by Rachel Lacey
She glanced around as if just becoming aware of their surroundings, the dim hallway leading back to the pool tables—which were closed during the week—where he’d just gotten her off right here in public. And it had been hot as hell.
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and looked at him, her eyes still glossy and dazed. “That was…bad in the very best way.”
Hell yeah, it was. “Let’s be clear. You and me? Still a bad idea. But if bad’s what you’re looking for…”
“It is,” she said quickly. “I want you, Ryan.”
He wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted anything as much as he wanted Emma. “Right now, it’s time for you to go home. We’ll figure this out tomorrow.” When his dick wasn’t hard as granite, and he had enough blood left in his brain to think this through properly.
“Oh.” She looked disappointed.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” He drew her up against him for one last kiss, and she melted in his arms all over again.
Dammit. He might not ever get his head back on straight where Emma was concerned.
He took her hand in his and led her back through the bar area to the dance floor. They paused to say good-bye to Trent—still dancing energetically with his friends—then walked outside into the cool night. Emma hadn’t brought a jacket so she hustled him toward her silver RAV4. When they got there, she went up on her tiptoes to kiss him again.
“Thank you, for tonight,” she whispered. “It was…amazing.”
He nodded. “Drive safe.”
He watched as she got into her car, started it, and drove away. The night around him seemed to echo with silence after the blasting noise of the club. He walked slowly toward his bike, parked around the side of the building.
Brussels sprouts. Sauerkraut. Blue cheese. Green tomatoes.
He ran through all the nasty foods he could think of as he stood beside the Harley, waiting for the pressure in his dick to ease enough that he could climb on without causing himself serious pain. He eased himself gingerly onto the seat and cranked the engine.
He went straight home, but it was still a hell of an uncomfortable ride. He didn’t let himself think of Emma again until he was safely inside his condo.
Emma.
He was still hard, still aching for her. The truth was, he hadn’t been with a woman in at least six months now. Had he been lusting after Emma for that long? She was the only woman he could conjure up in his fantasies, the only woman who made him hard.
And he’d punished himself long enough, denying his fantasies of her. In fact, maybe his sexual frustration was part of the reason he’d let himself go tonight.
Well, there was at least one problem he could fix. He headed for the shower, desperate for relief, the memory of Emma’s pleasure still buzzing in his blood. In this case, the reality had definitely been better than the fantasy. Now that he knew what she sounded like when she came? The beautiful glow on her skin after he’d sent her flying? He’d never fucking forget it.
He cranked the shower up nice and hot then shucked his clothes. His dick stood urgently at attention, refusing to be ignored. Cursing under his breath, he stepped beneath the shower’s steamy spray.
Emma…
He remembered the soft sounds she’d made as he touched her, how hot and wet she’d been when he slid his hand inside her panties…His dick surged, throbbing in time with the wild pounding of his heart. He reached for the bar of soap and slicked his palm then gripped himself. As he tightened his fist, he imagined Emma there with him in the shower, urging him on.
“You’re so big, Ryan. I’m getting so wet just watching you.” In his filthy mind, that’s what she’d say. He pumped his fist up and down his shaft, tugging harder as the aching need grew more intense. He could almost feel the heat of her stare, and the fantasy of her watching made his dick harder still. He closed his eyes and braced his free hand against the wall, his head bent, the shower beating down over his shoulders.
“Come for me, Ryan,” Imaginary Emma whispered in his ear.
His balls drew up tight against his body, and he tensed, then release pulsed through him, hot and fierce. He stood there, head bowed, gasping for breath for several long seconds. But even now, his yearning for Emma never lessened. If anything, it grew stronger. And the next time he came, he wanted to be inside her.
Chapter Nine
Whoa. Emma lay in bed, her body still humming with satisfaction. Had she really let Ryan put his hands up her skirt right there in the back hallway of The Music Factory? Yes, she had, and oh, had it been worth it. If this was what it felt like to be bad, she never wanted to be good again.
Who’s in for cinnamon buns in the morning? she texted to her friends. I have a major dare update to share.
OMG, Gabby replied. This better be good! You guys were so obviously hot for each other on the dance floor tonight.
Oh, it’s good. She inserted a winking emoticon and several flames. I’ll spill all the deets tomorrow around 8?
This ignited a flurry of texts from Gabby, Carly, and Mandy, all of whom promised to be there tomorrow morning at eight to hear her news. Emma set her phone on the nightstand, turned out the light, and crashed almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, with Smokey snuggled in beside her.
She awoke the next morning with memories of Ryan still dancing in her mind. Holy shit. That really happened. Nothing boring or predictable about anything she’d done last night, and she liked it. She loved it. No use trying to deny it any longer. It wasn’t just a wild and crazy fling she wanted.
She wanted Ryan.
And there was no way she was going to let him push her away again. It still sent a hot thrill through her when she remembered the way he’d touched her, the harsh possessiveness of his words when he’d told her to forget about other guys.
Oh, they were forgotten all right.
And her body ached for him to touch her again. She wanted more. She wanted everything. And she was going to have it, dammit.
