"Just a couple more steps and you're there." Ryan slid his arm around Sophie's waist and nudged the taxi door closed. As the car pulled away from the curb he glanced at the veranda of her cottage-style home, thankful she'd left the porch light on so they wouldn't have to navigate the brick pathway in the dark.
She clutched his hand and snorted. "Someone's moved the house! I can't make it that far."
Ryan smiled and stepped around in front of her. He clasped her upper arms and waited for her blue eyes to focus on him. One of the straps on her slip-like crimson dress had fallen off her shoulder. He tugged it into place, ignoring the spark of desire inside him. "You're okay," he said. "You're a little drunk, that's all."
She scoffed and tilted her head to stare up at him. "I am not. I'm nearly as tall as you."
He laughed as his gaze passed over her. She'd definitely grown over the five years he'd known her. Back when they first met she'd been a bubbly sixteen year old living with her parents, while he'd just started his own landscaping and gardening business at the age of twenty-two.
At the time her parents had hired him to give their garden a complete overhaul. While he worked there Sophie became his shadow, following him around at every opportunity, complimenting his dark hair and the muscles he'd acquired through his work. Although he'd pretended not to notice, her crush on him had been obvious.
After that initial job her father had arranged for him to do regular maintenance and Ryan kept in touch with her family over the years. While he worked on expanding his business and Sophie studied to become a nurse, their friendship grew. Now when he looked at her, he no longer saw that innocent teenager.
Tonight her long brown hair framed her face in a tousled mass and the gloss she'd worn earlier had all but faded from her lips. An overwhelming urge came over him to press his mouth there. He leaned in to kiss her forehead instead. "C'mon," he said. "Let's get you to bed."
"Wait." Sophie held onto the forearms revealed by his rolled-up shirtsleeves, swaying as she smiled at him. "I wanted to tell you something that I've been thinking about for a while."
Given the chemistry building between them lately Ryan had a fair idea what she planned on saying. As much as he wanted to hear it, he preferred the idea of her telling him when she had a clear head. He slipped his fingers into her hair and massaged her temple with his thumb. "It's getting late, Soph. Why don't you tell me tomorrow instead?"
Sophie made a soft sound of pleasure, resting her cheek against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed. "Remind me if I forget," she said. Her dress dipped low in the back and she wasn't wearing a bra. He couldn't resist sweeping his hand over her exposed flesh, sliding his palm up and down her spine. Her body trembled and her expression filled with contentment.
Ryan gave an inward groan and scrubbed a hand down his face, deciding he'd had about as much as he could handle for one night. He urged her along the front path and helped her step onto the porch. She fumbled with her key, then shoved the door open and stumbled inside. Thankfully her housemate had gone away for the weekend so there was no need to keep the noise down.
Sophie slapped the light switch and dropped her purse, bracing herself against the archway leading into the living room. From her previous history Ryan knew she'd either fall asleep on her feet, or get a second wind and want to continue on with their night. He chose another option and swept her up into his arms. He kicked the door shut, enjoying the sound of her shocked laughter as he strode with her down the hallway.
He used his elbow to turn on the light in her bedroom and glanced around the space he'd only been in a handful of times. Drapes blocked the view of the street outside and she'd looped some kind of purple gauzy material over the curtain rod. Bright yellow linen covered the bed and a bookcase sat in the corner, so stuffed with well-worn paperbacks it looked about ready to tip forward.
He crossed the room and lowered her to her feet, urging her to take a seat on the edge of the mattress. Ryan knelt before her, glancing up at her as he went about unfastening the tiny buckles on her shoes. "Are you okay?" he asked. He tossed one shoe aside and worked on the other.
"I'm great!" Sophie flopped back on the mattress, letting her arms drop out to her sides. "I'm fantastic."
"You're hammered." She chose that moment to hiccup and it made him laugh.
"I was having so much fun with you. One drink just led to another and...Well, you know." She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. "Is it officially tomorrow yet? Do you want to hear my secret now?"
He removed her other shoe and gave her feet a quick rub. "I get the feeling you're going to tell me anyway."
Sophie pushed herself up to a sitting position and wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked up at her, taking in her full lips and the way the dimple in her left cheek appeared then disappeared. She leaned in close and pressed her lips to his jaw in a lingering kiss. Her mouth moved to his ear and she whispered, "I think you should have sex with me."
His heart pounded and a wave of lust rolled through him. He wanted to throw her against the bed and tear that flimsy red dress off her. He didn't know when he'd started seeing her in a different light. The shift in their relationship had happened so gradually it had snuck up on him. He only knew every time he looked at her now he felt this pull to get his hands on her. "I want you," he said.
"But not tonight," she guessed.
Her indignant expression had him wanting to kiss her until neither of them could breathe. "I know pretty much everything about you, Soph, including the fact you're a virgin."
She shrugged her shoulders and the movement sent one of the straps slipping down her arm. He couldn't tell for sure if it had been intentional. "It's up to me how and when I give it up," she said.
"If I'm involved I have a say in it, too."
Sophie lifted her shoulder again. The remaining strap took a slide down her other arm, lowering the neckline of her dress until only her hardened nipples seemed to be stopping it from falling to her waist. "I could seduce you anytime I want to, Ryan."
"Is that right?" A smile crossed his face and a dozen images filled his mind, all of them erotic. He caressed her thighs, not surprised when they parted beneath his touch.
"It wouldn't take much," she continued. "All I'd have to do is let my dress drop."
She did just that, exposing herself to him. He should've expected it, but it still hit him like a punch to the stomach.
Her breasts were pale and firm, the curved undersides begging to be cupped by his calloused palms. Her nipples were small and pink, inviting the flick of his tongue. Goose bumps spread over her skin. Despite her bravado, he heard her shallow breaths, saw the uncertainty in her eyes. He wanted her with an intensity he'd never experienced before now.
