Nothing Personal
Page 7
Down the hall? But that was where she had slept last night. Where her things still were. Faith stood, ready to run upstairs if necessary.
“Wait!”
James turned and lifted an eyebrow. “Something wrong with that bedroom?”
Ryan squeezed Faith’s shoulder. “Not at all. My new bride thinks that maybe she’ll make too much noise at night and keep you awake, being so close to our room.”
Her cheeks flamed. James laughed.
“I’ll be sure to keep my ears open for suspicious noises then,” James said with a wink in her direction.
As soon as he left the room Faith turned to Ryan. “My things are still in there! My wedding dress and—”
“Don’t worry,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “As soon as you left the bedroom the staff moved your things to my room, changed the sheets, made the bed and cleaned up the bathroom. It will look like no one’s slept in that room in years.”
Faith exhaled with relief. “Oh. That was close.”
Ryan chuckled. “Not really. I already figured James would pop up earlier than expected. He may think he’s smarter than me, but he’s not.
If you hadn’t slept like the dead this morning I’d have had it done much sooner.”
Guilt immediately set in. “I’m sorry, I’m usually an early riser. I don’t know what happened. You should have woken me.”
“Hey, relax. I was teasing you. You had a long day yesterday. I’m surprised you didn’t sleep later.”
She wasn’t buying it. “You had a long day yourself, but I’ll bet you didn’t sleep in.”
He shrugged. “I don’t sleep much.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t. I have lots to do and an equal amount of nervous energy to go along with it. I don’t know, maybe I just don’t know how to relax.”
“You should try reading. It helps me relax.”
“I read plenty.”
Faith shook her head. “Not proposals and contracts, Ryan. Books.
Fiction. For fun and pleasure.”
He pulled an escaping tendril of her hair through his fingers. “I have something else in mind for fun and pleasure, and it doesn’t involve reading.”
With a quick step back, Faith grasped her coffee cup and headed toward the sink. “I’d like to take a look around the house and grounds today, if that’s all right.”
Ryan came up behind her and placed his cup in the sink. But instead of moving away he stayed put, his breath teasing the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck. He trailed a finger down the side of her neck. Certain she was going to collapse, she focused on breathing normally.
“I think you’re avoiding the subject of sex,” he teased, lightly blowing on her neck.
She felt the goose bumps trail down to her curling toes. “No, I’m not.”
He grasped her shoulders and turned her around. “I agreed not to have sex with you for two months, Faith. I didn’t agree not to talk about it.”
The last thing on her mind was talking about it, thinking about it or experiencing it. Not now. The mere thought of being that close to Ryan melted her insides. The casual touches and glances he’d given her last night and this morning flamed a yearning she hadn’t known existed.
Right now that was all she could handle.
His body hovered inches from hers, his hands lightly stroking her arms. It wasn’t her he wanted, she reminded herself. It was her body—a baby-making machine that would free him from the bonds of his grandfather’s will. And that was all she’d ever be to him. To think anything else would be foolish.
“I can’t right now, Ryan. We…we agreed to wait.”
Ryan dropped his hands and stepped back. She turned around to face him now that he had given her some breathing room.
The warmth she expected to see, that she’d felt from his voice when he touched her, was gone. Had she hurt him with her rejection? How was she supposed to know what to do? This was unfamiliar territory, and she didn’t know the ground rules.
“Fine. Look around,” he said. “If you have questions, Leland will help you.”
Faith nodded and Ryan walked away. She’d noticed his furrowed brow and knew he’d been disappointed. Now she felt guilty, although she didn’t know why.
So many things to learn. That’s why she needed time to figure out how she was supposed to act around him. Everything had changed yesterday—first the wedding, then last night. Both their lives would be different now.
She spent the rest of the morning wandering the house and grounds.
It was truly a magnificent place, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, each room larger than most people’s apartments. At least larger than hers.
The staff had their own home adjacent to the main one, except for Leland and his wife Margaret, the head housekeeper. They stayed in the main house on the ground floor.
Faith found Margaret when she entered Ryan’s bedroom—
correction—their bedroom. Best not to think about that right now, although she knew she’d have to by tonight.
“Good morning, Mrs. McKay,” Margaret said brightly. A petite woman in her early fifties, Margaret was friendly and welcoming. Faith had always liked Margaret. The woman didn’t know how to frown. Perennially cheerful, she was the exact opposite of Leland’s staid demeanor. Maybe that’s why they made a good couple—they complemented each other.
“Good morning, Margaret,” Faith said as she tentatively entered the room. “Just thought I’d pop in and take a look around.”
