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But she tamped it down, clenching her hands together under the table. No, it would be unprofessional to rush out of this important meeting for personal reasons. She needed to get through the rest of the agenda first.
Willing her body to remain in place took every ounce of her energy. There was none left to marshal her racing thoughts. Sam consumed her. She pictured all the ways Sam might react. How she would delight that her girls had made the nearly impossible happen.
The second the meeting ended, Natalia gathered her things in a swirl and strode briskly outside into the warm summer morning. She was definitely not rushing to her car to go see Sam. She didn’t crave her. Didn’t ache to drown in the scent of her skin and the softness of her lips.
She was simply being efficient. At least that’s what she told herself as she drove perhaps a little too quickly toward campus, heart racing with anticipation the whole way.
When she arrived after braving the tail end of rush hour, it took a few tries to find Sam’s lecture hall. After finally being directed to the right place, she slipped in and found every single seat occupied.
Finding a spot in the corner, Natalia didn’t care that her heels were too high for standing. Didn’t mind that she looked like an obsessed fan when Sam caught sight of her and grinned.
Confident and poised, Sam commanded the room with authority. Hair a little longer, and a little blonder against her dark roots, Sam had her hands in the pockets of her relaxed trousers, the outline of her torso alluring in her fitted vest and dress shirt.
Natalia was entranced as Sam lectured passionately about the demonization of female sexuality in mythology and folklore. She managed to make her encyclopedic knowledge infinitely interesting.
Watching Sam in her element ignited a swell of pride and admiration in Natalia’s chest. She was so impressed by Sam’s poise, her intellect, her ability to engage and inspire her students.
And deeper than that professional esteem lay Natalia’s razor-sharp longing. An ache that went beyond the physical and dug into the vulnerable parts of herself she worked so hard to protect.
Being apart from Sam had been excruciating. Natalia wanted nothing more than to lose herself in Sam’s smile, her touch, the foreign feeling of the home she found in her arms.
But she couldn’t acknowledge the web of emotions Sam provoked in her. Wouldn’t examine too closely the effect Sam had on her usually disciplined heart.
This thing between them was temporary, Natalia reminded herself. Getting attached would only lead to pain when it ended. It would all be fun until Sam realized how grossly incompetent at relationships Natalia was. But the disappointment hadn’t arrived yet, and until it did, Natalia was going to take everything she could get.
Sam concluded her lecture to thunderous applause and cheers from the students. As the room began emptying out, Sam’s eyes found Natalia’s. Her expression softened, lips curving into a smile meant only for her.
Natalia’s heart stuttered, but she maintained an impassive mask. With effortless poise, she turned on her heel and walked out, adding an extra sway to her hips.
She didn’t need to look back to know Sam’s gaze followed her out. Natalia allowed herself a small, secret smile as she made her way toward Sam’s office.
Letting Sam watch her retreating form, imagination sparked by thoughts of their reunion. Natalia was in control. She set the pace, kept the upper hand.
CHAPTER 45
Heart slamming against her rib cage, Sam’s mouth kept moving as she delivered part of the lecture she’d given at Oxford. Every other part of her was trained on Natalia the moment she slipped into the large hall.
It took all of Sam’s willpower not to falter as a tidal wave of longing crashed over her. The FaceTime calls they’d had nearly every night she was away were a poor Band-Aid on the raw ache of missing Natalia.
Seeing her again in the flesh was visceral and shockingly primal — like a vital organ restored. A full breath after shallow panting. Sam had to grip the edges of the podium to remain upright on distressingly weak knees.
She drank in the graceful lines of Natalia’s body as if seeing her for the first time, appreciating every nuance. Every curve highlighted in the oversized, cream-colored suit jacket that nearly covered the pencil skirt underneath. The urge to abandon her lecture and take Natalia in her arms was ferocious, magnetic.
Sam’s heart pounded with adrenaline, every nerve ending alert and buzzing with Natalia’s nearness. Her eagerness to be near her again was intense. It left her shaken and exhilarated all at once.
Making it through the lecture on autopilot, she never broke eye contact with Natalia. The charged energy flowing between them could have lit up the entire campus.
When she was finished, Sam’s students immediately crowded around with questions and comments. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natalia in the back, already heading for the exit.
Sam’s breath caught, her entire body straining toward the doors as Natalia slipped through them. She tried to focus on her students, giving them rushed answers and tried not to let her impatience show.
The second the last student left, Sam grabbed her bag and practically sprinted up the hall. Natalia wasn’t outside the door and she wasn’t in the courtyard. Slowing down her mind, Sam put herself in Natalia’s painfully sexy shoes.
Natalia wouldn’t have gone out of her way to drop in on her at work and then disappear. She would want to make an impact without making a scene. With a smirk, Sam changed course and jogged up a flight of stairs to her office.
Thrilled to have been right, she grinned at the sight of Natalia leaning against her closed door and typing away on her phone. As if sensing her, Natalia looked up, dark eyes rich and fathomless. Sam’s pulse accelerated until it was impossible to keep her hands from shaking.
“I need to speak with you, Professor Reyes,” Natalia said in greeting, her face an absolute mask of detached professionalism that Sam didn’t buy for a second.
