Chapter Twenty-One

Hot water rained down on them in her luxurious shower with glass brick walls. He poured some of her shampoo into his palm then lathered up her soft hair, taking his time working it into her wet strands. She closed her eyes, and leaned her head against his chest.

“Your dinner’s probably getting cold,” he murmured in her ear as he turned her around and rinsed the shampoo from her hair.

“I know. But that’s what re-warming in the oven is for,” she said.

He looped an arm around her waist, tugging her soft, wet body against his. “I know this sounds crazy because it was only a few days ago when I saw you, but I did miss you,” he said, planting a kiss on her neck, then traveling to her lips, kissing her softly, slowly, taking his time. She whimpered sexily against his lips, and he let go. “That dinner is really going to get cold.”

“And I am really going to get hot the longer I stand here in the shower naked with you,” she said, and he eyed her all over, keenly aware that this was the first time she’d been completely naked in front of him, and him with her.

He held up his finger. “Let me go get a condom.” He turned to the shower door when he felt her grasp his arm.

“I’m on the pill,” she said. “And I’m kind of ridiculously clean.”

He laughed. “Ridiculous is good. And same here. Clean, that is.”

He backed her up against the royal-blue tiled wall, hitched up her right leg around his hip, and guided himself into her.

There were no words to describe how fantastic she felt. So he didn’t say anything. He simply moved inside her, getting to know her body even more intimately as twilight fell and she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered his name.

Soon, she was saying it louder, in an orgasmic shout, and he chased her there.

* * *

Ryan pointed admiringly at the chicken, which had been reheated and was as tasty as she’d hoped. He was polishing off his second serving. “This is delicious. You sure can cook.”

“Just wait ’til you have dessert then,” she said with a smile as she brought the glass of pinot grigio to her lips and took a sip of the wine he’d given her. The peach tulips blazed brightly in a vase in the middle of the table. She’d changed into a short yellow sundress and had combed her hair into a clip. The ends of his still-wet hair curled up, a look she found made him even sexier than usual, considering what they’d just done in the shower.

Sparks swooped through her, and she was damn near ready for another round. But she also enjoyed talking to him, and they’d had a nice chat over dinner. He’d spotted a wedding photo of Holden and her, and had even remarked how pretty she looked. If he’d felt any tension or jealousy over her friendship with her ex, he didn’t let on, which made her happy. He’d asked about Holden’s work, and she’d shared more details, mentioning that he was helping with the upcoming fundraiser.

“I’m getting together with Holden tomorrow to go over some details, and truth be told, we’ll probably do some shopping, too. We’re both partial to the Grand Canal shops,” she said, as if divulging a naughty secret.

“This sounds strange even as I say it, but I hope you have fun shopping with your ex,” he said, bemused. She laughed, delighted that he could accept her friendship with Holden so easily.

“Tell me more about your company, and what it’s like working with your older brother,” she said.

As he talked about his work, and both the joys and pitfalls of working with a sibling, a realization slipped to front and center in her mind.

She liked him. A lot.

No, that wasn’t it. It was way more than like.

She was falling for Ryan Sloan. That was what the sparks in her belly were. They weren’t sex butterflies. They were falling for you butterflies.

Ryan set down his fork and cleared his throat. “So, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

Her shoulders tensed instinctively. Nothing good ever came from those words. “You’re married?” she asked, panic seizing her. She wasn’t sure why that was the first thing that came to her mind. But she was sure something bad was about to come out of his mouth. Especially given where her own mind and heart had just gone.

He laughed and shook his head, and his response made her feel the tiniest bit better. “No. It’s about—”

But his words were cut off by a knock on the door. She stood up quickly. “It’s probably just a delivery or something. Dry cleaning maybe,” she said, and walked to the door. She peered through the peephole and beamed when she saw her brother.

She turned to Ryan as she opened the door. “You can meet John.”

Ryan’s face froze, and so did her brother’s when he made eye contact with the other man in the room.

John said her lover’s name like a hiss.