“Look at me. Please... look in my eyes,” he softly pleaded.
I turned to gaze back at him. His eyes were captivating.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty crazy about you. You’re all I think about,” he said as he brushed his fingertips on my cheek. “You’re not the only one making an emotional investment here.
“I know why you’re worried, Taryn.” He took in a deep breath. “I’m not here to use you or to hurt you. You have to understand - it’s not easy for me to have any kind of relationship, despite what people think. It’s difficult for me to keep a private life or to trust anyone. One of my old girlfriends sold our relationship to the tabloids for money.”
He looked away, wincing from the unpleasant memory. “After that, well, let’s just say it’s been a while since I’ve been this emotionally close with anyone.”
He looked back into my eyes. “Believe me when I say that random one-nighters are not my style. That’s all I need, for stuff like that to be in print too.”
“I guess we’re two kindred spirits then,” I said.
“What do you mean?” He looked at me for an explanation.
“You don’t trust women and I don’t trust men.”
“Huh,” he breathed out. “So why don’t you trust men?”
“I was… involved with someone a few months ago, too,” I said hesitantly. I didn’t want to accidentally say the scary word “engaged” out loud fearing that Ryan might run if he thinks I only have marriage on the brain.
“Let’s just say that one woman wasn’t enough for him.” I pursed my lips from the thought. “Anyway, sounds like we’ve both had our fair share of pain to deal with.”
“Yeah, but the difference is that your heartaches aren’t front-page news printed on the cover of millions of magazines,” he huffed as he ran his fingers back through his hair. “And you don’t need a Publicist when you break up with someone.”
I sat up on my elbow and rested my hand on his chest. “Ryan, I care about you, a lot. I guess that’s why I’m hesitant to jump into this – because we both need to be able to trust each other. But I promise, no matter what happens between us, I will never, ever, betray you.”
I stared into his dark eyes. “Inside here is compassion and tenderness and I see a beautiful soul who deserves to be loved. I can only hope that you trust me enough now to believe me when I say I would never do anything to hurt you.”
He rubbed my arm gently and then placed his hand on mine as it rested on his chest. A smile appeared on his face.
“I know.” Ryan took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. “My life has been turned up-side-down these last few years. I feel like I’ve been living in this chaotic existence. But when I’m with you, I… I feel strangely at peace. I feel like I can trust you with my secrets. And you have something that no one else has. When I look at you,” his eyes held my gaze, “you take my breath away.”
His words momentarily took my breath away.
“Taryn, I’m fa…” He stopped to bite his lip and sighed, swallowing hard. “I care about you too – so much more than I think you realize. I’ve been trying to take this slow for a reason, you know… trying not to rush it. But being with you is just so easy and natural, and I’m pretty sure you feel the same way.”
“Yes, I do,” I breathed out, amazed that we both felt so deeply for each other.
“I can’t help the way I feel and I don’t want to hold back these feelings any longer.”
“Neither do I,” I whispered.
Ryan gently smiled. “Taryn, every time I’m away from you, I can’t wait to see you again. I just want to be with you.” His fingers swept the hair out of my eyes.
At that moment, I felt every fiber of my soul want to take the huge leap of faith. I was already falling in love with him, and to hear his confession of his feelings made my decision easier to make. No matter what happens from this point forward, it was too late to worry or regret. My body hummed with desire for his touch.
I leaned over and softly kissed him. His fingers tangled in my hair and I felt his hunger for me. Gently he rolled me onto my back; his eyes opened and locked onto mine.
“Are you sure? ‘Cause I want you more than air right now,” he sighed.
I reached up and pulled his face back to mine.
“Make love to me,” I murmured on his lips. “Please,” I begged.
Our mouths melted together. He wasn’t in a hurry; he kissed me slowly, sensually. I could sense that he was going to make love to me, not just have sex with me.
