In this moment Verity wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone, and despite the inevitability of heartbreak, she embraced the chance of having raw passionate sex with this man, something she’d never experienced in her life before.
Right on cue, Sam took her breath away.
ChapterSeventeen
Going with the flow didn’t quite have the same feeling when Verity woke up the next morning to find Sam wasn’t lying next to her. When she’d fallen asleep in his arms, she’d had a huge smile on her face – but not anymore. His clothes were gone and the pink fluffy socks were hanging on the back of the chair. Last night she was full of excitement and this morning she felt empty, like the two empty wine glasses on the small outdoor table – the only trace he’d been there. Why hadn’t he woken her and when did he sneak out?
Sitting up in bed, she grabbed her dressing gown before swinging her legs to the floor, then pulled back the van door…and jumped out of her skin when she found Pete standing there.
‘Woah! You frightened the life out of me.’
Pete tapped his watch. ‘I won’t be recommending you to Cooper if you can’t even turn up for voluntary work on time.’
Verity wondered if he was joking and felt a sense of rising panic. ‘What time is it?’ She quickly grabbed her phone. ‘I’m so sorry, Pete, I’ve overslept.’ With the wine and the kissing and the…Sam…she’d forgotten to set her alarm.
‘I’ll wait five minutes…over there.’ He pointed to the cottage, where Verity noticed the other rangers were already waiting.
Quickly closing the door, she brushed her teeth in bottled water from the fridge and pulled her brush through her hair. Stumbling, she pulled on clean clothes, slipped her feet into her trainers and lifted up her T-shirt to spray deodorant. It might have been just her imagination but she was sure she could smell sex all around her in the cramped space of her van. Hurrying towards the cottage and Pete, she noticed the other rangers making their way to their own sections of the cliff.
‘I slept like a log,’ she said, taking a clipboard from Pete.
‘Would that be down to the coastal air or the company?’
Damn, he must have seen Sam sneak out. She took her chance to try and fill in some blanks. ‘Do you know what time he left?’
‘Just after six a.m., when I left the cottage to go and check on Jimmy.’
‘And how is Jimmy?’ She felt awful; she hadn’t given Jimmy a second thought from the moment she’d woken up.
‘Feeling sorry for himself but he’s eating and drinking, which is a very good sign. Sam is coming to collect him at lunchtime.’
They walked in an awkward silence, Verity feeling a little embarrassed that Pete knew Sam had spent the night.
‘I don’t usually behave in that way,’ she finally blurted.
Pete looked sideward at her. ‘Don’t feel the need to explain yourself to me. It’s none of my business. My business is you turning up for work on time.’
‘I’m sorry about that.’
Pete nodded, but Verity’s mood had slumped. She knew last night had been completely her choice, she’d even felt empowered that she could make that choice, but now she was feeling regret, and it wasn’t good for her emotional health. Never having been in this situation before, she had no clue what to say or how to act when she next saw Sam.
‘Would you be free around two p.m.?’ asked Pete.
‘I’ll need to check my busy schedule.’ She smiled. ‘Yes, I’m free.’
‘I need to go over to the solicitors at Sea’s End to sign the contract for the sale of the surgery.’
‘Did you want me to come with you?’ she asked, a bit confused.
He handed her a bunch of keys. ‘No, Sam is coming to collect Jimmy and I need someone here to let him in. I’ve already administered the medication this morning so Jimmy just needs to be handed over, the cage cleaned down, and the surgery locked again.’ Pete must have sensed Verity’s hesitation. ‘Or I can rearrange the solicitors? I just didn’t schedule in a dog chasing a seagull over the cliff edge when I agreed to the appointment.’
‘And why not? That would have been my very first thought.’ She smiled, taking the keys from him. ‘Of course I can do that for you.’ She was intrigued to find out how Sam would act towards her and whether he would acknowledge what had happened last night. It was better to see him in the privacy of the surgery than to run into him in the street.
As they began to count the puffins, Verity realised she was quieter than yesterday. She couldn’t get Sam off her mind. Even though he’d been honest with her and told her that he wasn’t looking for a relationship, she couldn’t help feeling down because he’d left without saying goodbye. She should be revelling in the fact that she had been wrapped in the arms of a gorgeous man and enjoyed great sex, but instead she was disappointed, because when she’d played the scenario out in her head, they’d woken up together and he’d told her what a great night he’d had, before asking to see her again. Instead, she’d woken alone and had no idea where they stood with one another.
‘Have you thought any more about applying for the job with Cooper?’ Pete interrupted her thoughts as he stuck his hand down one of the burrows.
‘I’m thinking about it. It’s just?—’
