Read Online In the Eye of the Storm by Samantha Chase - Free Book Online
Authors: Samantha Chase
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you don’t mind, I’d like to borrow another t-shirt to sleep in.” He agreed and they left the office; Holly went down the hall and grabbed her bag while Stephen went upstairs to get a shirt for her. They met at the top of the stairs.
“Here you go. Is there anything else that you need?”
“There was the chocolate rumor…” When he turned to go down the stairs, Holly reached out and stopped him.
“Stephen!” She laughed. “I was just kidding! I’m still full from all of our movie food. Really. The last thing I need right now is chocolate!” Her laughter was infectious and Stephen found himself laughing yet again. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning – but not too early, okay?”
Agreeing, Stephen watched her walk down the hall to her room and waited until he heard her door click. It had been a strange day all around. True, it had been mostly pleasant but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been so laid back and carefree on any day of the week, not just a Saturday. Descending the stairs, he played over the day in his mind: Holly at breakfast, her leaving and coming back, her cooking in his kitchen…she just fit in his home, in his life and he could not lose her!
Why had he called her last night? She had a point with that one and luckily she let it go after a while but the truth was that he could have called a cab and he could have called his driver. But after all that Will and Derek had said to him regarding Holly, she was on his mind. Heavily, and he had to prove to himself that they were wrong, that there was nothing there, no attraction, no anything.
But the joke was on him. All that he managed to accomplish was discovering that she was a fascinating woman who was way more attractive than he had ever noticed and she made him laugh and smile more in one day than he had in years. She made his work easier, she made being in this big house seem a lot less lonely. What the hell was he going to do if she really did quit on him?
Wandering around the main floor of the house, the house that he usually loved, he felt lonely. Growing up poor had made him determined to have the best of everything – everything that he never had growing up were his now. When Holly had mentioned the house being too big for one person, Stephen realized that he had never thought of it that way. To his way of thinking, it was a house that represented everything that he had ever wanted. Never again would he wonder if there was enough food to eat or if there was going to be heat or hot water.
He was this house. It gave Stephen a sense of pride. Often he would just walk around it and feel satisfaction. Tonight, it seemed like a foolish way of thinking. Damn! It was really a lot easier when Holly was just his personal assistant who kept her own personal opinions to herself. In less than twenty four hours, she had turned everything upside down. Walking in to the darkened dining room, he went to the bar and poured himself a brandy. He drank it in the dark, it fit his mood.
Deciding that he needed something, anything, to do to get his mind off of the woman sleeping upstairs, he headed to his office in search of his cell phone and decided that he had to talk to Will and at least try and mend that situation. They had been friends for far too long and had been through far too much to let something like last night come between them. Suddenly remembering that the last place he’d had his phone was the kitchen, he headed there, found it on the counter next to the cordless phone and then decided to make the call from the sofa in the living room rather than the office. Again sitting in the dark, he dialed Will’s number. He was surprised when he actually heard his friend’s voice.
“Hey,” Will answered.
“Hey,” Stephen began, feeling nervous suddenly. “So, um, how are you feeling
“Here you go. Is there anything else that you need?”
“There was the chocolate rumor…” When he turned to go down the stairs, Holly reached out and stopped him.
“Stephen!” She laughed. “I was just kidding! I’m still full from all of our movie food. Really. The last thing I need right now is chocolate!” Her laughter was infectious and Stephen found himself laughing yet again. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning – but not too early, okay?”
Agreeing, Stephen watched her walk down the hall to her room and waited until he heard her door click. It had been a strange day all around. True, it had been mostly pleasant but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been so laid back and carefree on any day of the week, not just a Saturday. Descending the stairs, he played over the day in his mind: Holly at breakfast, her leaving and coming back, her cooking in his kitchen…she just fit in his home, in his life and he could not lose her!
Why had he called her last night? She had a point with that one and luckily she let it go after a while but the truth was that he could have called a cab and he could have called his driver. But after all that Will and Derek had said to him regarding Holly, she was on his mind. Heavily, and he had to prove to himself that they were wrong, that there was nothing there, no attraction, no anything.
But the joke was on him. All that he managed to accomplish was discovering that she was a fascinating woman who was way more attractive than he had ever noticed and she made him laugh and smile more in one day than he had in years. She made his work easier, she made being in this big house seem a lot less lonely. What the hell was he going to do if she really did quit on him?
Wandering around the main floor of the house, the house that he usually loved, he felt lonely. Growing up poor had made him determined to have the best of everything – everything that he never had growing up were his now. When Holly had mentioned the house being too big for one person, Stephen realized that he had never thought of it that way. To his way of thinking, it was a house that represented everything that he had ever wanted. Never again would he wonder if there was enough food to eat or if there was going to be heat or hot water.
He was this house. It gave Stephen a sense of pride. Often he would just walk around it and feel satisfaction. Tonight, it seemed like a foolish way of thinking. Damn! It was really a lot easier when Holly was just his personal assistant who kept her own personal opinions to herself. In less than twenty four hours, she had turned everything upside down. Walking in to the darkened dining room, he went to the bar and poured himself a brandy. He drank it in the dark, it fit his mood.
Deciding that he needed something, anything, to do to get his mind off of the woman sleeping upstairs, he headed to his office in search of his cell phone and decided that he had to talk to Will and at least try and mend that situation. They had been friends for far too long and had been through far too much to let something like last night come between them. Suddenly remembering that the last place he’d had his phone was the kitchen, he headed there, found it on the counter next to the cordless phone and then decided to make the call from the sofa in the living room rather than the office. Again sitting in the dark, he dialed Will’s number. He was surprised when he actually heard his friend’s voice.
“Hey,” Will answered.
“Hey,” Stephen began, feeling nervous suddenly. “So, um, how are you feeling
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