Unexpected (21 page)

What difference
does that make? I blink at her, raising an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“
I think
we're going to have a difficult time getting into our next
position...well, we might be able to get into that position,
clearly...” She holds out her hand, gesturing to where we're
standing. “But given the angles needed to complete the action, we
may not be able to achieve maximum thrust.”

It takes less than
two seconds for me to nearly collapse as the laughter escapes my
throat. The route of her mind knows no bounds, which is one of the
things I completely adore about her. I wrap my arms more fully
around her and we both continue to laugh for a moment. “Oh,
Alina...my beautiful Alina.” I kiss her shoulders, squeezing her in
a hug. “Then we'll just have to find another way.” I spin her
around, kissing her forehead, nose, and lips. “This way can work,
right?”

She nods slowly,
sliding her leg up mine. Her eyes meet mine, the blue pools
sparkling. “This is perfect.”

I grab her hips,
lifting her up. My cock rubs against her, a low moan coming from
deep in her throat. I'm lining myself up when I freeze. “Wait.”

Alina frowns, her
hand touching my cheek. “What? What is it?”

“
I don't have
a condom.” I mentally curse myself for being in such a rush to get
in here that I left the condoms in my room. It's not like me to
forget the most important thing.

“
Oh.” She
lets out a breath. “I'm on birth control. We're okay.”

The trust she has
in me causes my heart to race. “Are you sure?” I whisper, touching
her lips while watching the water droplets trickle down her
face.

She nods, her lips
parting beneath my fingers. “Positive. I want nothing between us. I
want to feel all of you. I want to feel everything.” Her eyes stare
into mine as though she can see into my soul.

As though she wants
my soul.

I'm overcome with
emotion with what I'm seeing, and I think my face must be mirroring
the same by the change in her expression. “Are you ready?” I ask,
poised for entry.

All it takes is a
nod and I'm sinking inside, filling her at the same time she fills
my heart. Her mouth forms an “O” and she sighs, squeezing me. Our
eyes meet and she says, “No holding back. I want you to give me
everything you wanted to that day.” Her hands squeeze my biceps as
she hooks her ankles together behind me.

The fire in
her eyes fuels my desire. I pull out almost all the way, then
thrust back in completely, wrenching a gasp from her. She clutches
my arms, hanging on as our bodies come together
repeatedly
. Not only does the sound
of our naked bodies slapping together fill the air, but our cries
and moans echo through the room. It's a sexual soundtrack I could
listen to all day long.

There's
something about the hot stream of water pouring over us a
s
the cool air touches the rest of our skin. It’s almost as if it
enhances the pleasure.
Then again,
being completely bare inside her might have something to do with
it, too.

My hands find hers,
lacing us together as I kiss her roughly. She responds by nipping
at my bottom lip a little harder than she normally does. I groan
and she smiles against my lips. “More,” she whispers.

When I pump into
her harder, I feel the telltale signs of her impending orgasm.
“That's it, beautiful,” I whisper into her ear, my breath ragged.
“I want to feel it. Fall over the edge with me.”

She cries out, my
name coming from her lips, her body shuddering against me. I
release in her within mere seconds while she contracts around my
cock. I let go of her hands to hold her cheeks, kissing her
tenderly. She touches my face in return. When I pull away, I
breathe, “I could never get enough of you.”

“
You say that
now, but you may think different after a few months.”

I shake my head.
“Nope.”

“
What makes
you so sure?”

“
Nothing
compares to you.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

–
Alina –

Making love in the
shower like we've been wanting to since the second our bodies
touched the first day made everything sparkle and light up in my
life. It's invigorating and more beautiful than I imagined a hot
and dirty sexual encounter would be.

When we're
connected, there's no denying how it makes me feel, how
Ryan
makes me feel. Every touch, he is claiming me.
Every thrust, he
possesses
me. I
don’t just want
him
—
I'm
craving
him. I've never had this sort of
desire with anyone else before. It's a sign, a
bold
one flashing in neon light that I
would be stupid to ignore.

I'm
sure
I'm falling in love with Ryan,
and I'm equally sure he's falling in love with me. Neither of us
has said it out loud yet, but I can feel it in the atmosphere
around us.

Ryan breaks my
reverie. “Uh, Alina? I think the hot water is running out.”

I shake my head and
let out a light laugh. “Oh, right.”

He pulls out of me,
setting me down and turning the water off. He grabs towels for us
to dry off and we go back to his bed, tumbling into it together. He
wraps his arms around me, our legs tangling. Reaching up, his
fingers push my hair back as he smiles. “My mom wants to have your
family over for dinner tomorrow.”

“
Oh yeah?
That sounds like fun.”

“
Our parents
meeting? It sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

I scrunch my nose
up. “More like a recipe for awesome.”

He laughs. “You're
right. They'll probably get along great.”

I trace a finger
over his lips. “So, what's next, handsome? We can't fool around all
day.”

“
I think what
you mean is we
shouldn't
spend all
day fooling around, because I know that we
can
.” He gives me a cheeky smirk, pulling me closer to kiss my
forehead. “I have plenty of stamina, and can fuel us with plenty of
delicious food.”

“
I have no
doubt there.” I press a kiss to his lips. “Let's just figure it out
on the way. In the meantime...” I bring my hand down to stroke him.
“I've got plans for you.”

He groans, grabbing
my hand to pull it away. “Before you start anything, I have
something I want to share with you.” He presses his lips to the top
of my hand, holding them there for a couple seconds.

I tilt my head to
the side, pursing my lips. “Um, okay.”

He gets up,
crossing the room to pick up his guitar. “I want to play something
new for you.” I sit up and he sits across me. “It's...still a
work-in-progress, but I have a feeling I'm on the right track.”

