Reservation (Preservation Series) (12 page)

She squirmed against me, her nostrils flaring in frustration, but I could tell she was losing the battle. She wanted me, and I could feel it in the way her hardened nipples brushed against my chest and the way her cheeks warmed. Even in the dim light, I could see the red blush I loved, tingeing her cheekbones. She loved the fight just as much as I did, and damn if she didn’t miss me as much as I missed her. “It wasn’t like that, Ryan. But you won’t listen to me, which is why I won’t even bother to discuss it. You just flew across the world to see me, so excuse me if bickering over something so petty isn’t at the top of my list of priorities at the moment.”

“He was touching you. The same guy I heard you with on the phone that night. He wants you.”

“So what if he does? What are you going to do about it?” She gritted her teeth and her jaw muscles clenched beneath my fingers. “You’re around women...beautiful women all the time now. I saw the news this morning, too. Saw the same tabloid story Will was talking about. This is about to be our life—my life—24 hours a day, seven days a week from now on. And you freak out over one co-worker—who I’ll never see again after June, thank you very much—and his harmless crush?!” Suddenly her hands grasped my shoulders and she shoved me back, pinning me to the opposite wall. Her fingers dug into the thin material of my shirt, her eyes fiery lava. “I should be the one interrogating you, Mr. I Knocked Some Brunette Up. You’re being ridiculous!”

“It’s a bullshit story, and you know it.”

“Do I? You were with many women before me, Ryan. If you want me to take you at your word and trust your claim, then I expect the same courtesy.”

“This guy obviously feels comfortable enough to put his hands on you. Was that the first time, what I saw tonight?” I knocked her hands from my shoulders and pinned them behind her, lunging forward to spin her around again so she was facing the wall and at my mercy. I wrenched her arms tighter behind her, pressing my erection into the small of her back. “Tell me, Kate. Was that the first time he touched you?”

“Yes, you stubborn jackass!” She whimpered when I rocked against her, her eyelids fluttering shut. Her cheek was smashed against the wall, head facing to the side.

I wanted to lick every inch of her.

I settled for leaning in and biting her earlobe. She yelped, eyelids snapping open wide. “You swear it.”

“He flirts with me, that’s all.”

I bit her ear again and growled. “Wrong answer, Kate.”

“Is there ever a
right
answer with you, Ryan?”

“Turn around and get on your knees.”

 “Like hell!” she scoffed. “You get on
your
damn knees.”

Fuck, she was playing with fire. “Tempting, but I need to remind you who you belong to.”

A defiant smile graced her lips. “I bet Will would get on his knees.”

She knew she had me.

My entire body went rigid, and I stared at her, momentarily in disbelief. I’m sure it was the exact reaction she was aiming for. She squealed as I pulled her from the wall, keeping her wrists locked tight in my hand, and guided her down the hall into the kitchen area. Just as I was about to bend her over the counter and fuck her senseless, she snaked out of my grip and darted around the small island to reach for the kitchen cabinet.

“Kate...get over here.”

She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, shifting it back and forth between both hands, tongue rolling over her teeth. She was daring me to step closer. “Who I
belong
to?”

I ripped my tie from my neck, my fingers making quick work of my shirt buttons. “You know what I mean.”

“You don’t own me.”

“No, but you do belong to me.”

The glass she was toying with took flight and whizzed past my head, hitting the wall and shattering behind me. I ducked, shielding myself from the sharp shards. “Shit, Kate! What the hell?”

Another glass flew toward me and I jumped to the left, my eyes following it as it splintered into pieces across the room. “How does it feel, Ryan?” She smiled smugly, turning to the counter to snatch a handful of sugar from the sugar jar next. She hurled the white stuff toward me, sending me into a cloud of sticky sweetness. “When I overreact and throw a tantrum? Frustrating, isn’t it?”

I lurched toward her. She already had a handful of flour now. She was making her way right down the line, from one jar to the next. I threw my arms around her and lifted her against me, then turned and carried her to the counter, dumping her unceremoniously onto the cool tile. She managed to toss the fistful of flour into my face. I wiped it from my eyes and cheeks, staring down at her in utter disbelief—she was laughing at me.
Fucking laughing!

