Fire and Midnight

by Sandra Renee Appet

  “I know exactly what you’re talking about,” Ryan said, looking bleak.

  Jane didn’t ask, but she was sure he was thinking about some of the clients from his escort days. She smiled at him. “It was different with you. I didn’t feel judged. So many times, I built a wall with Nick. It was easier to hide behind that protective barrier than to pick apart the reason why I was unhappy.”

  He gave her an assessing look, and she braced herself to hear what he would say about her revelation, but the words that came out of his mouth were, “I think you need something to eat.” Ryan strode to his closet and pulled out a plush burgundy robe. He draped it over the comforter that covered her legs. “Help yourself to anything in the bathroom. I put a fresh toothbrush on the counter. When you feel like it, come down for some breakfast,” he said, and left the room.

  Jane didn’t feel like eating, but she supposed it was the best way to soak up the indulgences of the night before. She peeled back the comforter and sheet from her legs, and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. The stone floor tiles felt cool against the soles of her feet. She slipped her arms into Ryan’s robe. His scent tickled her nose, and she inhaled deeply, savoring his distinct smell. She padded to the bathroom and attempted to wash the remnants of the night before from her face and brushed her teeth. She felt slightly more human as she stepped from the bedroom and a new aroma wafted into the hallway. Her mouth watered as she followed the sound of crackling bacon and eggs.

  She ventured downstairs and found Ryan in his small, well-appointed kitchen. From the doorway, she took the opportunity to appreciate the planes and dips of his back through his white t-shirt as he busied himself at the stove. His biceps moved and flexed as he chopped vegetables and scraped them into a frying pan.

  Ryan stopped and turned to face her. “Hope you like old-fashioned omelet and bacon. I ran to the market and picked up the basics.”

  “I thought you chefs always had a fully stocked kitchen, like on that food channel.”

  “If I did, most of it would go to waste. I’m hardly ever here. In fact, you’re my first houseguest since I moved in.”

  Jane sat on one of the two stools in front of the kitchen island. “Oh, come on. You must be one of San Antonio’s most eligible bachelors. I’m sure there are women here all the time.”

  He reached into an overhead cabinet, and she caught a glimpse of golden skin under his shirt. He pulled down two plates and placed them on the counter next to the stove. “Nope.” He plated the contents of the frying pan and added two strips of bacon to each before sliding the delicious-looking breakfast under her nose. “Coffee?”

  “Please.”

  He carried the second plate, along with a coffee carafe, to the other side of the counter and sat down. “Breakfast is my favorite meal.” He poured her a mug of steaming coffee. “Cheers.”

  “Don’t remind me.” Jane groaned, thinking about how many times she said that word the night before.

  They ate in comfortable silence. Apparently bacon and eggs was the best combination for her hangover. She felt almost like herself by the time Ryan poured her a second cup of coffee.

  She squinted at the digital clock display on his microwave and chuckled.

  “Laughing is a good sign. Means your headache must be gone.”

  “It is. And so is my flight home. It just took off and I couldn’t care less,” she assured him with a smile. “I’ll call the airline and see if I can go standby on a flight, later today or tomorrow.” She glanced around his kitchen, hoping to spot her purse.

  “Your purse is upstairs with your clothes,” he said, seemingly reading her mind. He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t leave yet.”

  She melted into his chest. “I don’t really have anything going on that I have to rush back for.” It was the truth. She had originally considered staying in San Antonio for a few more days, to work at her client’s office, but had decided against it because it hurt her to be so geographically close to Ryan and yet not see him.

  He cupped her cheeks and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “I’d like it if you would stay for a couple days. Here with me.”

  She wanted it, too, and yet a million reasons why it was a bad idea flooded her brain. “But—”

  The pad of his thumb coasted over her lips. “Don’t. You may think you have more reasons to leave than to stay, but let’s not think about them now. For today, let’s not try to figure it all out. Let’s just be.”

