Page 5 of Pucked Into Position

“Are you finished?” I ask too quickly, jumping up to gather the empty takeout containers.

I reach for Ryan’s at the same time he does and his fingers brush the back of my hand. The rough callouses send a shock up my arm. I pull my arm back and nearly trip over my chair.

Before I can react, Ryan’s on his feet, one arm wrapping around my waist as his other hand steadies the chair.

We freeze. My eyes are wide as he looks down at me.

“Careful,” he whispers, making my heart skip.

I try to speak, but words fail me. I gingerly reach up to grab his arm, feeling his muscles flex beneath my fingers. The touch seems to trigger something in him since he quickly straightens, making sure I’m stable before stepping back.

“I’m sorry.” We mutter at the same time. A second of silence passes before we both laugh nervously.

“I’ve got this,” Ryan says roughly. He avoids making eye contact while gathering the boxes. “Thanks again for getting food, Lana. It made my night that you remembered my order.”

“Not a problem. I figured you might be hungry.” I clasp my hands in front of me, not sure what to do with myself now that we aren’t eating.

“Go unwind from your flight,” he says. He starts to turn away, then pauses, his gaze dropping to my parted lips.

“Oh, yeah…good idea,” I whisper, practically fleeing to the safety of the bathroom.

I nearly slam the door shut and lock it, planting my forehead against the cool wood to try and slow my racing heart.

Taking a deep breath, I turn around. I hadn’t really looked at the bathroom earlier, but it’s immaculate, lined with dark slate tile and dominated by a two-person walk-in shower.

I slide open the glass door and turn on the water. The pressure is strong and steady, and the water heats quickly.

I strip off my clothes and step in, inhaling deep as steam fills the space. The hot water relaxes my shoulders and helps ease my anxiety. I glance around and realize I forgot to grab the toiletries from my suitcase in my panic.

“Dang it,” I murmur, reaching for the bottle of shampoo that’s already there.

The moment it starts to lather I’m surrounded by a sharp, clean scent of cedarwood, dark amber, and something else.

His scent.

I allow myself a moment to get lost in the scent. Closing my eyes while massaging my scalp, I lean back into the hot spray, letting the soap glide down my body.

My mind wanders, and it’s no longer my hands massaging his shampoo through my hair. Ryan has stepped in behind me, his massive frame casting a shadow over me as he carefully combs his fingers through my hair.

I can picture the water slicking down his broad chest, tracing the lines of his defined abs, dripping from his brown hair. I can almost feel the phantom heat of his skin, the roughness of his calloused hands tracing paths down the smooth skin of my back.

He leans in, nuzzling my neck with his nose, kissing up my jaw. He turns my head and captures my lips in a possessive kiss that steals the air from my lungs. His hand trails lower, down across the planes of my stomach, slowly inching toward—

I gasp, and the illusion shatters. I blink away the water running down my face. My lungs ache from my shallow, ragged breaths and my heart thrashes wildly.

My skin feels hyper-sensitive from the sheer intensity of my fantasy.

“Oh my god,” I whisper, my face suddenly hot.

I rinse and turn off the faucet, then step out of the shower, water dripping onto the soft bathmat. Grabbing one of the plush oversized towels off the rack, I wrap it around myself.

Snatching one of the smaller towels, I wrap my hair up in it, then quietly dart across the dark hallway to the guest room. The lights are off in the main living space. Ryan must have already gone to bed since his door is shut, and I can’t hear anything from inside.

I shut the door, forgetting to turn on the light, and dig in my suitcase for a pair of pajamas. Finally, I pull out a soft T-shirt and loose shorts. I braid my hair then climb into the bed. Which I only just now realize has my favorite color sheets—teal.

I lie flat on my back, drawing the blankets up to my chin, and stare at the ceiling. Ryan is just across the hall, completely unaware of my filthy thoughts. I shove the fantasy aside and try to think about classes starting tomorrow.

Chapter Three