Ryan slid his hand underneath my shirt as he kissed me. He pulled my shirt up and I helped him remove it from my body. Without taking his eyes off of me, he wadded my top up in his hands and tossed it across the room behind him.
He trailed his fingertips down my neck, stimulating my senses, slowly cupping my breast in his hand. A powerful jolt of arousal shocked into my belly as his lips moved from my mouth to my breast. My entire body tingled; could he possibly know how good that felt to me? My fingers combed into his hair and I pressed his face into my body just a bit harder.
My eyes closed and I sank into the pure pleasure of his tongue on my skin. I ran my hands lightly from his hair to his shoulders, moaning from his touch.
I pulled his face back to mine, hungry for him. His hand slid down my back and his fingers entered the space between my skin and panties. A playful growl slipped up his throat when he squeezed my rear.
Ryan hooked the top of my panties with his thumb, peeling them away. I slowly wiggled, curling my legs onto his as he pulled them down and off my body. They also got tossed onto the floor. He ran his strong hand slowly over my body; from my breast to my stomach; from my hip to my thigh.
He trailed his fingertips up the inside of my leg, driving me a bit closer to insanity. I gasped and shuddered under his touch. His long fingers toyed with me, stimulating all the right spots. I was so aroused I felt like I could explode.
I slid my fingers under his elastic waistband and used my forearm to push the cotton that separated us down on his hip. My hand clasped around him and stroked while he moaned in my mouth as we kissed.
He broke away from our mutual pleasure and removed his boxers. We lay there on our sides facing each other, completely free of clothing, as open and vulnerable as one could ever be with another human being.
Ryan reached up and carefully cupped my face in his hand. He didn’t kiss me; he just rubbed his thumb on my cheek and over my lips as he gazed into my eyes for the longest time. A smile broke on his face and it made me smile back at him.
Slowly his body hovered over mine. His knees shifted on the bed and made my legs spread a bit wider, causing another wave of arousal to pulse into my veins.
He leaned down and softly kissed me. His kissing was slow, passionate, like every touch of his lips was meant to convey a specific feeling.
I ran my fingers lightly over the arm that he used to steady his body as he placed himself inside me. I sucked in a sharp breath from the pleasurable pain that accompanied his penetration. I watched as he closed his eyes for a moment; he quietly moaned as he entered me.
His lips returned to kiss mine and he carefully pressed the weight of his body down on me. I opened my legs wider and wrapped them around his body; the desire to feel every inch of him was almost painful.
His eyes were fixed on mine as his hips slowly rolled. He kissed my lips and cheek softly while his hand held my rear off the bed. He was slow, intense, and precise. He sighed in my ear and I wrapped my arms tighter around his body.
“Oh, Tar. Oh God, you feel so good,” he breathed out while he sucked my neck.
There was no awkwardness, no fear as he made love to me. Our bodies fit together like two lost puzzle pieces that were finally joined.
He rolled onto his back and pulled me on top of him. His hands assisted my movements while I lightly ran my fingers up and down his chest. His eyes were wide with pleasure.
I pressed my hands into th
e bed on either side of his head while I exerted more force.
He sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, Tar,” he moaned, softly kissing my chin. He wrapped his arm around my back, pulling me tightly to his chest. I felt his teeth gently bite into my collarbone while we moaned together.
“Lie down next to me,” he whispered in my ear. I slipped off of him and rolled onto my side; he wrapped his arm under my thigh and entered me from behind.
“Oh, don’t stop,” I gasped. His fingers accompanied our union, finding just the right spot to send me over the edge. Ryan’s mouth locked on mine, stopping me from screaming out loud from the mind-blowing orgasm that he was rocketing through my body.
As soon as I stopped quivering he rolled me over onto my stomach. Our bodies were still connected when he pulled me up onto my knees.
I sucked in a few breaths through my clenched teeth as I felt his fingers and movements bringing on my second orgasm. I squeezed down on him, gripping him inside me, and I felt him shudder into me. He let out a long groan as we climaxed together.
