Something Wild (17 page)

"I have to admit," he teased her, "I'm gonna miss the great view you've been giving me down your top all afternoon."

Her gaze dropped to the cleavage that had been visible ever since she'd rolled onto her stomach. Looking back up, her blue eyes widened as she smacked his thigh.

"Oh, into the rough stuff, huh? First handcuffs, now whips and chains?"

"Hey!" She rose to her knees in a show of mock outrage.
"You'd
better watch it."

"Or what? You'll use them on me?"

A playful chase ensued then, Ryan hopping to his feet and dashing behind an old maple tree as Penny followed. When he let her catch him, they both toppled softly to the grass, his arms falling around her waist. Her pretty eyes, her pretty mouth, lay so close that he couldn't keep from kissing her—a kiss that was short and sweet, but burned through him like fire. Afterward, their eyes met and time seemed to slow. It was as if they were speaking, whispering passionate things, even though they stayed quiet. Ryan's heart pounded and he wondered how the mood had turned so serious again that quickly.

"Uh, what happened to getting out of here?" he said, wishing his voice didn't sound so husky.

"I don't know." Hers sounded just as breathy, just as sexy.

"We should do that," he managed, gently urging her up off of him, then getting to his feet, as well.

"Right," she murmured, although she still looked equally as taken with him as he was with her.

He smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Race ya." With that, he headed back to their blanket, and soon ran toward his car lugging his briefcase, laptop and a carton of wine coolers. Penny hurried after him, toting the flowers and fruit, and dragging the old quilt she'd brought behind her.

Throwing their things into the back seat, they both got into the car breathless, although Ryan had beaten her by a mile. "You're gonna have to be a little faster," he said with a wink, "if you intend to catch me with those lovecuffs of yours."

Unfortunately, her sudden blush told Ryan that he'd just taken the joke a little too far.

"I'm only teasing, honey," he said, lifting her chin with one bent finger.

When she looked at him, he slid his arm around her and gazed into those innocent eyes. She was as shy as she was wild. It happened to be a combination that twisted his heart in a way he never could've foreseen a week ago, although he chose not to think about why.

"Come here." He leaned over the gearshift to kiss her, a kiss he wished would show her it didn't matter to him what she was—pure as the driven snow or wild as the night—but that he just liked being with her.

She returned it with a warmth that tightened his chest.

"Mmm," he said when it ended, "I wasn't teasing about that kiss, though. I say we grab some dinner, then go back to your place." He flashed a grin designed to tempt.

"On one condition."

"Anything."

"No more mention of the red-velvet you-know-whats."

He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead before easing back in his seat. "You got it."

It was only as Ryan maneuvered the car along the meandering drive that led back to the main road that he realized Penny hadn't thrown
everything
she'd been carrying into the back. The daisies he'd given her remained cradled in her arms.

Maybe the action meant nothing; maybe it just meant she liked flowers. Yet another glance made him think she was holding on to them as if they were something special, something … cherished. But hell, he'd determined before that she took sex pretty seriously, which had to mean she was taking
them—
him
and her—seriously, too. Didn't it?

Well, like the Martin issue, he couldn't think about that now. It was another thing he didn't want to examine too closely, another thought to push out of his mind because it made a difficult situation easier to handle.

Just enjoy her, he told himself. Enjoy what's going on between you. Just live for right now and don't think about her heart.

And whatever you do, don't start thinking about yours, either.

* * *

Hours later, Penny lay in bed, gazing up at Ryan. Candles provided the room's only light as she lay beneath him, clad in only a pair of panties. She could see the clear outline of his erection through his boxer briefs, but enjoyed studying the rest of him, too—his broad shoulders and muscular arms, the light dusting of hair on his chest, the hungry look in his eyes as he watched her.

"Wanna do something exciting?" he suggested. She bit her lip, nervous as usual, yet infused with the boldness that had brought her this far into the most thrilling relationship of her life. "What do you have in mind?"

"Do you trust me?"

The question caught her off guard. "Yes. Why?" Ryan answered by gently raising her arms above her head, dropping a kiss on her waiting lips, then closing something around both her wrists before she even knew it. Leaning her head back on the pillow, she glanced up to see the heart-shaped handcuffs, the gold chain that connected them circling one of the brass bed rails. She gasped, then looked back to him.
"You
promised—"

"Not to mention them. I haven't. And I won't."

She met his gaze in the candlelight, not quite sure what to think. "But how did you…?"

"I snuck in here a little while ago and hid them under the pillows."

"You really mean to lock me up?"

"I just did." He kissed her again. "Is that okay?"

Penny didn't know what to say. Her heart beat out of control. She wasn't even sure what pleasure people derived from this, yet on the other hand, adventure beckoned, even if only timidly. "I … I guess."

"Look at it this way, honey," he whispered. "It just means I want to be the one to do all the work here, and give you all the pleasure. I want to excite you."

Well,
that
sounded a little too good to resist. And minutes later, as Ryan rained scintillating kisses over every inch of her body, Penny came to understand
exactly
what pleasure people derived from this. Placing herself in his control was an act of complete and abiding trust. Now she knew why he'd asked, and, oh yes, she trusted him, more in this moment than ever before.

Of course, she remained plagued by the part of her that couldn't quite let go of the responsible Penny, the part that said, What on earth are you doing? But each time, the hot sensations overrode her good girl doubts enough that she could close her eyes and stop thinking, stop reasoning, long enough to just feel.

Penny wasn't sure when she became aware that the velvet cuffs were really too loose, that she could slip her hands free if she wanted. But she ignored the knowledge and never let Ryan know, instead continuing to bask in all the sweet and tantalizing things he did with his mouth and hands.

