Sweet Seduction (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) by Judy Angelo Read Free Book Online

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slip out of the house, saw that as a signal to romp and came bounding toward
them, his tongue hanging out of his head, his mouth open wide in a grin.
    “Here comes trouble.”  Mary put up her arms just in
time to ward off a kiss from a big bundle of energy.  “Down, boy, down,” she
yelled with a laugh then gave him a pat on the rump that made him hop away.
    Luckily, probably startled by the commotion, some
birds in the bushes at the other end of the garden raised their voices in
strident complaint at the disturbance of their quiet evening.  That grabbed
Luther’s attention and he took off barking, leaving the two women in peace for
the moment.
    “Now,” Mary said with a sigh of relief at the
temporary respite, “what’s on your mind?”
    Sam snapped off a blade of grass and twirled it
between index finger and thumb.  Where to begin?  She stared at the thin green
leaf, almost as if it held the key to the mysteries of life, then she tossed it
away.  Might as well plunge in head first.
    “Mom, what would you do if you found yourself falling
for a man who could not let go of a past relationship?”
    Mary’s eyes narrowed.  “Are you talking about Frank
Richards?  I had a feeling he was fishing around but I warn you now, stay away
from that man.  He may tell you he’s divorced but he’s not.  The nerve of him,
flirting with women all around town when he knows-”
    “Mom, it’s not Frank.”  Sam cut in quickly. Once her mother
got started it was a hell of a task to rein her in, especially when she had a
notion stuck in her head.  “It’s…a man.”
    “Of course it’s a man, Sam.”
    “I mean a real man, not a braggart like Frank Richards."
    Mary nodded.  “Keep going.”
    “He’s…different from any man I’ve ever met.  So
powerful and yet so humble.”
    Mary gave her a thoughtful look.  “Interesting so far,
but what’s this about a past relationship?”
    Sam plucked another blade of grass and gave a deep
sigh.  “He lost his wife three years ago but you can see he’s never really said
goodbye.”
    “He’s a widower?”
    “Mm-hmm.”  Sam nodded, her mood solemn.  “And it’s
like he’s determined to play the part to the letter.”  Slowly, she shook her
head.  "It’s strange but from the first day I met him I was drawn to him. 
He seemed strong and confident but then there was this air of sadness that made
me feel I needed to be there for him.”
    “Oh, Sam, forever intent on saving the world,” Mary
tsked.  “You know that was always your downfall, don’t you?  Even with that
slime, Garrick Sutherland the third.” 
    “Let’s not bring him up, Mom.  He’s not worth
discussing.”  Sam dropped her eyes and plucked a third blade of grass.  She
didn’t want to think about the fact that Garrick had dumped her because she
wasn’t good enough.  Hmm – plumber or attorney-at-law, which to chose?  His
choice had been pretty easy and she’d found herself out of his life, thrown out
on her butt, in the blink of an eye.  The weird thing was, he’d known all along
what she did for a living.  She must have bewitched him somehow and it had
taken him a while to realize he could do a whole lot better than her.  The
jerk.
    And now that her mother had brought him up it pulled
into sharp focus the question that had been nagging her all along.  If she
hadn’t been good enough for her ex-fiancé, how in the world would she have any
hope with a man who could buy Garrick a hundred times over?
    “I’m sorry, darling,” Mary said, breaking into her
thoughts.  “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.  I just don’t want you to
get hurt, that’s all.”  Then she touched Sam’s arm.  “Sounds like this man made
a big impact.  So who is he?”
    “Sorry, Mom, can’t tell you.”  She was not about to
give up that piece of information.  “All I want to know is, do you think I’d be
stupid to give him a hint of how I feel, or should I just leave it