The Librarian Principle (32 page)

Liese leaned against the doorjamb, taking in their intimate posture. Marissa was as close to Blake as she could get, considering they sat in separate chairs. Their knees touched, and every time Blake made a hand gesture, he brushed the outside of her thigh. He was definitely interested.

“What’s going on?” Liese asked when it became obvious neither one of them would notice her unless she made her presence known.

Blake rolled his chair back, creating space where there had been none. He looked guilty, like he’d gotten caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Marissa crossed her legs and shot Liese a pissy glare.

She felt bad for interrupting. “So what did you think?”

“It was great.” Marissa motioned to Blake, allowing her hand to rest briefly on his forearm. “I was just telling Blake I would try to come see a performance—maybe the last one, on Wednesday evening? I could stay the night.”

“Of course!” Liese said. “We’d love that, wouldn’t we, Blake?”

“I’ll hold a ticket for you,” he offered. He couldn’t stop smiling, or fiddling with the papers on his clipboard. He was smitten.

On their way home, Liese checked her phone messages, but no word from Ryder. She didn’t know where his parents lived, so she couldn’t gauge how long it would take him to drive his sister home.

Clouds had rolled in during the afternoon, threatening a storm and dropping the temperature. The short jaunt between her car and her house set her teeth to chattering. At least tonight she’d have someone to curl up with and snuggle by the fire—or get freaky, the latter being the preferable way to stay warm.

Once inside, Marissa packed her bag and checked the weather forecast. The looming storm was scheduled to hit Fullerton sometime in the next hour, moving east. She hustled her things into her car in a bid to outrun the weather. Liese wasn’t too worried; Marissa had a lead foot. She’d likely be home in less than three hours, even with city traffic.

Liese pulled her into a tight hug, happy to have had her stay the weekend. Beyond the opportunity for some much-needed bonding time, she’d felt much safer with her friend close by.

“I’m really glad the Sean shitshow is done with,” Marissa said as she settled into her car. “There’s no way he can get away with stalking you in such a small town.”

“I know. It’s definitely a benefit of living here,” Liese agreed. “Thanks so much for coming down and keeping me company this weekend.”

“Anything for you. I’ll call when I get home.”

“I may not answer if Ryder is here.”

“I’m sure you can take ten seconds to shoot me a text, unless he’s got you tied up. Then you’ll have to trust him with your passcode.”

“You’re never going to stop with this, are you?”

“It’s unlikely.”

“Drive safe.” Liese kissed her on the cheek and closed the door. She flipped up the collar of her coat to protect her face from the bitter wind as Marissa’s car disappeared down the drive and onto the street.

Not wanting to waste another minute, she went back inside to prepare for Ryder’s arrival. Excitement and nerves abounded. She couldn’t wait to see him, touch him, be with him—without any reservations this time.

Liese wandered into the kitchen and put the kettle on, restless now that there was nothing to do but wait for Ryder’s call. The house felt empty without Marissa. Their years of living together had made them comfortable with each other, so it had been easy to fall back into sharing space over the weekend. Liese didn’t like how vacant her house now felt without the companionship.

As she poured hot water over a teabag, she thought about the events preceding her weekend. Although Sean had been on her mind since then, a feeling of safety had come with the restraining order and having a trusted friend around, but unfortunately it had dissipated in Marissa’s absence.

In New York, the streets were always teeming with life, even in the middle of the night. Billboards and neon signs provided an endless supply of artificial light, and the high-rises created a protective barrier, a safety net of human availability. It had been impossible to feel alone. But here in Fullerton, Liese could barely make out the lights of the house across the street with the dense cover of evergreens surrounding her tiny yard. And now that it was winter, night came earlier, descending like a menacing shadow. She stood at her kitchen sink, gazing out the window as gathering clouds blocked out the sun on its journey below the tree line. The imminent storm promised to break the eerie calm. The solitude was oppressive.

The restraining order against Sean should have put her mind at ease, but it didn’t. Instead a new fear took root: this development might fracture his fragile state and send him off the deep end. She didn’t want to know what such a breakdown could entail. Liese hoped Marissa was right about Sean keeping his distance now. In spite of that, she turned on every light—inside and out—and drew the curtains to drive away the darkness and her worry.

Nevertheless, Liese startled at the slightest sigh of wind or the whistle of the furnace as it kicked on. Unable to bear the sound of tree branches scratching against the siding, she turned on some music. Her imagination had become a festering pit of craziness in the absence of something or someone to help keep her thoughts occupied.

Maybe it was time to get a dog.

She fired off a message to Ryder, hoping he’d be over soon. Shortly after she sent the text, her phone rang. She screamed and then laughed at her own nerves, answering the call when she recognized the number. Ryder’s tone deflated her mood further and for good reason: Tiffany had skipped her afternoon classes on Friday, and in doing so, she’d missed an important tryout. She had no interest in being on the ski team, but her parents had insisted she join. Ryder needed to run interference, which meant staying for dinner in an attempt to reason with them and prevent his sister from being grounded.

Though she was disappointed, Liese understood. While she didn’t have siblings, she would have done the same for Marissa, who was as close to a sister as she’d ever found. She found Ryder’s compulsion to stick up for Tiffany rather endearing. She liked the dichotomy this side of him presented.

He promised to call as soon as he was on his way, but she had no idea how long he’d be. Family crises in her house could last for hours, although with a therapist for a mother and a retired military man for a father, that was hardly a surprise. Unable to deal with an unknown span of time, Liese needed a way to relax. The comfort of bubbles and hot water seemed a good way to accomplish such a mission.

