“Earth to Onyx,” Ryan said.
I shook my head. I’d zoned out. “Sorry,” I said. “Too many thoughts.”
He laughed, a real genuine, full-blown chuckle. “Well, let’s take care of that,” he said. And with that, he slipped out the front door of our room, leaving me alone. I was startled, but too excited from the success of our mission to let his abrupt departure bother me.
I went to the bedroom, stripped off my outfit of the day and slipped into my Ravens tee and shorts. I wanted to relax and revel in the glory of our accomplishment and gird myself for tomorrow. We had two more days to wait. Two days to pretend to be lovers, and parade about the city while Pauly’s team cut the diamonds. This was the rough stage, because I didn’t know who Pauly’s team was exactly. You had to have cojones to cut pilfered diamonds and you had to be good not to mess up the diamonds. Cutting could make or break a diamond. While it was easier to take the roughs unnoticed, getting them cut right was as important to the process as anything. Once that was done, I’d get my traveling outfit and we’d fly home. Then, this would be over.
I plopped down on the bed, stretching myself out, looking up at the ceiling, thinking of how good this would be. Yes, it would mean I’d have to leave my students before the year was out, but it also meant that I’d be able to take care of Lynx. And we’d get him well. We’d fix him, and he’d be happy.
I heard the door to the suite slam shut. A moment later, Ryan waltzed in with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “It’s time to celebrate,” he shouted.
“Shhhh,” I said. “The walls aren’t soundproofed.”
“It’s time to celebrate!” he said again, but this time a whisper.
I laughed and stood up, walking over to join him. I took a glass from his hand and said, “Yes, let’s.”
HE SAID HE’D GOTTEN the bottle of champagne from Ketan, and it was quite a good one. A lot of people didn’t realize Indians drank, but we did like our liquor. My father was especially fond of fine wine. Though, this was a fine champagne.
We’d finished the entire bottle, and I knew I’d regret it in the morning, but I was so happy. I was so glad to have finished this and have it work out, for the most part. I grinned at him. “So,” I said to him, as we sat on the sofa next to each other, the lasts gasp of champagne swirling in the flute in my hand. “What are you going to do when you get home?”
He shrugged, his face going from happy carefree to pensive, a crease forming in the center of his forehead. “I don’t know,” he said. “That’s the funny thing, you know. I’ve never gotten out from under something on my own. It feels amazing. It feels like I’ve really done something, and now I don’t know what to do. Because when I go back home, everything will be the same to everyone else. No one will know that I did this, that I accomplished this. And they’ll treat me the same. They’ll treat me like poor, incapable Ryan.”
I shook my head. “You’ll know,” I said, poking him with my pointer finger. Only it was the same hand that was holding the glass and the little champagne that was left sloshed out and onto his lap. I looked at my hand, thinking of my inebriated dexterity and laughed.
He laughed, too. “You’re right,” he said. “I will know. I’ll know that I can do it.”
“It looks like you peed your pants,” I told him.
He looked down at the spot where the champagne had spilled on him. Then he laughed. “I didn’t, though.”
“I know,” I told him, thought I couldn’t help giggling. Champagne made me giggly. Only Ryan wasn’t giggling.
He looked at me seriously and said, “What are you going to do?”
I thought about it for a minute. This wasn’t a golden get-rich-quick scheme to leave me in the lap of luxury. This money had a specific purpose. “Take Lynx to France for his treatment and save him,” I admitted. “You know, I wanted to save Lily, but I couldn’t. She was the best friend I’d ever had, and no matter how clever I’d been at everything or anything, I couldn’t help her in the end. I couldn’t save my father, either, you know?”
I closed my eyes, as I thought, leaned back. “Not that I’d tried, but I always thought that if I’d tried, I could have done something more. Instead, I left him to rot when all he was doing was what I did today, trying to help his family. And my mother,” I said, the words coming out thick and raw. “I couldn’t save her either. She was brilliant. And brave. And strong. She couldn’t save herself and I couldn’t save her, either. There was nothing I could do for her. For a while, I thought, maybe the only person I could actually save was myself, you know?”
His misty blue eyes were focused solely on me and he nodded.
“But now I don’t think that’s true. Or maybe not entirely true. I think maybe you have to save yourself. That you have to be the one that digs deep for yourself when things get rough, but I also think that part of saving yourself is saving others. That you have to try, that you have to try to help the ones you love, even if you don’t entirely succeed, because the helping is what connects you to the world. You know? It connects you to other people.”
His voice was soft when he spoke, and he leaned in close, so our faces were almost touching. “You helped me, Onyx.”
I smiled. “I’m glad. I like you, Ryan. I always have.”
“Me too,” he said. “I mean, I’ve always liked you, not always liked me.”
I grinned. “I know what you meant.”
