by Amity Cross
“Hey,” I said, approaching him. “Nice six-pack.”
He pushed off the wall, his gaze dropping to my body. I could’ve sworn his breath hitched, but I wasn’t certain. Ryan Harper, pro-MMA fighter, interested in me? Fat chance.
“Hey,” he replied, grinning. “I never realized how pale you were. Need some sunscreen?”
I groaned at his playful insult and pushed his shoulder. “I already put some on, thank you very much. SPF ninety.”
“Holy shit. They make one that heavy duty?”
“Skin cancer isn’t a joke,” I said, waggling my finger. “Do you want me to rub some on your back?”
“Any excuse to cop a feel.”
My cheeks exploded in waves of embarrassment, and I turned away, stalking off.
“Jade, wait!”
Shit, I was crushing on him. Completely and totally salivating over Ryan’s rock-hard body. Speaking of rock hard… My mind instantly went to his cock and what it would be like to…
“Jade.” Ryan grabbed my arm and pulled me around. “I didn’t mean… It’s only been a week since you and Hunter…”
He was squirming, and what a sight it was. Completely satisfying if you asked me.
“Who?” I blinked, fluttering my eyelashes at him.
He snorted and shook his head.
“I haven’t thought about him or what he did for a few days now,” I said. “You know who’s to thank for that?” I jabbed my finger at him. “You.”
His lips curved upward. Shit, now I was thinking about his lips.
“So you got me here and in my bathers no less,” I went on. “Where’s this water slide? Quick, before I lose my nerve.”
“This way.”
He looped his arm through mine, leading me through the park. We passed a carousel packed with toddlers and their parents, a water playground for younger kids, a splash zone, a mini roller coaster, and even a Ferris wheel.
“This one,” Ryan declared, pointing upward.
Shielding my eyes, I stared at the massive platform he’d gestured to. Connected to it was a wide and rather long slide that rose up and down in a wiggly line. It was called The Aqua Racer. There were six separate lanes where people raced against one another to see who could get to the bottom the fastest.
I stared up at the giant water slide and began to squirm. It was a long way up…and a long way down.
“It’s easy, see?” Ryan said, pointing to some kids who were riding mats. They screamed and laughed as they descended in a shower of water, skidding to a halt at the end.
There were no pools of water to fall into, so no risk of drowning. It didn’t look so bad…apart from the sign that said Warning! High Speeds Ahead! In big red letters, no less.
“Er…” I began.
“We can always go on the Gold Rush Rapids,” Ryan said. “I know how much you like tubing.”
“No, this is good.” I grasped his hand and led him up to the top of the tower.
We waited in line as a group went down before us. I watched them fly down to the bottom, fidgeting nervously. It looked different from up here. Higher than it had below.
“Next,” the attendant said, waving us forward.
Taking a mat, I mimicked what the kids before us had done. Lying on my stomach, I grasped the handles and glanced at Ryan.
“Eyes on the prize, Forsyth,” he said.
“What do I get if I win?”
“What do you get?” he scoffed. “What do I get?”
“Name your prize.”
He smirked, glancing at the attendant, who was waiting patiently to start the race.
“A kiss,” Ryan said. “On the lips. Open mouthed.”
“Gross,” I cried, making a face. Even as I said it, deep down, I wondered if I should let him win. That way I could find out what it felt like to kiss someone else. Hunter had been the only man I’d been with, and while I’d been satisfied, a part of me always wondered if that was it. Was that as good as it could get, or was there better out there? Was Ryan better?
It was a dangerous thought.
“Deal?” Ryan asked.
“You’re on.”
Pushing off the end, I flew down the slide, screaming the entire way down. My stomach dipped and rose over the bumps, water flying everywhere as the wind tore through my hair. Ryan was somewhere beside me, but I was too busy worrying about myself to look anywhere but straight ahead.
Before I knew it, I was skidding across the finish line, coming to a stop at the end of the slide. A hand reached out toward me, and I grasped it, thankful for the lift back to my feet. Breathless, I stared up at Ryan.
“I won,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Of course, you did,” I said with a huff. “You’re the pro athlete.”
Glancing back at the slide, I smiled. I’d made it.
I didn’t realize when I’d written down my list that number three was all about losing control. Not being so damn controlling about my life, because it hadn’t gotten me anywhere at the end of it all. Life came in ebbs and flows, and not all things could be manipulated in my favor. Other people existed, too.
There was selfish Jade coming out to play again. She needed to stay in her box for good.
“You’re beautiful when you smile, you know that?” he asked, wiping at the water trickling down his face.
“Oh, Ryan, I haven’t smiled so much since…ever.”
Pulling me away from the end of the slide and onto the path, we lingered in the shade.
“Now, about my winnings,” he murmured.
He edged closer, his smile fading into something a great deal hotter. Caught in his gaze, I melted against him as his arms circled my waist, my palms resting on his shoulders. When his lips met mine, I heated up, my skin sizzling against the warmth of his. His tongue swept into my mouth, and all too soon, he drew back.
“Wanna go again?” he asked, chuckling at my shell-shocked expression.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I totally want to go again.”
11
Jade
Staring out over the balcony at Ryan’s place, I scowled.
