His Rival Her Sin

Chapter 9: The Act Of Temptation

Nina had learned two things about Ryan Cole.

The first was that he was difficult to read.

The second was that the more she wanted to understand him, the harder it became to remember why she had approached him in the first place.

She sat on the edge of her bed the following evening, staring at their last messages.

I enjoyed tonight. We should do it again.

I’d like that.

Ryan had made it sound simple. No pressure. No promises. Just enough interest to keep her thinking about him.

She hated that it was working.

Her phone was in her hand before she could change her mind.

Nina: I hope your day wasn’t too exhausting.

His reply arrived several minutes later.

Ryan: It was. But I can think of a few ways to improve my evening.

Nina smiled despite herself.

Nina: And what would those be?

Ryan: That depends. Are you offering suggestions?

She considered her response carefully. She wasn’t trying to win a man’s heart. She needed an invitation into his private world, somewhere beyond the polished boardrooms and carefully guarded conversations.

Nina: Perhaps I could keep you company. Dinner at your place, maybe?

This time, his reply took longer.

Ryan: My place? That’s a bold suggestion.

Nina: You can say no, Ryan.

Ryan: I didn’t say no. Seven thirty. I’ll send you the address.

Nina set her phone down and exhaled.

One step closer.

She told herself the quickening in her chest was excitement over the opportunity. Nothing more.

Ryan’s penthouse occupied the upper floors of a sleek building overlooking the city. When Nina arrived, the evening lights stretched across the windows, turning the skyline into a glittering backdrop.

Ryan opened the door himself.

He wore dark trousers and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. Without his suit jacket, he looked less like the untouchable executive who commanded a boardroom and more like a man she had no business wanting this badly.

His gaze travelled over her fitted dress before returning to her face.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Nina lifted her chin. “Am I underdressed?”

“Not even close.”

The quiet appreciation in his voice sent a warm flutter through her stomach.

He stepped aside to let her enter.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

The penthouse was elegant without being showy. Everything had its place, from the spotless kitchen to the shelves displaying a handful of books and carefully chosen objects. It felt private, controlled, unmistakably Ryan.

Nina took it all in while pretending not to.

“Your home suits you,” she said.

“That sounds dangerously close to a compliment.”

“It is one.”

He smiled faintly. “Then I’ll accept it.”

Dinner was already prepared. They ate near the windows, talking about ordinary things at first—his exhausting schedule, her busy week, the city and how little time either of them seemed to have for themselves.

Ryan was easier to talk to here. He laughed occasionally, and when he listened, he gave her his full attention.

That was almost more dangerous than his silence.

“So,” Nina said, setting down her glass, “do you ever switch off from work?”

“Occasionally.”

“At home?”

“Sometimes.”

She tilted her head. “You make it sound as if your company follows you everywhere.”

“It tries.”

“And does anyone ever get to see the man behind all that responsibility?”

Ryan leaned back in his chair. “You’re asking a lot of personal questions tonight.”

“Maybe I’m curious about you.”

“Maybe you are.”

His expression gave her nothing.

Nina stood and carried her glass toward the window. She needed to move before she lost her nerve. When Ryan joined her, she turned to face him.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome.”

She placed her glass on a nearby table. Then she stepped closer, rested one hand against his chest and let her fingers settle against the fabric of his shirt.

Ryan glanced at her hand before meeting her eyes.

“Nina.”

The way he said her name made her pulse jump.

She slid her arms around his shoulders. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want this.”

He could have stepped away.

Instead, his hand settled at her waist.

“I think you know whether I want you here.”

It was all the encouragement she needed.

Nina kissed him.

At first, the kiss was tentative, an experiment she could still pretend meant nothing. Then Ryan drew her closer, and the careful distance between them disappeared.

His mouth met hers with a restraint that made her want to challenge him. She kissed him again, more confidently this time, her fingers moving into his hair.

Ryan’s hand travelled slowly along her waist and rested against her back. When she pressed herself closer, he paused just long enough to search her face.

She answered by kissing him again.

His lips moved from hers to her cheek and then along her neck. Nina’s breath caught. One of his hands remained firm at her waist while the other caressed her side, moving over the fabric of her dress.

When his palm settled briefly against her breast over the material, she drew in a sharp breath and held his shoulders.

He stopped immediately, watching her expression.

Nina met his eyes and pulled him back into a kiss.

She wanted this moment. She wanted him close enough that neither of them could hide behind polite conversation.

But even as the kiss deepened, a small, persistent voice reminded her why she had come.

The documents.

Ryan’s private records.

The truth she had been chasing.

She broke the kiss reluctantly and rested her forehead against his chest.

“You’re making it difficult for me to think,” she murmured.

A quiet laugh escaped him. “Is that a complaint?”

“No.”

“Good.”

He kissed her neck once more, and she closed her eyes before she could stop herself.

For several seconds, Nina forgot her plan completely.

Then she remembered it, and felt guilty for how much she wanted him to kiss her again.

Later, Ryan led her through the living area toward a quieter section of the penthouse.

“My study is through there,” he said, indicating a dark wooden door. “It’s where I escape when the company becomes unbearable.”

Nina’s attention sharpened before she could hide it.

“Your private office?”

“Among other things.”

She gave him a playful smile. “Should I be worried about what you keep in there?”

“That depends on what you’re planning to look for.”

The words were delivered lightly, almost teasingly.

Still, Nina felt a flicker of alarm.

Had she been too obvious?

She laughed and touched his arm. “I was only asking.”

“I know.”

Ryan opened the door. Inside stood a broad desk, shelves of business books and several locked cabinets. His work laptop sat beside a neat stack of folders.

Nina forced herself not to stare.

“This is where you disappear to?” she asked.

“When I need to concentrate.”

“Then I suppose I shouldn’t distract you.”

Ryan turned toward her, his expression unreadable.

“You’re not distracting me.”

She moved closer, placing her hand against his chest again. “Perhaps I could convince you to take a break.”

His arm circled her waist.

“You seem determined to do that.”

“Perhaps I am.”

He kissed her, and Nina welcomed the distraction she had deliberately created. While his attention remained on her, she tried to register the labels on the nearest cabinet and the papers arranged on his desk.

But Ryan was not careless.

When she shifted her gaze toward the desk, he drew back just enough to catch her attention.

“Something interesting over there?”

Nina’s stomach tightened.

Then she smiled, touched his jaw and kissed him again.

“Nothing more interesting than you.”

Ryan accepted the kiss without challenging her answer.

But behind his calm expression, his suspicions deepened.

He had invited Nina into his home because he wanted to see what she would do when she thought she had gained his trust. Her attraction seemed real. So did the moments when her attention wandered toward his work.

He wasn’t ready to decide which part of her he should believe.

And he had no intention of helping her discover what she was searching for until he understood why she wanted it.

When Nina was finally about to leave, Ryan walked her to the door.

She had gained an invitation into his home, seen his private study and discovered that his business documents were kept close at hand.

It wasn’t enough.

But it was a beginning.

Ryan brushed a kiss against her cheek.

“Goodnight, Nina.”

“Goodnight.”

She stepped into the corridor, carrying the memory of his hands and the taste of his kiss with her.

Inside the penthouse, Ryan watched the door close.

Then his faint smile disappeared.

Nina Wells was attracted to him. He no longer doubted that.

What he wanted to know was why a woman who seemed so eager to get close to him kept looking at his desk as if it held something she desperately needed.

And Nina, riding the elevator down, was asking herself a different question.

How could she get Ryan to leave her alone in that study long enough to find what she came for?

Neither of them had the answer yet.

But neither intended to walk away.