CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Just as Sophie hauled her bag off the carousel, a streak of black out the window caught her attention. A limo eased to the curb at the Bozeman airport.
Joy burst inside her. Unfortunately, an accident on the snowy Gallatin Road had held up traffic for miles. Ryan had expected to be late.
He’s not!
She hadn’t seen him in a week. Anticipation had her so wired she could barely stand it. The car hadn’t even come to a full stop when the door opened and a big, built movie star of a man in black aviators climbed out with all the grace of a professional athlete. He stood to his full height, his delectable mouth curling as he caught sight of her through the plate glass window.
Willing the revolving door to move faster, she burst out of the building. Her boots crunched, making track marks on the fresh, powdery snow. Ryan moved toward her, muscles tight, coiled. That hungry, intense look hardening his features made her heart flip over.
Dropping the handle of her suitcase, she took off at a run and launched herself into his arms. He braced, bent his knees, and whisked her off the ground.
Bound inside those big, strong arms, she buried her face into his neck, breathing in his fresh soap and clean cotton scent. “I missed you so much.” Nothing felt better than those strong arms wrapped around her.
He nudged her cheek, forcing her to turn toward his mouth. He kissed her, his tongue stroking inside.
While the driver grabbed her bag and carried it to the trunk, Ryan slowly walked her to the limo. He set her down. “Get in.”
She slid into the leather seat, and he followed behind her, shutting the door. Between the closed partition and tinted windows, she felt cocooned inside with him. “Anyone at the house?”
“They should be skiing.” But he glanced uncertainly out the window, craning his neck for a better view of the sky.
“More snow?”
He nodded curtly. “We should have the place to ourselves for a few hours.” One hand slid under her ass, the other curled around her waist as he lifted her onto his lap. “I want you to myself.”
Her hands met at the back of his neck, and she pressed her cold cheek to his warm one.
He stole her breath with a hungry kiss. No one had ever made her feel more loved, more completely wanted, than this man. His tongue tangled with hers, as he held her tightly to him.
Knowing she was alone with him for the forty minutes it would take to get home, she got onto his lap and rolled her hips over his erection. His sharp intake of breath made her smile. Three years together hadn’t diminished their need for each other. At all.
His fingers flexed on her ass as he found her mouth again, his hips rocking up and grinding against her. God, she needed him. Needed him now. Sliding her hands under his long-sleeve T-shirt, she lightly scraped her fingernails up his warm skin, and then found her way to the button of his jeans.
“Did you have a good time?” His voice sounded strained.
“It was great. How ‘bout I tell you all about it later?”
The rough thrust of his hips told her he agreed.
She caught handfuls of his hair and pulled, angling him for a deeper kiss. “I missed you.” Desire streamed hot and wicked in her bloodstream.
“Good that you spent time with your family, though.”
Her brothers had chosen not to let money tear apart the family, so they’d accepted her offer to buy Crazy Hearts. It had taken Abby longer to come around, though getting pregnant again so soon after Hannah hadn’t helped her emotional state. All was good now, though, and Sophie traveled to LA to see them as often as she could.
Trembling, she had to shift back on his lap to finish unbuttoning his jeans, but in her urgency she fumbled. Impatience had her gripping his shaft through the denim instead.
He batted her hand away, tore open his jeans, and yanked down his boxer briefs.
She closed her hand around the hard, hot length of him, and a thrill shot through her. Tipping her forehead against his, her fingers sifted through his hair, grabbing handfuls when he drove her crazy with his sexy mouth.
“I missed you.” His hands glided up her stomach, under her shirt and sweater. “Take this off. I want all of you.”
She pulled the sweater off first, and then the long-sleeve T-shirt. Instantly, his hands closed over her breasts, and he lowered his face into her cleavage, pressing big, open-mouthed kisses. As she stroked his erection, he tore the cups of her bra down and licked a nipple. She squirmed on his lap, one hand at the back of his head, holding him to her.
“Pants off.”
She fell to his side, unbuttoning her jeans and peeling them off her legs, kicking off her boots when the pants stuck around her calves. He shed his clothing, then reached for her, his mouth on her neck, her collarbone, and then back in her cleavage. He pushed both breasts together, licking first one nipple and then the other, back and forth, driving her into a frenzy of need.
