The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) (17 page)

I tentatively reached over and stroked his thigh. He stiffened under my touch and when his eyes turned towards mine, I had to suck in a startled gasp. His eyes glinted as he looked down at me, an unmistakable look of hunger and desire on his face. Luckily the traffic was light and the trip took only a few minutes. After getting out of the car, Ryan dismissed his driver as he followed me into my building.

The rush and tension that had been building had reached a fevered pitch once we made it inside my apartment. It felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff getting ready to jump. Ryan held my gaze and leaned forward slowly. I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of his breath against my cheek and fluttered my eyelashes. It amazed me that he could affect me so deeply with just a look.

In that moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to take me in his arms and kiss me. As if reading my thoughts, he closed the distance between us and crushed his lips to mine. The ferocity of his kiss took me by surprise, but I quickly regained my balance. My fingers gripped the lapels of his jacket as I pressed myself closer to him. He felt warm and solid and I wanted to feel him even closer. I darted my tongue out to meet his in a heady dance, as if trying to meld our two bodies together.

“Whoa,” I said when he pulled pack. I looked up at him in a daze.

His lips quirked up in a small smile, but his eyes glowed as he looked down at me with an intensity that left me breathless.

“You could say that again,” he said. His voice was hoarse and shaky and I felt a momentary boost to my ego that I was able to affect him so. The feeling was fleeting as he began to caress me up and down my back, rubbing soothing circles along my hips. I struggled not to melt in a pool at his feet.

I heard myself moan and a slow smile spread across his face before he bent his head down for another mind numbing kiss. Our bodies melded together, and I temporarily blacked out. It was as if I were insensible to everything around me except the feel and taste of him. When we came back up for air, I was startled to see we were standing in my bedroom. The surprise must have been evident on my face because Ryan chuckled and flashed me a sexy smile.

“I just picked the first door. Lucky isn’t it?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye. “Though, I don’t think it’d make a difference if we ended up in your bathroom.”

“I didn’t even know we were moving,” I said, still a little dazed. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed or cared where we ended up as long as I was with him. On the bed, in the tub, or against the wall—it didn’t matter.

Ryan reached out for me again and pulled me close, and I thought I saw a flash of something inexplicable in his expression. Maybe it was tenderness or maybe something deeper? I didn’t have time to ponder because he had swept me off my feet and was carrying me to the bed.

I couldn’t help comparing this time to the last time we had been together like this. Even though I’d been drunk, I could still remember the feel and the smell of him, memories that turned my knees to jelly. There had been an urgency and a primal need for each other.

This time it felt different. Ryan took his time and the way he looked at me, along with the gentleness of his caresses and the intensity of his kisses made me feel like there might be something more going on between us than just sex. At least, for me it was. I was starting to feel that I was in danger of really falling for him.

“A penny for your thoughts?” he asked looking down at me tenderly.

I smiled shakily at him and shook my head. “It’s nothing.”

I didn’t want to admit my feelings to him yet. I had a feeling it’d ruin the mood and that was the last thing I wanted to do. Because as much as I would have loved for him to tell me he felt the same way, I wanted more for him to make love to me again.

Ryan looked like he was about to say something else, but I cut off his words and I dragged his head down for another kiss. He relaxed instantly and rolled us over so that I was lying on my back. His body was crushed on top of mine, but I loved the way he felt against me, every inch of our bodies touching.

“You’re quite the impatient one,” he teased, as we came up for air. He had a devilish grin on his lips and it took me a moment to remember him saying the same thing during our night together in Vegas.

I refused to blush at the memory and tried to act nonchalant as I shrugged my shoulders. “Only when I know what I want,” I said.

“And what do you want?” he asked. He still wore a smile, but his eyes had turned intense.

I had a sudden urge to lick my lips as they had gone dry. The way he was looking at me made my heart start thumping in my chest.

“I want to see you naked,” I said boldly. “If I recall, I didn’t get a chance to the last time we were together.”

