by Desiree Holt
“Good. You’re still here.”
“Where else would I be?” Her tone of voice was definitely snarky. But he also heard the edge of pain in it.
“I didn’t know if you had any acetaminophen so I brought some with me. Let me set this stuff down.”
He carried the roaster into the kitchen and set the oven to preheat then filled a glass with water and fetched the pills from his gym bag. He shook two into his hand and held them out to her along with the water.
“I’m really fine,” she insisted, but distress underlined every word.
“Okay, then, take these so I’ll feel better.”
He knew this was going to be a battle. Nothing to it but to grit his teeth and forge ahead. He didn’t even stop to wonder what Walt would say if he knew what was going on. Ryan was supposed to be low profile, leading a solitary, hidden existence. Yeah, well, good luck to all that now.
“I brought the chicken and potatoes,” he told her when she’d handed the water back to him. Then he grinned. “No salad but I’m sure we’ll make do.”
Kaitlyn grimaced. “Sorry about that.”
“No sweat. The chicken should be ready pretty quick. All it needs is a warm-up. Would you like to—”
At that moment his phone rang. He looked at the readout. Walt. Damn and double damn.
“I need to take this,” he apologized. “I’ll step outside so it doesn’t bother you.”
“Oh, you don’t need to—” she began
But he was already out on her back porch with the door firmly closed, pressing Accept.
“What?” he barked.
“Wow. Pleasant mood you’re in there, sport.”
Ryan inhaled and let his breath out slowly. Calm, he told himself. Be calm.
“Just getting tired of hiding.” That sounded like a plausible excuse. Except, of course, if he wasn’t in hiding he’d never have met Kaitlyn and—
“Well, we’re working our asses off here to bring that to an end,” the agent assured him
“Yeah? What’s going on?”
“Reporters and bloggers are still sniffing around, trying to keep this out there as a ten days’ wonder.”
“Figures.” Ryan groaned. “Damn it all anyway.”
“Next time you meet a woman who makes your dick stand up, send it a stern warning and let me have her investigated first.”
Ryan closed his eyes and thought about Kaitlyn, lying on her couch inside. About what would happen while he stayed here to take care of her. She sure didn’t seem like a crazy lady. Although apparently he had no idea what one was like, if his current circumstances were any indication. But still…
“What else is going on at your end?”
“Same stuff as before. We’re still pumping releases out, touting your work with charities and reminding people of the awards you’ve won. We’ve got stories out there about the work you do with kids and other community activities. Downplaying this whole thing. Public relations has been putting out on the downlow that you were taken in by this crazy female who appeared so normal. That she probably did this with other athletes, and—”
“Did she?” Ryan interrupted.
“Did she what?” he broke in.
“Do this with other athletes.”
“It stands to reason she would, doesn’t it?” The words almost sounded like a growl.
“Has that detective you hired found anything yet?”
“He has some promising leads,” Walt assured him. “He’s pretty confident in another couple of weeks he’ll have all the evidence we need to clear your name. And your stand-in is still doing his job, showing himself at the windows long enough so people think you’re here” He paused. “Meanwhile, you’re hiding in plain sight, right?”
Ryan felt like growling a little himself, although he wasn’t sure if it was because he had to stay longer or because his little so-called vacation night be coming to an end soon. He found himself thinking more and more about Kaitlyn. Since what he kept thinking of as “that night,” they’d spent nearly every minute together. She was sexy and funny, feisty yet feminine. He’d give a healthy chunk of his salary to know who she really was and what her story was but he didn’t want to probe. She’d expect answers from him if he did, and he had none to give her. At least not now.
“Ryan?” Walt’s voice drew him out of his reverie. “You still with me, man?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“I’ll get back to you again in a couple of days. Meanwhile, be good and stay out of sight.”
He disconnected the call and stood on the porch for a few minutes longer, thinking about the wild changes in his life lately. Too bad he hadn’t met Kaitlyn before this thing with Psycho Marlo blew up in his face. Then it occurred to him he might not have met her at all if they both hadn’t ended up here in side-by-side cottages
He was pretty sure he could trust her. Still, he’d had poor judgment with Psycho Marlo so who knew? This could all be an act with her.
“Braaady.”
Kaitlyn’s voice brought him back to the present. He slid his phone into his pocket ad walked back inside.
“Sorry about that. A business call and I didn’t want to bore you with it.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t think you ever told me what business you are in.”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I’m on vacation from business right now so I’m trying to forget about it.”
There. That sounded plausible, didn’t it?
“Is that why you’re getting calls?”
“One call and I told them to put a plug it in until I’m back.” Okay, so a little white lie but it didn’t hurt anything. “What do you need?”
She waved toward the kitchen. “The chicken smells really good. I think it’s done. And um…”
“And um what?” He was startled to see her blush.
“I, uh, have to use the rest room. I would have tried to hobble there myself but I was afraid you’d spank me.”
Every hormone in his body went on full alert at the image that conjured up in his head. He swallowed hard and tried to think of ice water.
