by Croix, J. H.
He fetched a pair of tweezers and took care of it. “It didn’t even hurt,” I commented, relieved for that.
Daniel set the tweezers down on a tray, spinning in the chair he’d sat down on to fetch some disinfectant and a cotton ball. After he dabbed over the small pink area of skin, he tossed the cotton ball in one of those biohazard containers and turned back to face me. “You should be good as new. This scar won’t stay pink for long.”
“Thank you so much,” I said. “My insurance deductible thanks you for coming over at Ryan’s call to take care of my hand that night too. I’m wondering how soon I can look into getting this tattoo repaired.” I gestured to the area where the vine had been broken by one of the scars.
Daniel glanced down at the scar and back to me. “It’s fully healed, and it’s a narrow break, but I’d give it time for the pinkness to fade.”
“Got it. Thank you again.”
Daniel chuckled. “I was happy to do it. How is your dog? I can’t recall his name.”
“Barnable is fine. He’s adjusted to New York City now, but more importantly, the gate in the back of that courtyard is locked now.”
“Good to know. And how are you adjusting to New York City? Quite the change from New Orleans, I would imagine.”
“Oh, definitely. New Orleans is a different city, but then so many things are the same. People are people everywhere. Although, people do talk a lot faster here.”
Daniel threw his head back with a laugh at that. “That they do. It was nice to see you out with Ryan the other night. He’s a good man.”
We’d briefly encountered Daniel at the charity fundraiser the week prior. I felt like Daniel was trying to convey more than that to me, but I certainly didn’t know him well enough to pry. I had just about a million questions for him though.
“Ryan’s a personal friend of yours, then?”
“Most definitely. I knew him and his brother growing up. We went to school together. Ryan is a private man.”
I interjected. “I can tell.”
Daniel flashed me another grin. “That said, I’ll add he’s far more than the man you read about.”
I looked up into his eyes, wondering if I could be nosy. Honestly, I was an inquisitive person, but I tried to manage it. Since he had opened the door for questions, I walked right through.
“I’ve gathered as much. What I can’t figure out is why he might want more than one date with me.”
Daniel’s smile was wide when he chuckled softly. “I can’t speak for Ryan, but I can take a guess.”
“Please do.”
“He likes you, and I think you’re good for him.”
“I can only guess I’m nothing like the women he usually dates. I’m not a model, I don’t dress boring, and I talk back.”
“Exactly,” Daniel said.
Just then, there was a light knock on the door.
“Yes?” Daniel called over his shoulder, casting me an apologetic smile. “I presume my next appointment is already here.”
“No need to apologize. Thank you again for taking care of my hand,” I said, lifting it up and wiggling it back and forth.
“My pleasure. Do me a favor,” he added as I stood from my chair.
“What?”
“Sometimes Ryan can be an asshole. Ignore him when he does that. Don’t let it get in your way.”
I was far too aware of the fact Ryan had been scheduled to return from his business trip out of town last night. It wasn’t as if he had made me promises, but there was a corner of my heart that was disappointed he hadn’t called or texted last night.
Yet, I had plenty to do. Today, I’d decided I was going to visit Rockefeller Center and go ice-skating. Growing up in the warm, balmy embrace of New Orleans, there were no chances to ice skate outside. Although my mother had humored me and taken me to lessons at a local skating rink.
I adjusted my scarf around my neck and walked down the street, enjoying the hustle and bustle surrounding me. The energy of New York was so different from what I was accustomed to. It was loud and bustling with sharp noises and an almost constant sense that something was happening nearby, whether you were a part of it or not.
I stopped to get a warm pretzel with mustard, savoring the soft bread and the tang of the mustard as I took a bite. I finally found my way to Rockefeller Center. After I got my ticket, I pulled my ice skates out of my bag and leaned over to put them on one of the benches outside the rink.
When I was a little girl, I’d seen a movie with a romantic scene in this very ice-skating rink. Coming here was a childhood dream come true. Although I’d only visited Eleanor once, I remembered her and my mother walking me down here so I could see the rink. At that time, I hadn’t even skated before, so I wasn’t allowed out on the ice.
No one could stop me today. After stuffing my cowboy boots away in my backpack, I stepped through the gate and onto the ice. I started slow, making sure to get my footing and balance.
I spun in slow circles amongst the other skaters who were also enjoying this clear winter day. I savored the feel of the icy air as I picked up speed. The cold was bracing and made me feel so alive. I glided over the ice, enjoying every second of it. The air was biting as the sun disappeared behind the clouds. I didn’t stop until a light snow began to fall from the sky.
The crowd began to thin out, and I spun in a circle in the center of the rink before I decided it was time to go home. Skating to the edge, I heard my name and glanced around to see Ryan with his elbows braced on the railing.
My heart set off at a thrumming beat, and joy spun through me like glitter.
I skated over to where Ryan was waiting, resting my hands on the railing between his when I almost lost my balance as I came to a stop a little too quickly.
“Hey,” I said, feeling my lips tug into a smile.
I didn’t know how Ryan pulled it off, but every single time I saw him, the look in his eyes had butterflies massing in my belly and sparks scattering through my body.
