by Ann, Natalie
When she opened the closet door and reached up for the light to start hanging her winter wardrobe she came in contact with a rather large spider web, causing her to squeal loudly.
Batting it away only made it get in her hair; then the spider dropped down and stared right at her. Big, black, hairy, skinny legs clinging by one fine piece of web, and it was grinning at her. She swore it was.
Arms flaying, she raced out of the room yelling and jumping around in an attempt to get the spider and its offending web out of her hair. Because she was positive it sprang on her after it grinned.
Turning, she saw Ryan in the doorway, immediately stopped moving, and stood immobilized.
Until she felt what she thought was the spider on her arm and screamed again. “Get it off me, get it off,” she said, hopping around the room.
He raced forward. “What? What is it? Stand still so I can get it.”
“It’s a spider. Get it off. Get it off me, now.”
He finally reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her motion. “Stand still so I can see.” He ran his hands up and down her arms. “I don’t see or feel anything.” He looked on her head, pulled out the few cobwebs and stood back. “You must have scared it away. It’s probably on its way out of the state in fear of your yelling.” He smirked at her, then burst out laughing.
Disgruntled, she crossed her arms over her chest, which only pulled her small T-shirt even tighter against her ample breasts. She caught him staring and moved her arms up more, trying to cover the source of his gaze. “It was a big spider,” she said, indignantly.
He stopped laughing but didn’t remove the grin from his face. “I’m sure it was. But it’s gone now.” Then he let his eyes wander down to the rest of her clothing.
Embarrassment flooded her face. Suddenly she became aware of the whole situation. What she was wearing, Ryan in her home, and another humiliating episode of entertainment she just provided him. “What are you doing here?” she asked, a bit more defensively than she meant.
He sobered himself, wiped the smile right from his face, looking ominous. “I think you know.”
“No, I don’t. Tell me.” She wanted him to say it. She wasn’t about to guess and make a fool out of herself once again.
She watched him standing in front of her silently. Today he was wearing a pair of old fashionable distressed jeans and a shirt that did nothing to hide the body underneath. Wow, he had some muscles. Who would have known under that suit?
“I’ve been thinking about your problem,” he started out staying, causing her to raise her eyes that had been staring at his arms, their big muscles and defined biceps.
“Yeah? How do you know it’s still a problem? Maybe I took care of it in the last two weeks.”
“You didn’t.”
“How do you know?” she asked again, holding her ground.
“I do. Trust me. Why were you out at a bar last night? Looking to pick someone up to take care of it for you?”
“Maybe?” she said, before she realized she just admitted it was still a problem.
“Guess Ben ruined your chances last night then, huh?”
“How could you tell anything with that blonde bimbo hanging all over you? I’m surprised you could hear a word with her mouth in your ear,” she pointed out, stubbornly.
She hadn’t missed the girl that came up to talk to him prior to Dean introducing himself. Though she didn’t stay very long, she had leaned in, said something close to his ear, which caused him to grin brightly, then shake his head.
“Jealous?” he asked with a smirk.
“Nope.”
“I don’t believe you,” he said crossing his own arms in front of him, his muscles bunching even more. But then he stopped, frowned, and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Let me start over. Can I come in?” he asked politely.
“You’re already in, aren’t you?” she said sarcastically. She was still irked that he accused her of being jealous. Why would she be jealous of who he talked to in a bar?
“Can I sit down then so that we can talk?”
“Maybe I don’t want to talk to you.”
“That would be your choice,” he replied stiffly.
Then she felt bad. There was no reason to be so angry with him. She couldn’t understand what it was about him that brought out the worst behavior in her.
If she wasn’t acting like a fool embarrassing herself, then she was acting like a jealous girlfriend embarrassing herself. Either way, she ended up embarrassing herself in front of him.
She needed to get over this. She turned and led him into the living room. “Have a seat,” she said, gesturing toward the chair while she sat on the couch and pulled one foot under her leg.
He groaned when his eyes fell on her legs. Self-consciously, she tried to tug her shorts down, but they weren’t budging and she refused to stand up and tug them down. Besides, he’d made himself clear—he didn’t want her.
Taking his eyes off her thighs, he stared hard, almost right through to her very soul. “Do you still want my help?”
“What do you mean by ‘help’? Do you know someone?” she asked.
“No. I mean, yes. Me,” he said simply. “But I have some conditions.”
Her heart started to race. This was what she wanted. But now all of a sudden she was nervous. And afraid. “What type of conditions?”
“First off, it’s not a one-night stand. Despite what you may have heard about me, I outgrew one-night stands in college.” Angling her head to the side, she gave him a doubtful look but it didn’t stop his explanation. “Everyone that I sleep with I’m in some form of a relationship with. Doesn’t mean it’s serious, but it’s not a one-night thing either.”
“So when you aren’t dating someone, you go without?” she said, challenging him.
“I didn’t say that. I said some form of relationship.”
