Becky yanked open a drawer in her desk and pulled out a pair of lethal-looking scissors. “These are sharper than the ones I have at home,” she said gleefully as she tucked them into her purse.
“Have fun,” Melanie called after her.
Becky was barely out the door when Richard came in.
“You’re not ready,” he guessed after surveying the room for any evidence of a suitcase.
“Sorry. We had a crisis around here.”
“I assume that’s why Becky went charging past me with a somewhat maniacal glint in her eyes.”
Melanie grinned. “She’s on the warpath.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
“His life’s not in danger, is it?”
“Nope. Just his wardrobe.”
Richard chuckled. “Remind me never to make you angry.”
Melanie patted his cheek. “You make me furious all the time,” she reminded him. “So far, though, your clothes are safe.”
“Too bad. I was rather looking forward to having you rip them off of me.”
Melanie gave him a considering look. “An interesting idea. I’ll give it some thought on the way to the cottage.”
“Don’t think out loud,” he warned. “I’d hate to have to stop at one of those less-than-stellar motels on the way down.”
“No chance of that. I’m going to be enjoying testing your patience too much.”
Richard’s patience was hanging by a thread by the time they finally got to the cottage. If there was any clothes ripping to be done, he was likely to be the one doing it. He was still a bit surprised that his restraint was as strong as it evidently was.
“Do you want me to make a fire?” he asked when they’d carried everything inside, including several bags of gourmet food he’d brought from home and their luggage. For the first time in recent memory, his laptop computer wasn’t among the possessions he’d brought along. A rather impressive, unopened box of condoms was.
Melanie met his gaze. “A fire would be romantic,” she said, then grinned. “But it would take too long. Maybe later.”
“Dinner?” he asked, his voice oddly choked.
She took a step closer, letting her coat fall from her shoulders into a heap on the floor. “Later.”
“Wine?”
She shook her head, her gaze locked with his. “Uh-uh. I’m already a little giddy.” She reached for the top button on his shirt. “You’re a little too prim and proper for the setting.”
His gaze narrowed. “Are you really sure you want to start this right here, right now?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said fervently.
“I haven’t even turned the heat up.”
“We won’t need it,” she said confidently.
He grinned finally. “Well, then, I guess one of us has her priorities all sorted out.”
“For the short term,” she agreed.
The phrase hit Richard like a slap, reminding him that he was treading on very thin ice. Neither of them had said a thing about permanency. This was an experiment, at least in her eyes. He’d done nothing to suggest otherwise.
“Then let’s make it memorable,” he said, pulling her into his arms and settling his mouth on hers.
This time there was no holding back. There was nothing tentative or uncertain or exploratory about the kiss. They both already knew that a kiss had the power to stir them.
Melanie was restless in his embrace when he scooped her up and headed for the stairs.
“Where are we going?” she murmured against his lips.
“To bed,” he told her. “I can forget about the fire, the food and the wine, but I am not going to make love to you for the first time in the middle of the living room floor.”
She grinned. “Afraid of a little rug burn?”
He heard the laughing challenge in her voice. “No, just determined to treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
Her eyes turned dreamy. “Sometimes you say the sweetest things.”
“Sometimes you inspire me,” he admitted as he strode into his bedroom. It was like an icebox, making him regret his decision not to bother just yet with turning up the heat. “I really think I should run back downstairs and kick up the furnace.”
Melanie slid her hand inside his shirt, then slipped lower till her fingers were grazing the bare skin just below his waist. “Still cold?” she inquired.
“As a matter of fact,” he began, only to moan as her deft fingers slipped a little lower. “Okay, now I’m hot.”
“Told you,” she said gleefully.
He met her gaze, his expression suddenly serious. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve thought about this?”