Taming the Fire (40 page)

“No, you've already done that,” she muttered. “Guys, you can put the guns down. He's all right.”

“The hell he is.” Mose had come up from behind her. He carried a simple Glock, but then, he didn't need more—his posse had him covered.

“I can handle this, Mose. I have to handle it.”

Ryan had turned back to her, his hands still in the air. “I want to talk to Meg. To apologize. To explain.”

“It's going to have to be one amazing apology for me to not shoot you for trespassing,” her brother countered.

“Stop, just stop, okay?” She said to Mose, “Call them off and go.”

“Meg…” Mose warned.

“I'm to blame here. I stole money from him and caused a lot of trouble because I was jealous and hurt. So please, just go.”

Mose lowered his gun. A sharp wave of the hand and the men standing behind Ryan disappeared, along with Mose himself, leaving her and Ryan and a gorgeous Florida afternoon.

“You're not to blame, Meg.” Ryan's voice was hoarse. “I fucked this all up… there were things I didn't know and I couldn't explain… I was in a dirty business, and what you did… I was fair game. And it was never my money to begin with.”

“Yes, well, you've paid for that. You almost gave your life.” She heard the break in her own voice and the tears were next and then Ryan's arms were around her. For a few minutes, she forgot about the embarrassment of Ryan's rejection and her broken heart, forgot about everything but her own discontented soul.

“We've all done bad things, Meg. But you can make things right.”

“Yes, I've made things so right that you didn't want to be with me.”

“I was an idiot to let you go the other day,” he said. “And five years ago, I was just as much of an idiot.” He paused, and then spilled his thoughts as though afraid he wouldn't voice them if he didn't hurry and get them out. “I was afraid to trust you. In that line of work, opening myself up, being vulnerable, well, let's just say that wasn't the way to go. And when I realized I'd been an ass for letting myself get talked out of meeting you, I tried to set up another time to meet. But by then—”

“I'd stolen the money,” she finished. “You knew I was afraid to trust too, Ryan. I'd already told you about my sister…”

“Mary,” he said, as if just remembering the name. He shook his head, his brow furrowed. “God, Meg, I'm sorry. I was an ass.”

“Yes.” She paused, because she wasn't being fair. They'd both been terrified to trust, but for different reasons. She'd been worried about her heart—he'd feared for his life. “But you were also scared. I was too. Agreeing to meet you, falling for you—those were things I never thought I'd be able to do. And I still believe in special, that there's one person you're meant for. Stupid, right? And naive and—”

“No, none of those things. Not even close.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “Can you forgive me?”

She licked her bottom lip gently. “I think… I think I might be able to.”

“Do you think, maybe, we could continue this someplace more private? Because I can see your brother watching us from behind the palm tree—and man, he's still holding that pistol.”

“I want that. But Ryan, I can't be who you want me to be. In the bedroom.”

“That's part of what I came to talk to you about.” He blew out a long breath, and for a second, she thought she'd just said the wrong thing. “I let you go when we were at ACRO because that last part of my memory was a blank. This is going to sound stupid, but until I knew who I was, a hundred percent, I couldn't commit to anything. Not even to you. But I found out about my past—the S&M thing, the tape you saw. It was all a fake. My cover. I'm not into that. I mean, I'm not Gentle fucking Ben, but… if you need me to be…”

“No.” She swallowed hard, shifted from foot to foot. “I want to make love to you, you have no idea—”

“Oh, I think I do.” There was a glint in his eye as his voice dropped an octave that she felt like a shot straight into her belly.

“No, I mean… I can't do this unless…” She felt stupid again. “Unless you love me. And I know that you don't, can't possibly.”

He sat back on his heels from where he'd been kneeling on the rough pool deck in front of her chair. “I remember falling in love with you, Meg. And the best part is, I'm doing it all over again, right now.”

R
YAN'S HEART POUNDED
so hard he couldn't hear the roar of the ocean even though ML's house was so close to the surf he could practically throw a rock and hit the waves. He felt so freaking stupid exposing himself to Meg like that, but he'd seen the hardest ACRO agents turn into jelly when they were in love, so he supposed this was normal.

How nice that the natural, normal state of being in love was being stupid.

“Ryan…” Meg's whispered voice trailed off, and she swallowed repeatedly, as though trying to keep from saying something as revealing as he had. She was so much smarter than he was.

“I'm not just saying that to get you into bed,” he blurted. “I mean, duh, I want to get you into bed, but I can wait. If you're not ready, I can wait as long as it takes.”

Tears filled her eyes, and yeah, now he'd done it. She was going to tell him to go to hell. If he was lucky, maybe her brother would just shoot him and get it over with.

“Dammit,” he breathed. “It's too late, isn't it? I'm sorry.” He looked down at the cement deck because it was better that than see the hurt he'd caused her.

“It's not too late,” she said. She grabbed his hand and stood, bringing him up with her. “Come on.”

Too stunned to argue, he allowed her to lead him inside the house and down about a dozen halls.

“This is my wing.” She made another turn down a hall.

“You have your own wing?”

“ML likes to give me privacy and space.” She huffed and led him into the huge bedroom he'd seen through her eyes earlier. “When it's convenient for him anyway.”

“Is that why we're here?” he asked, as he moved toward the sliding glass door that led to a deck overlooking the ocean. “Privacy?”

She closed the door. And locked it. “Unless you'd prefer to take my virginity by the pool, where everyone can watch.”

He damned near tripped over his feet. He swung around to her, and though his brain was still having trouble processing what she'd said, his body had gotten the message loud and clear. The biggest erection of his life had popped a tent in his cargos and his heart was working overtime to keep the blood pumping to it.

“Are you sure?”