It takes me a few
seconds to realize he must be talking about the song he was writing
the other day. “Your song?” I ask.

Ryan nods, strums a
few chords, then begins to play. It's a ballad—sweet and tender. As
he sings the lyrics, his eyes meet mine at the chorus and I know
it's about me. Ryan wrote a song for me. My heart overflows with
emotion, my eyes watering over how beautiful it is.

When he finishes,
he pauses for a beat. “What do you think?”

I reach out a hand
to his cheek, drawing him closer for a kiss. “I think it's
perfect.”

~*~

Sunday night, my parents meet us over at
Ryan's family’s house. Trudy made pot roast, mashed potatoes, and
green beans for dinner. My mom can't stop complimenting her on how
delicious the food is. They discuss for at least five minutes the
importance of achieving the best texture in homemade mashed
potatoes. Then when my mom serves her cherry cheesecake, it's
Trudy's turn to gush. They spend another five minutes talking about
cherry flavored desserts. Ryan and I somehow manage to keep from
chuckling over the interactions between our moms. At least they're
bonding, which is great to see.

We all gather around outside on lawn chairs
to talk, which couldn't be more perfect. It's gorgeous outside—a
surprisingly tolerable temperature with the sun beginning to set
behind the trees in the backyard. Our moms continue to discuss
cooking and baking while our dads talk about their jobs.

I go inside to refill my glass when I run out
of lemonade. On my way back out, I find Brent standing on the
porch, leaning on the railing, looking out at everyone as they talk
and laugh. It looks as though he's in observation mode, trying to
understand the scene taking place in front of him. I sidle up next
to him. “Am I missing something?” I ask.

He shakes his
head, letting out a chuckle. “No, no...
It’s
just nice to see family get together like
this.”

His words get me thinking. “I just realized
I've never heard anything about your family.”

“That's because I don't really talk to them
anymore.”

My eyes meet his and I can see the sadness in
them. “Why not?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

“They don't approve of the way I choose to
live my life. Once Phil and I made our relationship public, they
kicked me out. Thankfully, his parents were kind enough to let me
crash here in their spare bedroom until I could afford to move out.
They probably would have let me stay here forever,” he says with a
chuckle, “but I couldn't allow that. I'm living on my own now, and
it won't be long until Phil's living with me.”

I can't imagine dealing with that—losing your
family over the person you love. It's heartbreaking, but I'm glad
he didn't lose Phil in the midst of it. “I know you probably
already know this, but it's their loss. You're great, and so is
Phil. Maybe someday they'll open their eyes and see it, too.”

“Thank you, Alina.” He places an arm around
my shoulder and squeezes me. “Maybe they will. I hope from the
bottom of my heart that they do. But even if they don't, I have a
new family, one that loves me for who I am and treats me like a son
and brother already.”

“You have me, too,” I say as I place my arm
around his waist.

“Like I said, I have a new family. It already
includes you.”

His words touch me right in the heart. I lean
into Brent and give him a hug. When I pull back, Ryan is looking in
our direction with a smile on his face. “Come on.” I tug at his
arm. “Let's get back to our family.”

~*~

The next couple of weeks with Ryan are
amazing. When we're not working, we're together either hanging out
at the apartment or visiting family and friends. At night, we
either make love or cuddle until we fall asleep.

I completely forget about Alina's Law until I
wake up sick to my stomach early on a Thursday. I overheard Kathy
talking yesterday about her grandchildren catching the flu from
kids in daycare. It doesn't take long before I'm sitting on the
floor of the bathroom in front of the toilet throwing up. Ryan gets
up when he hears me and holds my hair back.

“You don't have to do that,” I tell him after
it stops.

He brushes the stray hairs back from my face
and frowns. “I don't have to, but I want to.”

“Ew.” I let out a chuckle followed by a
groan. “Why?”

“Because I'm always going to be here for
you,” he murmurs, caressing my cheek.

He says it so matter-of-fact, like there's no
other answer to the question out there. All it takes is a moment
like this to make you realize how much you care about someone. How
much you need someone.

How much you love someone.

I smile, sighing emphatically. “I want so
much to kiss you right now, but that would be completely
disgusting.”

He traces a finger along my cheek, then tucks
my hair behind my ear. “Don't worry,” he murmurs. “You can make up
for it tomorrow when you’re feeling better.”

“That is as long as you haven't caught it by
now.”

He rolls his eyes. “I'm healthy as a horse,
beautiful.”

I let out another groan. “I'm not beautiful
right now.” I must look hideous—pale face with a rat's nest for
hair. Not to mention smell horrible.

He laughs, shaking his head. “Alina, you're
always beautiful to me, no matter what.”

“Even like this?”

“Even like this.”

It takes me several attempts to convince Ryan
to go to work. I tell him I'll get in touch with my mom if I need
to. He still calls his boss to tell him he'll be running late so he
can get me set up in the living room with everything I could
possibly need. He kisses my forehead and reluctantly leaves for
work.

I spend the next couple of hours going back
and forth to the bathroom. By noon, my stomach still feels a little
weird, but it settles down substantially. I don't want to allow
relief to set in until it's been at least a few hours since the
last trip to the bathroom. I sip water and munch on crackers while
watching daytime television.

I drift off and take a nap in the middle of
the afternoon. I wake up an hour later still feeling exhausted.
It's been a long time since I had the flu—probably since elementary
school. I wonder how bad this kind is. Maybe I should text Kathy to
see if she knows so I can anticipate what's next. Just as I'm about
to send a message, I realize something. Kathy said she hasn't seen
the kids in a week, and they caught the flu at the end of last
week. That means she didn't have any contact with them while they
had it.

“I guess I caught it from someone else,” I
mumble, leaning my head back. That's when it hits me—I haven't
started my period yet.