‘I should have known you’d turn this into a Megan night.’ Zoe laughed. ‘I was such a sucker when you told me this was a ladies night makeover party.’
‘What?’ Kat stood, showing off her tight vinyl police uniform with the too-small shirt, high-cut shorts and utility belt. ‘I call this a makeover.’
‘I don’t think stripper was too far of a leap for you,’ Sasha mused. She wore a militant black leather dominatrix costume, complete with shiny cap and whip.
‘And bossy not too far for you, college girl,’ Megan said, kicking her bare foot out at Sasha who sat on the floor.
‘I can’t believe you didn’t put on your outfit.’ Kat pouted. She was the only one not drinking, but didn’t seem to care.
Megan sat up, revealing her plaid pyjama pants and tight tank top. She grabbed the old-fashioned nurse’s uniform and held it up for inspection. ‘Do I look like a compassionate caregiver?’
‘You might turn into one, if you put on your superheroine costume,’ Kat said under her breath, but not so quiet they couldn’t hear.
‘Super like me?’ Zoe jumped up, dropping her quilted blanket as she put her fists on her hips, lifting her chin. A long cape fluttered behind her tight spandex bodysuit. The bright colours were hard to look at for too long. ‘Super chef!’
‘Super slut,’ Sasha mumbled, giggling.
‘Ha, ha,’ Zoe answered, sitting back down and tugging the quilt around her shoulders.
‘Why don’t you go get us more food, super chef?’ Megan handed an empty dip bowl to Zoe. ‘And don’t forget the chips.’
Zoe got to her feet, grumbling. ‘This isn’t chef work, it’s waitressing.’
‘Ah, but super chef can do anything,’ Sasha said.
The doorbell rang, a long drowning series of tones.
‘Like answer the door,’ Kat said.
Zoe looked down in shock. ‘What? I’m not answering the door like this!’
‘Go on. It’s probably just the male stripper Kat ordered.’ Sasha laughed.
‘You ordered a male stripper?’ Megan sat up straighter, somewhat shocked.
Sasha laughed harder.
‘Megan, you go get it. We’re not dressed.’ Zoe ran towards the kitchen with the empty dip bowl.
Sighing, and somewhat curious, Megan got up, trailing her blanket behind her. Kat said, ‘I can’t believe you actually hired a stripper. I was joking about that.’
‘The whores are in the other room waiting for you,’ Megan said, swinging open the door to look out into the hall. No one was there. ‘Hello?’ Leaning forwards, she glanced down the hall, but saw no one.
‘Megan?’ Kat called.
‘Um, do you have another door?’ Megan shut the front door, frowning.
‘What?’ Kat came up behind her.
‘No one’s there. I’m going to go help Zoe in the kitchen. You should have Vincent check the doorbell. It might be faulty.’
Ryan took a deep breath. She didn’t see him. He never imagined Megan would be at Kat’s house so late in the evening. When he heard her voice, all he could think to do was hide behind the thick plastic plant in the corner. Lucky for him, she didn’t search too hard, just peeked her head out the door. Not so lucky for him, he’d seen her and it was like a shock of cold to his soul. He hadn’t been ready. He told himself he’d have time to prepare for her, and perhaps an inordinate amount of alcohol.
She looked beautiful, her long dark hair pulled into pigtails, hanging over her shoulders at each side of her neck. By her clothes, she was staying the night with her sister. Funny, she’d never done that before. At least she was happy, judging by the quizzical smile on her face. Her words confused him, but more than likely she was just teasing her sisters by calling them whores.
As the door to Kat’s home shut, he reached out and pushed the elevator button. The gift he’d bought in Romania for his friend could wait, as could the pictures he took. The door opened again, just as the elevator dinged. He made a run for it and hit the button for the lobby floor several times.
‘Megan!’ Kat yelled. ‘There’s someone out there.’
Megan turned on her way to the kitchen, spurred into action by the sound of Kat’s startled voice. Without thought, she ran past Kat into the hall. The elevator was closing and she ran towards it, darting out her hand between the metal doors. They tapped her fingers before the sensors picked up her movement and forced the doors to open. Her lips parted, her body tensed ready to face the intruder that caused her sister to panic. Then, seeing him, she froze.
