Tymber Dalton Read Online Free PDF Page B

weeks despite his burgeoning writer’s block.
    She was on her own for the day.
    Sami spotted Matt’s number on the Caller ID. After the morning’s events, the sight sent her down memory lane.
    This is stupid .
    The answering machine light blinked. She hit play . “Hey guys, it’s me. Give me a call when you get a chance, nothing important. Bye.”
    Sami touched the rings on her hand again. Matt always called when she needed him most.
    He answered on the third ring, and her heart skipped in a way it hadn’t in a long time.
    “Hello?”
    “It’s Sam.” Steve and others called her “Sami.” To Matt, she’d always been Sam. She closed her eyes and pictured his face. The curve of his lips, the smile in his eyes.
    “Hey, what’s up?” he asked.
    “You called me first.”
    “You and Boy Genius feel up to a game of tennis?”
    Sami glanced down the hall at Steve’s closed door. “I’d love to get out of here, but I doubt we’ll get his royal highness to leave the confines of his sanctuary.”
    “Is everything okay?”
    “He threw another tantrum this morning over a box of notes he put in the cellar and forgot. I’m ready to kill him or divorce him. Maybe both at this point. I’m really, really sick of his bullshit.”
    Matt’s tone softened. “Why don’t you meet me at the club? Leave him stewing at home. We’ll play for a couple of hours.”
    “You’ll kick my ass. You know I can’t play well. God knows you tried to teach me.”
    He laughed. “Why do you think I want to play you? I love an easy kill.”
    “Two okay?”
    “Looking forward to it.”
    She hung up and fought back memories, especially not wanting to go there after the bad morning she’d had with Steve. Why did she leave Matt and marry Steve? Oh yeah. At the time, she really wanted to get married and have children.
    For all the good it did her.
    She took a shower and tried to drop thoughts of the past.

Chapter Seven
     
    “Arrrr- oooof !” Sami dove for the ball and missed, almost losing her balance and going headlong into the fence.
    “Game!” Matt crowed, trotting over. “Good thing you aren’t a gambling woman.”
    “I’d bet on you,” she panted, rubbing a stitch in her side. It wasn’t even close, and she’d quit keeping score after the first set, playing just a way for her to relieve tension. They hadn’t played in months.
    Matt still moved as agile as ever. Three inches taller than her five feet eight, and some might say on the stocky side, built fit and solid. Sami couldn’t keep up with him, and she considered herself in good shape even though a few extra pounds had collected over the years in her hips and thighs.
    She pulled the ponytail holder from her brown hair and corralled the stray strands that had come loose during their match. Matt patted her shoulder. “Want something to drink? My treat.” His hair had turned prematurely gray, more salt than pepper, but his face looked years younger than forty-three, with playful blue-gray eyes.
    “Ought to be, the way you almost killed me.” She reached for her bag when a wave of dizziness swept over her. Matt dropped his racket, steadying her.
    “You okay, Sam?”
    She held on, meeting his eyes, her heart skipping a beat. “Yeah…yeah, I’m okay.”
    He studied her, and she fought the urge to hug him. “You sure, sweetie?”
    She finally found the sense of mind to nod. “I’m okay. Just the heat. I need some water.”
    He grabbed her bag despite her protests and led her into the snack bar. Once he had her settled at a table in the air-conditioning, he fetched bottles of water.
    “So, how’s Boy Genius’s latest masterpiece?” he asked upon his return.
    Sami studied the table.
    “Sam?” Matt gently touched her hand.
    “You’ll have to ask him. I took a peek at the file a couple of days ago. He was in the shower and left the computer up.”
    “And?”
    She shrugged. “It sucks. You know what pisses me off? He’s blocked, but he won’t talk about