Sam woke, blinking for a moment in confusion as she took in the darkened room bathed in the eerie gray light of dawn.

Her sleep fogged brain cleared and she became aware of the weight of Ryan's arm over her torso, hand splayed possessively across her bare abdomen. He was a welcome heat against her back as she lay curled against him, legs tangled together, his face buried in the curve of her neck, new beard growth tickling her sensitive skin.

She squinted at the bedside clock. The illuminated display showed four twenty six am, she needed to get up now to have a shot at getting to the office on time but it felt so good to be held by him she couldn't muster the will to leave just yet.

Careful not to wake him, she slowly wriggled until she faced him, taking the opportunity to study him. In sleep, his features looked peaceful, relaxed and even more handsome. She reached out to brush back a lock of hair from his forehead, fingers lingering to lightly trace over his temple, the fine web of lines around his mouth and down to a defined jawline, committing every curve and contour to memory.

Her body ached, a satisfied smile curving her lips at the delicious reminder of their love making the night before. They'd been a bit more adventurous than usual and she blushed as she remembered the way they'd gone at it in the elevator.

God, she hoped there were no surveillance cameras in there or whomever was responsible for watching the footage would get an eyeful. Plus, it was a good thing he lived all alone on this floor or they'd have gotten noise complaints.

And she had been loud. Even now, her throat felt slightly raw from all the screaming he'd wrung out of her.

It had been an incredible night, but for Sam, the best part had been the cuddling; spooning while talking about nothing in particular before finally falling into an exhausted sleep.

For a moment, Sam let her imagination go wild, picturing what it would feel like to fall asleep like that every night and wake up in his arms. Then cold logic returned and she sighed, letting her fingers drop from his face.

It was foolish craving more than what they had. For one thing, she wasn't even sure she was ready to commit to a real relationship.

And another, she wasn't sure she could leave herself vulnerable, and dating Ryan would leave her in that state; as long as they both worked for the same company, her job and reputation would be in a precarious position since they wouldn't exactly be able to publicly date.

She sighed again and tried to extricate herself from his embrace, the need to put some distance between them coming over her.

Ryan stirred, and merely tightened his hold as his fingers caressed her midriff, then drifted south, his cock, which had already been stiff, going rock hard against her hip in seconds.

"Morning, princess" he rumbled against her ear, causing her body to stir in awareness as he pressed a kiss on her shoulder, while his wandering hands slid between her thighs.

"Ryan…" she began, trying to wriggle away but her next words dissolved in a moan as his thumb found her clit.

"Mmm?" His voice held a teasing note as he propped himself up to watch the play of emotions on her face as he proceeded to render her incapable of thought.

"What is it, princess? Do you want more of this…?" He slid a finger into her wet heat and Sam felt her body tighten around him, gasping in pleasure that spiralled higher when his mouth closed over her nipple, his tongue teasing the sensitive nub.

All thoughts forgotten, Sam reached down and took his cock in hand, enjoying the ragged breath that sawed out of him as she gently squeezed the tip, precum coating her fingers. Using the lubrication, she began to stroke his hot, hard length, her fingers barely able to completely circle his girth.

"Fuck, baby that feels good." He groaned, burying his face in her neck, hips flexing into her touch. He added a second finger inside her and began thrusting in time to her hand movements on his cock.

Their ragged breathing filled the room as they stroked each other, his expert touch rapidly driving Sam close to cumming.

"Ryan, I'm close…" she whispered brokenly, eyes fluttering shut as she strove to keep up stroking him despite her body shaking so hard it was difficult to keep up. She could tell he was close too with how his cock twitches and swelled within her grasp.

"Yeah...me too, baby." He groaned and took her nipple back into his mouth, sucking hard. That tipped her over the edge and she cried out as tingles of electricity raced all over her body. At the same time, liquid heat flooded her palm and stomach as he came in her hand.

"I'm going to take a shower." Sam extricated herself from his arms, rolled out of bed, heading for the bathroom. She could feel his eyes on her naked body and couldn't resist swaying her hips a tad bit more to tease him.

She was rewarded with an appreciative whistle and seconds later, Ryan leaped out of bed,and lunged towards her, intent clear in his gaze. She shrieked in delight, barely evading his attempt to wrap an arm around her waist and sprinted into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Aww, Princess," his voice came from the other end. "Don't you want company? I can make it worth your while."

"No thanks," she called out, "You'll make me late if I let you in and I need to get back home first before going to work."

"Fine." He sighed. "What do you want for breakfast? I can make some scrambled eggs and toast or do you prefer pancakes?"

