Sam knew what he was telling her. ‘Does that worry you?’
He let out a huff of laughter. ‘Hardly. Though he has promised to throttle me if I hurt you.’
She winced. ‘That’s Lucas for you. He wears his heart on his sleeve. Since Damien did … what he did, Lucas has become very protective.’ She raised her chin. ‘Not that I need anyone going into battle on my behalf.’
He gave her a wry smile. ‘So you’ve made very clear.’
‘If you’re not worried about Lucas then …’
‘The more important question,’ he cut in, ‘is are you worried?’
Her racing pulse told her she was. Their first time had been out of her control – she hadn’t known who he was. Yesterday, on the beach, she could put down to alcohol, to the balmy evening, the intimate setting. If she took him back to her room now, there was no excuse. ‘It’s like a holiday fling,’ she said softly. ‘A little daring, a little risky, but we’re away from the office. We can let our hair down.’
His dark eyes held hers, magnetic, mesmerising and totally unreadable. ‘Okay. Lead the way.’
They walked silently through the house to the stairs. It didn’t matter if her parents saw them, she told herself, or if Becky did. She was a mature, professional, single woman. If she wanted to sleep with a man, she could. Even if he was one of her employees.
A shudder ran through her. Was she really going to do this again? Sleep with a man she worked with? And wasn’t this worse than with Damien, because she was Ryan’s boss. Maybe he felt like he had to do this. After all, if she’d been a man, and he a woman, wouldn’t this be sexual harassment?
Feeling uneasy, she stepped inside her bedroom. When he closed the door behind them, she turned to him. ‘Look, I don’t want you believing—’
He silenced her with a deep, drugging kiss. ‘Stop overthinking this,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m here because I want to be.’
She bit into her lip. ‘You promise you’re not going to sue me later?’
He laughed softly. ‘Jesus, turn your frigging brain off. I’m a man, you’re a woman. We want to have hot, frantic sex together. End of.’
The sizzle from earlier started up again in earnest. ‘Hot and frantic, huh?’
‘For starters, yeah.’
His hands smoothed up and down her arms as his hips pressed sensually against hers, making her suck in a breath. ‘What’s the main course?’
Another husky chuckle. ‘Guess that depends on how filling the starter is.’ His mouth trailed down her neck. ‘Though where you’re concerned, I’ll always be hungry.’
As her hormones puddled onto the floor, Sam melted against him.
Chapter 23
Ryan stirred. Forcing his eyes open, he took a moment to appreciate his surroundings – oak drawers, pale-lavender walls, fresh flowers in a simple glass vase. Nice. Turning his gaze to the bed, he took another moment to appreciate the woman he had his arms around. Awesome red hair, wide, usually smiling mouth, a scattering of freckles across her nose, luscious pale breasts spilling into his hand. More than nice. Frigging incredible.
More woman than he’d ever had the pleasure of holding.
More than he deserved, more than he could ever hope to hold again.
Stop with the dubious poetry. Get out, before she wakes.
He forced his body out of the bed and into last night’s clothes, knowing if she blinked those incredible eyes open, he’d be lost. He’d want her again. And though he might not care if he was caught sneaking out of her room, he knew she would.
With a final, longing look at her, he eased the door open, crept along the corridor and down the stairs. What would it feel like to be her lover for real? Not just a few furtive couplings, but a relationship where he didn’t have to sneak away at dawn.
And that, he thought grimly, was the road to madness. She’d already told him she needed his app development skills more than she needed him. And if that hadn’t convinced him he had no chance with her, last night’s holiday fling comment was the bucket of cold water on any paltry remaining embers of hope. She wasn’t interested in anything beyond a quick distraction.
He had to accept it, deal with it. And try to move on.
With a heavy heart, he headed towards the kitchen, and the side door he knew had been left unlocked.
‘Oh my goodness.’
Ryan froze at the startled exclamation. Shit. What on earth was Sam’s mum doing up at 5am? ‘Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.’
She held a hand to her chest, the terror slowly receding from her face. ‘No, that’s fine. We left the door open so you guys could come and go as you wanted. I just wasn’t expecting anyone this early.’
