Along for the Ride

by Michelle M. Pillow

  ‘Let’s give them some space,’ Beatrice said behind her.

  The sudden yet unexpectedly intimate contact kept her immobile and Megan ignored her mother’s words. No man had ever dared to kiss her without her implied permission. Her senses became engrossed in Ryan’s touch – the firm yet shockingly soft play of his mouth against hers, the warmth of his palm to her cheek, the heat radiating off his body to contrast with the slight breeze.

  Her arms were to the side, held out from her body, torn between grabbing him and pushing him away. A hand skimmed lightly over her waist as the other one stayed on her cheek. Fingers curled around her ear, tangling into her hair. His parted lips wrapped around her bottom one, sucking gently at it. She waited for him to deepen the kiss, hoping the probe of his tongue would shake her into action.

  Megan told herself she would just wait for the tongue. Men always tried to deepen kisses too quickly. When she felt the deep probe, she’d know it was time to pull away. She could retain her dignity and still be angry at him for daring to presume she wanted him.

  ‘Mmm.’

  She wasn’t sure who made the sound. All thoughts dissipated as his hand slid behind her back, pulling her tightly against his taller frame. Unmistakable heat centred on her stomach. She wasn’t sure if it was hers or his, all she knew was it had been too long since she’d felt it. A thick curtain fell around her senses, trapping her in the insanity of the moment, blocking out everything else. There was no balcony, no parents or siblings in the next room. This wasn’t Ryan. It wasn’t her. They were just two people, joined by the mouth, held in the growing turmoil of irrational desire.

  And it felt so very good.

  Her hands flexed at her side, her fingers stiff as she resisted touching him. His chest brushed hers, and she breathed deeply to ensure they touched again. Pleasure hardened the buds of her nipples and they ached to be free from her tight bra. She wiggled, trying to give relief to the arousal between her thighs. The smooth cotton of her panties became a frustrating barrier, blocking her sex from any stimulation beyond the distant echo of his mouth to hers. Waiting for the feel of his tongue turned to needing it. Megan opened her mouth, ready to accept his full deep kiss. She reached forwards with her tongue, barely thrusting past his lips when he suddenly drew back.

  Megan gasped, frozen with her hands lifted to the side. Her aroused body protested by shaking violently. She blinked, stunned and confused as she stared at him. Her breathing deepened. He pulled further away, taking his warmth and the subtle smell of cologne with him.

  ‘What . . . ?’ she began to question, her voice a whisper.

  Ryan didn’t speak. If she had her guess, she would say he appeared as shocked as she was. Suddenly, he did something she didn’t expect. He smiled at her. ‘Mm, I missed you.’

  Huh?

  ‘Ah, look at you two,’ her mother said behind her. The words were followed by a light clapping sound. ‘I can tell you’re going to be the first to give me grandkids. Just look at the sparks. I’ve never seen anything so electric between two people.’

  ‘That’s the plan, isn’t it, sweetheart?’ Ryan gazed at her.

  Megan’s eyes rounded. Was she dreaming? If so, she’d gladly go back to the fantasy of them kissing – no matter how distasteful it was that her dream included Ryan. Wait, no, she couldn’t be dreaming. The slight throb of a hangover beat along her temple and there was no way her own mind would stop a kiss only to replace it with the sound of her mother’s voice. Megan’s subconscious didn’t hate her that much.

  ‘Kids?’ Ryan prompted when she didn’t speak. ‘I know how much you want them. I, for one, want a huge family.’

  ‘Oh!’ Her mother’s clapping got louder. ‘I’m going to be a grandma!’

  Megan instantly spurred into action. She turned to face her mother, horrified as the woman went screaming into the home to tell the rest of the family. Pointing back at Ryan, her mouth worked, opening and closing several times, before she finally managed to say, ‘Don’t move. You are under arrest for . . .’ Megan looked around, confused, but then nodded once to support her claim. ‘For impersonating a cop’s fiancé!’

  Hurrying into the house to stop whatever insanity her mother had started, she was accosted with an onslaught of surprise.

  ‘Megs, you’re pregnant?’ Sasha asked. ‘Why didn’t you call me?’

  ‘Ah, I can’t believe it. Beggin’ Megan’s going to have a baby!’ Zoe grinned.