  Jane smiled. There was nothing she wanted more.

  Ryan moved closer and filled the air around her. For that moment in time, she was his. His lips grazed hers softly at first, and she met every kiss, as need bubbled up within her body. Her fingers found the back of his neck and raked through his hair, which managed to be coarse yet so soft. He nudged her off of the stool and drew her to stand between his legs before reaching to loosen the sash at her waist.

  As the robe puddled at her feet, he lifted the t-shirt above her midriff. His palms cupped her breasts and played with her nipples. She moaned as he pulled the over-sized shirt over her head.

  Ryan stroked her shoulders and broke their kiss. His gaze drifted down to her breasts. “You’re magnificent.” His fingers traced a line up her neck to her swollen lips. “So incredibly sexy.”

  A sensual confidence coursed through her veins as she stood before Ryan. Her naughty vixen was not only alive and well, but was almost naked in a young sexy god’s home. Empowered, she pulled his shirt from the waist of his pants and slid her palms over the planes of his abs. He groaned as her fingers traveled south to the closure of his pants. She made quick work of the button and zipper, and slipped her hand inside. And her unpracticed vixen knew all the right moves, judging by Ryan’s choppy breath.

  “Jane.” His thumb and forefinger encircled her wrist.

  She stopped and raised her eyebrows. “Something wrong, cowboy?”

  “The only thing wrong is you’ll make me finish before we even get started. I’m taking you upstairs so I can take care of you properly.” Before she knew it, his arm was under her knees, and her body was in the air.

  “You shouldn’t lift me,” she giggled. No one had ever confused Jane for one of those bone-thin girls.

  “I believe I just did, with ease,” Ryan boasted and carried her upstairs to his bedroom, where he laid her gently on the bed. Opening the drawer of his nightstand, he pulled out a box of condoms and placed them beside the lamp.

  “A whole box?” she asked with a smile.

  “With luck, they’ll last the morning,” he teased, and hooked his fingers under the waistband of her panties. His tongue trailed a warm trail down the inside of her thigh as he swept the fabric from her legs. Naked and bare with every physical imperfection exposed, she froze for a moment. But he nudged her thighs with his face and Jane slowly melted into a deep sigh as his mouth reached its target. She tilted her hips upward as he licked and stroked her into an unstoppable wave of delicious abandon. Jane closed her eyes and her world exploded into a sea of glitter as she screamed his name.

  ****

  A long, lovely time later, Jane nuzzled her head in the crook of Ryan’s solid shoulder, listening to his rhythmic breathing as her head rose and fell with his chest. They’d been in bed since returning from gathering her things and checking out of her hotel. She’d lost count of how many times she’d climaxed. Until Ryan, Jane had never loved sex. Now she couldn’t get enough. Ryan was like a fine wine that she couldn’t stop drinking, no matter how much he made her head spin. She chuckled and traced the line of one of Ryan’s ribs.

  “What are you laughing at?” he asked sleepily. His fingertips grazed the small of her back.

  “I thought you were asleep,” she whispered.

  “Just resting. I have to go to the restaurant soon. I’ll try to get home early.”

  Jane raised her head to look him in the eye. “Don’t worry about me. Really.” Guilt rose in her chest. Even though she’d agreed to spend a few days at his plac
e, she didn’t want to get in the way of his routine or his business.

  “I’ll send dinner over for you.”

  “Don’t bother. Why don’t you drop me off in town so I can rent a car for the rest of my trip? That way, I won’t be such a nuisance.”

  He turned on his side so they faced each other. “You’re not a nuisance. Besides, I like the thought that you’re stuck here in my house, especially in my bed.”

  “Like a kept woman.”

  “Mmm, I like the sound of that, too.” Ryan kissed her, then kissed her again before rising with a groan and heading to the bathroom.

  Jane pulled the sheet around herself, listening to the shower and imagining the water dripping from Ryan’s soapy body. She took comfort from the sounds of another person going about their daily life. It was one of the things she missed, now that she was single. Her apartment felt so quiet and lonely, and she’d come up with reasons to go to the shopping mall or grocery store, just for the human contact.

