Private 02 - Private Paradise

left.
    Sam was telling the truth.
    Even acknowledging possibility of it made her legs go noodly underneath her. Sam caught her before he could fall, and Carla grabbed his thick upper arms to steady herself. When he would have released her she clung to him, her eyes locked on his face as every word, every smile, every touch he'd given her in the last week replayed like a highlight reel in her mind.
    Every moment making her feel more alive than she had in years.
    She looked into blue eyes gone dark with desire and regret.
    And finally, with her defenses breached, something she hadn't allowed herself to see, even though she realized now it had been there all along. Love.
    Her throat caught on a swift intake of air. “Oh my God. You do love me.”
    His full lips pulled into a smile, making his eyes crinkle at the corners in the way that never failed to make her stomach do a backflip. His big hands came up to cradle her face. “You're just realizing it now?” His mouth came over hers, his tongue parted her lips in a kiss so tender she thought she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor.
    He lifted his head, gave her gentle peck on each cheek. “I do love you, Carla DeLuca. It's always been you.” He kissed her again. “Question is, do you love me back?
    She swallowed hard, her eyes stinging with tears, overwhelmed as the emotions she'd been working so hard to hold back burst free, rushing through her like an unstoppable force
    ###
    Sam held his breath, suspended in agony as he waited for her reply. Told himself that even if the answer was no, it would be okay because at least he'd gotten her to see the truth. About him, about the past, about everything.
    Sure he'd spend the rest of his life with a hole in his chest big enough to drive a truck through, but at least he'd have the consolation of knowing the love of his life didn't think he was a lying sack of shit.
    “ I--” the words caught and she looked up at him with dark, stricken eyes. Sam's stomach fell to his feet and he braced himself for the killing blow. This was worse, he realized in a flash, than when she'd laughed. Then she'd been rejecting the man she thought he was.
    Now, she was about to reject the man he really was. The one who'd picked himself up, dusted himself off, and made something of himself and had hoped that would impress her enough to give him a second chance.
    God damn it, he might not be selfish, scared, and immature any more, but he sure as shit was still stupid, at least when it came to Carla DeLuca.
    He felt a suspicious burn in his eyes and he stepped back, wanting nothing more than to get away from her before he broke down and really humiliated himself.
    “ I do,” she breathed.
    His heart froze in his chest, then started to beat, fast and heavy. “What?”
    “ I do love you. As scary as it is to admit that out loud, I love you, Sam.” Her voice was high pitched and breathy from that fear. “I don't think I ever stopped.” His heart broke at her beautiful, tear-streaked face, her fear of getting hurt still easy to see, even through the unmistakable love in her eyes.
    He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, tasting her tears. “I fucked up, big time,” he murmured against her lips. “But don't let the stupid kid that I was ruin what we can have. Don't be scared of me, don't be scared of us.”
    He kissed her again, groaning as she parted her lips for his tongue. He tasted her sigh as the last of her resistance disappeared. “I love you,” he whispered again, his blood heating at the feel of her curves pressed up against him.
    Their slow, loving kisses quickly grew heated, and soon Sam had one hand up Carla's shirt while the other fumbled with the button on her shorts. Even after their crazy night together, he felt an almost desperate need to be inside her, to lay his claim once and for all.
    “ Wait,” Carla said, grabbing his hand before he could tug the zipper down. “We're in the office, anyone could come by.”
    Sam let out a tortured groan but knew she was right. It was one thing to have their relationship out in the open, another for the boss to be caught having sex on a desk in the middle of the day. No way would Carla risk her professional reputation like that.
    Sam stepped away and resigned himself to enduring an epic case of blue balls until they could slip away to her villa
    To his shock, Carla didn't try to put herself back together. Instead, she crossed to the office door and locked it. Then she