“He sent me to get more food,” I reply, gesturing to the bags of chips on the floor.
But wait—oh shit—did I miss something? Is Tess doubly off-limits? Being Doc Price’s friend is a chain-link fence. Being Compton’s girl is a brick wall.
“You’re staying with Compton?”
“Well, technically I’m staying with Rachel,” she replies, leaning her bare hip against the island.
“But…this is Compton’s house,” I reply, not putting the pieces together.
Her smile falls, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes as she brushes her curly hair back behind her ears. “Yeah, umm…we’re both staying here. Rachel knew I wanted to spend time at the beach and Jake offered us both his guest room for the weekend. Not too shabby. Cheaper than a hotel for sure.”
I breathe a little sigh of relief. “Yeah, that was nice of him.”
“Yeah, he’s great,” she replies.
She has such pretty eyes. I think they’re hazel, kind of forest green on the outside and a deep caramel in the middle. Something about her eyes makes the orange in her red hair seem brighter. It’s like she’s on fire, a ray of sunlight.
But the way she’s smiling and thinking of Compton has me itching to prove a point. I want to knock him out flat…or kiss her senseless. Both. I’m feeling this primal urge to stake my claim. Which is so ridiculous because I’m Ryan Langley. The fun guy, always a smile for everyone. The only competition I crave is on the ice or on the Mario Kart track.
I don’t strut around talking about claiming women and fighting off the affections of other men like some brute caveman. But right now, with this beautiful naked woman standing in front of me, I feel ready to go looking for a club.
Me Ryan. You pretty. Make fire and baby.
“So, you and Compton…you’re not…are you with him?”
She scoffs. “No way. Never happening. That man is so far off limits, he may as well be another species. He’s like a butterfly…or a sexy fish in a tank. Tess can look, but she doesn’t touch.”
“Why is he so off limits?”
She just gives me a level stare. “Puppy, do you want him to be on limits for me? Do you maybe wanna set us up? Maybe you wanna watch him grind on me in this kitchen a little—”
“No,” I say, heat burning in my cheeks.
“No?” she echoes, eyes twinkling. I know she’s teasing me.
“No,” I repeat. “No Compton.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she replies. “How’s the nose, puppy?”
I drop the kitchen rag away, seeing the dark stain of my blood. “I think it stopped—wait—why are you calling me that?”
She shrugs a naked shoulder. “Because it fits. You’re like a lost little puppy looking for a home, all sweet and sensitive. What’s your pleasure?”
I go still, bloody rag in hand. “What?”
“I like to think I can read people,” she replies. “You’re hard to read, Langley.”
“Call me Ryan,” I say, shifting past her to toss the soiled rag onto the counter.
She takes a deep breath, letting it out. “Fine. Ryan it is then. Tell me a secret, Ryan.”
“A secret?”
“Yeah, you’ve seen me naked, so it seems only fair. Even the odds.”
“What kind of secret?” I say, feeling my pulse thrumming. This woman does things to me, things I don’t rightly understand.
She shrugs that shoulder again. She’s gonna be hurting tomorrow. In a week or so, she’ll peel like crazy. She’s not used to this Florida sun.
Because she doesn’t live here.
She’s off limits, and she’s leaving tomorrow, and you’ll never see her again.
She’s not yours.
“I want to know what you taste like.”
Fuck, did I just say those words out loud? It had to be me because she’s looking at me like I’m crazy.
“Ryan—”
“A kiss,” I say, breathless. “That’s my secret. I want a kiss. One kiss. From you.”
Her full lips tip on one side, flashing me a sexy little half-smile. “And what would a guy like you do with one kiss from a girl like me?”
“Savor it,” I reply. “Cherish it. Save it for a rainy day.”
Now she’s smiling again, and I feel it warm me all the way through. “I like that,” she replies, her voice soft. “No matter where we are, when the clouds roll in on those dark and rainy days, we can pull out this moment and sit inside it. We can remember what it feels like to be windswept and sun-kissed and free.”