Lost in Her by Sandra Owens Page B

Boston or something. But I promised I would never lie to you.”
    Although he didn’t owe her any explanation, she appreciated that he hadn’t tried to lie, but he’d certainly sparked her curiosity. “Exactly what do you do?”
    He seemed to consider the question for a few seconds. “I work for K2 Special Services.”
    That told her nothing. “Never heard of them. What do they do?”
    Again, he took his time answering. “Lots of stuff. We work with companies, helping them secure their computers against hackers. We teach drivers for CEOs how to keep their bosses safe when they’re in a car.”
    “Defensive driving?”
    “Defensive and offensive, and how to know which needs to be done when. Ah, let’s see, we help companies through the legalities of doing business overseas.”
    Nothing there that would prevent him from telling her where he was going. That meant the company must do secret stuff.
    “Does K2 also take jobs from the government, say, like the CIA or maybe agencies I’ve never even heard of?” Wow, he was good at blanking his face, but that alone was a tell. She waved a hand in the air. “No, don’t tell me ’cause then you’d have to kill me, right?”
    “And that would be a damn shame, especially since we haven’t had phone sex yet.”
    Charlie burst into laughter. “Sheesh, Hot Guy, I thought you’d forget about that.” He’d kicked off his shoes when he came back from collecting his posters, and standing there barefooted, wearing jeans and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he was just downright sexy.
    “Not gonna forget.”
    She wiggled her fingers. “No ring.”
    “I already told you I had that covered.” He reached into his pocket, and then held out his fisted hand. “Come here, cherub.”
    Was he kidding? The whole ring thing had just been a joke between them, hadn’t it?

CHAPTER NINE

    T he surprise on Charlie’s face delighted Ryan. He raised a brow when she just sat there gaping at him. “You’re going to have to come to me if you want it.” Would she? Although the whole ring thing had begun as a game between them, somehow it had come to mean something to him. What, he wasn’t sure, and why he—a man of twenty-eight—wanted to go steady, he also didn’t know. All he knew was that he liked her, and didn’t want her seeing anyone else.
    Was she seeing someone else? He’d never asked. They really hadn’t known each other long enough to commit to any kind of a relationship, but the idea of sharing her made him want to hurt someone.
    Yes! Barely refraining from making a victory fist, Ryan smiled when she came to him.
    “Hello, girlfriend,” he said when she stopped in front of him. She was a sexy little thing, and he also barely refrained from scooping her up and carrying her to his bedroom, where he would strip off her clothes and do wicked things to her body. Another thing he refrained from doing was blatantly reaching down and adjusting himself in an attempt to find more room in his pants.
    “So this is real then?”
    He trailed his knuckles down a baby-soft cheek. “Do you want it to be?” She chewed on her bottom lip, drawing his attention to them. They were full lips. Kissable lips. That much he already knew.
    Finally, she gave a little shrug. “Why not?”
    “You’re such a romantic, Charlie,” he said, grinning when she narrowed her eyes. “Stand still.” He slipped the chain around her neck. He’d bought a long one so that she could keep the ring tucked inside her clothes if she preferred.
    She picked it up and studied it. “This really is your class ring, isn’t it?”
    “Yep.”
    Blue-gray eyes lifted and met his. “Does this mean you won’t be dating anyone but me?”
    “Yes, that’s what it means, and no one but me for you, right?”
    “Right,” she said, and surprised him by tugging him back to his chair, then straddling him.
    “If I’d known I’d get this reaction, I would’ve given that to you as soon as you