He wore his typical suit with a light wool jacket over it. He was such a quintessential wealthy New York businessman. Yet, the glint in his eye was intense, and he looked more somber than usual. I thought I saw a hint of sadness flickering in his gaze, but then I couldn’t argue to know him all that well. Not yet.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“I was walking by to get an evening cup of coffee and saw you.”
There were people everywhere. It was New York City, in Rockefeller Center. I imagined the city would be busy even in the worst weather. A little bit of snow falling from the sky like glitter wasn’t going to sway the crowds milling about the various food stands and passing by on the way to wherever they happened to be going in the wild pulse of this city.
Despite the crowds surrounding us, I felt as if we were all alone as his gaze held mine. “Oh. Where’s your coffee?” I noticed he didn’t have anything in his hands.
“I thought I’d wait for you. I was hoping I could persuade you to have dinner with me.”
“Yes!”
The moment that single, joyful word jumped out of my mouth, I wanted to snatch it back. I needed to be a little bit more, well, calm about all this. I needed to play it cool. My intellectual brain and my smartly guarded heart were in agreement on this. But there was that little part of me that was ever hopeful and wishful against all of my better judgment. And apparently, Ryan’s influence over that small part of me appeared to have taken hold in this moment.
Ryan shifted, sliding his hands inward on the railing until they curled over mine. “You’re freezing, Addie,” he said, concern forming a crease between his brows.
“I thought I came prepared, but I forgot my gloves. I’m not used to even thinking about gloves,” I said with a sheepish shrug.
“Come on, let’s get you out of those skates and get you somewhere warm.”
I stood there, smiling at him like a fool. Time felt suspended for several beats of my heart until Ryan leaned forward and
closed the distance between us. When his lips met mine, it was an electric shock to my system, rippling outward through my body. His lips were warm, and I was cold. In another second, I shifted closer to the railing and rose to meet him as his tongue swept in to glide sensually against mine.
Far too soon, he drew back, murmuring against my lips, “You are too much.”
When he lifted his head, I asked, “Too much what?”
Ryan stared at me while blood rushed in my ears and I felt my arousal slick between my thighs. “Too much everything.”
I shivered again.
“Your hair is getting wet from the snow, Addie. Come on.”
He released one of my hands and turned to begin walking. I glided along on the other side of the railing with our fingers laced together. He didn’t let go of my hand until I got to the gate. I needed both of mine to step out and unlace my ice skates. People moved around us, and the hum of conversation carried on. Ryan was the only thing my awareness centered on.
“Where are your shoes?” he asked as I stepped out of one boot.
Standing on one leg, I wobbled slightly, and he caught my elbow to steady me. “In my backpack,” I muttered.
“Mind if I get them out for you?”
“Please do.”
A few minutes later, I had my cowboy boots on, and Ryan carefully returned my ice skates into the case I’d stuffed in my backpack.
“Ready?”
At his question, I looked up. My heartbeat skidded and jumpstarted as I stared into his deep blue eyes with the snow falling down around us.
“Yes.”
Ryan’s hand caught mine, his grip warm and firm. “How come you’re not cold?” I teased as we began walking down the street.
He lifted a shoulder in an easy shrug. “It’s not too bad out. I’m more used to the cold than I’d guess you are.”
“Where are we going?”
He stopped on the sidewalk, glancing up toward the snow, which had begun to fall a bit more heavily. Leveling his eyes with mine again, he asked, “How about we order the best Thai takeout in the city and go back to my place?”
“Can we stop and get Barnable on the way? He could use the walk.”
“Absolutely. I’d love to have dinner with you and Barnable.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Addie
After we stopped to fetch Barnable, and I fed him dinner, we walked the two blocks from my place to Ryan’s, picking up the promised Thai takeout on the way. When we stepped into Ryan’s pristine entryway, Barnable tugged on his leash. Glancing up to Ryan, I asked, “Is it okay if I let him loose?”
Ryan looked down at Barnable before leaning over to scratch between his ears. Straightening, he replied, “Of course. I wouldn’t have said you could bring him over if he couldn’t be loose. This time, he’s not bleeding.”
His eyes glinted with mirth, and I rolled mine in return. Leaning down, I unclipped Barnable’s leash and gave him a pat on his round bottom. “Off you go. You can inspect the place.”
“Feel free to hang up your jacket.” Ryan gestured to the coat rack just beyond a table by the door. He shrugged out of his own jacket as he spoke, setting the bag of takeout food on the table as he did.
I followed suit and hung my jacket and toed off my boots, which were covered in snow. We’d almost decided to go to my place but stuck with this plan since my home wasn’t fully furnished yet. Although I’d made some progress in the house, the older furniture wasn’t particularly comfortable.
Barnable’s claws tapped on the hardwood flooring as he trotted off to explore. The tile floor was cool on my feet through my stockings.
Turning, I looked up at Ryan. We stared at each other for a beat before he reached for my hand. “Come on,” he said gruffly. “I’ll show you the sitting room.”
With my heartbeat galloping along at a fast clip, I followed him down the hallway. Pausing outside the archway that led into the kitchen, Ryan released my hand.