‘Ryan,’ she whispered, surprised to see him. Her extended hand remained lifted between the doors.
‘I can come back when you’re gone.’ He didn’t move, as his body pressed against the rail along the back of the small area.
‘Do you hate me that much?’ She tried to give a small laugh, but the combination of liquor and panic made it hard to think and the laugh never made it past her mouth. She didn’t expect to see him so soon after discovering . . .
Megan couldn’t even force her brain to remember what she’d discovered. He was here now, before her, his hair and light shadowing of a beard scruffy yet irresistibly handsome.
‘I don’t hate you, Megan.’ The soft words were almost impossible to hear. Megan trembled, her eyes drawn to his mouth. ‘I should leave –’
Megan pushed forwards, letting the elevator close behind her as she rushed him. She didn’t think, just acted on instinct. He didn’t hate her. She’d been living in the fear that he’d never think kindly of her again. Not hating didn’t mean love, it didn’t even mean he liked her, but it was something and her hazy mind seized hold.
Ryan didn’t move, didn’t try to escape as she pressed her mouth to his. Megan grabbed the rail on either side of them. The elevator jolted into motion. She sighed against his lips, as they didn’t readily part to let her tongue pass. The familiar smell of him, the press of his tight frame as she trapped him along her body, made her desire for him focus hotly between her thighs.
‘Megan,’ he said, pulling his head back slightly. ‘Stop.’
She heard him, but didn’t want to listen. Breathing hard, she leant away, keeping her hips forwards so they stayed pressed along his growing erection. He said stop with his mouth, but his body had another message for her.
‘I’ve missed touching you,’ she admitted.
‘Megan . . .’ He hesitated.
The elevator continued down. Soon the doors would open and he’d walk away. She didn’t want that. There was no time to talk. She was in her pyjamas and her sisters would worry if she didn’t go back up.
‘I know,’ she whispered, lightly touching the side of his face. ‘We can’t be. I know this and I’m sorry I tried to tempt you. It will not happen again. This was the last time. I promise.’
She drew her hips back. Ryan moved aside and she dropped her hand to let him pass. Facing the mirrored back, she saw her face, the pigtails Sasha had talked her into trying and the overdone black eyeliner Kat had applied when doing her makeup. Though overdone, her sisters had done a good job in their call-girl makeover – all except the nightclothes she wore instead of a nurse’s uniform.
Seeing movement in the mirror, she glanced at Ryan’s reflection. His back was towards her as he pushed a button on the wall. She turned, curious to see what he was up to. The elevator slowed and the doors opened on the thirteenth floor, too far from the bottom to be his stop. Meeting her gaze through the polished metal panels, he reached his hand towards her. ‘The last time, I understand.’
Knowing they had a silent agreement, she eagerly went to him. Her hand slipped into his. He glanced either way before pulling her with him.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, as they passed a closed apartment door.
‘The elevators have security cameras. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position again. But I overheard the security guards on my way up. They’re rewiring the stairwell’s security system.’ He paused at the end of the hall, lea
ding her to the carpeted platform above and below long rows of stairs.
When the door closed behind them, he dropped her hand and turned to face her. Megan tilted her head to the side. ‘Ryan, I wanted to say . . . well, I’m not sure what I wanted to say. There were things but right now I can’t think of them. My sisters are having a slumber party upstairs and they did my hair and we’ve been drinking and I don’t think I’m explaining the things I want to.’
His eyes cast downwards briefly before meeting hers straight on. ‘We never were good at just talking, were we?’
‘No.’ She shook her head.
He cupped her cheek. ‘I got it. This is the last time.’
‘OK,’ Megan whispered, but that wasn’t what she wanted to say. His warm fingers slid down her cheek to her neck, glancing over the strap of her tank top only to follow the line of the bodice towards the top curves of her breasts.
‘We might be bad at words, but we’re good at this part.’
