In Bed with Mr. Wrong (7 page)

Chapter Eight

Bri should be doing something other than staring stupidly at Ryan while he hurried
to open windows and fan out the smoke curling from the oven. She should help or…something.
But since she wasn’t certain she could stand without falling on her face, she settled
for shoving her skirt down to cover her nakedness. Her panties had been thrown…somewhere…and
she was in no position to search them out. Even the ear-piercing shriek of the smoke
detector wasn’t enough to snap her out of her post-orgasm haze.

She’d always read about women who got themselves into trouble because they were thinking
with their bodies instead of their minds, but she’d never understood before. Now she
did. With the way Ryan made her body feel, she could forgive him any number of sins
as long as he kept touching her.

Knowing that should have terrified her. Ryan didn’t like her. He’d made that abundantly
clear, even though he never hesitated to kiss her like he wanted to memorize her taste.
Not to mention all the orgasms.

The memory made her legs shake all over again.

She couldn’t get over the strangeness of the whole thing. Growing up, boys mostly
left her well enough alone, other than when they thought a few well-placed compliments
would make her more inclined to do their homework. After she graduated from college,
the only use most men had for her was to ask where to find the hunting and fishing
section of the library. And yet here was Ryan, a walking fantasy with his good looks
and impressive shoulders, bringing her to orgasm every chance he got.

The smoke detector made one last trill and then fell into silence. Ryan turned from
the window and gave her a sheepish grin that had her heart beating too hard. “That
kind of ruined the mood, huh?”

She wasn’t sure
anything
could ruin the mood between them. “I guess catching things on fire really is a running
trend with you.”

His jaw tightened and she had a second to wish she could take her words back, but
Ryan surprised her. He took a deep breath. “Less so than rumor would have you believe.”
He grabbed hot pads from a drawer and opened the oven door, which promptly released
a cloud of black smoke. “Shit. Guess we’re not having corn bread with the chili.”

“I’m not really a corn bread fan.” She bit her tongue, wishing she’d just stayed silent.
They wouldn’t get through this weekend if she didn’t at least attempt to be polite.
It wasn’t normally a problem—she liked people and tended to be nice as a general rule,
even when they weren’t. For some reason that didn’t hold true with Ryan.

He shrugged and dumped the pan into the sink. “Then we’ll call it fate and I won’t
try to throw together something else.” He stirred the chili. “This, at least, seems
to have survived our being distracted.”

Distracted. That was a good way to put what had just happened between them. Which
shouldn’t happen again. Right? She didn’t know anymore. There was something about
this man that made her feel off-center and defensive, how even being in the same room
with him set her on edge. She’d never reacted like that to anyone.

And that was even before they slept together.

She ate the bowl of chili he set before her mechanically, not really tasting it as
she mentally picked at their situation. They had no future. She knew that, and she
suspected he knew it as well. They didn’t like each other. Couldn’t carry on a conversation
without sniping at each other, and couldn’t snipe at each other without ending up
in compromising positions. But when his hands were on her body and his tongue stroking
hers, they fit together. No complications. No arguments. Nothing but two people coming
together with pleasure as the only goal.

Bri set down her spoon. “I’d like to have sex again.”

…

Ryan took a cautious sip of his beer, fighting for some kind of calm. He’d been in
plenty of hairy situations before, but the sheer idiocy of breaking into a cold sweat
as a reaction to Bri’s proclamation embarrassed him on a level he wasn’t prepared
to deal with. He was twenty-eight years old. He shouldn’t be acting like a bumbling
teenager because a woman he’d already slept with wanted to have sex again.

Hell, considering the direction they’d been headed before the smoke detector went
off, he shouldn’t be surprised.

Even knowing that, he couldn’t jump into this without figuring out where she was coming
from. He sipped his beer again, feeling a little closer to normal. This was nothing
different from approaching an enemy encounter—he had to figure out what direction
she was coming from and head her off or confront her as necessary.

Comparing Bri to an enemy didn’t settle him nearly as well as it should have. He swallowed.
“Why do you want to have sex again?”

