hours,” he said.
Sam colored prettily, and he wondered if that blush went all over her body. Shaking his head, he stood up. He had to stop thinking about getting this woman in bed. He didn’t contemplate too closely that was the very reason he had her here. For now, he just needed some distance.
“That will be fine.”
“Well, finish your drink. I’ll show you to our room, and you can clean up there. We’ll settle and watch the movie after. I’m sure I have something in there you can wear for now. I’ll take you shopping in the morning.”
“I have clothes, you know.”
“Indulge me,” he said then, and she drank her scotch down in response. He felt a grudging respect for the woman who could down scotch like that without any reaction.
Once in his bedroom, he showed her the en suite that held a seating area and then led to the bathroom. She disappeared into the shower, and he pulled out one of his silk shirts for her to throw on. That done, he found his way to one of the guest rooms and took a shower. Once done, he dressed in pajama bottoms and padded barefoot and shirtless to the living room. The sight that greeted him stopped him cold.
Sam sat on his couch, her feet curled up under her, her shapely legs barely hidden by his shirt in her position. The powder-blue color did something to her complexion, made it look deeper, tastier. Her hair was damp and in curls around her face, which was now bare of any makeup. He couldn’t understand it, but he found her more beautiful now, with no makeup, no artful outfits, all natural. She was breathtaking. She looked up at him with a soft smile on her full lips, and his groin tightened. She was amazing.
“I waited for you to pick the movie. I didn’t know where your collection was.”
Joel nodded, not quite able to speak just yet. He walked over to a cabinet and opened it. He had an array of movies stacked there. He was a bit of a movie buff.
“Are those kung fu flicks I see?” she asked, standing.
“Yeah, why?” he asked, turning to her.
She hurried to the cabinet, not gracefully at all. It was more like a near run. Amused, he watched her as she went through his collection of old martial arts movies. Some he’d had to pay to have transferred to DVDs so he could watch them easier.
“Oh my God!” she squealed, the sound both delighted and surprised.
He wondered what had made her so happy. Some sappy romance film he had only to make some woman or other more in the mood to go to his bed, probably. He was surprised to see her lift up something entirely different.
“You have the Five Deadly Venoms ? I love this movie. I choose this.”
“You want to watch that?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes. Are you going to start the tomboy jokes? I’ve heard them all before, I assure you,” she said defensively. She moved to put the movie back, but he stopped her.
“I didn’t mean to make you think I didn’t want to see the movie. I love it. It’s one of my favorites. I just was surprised that you picked it.”
“I’m a fan of old martial arts movies. Culturally it says a lot about Japan and China. Depending on which one you watch, you can see the history there,” she said then.
“Beautiful, knowledgeable, and likes action movies? A woman after my own heart,” he said on a laugh, surprised that he meant it slightly more than he probably intended. Uncomfortable once again with the pull this woman had on him, he took the movie from her and went to put it in the DVD player.
“Have a seat, and I’ll get this started,” he said.
“Got any popcorn?” she asked.
“In the kitchen. I’ll get it.”
“No worries. I’m sure I’ll find it. Just get the movie set up. By time you are done with that, I’m sure I’ll have the popcorn going.”
She got up then and went toward his kitchen. He could hear her opening and closing cabinets, and he readied the movie, turned on the surround sound, and got everything set up. By the time he sat down with the