After all, what other choice did she have?
Since she now reeked of smoke, Dia gathered clean towels and took the path that led to the shower house her uncle had built long before her birth. The freestanding facility was one she treasured, as the toilet had plumbing, but better still, it contained a large shower room that could hold a party of people if one were so inclined. The multiple showerheads allowed her to feel as if she were standing in a steady rain. It could be turned up to torrential, or down to a mist, depending on how much pressure she wanted. The tiles were beautifully designed and the knobs were realistically carved eagle heads, created by her uncle’s talented hands. But tonight, the pleasure of the shower house was lost in the folds of her heavy heart.
The only good thing that had come of this failure was she was being forced to look forward, rather than back, and now she wouldn’t have to worry about the delicious new neighbor discovering her secret. But what in the world would she do with her days? She’d done nothing since returning home after her post-college European trip but try to perfect a craft that was not hers to begin with.
Burdened by defeat, she made her way back to the one-room cabin she called home and locked herself in for the night. Not caring her hair and body were still damp, she fell upon the bed and prayed for sleep.
Chapter Two
Her lips were as soft as a rose petal, her scent as pure as the rain.
Ryan stared into sky blue eyes when she pulled back and smiled. He wondered how he had gotten so close to the woman who awoke him with kisses from her plump pink lips and ensnared his torso with her delicately muscular thighs.
“I want you.”
Stunned by her words, it took him a moment, but only just that, to realize she was sliding her body downward. When she stopped and pinned him with devilment in her amazing blue eyes, her core teased his aching loin. He inhaled swiftly as his tip touched her moistness, and everything inside of him sprung to life, taking his ability to reason along with his breath. He pulled her to him roughly, desperate to take her mouth again, to taste her, to fill her, to drown in a need like none he’d experienced in all his life.
She gave him everything but that for which his body strove, tantalizing him into submission, then she pulled back and laughed with delight. Her amusement only fed his hunger, as it was that of a seductress satisfied with her power. She nipped his lower lip, then his chin, and when she rose slightly to stare at him hungrily, her irises spun and reshaped using all the colors of the rainbow, and some it had never known.
He knew he should have felt fear at the oddity, but he recognized only desire magnified beyond his control. As restraint snapped, he rolled, taking her with him, giving him the advantage as he pinned her to the soft wildflower-covered ground.
Her skin tasted of sunshine, of moonbeams, of pristine rain falling from a virgin cloud, as he suckled and nipped and kissed each spot within lips reach. Her hands sought him, fondling him, from shoulders, to chest, to hips, before she grasped his buttocks to pull him closer. Each touch enhanced already infernoed flames, but the tip of his penis nestling in the opening of her soft vaginal lips, stole his soul. He bit her shoulder, not meaning to harm, but her own actions begged for the harshness of his touch.
He meant nothing but to please.
He suckled the mark he’d left behind, making her moan, making him ache all the more. She called him by name; the word a caress, a question, and a demand he would willingly die to fulfill. He didn’t know hers, but it didn’t matter; she was the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins, and all things elemental to his very existence.
Exercising resistant, he slid back, wanting to pay homage. To taste, and tease, and tantalize each and every inch of precious flesh. His desire to pleasure her and make her understand and match his need was playfully thwarted, though, as she had plans of her own. She curled into him, locked her heels beneath his buttocks, pulling him forward sharply so his arrow found its mark, and his control disintegrated as if it had never been.
Breathless, Ryan awoke to silence and darkness for the most part. He inhaled and exhaled harsh shaky breaths, puffing steam clouds in the cold morning air. His heart pounded, knocking against his chest. His penis was filled to aching as he clutched the blanket covering him. He sat up swiftly and looked around, then remembered where he was, and why he was there. It took a moment more for him to realize the woman in his dream was the one who flew in and out of his life for that brief moment the night before, and he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.
As if!