And yes, Ryan wasn’t so dense he couldn’t hear the silent question in her words. ‘I … lost my wallet yesterday. Thought I might have left it in the sitting room.’
‘Oh dear. Did you find it?’
‘No.’ Christ, he hated lying. Disagreed with it, was useless at it, but it wasn’t himself he was trying to protect. Sam would not want her mum knowing where he’d spent the night. ‘I’ll probably find it in my room, lying under a pile of dirty washing.’ Great. Not just a shitty lie, but one that made him sound like a slob.
‘Well, I hope you do.’ She smiled, and by God, she looked just like her daughter. The same warm, embracing, sunshine smile. ‘Feel free to use the washing machine in here. I don’t want you losing anything else.’
‘Right, thanks.’ He eyed the door longingly. Would it be rude if he just started to walk towards it?
‘Early to be up and about.’ Her statement halted his hope of an immediate escape. ‘Did Sam not work you hard enough yesterday?’
Telltale heat crept up his neck. Flustered, Ryan jammed a hand through his hair. She means the brainstorm, you idiot. Not what you were doing to her daughter, in her bedroom. ‘Thought I’d go for a swim,’ he managed.
‘Oh, I see. A lovely morning for one.’
There was a faint smile on her lips, but it was impossible for him to tell what she was thinking. Was she suspicious? Wondering whose bed he’d just crawled out of, Becky’s or her daughter’s?
A horrible thought hit him. Did she think he’d come in to snoop? To nick something?
‘I hope the water isn’t too cold for you.’
‘Thanks.’ He mustered a smile, hoping like hell it didn’t look as guilty as he felt.
Then fled as quickly as he dared.
A bracing forty minutes later, he snuck into the room he shared with Lucas. As he foraged around in the dim light for a towel and fresh clothes – the curtains were still closed – he heard Lucas stir. ‘Only me. Just been for a swim and now I’m heading for the shower.’
Silence. Figuring he’d got away with it, Ryan reached to open the door.
‘A swim, huh?’ Lucas’s voice was heavy with scepticism. ‘That’s what you’re calling it?’
Ryan turned, pointing to his wet shorts. ‘A swim,’ he repeated.
‘In the same shorts you wore last night?’
Why couldn’t Lucas be a normal bloke? One who didn’t notice what frigging clothes a guy wore? ‘Saves on the washing.’
‘You’re not kidding.’ Lucas gave him an ominous look. ‘Remind me to tell Helen not to bother changing the sheets on your bed. You’ve hardly slept in it.’
‘Funny,’ Ryan muttered before stepping out and shutting the door firmly behind him. He’d deal with Lucas later, once he’d got the ocean out of his hair, and the memories of last night out of his mind.
Sam woke feeling happier than she had in months. Twenty-one months, to be precise, as that was how long it had been since Damien had torn her heart with his infidelity, then knocked the stuffing out of her with his betrayal in setting up a rival company.
Now though, life was looking up. She had, fingers crossed, a new direction for the app. And a new man in her bed. At least there had been last night. She hadn’t heard Ryan leave, but for most of the night, when she’d stirred, h
e’d been there, his body tucked firmly behind hers. His right arm around her, hand cupping one of her breasts.
Where you’re concerned, I’ll always be hungry.
The memories triggered a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. The last two nights might have felt like a holiday fling, but she’d be naïve to think it was that easy to pigeonhole. After the closeness of the last two days, the way he’d looked out for her, helped her and yes, made love to her, could she really stick to a purely professional relationship back at the office? Did she want to?
Now was the time to focus on the business, not on her personal life, but she also needed to be honest with herself. Her feelings for Ryan weren’t going away. If anything, the more she saw of him, the more she wanted to spend time with him. In and out of bed.
Did she dare to give it a try? If she was careful with her heart. If they could see each other quietly, so she didn’t have to suffer the humiliation of her personal life being scrutinised and picked apart when it all went wrong. If they could remain on good terms afterwards. Oh, and if it wasn’t just about sex for him. If he really wanted to give this undeniable thing between them a proper try.
Sam groaned, banging her head back on the pillow. That was one heck of a lot of ifs.