“Of course you can. This is your room. I’m just straightening up in here. Would you like me to leave?”
Faith shook her head. “Not at all. Go ahead and continue what you were doing. And call me Faith, please.”
Ryan’s room was even larger than the one Faith slept in last night. A king-sized four-poster bed centered the room. The dressing area and bathroom were separate from the bedroom. Two oversized walk-in closets were positioned at opposite ends of the dressing area. Faith stepped into Ryan’s, marveling at his collection of clothes, both business and casual.
Which meant the other closet was hers. When she walked in, Margaret was hanging Faith’s clothes.
“I didn’t know my things had arrived,” Faith said and picked up a couple hangers. “Let me help you.”
Margaret looked horrified. “No, Mrs. McKay, I’ll take care of it.”
Obviously, Margaret wasn’t going to call her by her first name, either.
Despite the woman’s continued protestations, Faith helped her unpack.
It felt good to be doing something normal again, something familiar. It didn’t take long anyway as Faith’s wardrobe was fairly limited to her work suits and a few casual clothes.
When they were finished, Margaret left and Faith was able to explore the rest of Ryan’s room.
There was a small sitting area to the left of the bed, with a plump, cushioned window seat built into a bay window. Two small lamps were mounted on the wall adjacent to the window. There was even a bookshelf nestled underneath the window seat, although it was empty.
Faith could already imagine herself relaxing in front of the window, reading and drinking a cup of tea. She sighed in pleasure at the thought.
Reading was her passion, and she spent almost all her free time engaged in the fantasy world of someone else’s life. Her favorites were romance novels, where the heroine found the man of her dreams, and despite trials and tribulations, always ended up happily-ever-after.
Not the way real life worked at all, which is why she loved to read them. At least her favorite characters found their soul mates.
But reading could wait for later. Right now she planned to enjoy the warm day and heated pool. She changed into her swimsuit, threw on a long sundress and headed outside.
It was blissfully warm as she opened the back door and stepped onto the covered patio. Fragrant flowers bloomed. Faith inhaled the sweet jasmine twining around the latticed arbor. Summer was coming, and despite the unpleasantly hot weather during those months, it was still her favorite time of year.
She couldn’t wait to swim a few laps. A quick glance around showed no one about, so she dropped her sundress and dove in.
The water was perfect. One of her favorite things to do was head to the YMCA after work and swim to drive away the stress of the day. It was great exercise and never failed to rejuvenate her.
After several laps, she stopped in the center of the pool and floated on her back, enjoying the heat of the sun on her face and the utter quiet of being partially submerged in the silent water.
Ryan found Faith lying on her back in the middle of the pool, completely oblivious to the world around her. She barely moved, occasionally fluttering her arms or legs to maintain her balance as she allowed the sun to worship her body.
He had never seen her this close to unclothed before. Why in heaven’s name did the woman hide under business suits two sizes too big and way too long? She had a magnificent body, perfectly proportioned. Sleek and athletic, with slender h*ps and slim legs. Trying to hide her figure under that ugly navy tank suit did no good. It hugged her body like a sports car on a sharp curve.
He’d always had a thing for petite women, and Faith was small and perfect, right down to her pink-painted toenails. Cute. Incongruent in a woman who made trying to look plain an art form.
Her dark hair floated around all sides of her face, and he caught a tiny tinge of freckles across her cheeks and upturned nose. He wondered how long he could stand by the edge of the pool and watch her before she noticed he was there?
Why in the world was he even down here, and in his swim trunks?
Ryan never took the time to swim. In fact, this was the first time in years he’d even contemplated taking a dip. His normal use for the pool was as decoration for social events held at the mansion.
But that was before he’d spotted the water nymph from his office window. Without thinking, he’d thrown on his swim trunks and made a mad dash for the pool.
Now that he was here, what was he going to do?
An idea popped into his head. He couldn’t. It really wasn’t a mature thing to do, and God knows it had been years since he’d done it. He still remembered the stern look on his grandfather’s face when his golf partners had gotten wet. Ryan had received a thirty-minute lecture on propriety and acting like a child. But then again, he had been a child when it happened.
But there she was, looking calm and peaceful in the center of the pool, just begging for someone to splash her. He grinned.
Screw it. He was going in. Taking a few steps back, he ran toward the water, leaped high in the air and tucked both knees up to his chest. He hit the deep end with his first adult cannonball.
A good one, too. He landed on the bottom and quickly pushed off to the surface, throwing his head side to side to sluice the water out of his eyes before opening them.
