Bell, Book, and Sandals
Page 23
Smiling happily to myself, I snuggled against Ryan as we silently watched the lights of the Hotel DenMark’s floors slowly change. Once again, I felt tipsy in Ryan’s presence. The fear which had been crawling through me as I left the apartment had disappeared the moment I looked into his eyes.
I was feeling better than I’d ever felt before. Lighter, like all the weight had been lifted of my shoulders. It was amazing the way he could make me feel. Then again, this night in itself had been amazing.
I still could feel the rush of walking the red carpet on Ryan’s arm. I could still feel the eyes that followed me with awe. It was empowering, all that longing from the crowds. The feeling they would give anything to be me right then. I could feel all of that energy flowing over me and it had made me feel like a god.
I glanced up at the man next to me as the elevator arrived at our destination. So this was what it was like to be with Ryan Everheart. If this was one of the things that came with dating him, I could definitely learn to live with it.
He smiled at me, warm and intriguing, as the doors of the elevator opened. He offered his hand and I gladly took it, slipping my fingers in between his. I suppressed a slight shiver at the coolness of his touch. But I wasn’t too worried. I could probably come up with ways of warming him up.
I mentally giggled. He hadn’t even gotten us in the room yet and I was already thinking those thoughts. I wasn’t that kind of girl. Sure, I flirted a lot, but that’s usually as far as it went. I was a serous-relationship girl. Not a one-night stand. What was I doing there?
Ryan smiled again as he slid the key in the lock, his blue eyes twinkling in mischief.
Oh, yeah. That’s what I was thinking!
Pushing the door open, he pulled me inside, letting the door shut with a loud thump behind us. There we were, alone, and I giggled again before I could stop myself.
He let go of my hand and walked through the suite towards the wet bar in back. “Would you care for a drink?” he asked, his voice as smooth as silk.
I knew I shouldn’t, my head was already mush, but I asked for one anyway. Oh, well. I was young and we only lived once.
“Please, make yourself comfortable,” he said, gesturing to the plush leather couches occupying the floor.
I sat down, leaning back into the opulence around me. Yeah, this was the good life. I didn’t know why I had tried to convince myself that I didn’t deserve it. This was everything I wanted, everything I needed.
I sat there, listening to ice clink into a glass and closed my eyes. I felt a heavy warmth throughout my whole body, spreading out like massaging fingers, relaxing me instantly. Once again, I wondered what was up with me. I never felt this way unless I’ve had a little too much to drink. And I hadn’t had anything harder than a diet soda all evening. I had wanted to remember this night.
I glanced up at Ryan as he sat down on the couch next to me. I smiled as the warmth intensified at his closeness. I was drunk on him. It was his mere presence that was affecting me. Was this what swooning felt like?
“Here you go,” he said, placing a cold glass in my hands.
I stared down at it. The pink-tinted liquid sloshed the ice around the glass. I watched it, trying to remember what I had requested from him. “What is this?” I asked finally.
He looked over at me with a smile. “It’s something fruity,” he told me. “I thought all girls liked fruity drinks.”
I nodded, taking a sip. It was fabulous. Strawberries and cream with warmth that slipped all the way down my throat. Wow, I could drink it like Kool-aid if I wasn’t careful. I took another sip and set it on the glass coffee table in front of me. “I really enjoyed your movie tonight.”
He sat his own glass down next to mine. “Really? I wasn’t too sure about it. Then again, I’m not my biggest fan. Every time I see myself on the screen, I cringe,” he admitted sheepishly.
Who knew an actor could be so modest. “I love everything you’re in. I’ve been a big fan ever since your first movie,” I told him, a little sheepishly myself.
“Thank you,” he said, running his thumb down my cheek. “And I might add, I haven’t known you very long, but I’ve become a big fan of yours.”
I felt a blush creep into my cheeks. Ryan certainly knew how to charm a woman. “Really?” I asked. It was all I could do to keep the word from coming out like a squeak.
“Oh, yes,” he murmured, shortening the almost non-existent distance between us even more. “You’re very special, Maxie Duncan. Even if you don’t realize it.” His thumb traced the curve of my jaw. “No one has honestly ever made me feel the way you do. I feel so alive, so much more than I’ve ever been when I’m with you.”
“Mmmm,” I absently acknowledged his words as I stared at him. His sparkling blue eyes. His perfect nose. These things were demanding too much of my attention this close.
My eyes traveled farther and fell on his lips. His full mouth and his kissable lips. My world had shrunk to the size of his mouth. I wanted those lips against mine. Touching, tasting, connecting us once again.
Ryan’s thumb slid off my jaw and made its way to my own mouth. It slid across my bottom lip slowly, teasing sensation from me and I wondered if it was possible for people to purr.
“Tell me, Maxie, do you feel the connection between us?” he whispered. “Do you come alive every time I touch you?”
“Yes,” I whispered back. There was no point holding back any longer. I was head-over-heels for him and he might as well know it.
“Good,” he said. Then his lips were against mine, enticing emotion from me I’d never thought I would feel again.
I knew I could be happy once more. Everything that had happened to me had brought me to this point. It had brought me into this man’s arms. And I knew in an instant, as my fingers tangled in his silky hair, all the pain, all the shame Stephen had put me through had been totally worth it. I didn’t know why these feeling were suddenly so strong, but I knew I couldn’t fight them. Ryan was my destiny. And I was his. Nothing else mattered.
Ryan slipped a hand around my waist as the other cupped my cheek tentatively, promising more. His tongue darted across my bottom lip, asking a simple question and I answered, opening my mouth. Our kisses deepened as his tongue found mine and he growled softly as his fingers tightened against my back.
I sighed as my fingers knotted in his hair, pulling myself closer to him. His scent, rich, clean, and so very Ryan, filled my senses as I leaned into him, making me even more lightheaded than before.
Ryan pulled back away from me, staring down with heat in his blue eyes.
I started to protest he was too far away from me. I needed him against me once again.
He placed a finger to my lips, smiling, and I instantly went silent.
“Stay with me tonight,” he said, his voice deeper, huskier than before.
I nodded breathlessly, not sure I could form a cohesive sentence.
Ryan grinned as if he hadn’t been sure of what my answer would be and caught my lips with his once again.
I mentally chuckled as I realized he’d been unsure of how I would react. I guess when it came to love, everyone had their uncertainties. But, really, like I’d say no to a night with destiny.
Nineteen