A Love Like This (2 page)

I looked nervously at the door and wondered
if I should pull closer. One of the smaller men was nudging the
leader and pointing in my direction. I bristled in my seat.

“Thank you. I can’t wait to see you! Will
you be at the hotel tonight?” I ignored the men and concentrated on
my call with Jenna but my pulse quickened and I shuddered.

“Yes. Gabe and Elyse are already here and my
parents are arriving around the same time as you and Ryan.”

“Ellie and Harris?”

“They’re here already and Marin and Paul
arrive on Saturday morning.”

“Yes, Dad is busy with a case and can’t be
away too long, but I’m happy that they will be there. I never
expected to have us all together this soon.” This was going to be
the first time I’d seen my parents together since their reunion and
our wedding.

Ryan finally appeared behind the glass of
the hospital entrance and was soon walking toward me across the
parking lot. My heart stilled as he glanced in the direction of the
men and nodded to them. It seemed to calm them slightly and they
dropped back, letting him pass without incident. I breathed a sigh
of relief and the heavy pounding of my heart reminded me how scared
I really was.

“No shit. I’m excited to see everyone!” Jen
said breathlessly.

“You deserve this, finally. Ryan is almost
to the car, so I’ll call you when we land. Love you.”

“You, too! Bye!”

Ryan opened the passenger side door and slid
into the black leather seat and I quickly relocked the doors. He
looked worn out but leaned toward me after he was in the car and
cupped the side of my face with his hand.

“What’s the matter? Did those men bother
you?” he asked, intently searching my face.

I shook my head.

“No, but they are frightening. Do they
always hang out here?”

“No. Don’t worry. We get some rough people
here, but other times they’re just idiots playing around. Tonight
someone got pushed off a roof while they were sparring with
friends. They don’t understand how dangerous that kind of injury
can be. The kid had a ruptured spleen and went to emergency
surgery. If we didn’t get it out, he would have died of internal
bleeding. Stupid fuckers.”

His scent enveloped me and I longed to melt
into his arms and feel safe, to know he was safe. I searched his
face for reassurance, but my heart constricted despite myself.

“Ryan, they look like a gang.”

“Probably. Don’t worry, baby. I’m just glad
you work uptown.”

My eyes searched his. The blue depths were
intent despite the fatigue that lurked there.

“It’s adorable how you worry so much, but
there is no reason for it. I’m okay except I’m missing my wife so
much it hurts,” he said in his velvet voice. I pressed my face into
his warm hand.

I smiled, taking in the dark circles beneath
his deep blue eyes. “Ryan, you’re so tired.” I was more at ease now
that he was here beside me, but the men were still watching us from
a few yards away. Ryan didn’t seem to notice, his focus was
completely on me.

“
I’m okay.” His thumb
brushed over my bottom lip and pulled it down slightly as his gaze
dropped to my mouth. “Give me some of that.” He smiled softly
before his other hand closed around my forearm. He pulled me toward
him and his mouth settled on mine in a gentle kiss.

I couldn’t help it, my mouth opened and my
own hands reached out to clutch at the front of his dark blue
button-down between the opening of his black leather jacket. He’d
changed out of his scrubs for the flight and was looking good
enough to eat. He responded by increasing the pressure of his mouth
on mine and the hand holding my head pulled me closer. His thumb
brushed back and forth along my jaw as his tongue plundered my
mouth. We kissed deeply for a minute before his mouth lifted and
then returned to tease my lips in a series of sucking kisses.

“Jesus, you taste so good. Why does it feel
like I never fucking see you?” he said and kissed me one more
time.

“Maybe because you never fucking see me,” I
quipped in return and he groaned, his mouth reaching for mine again
as his eyes slid closed, but I rested my forehead against his,
denying him the kiss he was seeking.

“Baby, I could kiss you forever, but we’re
going to miss our plane. Besides, those goons are still eyeing us,
and they scare me.” I reached up and brushed my fingers along his
jaw and then up to push the hair back off of his brow. “We should
go.” I moved more fully into my seat and put the car in gear.

“Don’t be scared. I won’t let anything hurt
you, sweetheart.”

“The only thing that hurts me lately is the
lack of time with you.”

His mouth twisted and he frowned, pulling
the seatbelt down and buckling it.

“Um hmm, and here I thought getting married
and moving in together was going to make things easier,” he said
apologetically. His hand reached out and his warm fingers closed
around mine, lifting my hand to his mouth to brush his lips across
the inside of my wrist. His touch always set my body on fire and my
heart thudded in my chest.

“Mmm… well, I’m thankful for the time we do
have together. This weekend will be hectic, but at least we’ll be
together for 72 hours. I want to make sure that you get some rest
tonight.”

“Well, I want to make sure I get some lovin’
from my gorgeous wife,” he said with a devilish grin. “Lots and
lots of lovin’.” He turned in his seat and looked at me seriously
as I navigated my way through the city.

“Ryan, what is it?”

“I know this weekend is about Aaron and
Jenna but I want some time for just us; if we can manage it. I
really miss talking and just
being
with you. Alone.”

I knew what he meant. He was my best friend
in the world and we were closer than any couple I’d ever seen.
Lately, on the rare occasion our schedules meshed we were so
desperate for the physical connection; we devoured each other.
Rarely did we go out and do anything together. Instead, we opted to
closet ourselves away from the world and soak up as much love as we
could in the few precious hours we had. His eyes were sad and I
desperately wanted to see him smile again.

“Oh? I remember now, it’s my
words
you can’t live without. Not my body, right?” I cocked my head and
raised my eyebrow. It worked.

