Sam slid the knot on his tie and buttoned his suit jacket. He'd had to buy all new suits to fit his trim physic. The clothes felt foreign. The house alien. Nothing about this life was right.



He needed to find a way to be grounded. Something had been missing after Delanie left. He hadn't heard from her again after the Coast Guard had picked her up. They'd whisked her away to a hospital in Miami. Bill had gone to interview her, but she hadn't called or said anything about seeing him.



It was for the best he though. He could get his act together before he went searching for her. The board meetings would be over by early tomorrow and then he would contact her agent.



The drive into work was painful and slow. He'd asked for a driver since he'd sold of all of his cars when he'd moved out to the ocean. He hadn't missed one of them at all. Not because he didn't appreciate a good car, but he didn't like the traffic. He guessed he could get used to the manic pace but did he want to.



When he arrived at the office the first of a long day of meetings was just beginning. He took his place and tried desperately to pay attention but all he could think about was Delanie. Almost losing her to that bastard had changed the way he thought about life. Really he had been stupid for not chasing after her, but he wanted to give her some time.



Now, after sitting through hours of boring rhetoric about operational budgets and finance he was ready to tear his hair out. He should be with Delanie. At the next break he would call her and make plans for them to get together.



****



Delanie knew her body wasn't totally healed when she slipped on a pair of heals and had to abandon them for flats. Her foot still ached from the beating she'd received.



This was totally unlike her. Not the getting dressed up but the fact that she'd come here. She twirled in front of the mirror and checked her dress. The flats would have to do. It would be weeks and maybe months before she could wear anything with more than an inch of heel.



Her stomach had butterflies as she took the elevator down to the first floor. The building that she wanted was right across the street from her hotel. She'd called ahead and asked if Sam would be in the office. Lucky for her he'd come back to New York and had a few meetings to take care of this week.



She waited through three traffic lights, not sure if going to Sam was the wisest of choices. After looking like a fool for too long, Delanie crossed the street and did her best to stay focused on the entrance to the building where Sam was in meetings. Two paparazzi found her and began taking shots. She ignored them like she'd been trained to do.



Once inside the photographers were whisked away before she stepped into the elevator. He was on the forty-eighth floor. The ride up seemed to last forever. She held her breath as she stepped out of the elevator, afraid of what he might say or how he would react. He may not want a relationship. If he didn't want her then she would swallow her pride and throw herself into her work. Her heart would never be the same though.



She walked to the reception desk and cleared her throat, "I need to speak with Sam Taylor."



A gorgeous man in a tailored suit turned to stare at her. She was used to that reaction and ignored him until he started moving towards her then she turned her head to look at him. "Sam?"



"Delanie, I'm on the phone with your agent. I guess I don't need to find out where you are."



"You were going to come looking for me."



"Yes." He moved to her and took her hand. "Follow me." He led her back to a large private office and closed the door. "I can't live without you."



Her heart soared. The man wanted her. This was the best news she had ever heard. She smiled up at him and he returned her smile. "That's good because I need you in my life."



She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hesitated for a second, his face going serious.



"We are getting married, right?"



Delanie sucked in a deep breath, her head spinning. "Yeah, we're getting married."



The End