He grabbed Zoe before she could fall, then he heard Elena and Kassie’s voices beyond the door. And finally, one of them opened the door, flipped off the light and closed them inside once more.
He shook his head and laughed. “They can’t be serious.”
“Oh you don’t know the half of it,” Zoe said as she pulled the blindfold off and shook out her hair. “They’re over the top to begin with, but add me turning thirty to the mix and I think they’ve lost their collective minds.”
“Don’t they realize that the light switch is inside the room so we can turn it on ourselves?”
She laughed.
“Or that it’s not quite dark out yet and there’s light coming through the window?”
She laughed again. “You don’t get my family, Ryan. They really just want you and me together. Scratch that. Me and anybody together.”
“Now that hurts my feelings.”
She stepped closer, her body language and sultry tone making it clear she was fully aware of the sexually charged air around them. They had been set up by her family yet Zoe obviously didn’t mind.
“I wouldn’t want you to feel insulted,” she murmured. “Especially when you could be feeling so much more.”
She had a point and the bulge in his pants and desire pulsing through him proved it.
He met her gaze and let his hand caress the soft skin of her cheek. “I think we should get out of here.”
“You’re reading my mind.” Her gorgeous green eyes sparkled with desire, but her serious expression indicated the time for jokes was over. “Unfortunately I live with my parents. The same people we’re looking to avoid.”
He chuckled at the reminder. “Fortunately I’ve got a motel room,” he said, knowing full well the step they were about to take. Zoe Costas was many things, but a one-night stand wasn’t one of them.
“You know you’re the first guy who could use that line on me and not end up flat on his back.”
“Can I take that to mean you’re sure about this?” There were too many issues and feelings for either of them to take this lightly.
She nodded and he released the breath he hadn’t been aware of holding. “Think we can get out the front door without too much of a fuss made by the posse?” he asked.
“No chance in hell.” She stepped on the chair and then climbed onto the tabletop and unlocked the window. “I know you’re a by-the-book kind of guy, but how would you feel about sneaking out the back way instead?”
ZOE COULDN’T REMEMBER the last time she’d had to sneak around with a guy in order to avoid her family, but she didn’t want an audience nor did she want to provide more ammunition for their questions tomorrow. She’d have enough questions for herself come morning.
Somehow they made it out of the restaurant, through the parking lot and into Ryan’s car without being seen. He drove to his motel like someone who knew the area, already comfortable with the New Jersey highways and cloverleaf turns. And now, holding hands, they made their way along the catwalk to his small motel room.
Her heart pounded hard in her chest, her desire for him as strong as her determination to be with him tonight. She just didn’t understand how a man like this affected her so deeply. She didn’t get how she felt so good around a guy who represented the opposite of the unstructured life she enjoyed. Oh she knew he was sexy, but that wasn’t enough to explain the reason she’d come to his motel room after knowing him such a short time.
It was the combination of all of Ryan’s decent qualities that attracted her. Like how he tried his best to understand Sam, a kid who meant nothing to him except a continuation of bloodlines. He treated Zoe’s whole nutty family with respect, when in reality, he probably had every right just to pick up Sam and walk out, and would likely win against the Costas clan in any court. And then there was the tenderness and desire she saw in his gaze each time he looked at her. The same way he was looking at her now.
She sat on the edge of the bed and watched as he pulled off his jacket and shut off the overhead lights, leaving on only one bedside lamp. She swallowed hard and extended one hand toward him.
Ryan strode forward, tall, imposing and breathtakingly male. When he pushed her onto the bed and came down over her, she appreciated the breadth of his shoulders and the strength in the muscles normally hidden beneath his suit jacket. And when his lips came down hard on hers, all the pent-up passion they’d held in check since their first meeting rose to the surface.
Her entire body trembled as she returned his kiss. Letting her eyes shut and her mind go blank, she focused on feeling—his lips nibbling at hers, his tongue tangling and swirling inside the deep recesses of her mouth, and his teeth taking light nips as he devoured her every way he could.
She worked at the buttons on his shirt with shaking hands, eager to get him naked as soon as possible. Apparently he shared a similar goal because at the same time he pulled her shirt upward. She sat back and helped, lifting her top over her head and tossing it to the floor.
Within minutes they were both free of clothing and once more his body covered hers. “Damn but you feel good.”
He nipped at her earlobe and tremors shot straight to her core. Liquid heat trickled between her legs, making her even hotter for him than she already had been.
“You’re pretty impressive yourself. Who knew you hid such a fantastic body beneath those fancy suits,” she said.
He chuckled, then taking her off guard, he rolled so he was on his back and she lay atop him, her breasts heavy against his chest and their lower bodies perfectly entwined.
Skin against skin, his heat seeped into her pores and as he laced his fingers through hers and raised her arms above her head, she suddenly became aware of the intimacy of the moment—the intensity, which she’d never experienced to this degree with another man. Something else she just couldn’t explain away as pure physical attraction.
