Page 63 of Power Play

The answer made warmth unfurl low in my stomach.

“But no sex.”

“Not tonight.”

“Because you think I’ll grade myself tomorrow.”

“Among other reasons.”

“That is deeply annoying.”

“I know.”

“You’re very pleased with yourself.”

“I’m trying to do one decent thing here.”

“You’re assuming I wanted to have sex with you.”

Ryan’s eyebrows rose.

I held his stare for three seconds before failing.

His smile spread. “You had your hands under my shirt.”

“I was investigating.”

“My abs?”

“The construction.”

He laughed, and the sound loosened the strange ache beneath my ribs.

I put both hands against his chest. “For the record, if this becomes weird and ruins our friendship, I’m blaming you.”

“Why me?”

“You started mi hada.”

“You asked what your name meant.”

“You weaponized Spanish.”

“That’s fair.”

I smiled.

Ryan’s hand slid around my waist. “And for the record,” he said, quieter now, “I’ve wanted to kiss you longer than today.”

My smile faded. “How long?”

His dimple appeared. “Not answering that.”

“You said years.”

“I did.”

“How many?”