Her face flamed red and he had half a second to wonder if she were going to back out
on him before she took his beer out of his hand and drank. She made a face. “How do
you drink that stuff? It’s terrible.”

“Which is probably why my brother and Avery stocked plenty of wine for you.” He leaned
against the counter and propped his chin on his fist. “Stop avoiding the subject you
brought up in the first place.”

“I’m not avoiding. I’m simply trying to figure out a way to approach it.”

He took back his beer and finished it off. “How about from head-on?”

“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” Bri closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and
opened them. “We have three days here and not much in the way of entertainment. So
we can stare out the window and watch the snowfall, or we can try to find something
to talk about.” Her expression conveyed just how pleasant either of those alternatives
sounded.

Ryan couldn’t say he disagreed. Hadn’t he just been thinking about how they could
barely hold down a conversation without fighting? “I’m not arguing so far.”

“For once.” She pursed her lips. “You see what I mean. We’ve been talking for all
of two minutes and I already want to smack you.”

“Maybe you should go get that chair from earlier and try again.”

“Ha ha.” She twisted on her barstool to face him fully. “My point is that we already
know we’re compatible in one way, so why not take advantage of it?”

Though part of his body perked up in agreement, Ryan couldn’t help digging in his
heels a little. “Normally I restrict myself to sleeping with women who actually
like
me.”

“Do you see any of them here?” She motioned around the living room and kitchen. “I
don’t think some perky redhead is going to materialize from the woodwork to relieve
you.”

This
was what she thought of him—that he needed
relief
. “While it’s flattering to find out that you think my standards are so low, I think
I’ll pass.”

If anything, her blush got deeper. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Are you sure? Because it sounds like what you meant.” Ryan hissed out a breath and
tried to get his annoyance under control. “That night we were together was the first
time in a long time for me.”

“I never said it wasn’t.”

Not in so many words, but if she thought he needed the kind of so-called relief sex
brought, it wasn’t a far jump to the conclusion that he was screwing everything in
sight. “Because you’ve described me in such glowing terms up to this point.”

“I wasn’t trying to insult you.”

He shook his head. “Then you’ve been doing a hell of a job of it.”

Bri wrapped her arms around herself, looking so lost and confused again that he wanted
to hug her. That hint of vulnerability killed him, so he gave in to the urge to put
his arms around her. She shivered and leaned into him, and they sat like that for
a few minutes. Finally, she raised her head. “I really didn’t mean it like that.”

He pushed her bangs off her face, letting his thumbs linger against her skin. “It’s
okay.”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “Ryan, I’m going to kiss you now.”

Well, hell, what was he supposed to say? “I think I can handle that.” Even if this
conversation
wasn’t
done.

She leaned up and pressed her lips against his, the sweetness of the move taking his
breath away. Here she was again,
his
Bri. He’d be damned before he let her go without a fight.

Chapter Nine

The feeling of Ryan’s mouth opening under Bri’s made every worry she had float right
out the window. What did anything matter when his hands were on her and his tongue
traced hers? It didn’t. Nothing mattered but this man—right here, right now. Hadn’t
she laughed herself silly over the last novel she’d read where the heroine thought
just that?

She’d been wrong. So terribly wrong.

Ryan sighed when she dragged her teeth over his bottom lip, then he settled his hands
on her behind, pulling her more firmly into the spot between his legs. Before she
realized what he meant to do, he unfastened her skirt and it dropped to the floor.
She started to pull away, all too aware of the curtainless windows and new chill on
her bare skin.

Oh God, where are my panties?
It wasn’t like she’d gone searching for them after he’d ripped them off earlier.

He hooked the back of her thighs and lifted her as he stood. Bri gave a little squeak
that turned into a moan when she wrapped her legs around his waist and his hard length
rubbed against her. “You feel so good.”

“I know.” But instead of laying her on the conveniently close couch, he started down
the hall. As if reading her mind—or maybe just the confusion on her face—he said,
“We’re making it to the bed this time.”