And then his lips were on mine, in the perfect kiss. All the parts of me that said this was a job and that I shouldn’t do this, they stopped. They weren’t there, because all I could think of was how soft and warm his lips were, how they made me feel safe and happy and like everything was going to go be OK. They made me feel like it wasn’t me fighting against the world, that I had a partner, and that’s all I wanted right now. More than anything, I wanted to feel this
The heat from our kiss traveled through my body, and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer to me on the sofa. He leaned me back, the heat from his body. My fingers slid beneath his shirt, and I could feel his chiseled abs, the soft sheen of hair on his body, and the heat coming from him. My hands traveled up his chest, getting caught on his shirt, and I knew then I wanted it off. I wanted to see his sculpted body again.
I maneuvered my hands so I could pull off his shirt, grabbing at its edges and pulling it over his head. He was a glorious physical specimen, and I just took a moment looking at him. I don’t know why I’d denied myself before. This was going to be so glorious.
As I stared at him, I noticed he was looking me, too, desire in his eyes. He leaned forward and I closed my eyes, expecting him to kiss me again, to do what we’d been dancing around the last couple of days. But then he kissed the top of my head, and stood up.
I opened my eyes, confused. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “You’re drunk,” he said.
“So are you,” I said back, my voice whiny and laced with the disappointing realization that this was not going to go how I expected.
He shook his head again. “I’m not drunk,” he said, and then kneeled down next to me. “We shouldn’t do this just because you’re drunk,” he said, his voice so calm.
“I’m not that drunk,” I assured him. “And I want to do this, drunk or not drunk.”
He regarded me a minute, blew out, closed his eyes. “You’re making this very hard for me, Onyx,” he said, running his fingers through his hair and sighing. “I’m trying to be new Ryan, one who’s responsible, and I know that I want you, that I want you a lot, and not for just a night. I want you for more than that, and that means I can wait. If you want me when you’re not drunk and celebrating, then I’ll be here.”
I shook my head. “Ryan, you don’t know how much I want you right now.”
He chuckled. “Oh, I have an idea,” he said. “You may, in fact, be the one who doesn’t realize how much I want you. But I know that I have to stop.” He leaned forward and our lips almost touched, but then pull
ed back without kissing me. He swallowed. “I won’t stop if I do that. I’m only so strong, Onyx,” he said, standing up and pulling his shirt back on. “I’m going to go for walk. You should go to bed, get some sleep.”
With that, he grabbed his loafers and went out the door.
Chapter 18 – One Sweet Day
I woke up with a splitting headache, and remembered why I didn’t drink often. I felt awful, and fairly fuzzy of mind. I wasn’t sure when I’d crawled into my bed. But I did remember Ryan’s rejection. It stung.
He was right that I was drunk last night, and I was being a bit rash. Yes, I wanted him, and if we had slept together, it would have been wonderful, but it also would have been something I would have viewed as a quick indiscretion. A wild time that was simply a moment of me giving in to whimsy. Something we should move on and not do again. Yet, he’d somehow figured out that that was how I’d see it, that being together last night would have been viewed by me as a finite, one-time thing. The fact that he had figured that out about scared me a little. It meant he knew me better than I thought he did.
The fact that he wanted more than a quick indiscretion also scared me, too. He was Lily’s brother. Her irresponsible brother who was in up to his eyeballs with Pauly. He was here because of that, and I didn’t need that in my life. Not when Lynx needed me. Not when the kids at school needed me. But even in the sober light of day, I still wanted him.
The door to my room opened, though I didn’t see Ryan’s head. I just heard his voice. “I didn’t want to knock,” he whisper-called. “In case you were a little hung over. But I did want to see if you were awake.”
“Yeah,” I called, my voice soft, too. “Come on in.”
He walked in, shirtless, just wearing his pajama bottoms. His chiseled abs and pecs reminded me of what I’d missed out on last night. And if my head wasn’t hurting, I might feel a twinge more regret over what could have been. But my head did throb.
He sat near me on the bed, facing me. “How are you feeling?”
I touched my head. “A little hungover,” I said. “One too many glasses of champagne.”
He grinned. “I know,” he said. “Drunk Onyx was fun to see.”
I shook my head, then regretted it.
“I have a great hangover remedy.”
I was going to shake my head again, but had no desire for the pain, so I held up my hand. “I’m fine,” I told him. “I just need water and aspirin.”
He laughed, and the sound was a bit more than my head wanted. I grimaced, and he stopped. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s just that that’s what I was going to suggest.” He reached into the pocket of his pajama pants and pulled out a little travel packet of aspirin.
I raised an eyebrow. I remember Lily telling me he’d once given her some awful concoction of tomato juice and liver and something else that sounded just dreadful. “I thought it would be something else.”
He shook his head. “Nah,” he said, staring at me, and then he blushed. “If Lily told you about that thing I gave her, that was just to mess with her. I mean, what kind of brother would I be if I didn’t mess with her a little, every once in a while?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure. Lynx didn’t have a habit of messing with me. Not when we were older. But, the cancer made us appreciate each other, perhaps more than other siblings did.
He handed me the aspirin packet. “I’ll get you a couple of bottles of water and let you rest,” he said. “You did great yesterday, so we can have a romantic day in bed.”
I eyed him curiously, wondering what exactly he was suggesting.
He didn’t address my unanswered question directly. He just said, “We can watch those singing movies that are on all the time.”