He stood up, a look of delight stealing over his face as he gave me an affectionate smile. “I believe you got quite a long look the last time, if I remember correctly, but I will be happy to undress for you again,” he said cheekily.

Ryan reached back and slid his jacket off his shoulders before loosening the tie around his neck. He dropped them to the floor next to where he stood and then his hands moved to the buttons on his dress shirt. I found myself completely mesmerized by his every little move. As he pulled the shirt off his shoulders, I had to swallow hard. He was absolute perfection.

I drank in the sight, as my eyes roamed hungrily over his beautiful body. I reached my arm out and ran my fingers over his chest, playing briefly with the dark patch of hair before moving down the muscles of his abs. My fingers stopped at his waist. I could see the large bulge pushing up against the fabric of his pants. I swallowed visibly before lifting my eyes to look up at him. His eyes crinkled as his lips turned up into a crooked grin.

“So, I take it you approve?” he asked teasingly.

I nodded my head wordlessly. Witty banter was completely out of my depth at that moment. If all it took was for him to be shirtless to render me a complete fool, I didn’t even know what I’d do when he got completely naked.

It didn’t take me long to find out. His hands moved to his pants where he undid the button and slowly lowered it along with his boxers, exposing more of himself. He shot me a wicked grin before pulling it off in one smooth motion. I released a pent up breath I didn’t know I was holding. He was already hard and ready. My fingers reached out and I felt him, rock solid and smooth like warm marble. I heard him breathe deeply as I explored him with my hands.

“God, Mel you have no idea what you do to me,” he said through gritted teeth.

Before I could reply, he had stepped out of my grasp and had pushed me back onto the bed. His mouth found mine in an urgent kiss. Our tongues collided in a heated dance and I groaned against him as I felt his hands cup around my breast. I was swept away on a wave of passion that took control of my body. He gently pulled my dress up over my head, trailing kisses over my exposed skin. His hands deftly maneuvered my bra and panties off until I was completely naked.

“Please, I…want you, now,” I begged between ragged breaths.

Ryan settled himself between my legs and then I heard him swear as he got jolted up. I leaned up, my body resting on my elbows as I watched him grab his pants and fish around until he pulled out a condom. He tore the foil and slipped it on over his length. Without warning, he climbed back to the bed, pressing his hard solid form against me. I loved the feel of him like this, his tall strong body encasing mine in an all-consuming embrace.

With one smooth stroke, he drove himself into me, spreading me open. “Oh, Mel,” he gritted as he began a slow thrust.

I wrapped my legs around his back as my toes curled. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in ecstasy as he slowly drove in and out. Soon our rhythm picked up and I had completely abandoned myself to the pure sensation of our bodies meeting again and again. It pierced me to the very core. It’d been too long since I felt this good. Not since Vegas. I threw back my head and closed my eyes as I concentrated on the feeling of our bodies melding together.

“Come for me baby,” Ryan urged through gritted teeth. I looked up at him then, his eyes watching me with a smoldering stare. It was so intense and searing, I had to close my eyes, afraid that I’d get swallowed up in his gaze. With a loud cry, I threw my head back and cried out his name as my body shuddered with the force of my orgasm. I clenched my muscles around his cock and heard him hitch his breath before he found his own release. I laid there a pile of mush, completely oblivious to everything around me. All I could feel was a deep satisfaction and completeness that left me at peace with the world.

Ryan shifted above me before he rolled onto his side, pulling me against him. He draped one arm over me and kissed the top of my head. We didn’t speak and soon I slipped off to a deep, dreamless peaceful slumber.

I reached over the next morning and felt nothing but the cool sheets under my fingers. My foggy mind slowly came to, and I sat up and rested my head against the headboard. I remembered Ryan coming back to my place and I remembered the sex. Amazing sex. I had almost wondered if it was another dream, but looking down at my naked body, I knew that it wasn’t. I didn’t normally sleep in the nude.

