Chapter Twenty-Two
Brie woke to the blinding glare of the morning light and a warm trail of kisses across her shoulder. Her low hum was hitched on the languid flow of memories weaving their way into her consciousness.
Ryan smoothed a hand down her abdomen, eased it beneath her panties. His leg slid between hers to spread them apart. She arched into his touch, moving on a wave of filtered awareness. She wouldn’t let herself think, not yet.
He dipped a finger through her pussy on a slow caress that circled and teased. Her moan gave voice to the pleasure simmering to life. She floated in the hazing mellowness that lent an air of unreality to the sensual heat flooding her. The slow rub of his finger on her clit matched the dreamy brush of his lips as he nibbled her ear.
She reached back to rub his thigh. The muscles flexed beneath her palm, the power declared. He’d used that strength to thrust into her, hold her up and drive her wild. The memory alone brought a rush of longing.
She twisted her head toward him, and he covered her mouth with his. The fresh hit of toothpaste broke through her haze for a moment. Just a moment to wonder when he’d woken.
But then he swiped his tongue over hers, playing so sweetly she could only focus on the slow dip and swirl as she chased his kiss. Gone was the hot wild passion, but in its place was something that burned just as bright, just as powerful.
He shifted to slip her panties down her thighs. She kicked them off once they reached her knees, and then he rolled, bringing her under him. Her legs opened to cradle him, the hard line of his erection running hot and firm over her mound.
She arched into her moan, her eyes opening to find the same sultry passion burning back at her. Ryan.
She drew him down, the faint scruff of his beard tickling her palms. The sensation brought a smile to her lips before she claimed another kiss. Another long, slow exploration that merged to another and another. The kisses melted her worries and breathed life into her hope. Into the wishes and wonder that continued to whirl.
Time spun out until there was only his touch, down her sides, on her breasts, and the hot press of his lips, over her neck, sucking her nipples. She sought him too. The curve of his back, the line of his shoulders, the smooth plane of his chest. And finally, the hard heat of his dick.
Her moans carried that same hushed quality that melted her bones and slushed through her blood. They merged with his in a cascading volley until he rolled on a condom and slid into her.
She stared at him, devouring every dark mystery churning in his eyes. The rich brown color twisted with a haunted intensity she couldn’t place, yet understood. This... This.
He stilled, his girth stretching her walls in a claim of ownership she welcomed. The rightness thrummed through her and wrapped her heart in its sweet embrace. He moved, pulling out only to descend on the same patient rhythm. The burn simmered in her core as it absorbed the slow, tantalizing build.
She found his lips again, her pulse crying her wonder. She was still Brie, and every touch, every slow glide into her proclaimed he saw her. He wanted her.
After last night, after now, there was no denying how much she wanted him.
She wrapped her legs around his hips, his pace increasing with the insistent need churning to life. The low slap of skin merged with the hushed grunts and purred moans to create its own symphony so sweetly different from the night before. Yet the tune was the same, the notes familiar.
She rode the crest to a shattering fall that left her breathless and dizzy. Ryan shuddered, groaned, drew her in until nothing separated them. The oneness hummed through her chest with a resounding ring of completeness.
She held him, her thoughts floating, mind wandering with no destination. She skimmed her palm over the short hairs on the back of his head, her other hand finding the curve of his shoulder and the long line of his spine.
His last kiss was just as long, just as full and hopeful as his first. She mumbled her complaint when he pulled out, rolling to the side to clean up.
She studied the line of his spine that ended at the dark shadow of his butt crack. His muscles were compact and sleek, so like the man himself. She smoothed her palm down his back if only to keep her thoughts from running ahead. There was still time to savor this quiet. The storm would hit soon enough. The world still existed beyond these walls, and there was a pile of litigation they needed to attack.
But not yet. Please, not quite yet.
Her brows dipped, hand stilling over the faint line of circular burn scars on his lower back. She brushed her fingers over them, compassion flaring. Who’d done this to him? When?