When his fingers reached between her legs, every cell in her body sparked. She shuddered at the intensity of sensation. “Ryan,” she whispered.
“I love when you say my name like that.”
“Like what?”
“All soft and sweet, like you’re melting, like I make you happy.”
“You make me so happy.”
His finger slid along her length, barely brushing her clit before pulling away. Driving her crazy.
“Except when you do that.”
“What?” He glanced around the sensitive nub. “That?”
Chasing his fingers with her hips, she let go of him. She laughed at the look of panic in his eyes. “Oh, I see how it is. Only you get to play?” She leaned back into him, kissing him with all the desire and need streaming through her. Her hips rocked on his erection, slicking him with her desire, but not letting him sink in.
“Game time over.” He gripped himself, one arm going around her waist and lifting her. When he brought her down on him, he thrust his hips up hard, sending him so deep inside, her body exploded in a shower of sensation.
Nothing felt as good as their bodies pressed together, joined so completely. Nothing felt as satisfying as the intense, powerful connection they shared. And then he started moving. She had to grab onto his shoulders, as he lifted her and slammed her down again and again.
A cry escaped her throat, the pleasure building so hard and fast her eyes watered. “Oh, God, Ryan.”
His tongue flicked out, latching onto her nipple and sucking it into his mouth, hands clenching her ass to move her up and down his hard length. “Fuck, Soph.” She recognized that tone, and it always thrilled her. “Fuck. I can’t…Jesus, I’m not going to last.”
Gripping her bottom, he watched her with half-lidded eyes. “Look at you, Soph. You’re so fucking beautiful.” Hips thrusting hard, he surged inside her, holding himself there, grinding and gasping with his release. He finally sank back down, closing his eyes, and breathing hard. “My Sophie.”
“It’s only been a week.”
They traveled together whenever they could, but between his work and hers, sometimes the timing didn’t work out. She encouraged him to go on his own, though, believing the time spent with his friends, his sister and brother, was just as important.
Normally, he’d come with her to see her family, but this past week he’d had work to do.
His fingers gently caressed her hips, his head tilted back, and he looked deceptively relaxed. “Kat says I get cranky when you’re not around.”
“Yeah, but it’s good for us to spend some time apart.” She shifted her hips just a little and watched his eyes flare.
And when his hips flexed, and his hold on her tightened, her suspicions were confirmed. He wasn’t relaxed at all. One hand on her ass kept him inside her body, as he shifted her onto her back, then dragged her down the seat so she was sprawled out before him.
He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek. “Don’t pretend with me.”
“I don’t pretend.” But he’d already started moving again, sliding easily in and out of her.
“Yeah? Kyle told me you’ve been a real witch this week.”
Her brother, the traitor. “Two babies in the house. No one gets much sleep.”
“Uh huh.” He settled on top of her, one arm under her ass, the other reaching for the arm rest, as he slammed into her, making her gasp.
Oh, God, he felt so good.
“So, it’s not because you missed me?” He eased out. “You’re good traveling without me?”
“All the more room for me in bed.”
He thrust in hard. “Sleep better without me, do you?”
“Well, of course, I’m sleeping, so I don’t really notice.” In the tight space, she could only wrap one leg around his hips, but he felt so good, she tilted her hips. Then, with each snap of his hips, he slid over the spot that made fire burn through her veins.
“Is that why Kyle found you in the kitchen at three in the morning?” He could barely get the words out. Perspiration dotted his forehead.
She gazed up at him and smiled. “Okay, Sherlock, yes, I miss you when we’re not together. What do you want me to say? I’m trying to give you your independence. You never got the freedom to do what you wanted before, so I don’t want to hold you back just because of my production schedule or family obligations. Now will you just finish me? Because I really can’t take much more.”
“It would be my fucking pleasure.” With that he gave a thrust so hard she jerked up the seat. And then he did it again and again. One hand worked between their slick bodies, reaching between her legs.
She cried out when he circled her sensitive nub, and then let herself fall into the pleasure seizing her body. “Don’t stop. Oh, God, don’t stop.”
“Never going to stop, my Sophie. Never, ever going to stop.”
“Oh, Ryan, oh, God.” As sensation coalesced, her body succumbed to the dizzying rush of her orgasm. She wrapped herself tightly around him, arms and legs gripping him, burying her face in his neck, and then shuddering with her release.
