The Keeping(79)

“My clothes were wet and I had nothing to wear. I didn’t think you’d appreciate me wandering around in the nude. Besides, despite not minding the cold, a dunking in ice water left me a bit chilled. It’s warmer under these blankets.”

“Oh.” It did make sense. Wracking her brain, Mel tried to think of anything she’d have that he could wear, but came up blank. “Sorry, but there’s nothing here that would fit you.”

“That’s all right. I started a fire going and spread my clothes in front of the fireplace. They’ll dry eventually.”

“Wouldn’t you warm up faster if you were in front of the fire too?”

“My clothes are draped all over the chairs. There’s nowhere to sit and the floor is hard.”

Nodding, Mel stood undecided about what to do. Should she go stand in the living room and leave him alone? It seemed a bit rude, but just standing here while he lay in her bed didn’t’ seem right either. She also needed to get dressed, but wasn’t going to do that in front of him.

Possibly sensing her indecision, Ryne patted the space on the bed beside him. “Come, sit here, and keep me company.” When she hesitated, he pulled out the big guns. “I have a cup of coffee here for you.” He gestured to the bedside table and she zeroed in on the steaming cup. In mere seconds, she was sitting beside him, sipping the dark liquid, and sighing appreciatively.





Chapter 21





Mel leaned back against the headboard and stretched her legs out in front of her. Searching deep inside, she silently repeated her mantra while looking for inner peace and tranquility—well not really, but she thought it sounded better than ‘trying to ignore the hottie beside her.’ She purposely kept her eyes fixed firmly forward. With studied nonchalance, she sipped her coffee and wiggled her toes, noting she needed to redo the polish.

“Hey, I’m over here.” Ryne waved his hand in front of her face, but she merely tilted her head so that she could see around it. “What are you doing?” Ryne reached over, grasped her chin, and turned her head so she was looking at him.

“I’m ignoring your presence in my bed.” She jerked her chin free and looked away.

“Oh.” He seemed to consider the fact for a moment, and then frowned. “And why would you want to do that?”

“Because, just yesterday we decided that this—” She slid a glance his way and gestured between the two of them, “isn’t a good idea. I’m only here for a few more days—provided you cooperate, that is. We need to maintain a professional relationship.” Mel crossed her ankles, inhaled deeply through her mouth and then slowly exhaled through her nose...or was it supposed to be in through the nose and out through the mouth? Darn, but she could never get those relaxation techniques right! Grimacing, she realized that trying to relax the ‘correct’ way just made her feel more tense.

“Huh.” Ryne nodded and looked away, sipping his coffee. “So you’re just going to act like I’m not even here?” His tone was casual, conversational even, as if it really meant nothing to him at all.

“Yep.” She nodded emphatically and sipped her coffee again, savouring the taste. Darn, but the man did brew a good cup of caffeinated bliss.

“Bet you can’t do it.”

“Bet I can.” She sensed him watching her and lifted her chin in determination.

“Nope. You can’t.” His voice was irritatingly smug.

“I can so.”

“Can’t.”

“Can.”

“Okay.”

Mel turned her head fractionally and looked at him. Ryne had given up too easily. There was something akin to an impish gleam in his eye, but then he smiled blandly at her and shifted so he was staring at the wall, seeming to be content to just lie there. She slowly turned away and stared at the wall as well.

Silence stretched between them, only broken by the faint crackling coming from the fireplace in the other room. Mel amused herself by imagining that she was the heroine in the romance novel she was reading. The front cover showed the woman lying on a fur rug in front of a fire, a devilishly handsome man leaning over her. Their lips were parted, eyes half closed, passion obviously hanging heavily in the air. Of course, both persons were delightfully unclothed, though carefully placed arms and a raised knee hid all the interesting bits.

Mmm... What if that man was Ryne? And what if she was the woman? Mel recalled the feel of Ryne’s body pressing down on hers; how her legs had wrapped around his lean hips while her hands skimmed up and down his muscular back. How would he look stretched out in front of the fire, the flickering light emphasizing his sculpted muscles? She felt herself growing warm at her musings and snuck a peek sideways to check out what the man beside her was doing. Shockingly, Mel discovered that Ryne was staring right at her, a wicked grin on his face, as if he knew the erotic direction her thoughts had taken.