She stood there, her green-and-pink tropical bikini highlighting her tan skin, and then there was nothing but tan skin, because she'd untied the top and shoved down the bottoms.

“I'm sure.”

Meg was going to be his. A primal surge of pride swelled up in him that he would be this woman's first. And only. He wished he could give her the same, but he'd screwed that up—literally—a long time ago. Now the only thing he could offer her was his promise that she would never regret this.

He went to her, framed her face in his hands and kissed her to seal the promise he didn't want to say out loud for fear of ruining the moment. Her palms rested on his pecs, so the only contact between them was through their lips and hands and pulses. It was the most erotic thing he'd ever experienced, and they'd barely begun.

The kiss lingered, until Meg leaned in so her breasts rubbed against his chest. He might have been okay, might have been able to keep the kiss going on even longer, but then she brought her stomach into contact with his erection, and that was it for him.

A raspy sound of need came from deep inside him, and he swept her up in his arms. Still kissing her, he took her to the bed and laid her down. Only then did he break contact, in order to undress.

She watched as he stripped down in record time, and when her gaze darkened and her lids grew heavy at the sight of his naked body, pride wasn't the only thing that swelled.

“You're so beautiful.” Her voice dripped with hunger, and beneath the delicate skin of her neck, he saw that her pulse had picked up.

“Keep talking like that, and I might let you have your wicked way with me.” He eased onto the bed next to her, and though she appeared calm and in control, he could feel the mattress quiver beneath her.

His own hands shook as he drew her against him and just held her. “I won't hurt you,” he swore. “Not intentionally. And if you suddenly decide you don't want to do this, tell me. I'll stop. No matter how into it we are.”

“We're not stopping.” She emphasized her words by sliding her hand down his chest to take his cock in her fist.

Throwing his head back, he groaned. Her palm was soft and hot and a welcome change from months of using his own. God, she could get him off in half a dozen strokes, and he had to seize her wrist to keep exactly that from happening.

When he came, it was going to be inside of her.

“Not yet,” he murmured, and began kissing his way down her neck. The skin of her shoulder was like silk against his lips, and he spent a long time making sure it was properly worshipped.

Using his tongue, he forged a trail to her left breast, loving how her breath came faster the closer to her nipple he got.

“Ryan,” she moaned, shoving her fingers through his hair and caressing his scalp as he took one hardened peak between his teeth and flicked the tip with his tongue.

His cock throbbed with the fierce need to get inside her, but he did his best to ignore it. Easier said than done, especially when he cupped Meg between the legs and she writhed, bringing her thigh up against his shaft. Damn, he nearly lost it right then and there.

“Easy,” he breathed against her navel. “We'll get there.”

“Want there now. Make me come.” Her raw demand made him smile.

“Your wish is my command.” Slowly, reverently, he spread her thighs. There was a brief moment of resistance, when her muscles tensed, but when their gazes locked, she relaxed, her expression softening into a mix of trust and desire.

She opened up to him, and his breath hitched at the sight of her plump lips parting. Her pink flesh glistened, framed by velvety down he knew would tickle his face when he tasted her.

“I'm going to lick you,” he said, as he drew one finger from her clit to her tight opening and back up, spreading her moisture through her slit. “Do you want that?”

She shuddered under his touch. “Oh, yes.”

He made another pass with his finger, this time dipping it inside her, and she cried out, “I'm going to lick you until you're at the very edge, and then I'm going to suck that pretty little pearl.”

The words brought her hips off the bed. Oh, yeah, he was going to get her so worked up, so wet with her cream that he'd slide in with as little resistance as possible. He couldn't help the pain she'd feel when her barrier broke, but he could make it easier—and making it easier would be a hell of a lot of fun.

Mouth watering, he captured her sex with his lips and kissed her hard and deep. Her gasp of pleasure was accompanied by another surge of her hips, and then her fingernails dug into his scalp.

She tasted like sunshine and citrus, and he lapped at her like this was a tropical paradise and he was never leaving.

“Look at me,” he said, surprised she understood him because he was drunk with her, and his voice was thick and slurred. But she did look at him as he dragged the flat of his tongue from her core to the top of her slit and then latched onto her clit with his lips.

Gently, he sucked on it, letting his tongue flick back and forth over the tip, and as he watched, she came apart, silently but violently. So violently he had to hold her hips with his hands and lay his torso over her legs to keep her from bucking him off as he kept her coming with long pulls and a vibrating hum.

“Ryan,” she panted, after her fourth orgasm. “Oh, my God, Ryan…”

She bucked in release once more, and then he was mounting her, poised at her entrance.

“Are you ready, baby?” He'd stop if she asked him to, but call him selfish, he wanted her to say yes. His cock was like steel and his balls were in a vise grip of need.

But mostly, he was ready to claim her body.

And her heart.

M
EG'S LEGS
were trembling by the time Ryan moved his body onto hers. She was poised and open—so ready for him—and God, she'd never been more nervous in her life.

“You okay, baby?” he asked. “If you're not ready—”

“I'm ready, Ryan. So ready. It's just…” She drew a deep breath. “I've waited so long for the right guy. And you're here. Really here.”

“Always.”

She bit her bottom lip at the first entry of his cock inside of her. She was wet and relaxed from the many orgasms he'd given her but nothing could prepare her for the sharp, sudden pain of his entrance.

He'd stopped when she'd gone still, was murmuring, “Try to relax… it gets better. I promise, so much better.”

She believed him. And as he pushed in farther, she felt herself open for him, her sex rippling with his girth.

His hands were on her hips, his face set in a mask of intense concentration, as if he was on the most important mission of his life.

She loved that, loved that he could take this much time with her. This much care and concern. “I didn't know… didn't know it could be this good.”