Megan nodded, unable to form a coherent thought. In the back of her mind, a nagging idea tried to surface. There was something she needed to remember, but couldn’t think of what it was. Did it really matter? Ryan was here and he didn’t look like he hated her. A slow smile curled on his features, but didn’t fully reach his serious eyes.
Damn, but he could still make her legs weak with just one look. The rough, sleep-tousled look of his hair drew her hands. She grabbed hold, pulling him forwards. Their lips touched, melding in instant passion. He wasn’t too muscled, like bodybuilders, but very toned. Megan moaned, as his hands slid up her back, keeping her body locked against his. The thin material of her pyjamas was no match for the stiff denim-clad erection rocking alongside her stomach. Ryan’s hands dipped beneath her waistband, squeezing her ass.
Megan turned her face, gasping as she reached to push off her pants, taking the cotton underwear down with them. They fell to the floor, leaving her ass bare. ‘I don’t want to rush this, but I don’t want my sisters to worry and someone could come along.’
‘Mmm-hmm,’ he agreed, working on his zipper. Megan reached to help him, kissing him as she tugged down his pants. Ryan pulled her tank top off her shoulder, stretching it so he could reach her breast. ‘We’ll be very –’ he kissed her lightly ‘– very quiet.’
Ryan stepped forwards, trapping her to the wall. Her body settled into his familiar one. The hard length of his cock pressed against her, as his hands roamed down over her hips only to reach between her legs. Her thighs tightened and he stroked her clit, rubbing it in small circles before parting her slick folds. Just the thought of him made her wet and to feel him was as close to heaven as she’d ever get. And then she realised something. Over the last year, Ryan’s presence always brightened whatever situation she was in.
‘I love the way you smell.’ He took a deep breath, kissing down her throat, groaning in appreciation.
His words kept her from saying what was on her mind, from telling him how he made her feel. Everything she’d been feeling since she realised her emotions couldn’t be put into words. She’d tried, practised what she wanted to say to him if she saw him again, but none of those words formed together now.
Ryan sucked her nipple between his teeth, and Megan squirmed. Reaching down, she wrapped her fingers around his stiff arousal. She stroked the length of him, moaning softly. His finger worked along the rim of her body, dipping inside her sex, working slowly in and out of her opening, rubbing her sweet spot. Focusing his efforts, he twirled the tip of his finger over the sensitive bud. She clamped her thighs down hard on his hand.
‘There isn’t much time.’ She meant the words as more of a reminder to herself. Her stomach tightened and she bit her lip to keep from moaning too loudly. Ryan reached around, grabbing her ass. The motion drew her cheeks apart. Megan lifted her leg to the side, opening herself up to him. ‘I need you, Ryan, please.’
He knew just want her body wanted, always knew how to touch her as if sensing her needs and magnifying them with his own. When Ryan looked at her, she felt like they were the only things in the world. She refused to think of anything else but the moment, a moment she never wanted to end.
Megan held on to his shoulders as he lifted her up. The wall pressed into her back, hard and unforgiving, as the tip of his cock found her entrance. Ryan made a weak noise as he slid into her body. Gasping, she pressed her back into the wall, trying to get leverage as he controlled the pace. With aching slowness, he worked his hips back and forth, staying deep inside her.
‘Nothing makes sense when I’m with you,’ he whispered.
Megan knew exactly what he meant. ‘This position is too hard. Lie on the floor.’
Ryan instantly set her on her feet. They knelt together. He leant back on the small platform, his upper back hitting the bottom of the stairs leading up to the next floor. Megan crawled over him, straddling his thighs. Pulling her hips forwards, Ryan moaned. Their bodies joined once more, his cock seated deeper than before.
As she rode him, he stroked her sex, circling the sensitive bud. Each press sent wonderfully erotic sensations through her. She ran her hands over him, touching his chest and arms, amazed each time they came together at how wonderful he could make her feel. No matter how often they had sex, she never got tired of it. Ryan knew all the right ways to touch her, the right pressure to use. And knowing this was the last time made it all the more bittersweet.
