It happened the very second she looked over her shoulder to say, "You drive me … wild."
* * *
Ryan lay watching Penny sleep peacefully in his arms, his soul rent with emotion.
After the brain-numbing sex on the balcony, he'd longed to tell her he loved her, yet he'd held back, confused by everything roiling in his mind. So much remained unresolved. Like where the hell Martin was, for one thing. And how to sort out this mess he'd built around his boss and Penny.
Despite what he'd kept inside, though, their love-making had been stupendous, and Ryan wanted more. Easing down in the bed beside her, he dropped a few smooth kisses to her silky stomach until he felt her hand move through his hair and looked up to see her eyes flutter open. He made love to her again and the world turned perfect once more.
Afterward, she laughingly smiled into his eyes, whispering, "I've always wanted to say what I said out on the balcony."
"What's that?"
Again she giggled and looked unaccountably shy. "Take me."
"I liked it," he told her lasciviously.
After a little more love talk, Penny balanced her chin on his chest and looked earnestly into his eyes. "So … maybe we should discuss things?"
Ryan sighed, then nodded. "I guess we should." He saw her swallow nervously. "I was just wondering what will, uh, happen now? With us, I mean."
"I don't exactly have any firm answers," he admitted, "but I think we should keep seeing each other until Martin finally shows up. After all, we don't exactly seem capable of stopping anyway."
A pretty blush colored her cheeks as she smiled, but then she turned more serious again. "And when Martin does come back?"
He tilted his head. "We play it by ear?"
She nodded, resting her head contentedly against his chest. "A sketchy plan at best," she murmured, "but … "
"A hell of a lot better than being apart," he finished for her.
* * *
Ryan sat in his cramped office the next day, staring at the computer screen. He was supposed to be designing Penny's menu system. Instead, he relived the previous night in his head.
Of course, that inevitably and unfortunately turned his thoughts to Martin.
Soon, realizing his concentration was shot, he left his desk and went to the lobby. He didn't want Grace to think he was a total lunatic over Martin's return, but nearly half the day had passed, and he had to know. "I guess you haven't heard from Martin again," he said, trying to sound very reasonable.
"No, not yet." Grace's voice came as light and airy as usual. "But when I do, I'll tell him how eager you are to speak to him."
Ryan tried not to seem alarmed. "Uh, no, don't do that."
Grace looked doubtful. "Why not?"
"Well, it's … nothing that can't wait until he's back. But he didn't give you any idea when he'd return?"
Grace sighed and Ryan got the idea he was getting on her nerves. Understandable, he supposed. "No, he didn't say. But as I was telling Penny last week, the man has a one-track mind-he's a workaholic. This isn't the first time he's gone away on business, then gotten sidetracked with a new client or something."
Ryan just nodded. No matter what the reason, Martin's extended absence and silence still made him question the guy's commitment to Penny.
"You know what?" he said to Grace, the idea just hitting him. "Don't order my sandwich today. I think I'll grab lunch out." He wanted to get out of the office for a while, and he also wanted to see the woman who had turned his heart on end.
When he walked into the Two Sisters Pub minutes later, it bustled with customers. Waiters and waitresses-most of them college-aged-scurried about the room from kitchen to table and back again. Spotting Penny behind the bar serving drinks, he took a stool at one end and just watched her, unnoticed. Her hair fell from the back of a Two Sisters baseball cap, and she had her T-shirt tucked into denim shorts. He smiled because not only did he love the way she looked now, but he also knew she wore some sinfully pretty bra and pair of panties underneath it all.
"These are for table three, Lisa," she said to one of the waitresses, shoving a tray of sodas across the pickup end of the bar to a tall blonde.
Then an older guy asked her for a coffee refill and she reached for the pot with a smile that lit Ryan up inside.
Penny had been happy as a lark all morning. The night she'd spent with Ryan had left her floating on air. She was in love with him and she'd been wild with him, and even though she had no idea what would happen now, nothing had ever felt more right.
"Here you go," she said, filling Mr. Bear's cup. She'd come to think of him that way after that first day he'd been in last week. He'd become a regular since then and she'd made sure to treat him with courtesy and speed to make up for her original negligence.
"So," he said, "how'd things turn out with that guy anyway?" When she gave him a confused grin, he added, "The one your sister was teasing you about last week."
Oh, that guy. She'd totally forgotten he'd overheard their conversation, but the question brought a smile to her face now. "Things are … coming right along."
Mr. Bear nodded pleasantly and took a sip of his coffee. He'd turned out to be quite nice, after all.
"Two beers and an iced tea, Penny," called Renee, another server, from the pickup area.
Penny turned to grab a glass and saw Ryan sitting at the end of the bar by the window, watching her. He winked. That one little wink melted deliciously down through her and she smiled at him, thinking of the previous night, which had been beyond hot, beyond magical.
She gestured for him to hang on, then filled the drink order before wiping her hands on a towel and heading down to him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised but happy to see him.
"I'm here for lunch. And because I missed you."
There were moments when she thought her heart would crush beneath the weight of how much she loved him, and this was one of them. "You just saw me a few hours ago, silly," she teased.
"A few hours too long ago."
"Penny, I need a bowl of chicken soup," Patti called from the other end of the bar.
Darn the timing, Penny thought. She wanted the world to stop so it was just the two of them again.
"Go on," Ryan told her, seeing her frustration. "I know it's your busy time. I'll just take some of that soup myself whenever you get a chance, and a club sandwich."
"Is that it?"
His eyes turned playful. "Maybe a kiss or two if you can squeeze them in."
"Coming right up." She flashed him a flirtatious smile, then turned to Patti, in a total fog as far as the pub was concerned. "Uh, what did you need?"
"Soup. Chicken soup."
Ryan was right-she was busy, but she delivered his order a few minutes later, and popped back by whenever she had a free second. Even now, when she should be getting used to having him around, the mere sight of him had the ability to turn her inside out. And when he leaned over and whispered, "What color is your bra today?" she wanted to forget all the customers, leap across the bar, and attack him.
"That's for me to know and you to find out," she said instead.
By the time he finished eating, the rush had died down, and Penny was grateful to spend a little time talking with him. "By the way," he told her, "your new floppy drive and modem were delivered to the office this morning."
She gave a happy sigh. "It'll be nice to have my whole computer back."
"I can install the parts tomorrow night if you want."
"What's wrong with tonight?"
He grinned. "Well, tonight I have other plans for you, if you're up for it."
"I'm intrigued. Go on."
"I was thinking maybe we could do all three meals together today. You wanna have dinner with me at my place? Say, around five-thirty? I've barely touched any of the food we got at the grocery."
"Sounds fun."
"No. Fun," he informed her, "is what we'll have afterward, when I get to see that bra." He concluded with another wink, then rose from his stool and said, "See you tonight," on his way out the door.
She let out an enormous lovestruck sigh when he'd gone. Still smiling to herself, she reached for a rag to wipe down the bar, and caught sight of Grace watching through the window from the building's lobby.
Penny felt the blood drain from her face and knew she looked guilty as they made eye contact. How long had she been standing there? How much had she seen? Neither of them waved or smiled. This couldn't be good.