  Ryan strode back from the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Water from his hair dripped down his back as he surveyed his closet for something to wear. Jane enjoyed watching him move around his room as he chose black slacks and t-shirt.

  “You look sexy in black,” she told him. His dark hair and golden skin added to the allure, and his blue eyes blazed even brighter against his dark ensemble.

  He picked up her purse from his dresser and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. “Do me a favor and jot down your account information. I’m going to take care of the oversight today.”

  “It’s really not a big deal.”

  “No. It’s a huge deal, and I don’t want anything to come between us.”

  Jane nodded. “Okay.” She ripped a slip of paper from a small pad of paper she carried and copied her account information from an app on her phone. “Here you go.”

  He kissed her softly on the lips. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” In the meantime, I’ll send Victor over with one of our specials and a bottle of wine.”

  “Thank you.” She would’ve declined his offer of dinner, but he’d been truthful when he talked about not having anything to eat in the house. In typical bachelor fashion, other than the remaining uncooked eggs and bacon from breakfast, his refrigerator contained nothing but a bottle of ketchup and four bottles of beer. And she had to admit, after spending the day in bed with Ryan, she’d worked up an appetite.

  Jane used her time alone in Ryan’s house to indulge in a long shower, then ran a load of laundry. She’d only packed for a two-day trip, and she’d run out of clean clothes. She spotted a pair of sweatpants and a San Antonio Spurs t-shirt in a pile of Ryan’s clean clothes folded in a laundry basket. She pulled on the sweatpants and rolled the waistband so the pant legs wouldn’t drag, then slipped the shirt over her head hurriedly when she heard the doorbell ring.

  She hadn’t expected Ryan to send dinner over so early, but her own clothes were still on spin cycle, so she had no choice but to answer the door as she was, looking like a Ryan Ziegler groupie. She partially hid behind the door as she opened it. “Sorry, I’m doing some laundry and ran out of—”

  “You answering the door in my Spurs shirt is almost as sexy as answering the door in nothing at all,” came the husky reply from the porch.

  “Ryan?” Jane pulled the door open the rest of the way. “What are you doing back?”

  He held out two large brown bags. “I decided to be your delivery boy and double as your dinner companion.”

  “Don’t you have to get back to the restaurant? I mean, it’s only—”

  Ryan pulled her against his body. “I got to the restaurant and realized I had a capable staff at Vine and an extremely hot woman alone at my house. There was something wrong with that picture. So here I am. And here you are, in my Spurs shirt.” His breath blew warm against her lips as he spoke.

  “I’m glad you did.” She rose up on her tiptoes to meet his kiss.

  “Let’s eat while it’s still hot.” He wrapped his arm around Jane and led her to his small dining room.

  She stopped and smiled at him. “I have a surprise for you, too. Go upstairs for a few minutes and don’t come down until I say so.”

  He grinned. “A surprise?”

  “Yup. Go. Before the food gets cold.”

  Ryan nodded and headed upstairs. Jane ran through the kitchen and pulled open the sliding glass door. She’d gone outside earlier and found his table on its side, along with four matching chairs stacked neatly together. She had swept the outdoor patio and cleaned the dining set before placing it in the middle of the patio, with the plan of surprising Ryan with breakfast outside the next morning. The patio was dark now, but she recalled the hurricane candles and a string of Christmas lights she’d seen in his laundry room.

  With just a few minutes of work, Jane turned the patio into a scene straight from a Nancy Meyers movie. The final touches were placemats and wine glasses. She unloaded the bags and plated the beautiful meal of filet mignon and baked potato.

  “Dinner is served,” Jane called, and Ryan practically ran down the stairs.

  “Good, because I think my stomach was beginning to eat itself.” He looked into the kitchen and dining room. “Where exactly is dinner?”