The natural light coming from the windows below the loft did little to aid his vision even after he pulled on his glasses. He figured it was expected, given the darkness of the wood ceiling and windowless walls of the tiny loft bedroom. As his head cleared and his bearings returned, he searched for the clean boxers he’d flung onto the bed the night before, following the cold shower that nearly froze the skin off his bones. Once he threw the covers off, the morning air was as wicked, and goose bumps dissolved the last physical remnants of his dream. But his head still reeled with memories and unsatisfied desire.
The remainder of his things were still downstairs, as his intention of dressing in fresh clothing and heading straight to the motel first thing had been his last thought before climbing into the amazingly comfortable feather bed, and snuggling under the softest blankets he’d ever felt, the night before.
The cozy bed, and the possibility of once again seeing the woman of his dream, was a lure to remain at the cabin Ryan briefly considered giving weight to. But he’d made up his mind, and leaving was the more practical thing to do. Rising, he pulled on the boxers before taking the ladder-like steps down to the main floor. As he’d suspected, the fire had gone out in the hearth sometime during the night. He debated trying to rebuild it and tinkering with the generator to allow for a hot shower before he dressed for the day, as he made his way to the kitchen area. As cold as it was, he knew those were the practical things to do since he couldn’t possibly get a spot at the motel until check-in time, but both looked like monumental tasks at the moment, and he was ravenous for some reason. He looked into the basket the whirlwind brought the night before, hoping she didn’t mind if he ate one of the large, individually wrapped banana nut muffins sitting on top, even though he wasn’t going to continue renting the cabin.
Surely one night in hell warranted a muffin.
Ryan rubbed his growling tummy as he smiled to himself, willing to admit it hadn’t actually been hell. He’d slept better than he had since conceiving the mystical game, building the program, and finally succeeding in making it something gamers would flock to own. His dissatisfaction at leaving it there had turned into a quest to build a system that would allow the game to do things his games couldn’t do on the systems built by others.
Sure all those months of non-stop work were what had sent him into such a deep sleep, one that made his mind jump headlong into an erotic dream, he relaxed and took a moment to enjoy the here and now. He’d been on pins and needles for the past year, and were it not for learning about his father and meeting him….
Ryan shook his head as he glanced back at his open suitcase. No, he wouldn’t be relaxing anytime soon. He’d be working to build the sequel to his new game, Temptress Realm, or obsessing over the system prototype he was about to show to the world, all the while trying to decide what to do with the mad man that had been tossed into his lap. He wasn’t capable of relaxing anyway. He needed order, and he needed focus.
Time on his hands made him nervous. Made him feel lost. As OCD as he tended to be, it amazed him he wasn’t having a hard time with the fact his clothing was no longer perfectly packed, nor was the luggage closed and stored. He couldn’t believe he’d left it lying in the center of the room where he’d rummaged through it the night before. Of course, his thoughts had been on the blonde. Which was another reason his dream made sense.
Unwilling to let his thoughts to go back there, Ryan crossed to the ice box cooler and pu
lled out one of the six small orange juice bottles he’d stored the night before. The absence of a coffeemaker made him groan as he’d bought coffee as well at the little grocery store in town. But, given the lack of electricity, unless he wanted to start the generator and run an electrical cord off it to brew each pot, he understood the lack of one.
Another good reason to move into the motel.
He frowned. Perplexed. For some reason, which he couldn’t quite put his finger on, the thought of leaving the cabin didn’t hold quite as much appeal as it had. There was no good reason to stay, what with the seclusion, the lack of amenities, and the possibility spiders were running rampant outside, yet… No, he wouldn’t stay, that would be ridiculous. The knock on the door startled him, causing the small bottle of juice to swish, and a few drops to splat on the floor. He looked down and frowned, grabbed a hand towel hanging on an apartment-sized stove, and quickly wiped it up as he yelled, “Just a minute.”
It surprised Ryan anyone would come out to the cabin so early in the morning, but maybe it was the owner and he could lodge his list of complaints and get his money back without having to chase anyone down. Pleased with that possibility, he bent before his suitcase and extracted a pair of pajama pants and pulled them on as he made his way to the door.
