Skin Deep (5 page)

“It’s okay, honey,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “We’re not going to let that happen.”

She didn’t need a white knight riding in to save her from doom and destruction. What she needed was paying customers to buy her more time to turn things around. She had a viable plan in place for making the business profitable again. It required hard work, time, and a little luck, but it could work. It had to work.

“Do you think your father will ever be well enough to run the business again?” Ryan asked.

“No. As it was, my mother was pressuring him to retire. He’s almost seventy. She wanted to travel before they were too old to enjoy it.” She sighed. “I don’t know if that’s in the cards for them now.” She felt like a whiny brat complaining about her father’s condition when Ryan had lost his own father not long ago. But as a daddy’s girl, seeing her larger than life father as half the man he used to be was a bitter pill to swallow. “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to burden you with my problems. I’m sure you have enough of your own.”

“Uh, my problems are a little different than yours, sweetheart.”

She tipped her head back to look at him. “How so?”

“I’m struggling to keep up with the demand while maintaining the quality that’s earned me the reputation I have in this business.” 

She knew cosmetic surgeons were often booked months in advance, especially in this part of the state. She settled her head on his chest. “You must have quite a waiting list, huh?”

“Right now, most of my patients are looking at eight months, and that’s simply not acceptable, but I can’t do it all. I’m recruiting a few doctors for my other clinics, but finding people who perform at the level I do and have managed to maintain their ethics isn’t easy.”

She realized she would be quite content lying in his arms all day and night, just getting to know him better. She almost wished he would say or do something to make him seem less appealing so she could walk away without a backward glance after today. But so far, he seemed like the perfect man for her. Right man, wrong time; just her luck. “What do you mean?”

“A lot of people in my field are happy to perform any surgery the patient requests or play on their insecurities to upsell. There’s a lot of money to be made, and unfortunately a lot of piranhas are willing to prey on the weak just to make a fast buck.”

Closing her eyes, she wished for the strength to mitigate this growing infatuation. She was falling for him, deeper and deeper, and at any other time, that would make her ecstatic, but he couldn’t have picked a worse time to come into her life. “So, tell me about your business plan.” If she focused on business, perhaps she could keep a clear head. At least, that was her strategy.

He drew circles on her lower back with his fingertip, smiling against her temple when she shivered in his arms. “Like I said, I plan to open another clinic, and I’ve already found two great doctors to share the workload. Finding another doctor for my Beverly Hills office is proving to be a challenge.”

She ran a hand over his taut stomach, suppressing the urge to groan aloud. How he found the time to maintain the physique of an underwear model with his busy schedule was beyond her. “I’d suggest you call my brother, but he’s still doing his residency.”

He edged back to look at her. “Cosmetic surgery is your brother’s specialty?”

“Yeah, he’d love to have his own practice one day. In fact, I’m sure he’d love to meet you, get a few pointers on how you did it.”

“Very interesting,” he said, leaning back against the pillows. “You said he’s in his last year?”

“Yeah.”

“Think he might be interested in doing the remainder of his residency under me? I’d be happy to pick up the tab for the rest of his tuition if he’s willing to sign a three-year contract.”

“Are you serious?” She sat up, trying to gauge his reaction. Her brother would jump at the opportunity, and having that burden off her shoulders would be… “Wait a minute. You’re not just doing this to help me, are you?”

Ryan laughed. “Honey, your brother would help me out of a jam. Of course, I’m assuming he’s good. If he’s not, I won’t even consider taking him on.”

“I’ll have you know, he’s in the top five percent of…”

He pulled her down on his chest, kissing her into submission. “Have him call me tomorrow. We’ll talk, see if we can’t work something out.”

She smiled, shaking her head. Even after the amazing sex, she was still wound tighter than a top. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to snap at you. I appreciate the offer, and I’m sure he will too.”

“My pleasure,” he said, kissing her neck. “Like I said, he’d be doing me a favor. Now, can I talk you into doing something for me?”

She should have guessed this was coming. The men she was involved with rarely did something nice for her without an ulterior motive. “What’s that?”

“Come to a hospital fundraiser with me tonight?”

Ryan couldn’t wait for Alana to become a part of his world. He could imagine her socializing with the doctors’ wives while their husbands all drooled over
his
woman. Not that his interest in her began and ended with physical attraction. If that were the case, any one of the women he’d dated in the past five years could be wearing his ring right now. With Alana, it was that intangible quality that made her so appealing. If someone asked how he knew she was the one, he couldn’t put it into words and wouldn’t feel the need to justify it; he just knew.

If he made a list of all the qualities he was looking for in a wife, he would be describing Alana Miller. And he had no intention of letting her go, no matter how many obstacles she tried to throw in his path. “So what do you say? Will you come with me?”

“I’m surprised you don’t already have a date.”

He eased back on the pillow so he could look her in the eye. “Would it sound crazy if I told you I planned to take you all along?”

She laughed. “Yes, given the fact we didn’t even know each other until a few hours ago.”

“Alana, you may not remember much about that Christmas party, but I do.” He hadn’t intended to bare his soul, but he saw that was the only way to make her understand. “I saw you with Bruce, and I just knew. I’ve been biding my time ever since, just waiting…”  He stopped himself before he said anymore. He didn’t want her to think she was sleeping with a stalker. “I’m sorry, does that sound weird? Am I freaking you out?”

She smiled. “No, not at all. I’m flattered that you picked me out of a crowd. I’m even more flattered that you thought you saw something special in me, something worth pursuing.”

Bolstered by her reassurance, he swallowed his pride and continued. “I asked Bruce about you the next day. He told me that you’d just taken over your old man’s Porsche dealership, so I did a little digging and found out what I could about you.”

