Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
PENNY
I loved it when one of my clients at Hungry Bee needed to reschedule a delivery, especially if it was the first client of any given day. The luxury of a few extra hours of sleep always did wonders for my skin.
And for beating down murderous urges.
And yet, something had me on edge. I wasn’t sure what would help. No, scratch that. I knew exactly what would help—a onetime thing with one sexy CEO Ryder Colburn.
No strings attached.
No emotions getting tangled.
No promises.
No looking back.
But even if just thinking of it revved my engine, I wasn’t sure I had the nerve to go there. I’d never been able to sleep with someone and not attach a string or tangle my emotions.
Rolling over, I checked my phone. I had a text from Grandma letting me know she was taking Wyatt to school, and then Hank to the library for story time.
Having the house to myself was so rare, I immediately slid out of bed, intent on scrounging up the ingredients for a big breakfast.
Then I remembered…renovation. Today after work, Ryder was going to help us demo, so we hadn’t gone to the grocery store and stocked up this week.
By tonight, the electrical, gas, and water to the kitchen would be disconnected, and the kitchen sealed off from the living room to try to minimize dust to the rest of the house.
The appliances would be pulled, with the exception of the fridge, which would stay either in the laundry room or on the back porch until Ryder was ready to lay down the new flooring.
Grandma and I had been poring over samples for that, along with paint colors, granite for the countertops, and new appliances.
A thrill went through me every time I thought about it. Okay, so I’d make do with instant coffee and a granola bar instead this morning. Breakfast of champions. Padding barefoot in my pj’s, I walked through the quiet house. Another luxury.
“Boo!”
I jumped, then sagged, a hand to my heart as I eyeballed Pika-boo watching me from his perch. “That’s just mean.”
Pika-boo paused, then, as if he couldn’t help himself, whispered, “Did you poop today?”
“Did you?”
He immediately starting bebopping his little head up and down, the parrot equivalent to a dog’s poop zoomies. “Good for you.”
“I’m a good boy! The goodest of good boys!”
“You are,” I told him as I headed to the kitchen. There were tarps out and tools, and I realized the floor was a danger zone for my bare feet. Just inside the doorway, against a wall next to a broom and a massive pry bar and a ladder, was a tool belt and a pair of work boots.
Ryder had left them here along with the rest of his tools, so he didn’t have to cart them back and forth while the job was ongoing.
Hmm. Why not, right? So I stepped into the massive boots, then stared down at the tool belt.
It seemed lonely down there by itself, so I buckled it around my waist. Everything that hung from the belt jingled—a hammer, putty knife, utility knife, screwdriver, and some other stuff, all of it weighing so much it nearly took me down to the floor. How did he do it?
Maybe that’s what all the muscles were for.
In the big boots, I clomped and clinked across the kitchen to the box in the laundry room where we’d left our to-go cups and instant coffee, heading straight for the fridge in hopes of finding a miracle.
As expected, it was meager pickings, even in the freezer, but just in case, I bent low to see if there was, say, a chocolate cake mysteriously left in the veggie drawer.
At a sudden sharp inhale behind me, I jerked upright, smacking my head on the still-open freezer door. Stars danced in front of my eyes as I fell to my butt.
“Shit.” Suddenly Ryder was there, hands in my hair, checking the top of my head with gentle fingers. “You okay?”
I opened my eyes to glare at him, but something about the sight of him on his knees, looking a little hot and sweaty in jeans and a long-sleeved tee covered in some construction dust made me forget what I wanted to say.
“Penny?” His hands were still in my hair, tipping my face up to see into my eyes. “Talk to me.”
“It’s not fair.”
“What?”
I blew a strand of hair from my face. “I bet you didn’t even brush your hair this morning and you still look edible.”
He blinked, then gave a slow smile. “Just how hard did you hit your head?”
Not hard enough… I pushed him away, then rose with as much dignity as I could, given that I was in boots that could’ve belonged to a giant and wearing a tool belt that possibly weighed more than I did.