Though she fought her climax, her orgasm hit her hard, slamming into her like a hurricane. Her whole body tensed and her breath caught. Ryan grunted and they couldn’t have timed their releases more perfectly.
Megan tried to hold on to it, tried not to catch her breath, tried not to let her heartbeat slow. But, as the seconds ticked by, and her body came down from the rush of the climax, she had no choice but to get up. She moved to get dressed. It was really over. What could she say? How could she convince him to give her another chance? Then, the thought that tried to surface in her foggy brain pushed through. He was married.
‘What have we done?’ she whispered.
‘What?’ Ryan asked. ‘I didn’t hear that.’
‘I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I –’
‘Wow, let’s not.’ Ryan moved behind her and she heard his zipper as he dressed. She pulled on her pyjama pants, tightening the drawstring. He continued, ‘I think I know what you want to say but, instead of a bunch of apologising or explanations or fighting, how about we just leave it at it’s over. I think we both know that this, whatever it is between us, will never work out. We were both wrong about a lot of things. You said that a man with all those qualities you listed would make you happy and I thought being that man would make us both happy.’
‘Ryan . . .’ Megan turned. He stood before her dressed. Everything she wanted to say meant nothing. Her eyes turned to the floor and she saw a gift bag. She hadn’t paid attention to it before, but now she asked, ‘What’s that?’
‘A gift for Kat. I went to Romania with someone from my building and picked it up for her while I was there.’
Someone from your building? she thought. Don’t you mean Rosa?
‘It’s Vampire wine,’ he said. ‘A cabernet sauvignon. I thought she’d like the novelty of it coming direct from Transylvania though I think you can get it here in the States. I know everyone thinks Italy is the best wine country, but Transylvanians can hold their own.’
Megan smiled briefly. She found it endearing when he started over-explaining – like with the bears in Montana. It was almost a nervous tick.
‘I couldn’t resist buying myself a bottle of each. Luckily, we had a private jet at our disposal so getting it home wasn’t a problem. Their merlot and chardonnay were excellent. And –’ he paused ‘– I’m rambling, aren’t I?’
I like it, she thought. I like listening to you talk about trivial stuff. I like when you tell stories and when your eyes glaze in thought. I like you, Ryan. I want to be with you. But I can’t. Because of Rosa. Rosa, yo
ur wife. Rosa, your rich wife if a private jet is any indication. Though the fact she lives in your building doesn’t make sense if she owns a jet. She’s probably beautiful, too.
Ryan looked at her expectantly. Instead of saying what she thought, she nodded. ‘A little. I never really got the fascination with vampires. They kill people, have no soul, drink blood and live forever as monsters. None of that sounds too appealing to me.’
Especially not right now, her mind whispered. Not with the pain of a breaking heart. Who would want to live forever with such an empty feeling?
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Ryan picked up the bag, his tone lightening as he fell into easy conversation. ‘There’s something sadly beautiful about the concept. Watching worlds fade around you only to rebuild into something else, immortal and eternal. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea – not so much that I’m going to wear a vial of blood around my neck, let alone drink my breakfast. I like bacon and eggs too much.’
‘I shouldn’t have said that about –’ Megan tried again to apologise, not caring that they spoke of other things. The weight of what she wanted to tell him bore down on her.
‘Shh.’ He shook his head. After touching her face for a second, he let go and turned to walk down the stairs. ‘Goodbye, Megan.’
Megan watched him disappear around a corner and heard him continue down. Part of her begged to run after him, to tell him how she felt regardless of Rosa, of the past, of the apology he refused to hear. Swallowing over the lump in her throat, she turned to the door leading to the thirteenth floor. Her feet hit silently against the carpeted hall. It was late and no one was around. The apartments were quiet as she walked past a couple of doors. No one would ever know the secret passion that had taken place in the stairwell.
At the elevator, she pushed the button that would take her to the top, back to Kat’s home. Once there, she found the front door open and her sisters inside changed from their stripper uniforms into pyjamas.
‘What was it?’ Sasha asked.
Along for the Ride Page 19
