“Oh. Interesting. So there was someone you were attracted to? And he didn’t make a move? Is he gay?”
“No, he’s notgay—he’s my boss.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I lean back, floored.
She continues, “Don’t get the wrong idea—he’s totally unavailable. He’s never so much as flirted with me. And now he’s getting married, so that’s a done deal. But, yeah, if I’m being completely honest, as I promised to be, when Stu and I broke up, I kinda thought, ‘Hey, now that my boss and I are both single at the same time for the first time in six years, I wonder if he’ll maybe make a move on me?’” She chuckles. “It was just a little crush, that’s all. And, like I said, now he’s getting married so, that’s that. But, hey, at least now you know I’m not made of ice, right?”
My heart is pounding ferociously in my ears. “But are you still hoping to start something with this guy? Like, if his marriage doesn’t work out or if he makes a move on you behind his wife’s back, are you gonna ditch whatever relationship you might have going to leap at the chance?”
“What?No. Oh my God. I shouldn’t have brought him up. Thank you, tequila.” She shakes her head. “How the hell did we get on that topic in the first place? Ryan, listen to me, my little crush on my boss wasn’t even about him,per se—it was more that he’s the gold standard of thekindof guy I’d like to find for myself, that’s all.”
Her words are doing nothing to assuage me. I feel flooded with jealousy. Has she been off the market for nine fucking months because she’s been jonezing for this boss of hers the whole time—some pilot or maybe the CEO of the entire fucking airline? Shit. I can’t stop myself from going full-on caveman here. It’s ridiculous, I know—but, as far as I’m concerned, this woman is already mine.Mine.And I’m not gonna sit here and let some douchebag-pilot steal my future girl—
“Ryan?” Samantha says, cutting off my rambling thoughts.
I look at her, my jaw tight.
She’s looking at me like I’m certifiable. “Are you okay? You look upset.”
I try my damnedest to loosen my jaw and smile at her, but I can’t do it. If I’m acting like a bunny-boiling loon right now, so be it. I’ve never felt this kind of connection with anyone in my life and I’m sure as fuck not gonna let some asshole-pilot cock-block me before I’ve taken her out to fucking dinner. “Sorry,” I grit out. “I know I have no right to feel this way, but I’m honestly feeling ridiculously jealous of your boss—I’m worried you’re maybe really hung up on him and I’m walking into a no-win situation here.”
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” she mutters. “God, I never should have said a thing about him. Haven’t you ever had a little crush on someone you knew was unavailable? A professor? Your best friend’s girlfriend?”
“Sure,” I reply, instantly thinking of Sarah.
“Well, having a crush on an unavailable person doesn’t mean you think the person’s the great love of your life, does it? It just means that person is attractive to you, and you think to yourself, ‘Oh, that’s the kind of person I’d like to find.’” Samantha beams a sexy smile at me that stops my heart and hardens my dick. “If it assures you at all, I can honestly say, for the first time in nine months—maybe even the first timeever—I think maybe I’ve found a guy who might very well be setting a new gold standard for the kind of guy I’m looking for.”
And, just like that, she somehow managed to calm me the fuck down. Fuck the boss, whoever he is. I’m being a loon. “I feel the exact same way,” I say. “I’ve never felt this kind of connection before. I don’t even know how to react to feeling this way.”
“I get it,” she whispers. She leans into me and kisses my cheek, sending goose bumps radiating all over my body. I grasp her hand and lean into her face to kiss her, but, at the last minute, remember I can’t do that.Not tonight. My first kiss with this woman who might very well become the great love of my life can’t occur when I’ve still got the faint taste of Olivia on my lips.
But, oh, shit, I can’t resist stealing a tiny little taste of her skin. Just a little nibble—something completely harmless. I turn my head and lay a soft kiss on Samantha’s cheek, inhaling her scent, my dick throbbing with desire.
“Ryan,” she whispers. She lays a return-kiss on my cheek, her hand grazing through my hair.
“I want you,” I whisper into Samantha’s ear. “I want to kiss you. I want a taste.”
She lets out a shaky breath and whispers into my ear: “Quiero besarte y lamerte, por todo el cuerpo.”
“Whatever you just said, it was hot as hell,” I whisper, my body shuddering with arousal.
Her warm, wet tongue flickers briefly against my ear, making my entire body convulse like she’s zapped me with a Taser gun.
She lays a soft kiss on my cheek, and then another, a move that turns my hard-on to steel. “Quiero follarte, una y otra vez,” she whispers into my ear, her voice low and sexy.
I nuzzle my nose into her hair and breathe in her scent, my fingertips caressing the smooth nape of her neck.Oh my God, I want this woman.
“Quiero sentir tu lengua entre las piernas.”
My brain might not know what she’s saying to me, but my body sure does. I kiss her cheek, nuzzle my nose into her hair again, kiss the soft flesh next to her ear—and she quivers with arousal. “Whenever you’re ready for me,” I coo into her ear, “I’m gonna make you feel so fucking good, baby. The pleasure I’m gonna give you is gonna change your life.”
A little groan escapes her throat.
I lay a soft kiss right next to her ear again—and then a soft peck onto her cheek, and another on her neck, this one with tongue, and she responds by moaning and clutching my forearm. Okay, I can’t resist: I bite her neck and she gasps.
“Kiss me, Ryan,” Samantha whispers into my ear. She skims her lips across my stubble. “Bésame.”
“Tomorrow night,” I whisper back, my heart racing. “On our date. Something to look forward to, baby.”
