She sighed, and he thought the sound was a little wistful. “I admit I do miss Arizona and I go back every so often to visit the family. But at the time I was so sick of country life, and after going to college and getting a taste of what the city was like I knew I couldn’t go back. So I got out a list of states with the biggest urban and suburban cities, looked at some brochures, and decided New York was it for me. I packed my bags, booked a plane, and I’ve been happy here ever since.”
“Wow. You just came in blind, without ever having set foot here before?” He shook his head with a low whistle. “That’s brave. Incredibly brave.” And he couldn’t help but admire her for it.
“It was tough and first, but I was able to land a job in my field with little difficulty. After that, things just sort of took off. So what about you?”
“I’m afraid I’m not so adventurous.” He laughed. “I was born and raised on Long Island with two sisters and one brother. My dad owned a local construction company, and I learned the ins and outs of the business growing up, and then went off to college for an MBA. Once I got out I worked for him awhile, then decided that the family business deal wasn’t for me, and moved on—no hard feelings,” he assured her, not wanting to scare her off with the idea that he had family issues. “The company I work for now is in construction too, funnily enough—except we’re big time. We do a lot of corporate and government-type contracts.”
They continued on in this vein, tossing questions back and forth much the same way they did in emails, and yet it was somehow so much more intimate. Emails didn’t enable you to share a laugh in the same moment, to hear the breathy little sighs and giggles of the woman you were talking to. It didn’t allow you to hear the subtle nuances in the person’s voice, or to hear what was unsaid as well as said.
“If I could, I would spend the rest of the night talking with you, but I’ve got to be up bright and early,” he finally said.
“Me too. I’ve got patients, you’ve got clients.” She paused for a moment. “You want to call, same time tomorrow?” That hint of shyness, uncertainty was back in her voice—did she think he would say no, after all this? He wondered why she was so insecure, what it was she was worried about that he wouldn’t like, but he didn’t press.
“Of course. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Goodnight.”
****
That night, she dreamed of Ryan. Of walking on the beach with him, hand in hand, the moon rising up over them like a guardian, to light their path and watch over their love. His sandy hair was tousled by the night breeze that crooked grin from his profile picture on his face. But instead of his eyes being sleepy and sexy, they were filled with affection as he stared down at her, as they poured their souls out to each other on that moonlit beach.
When he took her in his arms, when the warmth of his fingers seeped into her body and his lips pressed gently against her own, she felt it was the most natural thing in the world. He caressed her curves lightly through the summer dress that she wore, and didn’t seem to mind that she was more ample than most. And when he slid the straps down her shoulders so that the dress pooled at her ankles, she didn’t feel the least self-conscious.
He made love to her slowly, tenderly, her orgasms crashing over her like the waves smashing against the rocks near the surf. It was sweet, it was agonizing, it was everything she’d ever wanted.
And when she woke up, she carried that dream close to her heart, and it warmed her for the rest of the day.
****
“I had a dream about you last night.”
“Oh?” They had been talking for nearly forty-five minutes, and this confession had come from the left field. But rather than making him feel uncomfortable, Ryan was intrigued. “What about?”
The hesitation on the other end of the line only intrigued him more. “Umm… we were walking on the beach, at night. Holding hands.”
“A moonlit beach walk?” Ryan couldn’t help but be touched that she had dreamed of him in that kind of setting. “That must be your romantic soul coming out,” he teased.
“Oh, like you don’t have one yourself,” she protested, but he could hear the laughter in her voice, and knew she wasn’t upset.
“So, what did we do? Just walk?”
“We walked, and we talked, just like we always do, except you were there in person.” She gave a little sigh. “Your hand was warm against mine and when you kissed me—”
“Kissing?” Ryan grinned. “Was I any good?”
“You were terrible. Kissed like a fish.” Her tone was slightly petulant, and he knew she was annoyed because he interrupted, but he couldn’t help laughing.
“Mwah, mwah, mwah.”
“Oh hush.”
“You know you liked it.”
Susie laughed. “You were a great kisser. And…” she trailed off, and if he had been a fox, his head would have come up and his nose would have started twitching. She was holding back something.
“And?” he said after a moment of prolonged silence.
“Nothing really,” she said lamely.
“It’s okay, Susie,” he soothed. “I won’t laugh, no matter what it is.” And at this point, he was just about dying to find out what it was she’d dreamed that made her so uncomfortable that he’d stuff a log down his throat to keep that promise.
“We… umm…” she cleared her throat nervously, and he marveled that he’d never heard her sound so vulnerable before. “You made love to me. In the sand.”
“Really?” He sat forward in his chair, his blood kicking up a notch at the very idea. “That sounds… sexy. What did we do?”
“We were just standing there, kissing near the surf. Your arms were around me, and you were so warm. I… you slid my dress down my shoulders.” Her voice grew a little breathier with each word, and his blood began to pump a little faster.
“Were you wearing anything underneath?” he murmured, and Suzie shivered at the husky note in his voice. She’d been terrified of confessing this to him, had known it would eventually come to this the moment when she’d foolishly blurted out that she’d dreamt about him. But rather than being repulsed or shocked, he seemed interested… maybe even excited.
