The Keeping

  Stunned she found herself set on her feet, hard hands gripping her upper arms. For a moment she simply stood dripping and gaping, too surprised to even push her wet hair from her face. Thankfully, someone else did it for her. Blinking, she realized that she was staring at Ryne. He did not appear happy.

  “What the hell were you doing this time?”

  “Huh?” Mel registered that he was yelling at her, but she wasn’t quite sure why.

  “What kind of an idiot stands in the middle of a swollen stream in the height of run-off season? Don’t you know how dangerous that is?”

  As she recovered from the shock of what had just happened, her temper began to flare. “Idiot? I’m not an idiot! I was perfectly fine until that wolf—Oh damn!” She looked desperately side to side, trying to locate the beast. “We have to get out of here. There’s a wolf somewhere nearby.” Mel took a step and then froze, unsure of which way to go. The cabin was to the right, but so was the wolf…

  “Wolf? What wolf?” Ryne sounded puzzled.

  “The wolf that was right over there!” Pointing towards the trees, Mel glanced at Ryne to see if he was looking where she was pointing. He wasn’t. Instead, he was frowning at her.

  “Mel, there was no wolf here unless… Did you see Harley? He was out walking with me.” Ryne quirked an eyebrow at her.

  “No. It wasn’t Harley; it was a wolf, really. I saw it… ” She faltered under his disbelieving gaze. “Well, it looked like a wolf.” She crossed her arm and pouted.

  “I suppose, if you were really intent on taking a picture you might make that mistake.” Ryne appeared as if he was about to pat her on the head as if she was a foolish child.

  Compressing her lips, Mel sloshed over to the edge of the stream, shivers starting to wrack her body. “Where’s Harley now?”

  “He probably ran off when you started to yell. He’s very sensitive you know.”

  “Yell? I didn’t yell, at least not that much.” She was now shaking so hard that she could hardly get the words out. Ryne shook his head, pulled off his jacket, and wrapped it around her.” You don’t have to do that.” She protested and tried to hand him back the piece of clothing. “You’re wet too.”

  He ignored her and shoved her arms into the sleeves and zipped it up. “Don’t worry about me. It’s only my pant legs and besides that, I hardly feel the cold. Come on, let’s get you home.” Ryne moved to pick her up, but Mel put out her arms, shaking her head.

  “Uh-uh. I can get home perfectly well by myself.” She set off for the cabin at as quick of as pace as her soggy shoes would allow. Behind her, she could hear Ryne huff in exasperation before following.

  By the time they reached the cabin, the brisk walk had warmed her a bit, but she still longed to get out of her wet clothes and into a warm shower. Ryne apparently had the same idea, for he walked right in and headed towards the bathroom and turned the shower on. Exiting, he looked around the room, spied her robe, and threw it at her. “Here, get out of those wet clothes and take a shower while I make you a cup of tea.”

  “Coffee.”

  He stopped mid-stride. “What?”

  “Make it coffee. Nice and strong.”

  He rolled his eyes, but smiled at her and Mel scooted into the bathroom, a warm feeling filling her despite the cold clothes and her chilled skin.

  By the time the hot water had run out, Mel felt considerably better. She pulled on her terrycloth robe and exited the bathroom, sniffing appreciatively as the smell of fresh coffee greeted her. Automatically, she turned towards the kitchen, but a sound behind her, drew her attention. It was Ryne, propped up in her bed.

  His upper half was naked, his lower extremities hidden by the covers. He was sipping a cup of coffee and appeared to have made himself quite at home.

  Mel folded her arms and frowned at him. “Why are you in my bed?”

  “My clothes were wet and I had nothing to wear. I didn’t think you’d appreciate me wandering around in the nude. Besides, despite not minding the cold, a dunking in ice water left me a bit chilled. It’s warmer under these blankets.”

  “Oh.” It did make sense. Wracking her brain, Mel tried to think of anything she’d have that he could wear, but came up blank. “Sorry, but there’s nothing here that would fit you.”

  “That’s all right. I started a fire going and spread my clothes in front of the fireplace. They’ll dry eventually.”

  “Wouldn’t you warm up faster if you were in front of the fire too?”

