Page 17 of Ryder

But I need to be reasonable. After brushing my lips against her knuckles again, I release her.

Claire takes a step back and inhales deeply while she rubs her hands on her thighs. “Sheesh. When was the last timeyougot laid?” she mutters, looking down.

Give-Claire-space time is over. I round behind her, wrap my arms around her middle, and set my lips on her ear. I like this position. I especially like how her heart rate kicks up every time we’re in it. “I broke up with my last girlfriend three months ago. What we had was casual. We were basically scratching each other’s itch when it was convenient. Before her, over a year ago, I dated a woman for about a month. She was pretentious and thought my small apartment was beneath her. How far back do you want me to go?”

“That’s enough,” she whispers.

“I’ll answer any question you want, Claire. Any time.”

“Okay,” she says softly. “What do you do for a living? Why are you able to move to Wilde?”

“I’m a web designer. I have some pretty large clients. I work from home. There was nothing tethering me to New York. I felt like it was kismet that my rent went up at the same time I got the letter from the lawyer.”

“Mmm. Web designer. Interesting.”

We’re having a rare tender moment with neither of us fighting. I find I like this side of us just as much. “Do you play any instruments?” I ask, dragging us reluctantly back to the present.

“No, but I’ve always wanted to.”

“Then you should take lessons. Maybe there’s an instructor in town…?”

“Mrs. Larimor. She’s always taught piano. Not many kids in this town can afford lessons, though. I think she does it nearly for free.”

I kiss her neck. “We’ll look into it when you’re ready.”

When I release her and step back, she twists around and stares at me. Her chest rises and falls. Her hands are fisted at her sides. She’s baffled, not angry. She doesn’t even comment on my suggestion. She physically shakes it off and spins away, hurrying to put some distance between us.

“Everything is dusty,” she comments.

“I’m not surprised. This place is huge. There’s no way Gretchen can manage all the rooms on her own. The library was so dusty I thought I’d start sneezing.”

I glance toward the doorway as my brother leans into the room. He grabs the frame, filling it. “There you are.”

I realize these two weren’t really introduced. “Tiago, this is Claire. Claire, Tiago.”

Tiago nods in her direction. His dark hair is in a messy man bun. He’s wearing well-worn jeans and a tight T-shirt. I suppose we probably look alike except for hair color and the fact that his is much longer than mine.

“Tiago is an artist,” I inform Claire.

He steps more fully into the room. “Your family owns the bakery? I hope you don’t mind that I snagged one of the pastries from the kitchen. It was delicious.”

“Thank you. Yes.”

“Have you seen Gretchen?” I ask Tiago. “I want to let her know that Claire is staying for the day. Gretchen was telling me about lunch and dinner plans earlier, but I didn’t listen closely.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose. I should go,” Claire says.

I turn to look at her and shoot her a glare. “You’re not going anywhere.” I wish she weren’t going anywhere ever, but realistically, I will have to let her go home at some point. I won’t win any points with her parents if I take her to my bed and keep her all night.

I can’t believe I’m in a position where I’m having to worry about how a woman’s parents might feel about me dating their daughter. I haven’t met anyone’s parents in over a decade.

Tiago laughs. “Didn’t you two meet yesterday?”

I shift my glare from Claire to Tiago. “Do you have a problem with that?”

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Nope. No problem at all. I’ll go find Gretchen and tell her there will be three for lunch and dinner. Should I tell her to serve mine in my room so you two can have the dining room to yourselves?” he jokes.

Claire gasps and covers her face with her hands. “Ryder…” Her embarrassment is as delightful as all her other emotions.

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