“Can I ask you something?”
“I don’t see why not,” he said, his breath against her ear.
“Does your need to follow the rules extend to the bedroom?” As she asked, she rose until she straddled his hips, wanting to see his face during this particular conversation.
He burst out laughing, his grin causing somersaults in her stomach. “Are you trying to tell me you’re kinky?”
She shook her head, hoping her cheeks weren’t bright red by now. “I just want to know whether I need to be…restrained.”
A part of her worried that his more conservative past would lead him to want a sedate woman in bed, yet she had a feeling that sex with Ryan would be nothing short of mind-blowing. If so, there was no way she’d be able to maintain any type of pretense. Nor did she want to. With the emotions this man aroused, she needed him to accept her for the expressive, open woman she was.
His warm gaze held hers. “Aah, Zoe, I think I’d be disappointed if you were restrained.” He cupped her breasts with his hands and her nipples grew hard beneath his touch. “In fact, if I didn’t hear loud moans, I’d worry that I wasn’t pleasing you.”
His seductive stare never wavered as he began to slowly massage both nipples between his thumb and forefingers, teasing and arousing her with his deft touch. The desire he built traveled directly from her breasts straight to the damp place between her thighs, making her want to clench her legs together until the sensations built higher and higher. She had to force her eyelids to remain open so she could see his face and absorb his eager expression as he worked his magic on her.
He leaned up on his elbows until his face was level with her chest and without warning, he tasted her breast. His tongue swept over her nipple in luxurious laps, ending with him suckling her until a low purring sound rose from the back of her throat.
“I take it I have nothing to worry about?” he asked in a raspy, but certain voice.
Though she didn’t want him to think she was that easy or he was that good, they both had their answers. She didn’t need to concern herself with covering her reactions or
not being herself. He truly did accept her and the relief she felt knowing that was huge. And more emotionally frightening than she’d bargained for.
“Well?” he asked, still grinning.
She focused on the ceiling as she replied. “Arrogant as you may be, no, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Then I think it’s time we stop talking, don’t you?” He leaned back against the pillows.
She followed so she could kiss him, taking unbelievable pleasure in the taste, texture and feel of his mouth. He kissed her back, tangling his hands in her hair and running his fingers through the long strands. The tugging sensation at her scalp had a rippling, erotic effect in her body. Her throat swelled and her back arched of its own volition, her body seeking deeper contact with his hard erection.
“I want you, Ryan Baldwin.” Her hand snaked between them, slowly trailing down his chest and stomach, ending at his groin. Her fingertips gently teased the head of his erection.
He clenched his jaw and fought not to allow the physical need pummeling him to become overpowering. No woman had ever made him come so close to losing control.
She did. He wondered if it was because she openly challenged every notion of propriety and behavior that had been ingrained in him since childhood or because she wanted him despite it all.
Yet he was going to have to be that by-the-rules man she’d mentioned earlier. “As much as I hate bringing up reality, I don’t have protection. I wasn’t prepared for this.” He should have stopped at a drugstore on the way back here.
She brushed his hair off his forehead. “Not a Boy Scout, huh?” she asked, laughing. “Would you settle for the fact that I’m on the pill and I’ve been tested annually? I’m safe.”
She was hardly that, Ryan thought as he looked into her green eyes. “It works for me if you can accept my word that I’m safe, too.” Never in his past had he had sex without a condom.
He wasn’t lacking for women when he needed a date for an occasion and he knew who to turn to when he desired sexual release. But no woman had ever become a priority in his life, made him shift his focus from his work. No woman had made him stop and take notice.
Then there was this one, who’d caught his eye despite that she stood between him and the end of a long journey—his search for Sam, the young girl who was the answer to his long-held dreams of family.
Zoe threaded her fingers through his. “I accept.”
Which was all he needed to hear. The time for foreplay and talk was over. He eased his hand between her legs, feeling the slick wetness and damp heat that moistened his fingertips. She moaned and clenched her thighs around his hand.
She trembled and sighed, her need aching and obvious. Somehow he managed to roll her onto the mattress and continue what he started, caressing her slick outer folds as she writhed beside him. He came over her and spread her thighs, his thick, hot erection poised at her dewy entrance. Then, placing his hands on her thighs, he locked his gaze with hers and thrust deep inside her waiting body.
She gasped and let out a load moan of satisfaction, tightening around him. He found her slick, warm and snug, everything he’d dreamed of even when he hadn’t known her at all. Unable to wait, he began to move, sliding in and out, a motion she met by grinding her pelvis into him, hard. Her inner walls contracted, milking him with every thrust of his body into hers. They were in sync and each motion brought him closer and closer to release. Zoe’s vocal moans told him she was right there with him.