Just when he'd driven her to the brink of insanity, he reached above her head and freed her wrists. As her arms fell around his neck, she heard the handcuffs drop to the hardwood floor behind the bed. After that, he made love to her in the candlelight, just as slow, until their movements gradually edged into something rougher and more urgent.

They both lay recovering afterward, half-asleep and entangled in each other's arms, when Ryan whispered an accusation in her ear. "You can tell me you never fantasized about that, but I know you did."

Without opening her eyes, Penny smiled and murmured the truth. "It was just like the bathtub."

"What do you mean?"

"Better than I thought it would be."

* * *

Ryan rested on Penny's overstuffed couch, the candles from the bedroom now keeping the living room dimly lit and aglow. At the other end, she sat with her knees curled beneath her, her short, silky robe draping her body. He wore only underwear as they made a mismatched late-night snack of grilled cheese sandwiches, tortilla chips and wine. Penny had offered to cook something more, but he hadn't wanted to put her to any trouble, so they'd scavenged for whatever was quick and easy.

Beyond the windows and doorways, everything lay black and silent, and it seemed as if the whole world was this room, he and Penny the only people in it. That would simplify things, he thought, drawing his gaze from the flickering shadows on the walls down to the woman across from him. He felt closer to her with each passing hour, with each moment he held her, touched her, absorbed more of the sweet honesty in her eyes. And before this was over, he was going to hurt her. He knew it without a doubt.

He didn't want to think about that, but the darkness had somehow forced it to surface. What they had, no matter how good, couldn't last forever. In the end, he would jilt this beautiful, sexy, vibrant, sincere woman … for a job.

But not just a job, he reminded himself. A career. His last shot at doing something substantial and fulfilling.

"What are you thinking about?"

His eyes drifted back to the dim patterns of light dancing across the wall, but he pulled his gaze down to find Penny, an inquisitive smile gracing her face, setting her empty plate and glass aside to move closer to him on the couch. He swallowed, feeling far too serious. He didn't get serious with women often—he wasn't crazy about letting his vulnerabilities show. But then, he supposed Penny had already seen those weaknesses, more times than he could count. So hell, he thought, why not just do what
she
would do if he asked her the same question? Why not just be honest?

"I was thinking about where I've been and where I've come to." That stuff had been on his mind, as well, since it was part of the big picture here, and it would be easier than telling her he knew he was going to hurt her.

Her solemn eyes seemed to carve a path to his soul. "I know where you've come to, but I don't know the part about where you've been."

Ryan hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if he really wanted to share his thoughts, and realized he did. "I grew up in rural Indiana," he began, "home of basketball and Bible meetings."

"Did you play? And did you go?"

He grinned. "No, and no. I was the family nonconformist, the one who stood out like a sore thumb. Now my older brother, Dan, on the other hand, was the captain of the basketball team, led the youth group at church, and just for good measure, was named valedictorian of his senior class. Me, I was a good kid, but I still fell short of the mark, you know?"

She cast him a sympathetic look. "Actually, no, I'm afraid I don't. Patti would probably relate, though. We were both good kids, but I was a little more … um, the Goody Two-Shoes, I guess you might say."

He offered a wry grin. "Ironic that I would end up with the perfect one."

"Well, maybe I've been a little less perfect lately."

Ryan shook his head. "I would disagree."

They shared a warm smile until she said, "So how are things with your family now?"

He shrugged. "I'm still the nonconformist; I moved away to a white-collar world instead of staying in blue-collar Akinsville, Indiana. But I send home money every month because my parents are retired now and they need some financial help, and it's a way I can sort of … give back whatever they didn't get from me as a son."

"Ryan, I'm sure they love you and think you're a great son."

He smiled in concession. "Okay, maybe I got a little melodramatic there. Of course they love me. But I'm not sure Dan doesn't make them just a little happier than I do."

"And just where did the basketball-playing, Bible-toting valedictorian end up?"

"Right where any good basketball-playing, Bible-toting valedictorian should. Still in the heart of our hometown. He teaches English at the high school and coached the basketball team to the state championship last year. He married a perfect woman and they live in a perfect little house with two perfect children and a perfect dog. On the weekends, they drive an hour and a half to Indianapolis to do volunteer work at a homeless shelter. Carol serves up food while Dan teaches illiterate people to read."

"Wow."

He flashed a cynical look. "See what I mean? He's a hard act to follow."

"Still, Ryan, your parents have to be proud of you. Look at you, working on the cutting edge of technology, making enough money that you can send some home. It's a wonderful accomplishment."

"More wonderful, I'm afraid, when you can hold on to your jobs."

"What?"

Damn, what was he doing? Ah, hell, just telling her more of the truth, and she deserved to hear it. It would help her better understand why this had to end when the time came.

"The fact is, Penny, the reason I'm here—in Cincinnati, working for Martin—is because he liked me enough not to ask for references." From there he went on, telling her what had happened at ComData, and before that at Futureware. He meant to give her the short version, but her eyes shone with such understanding that he ended up sharing the longer one. He expected to feel humiliated when he finished, but he didn't.

"Anyway," he concluded, "that's why this job means so much to me. It feels like … a last chance. A last chance to make my parents proud and convince them I can handle the path I chose, and a last chance to make myself proud, too."

"Ah, now that part I can relate to." She reached for her wineglass and took a sip. "I felt directionless when Patti and I decided to open the pub. If it had failed, I wouldn't have known where to go, what to do, who I'd become. Before that, I'd wandered aimlessly from job to job, and I wanted more, something concrete and lasting. And even though I didn't have issues with my parents, I still wanted to make them proud."