With a bemused shake of his head, Ryder returned to his hammering. As he worked, candlelight skimmed over his form, catching the lines of his forearms, the flex of his hands, and the shine of his rain-soaked hair.
With every passing moment, it was getting harder to remember why, exactly, we weren't already upstairs.
I said, "Maybe I should help." I'd already offered once, but he'd turned me down, telling me I wasn't the one who broke it.
This time, he didn't even pause. "Nope."
"But it would go faster with two."
He laughed. "That's what you think. Andyou'rethe one who said work before play."
"Hey, I was trying to be responsible."
At this, he stopped hammering and gave me a long, lingering look – one so intense, I swear, my panties almost went up in flames.
Luckily, they were too damp to catch fire – and it had nothing to do with the rain. I moved closer to say, "Please tell me you're done."
"I'm done with the door." His lips curved into a slow smile. "But not withyou."
I smiled. "Oh, yeah?"
He set down the hammer before taking my hand. "Be careful what you ask for."
"Who'sasking?"I laughed. "I'm demanding."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
Forget talking.I threw my arms around him and kissed him, hard and hungry, like I'd been wanting to for the impossibly long time it had taken him to fix the door.
Okay, so in truth, it had taken him only a few minutes, but I felt like a kid at Christmas, eager to unwrap the only thing I wanted.
And what did I want?
Him.
Definitely.
68
Done Playing It Safe
Tessa
By the time we reached the top of the stairs, my pulse was racing for reasons that had nothing to do with exertion.
Finally.
I didn't hesitate. I turned toward my bedroom, and Ryder followed as amusement flickered across his face.
On a laugh, he asked, "What happened to fire safety first?"
"Oh, shut up," I teased, hating and loving that he was throwing my own words back at me, something I'd said downstairs as he'd grabbed the candle. "Besides," I said, "I'm done playing it safe."
He snorted. "That'll be the day."
"Hah!" I gave him my boldest smile. "That'll be the night, meaning right now."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me until the bedroom opened at my back. When it swung shut behind us, the soft click sounded too soft for how hard my heart was pounding. Ryder's fingers tightened in mine before he released me to set the candle aside.
