Page 45 of Pucking Wild

“Could…umm…can you maybe cover with something?”

“Cover?”

“Yeah, you’re a lot of naked, Tess.”

She smirks down at me. “You didn’t seem to mind it last time. In fact, I got the rather distinct impression you liked seeing me naked.”

“Yeah, well, last time you weren’t slicked with the sweat of some other guy,” I say dropping my hand down.

She goes still, her smile switching to a glare. “Excuse me?” Then she huffs, crossing her arms over her breasts, one hip cocked to the side. “What exactly do you think is happening here? You think I’m hiding a guy back there?”

“Well, you look like you just got fucked six ways to Sunday,” comes my muttered reply. Maybe if I wasn’t on so many painkillers, I could finesse this better. No, fuck finesse. I’m too upset. She’s under my skin. The thought of her with someone else has me seeing red. “You’re wandering around Mars’s place like you live here—”

“Idolive here,” she snaps. Then she’s stepping forward, putting herself between my spread legs. She grabs my chin, tipping my gaze up to meet hers. “And let’s get one thing crystal fucking clear. You don’t own me, Ryan Langley. We’ve kissed and we’ve danced, and we’ve flirted, but I am my own fucking person. I’m not beholden to you or anyone. And this shitty jealousy is a huge turn off for me. So, I suggest you pack it away if youeverwant a snowball’s chance in hell of seeing me naked again.”

Her speech over, she drops her hand away from me and leans even closer, her breasts swaying in my face. I can smell something aromatic on her skin, like incense or an herbal soap. As quickly as she’s there, she’s gone, jerking something off the back of the sofa from behind my head. It’s a sofa blanket. She takes it and quickly wraps it around herself like a toga, flicking the tasseled end over her shoulder.

“There. Happy?”

“No,” I groan, sinking back against the cushions of the couch. I can still see every inch of her curves. Now they’re just artfully draped. And those damn nipples are still perfect peaks, poking against the soft fabric of the grey blanket.

“And for your information, there’s no one else here,” she declares. “I wasn’t getting fucked, Ryan. I was in the sauna. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I left my phone outside. I’m calling Rachel and figuring out what the hell is going on.”

She steps past me in her blanket toga with all the confidence of a queen. Opening the sliding glass door, she disappears out onto the patio. The dog follows her. The door whispers shut, leaving me alone in Ilmari’s house.

Awesome. This is just fucking perfect. I’ve been here two minutes, and I’ve already upset her. That has to be some kind of record, right?

I glance around the condo, my eyes quickly taking in all the clues I missed during our surprise exchange. It’s easy with Mars’s minimalist decor to note what is out of place. There’s the bottle of wine on the counter, fresh flowers in a vase on the kitchen island, snacks lined up under the microwave. There’s also a laptop set up on the kitchen table. A legal pad rests next to it. All the evidence of someone taking this place and making it their own. Tessisliving here.

Wait—why is Tess living here? Doesn’t she have some big, high-powered job up in Cincinnati?

Well, it was a good idea in theory, but it looks like I won’t be staying here after all. After the way I just showed my ass in front of her, I’m not surprised she’s upset. I could blame it all on the painkillers, but that would be a lie. My irrational jealousy was real. It surprised me as much as Tess. She doesn’t owe me anything. And I’ve never been the territorial type before.

What the hell is happening to me?

I know what’snothappening. I’m not moving in with Tess Owens. Life simply isn’t that cruel…or that kind.

17

Istomp out onto the back patio, my entire body humming with nerves. That’s twice now that Ryan Langley has caught me off guard. Don’t get me wrong, I like being naked, but I don’t typically show my body off to men I’ve just met. Now Ryan has seen me naked, not once, buttwice.

What’s that saying? Third time’s a charm?

“Yeah, good luck getting a third time out of me, buddy,” I say to no one at all.

The look in his eyes just now was a total surprise. In Jake’s kitchen, there was only want and hunger. He liked what he saw. He craved it. If I wasn’t battling a sandy ass crack and sunburned shoulders, I may have even taken things further than a kiss. He’s sweet and cute and so ridiculously fit I want to cry…or beg. I mean, you could cut glass on those sexy hip bones.

But tonight, there was a different look in his eyes. Possession. Need.Anger.

That last one threw me for a loop. The anger rolled off him like a surging storm. He thought I was wandering around the house, freshly fucked, flaunting myself in front of him.

I’m done with possessive men who think they get to own me. If Ryan keeps up this attitude, he’ll see me fly before he ever sees me naked again.

Unless he’s your roommate.

The thought flashes through my mind and I bat it away, glancing down at my phone.

RACHEL (7:45 p.m.): MISSED CALL

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