throwing herself out of the car. He reached across and touched her arm, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the rush of heat that soaked through his finger and extended up the length of his arm.
“I said I wouldn’t take you back to the center. And I won’t.”
She shook his hand off, her eyes flashing distrust. “Then why the hell are we heading back in the same direction I just came?”
She shifted her body away from his and shoved the door open. Pavement rushed past. Ryan slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a stop.
“Dammit, Tess, will you relax! I live on the same grounds as the center. I’m simply taking you to my house.” He leaned across, his shoulder accidentally brushing up against her breasts. He slammed the door, trying not to think about the fact that she was naked beneath the thin shirt and her breast had been pressed against his upper arm. He pulled back quickly. “When I said we were going to my house for something to eat, that’s all I intended. Wherever you go after that is totally up to you.”
Tess studied him, her expression wary. “You live here on the center’s grounds?”
Ryan nodded and eased his foot off the brake. He drove past the entrance to the center and headed for the row of houses farther down the road. “A lot of the staff lives here on the grounds. Dr. Bloom likes his people within easy reach.” He grinned, trying to put her at ease. “That way he can call us at any time of the day or night and he’s assured that we’ll be in our labs within minutes of his call. I was lucky enough to get one of the small cottages on the far side of the grounds.”
Tess was silent beside him, apparently willing to wait the ride out before deciding whether or not to trust him. Ryan noticed that she kept her hand on the door handle, her frame tense and her eyes watchful. He stepped on the gas, heading up the steep hill leading to his house.
WHEN RYAN CLICKED on his turn signal, Tess craned her neck and peered out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of where they were going. A sloping lawn led up to a neat Cape Cod-style house situated between two large oaks.
She glanced around. The only other house in view was another similarly styled cottage about a half mile down the road, screened from view by a stand of trees.
Ryan gunned the car up the driveway and rolled to a stop in front of the garage door. He turned off the engine. A single row of weed-infested petunias lined a small path leading to the front door.
He sighed. “I confess I’m not much of a gardener. But the lawn is mowed, and I promise that you won’t find any dirty laundry hanging on the furniture.” He opened the door and the car rocked slightly as he leveraged his muscular frame out. When she didn’t move, he poked his head back in. “If you sit out here in the sun all day you’re going to roast.”
Without waiting for her answer, he straightened up, nudged the door closed and started up the walkway. With a gesture of unconcern, he flipped his keys in the air and caught them in the palm of his hand. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard him whistle a bit before disappearing inside. He left the front door slightly ajar.
Tess gnawed on the corner of her lip, ignoring the building heat in the car. Where was her fear coming from? On one level, she wanted to trust him, but on another, the alarm bells were wailing so loudly her head ached from the sound of them.
She ran a finger along the warm metal of the door handle. Was she afraid he’d wait behind the front door, jump her and wrestle her into a straitjacket? She moaned softly and leaned forward to rest her forehead on her knees. What to do, what to do?
If she was so afraid of him, why had she gotten in his car in the first place? She could have kept running, headed off into one of the fields where the car couldn’t go. She knew she was fast. She could have outrun him easy.
Tess shook her head and sat up. Who was she kidding? She might be fast, but something told her that Ryan Donovan was faster. When she’d brushed up against him in the cornfield, she hadn’t missed the hardness of his body, the glide of smooth, well-conditioned muscles beneath the suit coat. It was a body built for speed and endurance. If Ryan wanted, Tess had a feeling he could run her to the ground.
Grabbing the door handle, she climbed out. A warm breeze cut across the field and ruffled her hair. She could take off now and he’d never know. Instead, she hit the door with her hip, and, as it swung shut, she headed up the path to the house.
When she stepped inside, the coolness of the interior hit her hot skin and she almost whimpered with appreciation. She hadn’t realized how hot and irritable she’d gotten.
She couldn’t see Ryan, but she could hear him upstairs walking around. She jumped when something cold and wet pressed against her hand. Glancing down, she stared into a pair of warm brown eyes. A chocolate Lab, his body wiggling with delight nosed her again.
“Hey, boy.” She ran a hand gently over his broad head, stroking the silky ears. “What’s your name?”
“That’s Jung,” Ryan’s called from upstairs. “He’s friendly. In fact, he’d probably open the door for strangers and invite them in if he knew how.”
Tess froze in the doorway, her cautiousness returning. But Ryan didn’t reappear at the top of the stairs. Instead, he continued to rummage around upstairs.
She edged her way into the living room, Jung close on her heels. It was a cozy and surprisingly neat room for a bachelor. An oversize stuffed couch that looked brand-new and two equally new-looking easy chairs occupied most of the floor space.
An ancient-looking cuckoo clock with an elaborate wood-carved design sat in one corner and a battered lounger was strategically located in front of the TV. Apparently, Ryan hadn’t been able to ditch all his belongings from his previous home.
“Contrary to the worn-out look of the La-Z-Boy, I swear I’m not the type who comes home from work every night and collapses in front of mindless TV sitcoms.”
Startled, Tess whipped around to find Ryan standing at the bottom of the stairs, a few inches away. His ability to get down the stairs and within inches of her without her hearing him surprised her. Something told her that her reflexes were slower than usual.
He had changed out of the well-cut, carefully tailored suit and into a pair of soft, faded jeans and shirt. In the narrow hall, his size was slightly intimidating. He towered over her, his muscular body pressing in on her, making her consciously aware of his size and strength. No weak academic-type body here. This man was built like a fighter.
He smiled and jerked his head toward the back of the house.
“Let me fire up the grill, and then I’ll show you around.”
Tess nodded silently, following him out through a small kitchen to the glass patio doors. The surprise was the presence of an in-ground pool. Invitingly clear water lapped the edges of the blue tiles lining the sides and bottom of the pool.
Ryan must have seen the gleam in her eyes because he asked, “How about a swim? You can cool off while I cook us some dinner.”
Tess shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I’ll help make dinner.” But her eyes lingered on the gentle ripple of turquoise water.
Ryan laughed and slid open the patio door. He walked over to the fence where a row of beach towels and bathing suits hung in the sun.
He grabbed a fire-engine-red suit and a fluffy beach towel off the fence and walked back over. “Here. It’s my sister’s suit. It should fit. She and her kids were over last weekend testing out the pool and making general pests of themselves. You can change in the bathroom-down the hall and to the right.”
Without waiting for an answer, he went into the kitchen and started rummaging around in the refrigerator.
Tess stood in the doorway and watched him pull a steak out of the meat drawer. He slapped it on a platter and then grabbed a pepper grinder and efficiently ground out a healthy amount of pepper on top of the red meat. He opened a drawer and removed a pair of grill tongs.
When he glanced in her direction, he raised an eyebrow. “Still here? I thought you’d be changed by now.”
“Your sister lives nearby?”
Ryan nodded. “She lives in town, across the street from my mom.” He turned around and scooped up a box of kitchen matches off a tiny shelf over the stove. “She used to live in Des Moines. But she got a divorce about a year
