After a full minute, he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Can I?” he asks.
“Just one.” Wow, I really have drunk too much.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll never forget this sight, but just in case…” He shrugs his shoulders.
It’s not the first time I’ve been asked to have my photo taken, but it is most definitely the first time I’ve agreed. I know without a doubt that the photo is for Ryan’s eyes only. I trust him implicitly. I watch him as he takes the picture, then puts his phone on the unit, before stripping out of his clothes. I can’t take my eyes off him as he reveals more of his perfect body for me to gawk at.
Once his boxer briefs hit the floor, he looks back at me and smirks. “You like my body, don’t you, Molly?” he asks quietly.
“You have no idea. I’d like it better if I could touch it, though,” I say as I reach out to him, but he doesn’t move.
“What is it exactly that you want to touch?” The more he talks, the lower and sexier his voice gets, making my mouth go dry. I watch as he slowly lifts one hand towards his head. “Do you want to be running your hands through my hair like this?” he asks as he brings his hand to rest of the back of his neck. “Or would you rather be doing this?” His hand slowly runs across his chest and down his stomach towards his straining dick. I can’t help the groan that comes from me as I watch the show. “Or is it here that you want to touch?” he asks, wrapping his hand around himself and slowly moving it up and down his length. The sight of him pleasuring himself in front of me sends an electric bolt straight through me.
“Oh God, that’s hot,” I groan.
“Show me how ready you are for me, Molly. Spread your legs and touch yourself,” he demands, and I do it instantly. When my fingers touch my sensitive flesh, my moan of pleasure is drowned out by Ryan’s growl and, before I know it, my fingers have been replaced by his and I’m once again flat on my back with him hovering above me.
My orgasm is about to rip through me, but Ryan pulls his fingers away at the last minute. “No,” I complain.
“I want you coming around my cock, Molly,” he says, as he lines himself up with my entrance.
He slides into me painfully slowly until he’s balls deep and whispers in my ear, “This isn’t going to be gentle. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” I breathe. I’m more than ready for what he’s about to give me.
He pulls out almost all the way and I see his muscles tense as he prepares to slam back into me, when both of our heads snap towards the bedroom door at the sound of Tenacious D’s ‘Fuck Her Gently’ booming through. Ryan looks back at me and we both burst out laughing.
“I love our friends,” I say, once my laughter has died down.
“Mmm…I love you more.” Those words are all it takes for the song and everything else to be forgotten, and we lose ourselves in each other for hours.
I stretch my body out the next morning when I wake up, and all my muscles pull from our late-night activities. I haven’t been to a pole-dancing lesson for a few weeks because I haven’t been feeling up to it, and the lack of exercise is starting to show.
Ryan’s still sleeping next to me if his soft snores are anything to go by, so I carefully roll over and go to get up. The moment I stand, my stomach turns over and I have to run to the ensuite.
I sit back on my heels after emptying my stomach and realise I feel much better for it. I’m just about to stand when I hear Ryan walk up behind me.
“Did I just hear you being sick, Molls? Are you okay?” he asks, the concern clear in his tone.
“Yeah, I’m fine now. I guess it was just too much food, wine, and excitement last night,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders as I go to the sink to brush my teeth.
We walk down to the living area hand in hand thirty minutes later. No one else is awake yet, so we quietly go into the kitchen and put the kettle on so we don’t wake Jax, who’s asleep on the sofa. I didn’t hear anyone go to bed last night. I’m unsure if that was because I’d fallen asleep or if I was still being thoroughly distracted by Ryan. I’m sure if it’s the latter, someone will say something about it, because we were not quiet—I remember that much.
“Coffee, please, love birds,” I hear Jax say from the sofa when the kettle pings.
“Morning,” I say, smiling at him when his head pokes up over the back of the sofa.
“I understand why you both look so happy, but how do you look like you’ve had a full night’s sleep? We all know that wasn’t the case.”
“Sleep is overrated,” Ryan mutters as he pulls the milk from the fridge.
“God, I miss sex,” Jax complains as he gets up and pulls his jeans on.
Everyone else appears over the next couple of hours, most looking the worse for wear. I understand why when I pick up the empty tequila bottle and shot glasses from the coffee table later that day.
Needless to say, Ryan and I get no end of grief about our performance last night—and well into the early hours this morning, if what they all told us is anything to go by.
It’s late afternoon before everyone starts heading off. My brothers pull up outside the house as Ryan and I say our goodbyes to Jax, who is the last to leave. “No peace for the wicked,” I mutter to myself.
“Hey, good to see we aren’t interrupting anything this time,” Daniel says with a laugh.
“Nah, they wore themselves out last night,” Jax shouts over to us from his car.
Daniel barks with laughter while Steven looks mortified at having to be part of yet another conversation about my sex life.
“Jax,” I shout back, making him look up at me. “You’re fired!”
“Yeah, whatever. You couldn’t cope without me now, and you know it,” he shoots back, jumping in his car and heading off.
