Page 65 of Something to Someone

“Your mom is going to be here any minute, so you should probably go.” I pointed to the door and crossed my arms over my chest.

Ryder’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “My mom? Natalie?”

I nodded.

“What is she meeting you here for?”

Rolling my lips, I reached for my coffee and considered what I should tell him. What she was really meeting me for wasn’t something I wanted to share with her son.

“We’re going shopping,” I said simply.

“Just shopping?”

I rolled my eyes and groaned. “You are so freaking nosy.”

Ryder began walking toward me, and I had to quickly decide whether to keep the safe distance between us and head around my desk even though it would certainly show weakness. Or stand my ground and try my best not to react.

I chose the latter and held my breath as he came to stand in front of me, placing his coffee down near mine.

“I just don’t believe you,” he said. “I think you’re coming up with excuses to make me leave.”

“Although I wouldn’t put it past me to do something like that,” I admitted. “That’s not what’s happening now.”

He stepped closer and reached for my waist before I had a chance to pull back. He gripped right above my hip and tugged me into him until it was just my crossed arms between us.

“So, you’re just shopping? That’s a little vague.”

“You want to know what we’re shopping for?” I asked, my patience and ability to bite my tongue gone. He didn’t stop me, so I continued, “We’re going shopping for lingerie, because she wants to?—”

His hand appeared over my mouth, effectively cutting off my explanation. He grimaced, shaking his head and screwing his eyes shut, and I had the fleeting thought that his horrified expression was kind of cute.

“You’re right,” he said without opening his eyes. “I didn’t need to know that.”

He dropped his hand, and I smiled smugly. “Say that again.”

He slowly opened and narrowed his eyes. His fingers tightened aroundmy waist, and I had to work hard not to let him hear or see my breath catch or let my smile wobble.

“Tell you that you’re right?”

I inclined my head and held his stare. He licked his lips, and my eyes inadvertently darted to them, watching his tongue slowly slip across his lower lip.

My ability to think straight was wholly compromised by his presence, let alone his proximity and how good he smelled and felt.

“You’re right, Caroline.” He dropped his voice, and I swallowed down my arousal. “You’re so smart, brilliant, really, and driven and successful, andsofucking gorgeous it makes it hard to think straight.”

With my folded arms still between us, that didn’t keep Ryder from cupping the side of my face and running his thumb over my cheek. The moment his blue eyes landed on my lips, he leaned in. And I lost my mind for a second, because I dropped my arms to my sides and let him tug me closer as he pressed his mouth to mine.

A little grunt escaped his lips when my hips brushed against his cock, and I felt lightheaded. His urgent tongue swept against my mouth, and his palm flattened against the small of my back. That slow-churning pull in my gut that I always felt near him was at an all-time high. Not so much slow as it was consuming and impossible to ignore.

I slipped my hand over his that was still against my cheek and tilted my head to the side to deepen the kiss.

“Fuck, Car—” Ryder muttered against my mouth. But his words were cut short by a sound out in the hallway.

Instantly, he dropped his hands, and I stepped back, glancing over his shoulder to identify the noise. Not seeing anything, I took a labored breath and moved around the desk. I leaned to the left and peered down the hallway to see Natalie stooping to pick up her phone she must have dropped on her way to my office.

“It’s your mom,” I whispered. My heart was pounding. “So, you better fixthat.” I glanced quickly down at the outline of his noticeably hard cock pressing through his tight dress pants.

Ryder didn’t look as horrified as I was that we’d almost been caught by his mother. But he did smooth a palm over his problem and readjust his slacks while I sat in my desk chair and logged into my computer that had long gone dark.

---