pleasure.
“Men and women can just be friends, you know,” she managed.
Ryder made a sound of disbelief against her skin, sucking lightly. She wanted to get closer, back to where they’d been before Blake interrupted.
He moved his mouth to her ear. “That issue is up for debate, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. Reminds me we shouldn’t be doing this.”
Liese tensed, and her fingers, threaded through his hair, stilled. She’d wondered how long it would take him to come to his senses. Now what would happen? Ryder’s next suggestion shocked the hell out of her.
“As much as I would love to have you right here on your desk, considering the circumstances, I think it might be more prudent for this conversation to continue in a more private location.”
“Private?”
“That way I can discipline you properly for breaking my resolve with inappropriate pictures before I get inside you,” Ryder explained as he stepped back. His eyes moved over her in a hungry sweep.
“Discipline me?” The thought of retribution did something to her, particularly when she envisioned herself bent over his desk. All the things he could do.
“You didn’t honestly think you’d go unpunished for this type of indiscretion, did you?” he asked, challenging her to disagree.
She almost did, just to see what would happen. “I, uh . . . well . . . what kind of punishment?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” With a sardonic smile, he grabbed a pen and a Post-it from her desk. “Do you know where I live?”
“No.”
“You do now.” He placed the paper in her hand and folded her fingers around it, pulling her close once again. “I’ll meet you there in half an hour.”
The press of his lips against her own made it impossible to deny the order. He reached around her, lifted her laptop from the desk, and tucked it under his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking this with me.”
“Why?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get it back. Eventually. Considering the sensitive nature of the content, it would be best if I ensure your personal laptop is removed from school property safely. We wouldn’t want this getting into the wrong hands, would we, Ms. Harper?”
“Of course not.”
“I thought not.” He gave her a sly smile. “I expect to see you in less than thirty minutes.”
The or else was implied.
With shaking arms, Liese propped herself against her desk and looked at the doorway through which Ryder had departed. Her constant, graphic dreams about him now seemed laughable compared to the real thing. The simple act of kissing him, not to mention the way he’d manipulated her with his hands, obliterated any fantasy she’d contrived.
Logic implied that this thing with Ryder wasn’t going to benefit either of them professionally. But Liese’s center of logic was fried. She wanted more. More touch, more sensation, more of whatever he was offering. Fueled by hormones, she hurried to hide the evidence of their near-encounter. Scanning the floor, she spotted the button from Ryder’s pants beside the leg of her desk. She retrieved it and tucked it carefully into the top drawer of her desk.
Once her office loosely resembled its previous state, Liese shoved the piece of paper he’d given her into her purse. Leaving the scene of the crime, she opened the door and peeked out to check the halls. They were empty, but without the raucous sounds of students in the corridors, the echo of her heels made her feel conspicuous.
A soft whirring soon joined the noise of her shoes as the custodian buffed the floors down an adjacent hall. Liese slid a sidelong glance in his direction. She tried to be stealthy and would have managed if not for her footwear. He paused as she moved into his field of vision, and he raised a hand in greeting. Liese returned the gesture but didn’t stop to chat as she normally would have, because today was no normal day.
Rounding the corner, she ran headlong into the one person she was
“Men and women can just be friends, you know,” she managed.
Ryder made a sound of disbelief against her skin, sucking lightly. She wanted to get closer, back to where they’d been before Blake interrupted.
He moved his mouth to her ear. “That issue is up for debate, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. Reminds me we shouldn’t be doing this.”
Liese tensed, and her fingers, threaded through his hair, stilled. She’d wondered how long it would take him to come to his senses. Now what would happen? Ryder’s next suggestion shocked the hell out of her.
“As much as I would love to have you right here on your desk, considering the circumstances, I think it might be more prudent for this conversation to continue in a more private location.”
“Private?”
“That way I can discipline you properly for breaking my resolve with inappropriate pictures before I get inside you,” Ryder explained as he stepped back. His eyes moved over her in a hungry sweep.
“Discipline me?” The thought of retribution did something to her, particularly when she envisioned herself bent over his desk. All the things he could do.
“You didn’t honestly think you’d go unpunished for this type of indiscretion, did you?” he asked, challenging her to disagree.
She almost did, just to see what would happen. “I, uh . . . well . . . what kind of punishment?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” With a sardonic smile, he grabbed a pen and a Post-it from her desk. “Do you know where I live?”
“No.”
“You do now.” He placed the paper in her hand and folded her fingers around it, pulling her close once again. “I’ll meet you there in half an hour.”
The press of his lips against her own made it impossible to deny the order. He reached around her, lifted her laptop from the desk, and tucked it under his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking this with me.”
“Why?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get it back. Eventually. Considering the sensitive nature of the content, it would be best if I ensure your personal laptop is removed from school property safely. We wouldn’t want this getting into the wrong hands, would we, Ms. Harper?”
“Of course not.”
“I thought not.” He gave her a sly smile. “I expect to see you in less than thirty minutes.”
The or else was implied.
With shaking arms, Liese propped herself against her desk and looked at the doorway through which Ryder had departed. Her constant, graphic dreams about him now seemed laughable compared to the real thing. The simple act of kissing him, not to mention the way he’d manipulated her with his hands, obliterated any fantasy she’d contrived.
Logic implied that this thing with Ryder wasn’t going to benefit either of them professionally. But Liese’s center of logic was fried. She wanted more. More touch, more sensation, more of whatever he was offering. Fueled by hormones, she hurried to hide the evidence of their near-encounter. Scanning the floor, she spotted the button from Ryder’s pants beside the leg of her desk. She retrieved it and tucked it carefully into the top drawer of her desk.
Once her office loosely resembled its previous state, Liese shoved the piece of paper he’d given her into her purse. Leaving the scene of the crime, she opened the door and peeked out to check the halls. They were empty, but without the raucous sounds of students in the corridors, the echo of her heels made her feel conspicuous.
A soft whirring soon joined the noise of her shoes as the custodian buffed the floors down an adjacent hall. Liese slid a sidelong glance in his direction. She tried to be stealthy and would have managed if not for her footwear. He paused as she moved into his field of vision, and he raised a hand in greeting. Liese returned the gesture but didn’t stop to chat as she normally would have, because today was no normal day.
Rounding the corner, she ran headlong into the one person she was
Similar Books
