“Am I safe? No rancid flour or dangerous canned beets about to make a break for it?”
Ryan shook his head. “Did anyone work in the pantry when they did the floors?”
She frowned. “They weren’t supposed to. Is something wrong?”
He smiled to reassure her. “No, the rest of the shelves are good and sturdy. The one that fell can be fixed easily as well.” Maxine stared at him strangely. “What?”
She reached forward and brushed her fingers down his cheek, drawing them back to show him bright purple. The touch of her hand set the alarms ringing through his body again.
“You’re wearing war paint,” she murmured.
Ryan couldn’t stop himself. It was too much to resist. He circled her wrist with his fingers and tugged her hand toward him. Watching carefully for any sign she wanted him to stop, he brought her sticky fingers to his lips and licked them clean. Heat sparked between them and he leaned closer until their mouths were mere inches apart.
“It’s very good jelly. I’d hate to let it go to waste.”
She nodded seriously, breathlessly, then closed the distance between them and their mouths touched.
Ryan’s mouth brushed hers. The air around them filled with the heady scent of the man standing before her. He gently cradled her head as their lips caressed, a barely-there movement that sent a shiver up her spine and longing down to her toes. His tongue begged for entrance and she opened her mouth, letting the enticing strokes of his lips and teeth melt her limited defenses.
Low moans rose involuntarily to her lips as his body trapped her against the island. Rock-solid muscle pressed into her, his heat scalding nerves and firing synapses of pleasure deep within her core.
He supported her head with both hands as he took the kiss deeper, stroking with his tongue and exploring every inch of her mouth. When her hair tumbled around his fingers, he clasped a handful, tugging gently until he exposed her neck, his mouth descending on the pulse point she felt throbbing just under the skin.
Maxine groaned with need, her hands clutching at his shoulders, holding him, wanting him to continue but afraid of how quickly her desires grew. She wanted to drag him upstairs to her bed and spend the rest of the day exploring his body. Letting him explore hers. Ryan rasped his teeth along her neck and she shook with delight. Forget making it to the bed, she was willing to let him take her right there on the kitchen floor.
No one had ever made her feel this way before.
She felt wanton and sensual, a goddess being worshipped, as he kissed his way back up her neckline to nuzzle the sensitive spot under her ear. Heat from his mouth spread over her whole body until she was red hot, limbs shaking. Returning to her lips, Ryan kissed her savagely, then eased off, soothing the nips he’d just given, lapping at the corner of her mouth with butterfly soft strokes of his tongue.
One final gentle press and he pulled away to stare deep into her eyes.
His were dark and smoky with desire and she leaned forward, without thinking, to offer herself again, to return to his intoxicating embrace. He pulled back a little more, lifting his thumb to stroke her swollen lips.
“I need to be going soon and I still have to check the perimeter of the house,” he whispered, his voice husky and low.
Max flushed hotter. “Of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” It was just a kiss. It was wishful thinking to imagine the chemistry between them meant anything more. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, “I shouldn’t have done that.” She tried to back away but he restrained her.
“Damn it, Max, what are you talking about? I kissed you because I wanted to. And I want to kiss you some more only I’ve got an appointment I can’t miss.” He stepped away slowly, seemingly hesitant to peel their bodies apart. The temperature in the room dropped in spite of the sunlight shining in and Maxine bit back a complaint.
Ryan cursed. “Ah, fuck it.” He dragged her against his body and ravished her lips, taking her by storm. Nothing gentle this time, nothing hesitant. He took control and offered her complete proof that his desire for her was real. His hardness against her softness, the rigid length of his erection pressed into her belly. Her body responded immediately, a tingling sensation in her core spreading fingers of delightful tension throughout her system.
It was only a moment later he released her, stepping away and dragging a hand through his hair. Her breathing took forever to return to normal, especially since he kept looking at her with an intense stare that said she was the next thing on the menu.
Damn, she wished…
“Do you still need to see outside?” Max tried to speak normally. Lightly, not out of breath like she was ready to pass out from a lack of oxygen. Oh my Lord, he was potent.
He scowled as he flicked a glance at his watch. “I’ll look around and make a few notes before I have to be on my way.”
She led him to the French doors where he paused to slip on his shoes. Maxine clung to the door handle. It was the only way to stay vertical with her shaky limbs. “So I guess I’ll see you when you have a quote for me?” she asked with false brightness. What was she supposed to say? You want to come back tonight and ravish me? Please?
Ryan stopped in the doorway, flashing her a smile that grew larger and larger. “You’ll see me before then.”
Max returned his smile. She wished she were brave enough to say what she was thinking. See him? All of him? Oh yeah. “I’d like that.”
“What are you doing for dinner?” he asked, his dark eyes staking her in place.
She stuttered for a moment. “I…I had no plans.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
The train was moving fast and they weren’t even out of the station. Out-of-this-world kisses aside, she didn’t really know him. Was it a good idea for them to get involved? She knew what her family would say. He was much older and more experienced, and they knew nothing about his background. About his family. The fact she and Ryan would work for each other was another negative factor. Perhaps the best plan would be to wait a little longer. She opened her mouth to tell him she was unavailable and then hesitated.
Holy cow, she was doing it again. They weren’t even here and she was doing everything exactly how her family would expect. Her whole life she’d waited for permission, and in the end she’d missed so many opportunities. Damn if she wanted to miss any more. Ryan was an intriguing man, and he turned her on like no one she’d ever met before. She was an adult. Why not go out with him?
Before she could change her mind she blurted out, “That would be great. Do you have somewhere in mind?”
“Dress casual, bring your appetite.” His gaze flashed to her feet. “Wear runners.”
Runners?
He stepped closer and lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. Her throat choked tight, whether with unrequited desire or plain old-fashioned embarrassment she wasn’t sure. He winked and backed away. “See you tonight.”
She watched in a daze as he walked the length of the wide veranda, disappearing from sight around the corner before she released the breath she hadn’t realized she held. Holy Hannah, they were potentially explosive together. She lifted a hand to her lips, still able to feel his mouth on hers, her skin tender from his touch, his caresses. Her whole body hummed, yet other than her mouth and neck he had barely laid a finger on her.
She wandered back into the house and distractedly packaged up the garbage with the sticky glass in it. She’d held the damn shelf up for half of forever before Ryan had arrived. There was no way she would let the last batch of preserves her Gramma made be destroyed. Saving the jelly had been the goal but the prize was better than anything she’d ever expected.