All she could hope for was that letting her heart open to more than just disinterest toward this man wouldn’t hurt her in the end.
****
The end of the contract
Sorcha tightened her hold on her bag and stepped out of the bedroom. The week had flown by, and now that it was Sunday evening she would be returning to her crappy little apartment, with her crappy personal possessions, and her mundane life. She supposed she didn’t have any more debt concerning her mother’s hospital bills, which would help her immensely on saving up and maybe one day getting a small house she could call her own. She moved toward the study, expecting to see Rian there. He sat behind his desk, his phone pressed to his ear, and his voice tense and low.
“I’ll have the proposal drafted up, and have the figures in place if it takes me all fucking night.” He was silent for a moment as he listened to whoever he was speaking with. “No, I’m not going to have someone else do this, because if I want something done right I clearly have to do it myself.” After a few seconds he hung up, exhaled, and stared out the window.
“The car is taking you back?” he asked and looked at her.
She nodded and felt this emptiness start to fill her. She could see this flicker of emotion cross his face.
He stood and moved toward her, and when he was a foot from her, he said, “I can take you back.”
“You don’t have to do that. I know you are swamped with work, and with the workweek starting tomorrow it’ll be hectic.” Although she wanted more from him, this was all so new for both of them. Yes, they had said how they felt, had expressed their emotions, but they also needed to really think about all of this.
“I’m sorry I’ve been busy on our last day.” He cupped her face. “There was an issue with some paperwork never being drafted, and a potential client backing out of a deal we had set in motion for a while now. I’ve been trying to patch things up so I don’t lose a shitload of money in the process.”
She nodded and smiled. “I know, and it’s okay.” Sorcha didn’t bother admitting that today she had snuck in glimpse of him working, or the concentration he exhibited, and of how much she wanted to kiss the look of determination off his face. It may have only been a week that they had spent together, and those seven days had gone quickly, but it seemed like they had been together for far longer, even if it sounded silly and cliché.
“You’re thinking an awful lot right now,” he said deeply.
“I’ve been thinking a lot lately, especially after the party and the whole Beatrice thing.” She spoke just as softly. Something passed across his face, and she wanted to ask him what he was thinking.
“Yeah, not the most memorable time of this week.”
That was an understatement, but she was about to tell him that what she had been thinking about concerned them, and how she wanted to see where they could go. Sorcha didn’t want this to be the end of their time together. She might have hated him before all of this, and a week wasn’t nearly long enough to determine if anything more than a sexual relationship could blossom, but she knew she wanted to try. But she also knew that Rian had a lot on his plate right now, and that they had plenty of time to work the small stuff out.
“Are you ready, Miss Case?” Theodore asked from behind her.
“I’m ready.” She stared at Rian, and then leaned forward to kiss him soundly. For several seconds all they did was stand there, their lips pressed together and their breathing the same hurried tempo.
“I’m not about to let you go,” he said against her mouth, but it was so soft she didn’t know if she had heard him correctly.
Pulling away shouldn’t have been so difficult. Sorcha wanted to tell him that she didn’t want him to let her go, that she wanted to go further, but she didn’t say anything, and instead smiled. “I should go and let you get back to work.”
“Okay, if that’s what you want.”
No, it wasn’t, but she did need to get home, even if she wanted to stay here with him.
He shoved his hands in his front pockets. “I’ll see you Monday, Sorcha.”
“Okay.” She turned and headed toward the front door, but glanced over her shoulder once more. There he stood, dress slacks and button-down shirt all crisp and perfect, his shirtsleeves rolled up his muscular forearms, and the first few button left undone at his collar. He was wealthy and gorgeous, but that wasn’t why she felt this way. No, she felt this way because these were the first real emotions she had ever experienced. She didn’t want to ignore that because of the one side of Rian that he portrayed the majority of the time. With one last look at him, she left, and went back to her apartment, and the only thing on her mind was what in the hell the future held?