Choking on a cloud of flour, I couldn’t control my own laughter. I shook my head and gripped her thigh, jerking her forward so her legs were dangling at my sides. Her giggling softened and she locked gazes with me. I killed the mirth in my voice, although I was sure it was still dancing in my eyes. “Listen to me good, Kate Parker. I never, and I mean
never
want to hear you use the words ‘Will’ and ‘on his knees’ in the same sentence again.” Kate pressed her lips together in a lame attempt to stifle her irrepressible smile. Then she reared a hand back and smacked me hard across the face.

My jaw dropped.

My fingers reflexively reached to my cheek, feeling the sting and the white powder that covered it. And then there were no more struggles, no more laughs, and no more words. I pulled her forward and my mouth collided with hers. She tore my unbuttoned shirt down my arms and I lifted her ass to drag her panties off. Grabbing me by the back of the neck, she shoved me against her and went straight for my fly. I beat her to it, yanking it down and ramming into her so fast it left my head spinning.

We both cried out from the impact, our bodies joining with a sharp jolt. “Lean back on your hands,” I barked through gritted teeth. She did as she was told—finally—and I scooted her closer to the edge of the counter, then started pumping into her, my fingers splayed wide and tight against her thighs, reveling in the ripping sound that came from the crimson material of her dress. Her head rolled back and her eyes drifted shut in pleasure, the tear at the top of her thigh spreading, revealing more milky skin. She kept her weight on one hand and lifted the other to her breasts, rubbing and circling, drawing a deep groan from her lips. “Keep doing that,” I ordered, watching as she groped her chest.

Keeping a solid grip on her hips as I slammed into her, I pried my eyes from her breasts and bent over to run my tongue up her neck and along her jaw line, squeezing my eyes shut tight when I reached her earlobe. She smelled divine. No vanilla, no heavy perfume—just fucking perfection. Every moan, muscle clench, and ragged breath told me she was mine, and I hers. I continued to punish her with ruthless strokes, filling her ear with hot breath. “You belong to me,” I demanded. “Next time someone touches you, remember you’re my sunrise. Remember this,” I hammered her with one fierce strike, jolting her backward on the counter. She howled, clinging to me as if her life depended on it. “You won’t forget, will you, Kate?” Another hard crash, another desperate cry from her lips. “Answer me, baby.”

“No, I won’t forget. Oh, God, please, Ryan...please.”

I slowly withdrew and opened my eyes, pulling back to watch her face, my jaw slack and hands gripping her hipbones. Pure desperation emanated from her dark brown eyes, and I reared forward again, plunging into her with a loud grunt. The world ceased to exist then. There was no sense, no restraint, and nothing more important than maintaining a feverish pace as I pounded my way home, urging her to reach the threshold with me with each fervent motion.

She exploded against me and I spilled into her, giving her every last drop. It wasn’t until I stilled inside of her, my chest heaving against hers, when it occurred to me. “Shit,” I murmured.

“I know.”

“Please tell me you’re still on the pill.”

“Yes,” she panted, kissing my neck with wet lips as she shifted to push herself back, breaking our link.

I slid out of her and reached for a kitchen towel, peeling my clothes off to wash up. She froze and gasped when she saw my chest. “Ry!” Her hand extended to touch my newly inked skin, and she leaned in to get a closer look. “What—when did this happen?”

“Recently. You like?”

Her eyes studied the black outline of a dramatic sunrise, hovering over the peak of an ice-capped mountain, complete with dramatic shading and a group of birds flying off in the distance. The image took up the entire top right half of my chest, spreading and coming to a stop just near the edge of my shoulder and collar bone. With her finger, she traced the image very slowly and gently, almost imperceptibly. But the small amount of contact caused goose bumps to spread across my skin. “Was this...I mean, all that talk about the—”

“Sunrise? Yes. I meant every word I said to you that night on the phone. You gave me a second chance...one I have no right to deserve.”

