The Keeping(81)

Frustrated at the bed sheets and clothing that separated them, she made no protest when Ryne pushed her robe completely off her shoulders. It fell down about her waist, leaving her breasts bare and exposed to his scrutiny. A combination of the cooler air and the heat of his gaze had her nipples pebbling and she whimpered with the need to feel his mouth around them.

As he cupped her breasts in his hands, she pulled at the sheets covering him, muttering in frustration as she realized she was sitting on them and they wouldn’t move any farther until she moved. Rising up on all fours in preparation for doing just that, Ryne reached up and held her upper arms to still her movements. Mel looked down, questioning his actions.

He avidly studied her for a moment and possessively ran his hands down her ribcage to her waist where the tie of the robe stopped his journey. A half-smile played over his face and Mel contemplated his expression. There seemed to be something wild and untamed lurking just below the surface.

“I love how you look, standing over me like that.” He moved his hands back up and caressed her breasts, thumbing her nipples. “You should see your eyes. They’re burning with desire, glowing... You remind me of a she-wolf—” Abruptly, he stopped speaking and a frown appeared on his face.

His comment touched her sense of humour and Mel chuckled, leaning back on her haunches. “Is that a polite way of calling me a bitch?”

Ryne stared up at her. For a moment he seemed puzzled or disoriented, but then he shook his head. The wild look faded and, if anything, he now appeared regretful. “No.” A heavy sigh escaped his lips. Grasping her by the hips, he lifted her off and sat her down beside him. Then he swung his legs over the side and sat with his back to her. He rubbed his face roughly with his hands. “You’re not a bitch. Far from it. But I am a bastard. I just meant to tease you a bit and things got out of control.” There was a pause and then he seemed to force out one final word, as if he wasn’t accustomed to uttering it. “Sorry.”

Mel watched in confusion as he stood and walked towards the door, the sight of his taut rear-end and muscular thighs doing unspeakable things to her insides. “Where are you going?”

“To see if my clothes are dry. I think I should head home now.” And with that he left the room.

Blinking slowly, she processed his message. He was leaving. Right in the middle of everything. Right after getting her all worked up, he was leaving! Giving an exasperated huff, Mel pushed her hair from her face and clambered off the bed. She pulled her robe shut, straightened the covers, and picked up the empty coffee cups. For a moment she stood in the middle of the room, unsure what to do.

Half of her was hurt, that he’d walked away like that, while the other half was relieved that he’d had the common sense she lacked. Still another half of her—wait a minute. She frowned; that was too many halves. Well, whatever. There was some anger mixed in there too. Anger at herself for wanting him and at Ryne for being such as jerk. ‘Teasing her!’ Ha! The joke wasn’t funny. He needed to keep his hands, lips, and oh-so-yummy body to himself if he wasn’t going to follow through.

Intent on informing him of just that, she marched into the living area only to freeze when she saw him, still naked, leaning over her laptop. It was one of her little quirks, but she didn’t like people messing with her electronics.

“What are you doing with my computer?” She winced at the accusing tone of voice she had used and was just preparing to apologize when she realized that Ryne ignored her question and countered with one of his own.

“Where did you get these pictures?” He gestured towards the screen; his tone of voice was sharp and angry, with something else thrown into the mix. Puzzled, she could only come up with ‘fear.’

Well, so much for feeling guilty over her own rude comment; his was even more surly. She walked to the table and peered over his shoulder. It was the file of pictures she accidentally downloaded from the camera and explained as much to him.

“Did you look at these?”

“No, not really. What are they? Part of the next Ryne Taylor exhibit?” Her attempt at lightening the mood fell flat. Ryne just scowled at her and tightened his mouth. Sighing gustily, Mel started to explain. “I just opened the file, wondering what it was, skimmed over a few, and when I realized they must be yours, I just left them, end of story.”

He glared at her for a moment, seeming to search her face for...something. Finally, he grunted appearing satisfied with whatever he saw. Turning back to the computer, he quickly deleted the file.

Mel held back her initial indignant reply that he had no right to just delete things from her computer. They were his pictures after all and she should have erased them right away. Seeking to keep the peace, in the spirit of ensuring a future interview, she apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop. I was just downloading the pictures I took and I didn’t think to see if there were other photos there. Your pictures are still on the camera, though; I didn’t erase the chip.” She looked around, grabbed the camera from the table where she’d set it upon returning home and handed it back to him. “Here, you can have it back.”