Seconds before he reached his peak, she locked her legs around his back, bringing him so deeply into her body, he thought he saw heaven. Then he exploded, his orgasm more powerful than he’d expected and lasting longer than he thought possible.
Zoe came at the same time with a succession of cries that ended with her calling out his name and pulling every last bit of energy and emotion from him, as well.
He collapsed on top of her, completely spent and satisfied in a soul-deep way.
“Wow,” she said, her voice muffled beneath him.
“Yeah.” He couldn’t manage more than one word in agreement.
They lay that way for what felt like a long while until the jarring ring of the motel telephone broke into the sound of their heavy breathing.
“Who could that be?” he muttered.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
With a groan of complete regret, he rolled off her to the cold side of the bed and answered the phone. He spoke to the motel operator, trying like hell to suppress a laugh at what the person said on the other end.
“I’m sorry and it won’t happen again.” He somehow spoke in a serious tone. Hanging up, he turned to Zoe.
She lay on her side, spent and still breathing deeply. Her dark hair tangled around her face in stark contrast to the standard white sheets. She was so damn beautiful. He reached down for the blanket they’d somehow kicked off the bed and pulled it over her in case she was cold.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He looked into her eyes as he explained. “The front desk said the people in the next room would appreciate it if we’d keep the noise level down and be a bit…How did the man put it? A bit more restrained.” This time Ryan burst out laughing.
“I’m mortified.” Zoe’s cheeks turned a deep shade of pink and she smothered her face in a pillow.
He propped himself up on his side with one arm. “Yeah? You could have fooled me.” He pulled the pillow off and tossed it onto the floor.
“That phone call doesn’t bother you?”
He shook his head.
She raised an eyebrow and studied him in a way that made him look deep inside himself. At any other time, under any other circumstances, being chastised for inappropriate behavior would have put him on edge, but not here. Not with Zoe. She helped him to loosen up.
To his never-ending surprise, the change didn’t upset him as much as it should have.
Chapter Six
ZOE HADN’T MEANT to fall asleep. In fact she’d planned on leaving Ryan’s motel and spending the night in her own bed. For one thing, she didn’t want to set a bad example for Sam and for another, she didn’t want to create even more memories with Ryan and forge yet another bond between them. In her mind, there was enough binding them already.
But something about being in his arms had felt so darn good, she’d let herself relax and the next thing she knew, the sun was streaming through the window. Since he’d driven her here, there was no way to sneak out and avoid an awkward morning after.
She rolled over and found Ryan sitting on a chair near the small wooden desk, reading over papers. She sat up against the pillows, pulling the covers up with her.
A little late for modesty, but what the hell. “Morning,” she mumbled.
“Morning.” He dropped the pen and pushed the papers aside, then stood and walked over to the bed. Leaning down, he planted a long, thorough kiss on her lips.
Nothing awkward or hesitant about it, she thought, and all her anxieties fled. “That was nice,” she said softly.
He grinned. “Want breakfast?” He pointed to a Dunkin’ Donuts bag waiting on the table.
“You managed to go out, pick up breakfast and get work done, all while I slept?” She glanced at the digital clock, which read 9:07 a.m.
“You were out cold.”
“Because someone wore me out last night.” Her skin tingled with the memory.
He met and held her gaze, warmth and desire evident in his eyes. “Someone wants to wear you out again,” he said, slipping a hand beneath the sheet so he could cup and fondle her breast, arousing her with his touch.
She moaned, making sure to keep her noises more quiet this morning. “I need to get home though.”
“Sam?” he guessed correctly.
“Yep. I never meant to spend the night.” She flipped the covers off and began to scramble for her clothes.
“Why don’t you shower first and then I’ll take a quick one and drive you home?” he asked.
Zoe didn’t know how much time they would have together once his secret was revealed. Once he ripped Sam from their lives. She didn’t know how to cope with all her conflicting emotions and yet somehow she managed to focus only on the here and now. On Ryan and this moment in time.
He obviously felt the same way because he laughed and they did as she suggested. Then they drove back to Zoe’s house, where despite her protests, Ryan walked her to the front door.
Even if she wouldn’t admit it aloud to him, she appreciated that he was brought up to be a gentleman because she was grateful for the few extra minutes alone with him. Unfortunately, she had something to tell him before they parted that would definitely kill the mood. “Zoe…”
“Ryan…”
They spoke at the same time and she laughed.
“Ladies first.”
She hugged her arms close to her chest. “I really don’t deserve for you to be so nice to me.”
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but if you’re feeling insecure, I can assure you that you were amazing in bed.” A teasing grin twitched at his lips, his dimples showing when he allowed a full-blown smile.
She flushed hot, remembering the feeling of making love with him, his body buried deep inside hers, filling her completely.
“Did you know you’re adorable when you blush? Which I’ve managed to get you to do quite often.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“I’m very anti-Mediterranean that way. My olive complexion should protect me from giving myself away,” she muttered.
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