Still on his knees, he looked me over, from the tips of his own boots, to my…crap…itty-bitty Hello Kitty camisole and short shorts, to the tool belt slung around my waist.
His smug-ass smile was so full of himself, I wanted to kick him. Which was much better than wanting to kiss him.
“Are you wearing my tool belt?”
“I can explain,” I said.
Grinning, he sank back on his heels and gestured for me to have at it.
“So…I woke up starving . I came down to grab some food before I remembered I live in a construction zone, and I wasn’t wearing any shoes.” I looked at his feet. “Why aren’t you barefoot?”
“These are my demo boots. They get too dirty to use for anything else.” He pointed to the ones I wore. “Those are my regular work boots. They look great on you, by the way.”
I felt my face flush, and he laughed softly. “And the tool belt?”
“I can’t explain that.”
He nudged a chin at me. “New pajamas?”
“No.” I looked down at the Hello Kitties all over my little shorts, and the singular Hello Kitty across my breasts. “But they’re cute, right?”
“Not my first thought.”
Lifting my head, I met his gaze. His dark, heated gaze. “Oh,” I murmured brilliantly.
Amusement came into his eyes. “Yeah. Oh. And you should keep the tool belt, it looks better on you than me.”
He was wrong about that, very wrong. Then he brushed calloused fingers along my hip, just above the leather of the belt, and my brain stopped working.
Tipping his head back, he looked into my face. “You seem dazed. You sure you’re all right? What day is it?”
I had no idea, and the stupor had nothing to do with hitting my head. The cause for it was on his knees before me. “I’m good.”
“Yeah? How many of me do you see?”
I took in his jeans, the ones that looked buttery and soft, cupping him in allllll the right places. “Just the one,” I managed.
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “You’re drooling.”
I swiped my mouth before thinking, glowering at Ryder’s rough and throaty laugh. “Hate you.”
He gave me a very slow, very dirty smile. “Liar.”
True. I was absolutely lying to myself, pretending I didn’t have feelings for him.
And though I had no idea why, I was pretty sure he had feelings for me too, even if he was being careful with me, not pushing.
Somehow I knew he never would. I’d have to be the one to make the next move.
Was I ready for that? Testing myself, I leaned in so that we were almost, but not quite, mouth to mouth.
His eyes softened, but he didn’t so much as shift an inch. “Penny? Whatcha doing?”
I froze. “I thought that might be obvious.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth. “I’m trying to respect your boundaries.”
“I didn’t stipulate any boundaries.”
“Not out loud,” he agreed. “But your body tells me everything I need to know.”
I looked down at myself. Crap. I had my arms crossed. And in response, he’d leashed himself.
But I didn’t want him leashed. I relaxed my arms and shifted closer. Testing. Still on his knees, his hands fisted on his thighs as though it was an effort to hold back.
“Penny.” Almost an inaudible groan.
I wasn’t trying to tease. I was trying to see how comfortable I felt, and apparently I was very comfortable testing my limits, and his too—and he was letting me. I couldn’t stop staring at his mouth. Could I just take what I wanted? Was it that simple?
“Can I…”
“Anything,” he said.
I met his gaze. “You too.”
He never took his eyes from mine as one of his big, warm hands slid to my nape while the other cupped my jaw, the pad of his thumb gently running over my scar.
“Okay?” he whispered.
“Very.” I slowly placed my hand on his chest. “Can I kiss you?”
“ Yes .” His eyes turned liquid fire. “And for future reference, I’m checking the I-accept-the-terms box in perpetuity?—”
I was laughing when I kissed him, but I melted at the first touch of his tongue, letting him in, drawing a rough male sound of approval that reverberated into my chest and headed south.
Within a single heartbeat, he’d pulled me into his lap and wrapped me up in him as if he was afraid I’d disappear.
We kissed slow and long, rocking into each other, the feel of him against me softening every inch of my body.
