Bound For You: Men in Blue, Book 6 (5 page)

S
hari thought
Ryan looked good enough to eat with his blond hair slicked back and damp. Classic features, tan skin, brilliant eyes, and long limbs made him seem like he’d escaped from some fairytale princedom and wandered into her home. Remembering how he’d kissed her earlier, another blast of warmth flared within her.

It hadn’t been her imagination. All this time, it was there. True chemistry.

Today they’d finally acknowledged it.

The possibilities seemed simultaneously astounding and terrifying.

She wondered how he’d feel if she ruined her appetite by devouring him instead of whatever culinary delights he planned to present her with. As she watched, he slipped a crisp black apron over his head and cinched it around his trim waist. It did magnificent things for his ass.

Whew, it was going to be harder than she thought to keep her hands to herself. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Some hands-on-self action might be required to fall asleep after spending an entire evening alone with him. She’d resorted to pleasing herself with her trusty vibrator more than once after their group outings. Solo, the lust he steeped her in was even more potent.

Shari forced herself to recall the disastrous parting they’d endured earlier and consider how raw Ryan must be after that informal breakup. “Are you sure you want to go to all this trouble? If you’d rather find something on Netflix and chill out…”

“Did you just proposition me?” A wicked grin lit up his face, making his eyes seem to sparkle like the aquamarine and diamond necklace in Izzy’s jewelry collection.

“What? No!” She waved her hands in front of her, trying to think back. Had her desires spilled out of her mouth instead of what she thought she’d offered—comfort, relaxation?

“I don’t think that means what you think it means, Shar.” He winked. Laughing, he turned back to the stove and fiddled with some knobs she never used. Though he mumbled, she caught most of what he said with his back to her. “Too bad. I might have taken you up on it. I’m like a damn pressure cooker over here. Sooner or later…
kerpow
.”

She tore her gaze off his spectacularly presented butt and whipped her phone out of the pocket of her jeans while he continued to ramble. Her fingers were a flurry of motion as she did a quick Internet search. Apparently some genius had decided “Netflix and chill” was secret code for a friends-to-lovers booty call.

Also known as knocking boots.

Also known as bumping uglies.

Also known as stuffing the turkey.

Also known as hiding the salami.

Also known as tickling the pickle.

Also known as making whoopee.

Also known as rumpy pumpy.

Or mostly known as plain old-fashioned
fucking
.

And she’d come right out and asked him to do it. With her. As if it was no bigger deal than taking a stroll to the lake after dinner.

“What the ever-loving hell is wrong with young people today?” She slapped her phone onto the table as she sank into a chair. Would she ever get things right with him?

“Like you’re that old.” Ryan glanced over his shoulder in time to catch her horrified expression and bugging eyes. He chuckled. “C’mon, Granny, don’t freak out. I knew that’s not what you meant.”

“I’m an idiot. I mean, I would, you know. Like to do that sometime. But not tonight. I realize this is horrible timing. ” Her head sank onto her crossed arms, hiding her smoldering face from him. Until she remembered what he’d said…
Too bad, I might have taken you up on it.

“It is?” He didn’t look at her when he asked, softer, “Why?”

“Because you had your heart broken today, for starters.” Behind his back, she rolled her eyes. Was he going to pretend she couldn’t tell?

“You know I can see your reflection in this vent hood, right?” He shook his head.

Refer to her earlier idiot status. “No. Obviously I’m not used to having people around.”

That much was true.

“Hang on. Am I invading your turf? I can take you up on one of those spare guest houses if you want.” For the first time, he paused as he gathered his ingredients and laid everything out just so. His hand hovered over the pull for a drawer where he had been about to start rummaging around for who knew what, she figured.

“No.” Even if he hadn’t already been booted out of one home today, she wouldn’t turn this into a repeat performance. It was unequivocally true. Some people might grate on her in close quarters after spending so much time by herself, but not Ryan. Or Ben. Probably.

Unless he was acting like an idiot as he had been earlier today.

