Ryan was spewing threats dotted with profanity while Pete body-blocked Thomas.
As soon as Thomas turned toward the door, Ryan hauled me toward the kitchen and right up the stairs.
I wanted to rant, scream, throw stuff, maybe even throw up, but instead I watched Ryan to see what he was going to do.
“Where are your car keys?” he asked in a furious rush.
I pointed a shaky hand toward the key hook. He shoved them in his jeans pocket and then grasped me by my upper arms.
“Babe, focus. Help me pack an overnight bag for you. We’re getting out of here.”
“Where?” I asked in a daze, feeling as if I’d been peeled apart and slammed back together. I could barely stand, my legs felt so numb. My real birth certificate . . . lies . . .
Thomas . . . Ryan riled. It was all too much.
Too much.
He tossed his bag near the door and took me by the hand. “I don’t know, but we’ll know when we get there. We just need to go.
Change of scenery.”
He tapped on his phone while fetching my small overnight bag from the shelf in the closet. “Andrea, hey, Ryan Christensen. I need a private, restful hotel off the radar within two hours of my home base in Rhode Island.”
Chapter 14
Weekend “Whoever you called to book this needs a raise.”
Ryan opened the French doors to the private deck to let some fresh air in, stretching as he stepped toward the railing. We could see a few boats out on the water, their lights illuminating the darkness.
We ended up in Newport at a breathtaking inn on the coast. I could feel the stress lift as we were guided to an adorable private cot-tage decorated in soft hues with a wide, wooden plank floor. A wall of windows with billowy white curtains overlooked the ocean.
“Definite raise,” I muttered, taking in the huge soaking tub made for two.
Ryan came back inside and slipped his hand across my shoulder as he leaned to turn the water faucet on. It was when he started to undress me that I felt uneasy. The day had been too mentally taxing for a rousing bout of sex.
“Ryan, I’m not . . .”
He kissed my shoulder and shushed me.
“I know, baby. That’s not the point of this.” He stripped off his clothes and climbed in-to the tub first, holding out a hand as I stepped in. The hot water felt magnificent and instantly leeched some of the tension from my body. I rested my head on his chest, wishing that moments like these could be norm between us and for the most part, they were.
“You okay?” he murmured as I got comfortable on him.
I nodded. His soapy hands slid up and down my back, over my arms, up through the tenseness of my neck.
“Good. Just relax.”
“You’re so quiet,” I murmured after a while, needing to break the silence.
“I was thinking about something you said to me on the first day we met.” He sluiced more hot water over my arm, warming my exposed skin.
“Oh?”
He dipped us deeper into the water, seeming concerned that my shoulders were cold.
They were. “I was sitting at your bar and you were doing your best to ignore me.” I remembered doing that, but didn’t want to admit it. I chased a few soap bubbles around on his chest with my finger. “I was not.”
Ryan squeezed me. “Yes, you were. Don’t lie.”
“Damn. Okay. Maybe just a little. I was freaked-out that you were even there.” With his lips on my temple, he said, “I wanted to get you to talk to me and I asked you if you were always this quiet and you said something like ‘I’m sure the silence and peace is refreshing.’” Our gazes met. “I just want you to relax and not worry about things.”
And just like that, he was making my world peaceful. “When I close my eyes, I can almost ignore it all,” I said.
“Then close your eyes.”
“If only it were that easy.” I felt his chest rise and fall, making the water ripple.
“I’m sorry about the Thomas thing. I—” Ryan raised my chin with his fingertip, making eye contact. “Do I need to be concerned about it?”
I shook my head and quickly said, “No.”
He let my chin go. “Then I’m not worried about it. I sort of expected it, actually.” I looked back up at him. “You did?” His elbow came up out of the water and rested on the edge of the tub. “Tar, you and I are all over the news. Shit always gets dredged up. It was only a matter of time before one of your ex-boyfriends tried to stake a claim. He doesn’t have any dirt on you, does he?”