She narrowed her eyes on him in mock suspicion. “I read about men like you.”
“What am I like?” he wondered, his gaze narrowed in a predatory fashion on her lips.
“The type that gets turned on by pregnant women.”
His male laughter echoed across the bay. She chuckled, liking the sound. He bent, nuzzling her curving lips with his nose. “I don’t get turned on by pregnant women.” Their lips brushed together and his smile faded. “I get turned on by you, pregnant or not.”
He proved the truth of his words with a deep, devouring kiss. He pressed with his hand at the small of her back and she arched into him. He leaned down over her, slaking his thirst. The warm sun shone down and the lake rippled around them, but Faith only knew the taste, scent and sensation of Ryan.
This is what it was to fall in love. Really fall in love, Faith thought dizzily when Ryan sealed their kiss. For an instant as she’d been under the spell of his kiss, the moment had stretched into an eternity.
But you’re not a child anymore, an annoying voice cracked in her head. You’re an adult who should know that the magic always ends.
Always.
Ryan’s hand tightened on hers. Her heart throbbed when he smiled. She silently told the offending voice to shut up, but it was very persistent.
* * *
“You have to be back at work tomorrow, don’t you?” Ryan asked when they passed her office on the ride home.
She nodded regretfully. “I originally took today off with the intent of picking out paint for the nursery and choosing new carpet to have installed, and I haven’t accomplished a thing yet.”
He took her hand. “It was worth it, wasn’t it?”
“Of course it was.”
“I’ll give you a real honeymoon sometime soon. You name the place and I’ll fly you there.”
A sharp pain went through her at his words. “That’s not necessary, Ryan.”
“Why not?”
She gave him a beseeching glance and spoke before she could stop herself. “Because it wasn’t a real wedding.”
She immediately regretted it when she saw his jaw stiffen.
“I’m sorry,” she said, wincing. What was wrong with her? She let go of his hand and stifled a curse. She didn’t know why she’d felt the need to say it. Did it have something to do with the fact that she’d recognized fully just how vulnerable she’d made herself as she’d stood out on that dock with Ryan?
“Why should you be?” he asked, the hard sound of his voice making her wince again. “I know that’s how you feel. It isn’t like you haven’t made it clear.”
“You were the one who proposed the whole thing as a marriage of convenience for the baby, Ryan,” she exclaimed.
He glanced at her, quick and sharp. She exhaled in disbelief. She felt burned by his stare.
“I know I said that then,” he said as he drove, staring straight ahead. “But I meant what I said yesterday.”
An hour later Faith was in the process of letting Topsy through the back door when Ryan walked into the kitchen. She glanced at him nervously. They hadn’t really spoken since that uncomfortable conversation in the car. She’d been beating herself up repeatedly while he’d been down in the basement, apparently exploring the workshop area.
Despite her concern he seemed fairly relaxed as he paused by the counter holding the notebook in his hand that she recognized as being the one where he’d started sketches for the nursery bookshelves.
“I’m going out to the airport, and then to run some errands. I have to go to the sawmill to give some measurements for pieces for the shelving unit. I’m leaving for an overnight in San Francisco early tomorrow morning, so I want to get started on it while I can.”
“Oh, okay,” Faith said, feeling off balance by his friendly, relaxed manner, not to mention the news that he was leaving town again tomorrow. He’d told her that he was looking for another pilot now that he had two planes, along with an administrative assistant to help him with arranging flights and keeping the books. Until those employees were hired, however, she knew he and Scott would be extremely busy.
But despite all of that didn’t he want to talk about what had happened in the car? Despite her outburst she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to go back to respecting each other’s space. She’d admitted to herself she’d fallen in love with Ryan, after all. Another part of her was sure she’d made a mistake yesterday by giving in to her desire for him, for falling prey to the magic of the day.
Her ambivalence seemed to be having the effect of freezing her up completely.