by Calista Kyle
I clumsily reached down and scooted my butt up so could pull the dress over my head. My coordination wasn’t at its peak and I was sure it wasn’t the seductive strip tease I’d hoped it’d be. But judging by the look on Ryan’s face as I sat there in my underwear and panties, it didn’t matter. His eyes roamed over every inch of my body. I didn’t feel shy or uncomfortable with his stare. He looked at me like he was going to devour me. My skin tingled at the thought.
“Do you like what you see?” I asked boldly.
“Quite, but I think I’d like it even better if you were naked,” he said with a wicked grin.
Before I could respond, Ryan reached forward and pulled my panties down my hips. He lifted my legs over his shoulder so he could slide them off. I was totally exposed to him, lying against the sofa, with my legs draped over his shoulder as he kneeled before me. His eyes travelled down my body lingering at the juncture between my thighs, and I saw him lick his lips. Something about the gesture drove me wild and I squirmed under him.
“Impatient are we?” he asked, a devilish twinkle in his eye, before he spread my legs and bent his head down. I felt his warm breath blow against my sensitive skin, sending shivers through my body. His tongue darted out and gently slid against my clit.
God, he was so good at this. I writhed underneath him, his tongue moving in lazy circles, probing every inch of me. My breathing came in short shallow bursts as he concentrated on that bundle of nerves again and again. I started to grind my hips against his tongue as he brought me closer and closer to the edge. Just as I was about to come, Ryan stilled abruptly. He pulled back and I sat there stunned and dazed.
“Wha—? What are you doing?” I asked, shaking my head slightly trying to think through the fog. My body wanted to thrash and scream at him to finish what he started.
“I want to come with you,” he said. He pulled me up and turned me around so that I was kneeling on the couch before him. From behind me, I could hear the jingling of his belt and the soft thump as it slid off his legs and hit the carpet beneath us. I heard the unmistakable tear of a foil packet and then before I could anticipate what came next, he had already thrust himself in. I couldn’t help the loud moan that escaped my lips. He felt so good.
“You feel so good,” he murmured against my ear, voicing out my own thoughts. He rested there for a while, giving my body time to adjust to his size and then began to rock his hips. I arched back, meeting his thrusts in a fevered rhythm. He wasn’t gentle as he continued to drive into me, each thrust harder than the last. I was already so close that when his fingers found my clit, one more thrust was all it took. My orgasm tore through me like a jolt of lightening, blinding me to everything but the pleasure shooting through my body.
I hardly noticed as Ryan found his own release, his low voice grunting against my ear as his fingers dug into my hips. I felt his body shudder before he went still. The room was quiet except for the sounds of our labored breathing. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but I was completely drained. The next thing I knew, I was being carried to the bedroom by Ryan. He smiled down at me before laying me down on the bed. That was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep.
***
“Oh God,” I mumbled to myself, groaning as I rolled over onto my side. It felt like a thousand tiny needles were poking me right at the spot behind my left eyeball. I thought if I could make myself fall back to sleep, I could escape the pain and wake up hang over free. My body wasn’t cooperating with me. When I closed my eyes, I felt a spinning sensation take hold that just made me nauseous. I snapped my eyes open again and sat up gingerly. Luckily the curtains were closed so I didn’t have to deal with any early morning sunlight. Thank God for small miracles.
The first thing I noticed was that I wasn’t in my room. The layout was different, the artwork was different, even the bedspread was different. I also noticed my clothes strewn on the floor haphazardly. My eyes caught sight of my black lace Agent Provocateur bra lying on top of a pair of men’s shoes. Suddenly it all came flashing back to me. I wasn’t in my room because I had come back with Ryan last night. We’d had sex. And now here I was, lying in his bed. I took a peek under the sheets, and confirmed I was still naked.
I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart. It was one thing to flirt and harbor thoughts of him in my own mind, but to actually go and sleep with him? What was I thinking? I couldn’t even truly blame it on the alcohol. I’d wanted him desperately, the alcohol just allowed me to give into my desires.
Now that we’d crossed that line, I didn’t know what that would mean for our budding friendship. Would he regret sleeping with me? Would things be awkward between us? The thought of it made me squirm under the sheets. I had promised myself I wouldn’t jump in and make careless decisions again, but the first time I let myself go, I make one of the dumbest decisions of my life. I burrowed my head in my hands and groaned.
The bed beside me began to stir and I looked up to see Ryan, now lying on his stomach, facing towards me. His eyes were still closed. The only thing for me to do was to go back to my room while he was asleep. Maybe he would be too drunk to even remember what we did last night? I blushed just thinking about it. I couldn’t deny that Ryan was amazing in bed, but it was all the baggage that came with the aftermath that I didn’t want to deal with.
I didn’t think I was a prude, but I’d never had sex with a guy I wasn’t in a relationship with, and I most definitely wasn’t in a relationship with Ryan. Hell, I’d only just gotten out of a serious relationship a few months ago, I wasn’t looking to jump back in. And there was no way in hell I’d be a “friend with benefits”.
I scooted towards the edge of the bed as quietly and unobtrusively as I could, but before my feet could touch the ground, I felt the bed move and heard Ryan’s voice.
