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Sam brushed his thumb over her cheek. “I already got you the moon. So maybe I can get you the stars.”

Smiling, Maya took his hand to lead him back into the living room. “I’ve got you something already. And it’s also moon and star related. Kind of.”

“Intriguing.” He laid her onto the sofa, climbing on top of her to kiss her neck. “If it’s from you, then I’ll love it.”

Her body tingling from his kisses, Maya pushed her fingers into his hair as he pulled up her top, dragging his mouth down her chest and then her abdomen. He lifted his head to meet her eyes as he unfastened her jeans. “I think I know what might help you relax after your bad day.”

Smiling, Maya lay back. This almost made a bad day worth it.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Sam skied the last of the run, arriving at the bottom and seeing his class off. Maya should have heard back about her interview by now. They’d told her the decision would be made by Monday lunchtime, and it was now a couple of hours into the afternoon, so that should mean contact had been made with the candidates.

Pulling off his helmet and goggles, he took a breath. Ever since she’d told him about the interview, his anxiety had been gnawing at him. He didn’t want her to leave, that was for sure. But the knowledge that she was in the running for what sounded like an excellent job, plus her father being keen she take it and even knowing one of the partners at the firm, made Sam doubt himself. And doubt his motivations. What if he was holding her back?

If he weren’t around, would Maya still feel as strongly about working at the resort? His heart told him she would, but there was something niggling at the back of his mind. Their relationship was so fresh and new, and they couldn’t get enough of one another. Their lunch breaks were filled with each other, and they spent little time eating lunch during them. What if, further down the line, once all that wore off, she realized she’d made a mistake? Passed up a good opportunity? What if she came to resent him for it?

Moving toward the terrace, he leaned against the fencing. How would he live with the guilt if he ended up holding her back? The feeling that she was too good for him had been snowballing. The trolling by bloody Catriona didn’t help either. Maya had been in tears about it at the weekend, and Sam was beginning to wonder whether he should contact Cat and say something, but would that worsen her behavior? He wasn’t sure what to do, and if he were honest with himself, the option of letting Maya go had crossed his mind, as excruciating as that was to contemplate.

Letting out a breath, he decided to stop catastrophizing and go find Maya. At least once he knew what the interview outcome was, it might help him to decide what to do.

He was heading inside and pausing just beyond the back entrance to decide where to search first, when she came through the door that led into the stairwell. Her eyes appeared red and her cheeks flushed.

Sam’s insides tightened as he closed the gap between them and took her into his arms. “What’s happened?”

“Can we talk in your office?”

“Course we can.”

He took her hand to lead her upstairs and through his office door, taking off his jacket and sitting her on a chair. Sam pulled another chair up close and held her hand.

Maya gave him a weak smile. “I was offered the job.”

Making a mammoth effort not to reveal how far his heart sank at that statement, Sam plastered a smile onto his face. “Well done.” I can’t even be genuinely pleased for her. What kind of a douchebag boyfriend does that make me? Did that make him like his father? He had always held his mother back, standing in her way with his psychological abuse when she’d gotten that promotion at work, and saying it would be selfish of her to take her attention away from the family. He’d emotionally blackmailed her into declining the position, thereby limiting Tara’s career progression, and ultimately her pay. That had meant the three of them were harder up than they should have been once he left.

Forcing his smile a little brighter, he tried to infuse some warmth into his tone. “That’s great news. Like you said, it gives you options.”

She shook her head. “I called Dad to say I’d got it but I was thinking of turning it down. Despite his promises about how we’d compromise and cross that bridge, he was not happy about it.”

Sam’s insides turned to ice. “Did he mention me again?”

Maya glanced away, and that said it all.

Taking her hands, he gave them a squeeze. “Let things cool off a bit, and have a think about it. When do you need to let them know by?”

Maya frowned, meeting his eyes. “The end of next week. But I already know what I want to tell them.”

She said that, but only a minute ago she’d been telling her dad she was “thinking of” turning it down. That meant, subconsciously, she must be considering it.

“I know,” he said. “But let’s not rush into anything.”

Her frown deepened, but she nodded, and that cemented his suspicions.

He gave her a hug. “Everything will be okay, I promise.”

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Sam made interested noises as the shop assistant ran through everything that was included in the hamper they’d made up for his mum’s Christmas present. They could have been telling him that they’d filled it with hard drugs for all he knew; he wasn’t taking a word in.