Page 29 of In Bed with Mr. Wrong

Bri jumped, realizing she’d been staring at him so long he’d finished his food. “Yes. Thank you.”

“So polite when you want to be.” He smiled. “Do you need more tea?”

It’d only now cooled down to an acceptable drinking temperature. “I think I’m okay.”

After one last look at her, he leaned back and propped his feet on the arm of the couch. Ryan opened the book and draped the brown-and-pink ribboned bookmark over the pillow next to him. Seeing feminine things like ribbons in his wide hands was ridiculous. And absolutely adorable. “Where were we? Oh yes, Dmitri has Savannah pressed against the wall, bracketed by his arms. Does that sound familiar?”

She glanced over sharply, but he didn’t seem to be insinuating anything. Which meant comparing this scene to the one that had played out in the hallway last night rested solely on her shoulders. She brought her knees to her chest, suddenly not nearly as hungry as she’d thought. It didn’t matter who was reading it or what the character’s history was—this book was just fiction.

“Dmitri leaned in until his lips rested against her throat. It should have been terrifying having this massive man so close, and there was a healthy dose of fear running through Savannah, but desire beat a steady drum, a siren call she wasn’t sure he could resist.

“‘Tell me. Tell me what you want.’

“‘You. All of you.’ Everything he had.

“His hands ran down her shoulders to cup her hips. A deft move and her dress was up around her thighs, baring her for his pleasure.”

Bri froze with her cup halfway to her lips. God, they weren’t even to the truly dirty parts and she was already having difficulty breathing. Ryan’s voice woke all sorts of longings she didn’t know what to do with. No, that wasn’t true. The problem was she knew all too well what to do with them.

“Is there something wrong?”

She jumped, nearly spilling tea all down her front. “Not in the least.”

“Really? You’re not even remotely turned on by this?”

This was exactly what she’d been afraid of when he took the book from her. She took another drink of tea to buy herself time, hoping it would cover up the tremor in her voice. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I am.” He lifted the book, drawing her gaze south to where his level of desire was all too evident.

“But they haven’t even done anything yet. He’s barely touched her.” Why was she arguing this? What did it matter if he was turned on as a result of something practically PG?

Ryan folded the corner of the page, raising his eyebrows when she made a protesting noise at his treatment of the book. “Want to know why I’m turned on?”

Even though she knew better, she nodded.

“It’s because I’m picturing us in that position and I’m remembering how good you smell, and how things progressed from there, which has turned to thinking about how damn amazing your mouth feels around my cock.”

Oh God. Bri jumped to her feet, sending her tea mug flying. She spun on her heel, nearly tripped over the corner of the coffee table. That slowed her down enough to realize that she was letting him win by running away. The realization didn’t kill the urge, but she was able to stop moving and turn to face him. “You’re not nearly funny as you think you are.”

“Honey, I’m as serious as a heart attack.”

He was messing with her, just like he had been from the beginning. He had to be. But she couldn’t stop herself from saying, “But you think I’m mousy.” Even as the words came out of her mouth, she cursed herself for giving him that much.

Ryan set the book down and pushed to his feet. He actually seemed pained as he skirted the edge of the coffee table and came to stand before her. “I swear to God, Bri, I’m sorry that I ever said that. You’re the furthest thing from mousy.”

Childhood instinct demanded she lash out before he saw just how badly those earlier words had hurt her, but Bri forced it down for the first time in her life. She couldn’t keep striking out at him blindly just to keep him from getting too close. Like it or not, he was already there.

But that didn’t mean he felt the same way. She licked her lips. “You seemed pretty convinced it was the truth that first night.”

“I lied.”

While she was still trying to processthatbombshell, he reached out and traced her bottom lip with his thumb. She went still, waiting for the inevitable follow-through. He would kiss her and it would be all over.

Ryan surprised her, though. He took a large step back. “How do you feel about Scrabble?”

Chapter Thirteen

Not taking advantage of that silently offered kiss might have been a mistake, but Ryan wasn’t about to give in to how badly he wanted her. Not when she hadn’t figured out her issues and he couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t toss him aside immediately afterward so she could retreat behind her emotional walls. He guided her back to the spot on the couch she’d just occupied, picked up the fallen tea mug and plate of sandwiches, and retreated to the kitchen.

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