Today was Friday, which meant it was a week since I’d caught Hunter fucking another woman in our bed. I could still see the image of his greasy cock in my mind. The greasy cock that was still hard as he lamely attempted to stop me from leaving. An open relationship? Fuck that. I wanted to be his one and only. I wanted to fall in love and stay that way.
“Jade?”
I glanced up at Ryan as he stood beside me and attempted a smile. “Yeah?”
“Don’t think about it,” he said. “It’s not worth it.”
“Think about what?”
He tilted his head to the side and stared at me with a quizzical expression. “I’m not sure if you’re brushing me off right now or following my advice.”
I snorted. “You’ll never know.”
“That’s cruel.” His lips quirked, and I knew he was up to his old tricks. Messing with me was his favorite pastime in high school.
“Don’t be such a big baby.”
“It’s Friday night,” he said, changing the subject. “The perfect night to pull an all-nighter.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“There’s a great rooftop bar in the city,” he replied. “I thought we could go there for a bit and maybe to a club.”
“A club?” I raised my eyebrows. “You? Dancing?” I laughed, slapping my hand onto my stomach.
“Just you wait and see, J,” he said with a smirk. “I’m a fighter. I know how to move my body.”
“That’s not at all sexual,” I said, screwing up my nose.
“It’s supposed to be.”
“In your dreams.” Thinking about the kiss he’d planted on me at the water park, I shuddered…and it wasn’t from revulsion.
Ryan grinned and leaned against the banister. “So? What do you say, J? A night on the turps?”
“You have to dress nicely,” I commanded. “Shi
rt, trousers, shoes. The works.”
“As long as you do the same, we have a deal.”
I narrowed my eyes, up for the challenge. “Deal.”
“Then you had better get started,” he said with a cheeky smile. “I know how women always take hours to get ready.”
My mouth fell open, and I slapped him on the arm. “Asshole.” Stepping around him, I went back inside, pulled an outfit from my suitcase, and locked myself in the bathroom. I would show him.
Changing in record time, I plastered on some makeup, coloring my lips ruby red, then styled my hair, smoothing through some shine spray to make my red curls sparkle.
Giving myself the once-over in the mirror, I nodded my appreciation. This would do perfectly.
I was wearing one of my favorite outfits—a designer cocktail dress with a high, rounded neckline, sleeveless with an open back. It fell to mid-thigh, the fabric hugging my body like a second skin. The silver embellishments over my breasts were subtle and gave my body definition, and the backless element showed off the curve of my spine. Topped off with some black heels and vampy red lips, I looked hot. Besides, Hunter had hated this dress. All the more reason to wear it now and give him the proverbial middle finger.
Emerging from the bathroom, I was surprised to find Ryan ready and waiting. We saw each other at the same moment, and both our mouths fell open.
He was wearing a pair of black slacks, some shiny black shoes, and a slate-colored shirt. The first few buttons were open, and the material clung to his torso in such a way you knew he was ripped underneath it. He’d rolled up the sleeves, but it didn’t look messy or unrefined…it only accentuated his air of wild attraction. Especially with his tattoo peeking out from underneath.
“Holy shit, J,” he said.
“If my shit were holy, it would be in the Vatican,” I retorted, my cheeks heating with embarrassment.
He snorted, raising his eyebrows. “Typical Jade,” he muttered to himself.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You look like a fucking angel, but when you open your mouth…” He shook his head.
“Shit comes out,” I finished for him. “Anyway, that didn’t take hours, did it? Care to take back your insult?”
He laughed, his gaze still stuck on mine. “No, it didn’t.”
“There, that wasn’t so bad was it?”
“What?”
“Admitting you were wrong.”
“Shit,” he said with a hiss, rubbing his hand over his face. “Still argumentative.”
Pouting, I grabbed my purse. “Never a dull moment.”
Ryan took me to a tapas bar named Bomba.
Downstairs, they had a nice little restaurant and upstairs was the rooftop bar. It had spectacular views over the north side of the city, looking down onto traffic-packed Lonsdale Street.
Their liquor menu was pages long, featuring gin, vodka, bourbon, scotch, rum, whiskey, wine, cider, and beers from all over the world. We ordered up a selection to taste and found a table by the edge of the roof so we could watch the world below.
By the time I tried something from under every heading on the menu, my head was swimming. Ryan fed me fancy eggplant chips from the tapas menu, and by the time we were ready to move on, we were a mess. In a good way.
My face hurt from laughing at his silly jokes, and he practically carried me downstairs. I swore he was enjoying the last part, but the night was still young, and we had a few more stops before sunrise.
Next, we went to a nightclub in Prahran, just south of the CBD.
Inside, it was jam-packed with sweaty bodies. The music was thumping, the alcohol was flowing, and the air simmered.
“This is so cheesy,” I said, watching a scantily clad woman with bleached blonde hair walk by. She was wearing a black leather dress that barely covered her ass cheeks and left nothing to the imagination in the boob department. I hoped she’d taped herself in because she was millimeters away from having a nip slip…but that was probably the point.
“Just roll with it, J,” Ryan said, slipping his arm around my waist.