“Where do you think you’re sneaking off to?” he asked, his voice still gruff with sleep.
I froze, not sure what to say. Then I felt his hand graze my back, reaching down to my hip where he pulled me back. I turned to face him then. He had that just woken up look, his hair was rumpled and he had dark shadows around his eyes. Even so, he still looked irresistible, especially when he flashed that boyish grin that showed the dimple on his left cheek.
“Listen, I don’t normally do this,” I said waving my hand in the air in front of us. He lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side, a small smile playing on his lips. “You know what I mean,” I said.
“What do you mean?” he asked all too innocently.
“This. Whatever this is. I don’t do it,” I said. The man could be exasperating at times, making me spell it out for him.
“Are you talking about sex? Because I might have been a little drunk, but I think I’d remember if you were a virgin,” he teased.
“Is this really the time to joke around?” I asked.
“Yes, I think it’s the perfect time for it,” he answered.
I opened my mouth to give him a set down, but he waved me off with a careless flick of his hand before turning around and getting up off the bed.
“I know you’re going to say that you’re not the type of girl that has one night stands. You don’t have to justify yourself to me,” he said.
Even though I knew he was speaking to me, I had a hard time focusing on his words. Especially since he was standing naked in front of me in all his glory. He stood tall and proud with his legs spread shoulder width apart and his hands on his hips. There was no modesty or shyness about him.
My mouth suddenly went dry and I took a nervous swallow as my eyes travelled down his broad muscular chest, past his toned abs and down lower…I shook my head and I kept telling myself to look away. Surely I couldn’t be so crude as to stare at him there, but there I was staring straight at him, or rather it. I felt like a teenager who’d never seen a naked man before.
A deep rumbling laugh brought me out of my daze and I snapped my head up to find Ryan looking at me with a look of unholy amusement on his f
ace.
“My eyes are up here,” he teased, using his index and middle fingers to point at his face.
I felt the heat creep up my neck and stain my cheeks in a telltale blush for being caught staring. He took pity on me though, and began to pick up his boxers from where he must have dropped it last night and put them on. I felt immediately relieved and disappointed at the same time.
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t normally get drunk and take girls home either,” he said.
I looked up at him, shock and wariness coloring my tone. “Really?” I asked.
“No, not really, but it seemed like the right thing to say,” he laughed shrugging his shoulders.
“You’re a pig,” I said, throwing a pillow at him. I wasn’t really mad though. It was hard to get mad at Ryan when he was being so charming and looking so sexy. Plus his teasing and carefree attitude did take the edge off my anxieties enough that I could laugh with him.
“Well, in any case remind me never to drink again. Nothing good ever comes of it,” I said.
“That’s a pity. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to hurt my feelings.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Last night was great and all—.”
“Oh, it was great, was it?” he said, grinning at me and perking up.
“No. I mean, yes. I…oh, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” I spluttered.
“Doing what?” he asked trying to look innocent.
“Making me nervous and flustered and acting like an idiot,” I said.
“Do you regret sleeping with me?” he asked, suddenly looking at me intently. Gone was the cajoling tone in his voice or the teasing light in his eyes.
The words dried on my lips as I stared at him. I tried to form the words to answer his question, but nothing would come out. I didn’t even know what to think or how I felt in that moment. Did I regret it? I recalled flashes of memory from last night and the way he made me feel. It was wonderful and even in my most adamant state of denial, I couldn’t deny that. Try as I might to tell myself that it was a dangerous path to walk, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. Ryan had made me feel something that I thought I’d never feel again. The fact that he was a confirmed playboy just proved to me that I couldn’t trust my feelings.
“If you want, I can remind you of what we had last night,” he said, waggling his brows at me. It was almost like he’d read my mind and saw where my thoughts were headed. Even though he was only kidding, a part of me wanted to take him up on it—to see if it would feel the same in the light of day.
“Maybe that’s not such a great idea,” I said, shaking my head.
“Too bad,” he said. He gave me a wink before he turned to head into the bathroom.
When I heard the shower start to run, I took it as my cue to leave. I got off the bed, moving gingerly so as not to rattle my sensitive little brain. I managed to pick up all of my clothes and slip them on without much difficulty. A quick glance at the clock on the side table told me it was just after 9am. With any luck, the girls were still asleep, or so hung over they wouldn’t even remember their own names, much less what I’d gotten up to last night.
Now was not the best time for hashing over my poor choices and what it could mean. My head pounded and I needed a nice long shower and a good scrubbing of my teeth to even feel human again. All those nagging doubts could hold off until then.
Chapter 13: Ryan
I didn’t honestly expect her to still be there when I’d gotten out of the shower. Still, I felt a twinge of disappointment at seeing the empty bed. I’d almost half hoped she’d join me in the shower and left the door unlocked just in case, but she didn’t come.
When I’d woken up this morning, I almost felt like I was still dreaming. Mel was sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching the sheet over her chest, leaving her back completely exposed. It was such an erotic sight, I felt my cock twitch just looking at her. I reached out to touch her, almost expecting her to vanish into thin air as if she were a product of my imagination, but when I felt warm soft flesh beneath my fingertips, I knew that it wasn’t a dream.