“Okay, Sure. Let’s make it happen.” He lifted her from the couch, carried her to the nearest bathroom, and set her down on her one good foot. He helped her balance herself on the vanity before he let go of her.
“I can handle the rest,” she assured him, hopped a little farther inside, and closed the door. Then she yelled out, “What are you planning for me to do when you go home for the night?”
Well, he thought, in for a penny, in for a pound.
“It’s all good. I’m moving in for the duration.”
Chapter Six
The hardest thing, Kaitlyn kept telling herself, was lying in the same bed with Ryan, both of them close to naked, and not having sex. They’d been doing this for three nights and she was about to tear her hair out.
It was hard to miss the signs of his arousal, the big bulge at the front of the sweat shorts he’d decided to sleep in. But he’d apparently been struck by some sense of nobility because every time she snuggled the least bit closer to him, he rearranged them in the bed. Whenever she turned to face him, he stroked her cheek, brushed a kiss over her lips, then actually lifted her and turned her to face the other way.
“We have to be careful of your ankle,” he kept reminding her.
She wanted to argue with him but, despite the fact he’d taken extra care with her, for the first few days, every time she moved, the ankle throbbed. Sex would not be much fun under those conditions. Still, she’d had a hard time lying next to this man and not ripping off both of their clothes. But every time she turned over and her ankle bumped against him, the stab of pain reminded her what a bad idea sex would be right now.
Not fair. Not fair at all.
She couldn’t complain about her treatment, though. For three days he’d been carrying her around like a princess, even going so far as to rig up a seat for her in the shower and bathing her and washing her hair.
Now there was an exercise in self control. Having his soap-slicked hands sliding over her body made every nerve fire and every hormone do a staccato tap dance. But Ryan was not unaffected, either. She was happy to note that his hands trembled as they coasted over her body and touched her in intimate places.
She had to give Ryan mountains of credit. The man kept her occupied each day, supported her back and forth to the bathroom, made sure she iced her ankle, and fed her acetaminophen. Dinner was usually takeout. Tonight it was Chinese food, which they ate on the back porch.
If nothing else, she got her fill of looking at him. Who wouldn’t feel good looking at the sexiest man she’d met in a long time, with his sculpted, muscular body, his dark bad boy hair touching just below the neck of his T-shirt, and that uber sexy dimple at the corner of his mouth that winked whenever he grinned.
She’d certainly never expected to meet anyone like this during her enforced isolation, or become intimate with him the way they were. She hated to think that at some point it would all be over and she’d probably never see him again. At least she could enjoy it while it lasted.
Each morning he carried her out to the back porch and fed her breakfast on the little table. Made sure her tablet was charged each day so she could read while he went out for his run. Asked her all kinds of questions about what she liked to eat so he could get her favorite foods. He looked for things to amuse and entertain her. They laughed over some really old movies they watched on television and played a game to see who could tell the worst knock-knock jokes. No man in her life had ever treated her with such care and attention. She was getting spoiled and she knew it would be hard to go back to reality after this.
She had no idea why he hadn’t dumped her after the trip to the doctor and maybe checked in once a day or so. Sure they’d become sort of friends and were having off the charts sex but still. He didn’t exactly owe her anything.
Maybe he was bored or something. She’d felt pampered and cosseted and all those things. But while the attention was nice, she wanted some independence. Not to mention the hot sex she wanted more of. There was no telling how long this little interlude at the beach was going to last. She still had no job prospects and Ryan hadn’t given any indication of how long he’d be around.
This morning she was determined to see if she could put weight on her ankle. Shafts of sunlight slanted in through the slight opening of the curtains. After another restless night she felt as if she’d been awake for a week. She lay there flat on her back, her arm over her forehead, eyes closed against the intrusion of the light. She was pretty sure Ryan was still sound asleep beside her but she had to get up and go to the bathroom again. She knew she could make it. The swelling was down and the pain had subsided a lot, but would he let her? Maybe she could do it before he woke up.
As slowly as possible, she eased both legs out from beneath the covers and pushed herself to a sitting position. If she could push herself off the bed and land on her good foot, she could balance herself with the wall and hop to the bathroom. Thank the lord there was one off the master bedroom, although it wasn’t as big as her mother’s old broom closet. But as she eased to the edge of the mattress, a strong, muscular arm came around her waist, banding her and pulling her back.
“Sit.” Ryan’s voice was gravelly with the last vestiges of sleep. “I’ll be right there.”
“Ryan, for the love of god. I can go to the bathroom by myself. I’m really a lot better.”
“Maybe later today. Let’s see how it goes when you’re up for a while. In the meantime, just sit.”
She felt stupid when he came around the foot of the bed and lifted her easily into his arms. And even more stupid because he only had to carry her about four steps.
“I could have made it myself,” she insisted.
“Later. Here you go.” He set her down on her good foot and closed the door.
Kaitlyn blew at the strands of hair hanging over her forehead. How in the hell was she going to handle this? She took care of business, washed her hands, and splashed cold water on her face. Found her brush and dragged it through her hair, yanking it up into a messy ponytail. Later, she’d need to take a shower, and wouldn’t that be fun.