“Yet you waited this long to come in and introduce yourself. Why?”

“Like I said, I was involved with someone else. Once it was over, I thought I needed a little time to figure out whether I was ready to pursue another relationship, especially since I’m so busy with work right now.”

Propping her head in her hand, she asked, “So, what made you come in today? And don’t tell me you were in the market for a new car, Doc.”

He laughed as he raised his right hand. “Okay, I confess, that was just a ploy to meet you. But that is a sexy car, and I do intend to buy it.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Ryan, I can’t let you do that. It would just be a pity sale.”

After sliding down so he was positioned under her, he said, “Honey, I work hard, and if I want to reward myself every once in a while, I do. It’s as simple as that. So write up the sale, email the details, and I’ll drop the check off on Monday.”

Kissing him gently, she stroked the stubble on his cheek as she looked him in the eye.

Fisting his hand in her hair, he said, “I hope that’s not how you thank all of your customers.”

With a wicked gleam in her light blue eyes, she said, “Just the handsome ones.”

He stared at her a long time before he said, “I’m crazy about you, Alana. I came to your dealership today because I tried to get you out of my head for months, and I couldn’t. Now I know why.”

Her eyes traced his face before she asked, “Why do you suppose that is?”

“I learned a long time ago not to fight fate, sweetheart,” he whispered, pulling her head down. He poured everything he had into that kiss, exploring her, arousing her with his tongue until they were both breathless. “I don’t want to fight this, do you?”

She closed her eyes and trailed her lips over a path along his jaw. “I don’t know what I want anymore. I’m so confused.”

Skimming his hand down her back, he buried his face in her hair. “Please, just give me a chance, baby.”

She pressed her lips to his chest. “I’m tempted to say yes, but I don’t want to disappoint you.”

He flipped her over and straddled her, pinning her arms above her head. “Before long, you’ll be asking yourself how you ever lived without me.” At least he prayed that was the case, because if she ended this now, he would be crushed.

“I don’t doubt it; that’s the problem. I can’t afford to be dependent on anyone. Not when so many people are depending on me not to screw this up.”

Suppressing the urge to growl in frustration, he bit back an angry retort. She shouldn’t have to face this crisis alone. She needed a strong shoulder to lean on, and he intended to be there for her whether she liked it or not.

He dipped his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around and around the rigid tip until she was fisting her hands in his hair and wrapping her legs around his waist. He loved the fact that she was so sensitive, so responsive to his touch. He intended to use that knowledge to his advantage. “Hands above your head, and don’t move them until I tell you to or I stop.”

“But I want to touch you.”

He looked up, grinning at her petulant pout. “You’ll get your chance, I promise, but right now it’s my turn. Deal?”

She raised her clasped hands above her head and sighed dramatically. “Fine, have your way with me.”

He intended to. He continued to sweep his tongue over her nipples in short strokes until she was thrashing and whimpering, begging for more. Smiling, he slid down the length of her body, licking her everywhere as he proceeded to her sweet spot. He grabbed a bottle of lube from his nightstand and kept one eye on her as he poured a small amount of liquid into his hand.

“What are you going to do with that?” she asked, looking wary.

“Have you ever had anal sex, sweetness?”

Shaking her head, she bit her bottom lip. “No, I…”

That single word set him off. His raging hard cock rubbed against her thigh as he fought with the voice inside his head telling him to take her, hard, fast, now. “It’s okay; I’m not going to hurt you. I just need you to relax. It’ll feel amazing, trust me.”

“But, I’m not sure about this.”

He positioned himself between her legs, spreading her thighs to accommodate him. “First, I’m going to lick and suck your pussy until you come in my mouth.” He took her mouth savagely, desperate to corrupt her. In his wildest fantasies, he never imagined he would be the guy lucky enough to introduce her to the darker side of sex. He just had to practice self-control and take her soft and slow, so she would be anxious to repeat the experience over and over again. He knew he wouldn’t last once she let him in. As soon as his hard cock was buried balls deep in that tight, puckered hole, he was going to shoot a hot burst of come so deep inside her tight little body that she’d wish she’d done this years ago.

“Is it going to hurt?” she whispered.

He closed his eyes and continued to kiss her, finally forcing himself to acknowledge her question. “It’s going to hurt at first, maybe burn a bit, but I’m going to make sure you’re ready before I do anything, sweetheart.” He lay down beside her. “Let me show you.” He slipped his hand between her legs. “I’m going to make sure you’re so turned on that you’re dripping wet. The natural lube will help me ease it in. Let me show you with my finger.”

He knew he had to take his time when just the thought of having something penetrate her had her tensing in his arms. “It’s okay, baby.” He licked and kissed her neck until she spread her legs wider, his name on her lips. “That’s it. Just let go.” He rubbed her clit with his finger, working her into a frenzy before he thrust two fingers deep inside her pussy. Curling his fingers and angling his hand, he found her g-spot within seconds.

“Oh my God,” she cried, grabbing his wrist.

“Remember what I said,” he whispered in her ear. “Keep your hands above your head, or I’ll tie you up.” He couldn’t wait to bind her hands and have his way with her luscious body, but he didn’t want to scare her off by introducing her to all of his proclivities at once. He suspected the urge to fight him was borne of fear. Her previous sex life was obviously very lackluster. That was about to change, starting now. He intended to introduce her to a multitude of ways to derive pleasure.

“But it’s so intense. I don’t know if I can…”

“You can,” he said, delving deeper. “You just have to learn to let go. Trust me and yourself. This will feel incredible. You’re going to drench my hand with your hot come, and that’s going to give me all the lube I need to slide my cock into your sweet ass, nice and slow and easy.”