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A small smile plays on his lips, and he closes his eyes. When they open again, the blue shines back at me–glowing like the tropical ocean in the midday sun.
“You stayed.” I don’t know why I keep feeling surprised at that, and needing to point it out to him.
“Where else would I go?”
Smiling, I lay my head back down on his chest. If I’m not careful, I know Ryan will send me down a spiraling hole of madness. I’m probably halfway there with the way I’m thinking right now.
“I can feel you thinking.” Lifting my head, I rest my chin on his chest and he runs his finger across my forehead, and he taps my temple. “Just relax.”
“Okay,” I whisper, blinking slowly.
Ryan slips from the bed and curses when his feet hit the cold wooden floor. Damn, his ass looks good in sweatpants.
“Where did you get those pants?” I ask, only remembering him in his uniform last night.
“I always keep extra clothes in my truck. Consequence of the job.”
“I bet,” I murmur, my mind running through a sequence of events where he would need to change his clothes on the job–all of them involving women ripping his uniform clean off to have their way with him.
I’m sure the women in this town must make calls to the department over every little thing just to get Ryan to come to their rescue. Lord knows I would probably do that.
“I’m going to go make us some tea since the stove still works,” he says, snapping me back to reality.
“Okay.”
Rolling onto my back, my head sinks into the pillows, and I sigh, staring at the ceiling. Ryan’s right, I really need to stop thinking. I’m picturing him getting naked on call-outs with random women like he’s some man-whore. Which, I don’t think he is.
Throwing the covers off, I slip out of bed and immediately regret it. Shivering, I hug my body and shove my feet in my fuzzy slippers.
I shuffle down the hall to use the bathroom, and catch a glimpse of my bedhead in the mirror. Sorting it out the best I can, I splash some cold water on my face, and feel a little more awake. Luckily, my skin has been agreeing with me lately, so I don’t have any breakouts, but the dark circles under my eyes are another story.
I don’t think I’ve evernotworn makeup around a man so comfortably before. I actually didn’t even notice until now.
Smiling, I pat my face dry and brush my teeth before heading out into the kitchen. My smile widens when I see Ryan reaching for cups and saucers from the cabinet above, showing a few inches of smooth skin.
“You don’t know how to make stovetop coffee by chance, do you?”
“No.” He laughs, turning to smile at me. And my God, that smile. It could stop traffic–and I’m sure it has. “Tea is okay, though, right?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” I walk up and take the teacups from him, bringing them to the table.
When the kettle whistles, Ryan turns the stove off and carries it over to the table, placing it on a pot holder. He goes back and grabs a few boxes of tea from the cabinet and piles them in front of me so I can choose.
Reaching for the wild blueberry Bar Harbor tea, I rip open the packet and place the teabag in my cup, pouring hot water from the kettle over it. I dip the bag a few times, watching the steam rise as the water starts to darken from the leaves.
When I look up, I see Ryan watching me. “Yes?” I ask, not sure why he’s looking at me like that.
“Nothing.”
“Then stop staring.”
“I can’t. You’re too beautiful.”
Oh my God. My cheeks heat immediately, and I bring my cup up to my face to try and hide my smile.
“Do you have work today?” I ask, trying to avoid him watching me further. I’m afraid of what he’ll see if he looks too closely.
“I do.” He nods. “But I’m not leaving you here alone.”