“Too far.” She reached between them and palmed him through his jeans since he really
seemed to like that. His curse only confirmed her suspicion. So did his missed step.

Fully intending to take advantage of his distraction, she wiggled out of his grasp
and dropped to her knees. His eyes went hooded even as he shook his head. “Not necessary.”

Who cared if it was necessary? Ever since she’d touched him earlier, she’d needed
this. She’d read enough different variations of it in her novels, and she’d always
wanted to try. It seemed right that it was with Ryan. She wanted to make him feel
the same way he’d made her feel when he put his mouth on her.

She wanted to drive him out of his mind for wanting her.

Ignoring his warning growl, she unzipped his jeans and worked them down his hips until
he sprang free. She moved forward, but stopped when she thought back to their encounter
in the front seat of his SUV. After glancing at him from under her bangs, she pulled
her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra. His muffled curse was exactly the reaction
she’d been aiming for. He watched her as if she was giving him the greatest gift,
but it didn’t feel selfless. Not when she thought she might die if she didn’t follow
through on this.

She nearly laughed at the dramatic thought, but then Bri wrapped her hand around his
erection and let the rest of it go. Right here, right now, it was only about
this
. She leaned forward and gave him an experimental lick, dragging her tongue along
his underside. He hissed out a breath, which was all the encouragement she needed.
She took him in her mouth, wondering at the feel of so much soft skin covering such
hardness. Ryan cursed again and his back hit the wall, which suggested her romance
novels really knew what they were talking about.

He murmured under his breath, whether cursing or praising her, she couldn’t tell.
It didn’t matter since she had no intention of stopping. She stroked him with her
hand, taking him deeper, until his hips bucked against her mouth.

“
Bri
.”

The warning was blatant, but she wasn’t sure she could ever get enough of the power
coursing through her. Not when it seemed as if every muscle in his body was tensed,
poised to lose control. To see this man who seemed to so enjoy driving her insane
lose himself was high on her list of priorities right now. She wanted it. Hell, if
she were going to be perfectly honest, she
needed
to level the playing field between them, to make him feel even a portion of the turbulence
he caused just by being in the same room as her.

“Bri, you need to stop.”

But his hands were loose in her hair. He didn’t want her to stop. Which suited her
just fine, because she didn’t want to, either. She picked up her pace, moving over
him in the same way that made him moan earlier. Then she reached between his legs
and cupped his balls, feathering her nails over that sensitive skin. He groaned, his
entire body shaking, but just when she thought victory was guaranteed, he tried to
pull away.

“No.” She wasn’t stopping until she finished this. She
needed
to finish this—to finish him.

His grip tightened, but Ryan let her take him back in her mouth. “You’re going to
be the death of me.”

She ignored him, maintaining her gentle hold on his balls and moving her other hand
in counterpoint with her mouth. His hands spasmed in her hair, his curses stringing
together until she could barely understand the words. It didn’t matter, not with him
swelling in her mouth, and his hips moving even though he was obviously trying to
hold still. He came with a groan and she swallowed him down, loving the way his knees
shuddered, just a little.

Before she could luxuriate in the desire and power coursing through her, he hauled
her to her feet and spun around to press her back against the wall. “Where did that
come from?”

“Where did what come from?”

“You, me, the best blow job I’ve ever had.”

She attempted a grin, but it was difficult to be amused with him looking at her like
he’d never seen her before. “There’s more to the library than the hunting and fishing
section.”

Ryan kissed her, and the way his tongue demanded she open her mouth felt like he was
imprinting himself on her. He didn’t move his hands from her hair, cupping her head
while still effectively holding her in place.