  “My clothes are draped all over the chairs. There’s nowhere to sit and the floor is hard.”

  Nodding, Mel stood undecided about what to do. Should she go stand in the living room and leave him alone? It seemed a bit rude, but just standing here while he lay in her bed didn’t’ seem right either. She also needed to get dressed, but wasn’t going to do that in front of him.

  Possibly sensing her indecision, Ryne patted the space on the bed beside him. “Come, sit here, and keep me company.” When she hesitated, he pulled out the big guns. “I have a cup of coffee here for you.” He gestured to the bedside table and she zeroed in on the steaming cup. In mere seconds, she was sitting beside him, sipping the dark liquid, and sighing appreciatively.

  Chapter 21

  Mel leaned back against the headboards and stretched her legs out in front of her. Searching deep inside, she silently repeated her mantra while looking for inner peace and tranquility—well not really, but she thought it sounded better than ‘trying to ignore the hottie beside her.’ She purposely kept her eyes fixed firmly forward. With studied nonchalance, she sipped her coffee and wiggled her toes, noting she needed to redo the polish.

  “Hey, I’m over here.” Ryne waved his hand in front of her face, but she merely tilted her head so that she could see around it. “What are you doing?” Ryne reached over, grasped her chin, and turned her head so she was looking at him.

  “I’m ignoring your presence in my bed.” She jerked her chin free and looked away.

  “Oh.” He seemed to consider the fact for a moment, and then frowned. “And why would you want to do that?”

  “Because, just yesterday we decided that this—” She slid a glance his way and gestured between the two of them, “isn’t a good idea. I’m only here for a few more days—provided you cooperate, that is. We need to maintain a professional relationship.” Mel crossed her ankles, inhaled deeply through her mouth and then slowly exhaled through her nose… or was it supposed to be in through the nose and out through the mouth? Darn, but she could never get those relaxation techniques right! Grimacing, she realized that trying to relax the ‘correct’ way just made her feel more tense.

  “Huh.” Ryne nodded and looked away, sipping his coffee. “So you’re just going to act like I’m not even here?” His tone was casual, conversational even, as if it really meant nothing to him at all.

  “Yep.” She nodded emphatically and sipped her coffee again, savouring the taste. Darn, but the man did brew a good cup of caffeinated bliss.

  “Bet you can’t do it.”

  “Bet I can.” She sensed him watching her and lifted her chin in determination.

  “Nope. You can’t.” His voice was irritatingly smug.

  “I can so.”

  “Can’t.”

  “Can.”

  “Okay.”

  Mel turned her head fractionally and looked at him. Ryne had given up too easily. There was something akin to an impish gleam in his eye, but then he smiled blandly at her and shifted so he was staring at the wall, seeming to be content to just lie there. She slowly turned away and stared at the wall as well.

  Silence stretched between them, only broken by the faint crackling coming from the fireplace in the other room. Mel amused herself by imagining that she was the heroine in the romance novel she was reading. The front cover showed the woman lying on a fur rug in front of a fire, a devilishly handsome man leaning over her. Their lips were parted, eyes half closed, passion obviously hanging heavily in the air
. Of course, both persons were delightfully unclothed, though carefully placed arms and a raised knee hid all the interesting bits.

  Mmm… What if that man was Ryne? And what if she was the woman? Mel recalled the feel of Ryne’s body pressing down on hers; how her legs had wrapped around his lean hips while her hands skimmed up and down his muscular back. How would he look stretched out in front of the fire, the flickering light emphasizing his sculpted muscles? She felt herself growing warm at her musings and snuck a peek sideways to check out what the man beside her was doing. Shockingly, Mel discovered that Ryne was staring right at her, a wicked grin on his face, as if he knew the erotic direction her thoughts had taken.

  Mel jerked her eyes away and stared straight ahead. With her peripheral vision, she was sure she could see Ryne’s nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply. Pressing her legs closer together, Mel had the uncanny feeling that he could scent the arousal that her imagination had conjured up, which was ridiculous of course. He had no idea how she was feeling.