At 7:42, Ryder called with an ETA of less than twenty minutes. She jumped off the couch and sprinted to her bathroom to check her appearance, even though she’d barely had time to warm the couch cushion post-bath. Under her jeans and shirt were the bra and panties set she’d purchased on Saturday during Marissa’s effort to revamp her lingerie drawer.

She paced around her bedroom, straightening the comforter and rearranging the pillows until she heard the sound of gravel crunching on her driveway. Running to the bathroom, she looked out the window to see Ryder’s Lexus. She bounded down the stairs to meet him at the door, throwing it open before he’d knocked. Despite her obvious eagerness and labored breathing, she feigned calm, leaning casually against the doorjamb. The dark sky provided an ominous backdrop as she looked out at him. Flakes of snow swirled around and settled on his shoulders and in his hair, melting into crystalline beads. The wind had picked up.

“Hi.” So much for nonchalance; her voice came out a sultry whisper.

“I’m sorry I ruined our plans.” Ryder crowded her in the doorway, waiting for her to retreat into the warmth of her tiny foyer before he crossed the threshold.

“You should be. I’ve been waiting for hours, and I’m starving.”

“I assure you, it won’t happen again.” He held up a bag of takeout, which Liese ignored.

She grabbed him by the lapels and tugged him farther into the small space, closing the door with her foot. Plucking the takeout from his hand, she discarded it on the side table.

“I didn’t say I was hungry for food.” She stepped into him, trying to get closer, his winter coat a serious impediment.

“Oh no?” He wrapped his arms around her, the palm of his hand flattening against the small of her back. The other drifted up her side.

She loosened the black scarf around his neck, running her index finger along the edge of his collared shirt. As much as she’d loved him in a suit and tie, she also appreciated how sexy he looked in jeans and a dress shirt. Or nothing at all.

His fingertips moved along her jaw, sweeping her hair over her shoulder, his eyes dark. “I’d like to kiss you, if that would be permissible.”

“I suppose I could allow it.” Liese smiled.

His mouth covered hers, and she clasped her hands behind his neck, keeping him close. The kiss started slow and sweet, soft brushes of his lips against hers. A teasing nip of teeth on her bottom lip turned into gentle suction, and Ryder’s tongue parted her lips to slip inside her mouth, exploring, retreating, tangling with her own. The kiss gained momentum until the inferno of lust built up over the weekend detonated, and Liese found herself backed against the wall, grinding against him with desperate need.

She scrambled to undo the buttons on his coat, and Ryder released her with a despondent groan to finish the job. She shoved his coat over his shoulders, pushing it down his arms. He cupped her cheek in his hand, his free hand returned to the bottom of her shirt, sliding beneath and moving up her ribcage to palm her breast.

“Fuck.” It came out a low, almost intelligible grunt.

“I’m happy to accommodate that request.” She undid the clasp on his belt and jerked it through the loops, dropping it on the floor.

“Where’s your bedroom?” Ryder’s lips moved in a fiery trail from her cheek to her ear.

“Upstairs.”

“I’d like to go there. Now, please.”

Liese felt the hairs on her arm raise at his tone, more of a command than a request. She pushed on his chest, and he obliged by taking a small step back, enough for her to slip out of the narrow space between his body and the wall. She grabbed his hand and tugged him down the hall and up the stairs.

The moment they passed through the door to her room, Ryder had her in his arms again, moving her across the floor until the back of her knees hit the mattress, and they tumbled onto the comforter.

His hands were everywhere but where she needed them, his mouth much the same. And then he settled into the cradle of her hips. She gasped, shifting against him, her desire so acute it was almost painful.

“I can’t stand being away from you. It drives me fucking crazy.” Ryder echoed her feelings as he rose to his knees. Shoving her shirt up with both hands, he pulled it over her head. “All weekend, the only thing I could think about was you: being with you, inside you.” His fingers moved to the fly of her jeans, flicking the button open. He unzipped them and dragged the denim down her legs.

Then he paused, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he took in the lingerie she’d purchased. His thumbs followed the lace edge of her bra. “This is lovely on you.”

“I thought you might like it.”

He cupped her breasts, pushing up to create even deeper cleavage. His head dipped down to kiss the exposed skin. “You have been known to be an incredibly thoughtful woman.”

“I try,” Liese replied, her hips undulating as she sought some kind of friction.

He kissed over her stomach, nose skimming along the lace band at her waist. He hooked his fingers into the material and gave a gentle tug. “As pretty as these are, I need them gone.” He pulled the fabric down her thighs and discarded it on the floor. Hands clamped on her hips, he dragged her to the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide. Hooking them over his shoulders, he sank to the floor.

Liese’s mouth dropped open in a silent moan as his lips traveled along her inner thigh, his journey to where she wanted his mouth excruciatingly slow. Then warm breath fanned over her most sensitive part. She arched, hips lifting off the bed. And then his mouth was on her, his hot tongue sliding over even hotter skin.

Liese fisted his hair, holding him against her as she writhed. It didn’t take long for her to reach her peak, and as soon as she crested he paused, gracing her with a self-satisfied smile before drawing out another orgasm with his mouth.

Liese felt like she was on overload, the barest of touches pushing her limit of control. Ryder kissed over her body, taking his time, nipping and sucking as he went. He focused his attention on her breasts, his lips parting over their swell. He flicked his tongue out, catching a nipple and closing his mouth over it.