“You would think that I might’ve had a bathing suit on underneath or something, but no. I wasn’t wearing anything.”
His cock grew hard at the thought of her standing naked before him in the moonlight, even though he had no idea what she looked like. “Did I touch you? Kiss you again?” he prompted, wanting to hear more.
“Oh yes,” she breathed. “You kissed the breath out of me, and pushed me down into the sand, with your hands all over me.”
“Can you imagine me doing that now?” he asked. “My hands on you now, on your breasts, teasing your nipples?”
“Mmm, yeah.” She put the phone on speaker, then slid her hands up her shirt, beneath her bra, to do just that. “It… feels good.”
“Can you flick your thumbs over your nipples for me?” He heard her breathy little moan. “Just like that, Susie. Like that. Can you imagine me doing that to you? Does it feel good?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Suzie moaned as she reclined against the pillows on her bed. Moisture gushed between her thighs at every flick of her thumbs against her nipples. She should have been mortified, should have changed the topic of conversation immediately, but she wasn’t, she couldn’t. Phone sex had always been a fascinating concept to her, and since she’d seen his picture she could visualize him perfectly as she touched herself.
“What color panties are you wearing?”
“They’re pink.” She fingered the lacy edge beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms. “Pale pink.”
“I want you to dip your hand beneath them, and touch your pussy. Can you do that?”
She sucked in a breath, and was just about to do as he wanted when her phone buzzed, signaling an incoming call. Yanking her hand away from the waistband of her pajamas, she snatched the phone up and checked the Caller ID.
“Damn it,” she sighed in frustration. “Can you hang on? It’s my work.”
“Sure.” He sounded slightly on edge, but she figured that was probably part and parcel of sexual frustration.
She took the call, and then with a somewhat heavy heart switched back to the other line.
“Ryan? I’m really sorry, but I’ve got to go. They’re slammed at the ER tonight and they need me back.”
“That’s okay.” He cleared his throat, and when he spoke again his voice had lost some of that huskiness. “I understand how important your job is. Go out there and save some lives, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart. She flushed from head to toe with pleasure—it was the first time he’d given her an endearment. She was going to say goodbye, but a thought struck her. “Are you… do you want to meet?”
The hesitation was back in her voice. “Do you need more time?”
“I… well… it’s not that.” She gave a little laugh. “I can’t give you that excuse after tonight.”
“Then what is it?”
“I just… I’m worried that I won’t be what you expect.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” He sat up straight. “Susie, I’m not looking for a “type”. I’m looking for a woman with a great personality who I feel comfortable with, and I certainly feel comfortable with you.”
“I know… it’s just…” She sighed. “Okay, what do you say we meet tomorrow evening?” She named a time and place.
“I’ll be there,” he promised. “Sweet dreams, Susie.”
“Goodnight.” She hung up the phone, and the slight tremble in her voice only firmed his resolve.
When they met tomorrow, he was going to do everything in his power to show her that she was as beautiful on the outside as he knew she was on the inside. And he was convinced that she was, no matter what she said.
****
Suzie sat on the waiting bench in the restaurant, fighting to keep from biting her lip and ruining her carefully applied lipstick. She’d arrived ten minutes early, not wanting to miss him, and now she almost wished she hadn’t. Her nerves were wrecking her from the inside, and she was terrified that by the time he arrived she’d be a stark raving lunatic and would scare him off.
Don’t be ridiculous. You can hold it together for one more minute. Buck up, girl.
She took a deep breath, tried her best to heed the advice. But it was hard, when she was putting herself into this vulnerable position. If he didn’t show, she was going to shut down her dating profile, quit her job, and join a convent. Yes, that was the solution to rejection. No doubt about it.
She was in the middle of a heated internal debate as to whether or not she should make a run for it when he walked through the door. The breath whooshed out of her in a rush, and she stood up at the same time the Maître de snapped to attention. His sandy hair had been tamed, and what she was sure was a lean and gorgeous body was jazzed up in a tux that had obviously been tailor-made for him. He dripped money, power, and sex appeal, and looked about one hundred times better than he did in the photo.
Yup. She definitely should have run. Eyes darting around, she judged the distance and wondered if she could make it past him and through the door without alerting attention, then scoffed at herself. With her bulk? Fat chance in hell.
“Mr. Marshall.” He stepped out from behind his little podium thing and actually sketched a little bow. “It’s a pleasure to welcome you back again.”
“Thank you.” Those deep brown eyes looked around, then smiled as they settled on her. “Suzie?”
She didn’t know how he was so certain of her identity, but she knew she would look like the biggest idiot if she tried to deny it now. “Hi Ryan.”
“My God.” He stepped forward, his eyes drinking her in. She was like a really, really sexy porcelain doll, with milky pale skin that was contrasted by the black satin halter dress flowing around some really great curves, and the vivid green eyes that were wide in her rounded face. Gleaming chestnut curls were piled on top of her head, but one or two were left to hang down and kiss the sides of her neck, where his lips were itching to be. The roses in her cheeks kept her paleness from being unattractive, and the halter-top showcased a pair of large, lovely breasts that looked ridiculously edible. “You’re gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.”