“Like friends with benefits?” she asked curiously.
“Some could be considered that. We’re friends. No strings attached, but it’s not just sex. I’ve got some friends that I attend functions with when needed and such.”
“Okay. That makes sense. Lots of my friends in Manhattan have similar relationships. It can come in handy. There is nothing worse than attending work or social functions solo.” She would know, she had done it plenty in her life. “So this would be a friend with benefit type of thing?”
“No. I wouldn’t do that to you. First off, you don’t know the rules. Second of all, I don’t want you to have any regrets. And you might if you thought it was that casual.”
“If not that, then what?” she asked, confused.
“Let me ask you a question first. How far have you gone with a man?”
Her face turned red.
“I’m not trying to embarrass you,” he said, trying to explain. “I want to know more so I can fully understand and go from there.”
OK, made sense. “I’ve dated quite a bit. Normally somewhere between the third and fifth date things would get a bit heated, and one thing would lead to another. We would start talking about sex and taking it to the next level, but whenever I confessed I was a virgin things slowed down. Sometimes immediately. A few times, the guy and I would date a bit more while he slowly pulled away. Once I had someone get up and leave right then.” She wouldn’t tell him how much that hurt. She had really liked Stephen. She’d thought he was the one. His rejection was the last one, not counting Ryan’s, and it hurt the most.
“So that is what we’ll do. We’ll date, go out a few times and get to know each other. As if I never even knew about your problem. Which isn’t a problem by the way, I just want to make that clear.”
“So then what?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking a bit puzzled.
“After we’ve had sex, then what? We’re done?” She really wanted to know. She wasn’t sure she wanted to agree to this. There was danger in getting too close to him if she went by his rules and conditions.
Suddenly this was turning into something much more complicated than she had originally thought. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“No,” he said definitively. “No set time on anything. We would be dating. Your problem as you call it brought us together, but it’s not going to dictate an end date. One day at a time, like you would with any relationship.”
“OK,” she said, unsure. She wanted to believe him. He had given her no reason not to. So far he had been nothing but considerate and even gentlemanly through the entire situation. Except she still wasn’t going to let herself feel anything more than friendship any time soon.
“My next condition,” he said after she agreed to that term. “You mentioned that you’ve learned to be a different person for the last five years, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want you to be anyone other than who you are. No games and no pretending, no cover up. Just be yourself. I think you have been with me.”
“Yes, I have. With you more than anyone else in the past few years.”
“Well, I like the real you. Don’t pretend to be someone you aren’t. Not for me and not for anyone,” he said fiercely.
She was taken back by the conviction in his voice and could only nod her head.
“I have one more condition. Well, it has two parts to it. But before we get to that, do you have any conditions?”
She paused for a minute. “Yes. I want to handle my family. I don’t want them to know anything about this, about my problem that is. It’s embarrassing enough as it is and it’s no one’s business.”
“Agreed. We are consenting adults and answerable only to ourselves.”
“I’ll tell my family when I’m ready that we’re dating. And when I tell them, I’m going explain that I approached you.”
“No,” he told her. “No one is going to believe it, for one thing. And second, it’s not the truth. I don’t like to lie.”
“It is the truth. I did approach you weeks ago. Not about dating, but I approached you all the same. So it is the truth. We wouldn’t be lying. I don’t like to lie either. And why wouldn’t they believe it?” she asked, suddenly annoyed.
“Because your family knows me, and they know you. Do you really believe they’re going to think you approached me?” he asked curiously.
“I don’t care what they believe because I did approach you. So that shoots your theory right down,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest again in a huff. Just because she was a virgin didn’t mean she didn’t know how to ask a guy out.
“Point taken. But I know your brothers are going to give you grief, and I don’t want you to take it alone. I want to know when you are going to tell them, and I want to be there if I can. We’re in this together,” he said.
She didn’t know why that statement caused her heart to bang loudly inside her chest, but it did. “Deal. Now what is your last condition?”
He took a deep breath, looked at her seated across from him in old clothes and messy hair, arms crossed—she’d bet there were even a few cobwebs still on top—and smiled. A wickedly charming smile, causing chills to race up her spine. “First part, we need to be attracted to each other. Otherwise it won’t work.”
She blushed, but refused to confess her attraction first.
His eyes bored into hers, then traveled from her head to her red painted toenails on the floor. “I’m very attracted to you,” he said in a slow drawl, that dangerous wicked smile and gleam still in his eyes.
Her blush deepened. “Same here,” she mumbled.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that,” he said, laughter mixing in with the wicked gleam.
“I said. The same here. I’m very attracted to you. What, am I dead?” she said sarcastically, making him to chuckle.
He stood up and walked over to her, reached for her hand and pulled her up. “Second part of my last condition. Chemistry.”
“Chemistry?” she said with a shaky voice. “We just agreed we were attracted to each other.” She was watching him carefully now; he was like a hunter going after his prey.