Ryan lay back down next to me on the bed; our breathing was deep and labored. I heard him exhale with force as he ran his hand back through his hair. A trickle of sweat dripped down my neck and onto my pillow as I stared blissfully at the streaks of moonlight on my bedroom ceiling.
His hand slid over the sheet until his fingers found mine, taking my hand in his.
I breathed out all the air in my lungs, trying to get my heart to slow down. “Wow!” I giggled. I had no saliva left in my mouth.
He chuckled lightly. “You said it. That… was… Wow!”
He rolled onto his side; our eyes met and we both smiled and grinned at each other.
Gently he wiped the hair off of my forehead; his fingers trailed down my face and lifted my chin so he could kiss me again.
We lay there for a long time, arms and legs intertwined, staring intensely into each other’s eyes. He softly placed tender kisses on my lips.
He let out a big yawn and then smiled softly. We were both exhausted and still reveling in the afterglow of our incredible orgasms. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open. His yawns were contagious.
“Are you ready to go to sleep?” He kissed my nose.
I smiled and nodded slightly. “Mmmhmm.”
I rolled over and leaned back on his bare chest. He pulled the sheet and blanket up over us and wrapped his long arm around me. I pulled his hand up to my lips and then wove my fingers into his.
“Good night love,” he whispered, kissing my bare shoulder.
All my muscles relaxed and I slowly drifted off to sleep, basking in the warmth and bliss of my most incredible dream. I felt his chest rise and fall as we breathed in and out together, peacefully floating on a cloud with him.
I thought I heard Ryan’s voice softly say, “I love you.” Although it was barely a whisper, the sound of his voice was so clear it snapped me back into consciousness.
My eyes instantly popped open. I felt his hot breath exhale forcefully onto my shoulder and his arm twitched, pulling me tighter to his chest. I listened to his breathing to see if he was sleeping. Did he really just whisper that in my ear? It sounded like he was already asleep. I closed my eyes thinking I must be just imagining things.
The clock read 9:18 a.m. when I woke. Ryan’s warm, naked body was nestled with mine. As much as I didn’t want to move from my extremely comfortable spot, nature was calling.
I wiggled myself free from his arm and slid my body to the edge of the bed. I looked around on the floor for my clothes, not seeing them anywhere. I walked to his side of the bed. Where the heck is my shirt?
He rolled over to watch me hunt. “Good Morning!” he murmured happily.
I turned and smiled at him while I made a mental note to buy a robe the next time I go shopping.
“Good Morning! Have you seen my shirt?” I asked with a smile.
“Yep. I know right where it is, but I can’t tell you.” He shook his head and combed his hair back with his fingers. He looked so damn sexy lying there naked in my bed.
I smirked at him. His T-shirt was on the floor so I picked it up and slipped it over my head. The cotton held his delicious scent.
“Nice!” He grinned at me. “Hurry back!”
Ryan took his turn in the bathroom while I put a pot of coffee on. Instead of joining me in the kitchen, he went back to bed.
I stopped in the doorway of my bedroom, leaning on the doorframe while I took a moment to soak in the view. He was lying with his arms folded up under his head, the light from the window made his skin glisten.
My eyes traveled down his exposed body and I could see more clearly the light hairs that started at his chest and became more defined near his bellybutton. The bed sheet barely covered the rest of him, but I no longer needed to use my imagination.
He smiled at me and patted his hand on the empty space on the bed.
I grinned at him and slowly shook my head. I had another location in mind. His eyes narrowed on me with confusion. I giggled a little, stepped back out of view and slipped his shirt off. I held his shirt up, waving it in the air so he could see it, and then dropped it to the floor. He was a smart man; I figured he’d get the hint.
I had just turned the water on in the shower when he slipped his hands around my waist. The hot water felt good on my aching muscles. It had been too long since I bent and stretched in the ways I did last night. I felt unbelievably relaxed as he rubbed my shoulders under the water stream.