Still, as she stepped into the shower, the lightness remained. Following last night’s epiphany, she had a fresh purpose. Shedloads of work to do, sure, but that had never troubled her.
It energised her.
So, it was with a bounce in her step that she walked downstairs to grab some breakfast before the morning’s final meeting. Humming to herself she stepped into the kitchen, finding her mum and Becky deep in conversation.
‘Morning.’ She gave them both a bright smile. ‘Any coffee going?’ The pair of them exchanged a glance that smacked of secrecy and collusion. ‘What?’
Becky looked like she was finding it hard not to giggle. Her mum, who was a far better actress, smiled serenely. ‘Coffee, you said?’
‘Yes, thanks.’ Sam sat on a kitchen stool, her eyes swinging back and forth between the pair of them. ‘Come on, out with it. You’re both too old for sniggering.’
‘Sorry, darling.’ Her mum set a mug of coffee in front of her, then squeezed her shoulder. ‘I was just telling Becky how I found Ryan in the kitchen at five o’clock this morning.’
‘Oh?’ Sam schooled her expression into one of polite interest.
‘He told me he was looking for his wallet.’
Sam took a sip of the coffee, nearly scalding her tongue. ‘Did he find it?’
‘Sadly not. When I asked him why he was up so early, he said he was going for a swim.’ Her mum caught her eye and smiled, mischief in her eyes. ‘It struck me as odd that he needed his wallet to swim in the bay.’
I will not blush. I will not flaming well blush. ‘You’re just trying to create trouble, Mum. He probably threw on his shorts to walk down for a swim, realised his wallet wasn’t in them and thought he’d check it wasn’t in the house on the way down.’
‘That’s one explanation.’ She kissed the top of Sam’s head, whispering in her ear. ‘Though I’m rather hoping there’s another.’
‘Why would you say that?’ Sam hoped her game face was firmly in place. That she didn’t look as guilty as she felt. ‘Ryan and I work together. We all know how well that combination turned out with Damien.’
Her mother simply smiled. ‘Your father and I worked together.’
‘This is different. I’m his boss, Mum.’
‘Even better. You make the rules. If you want a hot office affair with your sexy new employee, there’s no one to stop you.’ Before Sam could recover from that bombshell, her mother deftly changed subjects. ‘Right, time for me to disappear before the rest of your crew turn up. Come and say goodbye before you leave.’
As she glided out of the kitchen – yes, her mother definitely glided when she thought she’d won an argument – Becky doubled up with laughter. ‘Flipping heck, Sam, your mum is priceless. And as for you, sneaking a boy into your room. You are so busted.’
‘Shut it.’ When her demand was met with more laughter, Sam couldn’t help it, she started to giggle. ‘Oh boy, I’d like to have been a fly in the wall when Ryan bumped into Mum.’
That sent Becky off again. ‘Can you imagine the look on his face?’ Becky was laughing so much, she had tears in her eyes. ‘If it had been Lucas, he’d have had no problem explaining it away. Ryan probably looked dead shifty.’
‘I’m surprised he didn’t just blurt out the truth. You know what he’s like.’
‘Yeah.’ Becky put on a gruff voice. ‘Morning, Mrs H. I’ve been shagging your daughter all night. Now I’m off for a swim.’
Sam groaned, shoving her head in her hands. ‘Please. Enough.’
‘Well, was he? Shagging you all night?’
Sam rolled her eyes. ‘That’s my business.’ It hadn’t been all night, she thought with a flash of heat, but it had been enough for her to lose count.
‘Well, whatever he was doing with you, it seems to have done you good.’ Becky’s gaze skimmed over Sam’s face, no doubt noticing her flushed cheeks. ‘You’re like the Duracell bunny. You might have been going all night, but you’re still very … perky.’
‘Perky? First I’m a bunny, now I’m a pig?’ When Becky looked at her quizzically, Sam huffed. ‘Come on, you’ve heard of Pinky and Perky?’
‘Err, hello, that was from the Fifties.’
‘I’m not saying I watched it.’ Sam threw her hands up in the air. ‘And why am I having a conversation about cartoon pigs when there are far more important things we need to talk about.? She paused. ‘Like the app.’
