Page 53 of Covert

“Why would my mother would confide in you, the queen of deception?”

She ignored his barb, though he noted a downward turn of her lips. “He loved you, more than you ever knew. He was proud you’d stayed around so long to learn the ropes from him and he hoped you’d return one day to continue his dream. He never begrudged you that time away, nor did he kill himself trying to make up for your absence. Heart attacks happen for a lot of reasons and he died doing what he loved best, running the family business.”

She paused to wipe away a lone tear that trickled down her cheek. “Your mother said she’s tried to tell you several times but you always change the subject, so she decided to leave wellenough alone. Though I think it’s time you sat down with her and had a long chat about your father, don’t you?”

Rather than Sam’s tears abating, as he expected once she finished her spiel, they now flowed unchecked, leaving him at a loss.

“Save the tears, Sam. I don’t need your sympathy.”

He turned his back on her and strolled toward the window, wishing she’d leave him the hell alone. He needed to assimilate what she’d told him, to sort out his feelings regarding his family.

“If you don’t want my sympathy, what about my love?”

The whispered words slammed home, though it took him a good ten seconds to register their meaning.

“What did you say?”

He jumped as she slid her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his back.

“I love you,” she said, squeezing him so tightly he could hardly breathe. Or was it the overwhelming sensation of disbelief that had him struggling for air?

He loosened her grip and turned to face her, searching for the right words and failing miserably.

Sam took a steadying breath and continued before she lost the last of her courage.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I lied to you earlier. Again. What happened at Budgeree between us was proof of how I feel about you. I fell in love with you almost from the beginning but didn’t want to admit it, and when I thought our time together was drawing to a close, I wanted to take away some lasting memory of our time together.”

“So, you used me for sex?”

To her delight, a slow smile crept across his face, the same sexy smile she’d grown to love, and she knew in that moment she had a chance to win him back.

“I wouldn’t call it using.” She allowed her hands to play over his back, raking the bare skin lightly with her nails. “Call it a mutually satisfying arrangement.”

He growled in response and pulled her close, his lips crushing hers in a scorching kiss. Her tongue snaked out to meet his, teasing, tasting, and she wanted him with a ferocity that staggered.

She thought she would never have this chance again, so she’d thrown caution to the wind and admitted her true feelings.

She loved Dylan Harmon and wanted to shout it to the world.

He leaned into her, the evidence of his arousal sending a flood of pleasure rushing through her, and with a slow, deliberate movement, she ground her hips against his.

He broke the kiss, staring at her with undisguised lust and more than a hint of confusion.

“You do know I love you too?”

As her body throbbed with soul-wrenching need her mind managed to assimilate what he’d said, and she smiled, a seductive upturning of her lips designed to entice.

“Show me.”

EPILOGUE

Sam stared into the growing darkness and tried to ignore the faint niggle of apprehension in her gut.

Dylan should’ve returned an hour ago, and despite his extensive knowledge of Budgeree and its surrounding lands, she couldn’t help but worry.

Although they spent most of their time here, she knew the outback held a multitude of hidden dangers cleverly disguised by its raw, unadulterated beauty.

She turned away from the window and busied herself with making a cup of tea, anything to take her mind off the absence of her husband.

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