As she calmed down, she ran her fingers through his hair. “I hate being away from you. I miss you more than anything.”
“Yeah.” He planted a soft kiss on her mouth. “We’re done with that shit.”
As the limo wound up the two-lane mountain road, they quickly picked up their strewn clothing and got dressed. Sophie owned over forty acres, so her driveway was the only one for miles. When they turned into her property, she yanked her boots onto her feet, smiling at the sight of all those cars parked haphazardly around the circular garden in the center. Having spent too many years alone in her family’s house, she loved having her friends living with her here.
When they got out, the driver handed Ryan her bag and then took off.
The house was dark except flickering lights downstairs. “Looks like someone’s home.”
“Better not be.” He grabbed her hand and headed up the recently shoveled walkway.
The house smelled delicious, like warm bread and sautéed garlic and onion. Lit candles glowed on every surface of the lodge-like living and dining area.
When Ryan dropped her suitcase in the foyer, Sophie noticed rose petals scattered on the wood floor. The path led to a café table set for two.
Candles, roses, home-cooked meal…her gaze flicked up to Ryan. “Is something going on with Kat and Marshall?” Her friend was dating a wealthy oil man from Texas who spent as much time out here as he could. “Oh, my God, is he proposing?”
“No, Soph. This is—”
“She’s back.” Jake strode out of the kitchen in ski pants and thick wool socks, a plate under his chin, and a mouth full of food.
Ryan tensed. “That’s Sophie’s.”
“Mountain’s closed. Massive storm coming in.”
Ryan blew out a breath. “Is everyone home?”
“Sophie!” Kat hurried down the stairs, ponytail swinging. In her black yoga pants and plain white t-shirt, she flew into Sophie’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re back. Did you have a good time?”
“She’s home?” Laura came out of the basement, still wearing her ski clothes. Dixon appeared behind her. Both looked flushed from the cold. They must’ve been putting the skis away.
“Hey, Soph.” Dix joined the group hug.
“Guys.” Ryan pried their friends away. “I know you have plans for the evening.”
“Everything’s shut down.” Kat pulled Jake’s wrist toward her. “What’re you eating? That looks so good. Is there more?”
“Some chocolate shit.” Jake shoved another forkful into his mouth. “This is fuckin’ good.”
Ryan’s gaze narrowed on the small white plate with a swirl of raspberry sauce and a dollop of something dark and decadent-looking. His features hardened. “How about you give me and Sophie some time alone?” He jerked it out of Jake’s hands.
“Hey.” Jake spun around, watching Ryan set the plate on the counter. “You’ve got plenty of food.”
“Help yourselves to the leftovers.”
Sophie came up to him and rubbed a hand on his back. “What’s going on?” She gestured to the candles and flower petals. “Is this for me?”
Ryan turned fully to her, his gaze softening. He opened his mouth to speak, when Laura said, “Oh, wow. Look at all that food.” She, Dixon, and Kat headed into the kitchen.
“There’s plenty for all of us,” Dixon said.
Sophie followed them to see the oven light on and foiled-covered platters warming. A bowl of salad, a basket of bread, and a dozen little white plates with glorious desserts on them lined the counters.
Jake reached for one of the plates, and Ryan smacked his hand. “Why don’t you guys order a pizza, watch a movie in the basement?”
“But there’s so much.” Sophie smiled at him, reaching for his hand and clasping it. “How about they eat with us and then we can go upstairs?”
Silverware clanked, plates clattered, and soon the dining room table filled with settings for all six of them.
Jake strolled out of the kitchen with a second slice of cake. “Best damn cake I ever tasted. Where’d you get this shit?”
Ryan grabbed the plate. “This is for Sophie. Don’t ruin it for her.”
“What got up your ass? She’s back now. You’ve got all the time in the world.” Jake swiped his finger across the raspberry drizzle on the plate. “But the mountain’s closed right now, so we’re in for the night.”
Laura, Kat, and Dixon brought out food. Delicious smells filled the room. Sophie’s stomach rumbled. “I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” She peeled back the foil to see a platter of roasted tenderloin. “This looks amazing. Who cooked?”
There was something soft, sweet, and vulnerable in his eyes. “This is the sampling menu from La Fete.”
“La Fête? In Sedona?”
He nodded, pulling out the chair and sitting beside her.