In front of him stood one seriously drenched water nymph.
Faith spit water through hair that fell over her face. When she managed to pull the strands aside and c**k one eye open, Ryan almost laughed at the picture she presented. Almost.
She blew the strands of hair out of her mouth. “You scared me half to death!”
He tried to keep his lips from curling. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“Well, next time try harder.”
Ryan’s eyes widened as he heard Faith complain for the very first time. In five years of working with her, he’d never heard a cross word or protest from her. At times she could be annoyingly agreeable, or at least if she had a differing opinion she diplomatically presented her case, but always accepted Ryan’s decision as final.
Right now she looked pissed as hell. It certainly enhanced her appearance considerably, her small, high br**sts heaving in indignation and her face bright with creamy color from the sun. She looked warm and lush and utterly delectable. He fought the urge to lick the droplets of water off every inch of her skin.
“If I promise to behave, will you stay and swim with me?” he asked.
“If I promise to stay and swim with you, will you promise not to act like an eight-year-old?”
It was all he could do not to laugh out loud at the sheer joy of the moment. He had been, in fact, eight years old the last time he’d tried the cannonball trick. And just now he’d felt that long ago childhood freedom as he’d sailed in the air before plummeting with glee into the safety net of the pool’s depths.
“I’ll try,” he said, desperately trying to keep his smile in check.
“You do that.”
She looked like a schoolteacher giving a lecture. Except she didn’t look like any of the teachers he’d had, nor did her current appearance in any way reflect the way she presented herself at work. Without those owlish glasses to hide behind, her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires.
Funny how they always seemed a duller blue behind her specs.
Her shoulders were thrown back, pushing her chest out. He liked the indignant look—especially when she pointed her erect ni**les in his direction.
“Are you cold?” This time he couldn’t fight the smirk.
Faith shook her head, seemingly confused. Then she followed his eyes to her chest and quickly wrapped her arms around her breasts.
Was she trying to hide her body from him? Hadn’t she already adequately done that in that antiquated version of bathing attire?
“So, are you enjoying the pool?” he asked.
“I…um…I came down here to swim a few laps and read. Alone.”
“Is that your not so subtle way of saying you’d like me to leave?”
A look of alarm crossed her face. “Oh, no! I mean, this is your house and your pool. I certainly wouldn’t presume to tell you that you couldn’t be anywhere you chose.”
“Wait!”
James turned and lifted an eyebrow. “Something wrong with that bedroom?”
Ryan squeezed Faith’s shoulder. “Not at all. My new bride thinks that maybe she’ll make too much noise at night and keep you awake, being so close to our room.”
Her cheeks flamed. James laughed.
“I’ll be sure to keep my ears open for suspicious noises then,” James said with a wink in her direction.
As soon as he left the room Faith turned to Ryan. “My things are still in there! My wedding dress and—”
“Don’t worry,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “As soon as you left the bedroom the staff moved your things to my room, changed the sheets, made the bed and cleaned up the bathroom. It will look like no one’s slept in that room in years.”
Faith exhaled with relief. “Oh. That was close.”
Ryan chuckled. “Not really. I already figured James would pop up earlier than expected. He may think he’s smarter than me, but he’s not.
If you hadn’t slept like the dead this morning I’d have had it done much sooner.”
Guilt immediately set in. “I’m sorry, I’m usually an early riser. I don’t know what happened. You should have woken me.”
“Hey, relax. I was teasing you. You had a long day yesterday. I’m surprised you didn’t sleep later.”
She wasn’t buying it. “You had a long day yourself, but I’ll bet you didn’t sleep in.”
He shrugged. “I don’t sleep much.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t. I have lots to do and an equal amount of nervous energy to go along with it. I don’t know, maybe I just don’t know how to relax.”
“You should try reading. It helps me relax.”
“I read plenty.”
Faith shook her head. “Not proposals and contracts, Ryan. Books.
Fiction. For fun and pleasure.”
He pulled an escaping tendril of her hair through his fingers. “I have something else in mind for fun and pleasure, and it doesn’t involve reading.”
With a quick step back, Faith grasped her coffee cup and headed toward the sink. “I’d like to take a look around the house and grounds today, if that’s all right.”
Ryan came up behind her and placed his cup in the sink. But instead of moving away he stayed put, his breath teasing the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck. He trailed a finger down the side of her neck. Certain she was going to collapse, she focused on breathing normally.
“I think you’re avoiding the subject of sex,” he teased, lightly blowing on her neck.
She felt the goose bumps trail down to her curling toes. “No, I’m not.”
