Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force Page B

paper.
    Puzzled, she asked, “Where did you get that?”
    “I’ve had it for a while. I saw it in a window in Houston, and I’ve been hoping I’d get the chance to give it to you.” He
     handed it to her. “Open it.”
    She tore open the paper to find a jeweler’s box.
    Inside was a charm: the number ten, encrusted with diamonds. “Ryan . . . ”
    “Our anniversary was a big one, and we were technically still married.” He sat down next to her by the fire and put his arm around her. “I forgot a lot of important stuff
     when we were together, unforgivable things. But I wanted you to know I remembered our tenth anniversary, even though we weren’t
     together for it.”
    Susannah rested her head on her knees and wept.
    Ryan tipped his head into the groove of her shoulder and rubbed her back.
    “I have no idea what to do with this new and improved Ryan.”
    “I could offer a couple of suggestions if that would help.”
    Lifting her head off her knees, she smiled and fingered the delicate charm. “I stayed home alone on our anniversary. I didn’t
     see anyone or take any calls. I stayed in my pajamas all day.”
    “I came up here and went for a long hike. I wanted so badly to call you. I should have. But things had gotten so hostile between
     us. I wanted to tell you I was sorry and beg you for another chance, but I didn’t think that was the day to do it.”
    “I wanted to call you, too,” she confessed. “You were the only one I wanted to talk to that day. I don’t know what I would’ve
     said. I just . . . I missed you.”
    He brought her into his arms.
    She rested her head on his chest. “Thank you for this, and thank you for remembering,” she said, admiring the charm again.
     “I’ll add it to my bracelet.”
    “I was going to get you something bigger, something more significant . . . ”
    “No, this is perfect. There’s nothing else I’d rather have.”
    She returned the charm to the box and put it on the table.
    “It’ll also remind me of ten crazy days one February.”
    “Ten days that were maybe the start of something new?”
    Raising her head to look at him, she said, “Maybe.”
    He kissed her with a passion and a thoroughness that took them both by surprise. She was startled to realize the almost chemical
     attraction they’d always had for each other had grown and intensified during their long separation. His tongue tangled with
     hers, and the taste that was so uniquely his only fueled her desire for more. When she slid her hand into the back of his
     jeans, he moaned and tumbled down on top of her.
    Without breaking the kiss, he filled his hands with her breasts and pushed his erection into the V of her legs. He tore his
     lips free of hers and dragged in several deep breaths. “Susie . . . God, I want you. I want you more than I ever have before.”
    With a coy smile, she lifted her hips to press against his pulsing erection. “I know. I can tell.”
    He gazed at her for a long moment before he dipped his head and reclaimed her lips. What had been frantic now became soft
     and sensual. The air was electric with the sounds of wet mouths, urgent moans, the crackling of the fire, and the howl of
     the wind. The lights flickered once, twice, and then went dark.
    Ryan lifted his head. “Well,” he said with the dimpled grin that made her knees weak. “Isn’t this romantic?”
    She laughed and brought him back down to her. “You planned this.”
    “You’re damned right I did.” He kissed her cheeks, her nose, and her chin.
    By the time he made it back to her lips, Susannah was desperate for him. Forgetting about his injuries, she held him tight,
     and he winced. “Oh, God, I’m sorry.”
    “I’m fine,” he whispered against her lips as he tugged at her sweater. “Take this off.”
    She sat up, aware she was about to cross a line. But she wasn’t thinking about Henry or their engagement at that moment. No,
     her every thought and emotion belonged to Ryan. His eyes,