Free Lost in Her by Sandra Owens Page B

than their tangled tongues—busy tasting each other—he remained still. She understood his message that she was in charge.
    With their mouths locked together, she unbuttoned his shirt down to where it was tucked into his pants, then slipped her hand under the material. His skin was smooth, taut, and hot. The little hum he gave when she trailed her fingers along his side encouraged her to be bolder, and she found the arrow of hair leading down his stomach to his belt.
    She had never touched a man as muscle hard as Ryan, and all that power was sexy as hell. With her hand poised at his belt buckle, she asked herself if she was ready to go that far with him. From the time she had flown her first aerobatic plane, she had found her passion, discovering a strength and courage inside her she had never known existed. “Reach for the stars” had become her life’s motto. This man was a shining star, one she couldn’t resist. Refusing to allow her fear of rejection to keep her from what she wanted, she began to unbuckle his belt.
    So fast that she yelped, he had her under him. “Not tonight, cherub. I promised to have you back in an hour and time’s up.”
    Confused, she blinked up at the face hovering over hers. “I don’t understand.”
    “What? That I’m not taking you on a public beach where anyone could come by, even though it’s night? Here’s the thing. I thought . . . no, I hoped, we would end up in bed, yours or mine, didn’t matter. Then I thought we probably wouldn’t see each other again once we both got what we wanted.”
    “But?” she asked when he paused and looked out over the gulf. If he said he didn’t want to see her again, she might cry.
    “But,” he said, returning his gaze to hers, “what I said earlier. I want to see you again. I’m not looking for another wife, but I’m also not a man who gets off on seeing how many women I can sleep with.”
    He laughed. “At least, I don’t think I am. Never had a chance to find that one out. I want a girlfriend, someone I can spend time with, someone who wants to be with me. So, before we go and screw up the chance of that happening by having a one-night stand, I want to tell you that I think I’d like for you to be my girlfriend. If you’re interested, that is.” Another laugh, one that sounded as if he were embarrassed. “Christ, I sound like a high school kid. You wanna go steady?”
    Charlie was charmed down to her toes by his little speech. No boy in her high school had ever asked her to go steady, even though she had kissed more than her fair share of them.
    “Well, do you?” he asked.

CHAPTER SEVEN

    R yan kissed his new girlfriend good-bye, then watched her Corvette until the taillights disappeared. Damned weird night, and damned weird stuff had come out of his mouth. He wasn’t even sure he was ready for a girlfriend. But when Charlie had said all those becaus e s, he couldn’t imagine not seeing her again.
    When her fingers had traced a circle over his belt, he’d come close to removing it for her so she could get her hand inside his pants. He had stopped her because he feared once they made love, she wouldn’t agree to see him again.
    So he had asked his dumb question, and surprise, it appeared they were going steady. He looked up at the stars that his pilot girl loved. “What a night,” he said to them, then got in his car and headed straight for the closest hamburger drive-thru.
    When he arrived home and walked inside his apartment, Mr. Bunny was at the door as usual to greet him. The rabbit hopped along behind him as Ryan made his way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he grabbed a beer from the fridge, then decided he should call his new girlfriend to make sure she had arrived home safely. Slouched on the sofa with his beer, and a rabbit nestled between his legs, he dialed Charlie’s number.
    “Hey, cherub,” he said when she answered. “Wanna have phone sex?”
    “Not until I have your class ring hanging on a