Her reaction was a little disappointing, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. She was embarrassed, shy, and a little uncomfortable, and I had wanted to put her at ease. The only way I knew how was to play off last night like it was no big deal. The funny thing was, it shouldn’t have been a big deal to me. I wasn’t a stranger to the opposite sex and it wasn’t the first time I’d woken up with a naked woman in my bed, though not for several months now.
Mel was nothing like the other women I’d been with. She looked like she was ready to bolt at any moment. I guessed it was all for the best anyways. I didn’t exactly have a great track record when it came to relationships, and should have counted myself lucky that Mel wanted nothing to do with me. Well, not all of me anyways. There were other parts I was sure she’d be more than pleased to be reacquainted with. The look of desire in her eyes as she looked me up and down spoke volumes and I would have given her what she wanted if she’d only said the word. But she didn’t.
Now she was gone and would probably try to avoid me until the wedding. I told myself that I should let her go and forget about her, but I found it harder and harder to do. I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. What was it about her that got under my skin so much? Maybe she did me a favor in darting out here like she did.
I finished getting dressed and headed out of my room. The guys were in the suite next to mine and I made my way over there. It was already 9:30am and we had a flight to catch later that afternoon. When I walked in, it took me a minute to make sure I was in the right suite. The place was a mess, which surprised me because Roman and the rest of the guys weren’t usually such slobs. There were empty liquor bottles strewn on the floor, food wrappers left on countertops, pillows and blankets lying haphazardly on the floor. I half expected to see a tiger come stalking out of one of the rooms. When I walked further into the suite, I found Rob and Roman splayed out on the couch, just barely awake.
“Morning sunshine!” I yelled, smiling at them brightly. “Time to get up!”
“Oh, bugger off,” Rob mumbled before covering his face with his pillow.
Roman tried to sit up and glare at me at the same time, which proved to be too much for him. He slumped back down onto the couch with a loud groan.
“You two look like hell,” I said.
“I feel like hell. Why are you looking so chipper this morning?” Roman asked.
“Where’s Nicky and Mark?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“Who knows?” Rob muttered.
I plopped down on the couch next to Rob’s head and leaned back against the cushions, enjoying this rare opportunity to needle Roman and Rob. As long as I’d known him, Roman had never been hung over, at least, not when I was around. Yet here he was, looking like a mere mortal.
“I was thinking we should get breakfast. I’m starving and could kill for a three cheese omelet with sausage and bacon and peppers, or maybe some blueberry pancakes with a dollop of butter and smothered with maple syrup. Oh, I know, I’ll have to get the corned beef hash with some onions—.”
“Oh, shut up about the food, will you?” Rob groaned.
“You never answered my question,” Roman said, pinning me with a shrewd look. “Why are you so smug this morning? What did you do last night?”
“I didn’t go overboard like you two seem to have done,” I replied.
“I seem to recall you leaving the club,” Roman said. “Who’d you leave with?”
“A gentleman never kisses and tells,” I said.
I didn’t want to broadcast to everyone that I’d had sex with Mel. For one thing, she seemed to be uncomfortable with that fact. For another, I had to work through my feelings for her first. They seemed to be running the gamut this morning. On minute I was grateful for her hasty exit and avoidance and the next, I couldn’t help but recall scenes from last night and the way s
he fit so perfectly in my arms. I couldn’t believe I was actually contemplating taking my chances with her and seeing where things would go.
Even though she was trying to fight it, I knew she must have felt something for me too. The way she reacted to my touch and the look in her eye told me she wanted me. That was something at least. Maybe it could be something we could build on. Once we were back in New York, I’d decided to see her again. After all, it wasn’t like I was proposing marriage. What was one little date?
“You’re being awfully vague,” Roman said. “Why won’t you tell us who it was?”
“Does it matter? What if I don’t remember her name?” I said, feeling my annoyance rise. The last thing I needed right now was to discuss this with Roman. He was too protective of Mel and would have me offering her my hand in marriage before I even took her on a proper date.
“You never change,” Roman said.
“Where’s Lily? I’m surprised she’s not with you this morning,” I said, trying to change the subject by bringing up his fiancé. It worked. His face darkened and took on a scowl.
“She’s not here,” he said. I threw him a questioning glance, waiting for him to continue. “She’s with the girls,” he added petulantly.
“Ok, did you two get in a fight?” I asked.
“No, we didn’t.”
“Then why are you in such a sour mood?”
Rob started laughing and pulled the pillow off of his face. Roman sat and glared at him, but said nothing. I looked between the two of them waiting for someone to enlighten me.
“My dear sister and her partner in crime, Candace, forbade Lily from leaving with Roman. They told him flat out to get lost,” Rob chuckled. “You should have seen his face when they said that. I don’t think anyone’s ever said that to him before. He didn’t know how to act and just stood there stunned. They were all gone by the time he came out of his stupor.”
“Ouch. Denied from his own fiancé. That’s harsh. I guess that’s why you decided to come back here and tear up the room?” I said, amusedly.
