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her up in bed after Sam had given her daughter her evening bath.

      Upsetting as Daisy’s outburst to Malcolm had been, it was Xander who was now at the centre of Sam’s concerns.

      Sam had realised today that it wasn’t just Daisy who had come to rely on him too much this past week. She was also guilty of leaning on him. Depending on him too much.

      And it had to stop.

      Oh, she wouldn’t dream of stopping Xander from continuing to see Daisy, if he wanted to; that would just be too cruel when her daughter so obviously adored him.

      But Sam’s own dependence on him had to end.

      Right now.

      ‘I think, after all that’s happened, that Daisy and I have to leave. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for all you’ve done for Daisy and me, but—’

      ‘I don’t want your gratitude, Samantha!’

      ‘Nevertheless, you have it,’ Sam insisted quietly, eyes downcast so that she didn’t have to look at him. So she didn’t have to acknowledge how much she loved him. ‘You’re recovering more and more every day, and I’m pretty sure you can manage on your own now. Malcolm is too scared now, of what he knows you can do to him, to ever bother us again. You’re more than welcome to continue seeing Daisy, of course.’

      ‘How generous of you!’

      Sam winced at the sarcasm in Xander’s voice. ‘Please don’t be angry, Xander.’

      ‘What the hell do you expect me to be?’ He ran an agitated hand through the blond thickness of his hair as he surged to his feet. ‘What about last night, Samantha?’ He frowned darkly. ‘What about us?’

      She gave a sad shake of her head. ‘There is no us. There never could be.’

      ‘You don’t know that.’

      ‘Yes, I do!’ she said vehemently. ‘Last night was— Well, it was wonderful,’ she acknowledged huskily. ‘But it can’t happen again. And my staying on here, under those circumstances, would just be—I need to leave, Xander, can’t you see that?’ She looked up at him imploringly, silently pleading with him not to make this any harder for her than it already was.

      The last thing she wanted was to leave him. How could it not be, when she was in love with him?

      But they had come together under far from perfect circumstances. And Xander had been wonderful, amazing, both with Daisy, and with helping Sam deal with Malcolm once and for all. But Sam wasn’t about to take advantage of his generous nature by allowing him to feel even more responsibility towards her because of what had happened between the two of them last night.

      ‘I need to leave,’ she repeated as she stood up with determination. ‘Please don’t make this any harder for me than it already is,’ she added firmly as she could see Xander was about to make another protest. ‘Daisy and I will be leaving in the morning. But I would appreciate it if you were able to see Daisy again. She loves you so much,’ she added gruffly, knowing that she loved Xander as much as, if not more than, her daughter did. Just as she knew it was breaking her heart to leave him.

      Xander had never felt so impotent in his life as he did at this moment, knowing by the expression on Samantha’s face that she meant what she said. That she had also made it clear that last night hadn’t meant the same to her as it had to him. That she really did intend leaving him tomorrow.

      And there wasn’t a thing he could do or say to stop her.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

      One month later.

      ‘WHEN ARE YOU going to stop brooding and go and claim your woman?’

      Xander hadn’t heard his brother open the door as he leant back in his chair staring sightlessly—broodingly—out of the window of his office at the Midas Enterprises building in London.

      He turned now to glare at Darius as his brother leant casually against the doorframe. ‘I’m far too busy to deal with your warped sense of humour today, Darius!’ he snarled aggressively as he straightened in his chair.

      Darius straightened slowly before crossing the room. ‘I can see that.’ A mocking smile curved his lips as he looked down at Xander’s obviously empty desk. ‘I thought you might like to know I’ve just come back from visiting Miranda at the dance studio.’

      Xander tensed. ‘And why should that interest me?’

      Topaz eyes gleamed with amusement. ‘‘Possibly because I saw Sam too while I was there?’

      Xander felt a painful lurch in his chest; he hadn’t spoken privately to Samantha for four and a half weeks. Not since the day they had routed Howard so completely, and afterwards she’d told him she was leaving him the following morning. She’d then packed her bags and done exactly that.

      He had tried to talk her out of it, of course. But Samantha had been stubbornly determined. She had again thanked him very politely for all his help, and reassured him he really was well enough to take care of himself now. That he didn’t need her any more.

      That he didn’t need her any more?

      Xander wasn’t even sure he had drawn in breath without pain since Samantha left him that Sunday morning. He knew that not a moment went by when he didn’t think about her. When he didn’t want to see her, to just be with her again.

      And he had been absolutely correct about his apartment having all the warmth of a morgue, once Samantha and Daisy were no longer living there with him. He now avoided being there as much as possible.

      Xander’s mouth tightened. ‘Samantha has made her lack of interest in seeing me again very obvious, Darius.’ More than obvious.

      ‘Strange, she always asks how you are whenever I see her at Miranda’s studio,’ his brother told him softly.

      Xander stood up abruptly to cross the room and stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to the room as he looked out blindly. ‘She’s just being polite, because she’s grateful that I helped rid her of Howard from her life once and for all.’

      Howard had duly kept his appointment at the lawyer’s office, and neither Xander nor Samantha had needed to be present when the other man signed the contract. Howard had also paid Samantha’s belated divorce settlement, and she and Daisy were now renting a two-bedroom apartment overlooking a park. Samantha had still taken up the part-time job at Andy’s dance studio, and the two women had become even firmer friends, according to his sister-in-law.

      Darius joined Xander by the window. ‘Sam doesn’t look well today, Xander.’

      He turned sharply to look at his brother. ‘What do you mean? What’s wrong with her?’ he demanded, frowning darkly.

      ‘How would I know?’ Darius shrugged.

      Xander’s scowl deepened. ‘Maybe because your wife is Samantha’s best friend as well as her employer?’

      Darius eyed him pityingly. ‘And Miranda and I have far better things to do than talk about Sam when we’re alone together.’

      ‘You are so annoying.’ Xander turned abruptly to stride determinedly across his office and collect his coat from the back of his chair before quickly pulling it on.

      ‘Where are you going?’

      He shot his twin an angry glare as he strode over to the door. ‘Out!’ He ignored Darius’s chuckle as he wrenched the door open before striding impatiently out into the hallway towards the lift.

      He wasn’t in the least surprised to find the car, and driver, waiting for him downstairs as he stepped outside the building; Darius might be annoying, but he could read his twin like a book.

      ‘I’ll drive myself, thank you, Paul.’ He

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