Last night was magical. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time and I found myself sleeping like a baby, with no worries or cares. Everything felt right with the world. Now that I woke up with the bed empty beside me, my old feelings of anxiety and doubt crept back in. Was it all in my head? Did Ryan not feel the same way? Was he only interested in sex? I hated to think that I was the only one risking my heart again, only to look like a fool in the end.

I called out tentatively, half hoping he had just gone to use the bathroom, but there was only silence that greeted my call. There was no note on the bed or any sign that he’d been here at all. If I didn’t recall last night so clearly, I would have thought I was going insane.

I glanced at my clock and was startled to realize that it was already 11 am. I hadn’t slept in that late since my college days and felt a little guilty before I realized that it was Saturday and I wasn’t scheduled to go into work. Staying in bed was not an option, though. It would only remind me of last night, and right now I didn’t need that. I didn’t want to brood and over analyze every little thing to death. There could be a ton of reasons why Ryan had left, and until I heard from him, I wouldn’t obsess over it.

I headed to the shower and got ready for the day. The hot water felt heavenly against my skin and I began to relax my muscles and see things a bit more clearly. Once I was out of the shower, I wrapped my robe around me and towel dried my hair.

What I needed was some girl time and an outsider’s perspective, I had decided. My hand was just about to reach for my phone to dial Candace’s number when it buzzed to life. I looked at the caller ID and my heart nearly dropped out of my chest. It was a number I hadn’t heard from in several months. A number I thought I’d never hear from again. I hesitated to answer it, not knowing what I would even say. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I pressed answer.

“Hello, Chad?” I said.

“Yeah, hey Mel.” His voice was so familiar but it also sounded different, serious yet tentative. Chad had always been a happy, carefree sort of person, so it worried me to hear him sounding so grave. But then I realized that it wasn’t my business to care anymore.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I’d like to see you again,” he said.

His words left me momentarily stunned. I remained silent, not quite knowing how to react or what to say. A small part of me felt happy that he’d wanted to see me again and I hated myself for that. After he’d left me, I had had this fantasy that he’d realize what a big mistake he made and come begging me to come back to him. I never really thought that would happen and over time the feeling faded away, until now.

“Mel? Are you still there?” I heard Chad ask.

“Yeah, I’m still here,” I answered, the strain obvious in my voice. “Are you back from Dubai?”

“I got back a week ago,” he answered.

I let that information sink in. He’d been back for a week and now he was calling me to meet up again. I felt annoyance and a little bit of anger shoot through me at the idea that he thought he could just come waltzing back into my life after he had wrecked it, as if nothing had happened. Did he think I’d be waiting for him with open arms?

“I’m not sure meeting is such a good idea,” I said.

“Listen Mel, I know I hurt you, but I just really need see you again,” he pleaded. “Please, will you just meet me for drinks? Or lunch maybe?”

I should have hung up on him and blocked his number. I should have refused to see him or have anything to do with him again, but I didn’t. No, that would have been too easy and sensible. I didn’t know what made me say yes, but I found myself agreeing to meet him for lunch. The phone call ended soon after and I sat back and toyed with a damp curl between my fingers. There was something perverse and unhealthy about the whole situation. I knew I was playing with fire, and yet I couldn’t stop myself from doing it.

***

Chad was already seated at the table when I arrived at the restaurant. He hadn’t noticed my arrival yet, so I took a moment to look him over. At first glance, he looked much the same as I remembered him, although he seemed thinner. His suit hung off his shoulders loosely and his copper-brown hair was a little longer that he normally wore it and nearly brushed his shoulders.

When I got a closer look at him, I noticed that he had actually changed a lot. His profile was sharper, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes. Wrinkles lined his mouth and forehead, and he looked like he’d aged ten years in the past few months. I wondered what had happened that had caused this change in him. Chad was always the type of person that never let anything get him down, but looking at him now, he seemed under some strain. I couldn’t believe that it was our break up that had caused this change in him. As I remembered it, he had been all too happy to be unshackled from me.