It was too much. She pushed at his shoulders, gasping in a breath when he leaned back.
Instead of being relieved he gave her the space she so desperately needed, her panic
got worse. He looked down at her, those blue eyes fathomless, threatening to make
this into something it most definitely could not be. She couldn’t have moved if she
tried, and with the entire length of Ryan’s body against her, she wasn’t sure she
wanted to. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

She tried to turn away, but he caught her chin and tipped it up, forcing her to meet
his gaze. Before those eyes, she felt her entire past, all her hopes and dreams and
fears, stripped bare for him, one by one. Things he had no business seeing. Her terror
over being abandoned again and again. Her love of libraries and the peace being surrounded
by safe, reliable books brought her—how safe she felt there because nothing ever changed.
Her hope for a dream man that she’d never quite been able to quash, no matter how
many times she told herself it was a foolish thing to want. Her need for a family,
for a place in life that was
hers
and hers alone, roots. All that knowledge to do with what he pleased.

“What are you so afraid of?” he murmured.

Bri shuddered, the intimacy of the moment too much. No one
saw
her, not in the way he seemed to.
Everything about you
, she wanted to say. And the way she was already starting to crave his body against
hers, like he was her favorite kind of drug. She licked her lips, all too aware of
how naked she was and the fact that he still retained most of his clothing. “I don’t
know what you’re talking about.”

Her safety net. As long as she didn’t admit how deeply she felt about something, it
couldn’t be taken from her. It was a lesson she’d learned the hard way when surrounded
by other children in a barren dog-eat-dog world. When you had nothing, you were willing
to fight for every scrap.

And the more someone else valued it, the more value it had.

“Bri, tell me.”

She swallowed. “A lot of things.” Some days it felt like she was afraid of
everything
.

Ryan smoothed her hair back. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Liar.
She was pretty sure he already had. But then he kissed her again, and Bri wasn’t
all that concerned about the future or the potential pain it held. Now was all that
mattered, this moment with this man. She just wanted to stop thinking and
feel
.

She dug at his shirt, stripping it over his head and tossing it aside. Next she finished
shoving down his jeans. God, this man was magnificent, his body corded with muscle
beneath tanned skin. She reached for his growing erection, but he intercepted her
and lifted her arms over her head to press her wrists against the wall. “Don’t move.”

“But—”

“Condom.”

For one wild moment, she actually considered telling him to keep going, but a thread
of sanity raised its head at last moment. She nodded jerkily. “Hurry.”

“Do. Not. Move.” He took two steps backward and then turned and strode down the hallway
back into the living room.

She couldn’t see him from her position, and the temptation to remove her hands from
the wall and lean forward to look was nearly overwhelming. She didn’t, though, because
it felt absolutely wicked to stand here, completely naked, completely vulnerable to
him. It helped that she could hear him crashing around the living room, cursing under
his breath, and knew
she
was the one who’d driven him so out of control.

After one final crash, Ryan reappeared, already tearing open the condom. By the time
he reached her, he had it on. He lifted her against the wall and Bri immediately wrapped
her legs around his waist, a whimper slipping free when he nudged her entrance.

He worked his way into her with small strokes, each one spiking her pleasure higher.
She tried to arch into him, but his grip on the back of her thighs held her open and
helpless. He teased her, not going as deeply as she needed. And, God, she needed so
much, it terrified her.

“You’re thinking too much.” He shoved into her, sheathing himself completely. The
nearly overwhelming fullness had her closing her eyes and hissing out a breath even
as she gripped him tighter. “
Fuck
.”

The word came out so harshly, and yet knowing she affected him so deeply warmed her
unexpectedly. Bri nodded, trying and failing once again to lower herself and take
him deeper. With him pinning her in place in so many ways, holding so still, the need
for friction drove her nearly out of her mind. He didn’t move, though, and she couldn’t.
“Please.
Please.
”

Pressure built in her, only made more intense by the barest friction of her frantic
attempts. Ryan’s breath hitched. “You feel so fucking good.”

Nowhere as good as he felt inside her. She clung to him as he spread her thighs and
pounded into her, each stroke driving her higher. “Right there. Oh God, right there.”

“That’s it, honey. Come for me.”

It was as if her body had been waiting for this very moment, when they were joined
so closely, to finally let go.

As if she needed to be held down by Ryan in order to be free.

And nothing in her life had terrified her more.