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“No! Yes! Not really.”
“That’s as clear as mud. What the hell do you mean?”
“I ran the party at the Serpents’ strip club, Ecstasy, and Samson was there. We talked in one of the private rooms and almost had sex, but I backed out. Then I saw him getting a lap dance from a stripper and kind of freaked out and left. Then earlier this morning, he came to my condo because he thought I was involved in a drug raid at his club.”
“That sounds like a soap opera scenario. And where is that drop-dead gorgeous man now?”
Lisbeth gnawed at her bottom lip and grimaced at the phone. “In my bed.”
“I knew it!” Juliet screeched into the phone.
“Geez, you’ll scare the wildlife.”
“Okay, I want to hear all the gory details, starting with and including how big his—”
“We didn’t have sex.”
“C’mon, stop. How could that delicious man be in your bed, and you want me to believe you kept your hands to yourself, or he kept his hands off your beautiful body?”
“That’s what I’m telling you because it’s true. We talked, straightened out a lot of issues, and then fell asleep in each other’s arms.”
“Shit, this is worse than I thought. You love him, don’t you?”
“I think I do, but it’s such a mess, and I just had to talk to someone about it.” She blinked furiously, but the tears stung her eyes anyway. “I had everything planned with Edward. It was all so perfect until it wasn’t.”
“Did something happen between you and Edward?”
“No, but even if this craziness doesn’t work out with Samson, I can’t string Edward along. I realize I never would’ve entertained anything with Samson if my feelings for Edward were genuine. It’s a terrible thing to admit, but I think I was attracted to Edward’s stable reliability. I love him, but I’m not in love with him.”
She left out Samson’s accusations about Edward’s family since nothing solid was proven yet, but just getting her feelings out relieved the massive boulder on her shoulders.
“I give you a lot of credit for owning it. Plenty of people go into marriage because it’s easy or they're afraid to make the hard choice. You know how I’ve felt about Edward all along, but since he seemed to make you happy, I was happy. However, I always felt you were living his life, and he had very little interest in yours.”
“That’s quite an observation.” One she’d never entertained, but it did have credibility. Edward very rarely, if ever, asked Lisbeth about her day or her business, but she chalked it up to the enormity of his business and the echelon of his clientele. It was funny how she overlooked such a small but important issue.
“Do you want to get together after you meet up with Edward?”
“Yes, I’ll probably need a strong shoulder.”
“Along with strong cocktails. Really though, I’m proud of you for following your heart. You’re stronger than you think you are.”
“Thanks. My phone is about to die, but I’ll text you later.” Lisbeth swiped away the call, feeling very lucky to have Willow and Juliet in her life. She dreaded telling Evelyn and her mother about her decision, but in the end, they would come around.
Exhausted from all her soul-bearing, Lisbeth returned to the bedroom. She searched for her phone charger in the dark but gave up and slid back under the covers, savoring Samson’s body heat.
He rolled over, his arm circling her waist, drawing her closer. “I missed you.” He kissed the side of her head, then settled her into the crook of his shoulder. Samson’s steady breathing hinted he’d fallen into another deep sleep. She remembered how he’d slept soundly sometimes, yet other times be jolted awake and gasping for breath. Lisbeth guessed his revelation earlier about Yvette’s death and the guilt he harbored was the reason. She hadn’t realized years ago how many layers made up Samson’s intricate personality or how the man he presented publicly made up a small percentage of his overall character.
For the next hour, sleep evaded Lisbeth as she rehearsed the words she’d recite to Edward later today. She’d use wedding plans as the excuse for flying to LA and then reveal the true reason when she saw him. Her stomach clenched just thinking of how this would go, but she had no choice but to be truthful with him.
23
When it was obvious Lisbeth wouldn’t be getting any more sleep, she slid from the bed, slipped on her robe again, and headed for the kitchen. The morning light shone through the window, invigorated her as she made coffee, and pulled out eggs, bacon, breakfast sausages, and English muffins. Although cooking wasn’t her thing, she’d managed to treat herself to a decent breakfast on the weekends. Just the smell of sizzling bacon would put anyone in a good mood.
“You’re making it very difficult for me to leave.” Samson’s deep voice jarred her from her thoughts. “Coffee and bacon—my two favorite things.”
Lisbeth spun around and enjoyed a feast of a different kind. Samson was shirtless, and the tattoos she’d only peeked at last night were now on display in all their technicolor glory. He looked even sexier in the morning with hooded eyes and the scruff along his jaw a little longer. His mussed hair made it seem like they’d been going at it all night, and for a millisecond, she wished they had done the deed. She licked her lips and swallowed hard, but it did nothing to soothe her dry throat.
When Samson dragged his fingers through his messy hair, she doubted he had any idea just how much her heart jumped.
