AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She still had a plan, and while a pit stop to smell the roses or soak up the attention of an incredible man was a part of it, she wasn’t ready to forget her goals altogether.
She liked the limited intimacy. There were no strings, no commitments, no worry her life would be thrown off track. This was a brief affair, a long-suffering itch at last getting a good scratch. They could make love over and over again, he could give her a taste of physical intimacy she’d been so deprived of, and anything else he wanted...until the snow stopped. And then she would resume life and business as she knew it. Ryan might be behind her every unexpe
cted smile, but she had a plan to stick to, and the sexy man she was currently wrapped around wasn’t part of it.
His chest rose beneath her cheek with a deep breath and slow shift of skin. “Morning, baby.”
“Morning. Sleep okay?” She pushed up from his chest and leaned into his shoulder as he nodded with a sleepy smile.
“You hungry?” he asked, rubbing at his stubbled jaw.
They hadn’t eaten much more than a plate of cheese and fruit last night before they got distracted and found themselves back in bed. The hallway and then the bed. So the answer was her resounding, “Yes,” followed by the soft rumble of her stomach sounding approval at the thought of food.
“Yeah, me too.” Kicking off the drowsy haze of sleep, Ryan flipped around so he was half leaning on top of her. Skimming down her body, he dropped several kisses across her breast before sucking the nipple into his mouth with one long draw.
Bethany writhed under his attention, relishing the contrast of his silky tongue and prickly scruff against her skin until he popped off and looked up into her eyes. “How about you go take a shower, and I’ll start some grub?”
“You’ll make breakfast? Pulling out all the stops, huh?”
He backed off the bed and winked. “I’m a closer, what can I say?”
Watching him tug on the faded jeans with nothing underneath, she couldn’t think of a comeback.
—
The fridge was stocked. Ryan riffled through the drawers, salivating as he took inventory. Three bottles of chilled champagne, smoked salmon, fillets, asparagus, baby carrots and zucchini, caviar, foie gras, lobster tails, and an assortment of other prepared sides with illegible scrawl across the plastic-wrapped tops. His stomach growled as he tried to decide on which delicacy to indulge in first. Maybe lobster with a champagne sauce for lunch? He couldn’t wait to get a peek at the pantry.
He tucked the eggs, butter, cream and a basket of fresh berries into the crook of his arm and dropped the selection on the counter. Turning for the pantry, he grabbed flour, sugar, salt and vanilla. He’d make his world-famous crepes for breakfast.
By the time Bethany finished her shower and made her way into the kitchen, he was ready with the fruit cut and sugared, and the cream whipped. Pouring a few ounces of batter with one hand as he rotated the skillet with the other, he coated the bottom of the pan. Perfect. This one would be a keeper. Gingerly testing the edges with a spatula, he glanced over at the doorway where Bethany stood.
She was wearing his button-down oxford, with only one button secured just above her navel, and his boxers rolled at her hips. Her hair looked towel dried and hung in damp curls around her shoulders, leaving wet patches of fabric clinging to her skin. With one knee bent and a hand on her hip, she couldn’t have been more provocative.
Lifting up the little black comb he’d brought with him, she smiled tentatively. “I think I’m going to need your services again.”
Ryan swallowed hard. She was incredibly sexy, so much more now that she let down her guard. That stiff posture left behind, the shuttered stare cast aside, she was accessible, feminine, and completely desirable.
Her brow furrowed, and she jutted her chin at him. “What’s in the skillet?”
“Crap, shit—”
“If that’s the case, I’ll pass.”
He ran the spatula under the rim of the over dark crepe, prying it loose and tearing it in the process. “No, no. It’s a crepe. One that I intended to impress you with but now looks like it’s going into the garbage.”
“Crepes? I’m impressed even if it is burned. I feel romanced all over.”
“You should. I’ve pulled out all the stops. Ordering the secluded mountain special, tipping the driver to abandon us, leaving you with nothing to cover that gorgeous body of yours but what I deem fit to loan you. Revel in my romancing, baby.”
Bethany laughed. “Sure. All this just to be alone with me.”
“If only I’d had the foresight, I’d have gotten us secluded months ago. As it is, I owe a debt of gratitude to circumstance.” He poured a fresh dollop of batter into the skillet, repeating his technique. “Stay over there so I can concentrate on breakfast a second. You half-dressed like that has the blood plummeting out of my brain.”
“Then by all means, I’ll stay over here. I’m starving.”
His Beth. Always with the practical approach to getting it done.
A handful of successful crepes later, Ryan set a plate down on the counter next to him with a fork and knife. Three paper-thin pancakes dusted with powdered sugar were wrapped around a gooey, warm concoction of sweet fruit and syrup with a hint of mint mixed in. And of course, freshly whipped cream on the side. Not his worst culinary endeavor.
