Page 12 of Chasing the Wild
"I have a client emergency that requires my immediate attention. The WiFi isn’t reliable here.”
“We’re in the middle of a storm.”
Belinda waved her hand dismissively. “Surely we can make it back to the parking area at the foot of the mountain. It’s all down hill from here, right?"
"No."
The single word landed like a hammer. Belinda blinked, clearly unused to being shut down like that.
"No, it’s not down hill?”
“No, it’s not save to descend the mountain in these conditions.”
“I'm sorry, but I don't think you understand the urgency."
"I understand that you want to leave," Sam interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I also understand that attempting to evacuate in current conditions would be suicide. So no, Ms. Sorento, we're not leaving. Not until it's safe. Your client emergency will have to wait."
Belinda's face flushed with anger. "I could have your business license revoked for this."
"You could try." Sam's smile was sharp. "We stay until the conditions improve. End of discussion."
I felt an absurd surge of attraction watching him shut down Belinda's power play without flinching. He wasn't intimidated by her position or her threats. He simply knew what he was doing and refused to compromise safety for convenience.
"Ms. Madison." Belinda turned her attention to me, and I saw the calculation in her eyes. "Perhaps you could speak with Mr. Edwards about the importance of client service."
The implication was clear: prove your loyalty to the firm by fixing this situation. Use whatever influence you might have with Sam to get what we want. A day ago, I might have tried. Might have pulled Sam aside and attempted to negotiate some kind of compromise that would satisfy Belinda.
But that was before Sam had told me about my dimple. Before he'd seen my performance smiles and my real smiles and known the difference. Before I'd realized how much of my life had been spent trying to please people who would never be satisfied.
"Actually," I heard myself say, "I think Mr. Edwards is right. Client emergencies aren't worth dying over. We have staff in the office that can handle things until we get back in three days, especially since two of those days are Saturday and Sunday."
The silence that followed was profound. Belinda stared at me like I'd grown a second head. Around the room, my fellow lawyers watched with expressions ranging from shock to approval to barely concealed glee at the drama.
And Sam looked at me like I'd just given him the world.
"Well," Belinda said icily. "I see where your priorities lie. We'll discuss this when we return."
The threat was implicit: this would affect my partnership prospects. This was career suicide for the sake of... what? A man I'd known for a week?
But looking at Sam's face, seeing the pride and possession in his eyes, I couldn't bring myself to care.
"Looking forward to it," I said.
Belinda stalked off to one of the back rooms, slamming the door behind her. The other lawyers dispersed, some heading for the kitchen, others returning to their bunks.
Sam crossed to me in three long strides, his hand coming up to cup the back of my neck, pulling me into an empty side room. The moment the door closed behind us, his mouth was on mine—not gentle, not asking, just claiming.
"You just chose me over your career," he said when we both needed air.
"I chose not to die in a blizzard."
"You chose me, Jess." His hands framed my face. "You could have stayed quiet. Could have let me be the bad guy. But you backed me up in front of your boss, knowing it would cost you. Why?"
"Because you were right."
"That's not why." His eyes searched mine, intense and demanding. "Tell me why."
"Because..." I struggled to put it into words, but he deserved the truth. "Because for the first time in years, someone was trying to keep me safe instead of useful. You weren't thinking about productivity or client service or what looked good professionally. You were thinking about keeping people alive. Keeping me alive."
