Page 15 of Tempest

CHAPTER FIVE

Sunday

Ivy opened the door to the guest house, and Ryan let a hundred sexy thoughts run wild in his brain. He thought about kissing her…a tongue-twisting, consuming kiss. Clearing his throat, he tried to pretend he wasn’t an animal held back on a leash. “Hi.”

Smoothing her low ponytail, she smiled. “Hey.”

The way her jungle eyes stared at him in approval made him think that dressing in a suit might work in his favor. Whistling, he let his eyes run all over her body in appreciation. “Damn, girl. You didn’t have to bring out the heavy artillery.”

Sliding her hand over her dress, she winked. “This old thing? Shoot, if you’re impressed by this, then you’re easier than I thought.”

“When it comes to you, I’m a damn pussycat.”

“Tiger, maybe. Pussycat, definitely not.”

“Maybe we should skip the wedding and find out for sure.”

Laughing, she grabbed her purse and moved them both out of the house. “I thought you might work up to the heavy flirting. I see that I was wrong.”

“The dress you’re wearing calls for heavy flirting. We both know that we have chemistry. The only question is what we’re going to do about it.” He enveloped her hand in his and felt exactly like he did when he adjusted the scope on his rifle. Everything tumbled into place and his heart slowed down. He held her hand tightly and started moving down the walk.

“Ryan, slow down. These heels are not meant for trotting. These shoes are meant for sitting, so either let go of my hand or slow your roll.”

He stopped and stared down at the black sandals she wore that made him think of handcuffs and bedrails. Clearing his throat, he ran his eyes up her tanned legs and saw where the final cuff gently encased her calf. “Honey, I need you to stay really close to me and not talk to any other men. Killing someone the first week of work would send the wrong message.”

Her small hand squeezed his as she laughed. “That’s sweet. Totally not going to happen, though.”

“I know, but just help me out as much as you can.”

Nodding, she got into his truck and winked. “I’ll see what I can do. Where do Jack and Ana Ellis live?” she asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

“They live in Coral Gables on Old Cutler Road. I programmed the address into the GPS.”

“How does the best defensive end in the country connect with Trevor and Katie?”

Ryan pulled out and headed toward the main street. “Trevor told me that Ana set him up with Katie after he ran security for her. When Ana and Jack got together, they had some problems with the paparazzi and fans, so Trevor was assigned to her while the worst of it was playing out. Ana and Katie are in the same post doctorate program over at Miller School of Medicine, and she thought Trevor and Katie would be perfect for one another.”

“I love a good matchmaking story. I’ve tried to pair people in the past, and my matches are never successful. The idea I have in my head is never what happens when I set people up.”

“What looks good on paper is rarely what works in real life.” He flipped his blinker on and merged into traffic. “You and me, for example. Who would put us together? I grew up in Northern California on a winery with my father and three brothers. I went to Cal and played rugby. Then I joined the Navy and became a SEAL. I’ve spent the last ten years in the world’s hellholes chasing the bad guys.”

Ivy shrugged and stared out the window. “I guess you’re right. I grew up in a small town in Texas with my mama and my grandmother. I went to UT at Austin and then on to Wharton. I’ve spent the last five years working my hiney off.” Moving around in her seat, she laughed. “Okay, clearly my hiney is still there, but you know what I mean. My career has been my sole focus for longer than I can remember.”

“For the record…I like your hiney, and I hope it never goes anywhere.”

“Which was the point of this conversation.” She smirked.

“I just wanted it reflected for the record, should it ever come up.”

“Do you dance, Ryan?”

“Not if I can help it.”

“Darn, I love to. Maybe I’ll find someone at the wedding to dance with.”

“What I meant to say was…of course I dance.”

Laughing, she grabbed his hand and smiled. “I had no idea that pushy man in the bar would turn out to be so much fun.”

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