  Kat had arrived while Megan was out on the balcony. Her sister grinned at her, a mischievous look on her face. Megan frowned. Kat was up to something.

  ‘Megan?’ Her father’s voice might have been much calmer than the others, but she’d have to be blind not to see the spark of tempered excitement in his eyes.

  ‘I’m not pregnant,’ Megan stated flatly.

  Her father’s expression fell some and she was sorry for it.

  ‘But they’re going to try,’ Beatrice said. ‘And all the women on my side of the family are as fertile as the rainforest.’

  Megan frowned at her mother. ‘No, we’re –’

  ‘I spoke too soon,’ Ryan said behind her. ‘I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.’

  ‘I thought I told you to stay outside,’ Megan growled under her breath.

  ‘Megan,’ Kat interrupted. ‘I just heard the news. Congratulations on your engagement.’

  Megan arched an eyebrow.

  ‘Mom?’ Kat continued. ‘Don’t you think this calls for a reading? Why don’t you brew the tea leaves so we can see what’s in Megan’s future?’

  Megan’s brow dropped into a grimace.

  ‘Oh, you’re right,’ Beatrice agreed as she hurried off to the kitchen. ‘I thought the exact same thing.’

  ‘Walk with me, Meg,’ Kat said, threading her arm and pulling her out to the balcony. ‘You look like you need some air.’

  ‘Kat,’ Megan said under her breath, ‘I don’t know what Ryan told you, but I’m not engaged to him.’

  ‘Don’t be mad that he told everyone before you had a chance to,’ Kat scolded, though she couldn’t seem to contain her smile. ‘I told him he could.’

  ‘I thought you said you just found out.’ Megan crossed her arms.

  ‘It so happens that “just” is a relative word.’ Kat gave a know-it-all grin. ‘And I did just find out.’

  ‘But we’re talking about Ryan Lucas,’ Megan hissed. ‘How can you believe I’d marry him? You, out of all people? You know I don’t –’

  ‘I have a motorcycle,’ Ryan said. Her senses must really be off because she didn’t hear him following them.

  ‘Um.’ Kat let go of her arm. ‘I’ll make sure the two of you have some privacy. Apparently, Mom needs our help planning your pre-wedding honeymoon.’

  Megan watched as Kat patted Ryan’s arm on the way back into the house. A warm breeze stirred against them as they were left alone on the balcony. Megan glanced around, anything to avoid seeing Ryan. The sting of his kiss was too new on her lips. She hated him and she assured herself that fact hadn’t changed, but their kiss had been incredible. Even now her pussy ached. Vibrators only worked for so long. Eventually, a girl needed the feel of the real.

  ‘I give up,’ Megan sighed. ‘I have no idea what’s going on here. I’d say it was a joke, but I don’t find you lying to my parents about an engagement very funny. And I’d –’

  ‘I didn’t lie,’ Ryan interrupted. ‘We are engaged.’

  ‘Did I wake up in another dimension?’

  ‘You said it yourself. Details are irrelevant.’ Ryan’s smile stayed intact, but Megan watched him for other signs – those he wouldn’t want her to pick up on. His eyes twitched subtly and his weight shifted on his feet.

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘We’re relatively close to each other in age. I know because Kat told me your thirtieth birthday is coming up and I’m already thirty-one. I’m unmarried, always have been, and I have no kids. I own a classic motorcycle. The doctor gave m
e a clean bill of health last month and I haven’t had so much as a cold for over a year. I shower daily, sometimes more depending on my workout schedule. I –’

  ‘Are you crazy?’

  Ryan lifted his hand. ‘Ah, don’t interrupt. I want to make sure I address all your points.’ He furrowed his brow in thought. ‘Let’s see, motorcycle, close in age, unmarried, showered, disease free, like women – I do like women, by the way.’

  ‘Good for you,’ Megan drawled sarcastically. Was he serious? Like she’d even consider a psycho who quoted back the list she’d used to put him off. It had taken her a second to figure out what he was talking about, but, when she did, she was torn between horror and laughter.

  ‘Thanks,’ he said, as if she were really having a straightforward conversation with him. ‘Let’s see. I like kids. Then, last but not least, there’s my job.’

  Megan stiffened, instantly thinking of the crime-scene photograph he’d taken of her. ‘What of it?’