She opened the door, clinging to the frame for support, and nearly smacked into Ryan’s hard chest.
“Please tell me you weren’t listening at the door.” She could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks.
“Nope.” He grinned. “I could hear the pipes from the kitchen. These old places aren’t all that well insulated.
“Great.” She wanted to smack him. Or something. Anything, to vent this frustration.
“Come on.” He swept her up. “I’ve got coffee ready. I thought we’d have it out on the back porch.”
By the time he got both of them settled out there with their coffee, Kaitlyn with her foot elevated on an ottoman with a pillow atop it, a soft breeze from the ancient trees washing over them, birds flitting around singing their morning songs, her frustration level had slipped a little. Just a little. Not much.
“Here’s to running on the beach again.” Ryan grinned and lifted his mug.
“I hope that happens soon,” she grumped, and touched her mug to his.
He winked and took a big gulp of his coffee, made a sound of satisfaction, and set the mug down. “Nothing starts the day like good, rich coffee.”
Kaitlyn wanted to smack him. “Pay attention. We’re talking about my ankle here. It’s no joking matter. How long am I going to have to be laid up like this? The doctor said three days. Today is the fourth.”
She could have bathed and dressed herself after the first two days. In fact, she’d even tried to convince Ryan she could handle it but he was both persistent and insistent.
“You’ll fall and break your neck,” he kept warning her.
“I think you’re looking for a chance to get your hands all over me,” she teased.
He’d winked at her. “You got that right.”
He shrugged. “So I’m being extra cautious. That okay with you?”
“And if I said no?”
“I’d say duly noted.”
He grinned, his eyes filled with mischief. “You mean you don’t like having your own houseboy to wait on you hand and foot?”
“Is that what you are?” she teased. “My houseboy?”
“Oh! Wow! She smiles.”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “I am so sorry I’ve been a grouch, Ryan. None of this is your fault. It’s my own clumsiness that got me into this. I don’t mean to take my frustration out on you.”
He leaned forward in his chair, his face as close to hers as he could get.
“As soon as I can take you off the walking wounded list, we’ll both be able to settle our frustrations.” There was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes.
“I’ll hold you to that” she told him, grinning.
“I hope so.” He winked.
After coffee, they went through her shower routine again. Ryan had brought in one of the skinny lawn chairs from the porch and set it in the little stall for her. It barely fit, but it worked so they left it there. He unwound the bandage first then helped her out of her clothes and into the shower stall. When she tried putting some weight on the bad foot, she was pleased that her ankle didn’t scream back at her.
“I think I’m ready to test my wings here,” she told him.
“Let’s give it the rest of today, can we? Keep resting it and icing it for one more day. Humor me, okay?.”
She sighed. “If you insist. But that’s all. After dinner, I’m taking the ankle for a test drive.”
Again, he insisted on helping her dress, although she tried to tell him she could do it herself now.
“Maybe I don’t want to give up my fun.” He winked at her as he helped her into her shorts.
Grudgingly, she allowed him to help her with the process, doing her best to ignore the slide of his hand between her thighs and over her breasts.
“No fair,” she told hi
m, smacking him.
“Not for me either, honey.” He shook his head. “You have no idea how hard it is for me to keep my hands to myself.” He chuckled. “At least I get A for effort.”
“And F for frustration,” she grumbled.
While Ryan went for his usual run on the beach, Kaitlyn sat with her laptop searching for more job opportunities and fine-tuning her resume again. He picked up deli sandwiches for lunch and they spent the afternoon watching old movies on television. Kaitlyn had a craving for seafood so Ryan picked up an order from the restaurant where they’d had lunch the other day.
When they had cleaned their plates and then some, Kaitlyn leaned back in her chair and patted her tummy.
“Much more of this and I’ll need to buy bigger clothes.”
Ryan looked her over from head to toe with heat in his eyes. “I don’t think you have to worry about that yet.”
“So.” She took another sip of beer. “Should I ask you what you do when you’re not being a beach bum?”
“I’ll have you know I’m a top notch beach bum,” he protested, composing his face into an aggrieved expression.
Kaitlyn couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing. “Okay. Fair enough. But isn’t there anything you can tell me about yourself?”
It hadn’t escaped her attention that no matter how many things they talked about she still knew next to nothing about him. Of course she hadn’t told him a thing about herself, either, so tit for tat, she supposed.
“Don’t you enjoy the mystery of it all?” he winked, trying to inject humor into the situation. “If we let it all hang out, we might decide we don’t even like each other.”
She couldn’t see that happening but she supposed she couldn’t ask anything of him she wasn’t willing to give herself.
Ryan leaned forward in his chair, reached across the table, and brushed his fingertip over the upper slope of her cheeks and her nose.
“Did I tell you I’m a sucker for freckles?” He stroked again.
Shivers raced down her spine. This man had magic in his fingertips.
“No. No, I don’t think you did.” Another stroke. Another shiver.