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CHAPTER 30
When Chandra woke the next morning, it was to the sound of rustling papers. She fluttered her eyes open, feeling a little more than disorientated. She gazed long and hard up at the ceiling, wondering why she didn’t recognize the beautifully ornate designs of birds and butterflies and flowers.
Where am I? she wondered contritely, suddenly very aware she wasn’t in her own room.
More rustling of papers.
Chan was curious. She squinted her eyes as she turned to her right. There, sitting comfortably in bed, was Lilly. The little girl was already up and reading the book they’d started last night.
Chan shot up immediately. Oh my God! She’d fallen asleep right there in Lilly’s bed, and in Sam’s house of all places!
She panicked and scrambled to make sense of what had happened.
Lilly saw her sitting up and smiled. “Hi.”
Chan cleared her throat. “Hi,” she replied. “Is it morning?”
Lilly giggled. “Hmm. You fell asleep, too.”
Chan sighed. “God, I must have just dozed off.” She touched her forehead. “What’s happened to my sisters?”
Lilly shrugged.
Chan got out of bed. “I need to clean up and then make a phone call. I must look horrible. I can’t believe I slept in my dress and everything.”
Lilly giggled again. “Your dress is all wrinkled, like mine.”
Chan eyed the girl and smiled. Lilly’s dress was indeed all messed up, and her hair was a fuzzy mop.
Suddenly, Chan was curious. “Lilly? Who helps you get ready in the morning?”
“Daddy,” she said. “But he’s awfully bad at it. He doesn’t know how to do my hair nice like you do.”
Chan folded her arms across her chest. “How about I help you with it today?”
Lilly smiled with delight. “Really?”
Chan nodded. “Come on.”
Lilly jumped down from her spot on the bed. The two clasped hands, and Lilly led Chan into the en suite.
This is nice, Chan thought once they were inside the bathroom. Lilly was one lucky child to have all this luxury to herself. But then again, she didn’t have a mother, and Chan definitely knew how hard that was.
For the next half hour, Chan helped Lilly clean up, drawing her a bath and then washing her hair and face.
“Sing with me?” Lilly asked.
Chan was pleasantly surprise. “Sure. Teach me.”
Lilly taught Chan her made-up song, and Chan learned the lyrics. Then they sang together as Lilly splashed about in the bathtub.
Once Lilly was all prettily dressed and her hair combed out, Chan asked, “Do you have a spare toothbrush?”
Lilly nodded. “Are you going to have a bath as well?”
Chan nodded. “I feel very sticky, and…” She sniffed at herself. “I think I don’t smell nice.”
Lilly giggled. “Okay. I’ll take you to another bathroom. It has spare toothbrushes and adult towels.” With that, she led Chan out the door and into the corridor.
Suddenly, Chan wondered where Sam was. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of him.
“Lilly? Where’s your dad?” She couldn’t help herself. She simply felt the need to know where he was and whether she’d see him before she left. A part of her wanted to see him, yet another part didn’t. Why? Because she knew she looked horrible this morning and didn’t want him to see her thus.
“I think he’s at the gym. He goes to the gym every morning. Very early,” Lilly replied.
Chan frowned. Sam was at the gym? Why did he leave Lilly here all alone just to go to the gym? Surely, it must take at least fifteen minutes to half an hour driving to get to the closest one. But then again, there was Marian, the housekeeper. Ah, so Marian must start work very early. And on a Sunday as well.
“What time does Marian start, Lilly?” Chan asked to quench her thirst for this family’s information.
Lilly shrugged. “Very early,” she said, opening a door. “She cooks us breakfast.”
Chan sighed in relief at the information. So Marian was already here by the time Sam left for the gym. Thank God.
That man really thought of everything, didn’t he? She scoffed at herself. He was a billionaire. Of course he thought of everything, very responsible and logical, too.
They came into one of the grandest bedrooms Chan had ever been in. It was very much like the ones in the home and garden magazine where posh houses and bedrooms were regularly featured in articles. There was a king-size bed in the middle with a mahogany frame. The colors of the duvet were, in line with the entire house’s décor, warm brown and earthy tones. There was a comfy sofa and chairs in one corner with a coffee table. Not to mention that spectacular view of the beach and ocean beyond. Chan noted the doors to the left. It had to be the en suite and walk-in wardrobe.
“Wow! This bedroom is nice.”
Lilly asked, “You like it?”
Chan nodded. “Hmm. I like it.”
“Then you can sleep here when you come over to stay next time.”
So this was one of the guest bedrooms, Chan decided. Marian had told her and her sisters there were at least seven bedrooms in this house. Seven bedrooms for two people. That was a lot of spare bedrooms.
They were in the bathroom now, and once again, Chan was awed. Marble floor with marble basins and a multi-head shower. This room took her breath away. So elegant.
“Next time, huh?” Chan chuckled. “You want me to come for a sleepover next time?”
Lilly nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please.”
Chan tousled Lilly’s hair. “All right. But my sisters will be joining me as well. I bet they can’t wait.”
“Me, too,” Lilly said.
“All right. Do you mind waiting in your bedroom for a bit? I won’t take long.”
Lilly nodded and then left.
Alone, Chan proceeded to find herself that spare toothbrush. She scanned around with interest and then opened a cupboard door. She noted in surprise the many men’s items residing there. Maybe Sam had too many to put in his own bathroom. Or maybe this bedroom was meant for a male guest. Good thinking, Sam, she thought with a giggle. You provide your guests with all the essentials.
