Game On (27 page)

“Sleepin’.” He brushed a kiss across her
lips. “That’s all. Was it right? Hell no. But I swear to you, nothin’ else
happened, baby. You gotta believe me.”

“I can’t.”

“Jared?”

She closed her eyes as a tear left a trail
on her cheek. “You can’t honestly believe I’d sleep with him again.”

He released the breath he’d been holding
and dropped his head to her chest. “I love you so much. I hate that I hurt you,
that I made you doubt me, but you have to believe me when I tell you I’d never,
ever cheat on you.” He kissed her neck, slowly, purposefully, knowing full well
the effect it was having on her. “Let me make love to you. Let me prove to you
that you’re the only woman I want, the only woman I’ll ever want.”

Ryan held his breath… waiting, praying,
pleading. He’d never needed anyone or anything as much as he needed her. If she
told him to leave, if she insisted she never wanted to see him again, he
couldn’t imagine how he would wake up tomorrow to face the first day of the
rest of his life without her.

“Thinkin’ about you with someone else…” he
whispered in her ear. “It feels like I’ve died and gone to hell. There’s no
escape.” He had never been more vulnerable or more scared in his life.

“Please, don’t,” she whispered, pushing
against his chest. “Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

“Look at me,” he said, waiting for her to
comply. “Have I ever lied to you before?” She didn’t respond, so he asked,
“I’ve told you things I’ve never told anyone else, Bri. Things I’m ashamed of,
but I’ve never tried to sugar-coat anything, have I?”

“No, but there’s never been this much at
stake before, has there?”

He knew she was right. Now that they’d
crossed that line, there was no going back. He couldn’t be satisfied being her
friend if it meant he would have to stand by and watch her fall in love with
someone else one day. He’d rather sell everything he owned and move as far away
from his hometown as their private jet could take him. “This is it,” he murmured
in her ear. “The moment of truth. Do I stay or do I go?”

She looked up at him, appearing as
terrified as he felt. “Don’t you think I want to trust you, to believe that
what you’re telling me is the truth? Just thinking about you with that...
that
woman
is killing me.”

He ran his lips over her neck as his hands
slid beneath the thin cotton shirt she wore. “No one will ever love you the way
I do, Bri. You know that.”

“I want to believe you.” She gripped his
shoulders as she tipped her neck back to allow him to continue his exploration.

“Then believe me.” He kissed her softly,
knowing he would never tire of the taste of her flavored gloss on his lips.
“You can ask her, you can ask Johnny, but I want you to believe me. I need to
know that you can trust what I’m tellin’ you. You know me…” He held her hand
over his pounding heart as his eyes searched hers, imploring her to see through
to his soul and the love in his heart, a heart that would never recover if she
sent him away now. “You know that my heart belongs to you, today, tomorrow,
every day for the rest of our lives, if you want it.”

She sucked in a breath and smiled through
her tears. “I think that’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.
I didn’t know you had it in you, Ry.”

“Neither did I,” he said in all
seriousness. “I didn’t know I could feel about anyone the way I do about you. Damn
it, I
need
you in my life.”

“When you say in your life…”

He knew she was searching for the kind of
commitment that would have terrified him less than a year ago, but today he was
a different man, because of her. “I want it all, Bri. The big house with the backyard,
the kids, the dogs, the mini-vans…”

She raised an eyebrow at the latter, making
him laugh.

“Okay, you’re right. I could never drive a
mini-van, but I do want all the rest of it, with you. Only you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he
finally allowed himself to release the breath he’d been holding when she drew
him closer. She held him in her arms a long time before she whispered, “I want
that too.”

“If you wanna wait, we will.” He peppered
kisses along her check, jawline, and neck. “I don’t care how long it takes. As
long as I know you’re mine, that’s the only thing that matters.”

“I am yours,” she said quietly, running her
hands through his hair as he pulled back to look her in the eye. “I don’t think
I realized until tonight how long you’ve had my heart. I’ve been in love with
you for a long, long time, Ryan Spencer.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “You
don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.” He didn’t want to remind
her about last night, but he needed to make sure she trusted him before they
took this any further. “Does that mean you believe nothin’ happened with
Natasha last night?”

Her green eyes flashed in the reflection of
the firelight. “So that’s her name… Natasha?”

Knowing they hadn’t yet cleared the danger
zone, he got up and spread the blanket in front of the fireplace before
reaching up to offer Brianna his hand. “No way in hell I’d ever cheat on you
with her or anyone else.”

She reached for both glasses, handing him
one as she joined him in front of the stone fireplace. “Why did she try to get
you into bed?” she asked. “Was it all about the money? Was the power a turn on
for her, or was it just because you’re too damn sexy for your own good?” She
slapped his chest when she looked up and found him grinning at the veiled
compliment. “I’m serious. Why’d she do it?”

“Johnny asked her to.”

“I don’t get it. What was in it for
Johnny?”

“You.” His hand tightened around her waist when
he thought about how many other men would gladly trade places with him right
now. “He thought if you were hurt and upset, you might come lookin’ for a
shoulder to cry on. He wanted to make sure you didn’t have to look too far.”

She scoffed. “Is that why he was waiting
for me at the bottom of the stairs when I came down?”

Ryan clenched his fist when he thought
about the lengths his supposed friend had gone to just to hook up with
his
woman. “What did he say to you?”

