He was leaving today.
Sam gazed absently out the window, seeing nothing of the passing scenery. Her mind instead drifted to thoughts of Ryan as usual and she sighed, wondering how long it would take before she could go more than five minutes without thinking about him in some way.
Maybe this trip would be a good start. She thought, idly drumming her fingers on the armrest. At least, then, she wouldn’t have his physical presence to constantly remind her of what she was missing; hopefully, her nights would no longer be spent rolling around in bed trying to convince her aching body to stop recalling the feel of his hands and mouth on her body and get some much needed rest.
Out of sight was supposed to be out of mind, right? Well, the next few weeks would prove if that were true or not.
The driver pulled onto the curb in front of the Silvercorp building and Sam shook herself free of melancholy thoughts and stepped out. The early morning sunshine warmed her skin and she took a minute to look up, soaking in the warmth.
“Your bag, Ms. Bhaat.” Her driver, Liam appeared in front of her, holding out her laptop bag, a smile on his weathered face. “It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?”
“It’s Sam,” she reminded him for the umpteenth time, though she knew he would go right back to addressing her formally. The man took his job as chauffeur way too seriously. “Yes it is, Liam. Let’s hope it stays that away all day.”
“Forecasts say it should,” Liam replied. “You have a good day, Ms. Bhaat.”
“You too, Liam.”
Shifting her bag to the other arm, she made to walk into the building when a familiar voice halted her in her tracks, her heart speeding up as every nerve sat up in anticipation.
"Yo, Sam."
She turned around slowly, taking time to school her features into something less...excited.
A black SUV idled in the spot Liam had just vacated and Ryan opened the passenger door and stepped out, wearing a wide grin. He came towards her, his gaze sweeping over her in a way that awakened her senses. His scent washed over her, igniting a longing to throw herself into his arms and never let go. She ached to touch him, and from the way he was looking at her, she knew he wanted to hold her too.
Around them, employees walked into the building, barely paying attention, all absorbed in their own thoughts and pending tasks. Not that Sam noticed anyway, all her attention focused on the man standing in front of her. He looked delicious as always in a white button down shirt, top two buttons unfastened and hanging loose over black chinos. A pair of sunglasses was perched on his hair, mussing the silky locks and she longed to reach up and smooth it.
He came close and for the first time, she noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes, and the tired lines bracketing his mouth. He looked like he’d barely got any rest in the past few days, much like her own situation.
“Glad I caught you outside,” His smile broadened. “Good morning, Princess.”
"I thought you had an early flight?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I do." His eyes travelled over her again, the hungry look setting off mild fireworks in her stomach. "I'm actually on my way to the airport now. But I was hoping we could talk on the way there."
She arched an eyebrow. “On the way there? Are you suggesting I go with you to the airport?”
“Yes,” he shot her a hope filled look and stepped closer. “We need to talk about us, Sam, and I don’t want to wait three whole weeks before we do have a much needed conversation. Will you come with me? George can drive you back to the office once I’m onboard the plane.”
She stared up at him, biting down on her lower lip. She had a heavy schedule this morning, due in part to having to handle tasks he normally would have taken care in addition to her own. A glance at her watch showed the time at eight fifteen and there was that meeting with the research team by eight thirty.
“Okay.” She gave him a decisive nod, making a mental note to call Jane on the way and reschedule her morning appointments.
His smile made it all worthwhile. “Great.”
He led the way back to the SUV, opening the back door for her. Sam climbed into the cool interior and he shut the door, going round to the other side. For the first time, she realised that there was a man sitting behind the wheel who nodded to her in silent acknowledgement.
Ryan slid in beside her, his scent filling her nostrils and she inhaled subtly, loving the familiar smell.
As the car pulled into traffic, he leaned over, slid a hand under her chin, lifted her face to his and kissed her. Surprise quickly turned to passion for Sam as she felt the urgent pressure of his lips against hers. She opened to the thrust of his tongue, welcoming him into her mouth like a long lost treasure, her body sizzling like a hot tide, sweeping away the little voice in her head warning that she was taking a risk. Right now, all she could think about was how wonderful it felt to kiss him again, how thrilling it felt to be in his arms once more.
Needing to be closer to him, she gripped his collar and tugged, moaning when her breasts crushed against his chest, his arms encircling her like steel bands, drawing her even closer till she was practically on his lap. Still, her body ached for more, desire hijacking every nerve at every movement of his mouth, every thrust and glide of his tongue.
Ryan pulled away first, chest heaving with every harshly drawn breath. He groaned and rested his forehead against hers, his skin hot against hers.
“Christ! I’ve missed this, Sam.” His words were a deep, sexy rumble. “I’ve missed you.”
Fighting to get her own breathing under control she leaned against him, her bones turned to mush and unable to hold her upright.
“I’ve missed you too.” She took a steadying breath and sat up, feeling heat rush up her cheeks as she recalled they had an audience, wondering what was going through the poor man’s mind right now.
Ryan was obviously thinking the same thing. He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, meeting the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Sorry about that, George.” he gave Sam a sheepish grin. “I just missed my woman a lot, you know?”
“It’s fine, Ryan.” the man replied, grinning. “I know the feeling.”
If it was possible, Sam was sure she was a bright tomato red.
“Your woman?” she hissed under her breath, giving him what she hoped was an indignant glare at the neanderthal statement.
A serious expression came over his features and he took her hand. “That’s what I want to talk to you about, Sam."
"Okay." She swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous without quite knowing the reason why.
"Do you think we could have a relationship...a real relationship if the threat of your job wasn't there?" He searched her face, as though seeking out the answer.
She considered the question, lowering her gaze to the pleated folds of her skirt. Did she think they could actually date in other circumstances? She pictured the both of them, walking hand in hand after an evening out, doing things couples did and her heart yearned for that.
She looked up, meeting his intense gaze, letting the truth bleed into her expression. "Yes, I think so. But right now, it's just wishful thinking, isn't it?"
He smiled, lifting her hand to brush his lips across her knuckles. "Sometimes wishes can become reality, don't you think?"
"That rarely happens, though."
"But if it did happen. Will you want more than what we had before?" He locked eyes with her. "More than just sex?"
"Yes."