  ‘Only that I have a good-paying steady job, unless crime stops any time soon, in which case I can always go back to freelancing for the paper. They even offered me a staff position.’ Ryan smiled at her, looking pleased with himself. ‘So that more than takes care of your list of husbandly demands. I have a job and a backup job.’

  Megan didn’t readily speak. So that was his angle. He was blackmailing her. But why? What did he get out of it? A fiancée? Sexual favours? No, that seemed too crass. She glanced at the window leading into the house. Seeing one of her sisters walk by, she came up with an idea. ‘Who else have you told?’

  ‘No one really. My parents both died when I was younger and I don’t speak to my remaining uncle much. I think it’s been five years since I’ve seen him. He needed money and, when he found out I didn’t have any, he disappeared. He’s not much on keeping in touch. The last I heard he was strung out somewhere in Amsterdam trying to get a job in the red-light district as a male performer. Apparently, even balding middle-aged men with a drug habit have a fan base there.’

  That was it! That was his motivation. He was obsessed with finding a family, even if he had to hijack hers. Monday at the crime scene he’d kept going on and on about her family – how he’d met Kat and Zoe, but not Ella and Sasha. He wanted a family. First, he befriended Kat. Then, he tried to befriend her. When that didn’t work, he turned to blackmail. Now the only question was, what kind of a psycho was he? A harmless needy loser? Or a dangerous sociopath who would see them all murdered in their beds so he could play house?

  ‘I see,’ she said at last. Megan didn’t get a sociopath vibe off him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t one. Those kinds of criminals often adapted to give the appearance of societal perfection, becoming just what everyone needed them to be. ‘Very well.’

  Ryan looked as if he didn’t believe she’d said it. He wasn’t very good at the blackmail thing. Though the look did make her think he was just a sorry loser and not a mastermind criminal. ‘Yeah? Really?’

  ‘It’s what you want, isn’t it?’ Megan crossed her arms over her chest. Damn, but her nipples stung.

  Unsure what she was going to do with this turn of events, she did know things would go a lot easier for everyone if the crime-scene photo stayed out of the newspapers. Not many things scared her and Ryan was no exception. At worst, she’d have to hold out until the trials were over. In that time, she’d study him, learn all she could about him and then deal with him accordingly.

  ‘Hey.’ Kat slid open the balcony door, her finger hooked through two teacup handles. ‘Mom wants you both to drink these.’

  ‘What is it?’ Ryan asked.

  ‘Tea.’ Kat laughed and shook her head as Ryan started to decline. ‘You have to. She’s going to read your future in the leaves. She says it works better when the person who she’s reading drinks from the cup as they think of their future and themselves, as opposed to her concentrating on the person or situation as she drinks it herself.’

  ‘Is this for real?’ Ryan glanced at Megan.

  She met his eyes, not answering. She took the tea from Kat and gulped back the hot liquid. It burnt her mouth, sending fire down her throat, but she refused to let her suffering show. Her cup empty, she gave a small gasp. Then, mumbling under her breath, she said, ‘I need a beer. If I’m going to be forced to do this, I might as well not remember doing it.’

  Ryan’s knees weakened as soon as Megan left him alone with Kat. His heart beat fast and he felt as if the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. Megan wasn’t happy. Could he really blame her though? He’d weaselled his way into her life, become her fiancé, told her parents and talked about making babies.

  I’m insane, he thought. There is no other way to explain it. I’ve gone crazy.

  ‘I think it went rather well.’ Kat slapped him on the back.

  ‘Well?’ Ryan choked. Tea sloshed over the side of his cup, running hot down the back of his hand. ‘I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. It’s crazy. I just declared myself engaged to a woman who can’t stand to be in the same room as me. She’s in there getting drunk to forget I exist.’

  ‘Hey, look on the bright side.’ Kat tilted her head towards the edge of the balcony. ‘She didn’t throw you over the edge. It’s a pretty good start.’

  ‘This was a stupid idea. What were we thinking?’ Crossing over, he leant to look over the side of the building. From the angle, it felt almost as if he could step upon the stone wall and walk down. Gravity pulled his hair as he watched people walking through the narrow street below. He wished he had super powers and could fly down into the oblivion of the city. ‘She will never love me.’

