Double Down by Katie Porter

Author:Katie Porter [Porter, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Published: 2012-07-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

As soon as he hung up the phone, Ryan scooped a pair of jeans off the carpet and dragged them on. He didn’t even bother doing up the top button or grabbing a shirt.

Because he then spent the next fifteen minutes shoving laundry under the bed and dishes in the dishwasher.

He normally wasn’t a slob. Not at all. He’d grown up with enough of that crap. Having to wade through piles of filthy clothes to find something to wear had left him with a healthy appreciation for order, as did years in the Air Force, but the last week at work had been hell. Thirteen-hour days didn’t leave him much time to clean.

Instead he’d gotten in the habit of calling Cassandra, if she didn’t have a shift at Blakely’s. She’d chatter about which prints had been selected to display at the gallery—something about choosing between Bellocq’s originals or some other guy’s version. While throwing a microwaved meal down his throat, Ryan was never sure he understood what she said about the nuances. Light and shadows. Along those lines. Then he’d spend way too long saying good night before passing out, usually while watching the evening news.

Exactly as he had tonight, until the phone had woken him.

He thumbed the remote to turn off the TV right as his doorbell chimed. Scrubbing the top of his head in a useless attempt to neaten his hair, he opened the door.

Cassandra stood at the threshold. A huge smile pinched her cheeks up and made her eyes sparkle. She tossed her hands wide. “Congratulate me.”

“Congratulations,” he said automatically. “What for?”

She launched herself into his arms, a lighthearted laugh spinning around them. “I quit the restaurant.”

“That’s definitely worth a congratulations.”

Her smile only widened. “I know.” Hooking her hands over his shoulders, she leaned back. “Dang, you look good.”

Heat set up residence in his cheeks, but there was no way he’d admit to blushing. “Um. Thanks. I think?”

“You really have no idea, do you? All those lovely angles and muscles.” She sighed dramatically, then traced the bottom of his oblique as it veed down to disappear into the gaping waistband of his jeans. “I totally came to the right place to collect my reward.”

“Is that right?” He kicked the door shut, then hefted her into his embrace. His hands curved under her thighs as she latched around his waist. The kiss he claimed was flavored with her enthusiasm. “What makes you think you get rewards from me?”

“Hmm. Maybe the fact that you’ve got me halfway to your bedroom already.”

He deliberately spread his fingers over her ass. She still wore the charcoal-gray skirt of her uniform. The way she’d leapt into his arms had twisted the material around her hips. She only wore plain pantyhose that evening—just as she’d done for weeks. Shoving aside a flicker of disappointment, he scoured his evening beard growth along her neck until she shivered.

“Nope,” he said, shaking his head as he deposited her in the middle of his bed. “This is me being entirely selfish.

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