Chairs scraped around them, and everyone settled around the table.
Their friends started to serve themselves, when Ryan said, “Eat fast.”
She stroked his thigh. “I don’t mind. Really.”
“I do.”
Okay, something was obviously going on. “What am I missing here?”
“He’s been a bear all week.” Laura spooned pasta onto her plate.
“Where’s Sophie?” Jake said it like a whiney girl. “I miss Sophie. When’s Sophie coming back?”
Kat leaned into him, bumping shoulders. “No, he didn’t.”
“Couldn’t even wipe his own ass. Sophie? Soph? Can you bring me the moist wipes?”
Everyone burst out laughing. Even Ryan cracked a smile, shaking his head.
This was the family she’d always wanted.
Laura had played for two seasons in Italy. She’d seen the world but ultimately decided it was time to come back and get a job. On a visit to Big Sky, she’d fallen in love with the outdoor lifestyle. She, Kat, and Dixon had started up an adventure company. She and Dixon did the tours, while Kat manned the office.
And Jake? He’d given up his family business to help run hers. For a hundred years, Crazy Hearts had remained the same—a stagnant, though charming, business. But Ryan had created a webpage filled with interactive games and social media. People from around the world sent photos of the cookies posed in unusual places for a game Ryan called Where in the World is My Crazy Heart?
Working together, the three of them had brought a whole new dimension to her family legacy.
“Oh, dude, great news.” Jake gave Ryan a chin nod before pushing his chair back and grabbing a magazine out of the pile of mail on the coffee table. He tossed it on Ryan’s empty plate. “Page twelve.”
Sophie leaned over to look, but Ryan shoved it aside. “Later. Right now eat up. Quickly.”
“Read it,” Jake said in his commanding voice. “It’s good shit.”
“Can I see?” Sophie flipped the pages, stopping at page twelve. Just as she started to scan the article, his hand came up to her chin, turning her toward his mouth. He kissed her. Soft, sweet. Like he adored her.
“Can you keep your hands off her for five seconds and read the damn article?”
But Ryan didn’t look away. “No. I haven’t had my hands on her in a week. And tonight, as you know, I want to be alone with her.”
“Not my fault, dude. Talk to the man upstairs.” Jake pointed to the heavens. When Ryan still hadn’t opened the magazine, his friend blew out a frustrated breath. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He pushed his chair back, stood up halfway, and lunged across the table. Snatching the magazine, he held it up so everyone could see the cover. “Dude’s app won for most revolutionary idea in HotWired magazine’s annual Best Of list.”
Sophie leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Look at you.” She kissed him full on the mouth. “All revolutionary and shit.” She pulled away and cupped his face. “I’m so proud of you.”
Oh, my God. The way he looked at her? Like she was the only person in the room. In the house. On the planet.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly. He’d set up such a romantic meal, and it seemed like everyone was just getting in his way.
“That’s my man,” Jake said. “Fuckin’ revolutionized the way sales are made. Cut out the middleman.”
“Congratulations,” Laura said. “I’m proud of you. Well, I’m jealous, but I can see through that and just be proud of you.”
Sophie rubbed his thigh. “Ryan?”
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Kat asked him.
“Later.” Ryan leaned forward to pour some ice water in their glasses.
“Damn, dude.” Dixon scanned the article. “I don’t know how you come up with this stuff.”
“Wasn’t that big a deal.” When he spoke, he covered her hand on his thigh. “I just copied the way the big box stores do it.”
“Why you gotta be so modest?” Jake drank his beer. “It’s not like Walmart handed their system over to you. You created your own.”
“And sold it. You’ve got to be a billionaire by now.” Kat looked at him hopefully.
Jake gave her a dull look, and then turned his attention back to Ryan. “Point is, no one else had created it for smaller businesses, which meant we had to go through distributors. Makes way more sense to do it this way.”
He turned to Sophie, leaning in. “Come upstairs with me.”
Dixon forked salad into his mouth. “This is good.”
“It really is. I can’t believe you had this delivered all the way from Arizona.” She gave him a soft kiss. “Thank you.”
“I love you,” he whispered in her ear. And then a chunk of bread hit Ryan’s forehead. He glared at Jake.
Jake shrugged. “I was talking to you.”
“I don’t want to talk to you. Not tonight.” His eyebrows lifted, as if trying to reinforce a point. “Now can you eat your fucking dinner and go?”
