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“I’m fine,” she said. Then before she lost her nerve she added, “It’s really nothing. But I’d feel better if you’d kiss me again.”
“Kiss away your allergy?” He stared at her for several seconds and then his mouth curved into a grin.
“Or give me another reason to feel flushed,” she suggested with uncharacteristic boldness.
“Why, Miss Fortune, are you asking me to play doctor?”
A nervous giggle bubbled up inside her. “Well, we talked about each other’s favorite foods, music and colors, but I guess we never covered our favorite fantasies...”
Ryder sucked in a breath, then leaned in and nipped at her bottom lip. “That’s a no-brainer for me. My number one fantasy is anything that involves you.” Their mouths melded, and she felt as overwhelmed by the intensity of his words as she did by the kiss. There was no point in pretending she could resist this man. Maybe this was how she’d get him out of her system.
And if nothing else, she’d be left with sweet memories of real-life passion and not just the kind she read about in the pages of her beloved novels. Ryder pulled her closer, lifting her into his lap and then lowering himself to the blanket, taking her with him. She could feel that he wanted her, and that knowledge solidified her decision.
Esme was a grown woman, not a naive schoolgirl unable to discern the difference between physical passion and romantic affection. Why couldn’t they be friends with benefits?
It was more than she thought she’d get as a single mother and might be as much as she could handle. She’d given love—or at least commitment—a chance with Seth, and that had been a disaster. As much of a train wreck as her parents’ marriage.
Esme had tried to convince herself that in real life she could have the kind of fairy-tale relationship she read about in so many books. But what was the old saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
She’d been fooled by the promise of love both in watching the painful, tension-filled demise of her mom and dad’s love story and through her own experience at letting herself fall. Now with their sons to consider, she had to keep her heart guarded. Friends with benefits she could handle. Anything more was too big a risk.
Before things got too out of hand, Noah began fussing, and Esme scrambled off of Ryder.
“Who knew babies made the best chaperones?” Ryder grumbled good-naturedly as he began putting away the leftover food.
“I’m sure you need to get back to the office.” Esme wanted to get physical with this hot, sexy man, but she did not want to talk about getting physical. She lifted Noah out of his carrier and moved off the blanket so Ryder could fold it. Chase, bless his heart, had slept through the entire lunch.
“Speaking of that, another reason I wanted to see you all today is because I’m going to be home late tonight. There’s a dinner in town with some of the regional management team who have been staying here. Most of them are heading home this weekend, so it’s important that I attend.”
“Of course,” Esme agreed. She turned toward the lake with Noah, hoping her disappointment wasn’t written on her face.
“Esme?”
“It’s all good.”
“Okay,” Ryder agreed, taking her free hand in his. “I was just wondering if you’d wait up for me. I’d like a chance to...” He brushed his mouth over her knuckles. “To explore my favorite fantasy when we have more time.”
“Oh.” She nodded, heat sweeping through her once more. “I can wait up.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me, too,” she whispered. He’d just never know how much.
Chapter Ten
He was going to murder his brother. Brandon had insisted that after the dinner, the group head over to The Corral, a local bar known for its wings and being the best place in Chatelaine for a game of pool.
It was nearly midnight before Ryder, the evening’s designated driver, dropped off the last group of out-of-town Hayes Enterprises’ employees at the LC Club, where they were staying. As far as he knew, Brandon was closing down the bar with a couple of cowgirls he’d been flirting with most of the night.
He had finally given up on getting home at a reasonable hour and had texted Esme not to wait for him and that he’d see her in the morning.
A part of him had hoped she’d still be awake, although he knew that wasn’t fair.
Taking care of two babies would exhaust even the most devoted parent, and he had no idea how she managed it each day with a smile on her face. If anyone deserved a few hours of peaceful sleep, it was Esme.
Walking through the dark, quiet house, he reminded himself there was no rush in taking their relationship to the next level. The fact that she wanted to had been a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. He suspected she was still worried about his intentions and whether he was the type of guy to hurt her as her late husband had.
Ryder would never disrespect Esme that way, but he wasn’t ready to share how much he cared about her. It made him feel vulnerable, and he hadn’t let himself open up like that other than with Steph, which had turned out horribly.