“Hang on, just dropping this off.” He stepped away to deposit the take-out bag on a low counter right inside the kitchen.
In another second, he was back at my side, and once again, his hand curled around mine. I didn’t want to think too hard about how good it felt to have his warm, strong grip engulfing my hand. For crying out loud, he was just holding my hand.
It felt so good and was somehow reassuring. All the while, my body was tossed asunder with my pulse running wild, my breath coming in shallow pants, and heat spinning in pinwheels through my body.
“Right here,” he said as he led me through another archway into a room. The lights came on as we stepped in, immediately dimming when Ryan reached to the side and adjusted the switch on the wall.
My gaze scanned the room. There was a large sectional couch in a soft gray in the center of the room. Unlike the hallway and kitchen, this room had carpeting, and my footfalls were silent as I followed him over. He pressed a button on the wall, and flames came to life in the dark fireplace, instantly casting a warm glow through the room.
A large flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall above the fireplace. I looked up at Ryan. “This is cozy.”
The light from the flames flickering beside us cast his face half in shadow. I took him in—the clean, strong lines of his face with his sculpted cheekbones, his straight nose, and his square jaw. That look I’d seen in his eyes when he leaned over the railing to kiss me was back.
There was an intensity I didn’t quite know how to read contained there. His gaze searched my face, and I wanted to ask what he was thinking. Thought fled my mind when he stepped closer and lifted his hand, tracing a fingertip lightly over one of my brows. His touch trailed down my cheek before his thumb traced my bottom lip.
Everywhere he touched felt like fire shimmering over the surface of my skin.
“How was your trip?” I heard myself asking, marveling that in a corner of my mind I could even think to ask a single question.
His shoulders lifted in a slight shrug as he stepped a little closer. We weren’t touching, but it felt as if the space between us, no more than an inch, was electrified.
“It was fine. I missed you.”
I was caught in his hypnotizing gaze. His words surprised me. Ryan didn’t strike me as a man to share his feelings easily, nor did he seem like the kind of man who would miss anyone. Certainly not me.
My heart gave a resounding thump, its beat echoing through my entire body. Almost as if in punctuation to his last three words.
I’d missed him, but I wasn’t quite ready to admit that. This was all too surprising, all too unexpected.
I didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly I was pressed against him and stretching up. I absolutely had to kiss him. It couldn’t wait another second.
The first brush of my lips against his was a subtle, almost glancing touch. Ryan’s breath drew in sharply, hissing through his teeth as he lifted his head as if shocked.
On the heels of that, he murmured, “Addie.”
It was just one word, my name, but he said it with such emotion and force, I felt it reverberating through every corner of my heart. In a flash, his lips were on mine again, and I lost sense of everything else. We tumbled into that kiss as if we were diving into the depths of the ocean together, clinging to each other to keep from drowning in the mad rush of desire.
Ryan’s strong arms wrapped around me to mold me against him, while his tongue delved in deeply to tease against mine. He dropped little kisses at the corners of my mouth with his teeth catching my bottom lip as he drew back. The feel of the hard, hot length of his cock pressing against my lower belly sent a gush of arousal between my thighs. Goosebumps chased over my skin when he dusted kisses on the side of my neck, and blood rushed through my ears with every beat of my heart as sensation caught me in its wake and pulled me under.
I distantly heard myself gasping Ryan’s name as his lips made their way in a fiery trail down the side of my neck. He lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine. The look t
here stole my breath, and my knees went weak as my belly spun wildly in flips.
The effect this man had on me was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I would’ve done just about anything he said in the moment. Fortunately for me, it seemed all he wanted was me.
He lifted a hand from where it had been wrapped around my waist to cup my cheek as he stared into my eyes. “I want you.”
His words were a drum beat, and my heart thudded in reply.
“I’ll stop if you want, but if that’s the case, we should stop now.”
I could feel his body almost vibrating with restraint. His touch was light on my cheek, and I knew he meant every word he said. He would stop, and this would go no further. I opened my mouth to reply when he spoke again. “To clarify, I’ll stop whenever you want. It’s just…” His eyes fell closed, and he took a breath before opening them again. “I need you.”
“I don’t want to stop,” I said, speaking the plain truth. I wanted Ryan with a raw, burning need I no longer wanted to fight. No matter what, I wanted to see this through because if I didn’t, I would always wonder what I’d missed.
His eyes closed yet again, and I didn’t hear what he said before his lips crashed to mine. We tumbled back into the madness, the rushing current sweeping us right back to where we’d been.
Ryan’s kisses were beyond dangerous to my sanity. He swept away any defenses as he devoured my mouth. I didn’t even realize he’d moved us until the backs of my knees bumped against the edge of the couch, and I let out a surprised gasp.
Ryan murmured something against my skin, his lips teasing along an insanely sensitive spot on the side of my neck just below my ear. Dear God. I hadn’t known I could get so needy just from the motion of his lips right there.
He chuckled when I clutched at his shoulders and murmured, “For God’s sake, you’re driving me crazy.”
He lifted his head, his eyes teasing and dark and filled with so much naughtiness I wanted to twine myself around him like a vine and never let go.