Her mouth formed a small o. Grinning; he stepped forward and took her by the arm before she could say anything. “This is my date. Do you have the table I reserved?”
“Right this way, sir.”
They were whisked up to a table on the top floor, out on the veranda where they were offered a prime view of the sun ducking behind the skyscrapers as it slipped beneath the horizon. Champagne was served, along with a basket of rolls and butter. Suzie had almost convinced herself not to take one, as she had done the other dates, but remembered that she was supposed to be herself, and so grabbed one and slathered it with butter.
Ryan watched her eyes flutter closed, her lashes brushing against round, rosy cheeks as she bit into the buttered roll with such relish, such abandon. Her red lips provided a ridiculously sensual contrast to the fluffy white roll that it was all he could do not to yank her across the table and into his lap so that he could eat her up.
Susie noticed him watching her, the look in his eyes so hot she felt a blush spreading across her cheeks. Surely that couldn’t be lust in his eyes… could it? She wondered as she set the roll down.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
He grinned wolfishly. “I’m just thinking that I would give up just about anything to be in that roll’s place right now.”
She laughed, and some of the nerves dissipated. “You can’t be serious.”
The waiter came by, briefly interrupting their conversation as they ordered appetizers and entrees. “Why wouldn’t I be serious?”
She gestured with one hand. “Look at me, Ryan.”
“Believe me, I have looked at you. In fact, I can’t seem to take my eyes off you. I can’t imagine what you think I should see in you, Susie.” He leaned forward so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “But what I do see is a beautiful woman, one who is just as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside.”
Tears shimmered in her big green eyes, and his heart clenched. He was worried he had said something wrong, but her red lips parted into a smile so dazzling that the words were knocked off his tongue just as he was about to ask.
“No one has ever said anything like that to me before,” she said softly. “Or at least no one who’s ever meant it.”
“Then you’ve been spending your time around a whole lot of blind people.” He grinned.
“Either that, or you’re just biased,” she told him as he poured the wine, but she was grinning too.
“Well, then here’s to biased men, and to beautiful women everywhere.” He lifted his glass to hers in a toast.
“I can drink to that.”
They clinked their glasses together and drained them. As the waiter came back with their appetizers, the warmth from both the wine and Ryan’s company flowed through her veins, loosening her up so that she completely forgot to be self-conscious about the fact that she was wearing a curve-hugging dress. It was true that the flowing lines and the black were far more flattering to her figure than any of those baggy outfits that heavy women sometimes wore to try and hide their paunch, but she’d still felt overexposed walking in, even with the shawl around her arms to offer a measure of protection and to try and hide the fact that her biceps were anything but lean.
But they were so busy talking about their lives, sharing the funny details of their day and swapping the most ridiculous stories that her attention was completely focused on him so that she couldn’t think about herself even if she wanted to. Instead, she was enraptured by how warm his brown eyes were; they lit up when he smiled, which was quite a lot, and also revealed to her a dimple in his left cheek that she wanted to lean over and press a kiss to. Her heart sighed in happiness—s
he had to be the luckiest girl on the planet, to be able to spend a night with such a handsome guy in a five star restaurant. And she didn’t have to pay him to do it either!
They stayed there talking long after the waiter had cleared their plates and Ryan had paid their check. Eventually, Ryan suggested they take a stroll in the park nearby to get some air and allow the poor wait staff to give their table to someone else.
“So, did you enjoy yourself?” he asked as they made their way down the path, arm in arm. Susie was very glad that she’d chosen low heels for their first date—Callie had tried to cajole her into a pair of three inchers, but she hadn’t been sure how tall Ryan would be and didn’t want to tower over him. As it was, he stood a good half-foot above her five foot five frame, and so if she did decide to break out the stilettos she knew there would be no issue.
“I did.” Sighing happily, she leaned her head against his arm. “I’ve never had such a great time on a date with anyone before. You’ve made my night, Ryan.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb across her knuckles, and she shivered. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me.”
She sighed again, but this time the sound was heavier. “It almost seems too good to be true, you know? I’ve been looking for a man forever who likes me for who I am and isn’t just looking for a skinny body and a pretty face, and I’ve never been able to find one in real life. Then the first time I set up an online profile I get you, and so far you’ve been everything I could ever want. It’s unreal.”
He squeezed her hand, sensing that she was unsettled. “Honey, if I knew the names of the men who’d burned you so bad I would track them down and give them a piece of my mind. But I can assure you that I’m very real, I’m here, and I’m definitely interested in you, for you.”
She pulled her hand away as they stopped beneath an apple tree. It was spring, and the plethora of pale blossoms crowding the branches practically glowed in the moonlight. “I just don’t understand. You’re a successful businessman with a great life who likely has a body underneath that suit to match your killer looks. Why would you go on an online dating site to find someone when you probably have women falling all over you in real life?”
Learning Curve (BBW Romance) Page 2
