Chapter 10 : Cold truths, hot tensions

Rick's POV 

"So, are you going to tell me why you're so down today?" I asked, my voice low as I unpacked the food and ice cream for Samantha on the kitchen counter. I kept my movements deliberate, but my chest felt wound up like a tight spring. "You don't look so good. Is it something I could help with?"

She looked up at me, her striking baby blue eyes holding a mix of exhaustion and quiet defiance. "I want the ice cream first."

A faint smile tugged at my mouth, though a heavy ache settled in my gut. Well, turns out she can comfortably eat a plate of ice cream when my heart is literally about to explode from her closeness and her scent. It was maddening. I’ve handled multi-million dollar standoffs without a single flicker of hesitation, yet she’s the only one that makes me this vulnerable.

"Anything for you," I murmured.

She sat on the sofa, silently eating her ice cream while I watched over her, entirely captivated. The quiet between us grew thick, charged with the lingering warmth of how close we’d been just minutes ago.

Suddenly, she paused, setting the spoon down. "Rick?"

"Yeah?"

She swallowed hard, her eyes locking onto mine with a sudden, serious intensity. "Why are you here? I've told you my stance about our age gap and friendship. I wouldn't want to jeopardize that."

The word friendship tasted like ash in my throat, but I kept my composure, stepping closer until I was standing right at the edge of the couch, looking down at her.

"Our age gap doesn't matter to me," I said, my baritone dropping into a firm, unwavering register. "Have I ever given you a reason to think that it is? Growth is about mindset, Sammie, not numbers."

She let out a soft breath, her lips parting slightly. As I stared at her, I noticed a tiny trace of vanilla ice cream on the side of her lips. Before my brain could execute any sense of restraint, I subconsciously reached down and wiped it away with the pad of my thumb.

Sammie let out a sharp, breathless gasp, her body freezing under my touch.

My gaze darkened. Without thinking, keeping my eyes locked dead-center on hers, I brought my thumb to my mouth and licked the sweetness from it.

The air in the room instantly turned scorching hot. Her cheeks flushed a deep, beautiful crimson, and her chest heaved as she tried to find her voice.

"Umm... Rick," she whispered, her voice trembling with a delicious panic. "You should probably go..."

"I still want to stay and take care of you," I countered softly, refusing to back down. I held her gaze with mine, letting the absolute sincerity and the sheer weight of my obsession burn through. "I promise I won't overstep."

I don't know if minutes or seconds had passed. The rest of the world completely ceased to exist. We were trapped in a vacuum of pure, suffocating tension, her eyes searching mine.

“Sammie I…”

Zzzzz.

The aggressive vibration of my phone in my pocket interrupted. I drew it out, noting the name on the caller ID, but I didn't break a single second of eye contact with Sammie as I brought it to my ear.

"Speak," I barked into the line.

"Boss, we have a situation at the perimeter," my head of security's rushed voice came through. "Someone just opened fire on the east warehouse."

My jaw clenched, a deadly, lethal coldness instantly replacing the warmth in my chest. "Shooting into my property was definitely the wrongest move to take."

Sammie looked at me wide-eyed, her pale face losing what little color it had left as she caught the sheer venom in my tone.

"Did you catch a glimpse of who was responsible?" I demanded, my grip tightening on the phone until the plastic groaned.

"We got a partial license plate, boss. Black SUV heading north."

"Good," I commanded, the ruthless predator in me taking full control. "Load up the truck."

I hung up the phone and finally broke eye contact to pocket it, the dark, dangerous reality of my world crashing violently back into the room.

"Rick? Who was that? What was that about?”