Kinkade, Lea - I Got a Feelin' [The Chisholms of Texas 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Lea Kinkade Page B

ever. Heading toward his office, he was waylaid by Sheila Baxter. Ryan had broken up with Sheila nearly three weeks before he first met Samantha. Ryan hadn’t felt like dating anyone since Sheila, so he hadn’t dated since he told Sheila he was through. He supposed Sheila could have gotten the wrong message by his failure to immediately replace her in his bed, as was his norm. He hadn’t talked to Sheila since the breakup. He knew he was being a prick. He should at least have let her down easy. It’s true he hadn’t made any promises to her, but he wasn’t a total asshole. Sheila had been great in bed and very inventive. She had a zest for life that he found attractive, or at least he had before he’d met a certain blonde-haired bombshell who had taken his breath away.
    Knowing she wanted to get together for a little horizontal action, he told Sheila he would be busy at the club until well after closing and excused himself. He could see in her eyes that she knew their relationship, such as it was, was really over. She had to have seen him dancing all night with Samantha. He just hoped she didn’t try to cause any trouble.
    He thought about what he would like to be doing with Samantha right now and his cock grew rigid. In the past, he had always made sure the woman he was seeing knew what he was, and was not, offering. Despite his considerable charm, Ryan had to acknowledge that he’d never had to work this hard to get into a woman’s bed. They hadn’t even gone out on a real date together and he was thinking in the long term. He thought of the damage that some of his old girlfriends could cause between him and Samantha if they chose to and had a brief moment of clarity regarding his love-’em-and-leave-’em attitude since college.
    Hell! What was he thinking? Ryan Chisholm was not ready to settle down. He hadn’t met a woman yet who could change his mind. Or had he? came the disquieting thought.
    Hell, no! thought Ryan. He had a jones for Samantha Michaels. That was all. He hadn’t even gone on a real date with her yet. It was the chase, that was all. He hadn’t had to chase a woman his whole adult life. Once he had her, he would eventually lose interest just like he had with all the others. He wanted her and he was going to get her. He would just have to make it clear to her what he was and wasn’t offering and then sweet-talk his way into her bed for a few weeks in order to scratch this itch.

    * * * *

    Ryan continued to join Samantha for lunch under their big oak tree in the park during the next week. Samantha was falling further and further under this potent man’s spell. She had to decide whether to totally cut him off or go with the flow and take what pleasure she could get while she could get it. She had been with rich and powerful men before and come away burned. She hadn’t realized what she was getting into with Brandon and J.T., though. Now, she totally understood her position and, if she wanted to, she could take the next step with Ryan and keep her heart safe from him. She could enjoy him for as long as this attraction lasted between them and move on unscathed. She could do that. Really. She could.
    Their lunch dates in the park hadn’t gone unnoticed, however. Several women, both her age and older, had felt it necessary to stop by the shop and warn her away from Ryan. The worst thing any of them had to say about Ryan was that he didn’t date a woman longer than a few weeks before he moved on. None of the women that felt compelled to speak to her were women he had dated, but they felt the need to warn her off just the same. Samantha already knew Ryan was a player. It was obvious in his flirtatious manner and the sheer number of women that trailed after him. She didn’t really have a problem with that. What you saw was what you got with Ryan, and she definitely liked what she saw. She did her best to ignore the gossip and concentrated on how he made her feel when they were together.

Chapter