“Being attracted doesn’t guarantee chemistry.”
She looked into his eyes, saw they turned a darker shade of a blue and knew he was going to kiss her. She held her breath and closed her eyes when his lips lightly touched hers. Nothing more than a touch. Gently at first, then a little bit more pressure.
Her body relaxed, a sigh escaped her lips, and she had all she could do not to devour him right there.
But he took it slow. His tongue came out and traced the edge of her mouth, urging her to open for him. When she complied, he slid in tasting her slowly, coaxing her to join him.
The room started to spin, she imagined herself falling. Grabbing his shoulders, she held on tight, not even realizing her nails were digging into him. There was a roaring in her ears she had never heard before. A tingling in her body she had never felt before. If this was chemistry, then sign her up for more.
She pushed her body closer to his, felt his arousal against her stomach, and couldn’t hold the whimper back.
Sliding his fingers through her hair he held her head in place, deepening the kiss. Pulling her tongue into his mouth, he sucked on it, then released it. She thought she died and went to heaven.
He pushed her away quickly and looked at her face. She’d barely registered that she had been all but plastered against him.
“I’d say we’ve got chemistry,” he whispered.
Her eyes widened. “Yeah.”
Dating
“So I guess we’re dating?” Kaitlin asked, stepping back, he didn’t miss the trembling of her legs.
Frankly, he was glad for the distance. He needed to compose himself, and fast. He had no idea he could be so shaken from a simple kiss. “Not yet,” he said, coyly. “But we will be after tonight.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning.
“It means we haven’t gone on a date yet.” He chuckled at her pout. “Once we go on a date or two then we could be considered dating.”
“I guess that makes sense. If you want to be literal.”
“I’m always literal.” He tilted his head at her, the lines crinkling around his eyes. She was just so cute when she was all flustered.
“So when’s our first date then?”
“You aren’t going to be one of those women who has to know everything in advance, are you? Someone who has to plan out all the details?”
She huffed out a breath. “I don’t know. Are you going to be one of those guys who has to call all the shots?”
Good for her. “Not at all. I’ll let you call as many shots as you like.”
“Okay, so explain your comment then.”
He sighed. Must have been too subtle for her. “Romance. Spontaneity. All those types of things. It keeps things exciting,” he informed her.
“I’ll take your word for it. All my dates had been planned way in advance. I guess everyone in Manhattan is too busy to be spontaneous.”
She was so clueless. He was going to have so much fun educating her. More fun that he’d ever had before. Starting with right now. “Go get changed, because as much as I like looking at you in those clothes, I don’t think you’re the kind of person to go out in public dressed that way.”
She looked down at her clothing, remembered what she was wearing, or how little she was wearing, and squeaked while she tried to pull her shirt down a bit past her hips to no avail. Then tried to tug her shorts down, again to no avail.
He laughed at her attempt at modesty. It was a little late for that right now when she had been rubbing up against him like a cat in heat. He kept that bit of information to himself, no reason to embarrass her more. Soon though. Soon he wouldn’t hold back what he was thinking.
“No, definitely not. But what should I put on? What are we doing?” she asked.
“Nothing special. Just something to run to the store and get some food. Our first date should be relaxing. We can come back here and
cook dinner, get to know each other a bit more,” he said thoughtfully. Then realized she might not want to do that. “Unless you want to go out?”
“No, that’s fine. But you expect me to cook for you on our first date?” She grinned at him. “This was your idea you know,” she said, teasing him.
She was even more beautiful when she smiled. Her eyes softened, her mouth curving generously. Thoughts of that mouth ran through his brain and he realized maybe it wasn’t a good idea to stay in the house with her all day. “No, I’m going to cook for you,” he informed her. “Since you so kindly pointed out it was my idea. Unless, of course, you don’t want someone else working in your kitchen.”
“You cook?” she asked, amused.
“Of course I cook. I’m a pretty good cook on top of it,” he said indignantly.
“Sorry. I just don’t picture you in the kitchen working at the counter. I figured you’re more the guy who steals bits of food while someone else is cooking,” she said with a teasing laugh.
“Oh, I do that, too, when someone else is cooking,” he teased right back. “But women like a man who can cook. At least from my experience. So if you’re going to do something, might as well do it right,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
He watched the heat creep up her neck, assumed she got his double meaning, and winked.
“Um, OK. I’ll go change.” She rushed out of the room to the sound of his laughter.
Teasing her was going to be enjoyable. Not just verbal teasing either. This whole situation was looking up.
Who would have thought two weeks ago when his father sent him to her father’s office with paperwork he would be standing here having this conversation? Or contemplating all the things he was planning on teaching her.
She came back into the kitchen a few minutes later to find him looking through her cabinets. “Sorry, I probably should have asked, but I was just getting an idea of what I need to pick up at the store.”
“No problem. I’m looking forward to this. I’ve never had a man cook for me before,” she said, a shy smile on her face.