We took turns washing each other. His hands lathered the shampoo in my hair as he pressed his fingertips on my scalp and neck. It was so soothing and erotic at the same time. He was definitely enjoying running the soapy sponge over my body, making sure to wash every nook and cranny thoroughly.
My soapy hand washed him as his lips kissed me passionately. I let my mouth drink from the shower water on his chest before I knelt down in front of him. My eyes flickered up to watch his face express his pleasure.
His fingers tangled in my wet hair as I tightened my grip. I was so turned on just hearing him moan I wanted to finish him off where he stood.
Ryan grabbed my wrists and stood me up. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.
I handed a towel to him and wrapped another one around my body. He didn’t bother to dry off. He dropped the towel on the floor and guided me back to the sink.
“Have a seat.” He smirked, assisting me onto the bathroom counter.
He dropped to his knees and slid me to the edge; his hands pushed my thighs apart. I felt his tongue first, followed by a surge of pleasure. His fingers held me open as he buried his face into my body. He pressed my legs back further. I ran my hands through his wet hair as he devoured me.
The heat inside my center reached its breaking point and I felt like an explosion took place right in the core of my being. Each additional flick of his tongue sent shockwave after shockwave through my entire body out to the tips of my fingers and toes, and I shuddered from the ecstasy he unleashed on me. I swear I heard him chuckle ever so quietly as he kissed the inside of my thigh.
He stood up and placed himself inside me. Cool water dripped from his hair onto my chest and stomach as we moved together.
His arms held my legs apart, opening me wider. I watched his eyes squeeze shut; he was breathing hard through his open lips. Soft moans escaped from both of us.
“Ryan, let’s go back to the bed,” I gasped. I was sliding off the sink top. He lifted me up and carried me while our bodies stayed joined.
He lay me down on the edge of the bed and grabbed my ankles, placing them to rest on his shoulders. He rested his free hand on me; his thumb landed at just the right spot, causing me to suck in a sharp breath or two. Damn, he is good! I knew a second orgasm was coming soon.
“I’m close… in or out?” he asked between strokes.
“Oh God, don’t stop,” I moaned, squeezing down on him. I felt his teeth carefully bite into my ankle. “It’s... k, stay in.?
??
I almost stopped breathing while I let the internal climax have at me. My back arched reflexively; my hands clenched the bed sheet.
Ryan climaxed soon after I did and I felt his body shudder as he erupted inside me. A not-so-quiet groan rolled out of his throat.
Chapter 11 – Grilled
“So I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said as we took our second shower.
Ryan leaned into the stream of water, rinsing the soap off of his shoulders. “What, honey?”
“How is it that you’ve been able to slip through my back door unnoticed by the paparazzi? I know they follow you everywhere, but somehow you’ve managed to hide from them.”
He smiled. “It’s complicated. Do you know what a shell game is?”
“Yeah,” I said. “The coin or whatever is underneath one of three shells.”
“Exactly!” he confirmed. “Most of the time I switch cars. Like last night - we got driven back to the hotel, but then I slipped into a different car in the private parking deck and we drove out the public exit.”
“Clever!” I smiled and wrapped a towel around my body. “So, are the photographers going to follow the cast here today?”
“Probably. Too many people are coming here,” he said while rubbing his towel over his hair. “Believe me, I thought about canceling this just to keep the extra attention away. But if the cast is coming here, we’ll just say that we had a private cast party in your facility.”
“You know you won’t be able to leave with them tonight, right? It will be obvious if you’re not with them when they arrive but if you’re seen leaving...”
“I know, I thought about that… after I got here last night. I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Oh, wait. Does that mean I have to sleep with you again tonight?” I gave him a teasing shove and ran for the bedroom.
“I could make you suffer!” he yelled while chasing me. He caught me by the waist and swept me up in his arms. With a few quick movements he had me pinned to the bed.