“Go where? Even if we made it to town, we couldn’t get back tonight. Gallatin Road’ll be impassable.”
“We’re in a chalet, Jake. Seven bedrooms, a gym, a basement game room. Lots of places for you to go.”
“I don’t get why you’re being so…” Kat’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Oh. It’s tonight?” She covered her mouth with a napkin and then pushed her chair back. “I can’t believe I…You guys, come on.”
Everyone kept eating.
“Guys, seriously,” Kat said. “Help me in the kitchen. Now.”
Heads popped up; everyone eyed each other inquisitively. Kat shot Ryan an apologetic look.
“Well, I’m not going to do it now.” Ryan tossed his napkin on the table.
Sophie turned to him. “Do what now?” She looked at her friends. “What is going on?”
“Oh, Christ.” Ryan jerked his chair back hard. Scraping a hand through his chin-length hair, he stalked over to the kitchen and opened a drawer. “This is not how I wanted to do it.”
“Do what?” Sophie said.
“What’s he talking about?” Jake said.
“I don’t know.”
“You guys,” Kat said. “All of you come with me right now.”
“I’m in the middle of eating. Let me finish.” But Kat yanked the back of Dixon’s shirt. He rose out the chair, shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. Kat whispered in his ear. His eyes went wide. “Oh. Shit. Sorry, dude. I didn’t know you were doing it tonight.”
Ryan came back to the table…and then knelt beside her. “Soph.”
Was he…Oh, my God. He was proposing? She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think. Heat spread through her, joy tripping along her nerves. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Her man—her life—looked at her with pure adoration in his eyes. “I know we’re young. We just turned twenty-four.”
“Oh, shit,” Jake said.
“I told you,” Kat said.
Her friends hurried off, their voices fading.
“But I’m in love with you. And I know you’re it for me. There’s never going to be another woman that makes me feel the way you do. You make me feel alive. You make happy.”
“Ryan, are you…is this…?” She shifted forward on the chair.
“I want to be with you forever. I want…” Love softened his gorgeous features. And then he pulled something out of his back pocket.
Electricity buzzed along her nerves. Her hands started shaking.
Ryan held a red velvet box in his big hand. “Will you marry me?” He cracked it open, revealing an antique rose-gold ring. A ruby bracketed by sparkling diamonds stood prominently in the center.
“Oh, my God,” Kat cried from another room.
“Shut up,” Jake said.
“They can’t hear me.”
“Russia can hear you.”
“Excuse me, but my best friend just got engaged.”
Sophie dropped to her knees, the chair skidding back, and threw herself against him. She climbed onto him, toppling him onto his ass. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
Joy flooded her, as she found his mouth and kissed him, her heart so full she thought she might burst. His hands cupped her bottom as he hitched her higher onto his lap. “Thank God.”
He said it like he couldn’t believe it. “Did you think I wouldn’t say yes?”
“You’re gorgeous. And kind and generous and smart. You’re perfect.”
“I’m not perfect.”
“You actually are.”
“You know I’m yours. I can’t believe you’d wonder for a single second whether or not I’d marry you.”
“I didn’t know if you’d want to be tied down so young.”
“Tied down? Ryan, you make me fly. I’ve never been happier in my life. I love you.”
She started to kiss him again, but he set her back on the floor as he got on his hands and knees.
“What’re you doing?”
“You knocked the ring out of my hand, and I want it on your finger right now.” Reaching under the table, he pulled out the ring. Then, he turned to her and slid it on. It fit perfectly. The rest of their crew came running back into the room. Kat screamed and threw herself at Sophie. “I’m so happy for you. Let me see that ring.”
Her friends surrounded them in hugs, kisses, and lots of squeals.
In the center of all that love and attention, an overwhelming feeling of happiness gripped her. She’d grown up in a house just this size, but it had felt cold, empty, and painfully lonely. Now, three years after Isla de los Amantes, her life was filled with so much joy. She had the greatest job in the world, the best friends, and laughter. Lots and lots of laughter.
And she had the greatest gift of all. She had the love of her life.
She wanted to freeze this moment in time.
But, then again, in about two minutes she was going to be alone in bed with the sexiest, most passionate man she’d ever known. So, yeah, no need to freeze anything.
She still had so much to look forward to.