“No, I knew that was pretty much who you were when I first met you.”
Irritation rolled over him. “You say whatever comes to mind and don’t hold anything back.”
“There’s no reason to try to trick anyone. We are what we are. My motto is to just to enjoy myself.”
“That’s my motto as well.”
She laughed. “We may use the same words to describe it, but something tells me our outlooks are vastly different.”
Ryder scanned their surroundings, taking in the various people entering and leaving the museum. He spotted a small hallway to their left and took Melanie’s elbow to lead her in that direction. When they were out of sight of most visitors, he backed her to the wall, ensnared one of her wrists in his hand, and then raised it above her head. Her breath caught in her throat, and he had the very satisfying pleasure of watching her chest heave.
“Tell me you don’t want me to lift that dress and take you right here.”
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t. We’re not hidden, Ryder. Anyone could come along.”
“Say you don’t want it,” he repeated.
“Ryder, I—”
He leaned closer to her protesting lips, and they stilled but remained parted. “Better yet,” he whispered. “Tell me how bad you do want it. Tell me you want me to slip your panties off and eat your pussy, angel.”
His name mixed with a moan this time as she arched into him, and she shut her eyes. From the corner of his eye, Ryder spotted a man stopped in the entryway. He pierced the man with a glare that made him stumble backward. When he seemed about to say something, Ryder held up a finger to his lips. The man escaped around the corner.
He turned back to Melanie. “Well?”
She looked at him. Lust had deepened the color of her eyes. “I want it, but…”
“But?”
She tugged on his hold, and he released her. She moved away, turning her back to him and straightening her dress as if he’d already raised it. He found no reason not to enjoy looking at her round ass. If she let him in her bed, and he knew she would, he would ride that ass.
Melanie peered at him over her shoulder. “Let’s go to my place.”
He grinned. “Of course.”
Chapter Four
“Wow, you’ve been seeing Melanie what a month? I’m beginning to wonder if she has you wrapped around her little finger,” Christian commented as he and Ryder left a meeting.
Ryder tightened the hold he had on his cell phone. The email he had been perusing lost its appeal. “Why should you think that? I’m on schedule.” His cousin followed him into his office, and he shut the door. “This weekend I’m taking her in the jet to Paris. She’ll like that.”
“You mean you haven’t told her about it?”
“I’ll tell her when I pick her up.”
Christian laughed. “Something tells me Melanie Cai will refuse you. She’s got a personality on her.”
Ryder frowned.
Christian held up defensive hands. “Whoa, bro. I have nothing against her. She’s cute, and those breasts—”
“Watch yourself.”
His cousin pointed at him. “See? That there is what I mean. You’ve never been touchy when I talked about the other women you’ve bedded. We even joked about how good they were or how fast you could dump them when you found them cold. One word about Melanie, and you’re ready to take my head off. You haven’t been dating that long.”
Ryder made an effort to relax. “We are not dating.”
“She doesn’t let you fuck her without taking her out. No late night calls just for good sex. I’m telling you, she’s a whole different caliber of woman than the others. Bro, you’re my hero when it comes to the amount of pussy you get without strings, but I’m starting to think you’re in over your head.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Ryder sighed in relief. He didn’t have to knock Christian on his ass for insinuating he’d gone soft over a woman. Sure, much of what his cousin said was true, such as Melanie wanting him to take her out before he spread her legs, but he had had mistresses before who liked him to spend money on them and to be seen on his arm. That was nothing new. The cleverer of the bunch figured the more time he spent in their presence, the likelier he would be to fall in love. They had been wrong, and if Melanie felt the same, she was as well.
“Come in,” he called, and Jodie opened the door. She held a white box with twelve red roses inside and handed it to him.
“Are you sure you don’t need me to get a carrier to deliver these?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll handle it. Thanks. I’m going to be out until my four o’clock.”