The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) (12 page)

He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his cheek against my head. I relaxed against him, reveling in the feel of his embrace. It was nice to just give in to my impulses without having to doubt or second guess everything. All those little anxious voices in my head were dulled for this one evening.

Ryan looked down at me, his face only inches away from my own. The music faded away as I stared into his eyes, travelling lower to his lips. I wanted him to kiss me. It felt like we were lost in our own little world. The music was a dull steady beat pushed far into the background. Suddenly, the teasing look in his eye turned serious as he leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“Come back to my room with me,” he said.

I looked up at him, mesmerized by his eyes, his voice, his touch and nodded my head slowly.

I don’t remember leaving the club or the walk back to his room. All I could remember feeling was a heady anticipation. I’d wanted this since the first time I saw Ryan, although I never let myself admit it. But now that my inhibitions were down and he was standing right in front of me looking like he wanted nothing better than to rip my clothes off, I couldn’t deny it any more. All doubts and thoughts of the consequences were flung out the window. I wanted him. He opened the door and pulled me in after him. The door closed with a loud thud and locked automatically.

“Come here,” he said, holding out his arms for me.

I stepped into his embrace and lifted my face to look at him. His pupils were dilated as he stared at my lips. I licked them involuntarily, thrilling at the thought of kissing him. I didn’t have to wait long. He dipped his head and captured my lips in a heated kiss. It nearly took my breath away. His tongue slipped into my mouth, probing and passionate, while his hands roved over my body. I reached my hands up and wound them in his hair, pulling him down even closer and nibbling on his lips.

“Mmm, you taste like strawberries,” I murmured against his lips.

He smiled before lifting me off my feet to carry me further into the room. My legs were straddled around his waist and I could feel his hardness through the thin silky fabric of my dress. He groaned as I ground my hips against him.

“God, Mel, you’re a little firecracker,” he said.

I didn’t respond, instead running one hand down his chest and down the ridged muscles of his abs. I heard him suck in a breath as I reached down between us further and ran my hand over the hard bulge in his pants. Ryan dropped me down on the couch and immediately lay down on top of me so that every inch of his hard body was pressed firmly against me.

“I’m not crushing you am I?” he asked, his face inches from mine.

“No,” I replied. “You feel perfect.” I wrapped my legs around his waist again and pulled him in closer to emphasize my point.

Ryan flashed me a dazzling smile before lowering his head to nibble on my neck. I arched up into him and moaned out loud. My head was spinning, but in a good way. Maybe it was the alcohol, but I felt completely comfortable. There were no first time jitters or the self-consciousness I usually felt with any new lover. Instead, I felt desired, as if I were the sexiest woman in the world.

Ryan slid down lower on my body and pulled my dress down with him so that my breasts popped out of their top. He smiled wolfishly before running his tongue over my sensitive nipple, while his hand played with my other breast. He rolled the nipple between his fingers and pinched hard. I bit my lips and the waves of pleasure and pain were shooting through me. My body felt like it was on fire.

“Oh God,” I heard myself say in a breathy whisper.

Ryan lifted his head, his eyes heated, and pulled me up. I sat on the couch facing him, while he kneeled between my legs. My eyes were immediately drawn to the outline of his cock straining against his pants. My breath was coming out in ragged pants and the look in his eyes sent my heart racing.

“Take off your dress,” he said. His voice was hoarse, but determined.

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 face.

“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.