Family in Progress

“I can’t be out all night—I have kids, remember?”

“Who are old enough to be on their own for a few hours.”

A few hours didn’t sound so bad, Steven managed to convince himself, then went to say good-night to the kids.

Samara changed outfits more than half a dozen times before a quick glance at the clock warned her that Steven would be arriving any minute. Unwilling to make him wait, she decided the simple wrap-style dress she was currently wearing was satisfactory and tucked her feet into a pair of matching sling-backs that boosted her height by three inches. A final glance in the mirror had her reaching for a chunky-hammered bronze pendant and matching earrings and adding a touch of color to her lips.

Steven’s reaction, when she opened the door, gave nothing away. She knew it wasn’t a date, and his greeting was pleasant enough, but still, she’d thought he would say something, and the fact that he didn’t made her a little nervous. Was she overdressed? Underdressed?

Jenny always claimed that Samara had a unique style, and the way she said it made it sound like a compliment. Not that Samara had ever really worried about anyone else’s opinion. She’d always been comfortable with the way she looked and who she was. Learning of her fiancé’s infidelity had changed everything. Having Kazuo’s pregnant lover show up at her door—three weeks before their wedding—had made Samara question everything about herself.

After three years, she’d honestly believed they’d had a good relationship, that they wanted the same things—most notably a future together. Two years later, he was married to the mother of his child and she was still trying to figure out where everything had gone wrong.

But she wasn’t going to worry about that tonight. And she wasn’t going to feel insulted that while Steven Warren’s presence made her aware of him in a distinctly sexual way, he didn’t even seem to be aware that she was female.

He looked really good tonight. He was usually dressed casually whenever she saw him in or around the studio, but tonight he was wearing a suit: charcoal jacket and pants, burgundy shirt and—this surprised her—a pink tie. But somehow the color enhanced rather than detracted from his masculinity, and made everything female inside her respond.

She deliberately averted her gaze, focusing on the scenery outside of the window. Focusing on anything but the man who made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

They rode in silence for the first several minutes. She wasn’t sure if Steven was concentrating on the task of driving or just lost in his own thoughts, as she was lost in hers. But after a while, she found her eyes drifting in his direction again.

He had a strong profile, she noted. And strong hands. One of which was resting lightly on top of the gearshift, while the fingers of the other were curled loosely around the steering wheel. He maneuvered the car through traffic with an easy confidence that was somehow both reassuring and arousing. As he palmed the wheel to negotiate a turn, she found herself wondering how those strong, competent hands would feel moving over her body.

“I really appreciate the ride,” she said, in a desperate hope that conversation would alter the direction of her renegade thoughts. “I hope you didn’t have to come too far out of your way to pick me up.”

“Not at all,” Steven said politely.

And silence fell again.

Samara felt more than a little awkward. This man was her boss, and her best friend’s husband’s brother—they should have something to talk about. But her mind was blank.

Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that they were sitting in such close proximity, and all she could think was that he looked so good—and smelled even better. And, oh my, just breathing in the clean male scent of him made everything inside her quiver.

It was Steven who finally broke the silence. “Jenny said you don’t have a car.”

She noticed that his voice sounded strained, as if making conversation required a concerted effort on his part, too. And she couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he was as aware of her as she was of him, or if he was just bored.

“That must make it difficult to get around,” he concluded.

She shrugged, pretending a nonchalance she didn’t feel as she tried to focus on small talk and keep her suddenly riotous hormones in check. “I’m getting familiar with the bus and train routes.”

“Is that how you go back and forth to work every day?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

He frowned. “I know it’s expensive to own a car, but there are other options. You could rent or lease.”

“Both of which require a driver’s license,” she pointed out.

He turned his head and stared at her. And the look in his eyes gradually changed from incredulity to something else, something she wasn’t sure she was ready to define but that made the nerves in her belly start to quiver all over again.

He tore his gaze away, tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. “You don’t, uh, have a driver’s license?”

“It’s not a crime—at least not in Japan.” She hoped he wouldn’t notice the suddenly husky tone of her voice. But when he looked at her like that, with so much heat in his eyes, it was all she could do not to melt.

“It’s not a crime here, either,” he admitted after another moment. “But I can’t honestly say I’ve ever met anyone between the ages of eighteen and eighty who didn’t have one. Though some of them probably shouldn’t.”

“Public transportation is better for the environment,” she said defensively.

“Funny that you didn’t mention your thoughts on this during your job interview.”

“You hired me to take pictures, not be a spokesperson.”

He looked at her again, and his lips curved, just a little. “You are an intriguing woman, Samara Kenzo.”

And he was a fascinating man—and a man she knew she would enjoy getting to know a lot better.

Jenny’s “little dinner party” turned out to be a five-course meal served to two dozen people, throughout which Steven was seated between Samara and another woman whose name he didn’t even remember. There were friends and neighbors, family members and business associates, and it seemed to Steven that, aside from he and Samara, everyone else was part of a couple.

He felt an unexpected pang of longing as he glanced around the table, noting the affectionate looks and silent communications of partners who knew one another well. As he and Liz had known one another.

Then he glanced at Samara and wondered if she was feeling as out of place as he was. But she turned to the man seated on her other side, laughing at something he said, and he figured he’d probably imagined the sadness he’d glimpsed in her eyes.

He was glad when dessert was finally cleared away and the guests began to wander away from the table. Some moved into the library for after-dinner drinks, others made their way downstairs to play billiards, but Steven was in the mood for neither.

He hovered on the periphery, watching the others mingle, noting the ease with which his brother worked his way through the crowd.

He and Liz had never done much entertaining, and nothing more elaborate than having friends over for a meal or a game of cards. Usually those friends lived in the neighborhood and had children of similar ages to Caitlin and Tyler and who went to school with them. But most of their weekends had been spent quietly, and he’d preferred it that way.

Richard, on the other hand, seemed very much in his element surrounded by people. Of course, Richard had always been the one with the big plans and ambitions, who had achieved everything he’d ever dreamed of. Steven used to envy his older brother his status and success, until he’d finally realized there was no reason to. Because Steven had achieved everything he’d wanted, too, he’d just wanted different things.

He saw Jenny pass her husband, noted the momentary link of their fingers, a quick and silent communication. He saw Richard’s eyes follow his wife’s progress across the room, though his conversation with Jenny’s stepbrother never lagged, and Steven felt the old familiar tug in his heart again. Not a day had gone by in the years since Liz died that he didn’t think about his wife and how much he missed her. But being surrounded by so many happy couples made the empty space by his side loom so much larger.

He hadn’t noticed that his sister-in-law had made her way all around the room again until she was by his side.

“I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to you tonight,” Jenny noted.

“You’ve been busy.”

“That’s no excuse for neglecting my favorite brother-in-law.”

“I’m your only brother-in-law.”

She waved a hand. “Technicalities.”

He smiled. “Then I should tell you that you’re my favorite sister-in-law, too,” he said. “And that dinner was spectacular.”

“Thanks. Though the only part of the meal I can take credit for is the planning. Preparing anything on that scale is way beyond my domestic capabilities.” Then her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.