When we get upstairs, I notice that Steven is carrying an envelope. “Are those the papers I have to sign?”
“Yes, it’s all as you requested.”
“Great,” I say sarcastically, because I’m still not completely happy about getting involved with the business, but at least I got my way with having a smaller share than my brothers.
They don’t stay very long, which I’m relieved about. It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with them, because I do, but right now I’d much rather be cuddling with Ryan on the sofa in front of soppy Christmas films.
Chapter Seventeen
Molly
Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year. I can’t help it—I feel like a child again. I’m going to be spending tomorrow with all my favourite people, including my amazing boyfriend. I still can’t believe I have everything I have ever wanted, and that the person who has given it all to me is Ryan.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Just excited about spending Christmas with you.”
“I’m so glad we managed to get out of spending tonight at the Morrisons’. I don’t think they’d have been too happy about being in the same house as us with the things I have planned for you tonight,” Ryan says as he walks back over to the sofa with our drinks in hand. He places them on the coffee table before lying down in front of me and pulling me against his body. His lips find mine and, within seconds, his tongue is exploring my mouth.
After a few minutes, his phone starts ringing on the coffee table. Groaning into his mouth, I go to pull away from him, but he mumbles to ignore it and continues kissing me.
No sooner has his phone rang off than it starts again. Eventually, I manage to detach Ryan’s lips from mine to get him to answer it.
“Ugh, it’s my mum,” he says, putting it on silent and placing it back on the coffee table, but it lights up again before he gets to put it down.
I can see from the photo on the screen that it’s Abbi this time. “Just answer it.”
He grumbles as he sits himself up before swiping the screen and putting it to his ear.
“Abbi, what’s—” He’s cut off by something she says, but I can’t make her out. “Shit, he’s okay though
, right?” Hearing him say that gets my heart beating faster. “Are you sure she isn’t just using this as a good excuse to get me there, if he’s okay?”
I continue listening for a few minutes before he agrees to whatever it is they’re talking about and hangs up. When he turns to look at me, a wave of disappointment washes over me, because I know what’s coming from what I overheard.
“My dad’s had a heart attack.” I suck in a breath. “He’s fine—it was mild and he’s recovering well, but they want me there. I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to go.”
“It’s okay, I understand. They’re your family—you need to be with them.”
“You could come?” he asks tentatively.
“No. I’m sorry, but it’s Christmas, and I really don’t want to see your mum. Not yet, anyway.”
“It’s fine, I shouldn’t have asked. I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say sadly. “You’d better go and pack some stuff.”
I can’t believe how, in the space of two minutes, all my earlier excitement has completely vanished, and I now feel empty, knowing I’m going to be spending Christmas without Ryan.
He seems to be packed and ready to leave in no time. All I want to do is cling onto him and beg him not to go, but I know that it’s irrational, unfair, and selfish. His dad is in the hospital; he needs to be there for him and his family.
“I want you to take these with you and open them in the morning,” I say as he zips up his suitcase, his Christmas presents in my hands.
“We could open each other’s now, before I go,” he suggests.
“No, I want you to open them tomorrow, whether I’m with you or not.”
He walks over to his wardrobe and pulls out a bag. “You have to open yours in the morning, then,” he says as he hands it over, and I swallow down the lump in my throat I’ve been trying to fight. My eyes sting and I pray I can hold them off until he leaves. “Oh, Molls, please don’t get upset. You know I’d rather stay here with you, don’t you?”
I just nod at him, my first tear falling. I need him to get going now, because I can’t cope with drawing this goodbye out. I need to fall apart on my own and not make him feel guilty. I wipe my tears and square my shoulders in an attempt to pull myself together. “Right…are you ready?”
“Yeah, I think so,” he answers sadly.
“Come on…the sooner you get gone, the sooner you can be coming back to me.”
“I’m really sorry about this.”
“Ryan, stop apologising. This is not your fault, and you’re doing the right thing.”
“Okay,” he says as he pulls me in for a hug. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you.”.
“I love you, too. Send Abbi and Liv my love.”
“I will.”
With one final kiss, he walks out of our bedroom and out of the house. I can’t bear to watch him walk away from what was supposed to be my best Christmas ever.
It takes a good ten minutes for my sobs to subside enough for me to make my way back down to the living room and the glass of wine and DVD of The Holiday that’s waiting for me. I curl myself up under the blanket and try to forget about everything as I let Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet distract me from my misery.
The film is nearly over when I hear a noise coming from downstairs and the door slam shut. My heart pounds, thinking that he’s come back. I sit up straight on the sofa as I hear footsteps heading my way. My heart feels like it breaks in two when the person that comes into view isn’t Ryan. I immediately burst into tears and run at Susan, who holds her arms out for me.
“Oh, Molly,” is all she says as she leads us back to the sofa.
I pull my face from her shoulder and look into her kind eyes. “Ryan won’t be here for Christmas,” I tell her in a steadier voice than I am expecting.