"Pancakes sound yummy."

"Coming up. Enjoy your shower...and Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Try not to think of the last time we were in there together, kay?"

A blush stole over her cheeks as of course his words triggered the memory of her with her legs locked around his hips, but mashed against the warm tile, his strong hands holding her as he drove deep inside her, the wet slaos of their bodies mingling with the sound of gushing water. And that was after he'd demonstrated the effects of various speeds of the shower head on her pussy.

"You sneaky devil." She muttered, as he let out an evil laugh and walked away, leaving her in a freshly aroused state. "Cheeky bugger."

                                         *****

Freshly showered and dressed in yesterday's clothes sans panties, Sam followed the smell of pancakes into the kitchen, stomach rumbling in appreciation.

Ryan was at the stove, coffee mug in one hand as he flipped pancakes expertly with the other. He must have used the other bathroom while she showered, hair still slightly damp and curling around his face and neck. A white robe hung loose, revealing a bare chest and black silk boxers underneath.

His attention was divided between the stove and the newscaster delivering a financial report from the TV but caught sight of her as she entered and smiled. "Just in time, breakfast's just about ready."

He turned off the stove and transferred the pancakes to a plate, adding in some strawberries and drizzled maple syrup over the lot.

"Smells yummy," she replied, coming to sit at the counter. The pancakes did look delicious and she dug in eagerly, eyes widening as she took the first bite. "Ryan, this is delicious!"

"Uh...well pancakes are just about the only thing I can make without screwing up." He shrugged and crossed over to the fridge, pulling out a carton of juice. "I know you don't drink coffee, and I don't have tea, is this okay?"

"Juice is fine." Sam took another bite and smiled at him, accepting the glass he poured out for her. "Thanks."

"No problem." Leaning against the counter, he pulled his own plate close and began to eat, shoveling large forks into his mouth.

They ate in silence, him watching the news, while she went flipped through her emails and messages. There were three missed calls from Yash - two from late last night and one around 3am this morning - and she realized with a guilty jolt that she hadn't told him she wouldn't be home last night.

Crap

"Problem?" Ryan asked. She looked up from her screen to see him watching her in concern.

"Uh...no," she shook her head and set the phone down, locking the screen. "Just going through some messages."

She drained her orange juice and finished off the last bite quickly then rose, gathering her dishes and his and carrying them to the sink.

"I should get going, I have to get back home to change first before heading into the office, so I might be a little late."

He stood as well. "Sure. Let me just throw on some clothes and I'll drive you home. And don't worry about coming in late, I told everyone to come in at nine for the meeting today."

"There's no need to drop me off, that will just be an extra hassle for you. It's morning now, perfectly safe to take the subway." She looked at him over her shoulder, turning on the tap to rinse off the dishes.

He chuckled and came up behind her, arms encircling her waist, the scent of his cologne and aftershave a pleasant aroma that stirred her senses. The heat of his body warmed her, and instinctively, her body leaned into his touch, soaking in the strength of his embrace, surprised to find him aroused and ready against her back.

"I don't mind." He whispered in her ear, reaching out to shut off the tap while the other arm drew her closer, lips tracing light kisses on her exposed neck. "It just means I get to spend more time with you."

The admission sparked a riot of emotions within Sam. Unsure of what to make of his words, she pulled away, hiding her confusion behind a wide smile. "I…"

The simultaneous beep of their phones mercifully saved any awkward conversation. Slipping past him, she hurried to grab her phone off the counter and opened the new message.

It was from Bradford Silverton's executive assistant letting her know of an impromptu executive meeting scheduled for eight am.

She glanced at the clock at the corner of the screen. Five minutes past six. A quick mental calculation told her she could just about make the one and half hour commute from here to her place and then to the office, accounting for the time it would take to get changed and grab her stuff for work.

"It's probably about getting the contract." Ryan said, glancing up from his own phone. "Give me five minutes to get dressed, it'll be faster if I drive you home."

"Okay," She'd arrived at the same conclusion. Alone, her thoughts wandered back to his admission but she shoved it aside, focusing on the upcoming meeting instead.

Ryan's guess was probably right and Bradford wanted to know their next steps now that the contract was secured. She made a mental note to discuss this with Ryan on the drive.

He was out in less than five, dressed in a light blue shirt and black suit pants, tie and jacket hanging over one arm. "Let's go."

A/N

(Another short chapter, sorry) but the subsequent chapters get longer. Also, updates on Wattpad will be much slower since I have to wait a certain period of time after a chapter unlocks on Radish to be able to post it here. You can however, read unlocked chapters on Radish.