Seven Days (11 page)

I had to fight against everything in me to keep quiet. I knew the second he realized who I was, he’d leave me behind. Ryan deserved someone special, someone bright and shining. I was tarnished and broken.

The lights glittered over the water as we took the river taxi back to our hotel later that evening. I knew he’d wanted to distract me from my phone conversation and subsequent zone out when he suggested we play penny slots at every casino on the river. If it weren’t for the little boy grin on his face and the way he bounced on his heels as he asked, I would’ve called him out on it. Because we were in Laughlin and not Las Vegas, gambling in every casino only took up a couple of hours.

However, I counted his mission to distract me a raving success. I’d even won a whole five dollars. The fact was, I needed an escape from the dark thoughts and swirling memories, since I still hadn’t heard from Britton or Tildy about the trip home. It had been hours with no word, and it was getting harder to push that fact to the back of my mind.

Between our bets, we explored each hotel and tried to scope out where we would eat dinner. He tried to insist on eating some place ‘decent’ and maybe it was code for romantic. Nonetheless, our lack of proper attire and my refusal to let him buy me anything new relegated us to a really amazing but casual sushi bar. From the look on his face when I tried to explain my reservations about doing more than window-shopping told me that the subject wasn’t closed. I had a feeling I would end up with something new from him before the end of the week.

Taking advantage of the quiet moment, I couldn’t hold back the question that had been bugging me all day, “Why Laughlin? Why not Havasu or near there?” The Colorado River was long and winding, so the fact that Ryan wanted to see it wasn’t surprising. Where he wanted to see it was though, because there were other locations throughout Arizona we could’ve visited.

“Ah, but Lake Havasu has the London Bridge and is spring break famous, so I figured it would be another one of those off-limits places,” he enlightened me, leaning back against his seat and closing his eyes as the warm summer breeze from the river washed over us both.

“I could make the same argument about Laughlin,” I responded, trying not to think about how we were one stop away from our hotel room and the fulfillment of Ryan’s earlier promise.

“I believe you tried,” he looked up and scooted closer. His arm slipped around me and pulled my hip flush with his. “But, since we aren’t in Arizona, the cliché rule doesn’t apply. We are no longer in your home state,” he argued. “Which means your expert label is null and void here. You are just another Nevada tourist, baby,” he smirked in a way that seemed to shout “Checkmate!”

“Yeah, but Arizona is right there,” I countered, pointing to the opposite side of the river and the sparse lights twinkling from Bullhead City.

“Doesn’t matter,” he drawled, placing a sweet kiss on my shoulder. “It’s a loophole, and I found it. No need to pout, baby.”

“Save it for your room,’ the driver called out as we approached the dock for our hotel.

“I intend to,” Ryan called back, helping me from my seat, but not letting his eyes leave mine. My heart sped at the promise I saw glowing in his amber eyes.

Holding my hand tightly, Ryan led us through the casino area toward the elevator that would take us to our room. He seemed singularly driven in his focus, whereas I was desperate for a way to slow down the inevitable. That’s not to say that I wasn’t equally wanting or willing what was waiting for us when we got to our hotel room. I couldn’t help that I was just flat out scared. I felt so unsophisticated in his presence and I didn’t know how to fix it. Stalling was the only thought on my mind as I trailed after him, attempting not to trip over my own feet while trying to match his clipped pace. The man had nearly a foot of height on me, which he seemed to forget at that moment.

“Do you want to get a drink before we head up?” I offered as we passed the bar in the middle of packed floor.

“You don’t drink,” he answered, simply, not breaking stride.

“But, you do,” I countered, “I would hate for you to stay dry because of some misplaced honor toward me.”

On my words, Ryan halted beside the last in a row of Black Jack tables and hauled me into his arms. Brushing a stray tendril of auburn hair from my eyes, he pulled me onto my tip-toes as his mouth descended toward mine. After giving my head a moment to catch up with his action, his tongue speared between my lips to parry with mine. Just as quickly as it began, it was over and I was left looking into the bottomless pools of twin hungry that radiated from his gaze. From the small growl that escaped his throat, I knew my own green eyes mirrored the desire in his.