She showered, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved tee for work, and headed to A Piece of Cake to meet the girls. Carly had fresh cinnamon buns and coffees waiting.
“Please tell me you hooked up with Ryan last night,” Gabby said with a huge smile as she slid onto the seat next to Emma’s.
“Define ‘hooked up,’” she said with a grin.
Mandy came up behind them, her eyes wide. “Holy shit, Emma. Tell us everything.”
“We were at The Music Factory last night to hear his brother DJ—which is a whole other story because I’m so proud of Trent—but after everyone else left, we were still dancing, and somehow dancing turned to kissing, and—”
Gabby gasped.
“He took me down this hall in back, and holy crap, you guys…”
“What?” Mandy asked. They all leaned in, hanging on her every word.
“Well, let’s just say, things happened.” Emma felt her cheeks getting hot.
“Things?” Mandy repeated with a laugh. “What kind of things?”
Emma glanced around the bakery, but no one else was nearby to overhear her naughty confession. “Well, his hands were up my skirt, and he’s very good with his hands. And…he’s a dirty talker…and—”
“Oh my God!” Carly squealed.
Mandy sat back with a wide smile. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Way to go, my friend.” She raised her hand and slapped a high five with Emma.
“And then what happened?” Gabby asked.
“Then he sent me home and said we’d talk about it today.”
“Like I said in the beginning,” Mandy said, “Ryan Blake is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. He’s the perfect guy for you to experiment with, Emma, because he’s a gentleman at heart.”
Emma knew Mandy was right, which meant she had to watch out where Ryan was concerned. She’d spent most of her life wanting him, and once she had him, she’d have a hell of a time not falling head over heels in love with him.
A few hours later, she was back
out at Off-the-Grid, overseeing several seasonal contractors as they reseeded the grass in the field behind the house while she finished up the flowers she was planting along the walkway.
Ryan came sauntering out of the building, looking all badass and sexy, and she practically swooned into the begonias. “Got a minute?” he asked, his expression masked by his sunglasses.
“Sure.” She stood, wiping the dirt from her hands.
“Let’s walk.” He led the way down one of the many paths into the woods on the property, looking for all the world like he was just out for a casual stroll, like he was the same Ryan he’d been her whole life until last night, when he’d kissed the daylights out of her and given her an orgasm in the back hallway of The Music Factory.
“Beautiful weather,” he commented as they walked.
“Yeah.” She chewed her bottom lip. He’d better not be planning to act like last night never happened because—
“So here’s the thing,” he said once they’d rounded a corner, firmly out of sight from anyone else on the property.
“Yes?” she asked hopefully.
“The thing is…” He blew out a breath, shaking his head. “I have no idea what to do about this thing between us.”
Nervous laughter bubbled out of her, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Me either. So maybe we should quit overthinking it and just see what happens.”
He pushed his glasses up on his head and took her hands in his. “Promise me, Em. Promise me that whatever happens, we won’t let it ruin our friendship, okay?”
She nodded, as her heart flopped in her chest. “I promise. We can just be friends with benefits, or whatever, in the meantime.”
His expression grew more intense, and he tugged her in close. “I’m not sure there’s anything friendly about the way I’m feeling about you right now.”
Her heart started pounding, and heat pooled in her belly. “That makes two of us.” Although standing here in broad daylight at Off-the-Grid, it did indeed sound kind of surreal to be talking about hooking up with Ryan.
“And no guys from Tinder,” he said, his expression fierce.
“No one but you.” She hoped he couldn’t hear the absolute truth in her words. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Same goes for you.”
“I never mess around, Emma,” he said, looking so protective and loyal it made her chest hurt. “If I’m with you, I’m only with you.”
“Okay then.” She tried to hide the big mushy mess that was her heart behind a casual smile. “What will we tell everyone else?”
“Let’s play it by ear,” he said. “Right now, I think we’re doing way too much talking.”
“Agreed.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
Next thing she knew, she was plastered against his chest. His hands had found their way into her back pockets while his mouth devoured hers. “Wow,” she said when they’d finally come up for air.
“Yeah.” He looked just as dazed as she felt. “You are blowing my mind right now.”
She grinned. “Thanks, I think.”
“So what now?” he asked, for once looking at a loss.
Yeah, this was slightly awkward. Last night, beneath the strobing lights of the dance floor and fueled by alcohol, they’d been possessed by their need for each other. But here, in the bright sunshine, while both of them were technically at work? It wasn’t as if they could just fall into bed together.
“Well, I was thinking…I’ve decided on my tattoo. Will you take me to get it done?”
He was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. “If you’re sure it’s what you want. I used to manage a place in Charlotte. The guys there are top notch. They did most of mine.”
She traced her fingers over a tribal design that wrapped around his wrist. The reality of getting a tattoo—namely, the pain from the needle, but also the idea of it being on her body forever—was still slightly terrifying, but this was something she’d always wanted to do. And having Ryan take her felt beyond perfect. “I like yours. So Charlotte, huh?”
He nodded. “We could go this weekend.”
Charlotte was at least a two-hour drive from Haven. Maybe they could spend the night, too, but right now that still felt a bit too forward to mention. “It’s a date.”