It had the opposite effect on every inch of him. A little unnerved at how much I wanted to explore those inches, I reluctantly pulled back.
“Damn,” I said softly. “It’s still there.”
“My tongue?”
I laughed. “The attraction.”
“Did you expect it to stand up and walk away?”
“I didn’t expect it to happen at all.”
The front door opened, and a few seconds later, Grandma stuck her head into the kitchen. “Hey, kiddies, we’re back—Oh,” she said when she caught sight of us.
“Ah,” Hank said, coming up behind Grandma, and pointed at us.
“What Hank’s saying is we’re going to go out to breakfast,” Grandma said, grinning from ear to ear. “So you just go back to…whatever you’re doing.”
Hank nodded, like that was exactly what he wanted to say too.
“How do you feel about pancakes, Hank?”
“Ahhhhhhhhh.”
“Hank feels real good about pancakes,” Grandma said. “So no worries. I’ll bring you some back.”
And then Ms. Nosy was gone.
“You know what she thinks we’re going to do, right?” I stared at Ryder, daring him to laugh.
He just smiled. “She loves you.”
“Actually, she loves you .”
He shrugged. “I’m extremely lovable.”
“Says you.”
“Says everyone.”
“Wow,” I said. “How do you get your big head through a doorway?”
A mischievous light came into his eyes, and he opened his mouth, but I covered it with my hand.
He nipped my finger.
With a laugh, I pulled my hand back, but he got a hold of me, his hands tightening on my hips so I couldn’t go anywhere.
“What happened to my boundaries?” I asked.
“You dropped them and let me in.”
True story. So I kissed him again. His lips were warm, and tasted like my forgotten hopes and dreams, and something more. Something I’d been missing.
Heart-stopping and heart-melting spontaneity.
Bliss .
His fingers tightened in my hair, gently tugging just enough to break the kiss so he could stare into my eyes, his own warm, curious. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for exactly, but I did my best to look like a woman who knew what I wanted—an orgasm not of my own making, please and thank you.
A corner of his mouth tipped up in a sexy almost-smile, and I really hoped that meant good things were coming. Like maybe me .
“Penny.”
“Ry,” I said in a low register, mimicking his serious tone.
The whole smile appeared on his face and whatever bones hadn’t already melted were complete liquid now.
And all I could think was how long did we have before Grandma and Hank returned?
For instance, did we have enough time for him to whisper in my ear exactly what he wanted to do to me while stripping off my clothes, those hazel eyes heated and hungry as he laid me out before him like his own personal platter of pancakes?—
A laugh then, soft and throaty, brought me out of my erotic daydream.
“Yes to whatever you’re thinking,” he said, voice so deep as to be almost inaudible. “Tell me everything, slowly, in graphic detail.”
Oh boy. “I’m better with show, not tell.” I started to pull off my top, then hesitated. “But this isn’t going to mean anything…right?”
“I’ll let you wrestle with that one.” He didn’t hesitate, didn’t pause as his mouth settled on mine. I don’t know what I expected; short and sweet, or wild and frenzied…but it was neither.
And better.
With a nip of his teeth, he coaxed my lips apart. He didn’t have to try very hard. I was so eager I pulled him as close as I could get him, and?—
“Oh man, in the kitchen?” Wyatt stood in the doorway, looking disgusted as only a twelve-year-old could.
I jerked back. “What is happening?” I pointed at my brother. “Why aren’t you at school?”
“Because it’s some stupid in-service. Tommy messed up too. His mom came and got us.” A smug, payback light came into his eyes as he looked at me. “Did you get verbal consent? Were you respectful of his personal boundaries?”
Ryder looked amused. Better than horrified … “She was very respectful,” he said.
“Good.” Wyatt gave me his most evil little brother smile. “Oh, and remember, don’t be a fool, wrap your tool.” He stepped over us to peer in the fridge. “So…what’s for breakfast?”