  “Follow me, Mr. Ziegler.” She led him to the slider and opened the door. “I hope you don’t mind. I set up the furniture on your patio.”

  Ryan stepped outside. “I can’t believe you did all this.” His gaze darted from the table to the twinkle lights she’d strung along the low tree branches. “I was going to get rid of this set, but you’ve managed to make it look like a million bucks.”

  “It just needed to be cleaned up a little.”

  He turned to Jane. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  Jane waved her hand at him. “Come on now. All I did was hose it down and dry it with paper towels. You need more paper towels, by the way.”

  “That’s not what I mean. It’s the whole thing.” He pulled her into his arms. “You have this uncanny way of showing up and turning my life upside down, making it better and more beautiful than it ever was before.”

  “Like a sparkly snow globe?”

  “Better than a sparkly snow globe.” He smiled down at her. “I’m never going to let you leave. You know that?”

  She searched his eyes. In truth, she’d have to leave soon, and they both knew it. But, for that moment, Jane refused to think of anything beyond a night of twinkle lights, candles, great food and drink, and an extra helping of Ryan Ziegler for dessert.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ryan reached for her before opening his eyes. Over a few short days, he’d fallen hard for this woman who’d landed in his life, and he wasn’t about to let her go.

  Right now, however, her side of the bed was cold. He sat up and glanced toward the bathroom. No Jane.

  He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and ventured downstairs in search of her. He began to panic when he didn’t find her bouncing around the kitchen, making breakfast. Then his heartbeat steadied as he heard music coming from the direction of the sliding glass door, which she’d left partially open.

  In the span of a couple days, the patio had become her favorite area of his home. She’d talked him into taking her to a garden center, where they bought several wooden planters and potted flowers. On the way back, they’d picked up an outside speaker. Ryan watched as Jane’s foot tapped against the empty chair, keeping the beat of a Top Forty song playing in the background while she worked on her laptop. He leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and appreciated her for a moment. He had to admit, she’d become a fixture in his home. Having her near him was as easy as breathing.

  Her phone buzzed on the table next to her, interrupting the peaceful scene. He saw Jane glance at the display and frown before sliding her thumb over the screen. Ryan had come to recognize the faint worry line that appeared on her forehead.

  “Hi, Paul. Yes, I know. I just needed a few mental
health days to clear my head. I understand. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow. … Yes … see you then.”

  Ryan pulled open the slider and locked gazes with her. “You wouldn’t have to deal with that if you had your own business.”

  Her eyes looked as sad as they’d been when he first met her. “I also wouldn’t be guaranteed the much-needed paycheck.” She dropped her phone back onto the table. “I guess you heard.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll take the last flight out tonight.”

  “I knew I couldn’t keep you here forever,” he said. “But when will you be back in town?”

  Jane stood. “Ryan. Don’t—”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t do this. I live in New York. You live here. That won’t change.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not asking for that to change, at least for now. We can still have a relationship, even if it’s long-distance.”

  “That won’t work,” she said quietly.

  “Why not?” he demanded.

  She looked away. “It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

  “The way I see it, you’re not being fair to me by not giving this a chance.”

  “Don’t you see? I’m a forty-year-old divorcee with a kid in college. I come with baggage you don’t need. You’re—” She shrugged. “Well, how old are you anyway?”

  “Thirty-two, but I don’t see—”

  “Thirty-two. You don’t need to be tied down to someone like me at thirty-two. You have women like Tilly fawning over you daily.”

  Ryan took a step forward. “First, you’re not forty. You’re thirty-nine. You can’t claim forty until December.” He took another step. “Second, the fact that you’re divorced and have a kid has nothing to do with us. I don’t see that as baggage, and if you do, I’ll gladly help you with your bags.” It only took him one more step to stand a few scant inches from Jane. “I want you, and I want to be tied down to you. God, that sounds sexy. I want to make this work.” He tipped his forehead to hers. “Will you try?”