After a quick peek out, another kind of pleasure swamped him. His dream woman was on the other side, her eyes shining with delight once she saw his face.
He opened the door, stepped back, and she breezed right in. A light and tantalizing scent trailed in her wake, and it suddenly occurred to him she’d smelled the same in his dream. She looked over the room quickly and then smiled at him.
“Good, I see you haven’t put things away yet, and I’m so glad you’re already awake. I normally wouldn’t be, but I just couldn’t sleep. So I thought I’d come on over and show you how to work everything, if you haven’t already figured things out. And since you haven’t even unpacked, that answers that.
“I’m glad to see you aren’t a neat freak, too. My sisters are, but I’m a little more haphazard. Actually a lot more. But that’s something you’ll learn if we get a chance to get to know each other better. So back to the issue at hand. Do you need me to show you how things work?”
Ryan closed the door behind him because he couldn’t make himself look away from the beauty chatting away in the living room. For some reason he had trouble making himself tell her of his decision, but finally his mouth started working. “Thanks, but it won’t be necessary. I’ve decided I need to stay in town. I’ll be leaving shortly.” Even as the words were leaving his mouth, his mind rejected the thought of a lowbrow motel, eating every meal in restaurants, but mostly that his new neighbors couldn’t possibly hold the appeal of this one. The disappointment on her face added to his sudden need to stay where he was, which confused the hell out of him. Being alone with a computer had always kept him content. Talking to people, women in particular, made him feel awkward, and often confused.
Thankfully, being a geek wasn’t as uncool now as it used to be.
“Really? But you can’t! Um, I mean, that’s too bad. I was taking the day off, well, more than the day, and I don’t want to deal with my family right now, which is my other alternative. I thought I could show you around. If you wanted, that is. The mountain is beautiful, and there are so many things to see, and,” she hesitated, bit her lip, and then added, “I really just needed something new to do. Something different. With somebody different. Only, please don’t think anyone would do, I mean, oh gosh, I guess I’m going through an identity crisis of sorts.”
She shook her head, her eyes expressed distress and then self-depreciating amusement. Ryan was so busy trying to keep from walking up to her and kissing her pretty pink lips to calm her down, he nearly missed what she said next.
“But that isn’t your problem, is it?” she finished, looking like she desperately wanted him to disagree with her.
She eyed him up and down with an interest he knew he had to be misinterpreting. Women had never looked at him like that, except in college when they’d wanted him to do their homework. And as far as he could tell, she wasn’t a schoolgirl anymore. Though the thought of her dressed all prim and proper in a plaid uniform made him have to bite his lip, and wonder when, if ever, his mind had gone in such a direction.
“I’m sorry. I’m boring you. I tend to talk a lot when I’m nervous. I never unload on strangers. Or even family for that matter. I’m kind of the odd duck, you know? Different than the rest. They’re so content with what life has handed them, and I wanted something different. Oh, Lord! You can tell me to shut up anytime now.”
Ryan laughed at that and relaxed a little. He totally understood being the odd one in a group. And her chatter delighted him for reasons he couldn’t fathom, coming from gorgeous lips aside. He barely knew how to respond, but it was obvious she was waiting for him to say something.
“Uh, no… I mean don’t worry about it. I’m kind of going through an identity crisis of my own. And I don’t have to leave. I guess I’m a city boy, feeling a little lost. But the truth is, other than visiting my father in the hospital, I had no idea what I would do with my time.” Liar. “So that sounds great. I’ll just get dressed and… Why do I make you nervous?” Ryan frowned. Did I just say I was staying? Given that it felt right to do so, his face muscles relaxed and then slid into a smile when hers did.
“Well, you’re a man, of course. And we’re all alone…okay, honesty time, because I’m up for an adventure if you are. You’re, you know, very pleasing to look at and seem very nice, and oh my, my mouth is running again, and you don’t even know my name. I don’t think. Do you?”
