Craze by Anne Conley Page B

His dick wanted him to help her, to wrap the hair around his fist. He didn’t, muttering a growl at his dick before it got hard again, choosing instead to watch her as she swiped fingers under her eyes. Classy Lady dug around her purse for lipstick and smoothed it over her ripe lips before turning to him with a wan smile.
    “Don’t guess it really matters much, does it?”
    “Whatever makes you comfortable, Honey.”
    “Krista.” Her smile was a bit warmer, and something inside Ryan swelled.
    “Krista.” He smiled as he said it, feeling like she was trusting him a little. For some reason, he wanted her to trust him. He hoped to God Simon wasn’t going to hand her over to that man, rich or not. He was up to something rotten, and Ryan didn’t want his stinking hands on Krista. Certainly not if he wanted her dead. Every cell in his body cried out to him to protect her. He held out his hand. “Ryan.”
    She shook it, and as soon as his fingers wrapped around hers, he felt a warm buzz radiate from her grip almost like touching a live electric fence on the lowest setting. It wasn’t a jolt, just a warm tingling that left his skin a little numb. But in a good way. Her eyes opened in surprise at the handshake, and he realized she’d felt it, too. There was some weird sort of chemistry or magnetism between them. He’d never noticed anything like it before. It might bear exploring later, but now he had a job to do.
    He reached across to the glovebox and took out a box of baby wipes. Handing them to Krista, he gestured to her bloody knees. “I need to get the glass out, but I can do that when we get home. You should probably clean the blood off before we go in the store, though.”
    After she took some swipes at her legs, he escorted her inside the store and stuck to her side, watching their surroundings as she picked out some basic clothing and underwear. He tried not to imagine what she’d look like in any of it as she tossed things blindly into the shopping cart. She was shell-shocked, probably exhausted, and trying to come to terms with the fact she’d just been shot at. He’d seen the glazed look before, the pasty skin, and he knew a good snifter of brandy and some food would do her wonders. As she went to the toiletries section, he watched as she chose a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and something for her face before studying the bubble bath selection. When she looked at him questioningly, he nodded, even though the pain and fear in her eyes was like a punch to the gut.
    “I don’t know how long you’ll be with me, but you might as well get something to help you to relax.” He marveled at the fact he wanted to touch her, to hug her or something, to ease the tension in her shoulders. Instead, he watched as she picked out something with a picture of a vanilla bean and some sort of fruit on it before getting some bath wash, a scrubby poofy thing, and some shampoo and conditioner.
    Declaring herself finished with her shopping, he steered the cart toward the check-out while she followed, still not saying much.
    He offered to pay but she shrugged him off, pulling a wad of cash from her purse. She did let him help carry her purchases to the truck. He was curious about the few items she bought, as well as the fact she hadn’t argued about not going to a mall for nicer things. Actually, since the shooting, she’d seemed resigned, and that worried Ryan.
    Ryan couldn’t stop asking himself, what sort of trouble had the Classy Lady gotten herself into? Ryan knew he didn’t have any answers, and wasting energy on contemplation was fruitless.
    The drive to his cabin from the super center was another forty-five minutes, during which Krista laid back down and fell asleep, her hand tucked under her face, gripping his leg. He denied himself the pleasure her touch instilled in him, reminding his dick that she was a job. Classy Lady wasn’t his plaything, as much as his cock would like to play with her. He had to