“I would never forgive myself if I spent my first time buried inside you half-tipsy. I want to experience everything you have and I want to do it sober,” he proclaimed, his words nearly puddling me on the casino floor. As he turned to lead us toward our destination once more, I ran my freehand absently over my face. Although the bruise Ben had left behind was nearly a memory, I wondered why Ryan could find me beautiful when there was clearly so much ugliness deep inside.

I tried to push down my trepidation as Ryan ushered us into an empty elevator, dodging the two blue haired ladies that had just exited. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied with where the evening was headed, I might’ve laughed at their open-mouthed appreciation of my companion.

Yes, ladies, my man was a vision and a half.

Fuck.

My
man
? When had I—

As soon as the doors pinged closed, Ryan had me backed against the wall of the car, the brass railing digging into my back. When his soft lips hit their mark just below my left ear, any and all rational thought, any remaining ideas I may have had about stalling, all of it fled my brain. I couldn’t deny that I was completely overwhelmed by every single caress and kiss he bestowed upon me. I wasn’t sure if I could handle what he was about to offer me. Having access to everything that lie underneath his clothes might just make me a little crazy or like a kid in her first candy store after being given a credit card with no limit.

“Do you know how much I’ve been thinking about this all day?” he asked, the stubble from his chin tickling my neck. His heavy breath fanning against my sensitized skin had me swallowing, thickly.

My hands instantly went to his shoulders, trying to hold him in place as his teeth nibbled at my collarbone. God, he was good. After finishing his path with his teeth, he, immediately soothed the slight sting he’d left with reverent open-mouthed kisses, his tongue barely peeking out to get a taste of me. A shuddered sigh was the only response my brain could give to his question.

“I’ve tried to keep us far away from here all day, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist you. But it’s way past time to get you alone and show you how good we could be,” he groaned, his fingers tracing my ribs over my tank top. Another wave of moisture flooded my core as his thumbs made contact with the underwire of my bra and I bit my lip to suppress the whimper in my throat.

Before I could trail my hands from his shoulders to start my own exploration, the elevator doors slip open on our floor with a ping. Slowly, we separated from our obvious clinch, my leg around his hip. Funny, I didn’t remember putting it there. A very stunned family stood on the other side. The parents gave us a look of disgust as we walked by, but their teenage son looked like he wanted to offer Ryan a fist bump. My cheeks flooded with color as I followed behind, resisting the urge to bury my embarrassed face in his back.

As soon as we crossed the threshold to our room and the door clicked shut behind me, Ryan leaned down to reengage with me. This time, he absolutely devoured my mouth. My arms flew to the hem of his t-shirt and slipped underneath to the muscles I’d been coveting since our trip began. God, they felt better under my touch than I’d fantasized.

“Fuck,” he hissed against my lips. Suddenly, his hands were on my ass and I was being lifted in the air. “Wrap your legs around me, baby,” he coached, as my back was, once again, pushed against another wall. I tried to keep up with the force of his kiss, but my head was swimming. I was surrounded by his scent, his taste, and his touch in the best possible way. Absently, I noted that his earlier display in the elevator could be considered chaste in comparison. His palms were kneading my ass as my hands continued their ascent on his glorious chest, pushing up his shirt as I went.

Our mouths parted briefly as we dispatched his shirt and my tank into a pile in the doorway, and then we were on the move again. Holding me tightly against him, I felt how much he wanted me against the seam of my shorts. His mouth trailed down my chin to my neck as my fingers traced the hard planes of muscle straining in his back as he carried me across our hotel room. His cock was creating the most amazing friction as we made our way. Just before he dropped me onto the bed, his hands made short work of the clasp on my white lace bra, drawing the straps down my arms as I sprawled across the blue duvet. My auburn hair fell around me, haphazardly, as I stared up at him, lost in a cloud of lust.