“I know, angel,” she says softly and wipes a tear off my cheek. “He rang and asked me to come and make sure you were okay. He told me I wasn’t allowed to leave you here alone and that you were to come back with me.” I just nod at her, because the lump in my throat is stopping any words from coming out.
Ryan
A couple of hours later, I’m pulling up in the driveway of my childhood home. Abbi rang thirty minutes ago to say they’d been kicked out of the hospital because visiting hours were over, and that they would meet me at home.
When I get there, Abbi explains everything about Dad’s condition. Everything is positive; he should make a full recovery, but he needs to make a few lifestyle changes once he’s discharged. Mum’s already fast asleep in bed. Today has really taken its toll on her.
I wake up the next morning to the sounds of Mum crashing around in the kitchen like I used to as a kid. When I eventually join her, I see that Abbi and Liv are already there and Mum is just dishing up our traditional Christmas breakfast of pancakes. It’s always been one of our favourite parts of Christmas. Okay, maybe not when we were children, but as the three of us got older, we appreciated it more and more. My stomach’s been grumbling the whole time I’ve been getting ready, knowing what’s happening downstairs.
“Ryan,” Mum squeals when I appear in the room. She walks over and holds on to me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here…I’ve missed you so much.” Her voice cracks and she quietly starts sobbing in my arms. As much as I hate her actions towards Molly, she’s still my mum, and she’s upset, so I soothe her as much as I can.
Once we’ve eaten, Mum instructs us to pack up the presents from under the tree so we can take them to open with Dad.
I feel really bad as I watch my sisters leave the house with bags of presents, because I haven’t bought Mum and Dad anything, and what Molly and I did get for my sisters is still at home. I didn’t think of grabbing them before I left. The only presents I can take with me are the ones Molly packed in my bag yesterday.
I wait as Mum pokes her head around Dad’s door to see if he’s awake. “Merry Christmas, darling,” she sings, pushing the door wider and gesturing for us to follow.
“Merry Christmas, Dad,” the three of us say as we enter the room.
“Ryan. What are you doing here, son?”
“You’re in the hospital, in case you’ve forgotten. I needed to be here for you, old man.”
“Enough of that, please. Come here,” he says, holding his arms out to me. I walk over and gently give him a hug. The others follow suit.
We’re chatting away when a nurse comes in and asks us to leave for a few minutes while they do some tests.
“We’re going to get coffee. Want one?’” Abbi asks as we step out into the corridor.
“Ryan,” Mum says after Abbi and Liv have turned a corner away from us. “Come and sit. I want to talk to you.”
I do as she says, but I’m apprehensive about what she’s about to come out with. If she’s going to say anything about Molly, I think I may just get up and leave. I already hate that I’m spending today without her. I don’t need Mum slagging her off as well.
“Ryan…I’m sorry about what I did. It was selfish of me to try to run your life the way I think it should be. I never should have done it, but at least I know that she’s serious now. I’m sorry to say it, but I thought she’d take it and run. I—”
“You saying that just shows me how little you actually know about her, and what you’re basing your opinions on. She’s not like that at all.”
“I see that now. Let me just say this.” She looks down and holds one of my hands in both of hers. She takes a deep breath before looking back up into my eyes. “I had the shock of my life yesterday. I cannot imagine my life without your dad. He is the other half of me. It suddenly hit me that that could be what I’ve been trying to keep you from having. Okay, so Molly may not have been my ideal woman for you—” I go to interrupt but am stopped by the look on her face.“—but as you’ve said before, that’s not for me to decide, and if she’s your other half, I need to be happy for you. If she makes you even half as happy as your dad has me ov
er the years, then it’s worth fighting for.”
I reach up and wipe a tear that’s fallen from Mum’s cheek while I think about her words.
“Mum…I…I’m completely in love with her. She’s my everything. We’ve been together for a couple of months, and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier.” I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face, actually telling someone that.
“Then you need to make damn sure you are her everything, too, son. I want nothing more than for you to be happy, and if Molly does that, then…I can’t wait to meet her…the real her.”
Wrapping my arms around my mum’s tiny frame, I whisper, “Thank you,” in her ear.
A few seconds later, the nurse appears from Dad’s room, saying we can go back in. We barely sit down before Abbi and Liv reappear with our coffees.
“Did I see you bring presents?” Dad asks us.
“Yes. Girls, do you want to start handing them out?”
I stop them before they make a dive for the bags. “Um…I’m really sorry, but I haven’t got anything for you guys. Mum, I was so annoyed with you that I haven’t actually got you anything…sorry,” I say with a grimace. “And I left yours at home,” I say to my sisters.
“You’re here, and that’s all that matters…and I’m hoping I’m forgiven?”
“As long as you do as you just said, then yes.” I feel three sets of eyes staring between us.
Eventually, Dad breaks the silence by telling Mum he’s proud of her and, just because I can’t hold it in any longer, seeing as today is the day we were going to tell everyone, the words just come spilling out of my mouth. “I’m in love with Molly, and we’ve been together secretly for a while now,” I say in a rush.
Falling For Ryan: Part Two Page 17