He grasped her shoulders and turned her around. “I agreed not to have sex with you for two months, Faith. I didn’t agree not to talk about it.”
The last thing on her mind was talking about it, thinking about it or experiencing it. Not now. The mere thought of being that close to Ryan melted her insides. The casual touches and glances he’d given her last night and this morning flamed a yearning she hadn’t known existed.
Right now that was all she could handle.
His body hovered inches from hers, his hands lightly stroking her arms. It wasn’t her he wanted, she reminded herself. It was her body—a baby-making machine that would free him from the bonds of his grandfather’s will. And that was all she’d ever be to him. To think anything else would be foolish.
“I can’t right now, Ryan. We…we agreed to wait.”
Ryan dropped his hands and stepped back. She turned around to face him now that he had given her some breathing room.
The warmth she expected to see, that she’d felt from his voice when he touched her, was gone. Had she hurt him with her rejection? How was she supposed to know what to do? This was unfamiliar territory, and she didn’t know the ground rules.
“Fine. Look around,” he said. “If you have questions, Leland will help you.”
Faith nodded and Ryan walked away. She’d noticed his furrowed brow and knew he’d been disappointed. Now she felt guilty, although she didn’t know why.
So many things to learn. That’s why she needed time to figure out how she was supposed to act around him. Everything had changed yesterday—first the wedding, then last night. Both their lives would be different now.
She spent the rest of the morning wandering the house and grounds.
It was truly a magnificent place, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, each room larger than most people’s apartments. At least larger than hers.
The staff had their own home adjacent to the main one, except for Leland and his wife Margaret, the head housekeeper. They stayed in the main house on the ground floor.
Faith found Margaret when she entered Ryan’s bedroom—
correction—their bedroom. Best not to think about that right now, although she knew she’d have to by tonight.
“Good morning, Mrs. McKay,” Margaret said brightly. A petite woman in her early fifties, Margaret was friendly and welcoming. Faith had always liked Margaret. The woman didn’t know how to frown. Perennially cheerful, she was the exact opposite of Leland’s staid demeanor. Maybe that’s why they made a good couple—they complemented each other.
“Good morning, Margaret,” Faith said as she tentatively entered the room. “Just thought I’d pop in and take a look around.”
“Of course you can. This is your room. I’m just straightening up in here. Would you like me to leave?”
Faith shook her head. “Not at all. Go ahead and continue what you were doing. And call me Faith, please.”
Ryan’s room was even larger than the one Faith slept in last night. A king-sized four-poster bed centered the room. The dressing area and bathroom were separate from the bedroom. Two oversized walk-in closets were positioned at opposite ends of the dressing area. Faith stepped into Ryan’s, marveling at his collection of clothes, both business and casual.
Which meant the other closet was hers. When she walked in, Margaret was hanging Faith’s clothes.
“I didn’t know my things had arrived,” Faith said and picked up a couple hangers. “Let me help you.”
Margaret looked horrified. “No, Mrs. McKay, I’ll take care of it.”
Obviously, Margaret wasn’t going to call her by her first name, either.
Despite the woman’s continued protestations, Faith helped her unpack.
It felt good to be doing something normal again, something familiar. It didn’t take long anyway as Faith’s wardrobe was fairly limited to her work suits and a few casual clothes.
When they were finished, Margaret left and Faith was able to explore the rest of Ryan’s room.
There was a small sitting area to the left of the bed, with a plump, cushioned window seat built into a bay window. Two small lamps were mounted on the wall adjacent to the window. There was even a bookshelf nestled underneath the window seat, although it was empty.
Faith could already imagine herself relaxing in front of the window, reading and drinking a cup of tea. She sighed in pleasure at the thought.
Reading was her passion, and she spent almost all her free time engaged in the fantasy world of someone else’s life. Her favorites were romance novels, where the heroine found the man of her dreams, and despite trials and tribulations, always ended up happily-ever-after.
Not the way real life worked at all, which is why she loved to read them. At least her favorite characters found their soul mates.
But reading could wait for later. Right now she planned to enjoy the warm day and heated pool. She changed into her swimsuit, threw on a long sundress and headed outside.
It was blissfully warm as she opened the back door and stepped onto the covered patio. Fragrant flowers bloomed. Faith inhaled the sweet jasmine twining around the latticed arbor. Summer was coming, and despite the unpleasantly hot weather during those months, it was still her favorite time of year.
She couldn’t wait to swim a few laps. A quick glance around showed no one about, so she dropped her sundress and dove in.
