Page 78 of Breaking the Ice

Sure, he could go out tonight and find some woman to bed. But he didn’t wantsomewoman. He wanted Samantha.

He’d been trying not to crowd her since the day Dulcie and Kelly had burst into the shop, thinking that the fight for Martha’s would give her the space she needed to process things. But surely by now she had to realize that this thing between them wasn’t going to go away? And that it had nothing to do with her eggs.

And if she didn’t – too bad. This tension had gone on long enough.

She came out from the back carrying a small pile of books, her hair loose around her shoulders looking like a walking wet dream. Spotting him, she said, “Hey, what’s happening with the blind dates? It’s been a while.”

Nick stared at her as she placed a hand on her hip and cocked it, the fabric of her shirt pulling even tauter across her breasts and thought,over my dead fucking body.

“I’m sorry?”

“My eggs, Nick. Remember? Cheeping, getting older, dying. Jeez, focus.”

Focus? Nick wasn’t sure if he wanted to shake her or push her against the wall and show her things that would keep her eggs in stupefied subservience forever. “I’m done with the dates. You want to keep going with your harebrained scheme, fine.” Although, itwasn’tfine.The thought of her kiss testing another man made him want to throw things. “Count me out.”

She blinked at him and for long moments they just stared at each other and he remembered how good it felt pushing into her slow and thick and he was sure from the sudden haze in her gray eyes she was remembering too and his pulse thudded like a drum through his head. Her gaze drifted to his mouth and his breath hitched and he took a step toward her.

Then the bell dinged.

In walked Dulcie, greeting them chirpily, and Samantha dragged her gaze off him to welcome the octogenarian, who was utterly oblivious to the screeching friction.

“She has a habit of doing that,” he growled quietly as Dulcie disappeared into the Barbara Cartland section.

“Uh huh.”

Nick closed the gap between them, his hand sliding to her arm. He wasdefinitelysure now that was desire in her eyes. “This isn’t over,” he muttered.

“Uh huh,” she repeated, all breathy.

He leaned in. “Go, before I drag you into the back room and Dulcie Reardon be damned.”

She disappeared fast, seeking refuge with Dulcie and Barbara Cartland, leaving Nick amused,bemused and seriously fucking frustrated.

Thanks to the recent publicity from the protest, Birdie’s was now firmly on the map so it was a busy morning but still, Samantha was excruciatingly aware of Nick’s every move. From the moment his gaze had zeroed in on her breasts she couldfeelthe tension radiating off him. From his clenched jaw to the gravelly menace in his voice, his usual level of raw sexiness had morphed into something even more potent and had ticked around them like a time bomb.

At eleven they hit their first lull and Samantha glanced up from the till as Nick shutandlocked the door with an ominous thunk. Their eyes met across the room and Samantha swallowed as he advanced slowly, her eggs trembling in anticipation.

God, how could she want this so much when it scared the bejesus out of her? They didn’t want the same things out of life. Why were her eggs so freakingdumb? They weren’t going to get what they wanted from Nick.

The phone rang and Samantha almost dropped it in her haste to answer it. “Good morning, you’ve reached Birdie’s Second-Hand Romance Bookshop, this is Samantha.”

Was she stalling for time? With Nick staring at her like he could see right through her clothes at the moment? Heck yeah!

“Sammy? It’s… it’s Ray. Do you have a moment?”

Samantha, staring at Nick as he folded his arms and watched her through narrowed eyes, took a few seconds to compute whowas on the other end of the call. Then a slow smile spread across her face. “NoRay, I’m very, verybusy.”

Nick raised an eyebrow at the mention of the caller’s name, an expression of surprise replacing his brooding sexiness.

“I really need to discuss some issues with a couple of accounts,” Ray whined in her ear.

Samantha heard the desperate squeak in his voice and pictured him squirming in his seat.Her seat.In her corner office.“I’m sorry Ray, but I don’t work there anymore.”

“Sammy, please. Bob’s on the warpath.”

“I’m not surprised. I did try to warn him about you.”

“I just need some help with a few numbers.”

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