Page 52 of Summer of Love (Costas Sisters 2)
Now they found themselves at Ryan’s office where he proudly showed off the brownstone where he and his partners worked. He’d wanted Sam to meet his associates and the rest of the staff, and perhaps because she was still experiencing twinges of gratitude over his saving Ima, Sam went without argument. For Zoe, it was a chance to see Ryan in his own environment without his family pulling at him and without hers changing him.
Zoe waited until Sam headed off to get something to eat with Ryan’s secretary before she inclined her head toward his office, indicating she wanted to talk to him alone.
He gestured for her to go on in and he followed, shutting the door behind them. “Like it?” he asked.
She glanced around at the typical attorney’s surroundings, dark wood desk, bookshelves, diplomas and a row of windows with a view of the cloudless blue sky. Clearly, Ryan did well for himself, and he cared about what she thought.
“It’s perfect,” she said, stepping toward the plate-glass windows.
“Meaning?”
She sensed him come up behind her, his body heat warmer than that of the sun shining through the glass. Ignoring her awareness of him in his apartment was getting more and more difficult, especially since her bedroom shared a wall with his. She knew when he woke up and when he went to sleep—and when he tossed and turned as fitfully as she.
She turned now to find him closer than she’d realized and she stepped back toward the window. He came forward.
Zoe sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly. “We need to talk,” she told him.
“We damn well do.” He reached up and loosened his tie.
The effect of him looking so relaxed and slightly rumpled in his power suit was devastating to her senses. Her knees shook as though she was a school-girl on her first date.
“I need to hold you, or I’m going to go insane.” His deep gaze burned into hers. “I have to taste you.” His hands came to rest on the window above her shoulders, as he dipped his head closer. His determined expression told her he wasn’t about to be deterred.
She trembled, wanting the same things. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about,” she managed to say, despite being breathless with anticipation.
He lowered his head, his forehead touching hers. “What is it?” He sounded resigned to listening first and kissing second.
Disappointment filled her nonpractical side, while her rational side applauded her self-restraint. “This is our fourth day here, and you haven’t mentioned taking Sam to see your family at all.”
She voiced the concern that enveloped her constantly. How would his relatives treat the teenager who was just coming to trust Ryan a little bit more each day?
Zoe refused to factor her own feelings into meeting his family, telling herself that what they thought of her didn’t matter. Yet she couldn’t deny that if and when they were introduced, she wanted smoother sailing than she’d had with Uncle Russ. The thought of his parents judging and finding her lacking turned her stomach, because, despite everything, she cared how it might affect what Ryan thought of her.
“We’re going to my parents’ house for dinner tonight,” he said, finally.
“Let me guess. You were going to spring it on us at the last minute.” She tried for a teasing tone, but Ryan had tensed up, and he wasn’t relaxing or laughing at her joke.
“Do you blame me?” he asked instead. “Sam doesn’t need another excuse to run away and as for you—”
“Afraid I’ll embarrass you in front of your parents?” Again she tried for a laugh, but she also averted her gaze, not wanting him to see how serious her question actually was.
Ryan knew Zoe well enough by now to get when she was feeling vulnerable and, despite the jokes, the idea of meeting his family obviously scared her. Hell, there were times his parents scared him, too.
He placed his hand beneath her chin and lifted her gaze. “They will adore you,” he said, knowing in his heart every word was a lie.
They’d find her short skirts and high heels as offensive as they’d found his sister’s tube tops and ripped denim shorts way back when. Hell, Uncle Russ had already expressed his shock after meeting Zoe and catching the obvious undercurrents between them. Though Russ was a ladies’ man and he dated all types, it didn’t matter since he was determined never to settle down.
But Ryan was different. His uncle knew that Ryan wanted to have the kind of family he’d lacked growing up. Unfortunately, for all that Uncle Russ supported Ryan, he also had enough of the Baldwin genes to want Ryan to find the proper wife to carry on the Baldwin name. “Proper” meaning correct bloodlines, manners and breeding.
“Ryan?” Zoe’s voice startled him. “Where’d you go?” she asked of the mental break he’d just taken.