Ryan shook his head, trying not to laugh again. Listening to her made him feel happier than he ever remembered feeling. Seeing he was not now, nor had ever been a people person, that just added to the list of strange things that had happened to him since arriving in Mystic Waters.
“It’s Dia, short for Diamond. I hope you don’t mind that I think you’re kind of a hunk. I like that you’re not obvious about it. Hunks don’t come to Mystic Waters.” She frowned. “Well, they do sometimes. Both of my sisters married gorgeous men, but they are theirs, and not my type. Amen-ra is Jewell’s and looks like an ancient Egyptian statue, and Nicolae is Sapphire’s and built, well…like crazy, and okay, drop dead hot, but like I said, not my type. Are you anybody’s?”
Ryan took a few seconds to try to catch up, confused by the names, and even more so if she’d actually just called him a hunk. Given his studious ways, and the fact that he wore glasses he’d probably slid back up his nose half a dozen times since she’d entered the door, that wasn’t a label he’d ever considered, much less been tagged with.
“Um…anybody’s what?”
Dia laughed, a tinkling little laugh that stirred something in him. Not that he hadn’t been stirred since he saw her face on the other side of the door.
“Anybody’s, you know, hunk?”
Ryan shook his head, as much in disbelief that this gorgeous woman really did find him attractive, as to answer her question. Surely she was playing with him…but what if she wasn’t?
Her smile flashed. “That’s great. I mean, if it’s great with you. I’m something of a mess, or so I’m always told, but I can be a lot of fun. Not that I want you to think that’s why I’m here this morning. The number of times I’ve been alone with an attractive man who wasn’t related to me could be counted by the number of fingers I hold up while making a fist.” She laughed at her own joke. “I was thinking we could be friends and entertain each other, unless you had pressing business, which I now know you don’t.”
She took a breath. “Okay. I’m done talking. It’s your turn.”
****
Dia closed her mouth, wondering what in the world had gotten into her. No wonder her family thought her a flighty, flirty mess, though until now, she’d never thought of herself that way. Sure, Ryan Steward was a good-looking man, in that Clark Kent has Superma
n hidden beneath the glasses kind of way, but she’d actually asked him about his love life, and she didn’t even know the guy. But that wasn’t the worst of it. She’d had him on her mind since shortly after waking, couldn’t wait to get to him, and now, she was making a complete fool of herself over him. He had to think her a complete loser.
“I like listening to you talk, and I’m…well, flattered. Why aren’t you anyone’s somebody?”
Dia studied him, making sure he wasn’t toying with her. Satisfied his gorgeous turquoise eyes were sincere, she shrugged, realizing she didn’t know the answer. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but she’d been so caught up in becoming celestial, she’d not taken the time to put herself out there. Or even give it much thought. “I’ve been too busy, I guess. But now I’m not.”
She grinned, relieved he was really interested if the pleasure in his eyes was any indication. “I’m declaring myself on vacation.”
Ryan smiled and took a step closer. “That must make me the luckiest man on earth. I’m free until I need to go check on my father this evening. What would you like to do?”
Dia had to keep herself from doing a happy dance. But she tried not to let her excitement show. “Hmmm, how about I show you how everything works here, then we’ll take a ride on my four-wheeler, and I’ll show you the lay of the land. If we’re out long enough and get hungry, there’s this little barbeque stand a couple of mile on up the mountain that makes amazing sandwiches.
She giggled. “By the way, aren’t you a little cold?”
Ryan looked down. By the goofy grin he gave her, Dia was certain he’d only just realized he was shirtless and barefooted.
“Um…yeah, sorry. I forgot I hadn’t gotten dressed. Give me a few minutes to clean up and put some clothes on, and I’ll be ready for whatever you want to do.”
Ryan reached into his open suitcase and pulled out jeans and a button down shirt. Dia watched his every move, more interested in the play of muscles along his back than the clothing he chose. She forced herself to look away, somewhat aghast she was actually lusting after a man, but she found herself watching him again as he headed to the bathroom next to the kitchen.
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 156
