I reached for her hand.
“You’ve changed my life, Samantha.”
Her fingers curled into mine.
“Then stop overthinking it and just let it happen.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
sam
He saidhe was falling for me.
Not in passing. Not with his hands on me, his lips at my neck, or in the middle of sex. But across a candlelit table, wine in our glasses and laughter still on our lips. It felt real. Maybe it was the calm with which he said it, or how certain he sounded.
And I didn’t run. God, I didn’t even flinch. Which is something big coming from me. I used to pride myself on my ability to detach. The jet lag made it easy, and the uniforms helped. I’m used to the polite, practiced smile of someone always passing through. But there was none of that here.
Justhim.
I could still feel the weight of his gaze when he said it. Like it wasn’t a risk for him, but it was for me. Because what do you do when the man you’ve been pretending not to fall for confesses that he’s alreadyhalfway down? You just hold your breath, but now? Now I was exhaling for the first time in a while.
I should’ve panicked, maybe felt cornered. But all I felt was… full.
Full of something I wasn’t used to. Something that scared the shit out of me.Hope. That’s it, that’s what I felt. The risk of feeling it is that you can’t unfeel it. And maybe I’m not ready to name this. Maybe I don’t know if this will last. But I know what it isn’t. It isn’t casual anymore. It isn’t forgettable. It isn’t a fling.
I blinked up at the ceiling, disoriented by sunlight and softness and the arm draped across my bare waist. Theo stirred behind me, his voice groggy. “What time is it?” I turned, stealing a glance at the phone on the nightstand. “6:47,” I whispered.
“Shit.” He groaned and buried his face in the pillow. “No.”
“Yes.” I rolled out of bed in one chaotic movement, pulling the sheets with me. “We have a meeting at nine, and I need to look like I slept in my bed, not my boss’s,” Theo smirked. “But you did sleep in your boss’s bed, actually, you did way more than that.”
Before I could throw a pillow at him, a familiar voice echoed through the apartment. “Theo,” Harper called from the living room. “I brought emergency supplies. You’re welcome.” I froze mid-sprint toward the bathroom. “You gave her a key?” I hissed.
“She gave herself one,” he said, sitting up and rubbing his face. I peeked around the corner of the bedroom door. Harper stood there, impeccablydressed at seven in the morning, holding a garment bag in one hand and two coffees in the other like some kind of goddess in stilettos.
“Morning,” she said without even blinking. “Sam, I guessed your size. There’s a black jumpsuit and a wrap dress. Both professional. Coffees are on the counter.” I stood there, speechless. “I… I love you,” I finally said, grabbing the coffee and backing toward the bathroom. “Truly. Deeply.”
She gave me a wink. I’d barely made it to the bathroom when I heard the rustle of paper, followed by Harper’s signature I-mean-business tone. “Theodore,” she said, voice sharp and clean like a scalpel. “The HR documents. Sign them. Today.” My hand froze on the zipper of the jumpsuit. HR documents?
I opened the bathroom door. “What HR documents?” I asked, staring at both of them.
Harper didn’t flinch. Theo, however, looked like he’d just been caught doing something bad. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Just… some HR formality stuff.” I raised an eyebrow.
“That doesn’t sound vague at all.” Harper held up the envelope. “A consensual workplace relationship disclosure. You know. In case two people working together are…” she looked at both of us pointedly, “engaged in extracurricular activities that could lead to a conflict of interest or, God forbid, a lawsuit.”
“You’ve had that ready?” She didn’t miss a beat. “I had them ready three weeks ago.” Theo looked down, muttering something that sounded dangerously close to “I was going to sign it.” Harper raised a single, perfectly arched brow. “Before or after your next unscheduled boardroom sex session?” I nearly choked on my coffee. Theo groaned. “Harper.”
I bit back a laugh and looked between them. “So… what happens if he doesn’t sign it?”
“Then you still report to him directly,” Harper said simply. “Which, let’s be honest, is a PR nightmare waiting to happen. If you keep doing whatever it is you’re doing. It could lead to issues. On the other hand, if he signs it, you’ll get reassigned to Cameron’s oversight. No direct conflict there, and fewer reasons for me to have a potential aneurysm.”
I blinked. “So… wait. I’d work under Cameron instead of Theo, and that’s it?” Harper sipped her coffee. “Yeah, that’s it.” Theo rubbed his temples. “I’m going to sign it.”
“Good,” Harper replied, cool as ever. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to text your mother.” I blinked at Theo. “You’re scared of your mom?” Harper answered for him. “He should be.” I stepped closer, gently plucking the envelope from Harper’s hand.
“Then I guess it’s official,” I said, smirking at Theo. “I’ll be working under PR at the office, and under the CEO in bed.” His mouth twitched. “Don’t make that sound so nasty.”
I smiled, turning back toward the bathroom. “Then stop giving me material.”
