The Keeping(65)
She blinked and realized that she was staring at Ryne and he was staring right back at her, a half-smile gracing his face.
“From the look you’re giving me, I’d say that the after effects of morning sex don’t last long with you, do they?” Ryne strolled back to the bed and sat beside her, appearing completely unconcerned that he was naked. Mel flushed and averted her gaze from his body, though it wasn’t easy. “Still, I suppose I have enough time to try it again. Maybe that happy mood would stick around longer with one more orgasm. What do you think?”
Mel jerked as she felt him run his hands down her body. Her naked body. Oh God, she’d forgotten that she was naked. Well, almost naked. Her T-shirt was bunched up under her arms, but the rest of her was bare. Realizing that even her legs were still splayed, Mel quickly brought them together and tugged the t-shirt down to cover herself.
“Not in the mood for more?” Ryne flicked the end of her nose. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know. I’m going to take a shower, get dressed, and then go see about clearing the driveway.” He stood up, took a step towards the bathroom, and stopped. “Do you want to join me? The shower stall is large enough.”
“No!” Mel barely managed the strangled response, totally mortified at her own behaviour. Ryne just chuckled and left.
Sitting up, she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She’d just had sex with a man she barely knew. That wasn’t like her. It wasn’t like her at all. What had she been thinking? Well, she hadn’t been thinking, that was the problem. She’d only been feeling and it had felt good. Hmm... When was the last time she’d had sex? Furrowing her brow, she searched through the past year, surprised to find no one had interested her sufficiently to reach that level of intimacy. Okay. That explained this morning’s aberration. A long period of abstinence had short circuited her common sense. But now that she’d had her bit of fun, she’d be fine. No more nookie with Ryne!
Feeling somewhat better, she got out of bed and eschewed observing her surroundings in favour of looking for her panties. When she found them, they were in shreds, so she hurriedly stuffed them in the garbage pail. This was just great. She’d have to go commando. She began to pull open the drawers of Ryne’s dresser looking for a pair of track pants or shorts. She might not have underwear on, but darned if she’d walk around with no pants at all!
After finding a suitable pair of shorts, she snugged them around her waist as best she could. They were still a bit big and rode low on her hips, but with the t-shirt hanging halfway down her thighs, it wasn’t noticeable. Ryne came out of the bathroom just as she was pushing the drawers shut. He had a towel slung around his hips and little drops of water clung to his chest. Mel felt her knees go weak.
“Making yourself at home, I see.” His blue eyes twinkled as he grinned at her.
Nervously, she pushed her hair from her face. “Umm...yeah. I hope you don’t mind, but I needed—”
“No problem. Help yourself.” He casually brushed past her, pulled open a drawer, and took out some underwear.
Realizing he was going to get dressed in front of her, Mel turned her back just as he pulled the towel off. It landed lightly on the bed beside her and she gave a little start.
“Still shy after all we’ve shared?”
“Yes!” Mel heard her voice crack and winced. She cleared her throat and gathered her courage to speak. She wasn’t sure of the proper protocol for this type of a situation. “Um, about this morning...”
Ryne placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. Mel gave a surprised squeak and scrunched her eyes shut. He gave a quick bark of laughter. “You can open your eyes. I’m dressed.” He waited patiently until she complied. She stared up into his handsome face. His blue eyes were intense yet there was a shadow to them as well. What was it? Caution? Regret? Unable to interpret it, she focused on his words instead.
“Melody, this morning was fun. It was great sex and maybe we can do it again, but that’s all it was, okay? Now I’m going to get the guys and move that tree from the driveway. Feel free to use the shower—I set a towel out for you—and look for something to eat in the kitchen. We’ll probably be back in about an hour if all goes well.”
With that, he kissed her forehead and left.
She watched him leave, her mouth hanging open, only one thought in her head.
Jerk!
*****
Mel stood in the entertainment room, staring out the window. She’d showered, found her bra and jeans, and dressed, though she still felt strange not wearing panties. Every step she took had the crotch seam rubbing against her sensitive core—definitely not comfortable. Nor was it comfortable thinking about Ryne and how they’d parted. He’d basically blown the whole incident off and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.