Chapter 4

 

Their late lunch went well, at least Brie thought so. They chatted, recalled times past, and even teased one another. Thankfully, he hadn't mentioned the earlier scene with Bam Bam. With any luck, he had forgotten it. Well, he'd better recall the part about promising to wear clothes, of course.

She realized one thing—his image was burned into her mind for all eternity.

It was too good to last, as she discovered when the check arrived. Rye didn't even glance at the amount, simply tucked the corner under his plate. Frowning, she leaned in to whisper, "This was my idea, so hand over the bill."

His level eyes met hers. "No."

That's all he has to say? Just no? Stifling a snort, she tried again. "Rye, come on. Hand it over."

"No."

Her temper flared. "Look, it's not like this is a date, at the very least let me pay for mine." There, I'm being reasonable, that should work.

"No."

Neanderthals are so not reasonable… Just short of growling, she attempted to grab the paper, only succeeding in knocking over an empty water glass. Quickly setting the glass back upright, she glared at the man across from her as he held the paper in one hand, intent on keeping it out of her reach. "Is that all you can say, 'no'?"

"No." That had his lips twitching.

If she were to whap him upside the head in a public restaurant, she wondered if anyone would report her to the police for domestic violence. Now, that might be an option. Taking a deep breath, she tried once more before clubbing him. "Rye, really. I want to at least pay for myself. We're not dating, and even if I was on a date I would still pay for my own."

He leaned in, eyes locked on hers. "How long since you had a date, Brie?" The voice softened with a hint of curiosity.

She blinked a couple of times from the abrupt change in subject. "Six months." The words popped out before she could determine the safety of revealing such personal information.

"Why?"

Her brows knitted in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why has it been so long?"

Brie found her napkin captivating, tugging at the edges. It wasn't like she was ashamed of her lack of social life. But actually speaking about it with a man, simply seemed awkward. Head down, she mumbled, "Maybe I haven't had any good offers." That was definitely true.

"Oh, really?" He took a sip of his water, still watching her.

Nodding, she folded her napkin and placed it on the table. "I seem to attract nutty men."

Rye smirked. Taking another drink, he smiled at her. "Ready?" At her nod, he stood and led them to the cashier. Paying the bill, he eyed her, but seemed satisfied when she didn't start another fuss.

Brie only muttered under her breath a couple of times about it on the way home, deciding that voicing her complaints about him picking up the tab after the fact wouldn't change anything. She simply had to prepare for next time. After all, she never backed down to Rye, not even as kids. He tossed out a challenge and she worked her rear off to fulfill it. Giving up wasn't in her vocabulary.

 

* * * *

 

Before heading back to Brie's, Rye made a detour to his house two towns southwest of where Brie lived. He noted the droves of construction workers resembling army ants as they marched here and there. The framework stood untouched, but he knew the inside would be bare, gutted from stem to stern to replace everything soaked by the burst water pipes. The sole remaining good news was that the original blueprints existed, so everything would be back as before.

"Oh, Rye." Brie's eye widened, seeing the damage for the first time.

Glancing over, he felt his heart tug at the expression of concern and sadness on her face. A lot of people would have made some comment about getting basically a new house out of the deal. Not as many would have understood the deeper meanings. "Want to take a quick peek?" At her nod, he climbed out of the car, moving over to her side. "We can't go too close to the construction due to safety, but, if you want, we can peek in the back windows."

Again she bobbed her head, following his lead as he started moving.

One of the men yelled, then waved at Rye. The worker gave the thumbs-up, then returned to his work.

Rye walked slowly around his home. Although it looked like a mess at the moment, it showed signs of improvement over that first night. At least, they were working on getting all of the sodden carpet and floorboards removed. New, solid lumber went in its place. Having made his way to the back of the house, he leaned against the warm bricks, peeking inside the dirt speckled window.

The feel of a small, soft hand rubbing against his startled him. Still staring at his former bedroom, he relaxed his fingers as Brie slid hers gently and easily between his. Giving a little squeeze, he sighed. Somehow he felt a little better.

When life gives you lemons…

They spent longer at Rye's home than he'd anticipated. At least, the contractor assured them it was coming along nicely, no complications or snags. By the time they returned to Brie's home, it was suppertime. After warming up some left over lasagna from the fridge, they decided that an evening of watching TV sounded like a winner.

Brie excused herself to slip into her jammies, leaving Rye on the couch, remote in hand.

Minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom in her pale blue pajamas, buttoned all the way. Her pink bunny slippers covered her bare feet. Redoing her ponytail, she paused at the entrance to the living room Rye's look having stopped her in her tracks. Glancing down, she surveyed the outfit before returning her attention to him once more.

Meeting his eyes, she asked, "What?"

He arched one eyebrow. "Are those flannel?" She could almost make pajamas look sexy. With a bit of imagination he could see her standing there in a sheer negligee, beckoning him to bed.

He would bet his bottom dollar she didn't own anything sheer or sexy for bed. That certainly would have to change. A sudden inspiration hit.

Rubbing the front of the shirt, she furrowed her brow in confusion. "They're cotton, why?"

Rye schooled his expression carefully to conceal a sudden mischievous plan. "Umm…I'm allergic to cotton." Watching her face, he waited to see what happened next.

Blinking, Brie gave him a perplexed look. "How allergic?" She stood in place, eagerly awaiting his answer, one hand picking at the high collar on the blouse.

Flipping the button on the remote a couple of times, he answered, "Well, if it even brushes against me, I break out in a rash." He returned his attention from the television back to her.

"Rash?"