  Licking her suddenly dry lips, she forced her mind to abandon that oh-so-interesting train of thought. It wasn’t prudent when they were lying half naked in bed together. Mel wiggled her toes again, trying to focus on mundane matters and not on the man beside her. A lock of hair was falling in her eyes and she brushed it away, then began twirling the hair around her finger. Hair. That was a safe, distracting topic. She’d trimmed the bangs herself a few weeks ago, but all in all, it was getting way too shaggy. A good cut was what she needed, maybe even a new style. Highlights? Or a totally different colour? Shifting a bit so she could see Ryne better, she sought his opinion. “What do you think I should do with my hair?”

  “Hmm?”

  “My hair. It’s really getting long and there’s no style left. Do you think I should just get new layers put in it or go for a complete change? I could dye it red or even black. Maybe cut it really short, a bit spiky on top? I don’t want anything that requires too much work, though. You know, it needs to be something simple so I can just wash, add a bit of product, dry, and go.” She knew she was babbling, but the silence between them was too hard to handle. Setting her cup of coffee down, then shimmied around so that she was sitting cross-legged, facing him.

  “Um… I think it looks fine.”

  Mel noted he had a sort of dazed look about him. Hairstyles probably weren’t his cup of tea, but since he was man, she’d figured his opinion was worth exploring. “I’ve done it all, you know; Short, curly, straight, streaked, long… I’ve always heard that men prefer longer hair, but I don’t know why exactly. What’s your opinion?”

  He stared at her for a moment then shook his head. His lips were twitching as if trying to hold back some form of emotional expression. “It’s sexier.”

  “Really? How so?”

  Ryne set his coffee cup down and turned so that he too was facing her, a mischievous grin on his face. “Because, you can run your hands through it.” He demonstrated. “And use it to pull a woman closer.” Which he did, and then leaned in close to whisper against her lips. “And, when you’re having sex and the woman’s trailing her lips all over your body, the feel of her hair brushing softly against your skin drives you wild.”

  “Oh!” Mel squeaked out a response as Ryne gently brushed his lips back and forth over hers. He’d buried his fingers in her hair and was now leaning back and using her long tresses to slowly pull her down on top of him. Once he was on his back and she was leaning over him, he deepened the kiss. Vaguely, Mel noted how her hair provided a curtain around them, blocking out the rest of the world. Mmm… Long hair did have its advantages she thought as she slid her hands over Ryne’s chest.

  “I won.” He whispered against her lips.

  “Hmm? Won what?” She traced his lower lip with the tip of her tongue.

  “The bet.” He nuzzled the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply.

  “What bet?” Mel guided his face back up.

  “That you could ignore me.” Ryne cupped her face and stared into her eyes, the hint of a teasing twinkle apparent.

  She furrowed her brow briefly. Was it worth arguing over? Not at the moment… The waves of sensations zinging through her were more important. “Doesn’t matter. This is more fun.”

  “Mmm… I agree.” He traced her cheekbones with his thumbs before combing his fingers through her hair to hold her head.

  Leaning in closer, she flicked her tongue over his, savouring the taste and texture of him. Gently she bit his lower lip, pulling softly before soothing it with a soft kiss. Ryne growled his approval and his hands clenched her hair more tightly before releasing it. He kept one hand on her head while sliding the other down her neck. Using his fingers, he brushed them delicately over her ear and jaw, before pushing the neck of her robe open so he could tease her collar bone.

  Mel shivered in delight at the lightness of his touch and how it brought all her nerve endings screaming to life, begging for more. Shifting so that her knees straddled his hips, she leaned closer, rubbing her torso against him while trailing kisses over his face. She raked her teeth along the column of his neck and felt his throat vibrate against her lips as another growl rumbled up from his chest. The sound brought a wave of warmth to her lower body; how he made that sound and why it turned her on, was a mystery, but at that moment she didn’t really care.

  Frustrated at the bed sheets and clothing that separated them, she made no protest when Ryne pushed her robe completely off her shoulders. It fell down about her waist, leaving her breasts bare and exposed to his scrutiny. A combination of the cooler air and the heat of his gaze had her nipples pebbling and she whimpered with the need to feel his mouth around them.

