Ramsey pressed her lips together and breathed deeply through her nose. Her mouth parted infinitesimally as she slowly exhaled. “Are youtryingto make me regret it? Because—fair warning—that’s where this is headed.”
“No,” he said. Sullivan closed his eyes, rubbed the area above them with a thumb and forefinger, and opened them again. “God, no. I only want…” His voice trailed off as he considered what he could say that wouldn’t have her showing him the door.
“What?” she asked. “You only want…what?”
“To make sure you’re safe.”
“That’s very Dudley of you.”
“Dudley?”
“Dudley Do-Right.” When he looked at her blankly, she explained, “You know. The Canadian Mountie who is never ethically challenged. From the old cartoon.”
He shook his head. “Never saw it.”
“I’ll YouTube it for you. There’s a movie too.” She put up a hand when he opened his mouth to comment. “Forget Dudley. I don’t need you to assure my safety. Iamsafe. Not running. Not hiding. Safe.”
“Am I allowed to be skeptical?”
“I can hardly control what you think.”
“Would you tell me if you had reason to be concerned?”
“I’m concerned about climate change, infrastructure, and whether the Pens will win another Stanley Cup.”
“You can’t help yourself, can you? Being glib, I mean.”
“It’s like breathing.”
Now it was Sullivan’s turn to slowly exhale. “I guess I have my answer.” He started to rise but sat down again when she shook her head and waved him back.
“The truth is…I was going to say ‘complicated,’ but’s it’s not complicated at all. It’s simple. Iwantto trust you, Sullivan. I believe I can and I also know that I’m not ready. I hope you hear me saying that I am working toward being ready. I have to get there on my own. Be at peace with it because there are consequences. Do you understand?”
“There’s nothing I can do, then, to speed the process?”
She smiled, rueful, and shook her head. “Not overtly. No prodding or poking. Be Dudley. A good man. That’s enough.”
Sullivan’s eyes narrowed and he regarded her skeptically. “He’s a blockhead, isn’t he?”
Ramsey winced. “A little bit.” She added hurriedly, “But I don’t think of you that way. You’re no blockhead. I wasn’t making that comparison.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I wasn’t.” She crossed herself. “I swear.” Ramsey threw off the blanket covering her legs and practically leapt off the sofa. She shoved the ottoman to one side and put herself squarely in Sullivan’s lap. “Swear,” she said softly, slipping hands around the back of his head. “Swear.” This time she murmured the word against his mouth. “Kiss me.”
“Well, if it’s that important to you.”
“Shut up.”
He did. In fact, it was a long while before either of them spoke. What began as a healing balm became hard and hungry. The slant of their mouths changed; their tongues tangled. She lifted her face to give him access to her neck. He lightly kissed her along the jaw and then sipped her skin. She made a sound at the back of her throat that vibrated against his lips. He groaned softly. Her fingers wound in his hair. Her nails gently scraped his scalp. She tugged on his earlobe with her teeth.
One of Sullivan’s hands slid up Ramsey’s thigh. Her black leggings were merely a second skin and her oversized cable knit sweater offered no resistance to the fingers that slipped under it. She arched her back and delicately shivered as his fingertips climbed her spine. Once he discovered that she wasn’t wearing a bra, his hand advanced to her breast. He wasn’t even stealthy about it, but he figured it wasn’t exactly a surprise. She expelled a breathy little sigh as his palm covered her and when his thumb made a sharp pass across her nipple, she sucked that breath back in.
Ramsey worked the buttons on his steel blue poplin shirt. She’d noticed right off that the color was a close match for his eyes and wondered if he realized it as well or if it was simply a happy accident. The thought was only fleeting. He had both hands under her sweater now, and she attended to the sensations he was provoking at her breast and at the small of her back.
She laid her palm flat against his chest. His skin was deliciously warm and her hand lingered over his heart before it rose to his shoulder and her fingers traced the line of his collarbone. Under her hip, she felt his cock rise. It stirred her as well and she kissed him deeply to let him know.
“My bedroom’s upstairs,” she whispered.
