THREE
“What?” Incredulity and annoyance covered his face. Too bad. Kayla had never been one to hold back.
She waited for the waiter who had materialized out of nowhere to refill their glasses to leave. Once the server disappeared again, she continued where she’d left off. “I said that’s bullshit. You pity yourself.” Kayla saw that this big, sexy man was letting a physical condition stop him from living the life he wanted, and it bothered her.
She didn’t know why she insisted, but his eyes spoke of pain and suffering. Her first impression of him was that he was a nice guy. That was not the norm in the men she dated. For crying out loud he’d been in the war fighting for their country. So how could she allow him to continue living with so much insecurity?
He shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Wow. But she pushed some more. She became Kayla Santomas, child psychologist. “Oh, I most certainly do.”
“What do you know about almost dying and losing a leg in the war?” His voice turned cool and somewhat distant.
Kayla leaned forward, smiling softly at him like she did with the troubled, insecure children she counseled. “About war? I know nothing.” She admitted with a small shrug. Before he got a chance to say anything smug, she held up a hand and stopped him. “But about survival, I know everything. And you’re looking for excuses to withdraw from the rest of the world.” She placed her hand over his fisted one on the table.
“I am not.” He gulped down half the glass of champagne, clearly uncomfortable. Unsure if she should continue or not, she decided to speak freely, damn the consequences. It looked to her like he needed to hear what she was saying. “Something tells me you’ve gotten stuck on the loss of your leg. So stuck that you probably haven’t even given thought to what other jobs you can do if you aren’t able to return to your previous position.”
The flush of guilt on his face said it all. She felt a little bad that she was making him see things he may not be ready to. There was no backing down now. He was a strong man. He exuded power, strength, and authority. She saw command in his frame, his look, and the way he carried himself. Yes, he’d survived a physical hardship, but he needed to move on.
He scowled. Something more than sexual interest shone in his eyes. “What do you do for a living, Kayla?”
She let the question hang while they ordered their meal from the magic waiter who had reappeared again.
“I’m a psychologist.” She grinned.
Oh boy. Sparks lit his eyes, and he almost choked on his drink. He was clearly putting two and two together and coming up with six. Better clear up any misconceptions before her night of hot sex was messed up. And now that she’d been kissed by Ryan, there was no denying it, she wanted more than those breathtaking kisses from him. She wanted coma-inducing orgasms. “A child psychologist,” she added. “I specialize in children with deformities and terminal illnesses.”
Ryan’s rising anger deflated faster than a popped balloon. For a moment he’d thought the entire night had been a sham, until she mentioned the full extent of her job. She’d given him the raw truth, and he hadn’t liked it. His interest spiked.
“Children with deformities? Where do you practice?” Fascinated, he watched her sip the champagne and swipe her tongue over her lips. Every single hormone in his body had headed south. The single act of her licking her lips brought his mind back down to the gutter. All his thoughts centered on what he could get her to do with those full lips and that pink tongue.
His cock jerked painfully, reminding him it had been too damn long since he had sex. He was sure he would end up with a hole in the crotch of his pants soon, sure he wanted to worship every part of her body like a gift from the gods. But he needed to relax so he could get to know her better. And he wanted to get to know her.
“New York Holms.”
One of the top line children’s clinics. Everyone had heard of that place. Beauty and brains. The combination only made her hotter in his eyes. They ate, and he continued to ask her about her job. He learned that she loved working with children and that her biggest passion was making sure her patients felt good about themselves no matter how they looked.
“Why are you really here, Ryan?”
Their gazes met. Several emotions rushed through him, until he finally settled into sincerity. “I was sent home severely injured. The loss of my leg, along with all the operations, did a number on me.” He shrugged and turned his face away from her. The fork clinked on the plate. She brought her hand back, curled it over his fist, and squeezed. A knot formed in his throat. “After months of therapy and getting the prosthetic, I noticed everyone looked at me differently. Like…like I wasn’t whole anymore.”
It was weird to say the words, but liberating at the same time. He continued, feeling more confident when she kept a tight grip on his hand. “I’m still the same guy.” Heat rushed to his face. “There’s something else…”
She raised her brows. “What else is there?” Her soft, sweet voice calmed his nerves, and her smile warmed him through the chill of opening up to someone else.
“I had lost all interest in women.” She gave him a wide-eyed stare. “Not in the I-don’t-want-women-anymore sense, but more like I wasn’t interested in any of the ones I met.” Why was he telling her this? Because something about her made him want to be honest with her. Something told him she was special…trustworthy. “I thought something was damaged after the injuries that kept me from feeling…aroused.”
Hell. Her eyes sparkled full of heat under those long, dark lashes. “Well, we both know that you weren’t.” She nibbled on her full bottom lip and glanced down at the table. “Damaged down there, that is,” she said, referring to his erection when he’d kissed her earlier.