  As he cupped her breasts in his hands, she pulled at the sheets covering him, muttering in frustration as she realized she was sitting on them and they wouldn’t move any farther until she moved. Rising up on all fours in preparation for doing just that, Ryne reached up and held her upper arms to still her movements. Mel looked down, questioning his actions.

  He avidly studied her for a moment and possessively ran his hands down her ribcage to her waist where the tie of the robe stopped his journey. A half-smile played over his face and Mel contemplated his expression. There seemed to be something wild and untamed lurking just below the surface.

  “I love how you look, standing over me like that.” He moved his hands back up and caressed her breasts, thumbing her nipples. “You should see your eyes. They’re burning with desire, glowing… You remind me of a she-wolf—” Abruptly, he stopped speaking and a frown appeared on his face.

  His comment touched her sense of humour and Mel chuckled, leaning back on her haunches. “Is that a polite way of calling me a bitch?”

  Ryne stared up at her. For a moment he seemed puzzled or disoriented, but then he shook his head. The wild look faded and, if anything, he now appeared regretful. “No.” A heavy sigh escaped his lips. Grasping her by the hips, he lifted her off and sat her down beside him. Then he swung his legs over the side and sat with his back to her. He rubbed his face roughly with his hands. “You’re not a bitch. Far from it. But I am a bastard. I just meant to tease you a bit and things got out of control.” There was a pause and then he seemed to force out one final word, as if he wasn’t accustomed to uttering it. “Sorry.”

  Mel watched in confusion as he stood and walked towards the door, the sight of his taut rear-end and muscular thighs doing unspeakable things to her insides. “Where are you going?”

  “To see if my clothes are dry. I think I should head home now.” And with that he left the room.

  Blinking slowly, she processed his message. He was leaving. Right in the middle of everything. Right after getting her all worked up, he was leaving! Giving an exasperated huff, Mel pushed her hair from her face and clambered off the bed. She pulled her robe shut, straightened the covers, and picked up the empty coffee cups. For a moment she stood in the middle of the room, unsure what to do.

  Half of her was hurt, that he’d wa
lked away like that, while the other half was relieved that he’d had the common sense she lacked. Still another half of her—wait a minute. She frowned; that was too many halves. Well, whatever. There was some anger mixed in there too. Anger at herself for wanting him and at Ryne for being such as jerk. ‘Teasing her!’ Ha! The joke wasn’t funny. He needed to keep his hands, lips, and oh-so-yummy body to himself if he wasn’t going to follow through.

  Intent on informing him of just that, she marched into the living area only to freeze when she saw him, still naked, leaning over her laptop. It was one of her little quirks, but she didn’t like people messing with her electronics.

  “What are you doing with my computer?” She winced at the accusing tone of voice she had used and was just preparing to apologize when she realized that Ryne ignored her question and countered with one of his own.

  “Where did you get these pictures?” He gestured towards the screen; his tone of voice was sharp and angry, with something else thrown into the mix. Puzzled, she could only come up with ‘fear.’

  Well, so much for feeling guilty over her own rude comment; his was even more surly. She walked to the table and peered over his shoulder. It was the file of pictures she accidentally downloaded from the camera and explained as much to him.

  “Did you look at these?”

  “No, not really. What are they? Part of the next Ryne Taylor exhibit?” Her attempt at lightening the mood fell flat. Ryne just scowled at her and tightened his mouth. Sighing gustily, Mel started to explain. “I just opened the file, wondering what it was, skimmed over a few, and when I realized they must be yours, I just left them, end of story.”

  He glared at her for a moment, seeming to search her face for… something. Finally, he grunted appearing satisfied with whatever he saw. Turning back to the computer, he quickly deleted the file.

  Mel held back her initial indignant reply that he had no right to just delete things from her computer. They were his pictures after all and she should have erased of them right away. Seeking to keep the peace, in the spirit of ensuring a future interview, she apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop. I was just downloading the pictures I took and I didn’t think to see if there were other photos there. Your pictures are still on the camera, though; I didn’t erase the chip.” She looked around, grabbed the camera from the table where she’d set it upon returning home and handed it back to him. “Here, you can have it back.”