Ryan laughed and squeezed my hand. I knew by
his response that he remembered the conversation that I was
referring to. “That’s right. I’ll be completely
miserable
making love all night if I can’t talk to you first.”

“Yeah, right. Okay, then I’ll make sure to
throw the new lingerie I bought for this weekend out when we get to
the hotel.”

Ryan sobered, his thumb rubbing back and
forth over the hand that he held. “I love you, Julia,” he said
seriously. “I do want to talk to you. I want to find out what’s
going on… but I love that you think about me that way. You always
know just what I need.”

“Because you’re everything to me. Even if I
can’t see you so much, I wouldn’t trade one second of my life with
you. I love you.” I threw a glance and a small bittersweet smile at
him before returning my focus back on the traffic.

Since my accident nine months before, there
were times when he’d get deep and brooding, withdrawing into
himself and I was sure he was remembering how painful it was. I was
sometimes amazed by how much it still affected him, but I’d learned
to recognize the look in his deep blue eyes and the silence that he
would cloak himself in. The pain that still flitted across his
perfect features from time to time ripped at my heart and I wished
I could vanish it forever. As much as we loved each other, we no
longer took any of our time together for granted, having seen how
precarious life could be. We were both well aware of how much we
needed each other.

My throat tightened up as I tried to speak.
As usual, Ryan could read me like a book. My emotions and my
thoughts all laid bare to him, despite my attempts to squash
them.

“I never want to go through anything like
that again.” The ache in his voice was still so prevalent whenever
he spoke of it and I wondered if he realized that had I not been in
that accident, we’d have a one month old baby by now. Despite the
happiness we shared and my memory being fully restored, he held his
misery very close to him and we were both still suffering the loss.
Ryan had endured so much when I didn’t remember the past, the baby,
or what he called our mad, mad love.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest
remembering the night it all came rushing back when he poured out
his pain as I poured out mine. Every precious moment and ounce of
pain brought us closer. I still found it almost impossible that
anyone could love this much. Almost, because the proof of it was
sitting next to me.

“We won’t. I love you so much,” I said, my
voice trembling and my eyes welling slightly. I blinked back the
tears as we drove in silence for a few minutes, our hands laced
together. I could feel his eyes boring into my profile so I turned
my face toward him. “I have a surprise for you later,” I said
softly. His eyes locked with mine and the corner of his mouth
lifted in the crooked smile that always took my breath away.

“In addition to the lingerie?” he asked.
When I nodded, he smiled even bigger. “I have one for you as
well.”

“Really? Tell me what it is,” I said
anxiously, the mood suddenly lighter.

“Not a chance,” Ryan said shortly but with a
wide grin. “If I have to suffer, so do you.”

“Mmm.”

“Julia, do we have to meet up with the
others tonight? I’d rather not. Not tonight.”

“Ryan.” I shook my head at him in
exasperation. “
Yes
. Your parents are here and we’re meeting
them with Aaron and Jenna in the bar for drinks. We don’t have to
stay long, but we do have to go for a bit. Aren’t you anxious to
see them? It’s been six months and you’re the best man.”

“I suppose I should be, but I just want to
get you alone and wrap myself around you all night. I don’t give a
damn if it’s selfish.”

“We can get some wine. It will help you
relax so you can sleep, and when we go back to the room, I’ll run
you a bath and give you a massage so you can relax. We’ll have
plenty of time to be alone.”

“Okay,” he said begrudgingly, his lower lip
extending boyishly in a slight pout. My heart leapt at the adorable
gesture, and the obvious emotions behind it. His desire to be alone
with me echoed my need to have his arms around me. “But I disagree.
There is never enough time with you. I feel like I haven’t touched
you in forever.”

“You’re touching me now.”

“You know what I mean, Julia. I want to make
love to you. I need to lose myself inside you.” I drew in a deep
breath as his voice reverberated in several waves of electricity.
Yes, I knew what he meant. I craved his touch like air. “
I want
you
. Every second.” The tone of his voice lowered huskily.

“It’s only been four days,” I said in an
attempt to offer comfort, and also communicate that I was aware of
how long it’d been since we’d last been together. It was not lost
on him and Ryan’s hand tightened around mine.

His schedule was so erratic that we rarely
were home together at the same time, and when he was he was beat
and most of the time I had to insist that he sleep.

“Four days too long.”

I watched Julia from a few feet away, at the
far end of our group. My parents reserved four tables along one
side of the room near the band. She was laughing with Ellie and
Jen, their faces full of animation and their eyes full of the type
of light that was visible even in the dimly lit room. Thank God we
were able to check in and take a quick shower before we’d been
required to come down to socialize.

I cringed and inwardly chastised myself.
For Christ’s sake!
It was my only brother’s wedding. Even if
we weren’t related by blood, we were bound by life, love and
experience. The least I could do was show up long enough to
celebrate.

The girls’ tinkling laughter filtered down
from the end table that they were all huddled around. Jenna’s
younger sister, Anna, her parents and two other couples along with
my family, and Ellie and Harris rounded out the numbers.

I squinted in the direction of the people I
didn’t recognize, trying to place them. While they were vaguely
familiar, I couldn’t put names with the faces, and tonight, I was
too tired to try. I should have paid more attention when we first
arrived. I rubbed a hand over my face from my temples down over my
chin and scratched at the twenty-four hours worth of beard growth.
I hadn’t taken the time to shave after my shower and I was sorry
now. I had no desire to chafe Julia’s perfect alabaster skin, but
there was no way I wouldn’t be kissing all over her curves later.
My fingers played along my jaw as I judged how harsh it would feel
against her smooth flesh.