“That’s going to be a challenge given the amount of fat in Summer Scoop ice cream. I assume you decided to be a management consultant because it requires not a shred of emotion.”
“I like the logic and predictability of figures, that’s true, but there is emotion attached to what I do. Companies expand and contract depending on the advice my company gives.”
“But it isn’t personal.”
“No,” she conceded. “It isn’t personal. It suits the way my brain works.”
“So, what are you going to do with that brain of yours now?”
“I don’t know. I have enough money saved to support both of us for a little while, so I’m still taking it twelve hours at a time.” Sun filtered through spruce and pine, and Emily realized they’d walked quite a distance from the harbor. “I never knew it was this densely wooded.”
“Maine isn’t called the Pine Tree State for nothing. It takes a couple of hours to walk to the top, but the views are incredible. I’ll take you one day.”
“And Lizzy.”
His hesitation was so brief it would have been easy to miss. “And Lizzy.” His tone was deceptively light. “If that’s what you want.”
The way he said it left her in no doubt as to the way he saw their relationship.
For him, it was all about exploring the physical connection and nothing else.
As for her—she had no idea how she saw things.
Confused by her own feelings, she changed the subject. “Would she want help, do you think?”
“Lisa? I don’t know her that well, but given that this was her dream, I’m guessing the answer to that would be yes. No one wants to give up a dream, do they? It gets a little steep here.” He held out his hand, and she hesitated and then took it. Immediately those strong fingers curled around hers, and she remembered the night before, the way they’d felt locked in her hair, stroking her breasts, buried deep—
“I’m not dressed for hiking.” Her face was hot, and she tried to ignore the feel of his hand on hers.
“Are you too hot? Unfasten a button on that shirt. Don’t worry about insects, I’ll keep my eyes on you.”
“I’m cool, thank you.” She sent him a look designed to wither, but he merely smiled.
“Really? I’m hot as hell, but that may be because I’m marinating in my own sinful thoughts about last night.” Twigs snapped under his feet as he walked. “Have you ever had forest sex?”
Emily almost stumbled. His hand tightened on hers, and she kept her eyes on the ground, picking her way along the trail. “I’ve lived in cities all my life.”
“You’ve never had outdoor sex?”
“You mean apart from all the sex I had in the middle of Times Square?” Her sarcasm drew a smile.
“You never had sex in Times Square.” Swift and sure, he backed her against a tree, caged her. “You never had sex anywhere you might be caught. With you it’s all locked doors and the lights off. I bet you’ve only ever had sex in a bed.” A smile flickered at the corners of his mouth, and she felt her tummy tumble.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” His gaze dropped to her mouth, and his voice was rough. “Because you’ve only ever had ‘nice’ sex. And ‘nice’ sex isn’t the sort that happens with your back against a tree and your skirt around your waist.”
“I’m not wearing a skirt, and I don’t see anything exciting about bark burn.”
Eyes gleaming, he lowered his head toward hers. “Want me to show you?”
Yes. She, for whom sex had been all the things he’d described. Locked door and lights out. “I have to get back to Lizzy.” The only sound was the birds in the trees and the pounding of her own heart. “Seriously, Ryan.” She tried to evade him, but she was trapped between the tree and the hard power of his thighs.
His hand came up to her face, his fingers gentle. “Am I scaring you?”
She didn’t answer because her heart was in her mouth. Her stomach squirmed with a twist of intense desire. Even the smell of fresh air and the sound of the sea hadn’t been enough to cool the memories of what he’d made her feel.
“Not scare exactly. But my life is already complicated enough.”