“So what are you getting?”
“A poppy.” She smiled when his brow furrowed. “It’s a flower. You knew I had to get a flower, right?”
He looked down at her dirt-stained hands. “Yeah. A flower definitely suits you.”
“The red poppy symbolizes loss, especially those lost at war. And I want to have an anchor woven into the stem to symbolize hope.”
He stared straight into her eyes, and his expression made her sizzle from head to toe. “That’s perfect. Really perfect.”
* * *
Ryan scraped a hand over his chin as he followed Emma back toward the main building. Holy shit, this thing between them had taken on a life of its own. Bringing her to Charlotte to get a tattoo would be a turning point, that much was for damn sure.
Trent pulled into the parking lot in his little Kia sedan, and Ryan headed his way. Emma beat him to it.
“You were so fantastic last night,” she gushed as soon as Trent had stepped out of his car.
“Thanks.” He tugged at his cap with a shy smile.
“You really have something there. I could feel it,” she said. “And it seemed like everyone else was really enjoying your music, too. I think this could be the start of big things for you.”
Ryan wasn’t so sure about that. Sure, the kid had a passion and talent for DJ’ing, but was that really a viable career? Seemed more like something someone might do for a few years until a real job came along. And that was fine, as long as he got his education so that he’d have it to fall back on.
Emma gave Trent a big hug before she headed back to the flowers she’d been planting when Ryan had come out and interrupted her.
“You did great last night,” Ryan said. “Made me real proud.”
“Thanks.” Trent ducked his head.
“I thought maybe you and I could work together out on the ropes course today.”
“Keeping an eye on me?”
“Nah.” Not entirely anyway. “Just thought we could spend some time together.”
“Okay. Cool.”
“I need to test out all the connections before we open the course for spring and summer activities,” Ryan said as he led the way down the path.
“So who uses it?” Trent asked.
“Companies can do team-building exercises or groups can rent it for a party or event, but one of us has to be there leading the exercises and supervising. It’s not open for free play, ’cept for us, of course.” He winked, and Trent grinned.
“It’s fun being here, working outside. Never did much of that in St. Louis.”
“You live in the city?”
“Suburbs.”
“Play any sports?” Ryan asked.
“Does the Wii count?”
Ryan laughed as he shook his head. He and his brother had almost nothing in common. Didn’t matter, though. “I thought we could start on the tires and work our way around the course.”
“Okay. What am I looking for?”
Ryan showed him how to spot structural wear on the tires and on the ropes supporting them. He and Trent sat side by side on tires, swinging slightly as they felt along the ropes for any signs of decay or wear.
“Did you know your dad? Or mine?” Trent asked suddenly as he examined the rope overhead.
“No. Mom went out with a lot of guys. I’m not sure if she even knew.”
“Oh.” Trent shrugged. “I kind of wonder sometimes, you know, about my heritage.”
Ryan had wondered, too. “I’ve tried to remember seeing her with an Asian man, but I don’t. Our mom was…Well, you’re probably lucky you don’t remember her.”
Trent kept his eyes on the rope. “What was she like?”
Ryan took a deep breath. “She
loved us. I mean, she was never abusive or anything like that. But the drugs, the alcohol…it took a toll. She was always looking for her next fix. She just couldn’t break free of the cycle.”
“Did she try? You know, for us?” Hurt gleamed in his younger brother’s eyes.
“She got clean when she was pregnant with you. I think she did try, yeah.”
Trent said nothing, staring at the ground, his jaw set.
“I was only eleven when she died,” Ryan said. “At the time, I thought she must not have cared about us at all to do the things she did. But now, you know, I guess she did the best she could.”
“But not enough.”
“No, not enough.” Ryan couldn’t sugarcoat the truth. “Losing her, and then losing you…it was pretty bad for me. I did a lot of stupid shit, but I’ve never touched drugs. Not once. Not after seeing what they did to her.”
“I’m sorry,” Trent said, his voice gone quiet. “It’s not fair that you had to grow up in foster care. I had, like, a pretty average childhood. I mean, I thought it sucked plenty, but getting grounded for breaking curfew doesn’t compare to what you went through.”
“Life’s not fair, Trent. I did okay, and things have turned out good for me. Not to be all mushy and shit, but I just want you to know how much it means to me having you here. Soon as I could after I turned eighteen and aged out of the system, I left Haven and moved around, looking for you. Hoped maybe you were somewhere nearby so that I could track you down.”
“Really?” Trent turned to look at him.
“Yeah, man. Family’s everything, right? Whatever happens, when you go back home or back to school or whatever, we’re family now. You’re never getting rid of me.” He gave his brother a slap on the back.
A smile creased his brother’s cheeks. “That’s totally cool with me.”
“Good. Maybe I’m hard on you sometimes because I don’t want you to make the mistakes I did. Just punch me if I start to sound too annoying, okay?”
Trent laughed a little at that, shaking his head.
“You know they have those ancestry kits now. You send them a cheek swab or whatever, they test your DNA and tell you where you’re from. If you really want to know.”