Rookie Move (Playing for Keeps #1)(64)

“You realize there’s no furniture there yet. No bed.”

“Since when do we need beds?”

He had a point, and not being able to mess with him all day had worked me into a strong craving.

We dropped Ramsey’s car at his place and rode over to mine together. “This could be convenient,” he said as we wound up the drive, and once again warmth flooded my chest. It wasn’t a love declaration, but it told me he was at least into continuing our arrangement for the foreseeable future.

“Very.”

We hopped out of the car, and I unlocked the door and let us in. The air had a musty, unused tinge, but I didn’t even care. We walked through the house and stopped in front of the wall of windows overlooking the back deck.

“Damn, it really is a cool place,” Ramsey murmured, one hand sliding along my lower back. I wasn’t even sure he was aware of the casual affection, but I certainly was.

“It’s gonna be.”

“Did you call any of those contractors I sent you?”

“Yeah, got a couple of meetings lined up soon.” I leaned into the caress of his fingers. “I’ve come over here every day almost. I stand right here and look around and think about how amazing it is that I bought it outright with money I earned doing something I love, that I’m a fucking homeowner now. I wanted it, but there was always a little part of me that thought maybe I wouldn’t get it. Maybe I wouldn’t make the cut.”

I wasn’t one to emote aloud that much, and I felt kind of shy about the amount of pride I felt in a place that definitely wasn’t the palace I’d thought I’d go for. But Ramsey’s response made it worth it. His lips tipped up, the corners of his eyes crinkling with tiny lines. “You did earn it. Is it weird to say I’m proud of you too? Feels like I’ve been able to watch it happen from the start. It’s a good feeling.”

Our gazes locked, and the connection didn’t crackle with the lustful electricity that usually preceded us ripping our clothes off, but with something softer, deeper, a simpatico feeling that hummed through my blood as he leaned over and brushed a lingering kiss over my lips.

“Fuck, all this being responsible is making me itch.”

“That’s probably just fleas in your carpet.” We both peered at the shabby beige tufts underfoot. Then Ramsey arched a brow. “But just in case, want to do something irresponsible to make yourself feel better?”

This was different. “Are you actually proposing something fun and reckless? I’m all ears.”

Ramsey canted his head toward the windows. “How cold do you think that water is?”

“Fucking cold.” The only reason the pond wasn’t frozen yet was because the temps had been up and down lately.

“Last one in sucks the other one off first.”

We both took off toward the door at the same time. Ramsey shoved me backward as he wrestled it open, but I managed to swing around him and pull ahead for two seconds before he caught up with me and shoved me again.

At the water’s edge, we shucked our clothes at lightning speed. “This qualifies more as flat-out stupid than fun and reckless, but we’ll baby-step you into it.” My thumbnail snagged on my sock, and Ramsey tossed a wild grin back at me as he took two steps into the water, whooped, then dived under.

“Fuck, it’s cold!”

“You were expecting a sauna?” I sucked in a breath and followed suit, barely letting the chill of the water register on my ankles before I dived in and came up gasping for air. “Holy shit.”

We splashed and dunked each other a couple of times, and then Ramsey squinted down at the water before looking back up at me with a horrified expression. “There’s a leech on my thigh.”

“Fuck that.” I had no recollection of exiting the water. I just knew one second I was waist deep and the next I was scrambling to shore, swiping at my body wildly and craning my head to check my back for bloodsuckers.

It took me a second to register Ramsey was cackling as he waded serenely toward the shoreline.

I glared at him. “You fucker. There are no leeches?”

There were no leeches.

But we quickly encountered a more pressing problem. It was fucking cold and, considering I hadn’t moved in, there were no towels. “Told you that was stupid,” I grumbled as we snatched up our clothes and hotfooted it inside.

“Hang on.” Ramsey shut the door behind us, and while I stood in the middle of the empty great room shivering, he strolled over to the fireplace, fiddling with it for a second before the gas logs roared to life. He gestured grandly. “I give you fire. Get your freezing ass over here.”

He wrapped his arms around me when I did, and we stood in front of the blissful heat until we both stopped shivering.

“I think my dick is still in the pond somewhere,” I confessed. My balls were numb. “Probably fish food.”

“Let me check.”

Ramsey dropped to his knees, the heat of his mouth a balm on my cold skin, then an inferno as he licked up the side of my cock. “Think this is it. Could be your belly button, though. Not sure.”

“Oh, fuck off.” I broke into a laugh, then sank my fingers into the wet ends of his hair. “But don’t stop. Aren’t I supposed to be the one on my knees, technically?”

He grinned up at me. “Winner’s choice.”