Becky, who’d started buttering herself some toast, stilled and looked up at her. ‘Was that a dramatic pause? As in I’ve had an idea that’s got me so excited I’m almost wetting my pants?’
Sam chewed on her bottom lip. ‘Maybe.’
Becky clattered her knife down. ‘It’s really that good?’ She rushed up to her, gripping her by the shoulders. ‘Oh God, just tell me. I’m dying here.’
Sam sucked in a breath. Last night she’d been so sure, but now she worried she’d been caught up in the romance of the setting, the joy of an idea after a day of disappointment.
Ryan.
Becky’s views could send her fantasy bubble further into happy space or burst it in her face. Becky, who’d been with her from the start, who knew the customer feedback inside out, who had a sense for these things. ‘The user goes into the app, gets given a list of all the websites the app can find that hold personal data on them.’
‘That’s what it does now.’
Sam smiled at Becky’s frustration. ‘And when you tap on one of the websites, you can see the data it has on you.’
Becky hissed. ‘That’s what we’ve been working on. That’s what Lynch has done with his app.’
‘And,’ Sam interrupted, ‘next to that data, you find a delete button.’
That, at last, made Becky pause. ‘To remove your information from the website?’ she said slowly.
‘Exactly.’ Sam felt her pulse race as she tried to read Becky’s expression. ‘What do you think?’
Her friend started to smile. Before long, the smile turned into a full-blown grin. ‘That’s bloody genius.’
‘Isn’t it?’ And suddenly they were jumping up and down, squealing and hugging each other.
‘When did you come up with that?’ Becky asked when they’d exhausted themselves.
‘Last night.’ She lifted her gaze to meet Becky’s. ‘With Ryan. He was actually really helpful.’
‘Uh huh.’ Becky’s black-rimmed eyes searched hers, and whatever she saw caused her to frown. ‘Oh boy. Your expression’s gone all dreamy. Please tell me you’re not falling for him?’
‘What? No, of course not.’ She paused, decided it was time to be truthful. ‘But I am finding I like him more and more.’
Becky continued to look at her. ‘You’re serious, aren’t
you?’
‘Don’t look so shocked. When you get to know him, he’s actually pretty funny. And kind.’
Becky snorted. ‘Bloody hell, it’s like he’s put some spell on you. He must be good in bed.’
The words made Sam pause. Was Ryan another colossal error in judgement? Was this Damien all over again, and she was allowing her hormones to rule her head?
‘Hey.’ Becky nudged her. ‘What’s wrong?’
She shook herself. ‘Nothing.’
‘It’s something. You went all pale there for a second.’
Sam sighed. ‘What do you think of Ryan, honestly?’
‘I told you before, he’s like an annoying big brother. Thinks he’s always right, refuses to do things any other way than his way. Tells you exactly what he thinks, whether you like it or not.’ She patted Sam’s hand. ‘But if it helps, I think he’s the exact opposite of Damien.’
‘Oh?’
‘No way would Ryan cheat on anyone. No way would he betray anyone. If he wanted out of a relationship, he’d look you in the eye and tell you.’ She gave Sam a wry smile. ‘He wouldn’t do it gently, wouldn’t try and safeguard your feelings, but he would do it honestly, because that’s the only way he knows how.’ She darted a look at the clock and shook her head. ‘That’s enough boy talk for now. We have a meeting in ten minutes.’ She winked at Sam. ‘And I have a feeling the boss is going to tell us all about a cracking idea she’s had to put this company back on the front foot again.’
‘She is.’ Sam straightened her shoulders, putting all crazy thoughts of Ryan aside. She’d already allowed one man to unbalance her enough to take her eye off the ball. She couldn’t afford to let her attraction to Ryan do the same.
PART FIVE
A Secret Affair
Chapter 24
Ryan stared miserably at his computer. Two days they’d been back at the office, and already Sam was annoyed with him. So much for his hopes of getting back in her bed. He couldn’t even get into her good books.
First, there had been the issue with the delete button.
‘We can’t do a delete button.’
The New Guy Page 18