Her heart shifted in her chest. Ethan was right. Ryder had taken her to his home, and not someplace he rented for the night.
Maybe she was starting to mean more to him than just sex. Great sex.
For something that should’ve been bad, considering her temporarily-in-the-Poconos status, it felt damn good.
She smiled. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
His gaze was friendly and a little bit heated as he unhooked her buckle and brushed her nipples as he slowly removed her vest. “My pleasure.”
The way her nipples pebbled at his touch, it was obvious it was her pleasure, too.
He dropped the vest back into the boat, then ran his finger along her temple and down her jaw before lowering his mouth to hers. It was one of his long, slow, thorough kisses, that stole her breath, melted her bones, made her ache for him.
Breaking the kiss, he stared into her eyes. “I can’t think when my mouth is on you. We’d better save that for later. I want to give you the tour.”
Happy for the promise of later, and for the tour, she smiled. “Lead the way.”
He hoisted her bag on his shoulder, grabbed her hand, then led her out of the boat house and onto the main dock. Standing there, looking up at the house, she lost her breath again.
It was even more magnificent up close.
“You built this too, didn’t you?”
His head turned to her, and a flash of wonder entered his eyes. “How can you tell?”
She smiled at the clueless man. “It’s as unique as your signature or thumbprint. You have a style, Ryder. An incredible style that…speaks to me. I don’t know, I just feel it.” Goosebumps spread down her arm in confirmation. “There’s a strength, a distinctive approach. Your use of lines, and attention to detail, all of it screams you.”
“A guy who’s addicted to pizza and a certain someone’s kisses?” he teased.
Fighting a grin, she nodded. “Exactly.”
He laughed, and the pure sound reignited her goose bumps. “Come on. I’ll show inside. Maybe you can tell what I like for breakfast by the way I designed the kitchen.”
“You’re on.” She already knew what he liked for breakfast, and it wasn’t food.
All through the tour, his playful manner remained. The open-concept first floor had a vaulted ceiling, with those gorgeous windows, and an amazing stone fireplace along one wall. His kitchen was to die for, with state of the art appliances, granite counters, and a huge walk-in pantry. The man had created her dream kitchen.
It was mouthwatering, like him.
Upstairs were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One bedroom was dedicated for his nephew Tyler. The other, she assumed, would eventually accommodate his niece…once she was walking. Then there was the master. Large. Incredible. It had a king size bed, that made her stomach flutter, another gorgeous stone fireplace, and an equally impressive bathroom. The double sinks and jetted tub were amazing, but the huge stone wall, walk-in shower, with a bench and a big showerhead in the ceiling made her gasp. She forced herself to exit the bathroom before she gave into the urge to strip him naked then and there.
More floor-to-ceiling windows covered the back wall, and when he slid them wide open, it lent new meaning to bringing the outdoors inside. But the best part of the private deck was the… “Hot tub?”
“Yes.” He brushed her jaw with his thumb. “Had it installed yesterday.”
This made her smile widen. She set her hands on his chest and slid them down to rest on his hips. “Just in time for a holiday.”
“We’ll fire it up later,” he said, pressing his lips to her forehead. “What do you say we go for a hike?”
She reeled back. “A hike? Sorry, I only brought these sandals.”
“No problem.” He grinned, leading her back inside where he opened his closet and handed her a shoebox.
But her gaze was still affixed to the massive walk-in closet, big enough to park a car. Hell, it was bigger than her kitchen in her Queen’s apartment. “Okay, this is another reason I’m in love with this room.”
He chuckled and opened the box in her hand. “I guessed your size. Hopefully, they’ll fit.”
She glanced down at the new hiking boots, which of course, were her exact size. “You know my body well enough to make a great guess.”
