Mary Lyons - The Playboy's Baby

Oh, no... it was all far too embarrassing. She simply couldn’t face the shame of telling Matt what a fool she’d been. And definitely not here and now... in this glamorous restaurant. Surely the last place in which to relate such a miserably unhappy period in her life.

Despite knowing that she might well come to bitterly regret not telling him the truth—and deliberately closing her mind to the small voice of sanity, predicting trouble in store—Samantha took a deep breath and shook her head.

‘No. . .I’m not married,’ she said, comforting herself with the thought that she was, in fact, speaking the absolute truth. ‘I’ve obviously had some serious boyfriends, of course, but...’

‘Well, yes... I should think so,’ he drawled smoothly, his deeply hooded green eyes sweeping over her lovely face and long, newly washed blonde hair. ‘Is there anyone important in your life at the moment?’

‘No. . .er. . .not really,’ she muttered, bitterly aware of her cheeks reddening as she tried to avoid his gaze. Swiftly deciding to turn the spotlight away from herself, she asked, ‘And what about you?’

‘I’m still single,’ he told her. ‘Although I’ve obviously had quite a few girlfriends over the past few years...’

I just bet you have! Samantha thought grimly, ashamed to discover that she wasn’t immune from the acid green, needle-sharp pangs of sour jealousy. Which was absolutely crazy, considering both her own marriage and the fact that it was so long since she and Matt had seen one another.

‘And I have had a long-standing relationship with someone for the past three years.’

‘Oh, really?’ she murmured, doing her best to respond to his words with a warm, friendly smile. Quite determined—even if it killed her!—to appear happy to hear that he had a live-in lover, Samantha added brightly, ‘Maybe she ought to have joined us here for dinner tonight? In any case, you really must introduce me to your girlfriend when I’m next in New York.’

‘No, well, I’m afraid that might prove to be just a bit difficult,’ Matt drawled, his green eyes gleaming with amusement. ‘Because that particular relationship has recently been terminated.’

‘Oh, dear. I’m very sorry to hear that,’ she told him, privately appalled at how shockingly easy it was to suddenly become a barefaced liar. ‘What. . .er. . . what led to the break-up?’

Matt shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘It was entirely my fault, I’m afraid. Because when it came to the point of having to make some sort of permanent commitment, such as marriage, I suddenly realised that I couldn’t quite go the distance.’

He paused for a moment, before adding reflectively, ‘I suppose the harsh truth is that I discovered, in the nick of time, that I didn’t wish to spend the rest of my life with that particular lady.’ He gave another slight shrug. ‘So that was it. End of story.’

‘I’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you.’

‘There’s no need to be sorry,’ he grinned. ‘Quite frankly—just between the two of us—I rather think that I’ve had a lucky escape!

‘In any case, that’s all in the past,’ Matt continued firmly. ‘In fact, my dear Sam, I’d say that it’s both the present and the immediate future which looks far more promising. What do you think?’

You’ve got to get a grip on the situation! Samantha yelled silently at her weak, inner self as he attracted the attention of a waiter, and began settling the bill for their meal.

For heaven’s sake—she was certainly old enough to know when a guy was coming on to her. But, having spent the past two hours desperately trying to ignore this man’s overwhelming, dark attraction, she was now in such a state of tense, nervous exhaustion that she simply wasn’t capable of adding two and two—let alone able to guess what he had in mind for the rest of the evening.

‘I... er... I’m not quite sure what you mean,’ she muttered, when the waiter had left and they were alone once more.

‘Oh, come on, Sam!’ He raised one dark eyebrow, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he gave her a wry, mocking smile. ‘I mean that I think it’s definitely time we adjourned to my apartment, don’t you?’

Ah! Even her bemused mind was beginning to get the message by now—loud and clear! But he was going to have to spell it out. And in words of one syllable, she told herself tersely. After all, it was he who’d dumped her, all those years ago. So, there was no way she was going to make the first move. Absolutely not!

‘And what exactly do you have in mind, Matt?’ she queried, as lightly as possible, although she’d never felt so on edge, or so jittery, in all her life.

He gave a low rumble of deeply sensual laughter. ‘Now, that’s what I’ve always loved about you, Sam!’ he drawled, firmly clasping her nervous, trembling fingers.

‘It’s good to know you haven’t changed. That you’re still not interested in messing around, or playing games—but believe in keeping your eye firmly on the main issue for discussion! Right?’ he added as he raised her trembling hand to his warm lips.

‘Oh, Matt...’ she muttered helplessly, a deep flush spreading over her pale cheeks.

‘Relax, darling!’ he murmured, still keeping a firm grip on her fingers, his green eyes glinting with sardonic amusement. ‘I can, of course, offer you a drink or a cup of coffee. However, I’d much rather indulge in a bout of mad, passionate lovemaking. A fact, I may say, which has been at the very top of my agenda since approximately two o‘clock this afternoon! How’s that for plain speaking?’

‘Not bad!’ She grinned, suddenly feeling quite amazingly happy. And the, as he stared down at her, the gleam in his eyes carrying an unmistakable message, the slowly churning excitement in her stomach seemed to burst into a hot surge of overwhelming sexual desire, causing her to feel-almost faint as it raged fiercely through her quivering body.

‘So, like all good financial experts, I’d say that it’s definitely about time we began to discuss the present company’s imminent merger,’ Matt said as he rose to his feet. ‘Not to mention the pressing need to very closely examine the figures concerned!’ he added in a slow drawl, the thick, husky note in his voice positively making her toes curl as he turned to help her rise from the table. ‘What do you think, hmm...?’

It was some moments before Samantha—by now practically speechless with overriding lust and passion—somehow managed to get her act together.

‘I don’t seem to have a problem with that particular item on the... er... the agenda of tonight’s meeting,’ she murmured breathlessly as Matt took her arm and led her slowly out of the restaurant.

CHAPTER TWO

SAMANTHA’S heart was pounding like a sledgehammer, her pulse rate rocketing all over the place as she left the Four Seasons restaurant on Matt’s arm.

In what seemed a dream-like state, totally oblivious of everyone and everything, other than the tall, handsome figure by her side, she was only vaguely conscious of being helped into a large black limousine. As they were swiftly transported through brilliantly lit streets, she had no idea of where they were going. Nor did she care. Just as long as Matt continued to hold her firmly close to his hard, exciting body—they could have been jetting off to Timbuktu, for all she knew!

Coming to a halt at last outside an immensely large, brownstone building, she had only a brief impression of a uniformed doorman greeting Matt before he swept her dazed figure across a vast entrance hall—the only sound in the huge, silent space being the rapid, sharp click of her high-heeled evening sandals on the marble floor—and into an elevator. And then, in what seemed the twinkling of an eye, Matt was unlocking the front door of his apartment