“Oh shit,” he breathed as I writhed against his bulge, my legs still wrapped firmly around his waist. “You look so fucking beautiful right now, Carrie,” he professed.

“So do you,” I blushed, reaching up to grasp his hips to pull him on top of me. Unfortunately, he still had the benefit of leverage and resisted my effort. Bending at the waist, he took one of my painfully erect nipples into his mouth.

“Oh my God,” I panted, circling my hips again like the wanton creature he was turning me into. I’d never felt like this before. My head was still slightly dizzy and I swore my heart was going to beat out of my chest. Goosebumps of awareness broke over every inch of my skin as he worked on one breast with his mouth while the calluses of his hand palmed the other expertly. My back arched off the bed in ecstasy with my chest heaving into even the slightest touch he prevailed upon me.

“That’s it,” he coached. When he pulled back to examine his work, I took the opportunity to reach for the button on his shorts. I’d only been directed by my partners before so this ability to do what I wanted felt amazing. I felt powerful as he understood my intentions and took over by unzipping his shorts and letting them fall to the floor at his feet. Leaving the cradle of warmth between my legs, he gave my shorts the same treatment, taking a minute to appreciate the view of my unmistakably wet white cotton panties. “Fuck, baby, I can see everything and I haven’t even gotten you bare yet. I love knowing that I’m the one who did this to you.”

“Only you,” I breathed as he finally put a knee to the bed and crawled between my legs as I scooted back to allow him room. If the tent in his black boxer briefs was any indication, I was in for more than one new experience. He wasn’t overly large, but definitely bigger than I was used to.

“Only me,” he repeated a possessiveness taking over his features as he hooked his fingers under the gusset of my panties and stroked the dripping seam of my sex. I fought to keep my hips still under his ministrations, but failed miserably. I wanted him so badly, but doubt was starting to creep back into my head the longer we went on like this. I felt like a novice to the expert level of attention he lavished on me. I wasn’t used to being so prepared to take someone’s cock inside my body.

When he moved to slide my underwear down my legs, I couldn’t help but blurt out, “I’ve never—” I started, cutting myself off when I found the control to stop myself before I elaborated. That would’ve been embarrassing.

“You’re a virgin?” he asked, looking at me with disbelief and pausing in his movements. A look of unease took over briefly before I continued.

“No, it’s not that. I didn’t mean to say that,” I denied, wrapping my fingers around his hardness through his briefs, hoping to bring back the lusty haze my careless words had destroyed.

“Okay,” he choked out as I stroked him through the fabric. The flex of his hips into my rhythm let me know that my slip up was forgotten for the time being.

“I need you,” I whispered, spurring him back into action.

“I need you, too, baby,” he responded, pulling away again and ripping his boxer briefs down so quickly his cock rebounded from the action. Reaching down, he grabbed a condom from the back pocket of his shorts and threw it on the bed beside me. “But I plan to take my time,” he declared, his voice hoarse from arousal.

“No time,” I said, my voice turning despondent as I retrieved the condom, putting it between my teeth to open the wrapper. “I need you inside me, please, now” I whined, wrapping my hand around his cock again and guiding him close enough to roll the condom over his erection.

“That is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he stated as he watched me. After he was sheathed, I gripped him tightly and gave his dick a couple of hard strokes to let him know I was ready. “Damn, baby, if you don’t stop, I’m not going to make it. I’m dying for you. I’ve wanted you since the second I saw you,” he said, lacing his fingers with mine so he could pull my hand away from him to prevent an awkward incident. “You are everything I’ve ever wanted, Carrie.”

Delicious pain and anticipation coursed through my body when the bell head of his cock touched my opening and he slipped in a fraction. “Holy shit, you’re so fucking wet. I’m not going to survive this,” he groaned, his eyes closed tightly as he fought to catch his breath. After a beat, his eyes shot open and met mine, sliding our joined hands over my head, he leaned over me.