Page 47 of All Because I Found You

He moved to her and grabbed her waist, pulling her back down onto the couch. She landed on his lap, and he engulfed her in a warm embrace. She nuzzled into the comfort, needing the bit of compassion he provided.

“I was getting jealous of George,” he said, and the heaviness that was descending on her lightened a little.

“You give better hugs. He’s a little… flaccid.”

Ryder laughed and kissed her head.

“I really have to go.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Usually an obstacle presents itself and immediately I come up with a solution, but right now, I’ve got nothing. Your sexy man-chest is fogging my mind.”

He pressed a finger to her chin and pushed her head up to his lips. He kissed her soft and sweet, and she melted into him.

“Stop that!” She pushed against him and successfully evaded his hold. “I have to figure this out, and I can’t do that here. You’re too much of a distraction.”

“Because of my sexy man-chest.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“I can put a shirt on.”

“But I’ll know it’s still there, just beneath your shirt, waiting for me to touch it again.”

“This is a real issue for you, huh?”

“You have no idea.” Just being in the same room as him, all she could think about was climbing back into bed. Or screw the bed. She could straddle him right here. Even when he wasn’t near her, she couldn’t get visions of him out of her mind, but being near him made it worse. She couldn’t ignore him when he was there in the flesh. Her resolve wasn’t strong enough.

“I want to help you. Let me help.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Her knees practically buckled at the sweet gesture.

“How? You already said you don’t know anyone with a bar lying around.”

“I did, but that’s not what I had in mind.”

“I’m listening.”

“Why don’t you take the bath bombs and go have a bath and let me take care of the rest.”

“You know I absolutely cannot do that. Not when I have a disaster on my hands.”

“I’m going to take care of it.”

“But how?”

He kissed her again, and damn him for distracting her so easily. “Trust me.”

“That sounds really easy for most people but—”

“You’re a control freak.”

“Exactly! Now that we understand each other, tell me what your plan is.”

He shook his head, then scooped her up into his arms. He grabbed the relaxation basket and brought her to the bathroom. He pushed the basket into her hands. “Call me when you’re done, and I’ll let you know.”

“Why not just tell me now?”

His blue eyes met hers, and a smile curved his lips. “Because I love watching you squirm.” Before she could argue, he pulled the door shut, leaving her naked with a relaxation basket.

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