Ah, Bollywood films. I grinned. I think I’d need about a dozen bottles of water and a half a day of peace, but maybe this afternoon. “After I rest up for a while.”
He nodded.
RYAN WAS TRUE TO HIS word. He spent the day taking care of me, bringing me bottles of water, bringing me lunch, and finding us a Bollywood film to watch. He lay next to me in the bed and asked me for translations, and I did my best to concentrate on the film enough and find good pause points to explain to him.
We watched a typical film, where boy meets girl, family obstacles stop them from being together, but eventually they overcome and live happily ever after. Lots of singing and dancing between beginning and end.
When it was done, he looked misty eyed and touched. “Are you crying?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Of course not,” he said, all macho. “But I do like a good love story.”
I nodded and no throbbing. Thankfully, this had been a mild hangover, so some dedicated water to flush my system, aspirin, and the replenishment of electrolytes was helpful enough to get me through it. He was still staring at the screen as the end credits rolled, when I reached out and touched his arm. “Thank you for today,” I said.
He winked at me, and leaned back on the bed. “It was the least I could do, given that you flew all the way here to help me out.”
“And to help Lynx,” I said.
He nodded.
“You’re good at taking care of people,” I told him.
He laughed. “I can tell you, with assured confidence, that is the only time anyone has ever said that about me.”
I chuckled. “Then don’t make it the last.”
He turned to me, smiled and nodded. He looked so good there, shirtless, muscled, a devil may care grin, and “take me” blue eyes.
“You look better,” he said. “More color in your cheeks. Do you feel better?”
I did. I leaned in closer to him. “I do,” I said, my voice soft and, hopefully seductive. “Scientifically speaking, staying hydrated helps you overcome a hangover. But also, I’ve read there are a couple of other things that help.”
His blue eyes watched me carefully, as I spoke. “What is that?” he asked tentatively.
“Exercise,” I said.
“Exercise?”
I nodded. He was lying there beside me, so I climbed on top of him. He looked luscious, lying there shirtless, wearing only his PJ bottoms. He smiled. “Yep, exercise,” I said. “Anything that gets the endorphins flowing. Something that raises my heartbeat.”
He swallowed. “Raise your heartbeat?”
I nodded.
“If you think that will help,” he said, and he slid his hands up my shirt, grazing them across my belly, creating goosebumps. “Maybe you want to go for a run?”
Clearly, he liked toying with me. I shook my head. “Too much, I think. Something low impact.”
He grinned, and shrugged. “I’m not sure I can help with low impact. Anything I throw at you will be quite vigorous and will definitely have a very large impact.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
He nodded, so I leaned forward and kissed him, long and sweet. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks, the warmth spreading to my body. I closed my eyes, enjoying the taste of him; the smell of him, a bit musky and virile. The longing for him had boiled over to the point of no return. I had no regrets, just desire.
His hands had found their way to my breasts, and he stroked them deftly, leaving me quivering. A soft moan of pleasure escaped as I enjoyed his sensuous touch. After a moment, he withdrew his hands long enough to pull my Ravens t-shirt over my head, leaving me, shirtless, too.
“We’re dressed alike,” I teased.
He took my arm and gently tugged me to the side so I was laying next to him. Then he turned the tables, deciding he clearly liked being on top. I wondered what I was in for, as he mounted me.
I leaned back on the bed and he came with me, his body pressing gently against mine, and he kissed my neck, his tongue tracing the soft skin, and driving me wild. I moaned and he laughed.
“I’m not overexerting you, am I?”
“Nope,” I whispered, as he dived back in. “No overexertion.”
I slid my fingers along his bare back,
feeling his taut body, as he nuzzled at my neck. I slipped my hands in his waistband, and felt that ass I’d been ogling every time I got a view of it. Just as firm and sexy as I’d imagined.
I lost my train of thought, though, as he nibbled at my ear, the warmth of his entire body on top of mine. My breath hitched in my throat, and I adjusted myself slightly, giving his butt cheek a squeeze.
“You’re quite the vixen,” Ryan said as he pulled away from my neck.
“Vixen?” I queried, eyebrow raised, as he stared down at me. “As in a sexy woman or a shrewish, ill-tempered woman?”
He put his fingers across my lips. “As in sexy, and charming, and a little bit mischievous,” he said. “And perhaps talking too much right now.”
With that, his mouth found my breasts and he suckled and fondled them, my nipples hardening, my loins moistening. My body felt completely his in this moment. His to maneuver and play with, because he knew how to play me as well as a world-renowned violinist. His fingers scampered down my torso, hooking the elastic of my little shorts and underpants and sliding them down my legs.
He looked at me with a smile, delight in his eyes, and I was glad that Lynx made me go to the gym with him sometimes. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
I blushed, and the intensity of his gaze increased, his pleasure seeming to skyrocket. He placed his hand on my thigh, and instinctively I spread my legs to offer him better access. Wasting no time, Ryan slipped his hand up my thigh and into my now-liquid nectar. His fingers toyed with me, slipping in and out of me, making me wriggle with pleasure. My body was feral now, down to its most base instincts, moaning when he stroked me right, tremoring with every savory caress.
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