Masters of the Shadowlands 7 - This is who I am by Sinclair Cherise Page B

and the writing. After pulling in a steadying breath, she started a fresh list.
    The afternoon dragged on and on and on. For the first time, she took no joy in her store, in the customers. I want to go home.
    “Linda, sweetheart.” She glanced up to see Lee halfway to the counter, his suit and tie a marked contrast to the casually dressed beachgoers. His sandy hair had been tousled by the wind, and he finger combed it as he grinned at her. The women customers gave him lingering looks.
    Linda forced a smile. “What are you doing here?”
    “I was in the area.” Lee leaned over the counter to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Are you caught up yet? I want to take you out to dinner.”
    “I…”
    “You know, you’re an incredibly difficult woman to date.”
    “I’m not ready for…for anything, Lee.” She bit her lip. “I know we were…intimate, but I don’t—”
    “No problem. We’ll take it slow. Just dinner. Nothing else.”
    Here was the normal life she wanted. With a nice man. Months ago, when she’d sounded him out about kinky sex, he hadn’t been interested at all, but he hadn’t called her names as Dwayne had. Or implied she was mentally unstable like Frederick.
    If she dated him, he’d keep her on the straight and narrow, and if she had to cope in other ways, she would. Hey, a ton of extra cleaning and exercising wouldn’t be bad. “Then okay. I’d like that.”
    “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
    Everything in her wanted to yell no . Let him in her house where memories of Sam would linger? She couldn’t bear that. Not yet. “How about I meet you at the restaurant?”
    * * * *
    Now would this be considered stalking? Sam frowned. Seemed awfully close to it.
    He’d been on the way to Linda’s house, hoping she’d eased up and they could talk, when he’d spotted her car in a restaurant parking lot.
    He shouldn’t have turned in. Shouldn’t have stopped. Being a fool, Davies.
    As he followed the hostess across the restaurant, he spotted Linda sitting across from a man wearing a suit and tie. Damn, she was beautiful. She’d done that curling thing with her hair. Wore makeup to make her seal-brown eyes even bigger. Her light pink, silky top showed only a hint of cleavage.
    The hostess moved past Linda and her goddamned date.
    “Wait, miss,” Sam said.
    The waitress stopped.
    “I’ll sit there.” He pointed to an empty table near the center of the room, a couple of tables from Linda’s.
    “But that’s not—”
    “Be appreciated.”
    “Uh.” She gave him a flirtatious look. “Of course.”
    “Thank you.” He ignored the chair she pulled out for him and chose one where he had a satisfying view of his quarry. Acting like a stalker, Davies . But the location was good. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but she’d eventually catch sight of him. And then she would have a chance to see if she really wanted a normal life. A normal man.
    If she was jumping into a relationship to flee from herself, that was just damn stupid. But if she seriously wanted Vanilla Boy, Sam would back off.
    After ordering, he leaned back, sipped coffee, and enjoyed the view. Maybe some fools wouldn’t consider her beautiful, but he thought she was stunning. And natural. After the years of Nancy’s fake giggles and shrill hysterics, he appreciated Linda’s open, full-bodied laughter.
    Pissed him off that other men noticed as well.
    And he resented the hell out of the fact that Vanilla Boy could make her laugh. Sam’s jaw tightened. The man had no trouble keeping a conversation going; his words flowed like a flooding river.
    If she wanted a talkative man, then she didn’t want Sam.
    Maybe she’d be happy with that bastard. If so…might as well leave. He lifted his hand for the waitress.
    But Linda didn’t appear sexually interested in the man. When Vanilla Boy reached across the table and took her hand, she displayed no reaction at all. Like she’d closed herself off.
    Sam lowered his hand.