“I feel overdressed.” I glanced down at the designer dress I was wearing and made a face.
“You look perfect,” he retorted. “Those other women don’t hold a candle to you.”
I glanced around at the crowd and studied all the faces.
“You’re telling me, you don’t find any of these women attractive?” I asked.
“Nope. Not really.” He shrugged, his attention focused solely on me.
“Then what’s your type?”
He made a face and turned away.
“C’mon,” I complained, tugging at his shirt. “Tell me. What does the elusive Ryan Harper find attractive?”
His gaze met mine again, and I swore there was a hint of something dangerous in them. Dangerous attraction…
“Do you really want to know?”
I nodded, the rest of the club falling away until it was only him and me. In all the time I’d known him, I’d never seen him with a girl. He had to have a stream of them, especially now. He was handsome in a rugged bad boy kind of way. Elusive yet full of heart.
“Natural, effortless, confidence…” he murmured. “Big, small… Tall, short… Fair, dark… Doesn’t matter. She’s gotta be real.”
My heart almost stopped beating. I was swooning. Swooning…
“What about you?” he asked, blindsiding me.
“Me?”
My breath caught. I wanted to say Ryan Harper was my type, but it was too far, too soon. Besides, he’d kissed me as a joke the other day at the water park. His prize for beating me on the slide. It didn’t mean anything more than that.
“Yeah, you,” he said with a smirk.
“Honestly… I don’t know anymore.” I stumbled as someone jostled me from behind, and Ryan caught me against his chest. “Life is a whirlwind right now.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” he murmured, holding me close.
“I’ll let you know…when I figure it out.”
He edged us back toward the dance floor, and I smiled, shaking my head.
“Uh-oh,” I murmured. “Dancing and I don’t mix very well.”
“Don’t care.” He tugged me closer.
“I have two left feet, you know.”
“Aren’t you forgetting about my moves?”
I laughed, throwing my head back. “Oh no, look out. Ryan’s cracking out ‘the moves’.”
Twirling us into the thick of it, he slipped his hands onto my waist and began moving us to the beat, his body fluid and commanding.
Slipping my arms around his neck, I buried my fingers into his hair. He was good. Insult to injury and all that.
“You look surprised,” he said.
“I am. I thought you were taking the piss.”
He chuckled and drew me closer.
I could feel every inch of him against me. The rise and fall of his muscles, the hard plane of his thigh pressing along my stomach and between my legs, and lower still…
“Ry?”
“Hmm?” he murmured, his breath hot against my neck.
“I…”
I wasn’t sure how to finish my thought. My mind was muddled from alcohol and our embrace, all the feelings I’d amassed over the past week, boiling the surface. If I kissed him now, it would ruin everything. It would only be a rebound, and Ryan…he wasn’t a rebound kind of guy. Not to me.
“Use your words, J,” he said, pressing his cheek against mine.
Sighing, I couldn’t help smiling at the memory of that first day I’d walked into Pulse Fitness looking for him. Had it really been a week ago? It felt a great deal longer than that.
“Thank you,” I said after a minute. “For everything.”
Ryan pulled back, his gaze searching mine. “Of course.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“Don’t mention it…” His brow creased, and his gaze dropped to my lips. “At all.”<
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I melted into him, pressing my forehead against his. He was the best and worst kind of drug all rolled into one, and I was riding high, fully dosed up on Ryan Harper.
“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked abruptly.
Blanching, I stared into his eyes, my insides heating. My impulse control was shot. If he asked, I’d submit. I’d submit all night long. Maybe this could be bucket list item number five. An entire night of sex, in all the positions I’d been too prudish to experience before.
“I know the perfect place to chase the sunrise,” he continued, dousing the flame before it had a chance to ignite.
“Yeah,” I said, deflating. “Sounds good. It’s really hot in here.”
“In more ways than one,” he muttered under his breath.
I wasn’t sure if he realized I’d heard or if he wanted me to, but I pulled away, shoving down an odd sense of disappointment.
Outside, he flagged a taxi, and we rode down to St. Kilda beach in silence. He sat on one side and I on the other, the distance opening between us once more. Whatever had overcome us—or me—back in that club was left behind, and it was back to Ryan and Jade, bucket list BFFs.
We got out along The Esplanade and walked down to the beach. A few people were sitting on the sand, couples and groups of friends coming down after nights out just like ours. We found a spot some distance away from the rabble, and I sank down onto the sand, kicking off my heels. Moaning with satisfaction, I dug my aching toes deeper, cooling off.
“That’s nice,” I muttered, inhaling the salty scent of the water. My head was starting to clear, the heady effects of the alcohol wearing off.
Ryan sat next to me, kicking off his shoes and socks and digging his toes into the sand beside mine. Before us was the flat surface of Port Phillip Bay, and to the right, the lights of greater Melbourne curved around the coast and faded into the distance. Behind us and to the left, the urban sprawl was hidden over the rise, and the only indicator there was even anything there was the artificial orange glow.
The sun would rise to the east, behind us and over the city, but it didn’t matter. It was less about the colors in the sky and more about the person sitting next to me. Besides, nothing could top the morning we’d spent in the hot air balloon.