  ‘Love?’ Kat asked. When he looked at her, her face paled. ‘Oh, Ry –’

  ‘I said like,’ he lied. ‘She will never like me. Not like this. Never like this. What were we thinking?’

  ‘I’ll tell her I did it. I told our parents the news before you got here and you were too confused not to go along with it.’ Kat paused. ‘No, that won’t work. She’ll ignore you again. We need something. What did she say? Anything?’

  ‘She said OK.’

  ‘OK? Are you sure it was OK?’ Kat asked.

  ‘She said, “Very well”.’

  ‘Oh, that’s not good. OK would have been OK, but very well is not very well.’ Kat frowned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. ‘I’ll need to get Zoe to help me and maybe Sasha. Mom’s planning a big trip for everyone – everyone but Ella. She couldn’t make it home after all.’

  He said nothing.

  ‘Can you get the next month off from work?’ Kat asked.

  Ryan nodded. ‘The captain called me into his office this morning when I dropped off the museum crime-scene photos and said they’d hired some new guys to take some of my workload. They’re training them to weed out the ones who won’t stick with it. If I didn’t know better, I would think I was being punished for something, but really they’re just giving me a break since I’ve been doing the work of three men.’

  ‘Perfect. I’ll convince Mom to pick a place out of the city, somewhere romantic and secluded, so you two can get plenty of alone time. Vincent’s his own boss and can do whatever he wants, so I’ll make him come with us. You could use a guy around to back you up. If he complains about missing work, I’ll just buy him a bug-catching net.’

  ‘Where is Vincent, by the way? I thought you said he was coming today.’ Ryan glanced inside, only to find Sasha and Zoe staring back at him, grinning. Zoe lifted her hand, wiggling her fingers in a little wave.

  ‘Oh, something to do with dignitaries and African fire ants.’ Kat waved her hand dismissively. ‘All I know is I sent him a naked picture earlier on his cell phone, so he’ll be home on time tonight.’

  Ryan chuckled.

  ‘Hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to get her husband’s notice.’ Kat winked. ‘I know he loves me, but I swear I’m the only woman in the world who has to fight a bunch of bugs for her husband’s attention.’

  ‘V
incent would give it all up for you,’ Ryan said quietly. ‘I’ve seen it in the way he looks at you – once that distracted look he gets wears off, that is.’

  Kat gave a small girlish giggle. ‘It is adorable, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yeah. Adorable.’ Ryan’s tone was dry.

  ‘Oh, sorry, forgot. I’ll save that talk for the girlfriends.’ Kat cleared her throat. ‘OK, so here’s the plan. We will go in. Ignore Megan for the most part. She’s drinking and surly. The goal right now is to get to know my parents. Don’t worry, they will all love you. Dad likes anyone who he thinks makes his daughters happy and Mom just likes everyone. We will have dinner, Megan will drink too much and you will get her home on your motorcycle.’

  ‘I don’t have a motorcycle.’

  Kat grinned, reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys. ‘You do for tonight. I have a friend dropping his bike off in front of the building for you to use. This is the spare key. Just make sure you don’t crash. Jack will kill me if anything happens to it.’

  ‘I don’t have a licence to drive a motorcycle,’ he insisted.

  ‘Well, don’t tell Megan that. She’s a cop and wouldn’t think twice about having you arrested for it.’ Kat giggled. ‘Now, gulp that tea and get inside. If I know Mom, she’ll have nothing but glowing things to say about your future with our Megan.’

  Chapter Three

  ‘Ohhh.’ Beatrice’s loud sigh fell over her family as she turned a teacup in her hand, staring down into its depths. ‘This is not exactly what I . . . Oh. Hmm. Well? Maybe, but, oh.’

  Megan blinked, looking up from her place at the table. She slouched back in her chair, her feet sprawled forwards. The dinner Zoe had prepared for them – a masterpiece of garlic zucchini, baked tortellini and bread with basil-flavoured olive oil for dipping – had been devoured to the last bite. Megan especially enjoyed the intense ruby-red wine her chef sister had brought from the Italian restaurant she worked at. The liquor left her feeling warm and sleepy, not to mention the dulling effect it had on the arousal Ryan stirred inside her with his surprisingly expert kiss.