"Really itchy, red rash. Starts where I was touched by the stuff, but travels pretty quick. Not my idea of a fun day." Rye kept his expression casual as he turned the channel a couple more times. Play it cool.

 

* * * *

 

Well, that's just great. She didn't have anything else to wear, at least for bed. More than likely most of her clothing was polyester, which wouldn't be a problem. But, she knew for certain her pajamas were almost completely cotton. Surely it wouldn't be a big deal? On the other hand, if it only took the lightest brush against his skin, it was almost inevitable that he would come into contact with the material. A resigned sigh followed. "No. It doesn't sound like it's something you want to experience more than absolutely necessary."

"Nope." He watched the current program for a few seconds before changing the channel, probably watching her under his lashes.

"Your bed sheets…"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Already checked them out. Polyester according to the tag. They're fine."

"Okay. Well, in that case, it looks like I need to go shopping tomorrow then. I think everything I have in the sleepwear department has a lot of cotton in the makeup." Not that she really felt like shopping, but there was no help for it. Either she got new jammies or Rye would look like a walking tomato.

The thought hit her like a tidal wave. Shopping tomorrow didn't do a thing for her that evening. "I guess I'll just hang out in my bedroom this evening then." She glanced at the couch and the man sprawled across it with a little twinge of longing. In truth, she wanted to sit, watch television, and enjoy his company this evening. Slowly, she turned, only for his voice to have her pausing once again.

"You can take them off."

She immediately spun around, a shocked look on her face. "But, I don't have anything else to wear."

"Go without." He shrugged, giving the impression that it wasn't too big a deal. It probably wasn't for him.

She gasped at that idea. No way was she running around the house naked, especially not with him here. Nope, nada. As relaxed and uninterested as he appeared, she knew better. He would be grinning from ear to ear if she took his recommendation. Well, maybe he would, or maybe he would just shake his head and ignore her. After all, how many top models did he see naked in those porn flicks? Maybe average women didn't appeal to him any longer. He needed someone like Bunny to gain his interest. Feeling even more dejected, she quietly replied, "No. I'll just go to my bedroom…"

He offered a compromise. "I've got a shirt you can wear for the night." Having said that, he stood, walking quickly past her, careful not to come in contact with her clothes. A minute later, he returned to hand her a navy blue silk shirt. Holding it out, he gave her a small smile. "Here. Try this."

Nodding, she took the offered item, heading into her room to quickly change. She couldn't help but run her hands over the material, enjoying the softness and sheen. As a bonus it covered everything, barely. Her blue bikini panties sported more material than most, but still showed off more skin than she considered appropriate. Tugging at the hem, she debated sliding on a pair of shorts. Same problem as the pajamas: cotton material. If she paid careful mind not to bend, it would cover all the essentials just fine. Besides, it was plain comfortable. Fixing the collar, she snuggled into it, smelling Rye's masculine, woodsy scent. Closing her eyes, she could almost feel his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Brie? Does it fit okay?" His voice startled her out of her imaginings.

"Umm…yeah. It's perfect, actually." Pulling at the bottom seam once more, she left the room, heading to the living room once more. Stopping, she bit her lip, waiting for Rye's reaction.

 

* * * *

 

Glancing up from the television, he couldn't tear his gaze away from her. Wow. Although the shirt covered everything, it gave him a great view of sleek calves, which tapered up to strong, yet elegant thighs with tantalizing glimpses a bit higher. On the top side, even with the first button through the hole, the natural V of the shirt hung down, hinting at a little cleavage. As she shifted her weight, the silk clung, showing an indentation of her waist here, a curve of a breast there. His objective of getting her out of those scruffy pajamas had certainly worked—too well.

Brie tugged on the shirt once more before walking around the couch to curl up in the corner. Settling in, she turned to stare up at him, those hazel eyes a mirror to her thoughts.

The moment her eyes connected with his, Rye felt parts below clamor to action. Shit. Now, he had stepped into it. She was sitting there, looking sexy as hell in his shirt, with those eyes that beseeched him to take her, show her, teach her. Just the idea of his shirt brushing against those lovely breasts and wrapping around her perky ass was enough to make him hungry. Adding in that flash of innocence and he sank fast. Shifting, he tried to ease the sudden tightness in his jeans. Damn. He needed a cold shower. Yet, if he got up and left, she would blame herself for his leaving, which was true, but not what he wanted to convey. Me and my dumbass ideas.

Trying to divert his attention from the beauty sitting a couple feet away, he forced himself to watch the television. Flipping the channel once more, he asked, "Anything on you want to watch?"

"Nah. Whatever you want is fine." Brie relaxed, shifting to get a little more comfortable.

Before too long, Brie began to yawn, her eyes drooping. She snuggled into the throw pillow, pulling into herself as she fought sleep.

Rye watched her, smiling to himself. As cute as a sleeping puppy.

Standing up, Brie covered another yawn, even as she stiffly walked behind the couch. Stopping at the entryway, she turned back to her roommate. "Thank you, Rye. I've had a very nice day." She sent him a warm smile.

Meeting her gaze, he grinned back. "Goodnight, Brie. I had a nice day as well." He watched as she continued to her room. His shirt billowed out just a touch as she moved, not enough to enable him to see any more of her thighs than he had already. Hell. Tugging at his jeans, he shook his head. One day together and she had him hard and twisted in knots. Throwing his head to the back of the couch, he released a pent-up sigh. Truth be told, he did enjoy her company, so much more than he ever thought. She commanded his attention with her quirky nature, quick wit, and fun outlook, to complement her quiet sexiness. How was he going to last a month with her?