Page 30 of Sinful Abandon

Michaela’s dark eyes dart to the space behind me. A desk and an empty chair are in the room. “That’s my office,” she states in that Kiwi accent.

“Oh.” I step into the hall. “My bad, I thought this was—” I can’t make up anything on the fly, especially because, when I look to my right, Ryan and Zahara are looking my way. I pivot to the left and smack into Meg, who is walking down the hall.

Hot.

Burning hot.

Steam.

“I’m so sorry, Heather. Did you burn yourself?” Meg asks, fanning down my chest with rapid hand movements where my cup of tea just crashed into me.

My skin is on fire. I pick up the lapel of my shirt and start pumping it away from my chest, a poor attempt at creating a breeze. Making quick work of my feet, I scurry down to the break room, which, thankfully, is empty, and I turn on the sink faucet to splash cold water on my chest.

My blouse is soaked. My skirt now has milk and tea stains, and I, quite possibly, have second-degree burns on my skin. All in all, I’d say this is a fabulous day.

The door behind me opens. I close my eyes in mortification of who in the world could be in here. I think the only person I can tolerate right now is Meg, but she knows better than to bother me. I’m sure whoever it is loves the front-row view of my embarrassment.

The body behind me walks around to the refrigerator.

It doesn’t take long for the tall, well-built frame and perfectly defined ass in a pair of Dockers to make its way into my peripheral vision, sending my body into a frenzy. I can pick Ryan out of a lineup of a thousand men—blindfolded. There’s just something about his presence, his aura, that appeals to my senses.

He opens the freezer door and takes out a tray of ice cubes, pouring them into a Ziploc bag. He turns to me and pauses. That scowl from the last few times he’s looked at me is gone. Slowly, he walks toward me, stopping just a few feet away.

“May I?” he asks, holding the bag up in the air.

I nod and let out a sigh of defeat.

He closes the gap, the heat of his body hotter than the tea on my skin. He’s wearing his glasses, and they make him look so much older and sexier than his twenty-one years.

He lifts the bag to my chest, and I insert a hiss at the cold feeling against my heated skin. It stings at first, but then I let out a light moan when relief quickly sets in.

“I see I was right,” he says.

“About what?”

“You like tea.” His mouth is quirked to the side.

Memories of the sweet note and that beautiful rose that has since died and disposed of in the trash come back to me. I was happy. Genuinely happy. The euphoric feeling is gone, and I seem to get glimpses of it every time he’s in the room.

I fight a grin. “I love tea. And bagels.”

Ryan moves the ice around my chest. Each move stings but is followed by comfort.

“You have a beautiful smile, Heather. You don’t smile enough.”

His gaze focuses on mine, and I can see my smile in the reflection of his glasses.

“I don’t have many things to smile about,” I say truthfully.

His face falls, but those eyes stay tuned in on me. “I don’t know about that. Aren’t newly engaged women usually the happiest they’ve ever been?” He takes my hand with his free one and raises it to my chest, placing it over the ice. When my hand is secure, he removes his and steps back. “You got what you want. You should be happy.”

“I am,” I say with a cough. “I’m really excited. Jarrod and I have been planning the big day. He’ll make an amazing husband.”

Ryan nods. His hands go in his pockets as he retreats back a step. “Good, because that would be a sin to spend eternity with someone who doesn’t make you happy.”

I swallow, trying to find words, something to say.

“She used to dance.” My eyes are trained on a white button on his shirt. “My mother. When I was little, we always had music in the house. She would put on these little shows. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she was probably drunk. Still, those moments, they were the best memories.” I inhale a shaky breath. “I haven’t danced with anyone since she left. The thought of being held by someone else when she didn’t want to do so hurt too much. I’ve avoided it for too long.”