Finally, she found a couple spare toothbrushes and toothpaste. She took one of each and ripped open the packaging. Then she started brushing her teeth. As she was doing so, she glanced at herself in the mirror. God! She looked horrible. Long, tangled bedroom hair. Face unwashed and pale. And she smelled. She really needed to shower. Pronto!
After she’d finished brushing her teeth, she raided the cupboard some more. She founded some other stuff she might need later. Turning on her heel, she headed over and started the shower. Cold water sprayed out, and she jumped back. She turned the dial to the hot section and waited a few seconds. When it was warm, she quickly took off her dress and underwear and gleefully jumped in.
Warm water pounded down on her from above, and she sighed with pleasure. God, she felt so good. She stayed there for at least ten minutes, taking her time and enjoying the moment. Then, of course, she saw the shower gel. Heck, it was for men, but she didn’t care. She grabbed it and began using the gel to clean herself. By the end of it, she smelled a little like a boy, but at least it was better than smelling like sweat.
Once she was done, she turned the shower off and headed out.
* * * * *
Shirtless, muscles taut, and glistening with beads of sweat, music blasting in his ears, Sam kept working on the treadmill. His legs were getting a bit tired, and his heart was now working harder. His body felt great, and he smiled. Of course, he hadn’t been able to keep the smile away from his face since last night when he found Chandra asleep with his daughter.
God, the woman did really affect him in the most amazing way. He couldn’t fall asleep last night, despite the long day, and he’d been quite tired. His mind kept wandering back to Chan, to their kisses in the kitchen and the feel of her softness in his arms.
He sprinted faster, his legs spinning and his breathing hard. Then suddenly, he stopped. He got off the treadmill and headed for the door as he wiped sweat from his forehead. It was time to head back upstairs. It was seven in the morning, and Chan and Lilly were probably up already. They’d be wanting breakfast.
Breakfast. The thought made him smile. He’d be having breakfast with Chan. He’d be cooking for her. The very idea made him feel like he was walking on air.
Halfway up the stairs, the music stopped. He took the iPod attached to his shorts pocket and clicked it to restart. Once again, music blasted in his ears. Smiling, he continued up the stairs into the main house. There, he headed up to the second floor. Along the corridor, he paused at his daughter’s bedroom, wondering if he should check in on her and their guest. He was about to do so when he caught himself.
He was sweating like a pig and shirtless. He’d probably freak her out with his nakedness. He’d need to clean up and present himself in a more acceptable manner. Of course he wanted to make a good impression on her.
With that, he dismissed the idea of checking in on them and headed toward his own bedroom instead. There, he went straight to the bathroom door. The moment he cracked the door open, he frowned as steam greeted him. He wondered if he’d forgotten to turn off the hot water tap before heading out for his exercise routine. He was pretty sure, however, he had. So what was with the steam?
He stepped in and shut the door behind him. He turned the corner and then slammed into a female body. Reflexes took over. In a second flat, he wrapped his arms around the very soft, feminine being and pulled her close against him, preventing her from landing on the hard marble floor.
Chandra, feeling the force of the collision and then the fall, hastily grabbed onto the masculine body and held on for dear life. When she felt the motion stop and that her body had not yet smashed to the floor, she peeked open her eyes.
The moment she saw warm brown eyes gazing at her, she gasped.
Oh my God! It was Sam. And what the heck was he doing in there? She was naked. Totally butt naked. And she was in his arms.
Sam just stared. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He just stared in both pleasure and amazement at the beautiful woman in his arms, smooth, soft, and very naked. One of his thighs nuzzled intimately between her legs, in close contact with her soft feminine area. Her breasts were squished against his naked chest.
Shit! He was totally turned on.
Chan’s whole body squirmed under his close contact and his intense gaze.
“Sam? What… what are you doing here?”
Sam slowly smiled. “I could ask you the same. This is my bathroom, madam.”
The moment he said that, she blushed intensely and wanted to die. Oh my God! She’d been showering in Sam’s bathroom. And using his stuff.
“I… I didn’t know.”
Sam straightened up, pulling her along with him.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, cupping her face.
Chan’s body was still quivering with a delicious sort of ache as she nodded. “Hm.”
Sam eyes drifted from her face to her breasts. Shit! They were marvelous. Fully round and plump. The nipples were pink and… He simply wanted to ravish them, teasing them and taunting them with his hands and mouth.
He swallowed and his eyes drifted lower to her flat stomach and then below.
Oh shit! He had to stop this right now.
Chan blushed at the way he was staring at her. Instead of feeling the fear and disgust she had when Dave was staring at her, even fully clothed, Sam’s stare made her tummy feel funny and delicious and just plain beautiful.
Her heart glowed with delight at the way he was looking at her, at the desire that radiated from his eyes.
She felt his hand tighten around her as though he were in some sort of dilemma. It was as though he were fighting within himself. As though he didn’t want to let her go.
Finally, he chuckled and took a step back. He turned his gaze away from her and said, “I’ll let you get ready.”
With that, he headed out the door, his body tense with unfulfilled sexual desire.
Chan watched him go, her heart racing and aching. She wanted to shout to him not to leave her. She wanted him to kiss her and make wonderful, passionate love to her, right here and now.
She drew herself back from that outrageous notion and scolded herself severely.
How stupid. Now was not the time to think about Sam and what it would be like for him to kiss her and make love to her. Now was the time to get herself ready and then go home.
* * * * *