He turned around, scooped an arm beneath her and pulled her in until she was nestled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Her heart fluttered with her sigh.
She closed her eyes and floated in the peace. This. That was it. Just...this.
He trailed his fingers through her hair, the strokes slow in an absent-minded way. Each pass released a spray of tingles over her scalp that incited a tiny flash of teasing shivers.
“I let Carla know we had an unscheduled deposition this morning.”
Brie sprung up, eyes wide as she stared at him. “We do? When?” Why hadn’t he told her? Did she have time to go home and change? “What time is it?” She stretched to see the nightstand, scowling at the pristine surface. “Where’s your clock?” Who didn’t have a clock next to their bed?
His chuckle shook his chest, his smile growing when she leveled her scowl at him. He drew her down to press a firm kiss to her lips. It shifted, smoothed and flowed into another slow, quiet exploration that shoved her concerns aside.
His smile was still in place when he eased away. Little crinkles formed at the corner of his eyes and the barest of a dimple showed near one corner of his mouth. He swiveled his head in absent wonder, which brought her frown back. “What?”
“We just conducted the meeting.”
She twisted her lips, confused, until understanding dawned. “Oh.” She let her head fall, embarrassment sweeping in as his laugh tumbled over her. But he hugged her to him, teasing a defeated chuckle from her. “Thanks for calling.”
“My pleasure.” He brushed her hair back when she looked up, that smile lingering on his lips. His hair was mussed, and a faint stubble darkened his jaw in a totally rakish way. Burns would never be seen like this.
“How long do we have?” She squinted out the window, not even fazed by the open view that included a sight line into nearby buildings. Had anyone watched them? Gotten off as they had this morning? Her Libido Bitch purred.
“I have another meeting at eleven.” He drew a finger down the line of her jaw, leaving a trail of shimmering awareness behind. “I should be at that.”
A ping of guilt worked its way into her glow. Blowing off work to get laid didn’t fall within the good-girl code. But he’d done it too. And he was her boss.
Reality landed like a cold bomb. She dropped her gaze, doubt and questions rushing in. They wiped out the mellow contentment and stomped all over the hope that’d dared to rear its head.
“Hey.” He urged her chin up, his frown confused. “What just happened?”
She searched him. Did he have no concerns? Fears? “What about this?” She motioned between them.
His chest lifted and fell in a deep breath. His expression flattened out until Ryan was masked behind Burns. “We’ll figure it out.”
“How,” she pushed, the risks and pitfalls already spinning out before her. Her job, her reputation, her mother...her heart.
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice smoothing into the efficient office tone. “We’ll go to work. We’ll do our jobs. That won’t change.” His eyes closed, hand stilling on her shoulder.
Her pulse jammed in her throat as she kicked herself for forcing what he clearly didn’t want forced. “Okay.” She rolled away to sit on the far side of the bed. She glanced over her shoulder, smile in place. “I’m going to jump in the shower.” She didn’t wait for an answer as she strolled to the bathroom, heart aching, gut churning.
“Brie.”
She froze, her hand on the door frame. She looked back, the internal tangle of doubts and illogical deductions locked deep in her chest. Nothing would show that she didn’t want to be seen. Life with her mother had schooled her in the art of subterfuge.
“Yes?” She waited, every lengthening second highlighting her nudity until she was certain he could see the flaws she didn’t dare expose.
“This won’t change either.” His voice had lowered into that dark sexy timbre that called to the Libido Bitch and made her squirm with lust.
She wet her lips. Nodded. “Good.”
The bathroom door closed behind her with a defined click. She dropped her forehead against the door and breathed. Just breathe.
A shiver began deep in her chest, spreading in waves over her heart and across the longing she’d tried so hard to ignore. But she couldn’t. Not anymore.
Not with Ryan.
And she had no idea how to handle that without getting hurt.