.

---