“Well, technically there are lots of rooms, but as you saw, they’re sealed off because the windows aren’t air tight and there’s no furniture in them either.” He winked at her. “Don’t worry. You could always sleep with me.”
That comment had her standing upright, indignation spreading through her. “If you think for one minute that I’d—”
“Hey, I’m just teasing. The couch is pretty comfortable.” He grinned cheekily. “And if you change your mind, my bedroom is right next door.”
Mel didn’t find that overly amusing or comforting. Ryne did have a bedroom right down the hall from the entertainment room, complete with its own bathroom and a connecting door to his office. The other two men slept upstairs. “Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll be fine all on my own.”
“You never know; you could have a bad dream.” He had a certain glint in his eye that made her feel he knew something she didn’t know, but for the life of her couldn’t figure out what it might be.
Resigned to her fate, Mel made the best of things. She helped make a simple pasta supper and did the dishes. When they all decided to spend the night watching a movie, she volunteered to make the popcorn and carried the bowls and cans of pop into the entertainment room. Ryne remained calm, even a bit charming, giving no sign of his earlier bad mood. Bryan and Daniel also acted as if the incident had never happened. Slowly, Mel relaxed, coming to the conclusion that it was an issue between the three men and if it didn’t bother them, then she wouldn’t dwell on it.
After putting the movie into the DVD player, Ryne sat on the couch beside her while the other two settled in the recliners. She noticed that while they spoke to her, they also kept their distance and never looked at her directly. Mel couldn’t help but wonder what Ryne had said about her that would have them acting so oddly. Why did he want them to stay away? Was he afraid that she’d ask them questions? That must be it, she decided. The man really was way too caught up in this privacy thing.
That made her think back to the conversation she’d overheard between Kane and Elise. Kane had been worried about the discovery of something and it had to do with one of Ryne’s pictures. She decided it was most likely the one that Mr. Greyson had. Now what could be so special about a picture of a wolf? Whatever it was, Ryne didn’t want her finding out about it. And quite probably Daniel and Bryan were aware of the secret too, otherwise why would Ryne want to keep her away from them. Hmm... It was all very puzzling. Hopefully, if she set her questions up carefully enough, Ryne would reveal something that would help her figure out the little mystery.
Speaking of mysteries, she glanced back at the TV screen and then hurriedly looked away again. The men had picked the movie and, of course, had chosen a horror flick complete with mass murders, blood, guts, undead monsters and a hapless female who spent a lot of time screaming and wandering into places she’d be better off staying away from, all in the middle of a storm. Mel shook her head. What woman would be that clueless?
Another blood chilling scream came from the speakers and even without looking, Mel was aware of the mutilated body parts on the TV screen. She fought to suppress a shudder, hating this type of movie. Almost every man she’d ever dated thought the more guns and gore in the script, the better. What was wrong with a nice romantic comedy? A little hugging, a little kissing, a few misunderstandings, and then, a ‘happily ever after’ ending!
Beside her, Ryne shifted on the couch and Mel tried to imagine him watching a chic-flick. Hmm... There’d be a girl snuggled up beside him, her head on his shoulder while he gently played with her hair. Frowning, Mel realized the girl was herself. Darn! That was the second time, she’d found her imagination creating scenarios depicting the two of them. What was going on?
Out of the corner of her eye, she studied him, wondering exactly what it was about Ryne that her subconscious found so appealing. His dark hair looked thick and soft and had a slight curl to it where it brushed his collar. She wondered how it would actually feel, if she were to run her fingers through it. In contrast, a shadow of stubble graced his jaw and she was quite sure it would be rough against her skin. Her gaze moved upward and she noted fine laugh lines at the corner of his eye, and the strong brow above. Just in time, she caught herself reaching up to trace the feature with her fingers.
Clasping her hands together to prevent any further slips, she inhaled deeply ignoring the tingling in her hands and chanted ‘don’t touch, don’t touch’ over and over to herself. Her deep inhalation had made her more aware of his scent, a combination of spice and woods and maleness. With him sitting so near, she could feel the heat coming off of him and fought the urge to snuggle up close, just as she had in her fantasy moments before.