Chapter Six

After Sam’s considerate gesture, how could Riley find it in her heart not to help him out? She couldn’t, and that’s why she was now on her second week working for Sam. Now that the teething problems were out of the way, she loved her job.

Riley knocked then poked her head around Sam’s door.

Each aspect of him she discovered seemed sexier than the last. Sam, Attorney at Law was a thing of beauty. When she first started, she’d worried that her attraction to him would get in the way of her ability to do her job, but once she settled in she found working with him surprisingly enjoyable.

He glanced up from the open file he was reading. “Hi, Riley, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to let you know I’m heading off. Do you need anything before I leave?”

“Another cup of coffee would be great. I think I might be here for a while.”

“Coffee, got it.” She closed the door and headed off to brew Sam a fresh pot. He’d been working late the last few days. She noticed his car pull into his drive around ten each night and found herself worrying about how hard he worked.

It was one thing to have ambition and another to let it drive you into the ground. As much as she’d like to encourage Sam to look after himself, it really wasn’t her business, she was only his employee.

That didn’t stop her worrying about him.

Riley carried the mug of fresh coffee back to Sam’s office. He didn’t look up this time when she entered. “I’ll try not to tip this one into your lap,” she said with a light chuckle.

“Ha-ha.” Sam’s sarcastic imitation of laughter made Riley chuckle again. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, his gaze still fixed on the file in his hands.

They’d been getting on so much better than she had imagined. Sam was fab to work with, and while he drove himself hard and expected high standards from his employees, he never made her feel like she couldn’t make a mistake.

He unconsciously reached out and selected a candy heart sweet from the pack on his desk in front of him. When he popped it into his mouth and bit into the sweet, Riley mock gasped.

Sam glanced up. “What?”

“Busted.” She laughed as she plunked down on the chair in front of his desk. “And there I was thinking you didn’t have any vices.” She pointed to the candy hearts.

“Guilty.” He dropped another sweet into his mouth and grinned. “I got hooked on them in college. Want one?” He offered her the bag of sweethearts.

“Sweets before dinner? Very bad.” But she reached out and took one. “Thanks.” Riley glanced at the candy between her fingers. “Do you ever look to see what you get?”

It wasn’t until her mind registered the lettering on the heart that her breath snagged in her throat. A random phrase, so why did it feel like someone was trying to tell her something?

Sam shook his head, his gaze returning to the file he’d been reading. “No, why do you ask?”

“Mine says KISS ME AGAIN.” She held up the little heart for him to see.

Sam’s head slowly raised, his gaze bypassed the candy and locked on hers. He switched his attention to the little pink heart, then did something completely at odds with the intense expression he’d worn a moment before. He laughed—a soft chuckle that cloaked itself around her like a warm cuddle and unleashed that seductive dimple in his left cheek. His gaze came back to hers and his expression sobered.

“I’d have to kiss you first before I can kiss you again.” The low intimate timbre of his tone sent a prickle over her, tightened her skin.

To disguise the sudden wired sensation in the pit of her stomach, Riley popped the sweet into her mouth, smiled then shrugged. “Well, there’s that.”

Even from the distance of his desk that separated them, Riley noticed the way his gaze dipped to her mouth then darkened as she crunched the chalky sweet.

“C’mere.” His voice, richer, darker, and sexier caressed her.

Riley gulped against the tension constricting her throat; her heart pounded in anticipation as she swallowed the chewed candy. “I don’t think that would be wise, Sam.”

“I’m not asking you to be wise, Riley. I’m asking you to come over here.”

“Why? Do you need me to look at something in that file you were reading?” She kept a playful smile in place as she thought of a way to ease out of yet another potentially awkward moment she’d created with Sam. She was pretty sure she’d make a fool of herself if she closed the space between them.

“Riley.” Her insides liquefied whenever he said her name with such command. “Come here.” With that rusty edge to his usually smooth voice, she couldn’t help but obey.

She slowly pushed to her feet and, on shaky legs, she moved around the desk toward him. “Sam?”

He stood, closed the remaining space between them. “Say my name again.”

“Sam…” This time it came out breathy and needy. No matter how hard she tried, Riley just couldn’t fight the attraction that had been tormenting her for longer than she cared to admit. She fancied Sam from the moment she first met him that morning almost three months ago as they both set off to work.

She raised her chin, met his gaze knowing he’d see desire in hers. The air between them pulsated. This time she made no attempt to hide her need.

“You’re incredibly distracting, do you know that?” Sam’s finger grazed her cheek, followed the curve and warmed her skin.

“So are you.”

“What do you think we should do about this unfortunate situation?” He captured a tendril of her hair that had escaped from her updo.

“We could ignore it.” Riley sucked in a shaky breath, breathed in Sam’s woodsy spice scent.

“You see, I already tried that. It isn’t working for me.” His gaze focused on the hair between his fingers, his voice dropped to an intimate murmur. “I just keep thinking about kissing you.” His gaze flicked back to hers. “Every time you bring me coffee, I want to pull you down onto my lap and kiss you.”

Riley’s breath got trapped in her throat. “Sam…” she whispered. “You’re my boss. Isn’t there a rule about fraternizing with your subordinates?”

His gaze dipped to her lips, traced their shape until they stung with burning need.

“I don’t want to fraternize with you, Riley. I just want to kiss you.” His bold admission gave her tummy twirls. Without further delay, Sam took the last step and sealed his lips to hers.

She slid her palms up over his delicious chest to his wide shoulders as she returned his kiss before Riley finally did what she’d wanted to for weeks. She cupped his jaw between her hands and got the answer to the question she’d pondered. How would his stubble feel against her palms?

Soft.

And so sexy she couldn’t hold in a sigh of pleasure. His arms snaked around her, drew her against his body as he deepened the kiss. If this was the only kiss she’d have with Sam, she was going to make the most of it. In a bold move, she snuck her tongue into his mouth, rewarded when Sam groaned deep in his throat and turned the kiss into a scorching erotic caress so deep and hot it left them both breathless.

When he released her, Riley thanked the heavens that he hadn’t let go of her completely or she would have melted to the cream loop pile carpeted floor.

His mouth found the side of her neck on the sensitive area just below her ear. A shiver of pleasure zipped through her as he trailed succulent kisses down her neck. “Remind me…what was written on that candy heart?”

“Kiss Me Again.” Riley barely got the phrase out around the tightness in her chest. Barely heard her words over her drumming heartbeat.

“Ah yes, silly of me to forget.”

Then he kissed her again—deeper, longer, more intense. A kiss of shared fiery desire, now started couldn’t easily be extinguished.

“Come home with me, Riley.” Sam’s hoarse whisper feathered her lips.