“Despite what you saw before, I’m not the kind of person to get my feelings hurt easily.” Ryan stopped what he was doing and crossed to her, crouching at her feet. “If you need some space, I’ll go.”

“No, don’t.” She reached out and held his face in her hands. “You’re always welcome here.”

“Just not for Netflix and chill?” He raised a single brow, making her want to launch herself at him and prove him wrong right there on the kitchen floor.

“
Not today
is what I said.” She rubbed her thumbs over his lightly stubbled cheeks, tougher than they looked.

“What happened this morning was a result of months of shit piling up. This afternoon wasn’t the part that caused the hurt—it was the day that stopped the pain. The day I finally quit letting other people dictate how I feel and when I act on that.” Ryan swallowed hard. “I’m not saying I’m not screwed up inside, but that’s really not anything new. It’s been this way for months. I hate that I might have done the same to you by not pursuing the potential I felt between us. I don’t want to keep being stupid, Shari.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I think I should rectify my mistakes as soon as
fucking
possible.” He leaned forward and captured her mouth in another kiss. It sizzled. Despite their earlier performance, it caught her by surprise.

Could it be like this every time—shocking and brilliant?

She hoped so and was willing to try it a hell of a lot more to be positive.

Shari lifted her hands to bury her fingers in his sun-bleached hair. When she inadvertently tugged on it some as she tried to worm even closer, he groaned into her mouth. The intensity of his kiss ramped up as if he’d put her gas range on full blast. A flurry of his tongue, lips, and teeth, showed her exactly what she did to him. His enthusiasm had a similar effect on her.

If they didn’t stop soon, they’d escalate this straight to table-smashing proportions.

The only reason she didn’t shout
whoopee
and go for it, the hell with dinner first, was because her brother had meticulously handcrafted the furniture. She couldn’t stand to lose another piece of her family when so few remained.

Damn.

As if Ryan felt her slight hesitation, he pulled back enough to separate them. Barely. His eyes opened slowly, showcasing the gorgeous cerulean glow of his sleepy stare, drenched in lust. Framed by golden lashes, his gaze—hell, all of him—took her breath away.

Or maybe they’d been kissing so long she was about to pass out.

Either way, she wasn’t prepared for what he said next.

“So…if you have some objection to getting naked with me other than how you think I should feel right now, you should probably mention it before we finish dessert.” He grinned before rising, staying bent over only long enough to kiss the tip of her nose. “Because I’m about to pump you full of energy that I will gladly help you burn off later. Sound like a plan?”

“Uh huh.” She blinked up at him a few times. A grin threatened to split her face.

“I’m glad you’re onboard.” He caressed her hair a few times then glanced at the section of his apron distorted by his obvious erection with a wry grimace. He must have been going commando beneath those soft gym shorts, which rode impossibly low on his hips. “I’d better get back to work.”

As he left her proximity, having utterly transformed her forever, she wondered aloud, “I thought you were submissive. Damn, Ryan.”

An answering smile seemed to have taken up residence on his face. “That can mean a wide range of things, depending on the person. Besides, every situation is different. Just because mangoes are my favorite fruit doesn’t mean I don’t eat strawberries too.”

Huh. Well, when he put it like that, it seemed simple.

Maybe it was.

He was adaptable, flexible, and so damn sexy she couldn’t imagine being more fascinated with someone for the rest of her life. Maybe she’d had it wrong all this time. Had her infatuation with the roommates been driven by her cravings for this man? Ryan could be enough for anyone. He amazed her.

“What’s that look for?” He briefly met her stare in the range hood as he began to slice and dice vegetables with an impressive amount of skill and speed. She’d have chopped her fingers off already if she’d attempted that.

“Just thinking how incredible you are. Special,” she admitted.

“A freak of nature, you mean?” He shrugged.

“Only in the best sense.” Shari stood and crossed the kitchen. She couldn’t help repeating her earlier gesture. Wrapping her arms around him, she slid her hands beneath the apron. Of their own volition, they stroked down his sleek torso and over the ridges of his cut abdomen. It was a luxury to touch him, finally, like she’d dreamed of so often. Molesting him while he cooked could quickly become her new favorite pastime. “I’ve never met anyone like you before. Someone who interests me as much as you.”