The water was perfect. One of her favorite things to do was head to the YMCA after work and swim to drive away the stress of the day. It was great exercise and never failed to rejuvenate her.
After several laps, she stopped in the center of the pool and floated on her back, enjoying the heat of the sun on her face and the utter quiet of being partially submerged in the silent water.
Ryan found Faith lying on her back in the middle of the pool, completely oblivious to the world around her. She barely moved, occasionally fluttering her arms or legs to maintain her balance as she allowed the sun to worship her body.
He had never seen her this close to unclothed before. Why in heaven’s name did the woman hide under business suits two sizes too big and way too long? She had a magnificent body, perfectly proportioned. Sleek and athletic, with slender h*ps and slim legs. Trying to hide her figure under that ugly navy tank suit did no good. It hugged her body like a sports car on a sharp curve.
He’d always had a thing for petite women, and Faith was small and perfect, right down to her pink-painted toenails. Cute. Incongruent in a woman who made trying to look plain an art form.
Her dark hair floated around all sides of her face, and he caught a tiny tinge of freckles across her cheeks and upturned nose. He wondered how long he could stand by the edge of the pool and watch her before she noticed he was there?
Why in the world was he even down here, and in his swim trunks?
Ryan never took the time to swim. In fact, this was the first time in years he’d even contemplated taking a dip. His normal use for the pool was as decoration for social events held at the mansion.
But that was before he’d spotted the water nymph from his office window. Without thinking, he’d thrown on his swim trunks and made a mad dash for the pool.
Now that he was here, what was he going to do?
An idea popped into his head. He couldn’t. It really wasn’t a mature thing to do, and God knows it had been years since he’d done it. He still remembered the stern look on his grandfather’s face when his golf partners had gotten wet. Ryan had received a thirty-minute lecture on propriety and acting like a child. But then again, he had been a child when it happened.
But there she was, looking calm and peaceful in the center of the pool, just begging for someone to splash her. He grinned.
Screw it. He was going in. Taking a few steps back, he ran toward the water, leaped high in the air and tucked both knees up to his chest. He hit the deep end with his first adult cannonball.
A good one, too. He landed on the bottom and quickly pushed off to the surface, throwing his head side to side to sluice the water out of his eyes before opening them.
In front of him stood one seriously drenched water nymph.
Faith spit water through hair that fell over her face. When she managed to pull the strands aside and c**k one eye open, Ryan almost laughed at the picture she presented. Almost.
She blew the strands of hair out of her mouth. “You scared me half to death!”
He tried to keep his lips from curling. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“Well, next time try harder.”
Ryan’s eyes widened as he heard Faith complain for the very first time. In five years of working with her, he’d never heard a cross word or protest from her. At times she could be annoyingly agreeable, or at least if she had a differing opinion she diplomatically presented her case, but always accepted Ryan’s decision as final.
Right now she looked pissed as hell. It certainly enhanced her appearance considerably, her small, high br**sts heaving in indignation and her face bright with creamy color from the sun. She looked warm and lush and utterly delectable. He fought the urge to lick the droplets of water off every inch of her skin.
“If I promise to behave, will you stay and swim with me?” he asked.
“If I promise to stay and swim with you, will you promise not to act like an eight-year-old?”
It was all he could do not to laugh out loud at the sheer joy of the moment. He had been, in fact, eight years old the last time he’d tried the cannonball trick. And just now he’d felt that long ago childhood freedom as he’d sailed in the air before plummeting with glee into the safety net of the pool’s depths.
“I’ll try,” he said, desperately trying to keep his smile in check.
“You do that.”
She looked like a schoolteacher giving a lecture. Except she didn’t look like any of the teachers he’d had, nor did her current appearance in any way reflect the way she presented herself at work. Without those owlish glasses to hide behind, her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires.
Funny how they always seemed a duller blue behind her specs.
Her shoulders were thrown back, pushing her chest out. He liked the indignant look—especially when she pointed her erect ni**les in his direction.
“Are you cold?” This time he couldn’t fight the smirk.
Faith shook her head, seemingly confused. Then she followed his eyes to her chest and quickly wrapped her arms around her breasts.
Was she trying to hide her body from him? Hadn’t she already adequately done that in that antiquated version of bathing attire?
“So, are you enjoying the pool?” he asked.
“I…um…I came down here to swim a few laps and read. Alone.”
“Is that your not so subtle way of saying you’d like me to leave?”
A look of alarm crossed her face. “Oh, no! I mean, this is your house and your pool. I certainly wouldn’t presume to tell you that you couldn’t be anywhere you chose.”