“I was still in shock,” she said, leaning
on one elbow as she looked down at him. “I may have been crying, I can’t really
remember. He pulled me into his arms, and I guess I let him comfort me for a
minute before I told him I had to go. He offered to drive me home…”

“Please tell me you said no.” Not that Ryan
embraced the idea of her driving home alone in the middle of the night, upset
and angry about his perceived betrayal. But now that he knew the lengths Johnny
had been willing to go to in order to make inroads with Brianna, he suspected there
was little he wouldn’t do to try and get into her bed, whether she welcomed him
or not. He’d have to keep a closer eye on her from now on, until he was
satisfied that dirt-bag wasn’t stupid enough to try and cross him again.

“Of course I said no.”

“Good,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“Though I have to admit, I’m a little surprised he let you go without a fight.”

“I kind of snuck out,” she said, playing
with the buttons running the length of his shirt. She popped them open in rapid
succession before pressing a kiss to his chest. “One of the bouncers called him
away to deal with a problem in the V.I.P. lounge and I left.”

“Smart girl.” He sucked in a breath when
her tongue flicked over his flat nipple. “God, I’ve wanted you for so long.”

“I feel the same way,” she said, straddling
him. She leaned over and her long, straight blond hair served as a curtain,
blocking out everything else around them. Kissing his collarbone, her tongue
seared his neck as she drew his earlobe into her mouth.

Moaning, he clenched her backside, holding
her tight against his arousal. “I need you, Bri.”

She pushed against his shoulders as she sat
up, looking down at him. Without taking her eyes off him, she slipped her shirt
over her head and tossed it on the couch.

His mouth watered when he realized she
wasn’t wearing a bra. Reaching up, he cupped her breasts in his hands, gently
flicking the pads of his thumbs over the distended nipples.

She rolled her head back and sighed. “Mmm,
I love the way that feels.”

“I love you,” he whispered, pulling her
down on top of him so he could taste her.

“I know I’ve told you I love you before,
but I’m in love with you,” she said, framing his face with her hands. “Totally,
completely, for better or worse… forever.”

He flipped her over on her back as he eased
down on top of her. In spite of his highly aroused state, he intended to take
his time with her tonight. He may not have been able to give her the romantic
weekend he’d planned, complete with candles and soft music, but this place,
where they shared so many memories, was the perfect place to redefine their relationship
and start the next chapter in their lives together.

He licked and kissed a path down her
stomach, sliding her yoga pants down her smooth legs as he went. When he
finally landed at her feet, he paused to admire her. He’d been with more
beautiful women than he cared to remember, but none had ever made his heart
hammer in his chest the way she did.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, a flash of
uncertainty crossing her face.

“Everything’s right,” he said, bracing one
of her feet on his shoulder as he kissed the inside of her leg. “You’re
everything I’ve ever wanted, Bri. How could you have been in my life for so
many years before I realized that?”

“It’s all about timing,” she said, reaching
for his hands. “The timing is finally right for us to start our lives
together.”

He closed his eyes and savored her words as
he felt her stripping the rest of his clothes away. He’d had this dream so many
times, but if his subconscious was taunting him again, he didn’t ever want to
wake up to return to a reality that didn’t include her.

She joined him on her knees as she wrapped
her arms around his neck, tangling her tongue with his. The kiss went from
teasing to hungry in seconds as he eased her back on the blanket.

“Wait,” he said, reaching for his jeans. “I
need to get protection.”

She reached for his hand. “Only if you want
to.”

His heart pounded as he waited for her to
continue. He’d never had sex without a condom, but making love to her without a
barrier between them had always been one of his fantasies. “You’re on the
pill?”

She nodded as her eyes roamed to his lips.

He knew he was breathing hard already, but
he couldn’t seem to rein in his reaction to her. “You’re sure about this?” he
asked, praying she wouldn’t reconsider now.

“I trust you,” she said, reaching up to
pull him down on top of her. “With my body and my heart. I know you’d never do
anything to hurt me or put me at risk, Ryan.”

Reaching between them, he wasn’t surprised
to find that she was more than ready to take him. Sliding a finger inside of
her, he watched her gorgeous face transform as she gave herself over to the
pleasure. Focusing on delivering her to a state of bliss unlike anything she’d
ever experienced in another man’s arms, he drove her higher, until she was
writhing and trembling in his arms. Crying out for mercy, at the same time she
was begging him not to stop.

He couldn’t prolong his own satisfaction
another second. He linked his hands with hers as he held her hands above her
head. “Open your eyes,” he whispered. Losing himself in the sensation of being
buried so deep inside of her took his breath away. It had been so many months
since he’d allowed himself the carnal pleasure that used to be a regular part
of his life, but he would do it all again just to re-live this moment every day
for the rest of his life.

She looked up at him, locking her eyes with
his as he thrust in and out, his body taking over when his mind shut down
completely. “Nothing has ever felt this good.”

“Like comin’ home,” he said, lowering his
body so he could engage her mouth in an intimate dance that mimicked the motion
of their bodies. “This is what I’ve been waitin’ my whole life for,” he
whispered in her ear. “You’re what I’ve been waitin’ for, Bri.”

Her release took them both by surprise as
she cried out, gripping his hands tighter as she rode out her orgasm. “That’s
the first time I’ve…” Her cheeks filled with color. “You know…
during
.”

Ryan loved that she felt she could tell him
anything. “I’m gonna love you the way no other man ever has,” he said, kissing
her shoulder. “I’m gonna give you everything you ever needed and more than you
ever even realized you wanted.”

“How did I get so lucky?” she asked,
clenching him in her tight heat with a smug smile when he groaned.

“Right now, I’m feelin’ like the luckiest
man on the planet, baby.” He wanted to hold off, but his body had other ideas.
Surrendering to his own release with a guttural moan, he knew he’d have every
night for the rest of their lives to give her all the pleasure she deserved.
The force of his climax was draining, but when he began filling her, he knew
he’d just charted a new course to ecstasy.