Arousal heated his blood. He didn’t want to wait anymore. Once she placed the spoon she’d been licking the sweet dessert off onto the plate, he stood and held out a hand to her.
She dropped the napkin on the table, her eyes locked on his. For a tiny thing she had a tight grip. Desire lit her eyes. “Let’s go to my room.” The husky whisper increased the throbbing in his cock.
A sense of urgency filled him. He needed to get her to the room right away. They rushed back toward the hotel. Quiet surrounded them, and pockets of darkness covered several thick trees. Unwilling to wait for a taste of her, he stopped some yards from the entrance and pushed her up against a tall oak.
“Ryan, what are you—”
He pressed his body into her much softer one, dipped his head, and kissed her. She moaned. A savage groan sounded in the back of his throat. He savored her taste, sweet and fresh. Like whipped cream over apple pie. Delicious.
Her small hands gripped his shirt at the shoulders. She pulled him closer, rubbing her body sensuously over his. He trailed his hands down her back and squeezed her ass cheeks. She turned her head, but he just used the move to kiss her throat and collarbone.
“Yessss.”
He loved hearing the desperation in her voice. Her soft whimpers increased in volume and pushed him further out of control. He ground his cock into the juncture of her thighs. Fuck, she felt so good.
“More, please.”
It took some loud laughter from behind him to jolt him back to reality. What the hell was wrong with him? He was ready to tear at her panties and slide into her in clear view of anyone passing by.
“What happened? Why’d you stop?”
Her pulse fluttered wildly under his thumb. She breathed raggedly and ran her tongue over her swollen lips. Her eyes widened when she heard a couple pass them by.
He cupped her cheek with a shaky hand. He’d never been as turned-on by a woman before. Everything about her drew him in and made him want her more. Her smile, her taste, her brazenness. “I want you.” Just saying the words made his cock twitch.
“I want you too.” She whispered, leaned her face into his hand, and kissed his palm.
They hurried the rest of the way into hotel. In the elevator he kissed her again, unwilling to wait the ride up to touch her. The ping of the doors opening separated them. A couple entered. Ryan and Kayla scurried to Kayla’s suite.
Kayla rushed into the bedroom only to be hauled back and pressed against the hardwood of the door. Ryan’s big, unyielding body covered her. Her nipples pebbled tight, and her sex slickened in readiness. God, she wanted him so bad.
He dropped his head, his lips fluttering over her mouth and tongue tracing her lips. A soft whimper escaped her. She lifted her hands to his blond hair and twined her fingers into the shaggy locks. Then she pulled his face so their lips could mesh in a hot, tongue-dangling kiss that left her breathless. He released her lips, and she moved on to his scruffy, super-sexy chin.
“Kayla, we need to slow down.” He groaned when she sucked on his jaw.
“Slow later. Fast now,” she whispered between nibbles.
“Works for me.”
Gravity shifted, and she was lifted into his arms. He probably shouldn’t be hauling her anywhere considering she was no tiny thing. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him. But knowing about his insecurity after the loss of his leg, she curled her legs around his waist and held on. Seconds later he shifted toward the bed.
Kayla dropped her legs as soon as he stopped walking. The back of her calves brushed the soft material of the bedding. He lowered the straps on her dress and bra, kissed her chest, and made his way down to her breasts. Waves of heat flowed through her veins like molten lava with each swipe of his tongue on her nipple. The dress skimmed her body on its descent to her feet and landed with a swoosh. The bra, which he’d unsnapped at her back without taking his lips off her chest, came off as well.
He licked and laved the tight points. First he sucked one into his mouth, twirled his tongue on the sensitive tip, and grazed it with his teeth. Liquid fire dripped from her slit. Her pussy throbbed and grasped at the air. She needed him inside soon, or she would start begging. His big hands molded her flesh in his grip. Pinpricks of lust shot through her body and zeroed in on her crotch.
Kayla traced the contours of his beefy body, down his muscular chest and to his trousers. She tugged on the material and opened his pants, his hot cock springing free. The pants slid down his legs. Curling a hand around his thick length, she gripped him tight.
“Jesus.” He groaned and thrust into her hand.
Their gazes met and held. All pretense of waiting was gone. “Condom. Get one.” She panted.
He pulled one out of his pocket, and she tore it from his grasp.
“Let me.” Her hands shook when she rolled the thin latex down his cock. He hissed out a breath grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her gently onto her back on the bed. She lay there in her flesh-toned bikini panties and nothing else. He shrugged off his shirt and bent to remove his shoes. Moments later he joined her on the massive bed. A flicker of anxiety flashed in his eyes, and she knew she needed to do something to keep the momentum going.