Chapter Nine

 

Rose felt her breath catch. Not from what she saw on the screen. But from what intuition was telling her.

“Ryan…”

“There are two I’ve been looking at…” he split the large screen, showing her the external view of both. “I’d like your impressions.” His palm was out to quickly grasp hers when she turned to walk away, her head shaking.

“Ryan…this is a very…very…serious…”

“And I’d like it to be OUR serious, Rose. I’m asking for your input. Your impressions. Your likes and dislikes about each,” he outlined casually, tugging on her palm until she was in the chair, reluctantly. He watched the sparkling amber eyes skirt to everything but the split screen of his computer. “Rose…”

She knew she was sulking. She could hear the cajoling in his voice. That soft, deep voice that belonged in a far away land. She brought her gaze up slowly, her lower lip pulled between her teeth. Pale lashes blinked, her eyes going from one to the other, curiosity engaged, despite herself.

“Can I see the floor plans?”

Surprise, she thought, watching his hands move expertly over the keyboard, the spilt screens displaying his request. She leaned closer, pulled her chair closer to his. A sigh broke free without a thought to it when his palm moved along her neck, massaging gently.

“Pictures are better than floor plans,” he said after a few minutes, calling up photos on the insides and outsides of both. He leaned back, placing the mouse where she could reach and watching her eyes as she went through the photographs of the homes. He had a suspicion which she would prefer, yet battled with a part of him that claimed he didn’t know her well enough to make that guess. Even when another part of him knew he’d known her in his heart forever.

He watched her take one fingernail between her teeth, eyes narrowed as she went through the photos again.

“Maybe it’s just the décor…I don’t know…” she clicked on the colorful, high vaulted living area that opened to a gorgeous Sound view below. “I like that one….and before you say it…it almost doesn’t have anything to do with the indoor pool and hot tub,” she felt a flush strike her cheeks when he laughed and nodded.

“To be honest…and it might be the décor of the other one…I preferred the one with color and windows, as well,” he closed the files and met the slowly opening eyes. “Not so very painful?”

Rose met his stare. She was familiar enough with the cost of real estate in the area. Especially with the houses with such a view. Even more so added to the size of the house, the imported beautiful rustic tiles and the beautiful new kitchen.

“Umm…can I ask…”

“No.”

“No? Just…no? You don’t even know what I was…”

“You were going to ask me the price,” he said, satisfied when she pulled her lips into a taut bow, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed. “And I said no. You can not ask.”

“I could find out.”

“You could. Would it stop you from living with me?”

Rose knew the breath caught in her chest. His question threw her brain into a tail spin and he knew it. She stood up, leaving the empty glass on his desk and striding into the bedroom without looking back. She’d just thought about how, mostly nice…the last five days had been.

 

Ryan let a soft breath of air escape from between his lips. He’d worked all of his life. Sometimes good, sometimes less than good. He’d taken chances and skirted lines, but even when it turned upside down, he’d learned from his decisions. He had no past to call on for this one. He’d never asked a woman to live with him before. Resolutely, he shoved against the arms of the chair, tapped lights out and went into the bedroom to see if she was packing.

Rose wasn’t packing. She was stretched out face down on the bed, on top of the blankets with a pillow firmly over her head.

“Can you breathe in there?” Ryan asked after stretching out sideways across the large bed. He listened to the muffled answer, his head shaking before lifting the pillow and dropping it behind him. “Once more…”

“I’m not dead, so I guess I’m breathing.”

He allowed a few beats of silence to pass. “You’re not packing.”

“I’m not a coward.”

“I never…”

“My packing would indicate my running, which further indicates I’m a coward.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I thought about it.”

“I know,” he said softly, his fingers sifting through the wisps of bronze. “It’s a frightening thing to consider. Becoming part of a couple…”

“No…lots of other things are more frightening,” she said quietly, turning her face out of the spread and facing him. “It’s…uncharted…there’s no manual to follow…”

Ryan lay on his back and stared up at the dark ceiling, lights sparkling in from outside casting shadows around the room, around them.

“No…no, I don’t suppose there is…too many variables, I imagine,” he listened to her soft yawn and sat upright, tugging her with him. “Sleep, Rose,” he waited until she was up before pulling the blankets down, blinking as the night shirt she’d been wearing was pulled over her head and tossed to the chair. He felt his throat dry up like a teenager, watching the long legs, tawny coiled center and well muscled curves slide into the bed. He shook his head, hard and climbed in beside her.

“You sleep in pajamas? How cute,” she murmured, burrowing down and closing her eyes with a long sigh.

“You don’t?”

“Skin needs to breathe,” she replied through another yawn. “We’re going to fight about this house thing.”

“Must we?” He rolled to his side, his palm out and stroking lightly from her shoulder, over her back and onto the handful of her behind with a possessive squeeze. “Exactly which part will we fight about? So I can be prepared.”

Rose felt some of the tired suddenly vanish. “I suppose we could fight tomorrow and have the make-up sex tonight. I’m only a little tired…think you can handle the ravishing part?”

“Hmm…let me check my ego…”

“Huh! Your ego would survive a ten point quake,” she gurgled when she was rolled to her back, watching him quickly shed his clothes before moving smoothly against her.

“Thank you…I think I’ll enjoy the ravishing tonight,” he nibbled on her shoulder, sending shivers up her spine. "I like how you sigh my name..." One hand cupped her breast, teasing the nipple until it hardened under his palm. "I adore the way you throw your head back when you come."

As he said this, the hand that was kneading her thighs slipped up to the thatch of hair between her legs. Damp, hot and ready, he parted the amber curls. He teased her mound until it opened for him, wetting his fingers as he explored the delicate folds.

"I want you to come on my hand." He said huskily. She lay her head on his chest, her hands clutching the arms that kept her tightly against him.

“Ryan..." She moaned, thrusting her hips toward him as a thick finger slid into her. "Yes..."

"You're always so wet for me, my sweet Rose." Another finger joined the first. He moved his hand steadily, the pull and sucking sound filling her ears, as did Ryan's husky breathing against her ear. He could feel her body tensing as his kiss ranged over her mouth and down her throat. When his teeth bit into an aroused, taut nipple, her eyes closed tightly and her body gave itself over to him.

He sheathed himself and joined her for the final throes, his hands cupping her behind, lifting her slightly and losing himself when she went over again, wrapping herself around and inside a part of him he’d never allowed another person to go before. Panting breathlessly, his mouth covered hers, their moisture cooling in the night breeze from the window she’d opened. He listened to the satisfied mew when he withdrew and returned a few minutes later, his arm out to pull her against him. He thought she was already asleep until her fingers tightened around his, her body snuggled close.