A fond, heart-melting smile formed on her flushed lips and she turned to unzip and drop her dress to the floor, taking me by the hand and leading me into the bathroom. “I love it. Now you’re mine all weekend, Ryan Campbell, and I think it’s time for that hot bath.” She kissed my lips softly. “I bet you could use it after the long flight you just had.”

“You have no idea.”

I watched patiently as she attentively drew the bath, pouring lavender bath salts into the water and grabbing two fluffy towels from the shelf. She tested the temp with her hand and then carefully slipped in, scooting forward to allow me to sink in behind her. My legs automatically glided against hers, my feet resting gently next to her own.

“I missed you, too,” she sighed, letting her head fall back against my chest.

“Oh yeah?” I nuzzled her neck and laughed. “Because the evidence of that smack across my cheek says otherwise. I think you left a handprint.”

She giggled. “You deserved it, Mr. Campbell.”

“So, are you going to play nice now and tell me why you allow this neighbor of yours, who clearly wants what he can’t have, stop by your place to borrow milk and sugar?”

“I already told you, because he’s my neighbor. It’s called being neighborly. And no, I won’t be telling you a thing more until you tell me the latest about Carter.”

I sighed, reaching for some soap. “There have been no developments, babe. The best I can give you is that he is very sincere about wanting to move to Florida, and there’s not a damn thing I—or anyone, for that matter—can do about it, so it’s a good idea to start getting used to the possibility that he might actually be leaving. I’m sorry, baby, I know it’s not what you want to hear.”

“I think he’s...depressed, or something. Going through some sort of funk. I can hear it in his voice, but I can’t put my finger on what it is, and it’s driving me mad.”

“I know. You just have to talk to him face to face, like he wants. Next weekend you guys will see each other and you can sort it all out. Dean and I will give you guys some alone time, okay?” I kissed her hair. It did nothing to put an end to her sulking.

“Okay, fine. Thank you...for speaking to him.”

I stilled, staring at the lathered soap in my hand, feeling guilty for not telling her that I hadn’t asked Carter to stay. But Carter was right. She’d accept soon enough that leaving was his decision, not mine. “My pleasure. Speaking of next weekend, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?”

“It’s time you meet a good friend of mine. Her name’s Sam.”

Kate’s shoulders tensed. “Sam? How come I’ve never heard of her?”

I leaned down and whispered into her ear. “It’s not what you think.”

“Okay...”

“She was never a student of mine, and it’s been strictly friendship. She’s 100 percent gay. In fact, she’s with a lovely person named Jess, and you’ll be meeting her, too. They’ve been together for ages. I love them both, and I’m sure you will, too.”

“So, I’m meeting them next weekend? I’m going to be kind of busy, Ry. I mean, between the dress shopping, spending time with Carter, meeting Bob, plus checking out houses and all that.”

“I know, but we’ll figure it out. I’m thinking we can do dinner together or something Saturday night. Will you do it?”

“Of course,” she turned and smiled up at me, pecking my nose, “I’d love to meet her. She sounds special to you. How do you know her?”

“It’s a long story. We lost touch for a while, but we caught up the other day and I told her all about you. She gave me my sunrise. And the ravens.”

“Really?” Kate’s eyes lit up with interest. “She’s a tattoo artist? That’s awesome. Okay, I definitely have to meet the woman who inked my man.”

“I can’t wait. Next weekend will be great. Just what I need in the midst of this latest media shit storm—good friends, my girl,” I nipped her earlobe, “and some good ‘ol fashioned wedding planning.”

Kate accepted the soap from my hand and we spent the next half hour washing each other, setting a leisurely pace with the shampoo and conditioner, gently massaging each other’s scalps. The rest of our night was filled with take-out and a not-so-serious discussion about Dean’s latest conspiracy theory—the man was convinced the government was lying to us about a new alien species. Even sweeping up the broken glass shards and flour remnants didn’t seem like so much of a chore, as we couldn’t help but laugh at our own trail of destruction. Finally, we spent some time on-line, hunting for houses together. We’d narrowed down a few places we liked, and discussed plans for when we would end our current apartment leases to make the jump.