“Keep that up and I might cut off something important.” He sighed and his steady motions hitched.

She couldn’t help herself. Shari allowed her hand to brush over his package, testing the weight of his goods for a moment before teasing him verbally to go along with her brief caress. “It feels pretty big, Ryan, but I don’t think it’ll reach up onto the countertop.”

He cracked up at that. Then spun slowly enough to keep from whacking her with his elbow or stabbing her, but fast enough to dislodge her.

Ryan pointed with the handle of the knife. “Go. Sit. Let me cook for you, woman.”

“How can I say no to that?” She left him with one last peck on the side of his neck, since she couldn’t quite reach his mouth without him accommodating her. A hiss of air left him in a rush. It didn’t turn her off to hear him give in to arousal. In some ways, that thrilled her more. Knowing she finally had a right to do what she had felt for a while now flooded her with glee.

She hoped he cooked fast.

From her outpost at the kitchen table, she studied his every move. Watching him became a feast for her senses. Confident and competent, he never hesitated in his preparations. Meticulous, he never rushed. Not even when flames were shooting from a pan or three different buzzers were ringing. The kitchen was his bitch.

So she didn’t realize he’d finished until he had already started carrying armfuls of dishes to the table.

Shari rose. “Here, let me get some of those.”

“No, please. Sit.” For a man who liked to take orders, it seemed like a command. “I want to do this. For you.”

Oh.

Servitude
.

Shari remembered Lily talking about all the ways her submissives showed their affection for her. The concept of service hadn’t quite made sense when they’d discussed it. How could it help partners communicate their dedication to one another? How did someone find it enjoyable to wait on another human being?

Here, in the moment, the feeling made perfect sense to her. And she was honored.

It wasn’t sexual, necessarily. Though his graciousness made her shift a bit in her seat, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs to ease some of the ache he inspired in her pussy by showing her exactly how much he cared. It erased months of doubt with a single action. Far more than hashing things through could have.

If it made her guest content to do this, she certainly wasn’t about to stop him. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

He smiled his signature slow, wide grin. The one she hadn’t seen on his handsome face in far too long.

Ryan placed things in front of her in a very specific pattern and order. The pomp and precision of it all intimidated her. The last thing she wanted to do was screw up after he’d gone to so much effort.

“I can’t wait to dig in. I have no clue what this stuff is, but it smells divine.” She peeked up at him. “I hope you don’t expect me to eat with my pinky out and take tiny nibbles. I only have one kind of fork and I’m starving.”

He didn’t laugh. Didn’t answer right away, either.

Oh no, had she offended him? Her stomach wobbled, and not because of the scrumptious smells that left her salivating.

“Would you let me feed this to you?” He held a tray with yet more dishes and a decanter of aerated wine out on one hand, a towel draped over his forearm. “Or is that too…weird?”

Shari felt a flame as bright as the one he’d seared their dinner with fly along her nerve endings. She squirmed in her chair, wet at the thought alone.

“No.” She shook her head when his smile dimmed. “I mean, it’s not too strange. Sure, I’d like to try it, if that’s what you want.”

“I do.” He stared at her with such awe and reverence, she would have thought she rescued someone from a burning building or discovered the cure for cancer instead of granting a simple, if unconventional, request.

While she absorbed his visual praise, he set down the tray, then plucked her from the chair just as quickly. Ignoring her surprised yelp, he settled her in his lap. “Here, sit on me. Get comfortable.”

Shari found it was easier than she thought. She wiggled around until they fit together, her back to his chest. His legs cradled hers. If there was something long and hard pressing against the small of her back, she opted to pretend that it was his clothes bunching up instead of his very respectable hard-on.

Otherwise, she’d never make it through the first course without turning to gorge on him.

“Here, start with this.” He held out a single mouthful of something frilly on a large serving spoon. “I had to improvise a little.”

So busy staring at the colors and textures of whatever the hell it was he brought to her lips, she didn’t open fast enough.