I’m lying. The way he’s looking at my panty-clad body makes me feel breathlessly alive.
“Yeah,” he says, striding closer, his boots creaking the floorboards. “I brought you some clothes.” He sets down one of two bags on the table beside me and I only manage to catch the aroma of Italian food before he’s opening the second bag. Hard pressed to break his intense eye contact, I reach into the bag and take out the tiniest red dress in history. My core flexes just anticipating wearing it in front of Ryan.
“Where is the rest of it?”
“Dinner is your Valentine’s Day present.” He grins. “The dress is mine.”
Why am I smiling back? Why is my heart racing? “Oh, is that right?”
“Uh-huh,” he drawls. “Those are the facts.”
“Kind of formal for cabin-wear, isn’t it?”
“You’re not planning on wearing it long anyway, are you, princess?”
My eyebrows go up. “Sorry, wh-what was that?”
“You’re going to seduce me. Isn’t that the plan you came up with while I was gone?”
Shocked and outraged, I stomp my foot. “How did you—”
“You decided we could be friends with benefits,” he says, tongue tucked into the corner of his mouth. “Do I have the full scope of your strategy yet?”
My shoulders slump. “Yes.”
“Aww.” Ryan’s arm hooks around my lower back and he lifts me onto the kitchen table, his big body crowding between my thighs. “Tell you what.” He slides my butt closer and his erection presses to my core. Snugly. Like he owns it. Oh my God, this is happening. I’m getting physical with not just a man, but Ryan. “Put on that red dress and have dinner with me. Once you get through it and the world doesn’t explode, I’ll take you in the back bedroom and fuck you so good you scream the roof off this place.”
I fight my way through the dizzy spell induced by his words and realize what exactly he’s proposing. “Dinner in a red dress on Valentine’s Day? Ryan, that’s a date. A serious couple one.”
He’s already shaking his head. “It’s dinner with me, your best friend. You can do it.”
Fear clouds inside of me and I wring my hands between us. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m worried you want more than I can give. You’ll get the wrong idea.”
“We eat dinner together most nights, Jessie.”
“Yeah, but I’m in yoga pants and Million Dollar Listing is playing in the background.” I chew on my bottom lip. “And you usually don’t have plans to…”
“Fuck you so good you scream the roof off this place.”
My breath stutters out. I hesitate.
He throws me over one shoulder, the red dress over the other and marches to the back bedroom. When he lowers me to my feet, my heart sinks to my stomach, just like it did earlier when I changed the sheets. There’s an unopened bottle of champagne on the side table beside a beautifully ornate four poster bed. Dead rose petals litter the ground. Unlit candles sit unused on several surfaces. “This is like a guilt trip on steroids,” I mutter, grabbing the dress from his shoulder.
Ryan’s face transforms with concern. “Jesus, no. I never wanted you to feel guilty.” He cups the side of my face. “I’ve had the privilege of living with you. The gift of your time. Your presence and friendship. I’ve been a lucky man, whether we’ve been on dates or not.” His hungry gaze dips to my breasts. “But I can’t survive without fucking you anymore. I need to get my cock inside you, permanently, and I’m willing to play dirty to get it there. Put on the dress.”
A proper response eludes me.
I’m trembling where I stand, but I manage to step into the mini dress, pulling the slinky material up my legs, hips and torso while Ryan fondles his erection through his jeans. The bodice of the dress barely covers my breasts, leaving most of them plumped up and spilling out of the neckline. Cool air kisses my bottom cheeks, telling me if I bend over, my full backside will be on display. “This thing is more like a tube top than a dress.”
“You’re beautiful in it.”
I shimmy my shoulders a little and a groan escapes him. “I might be even more beautiful out of it,” I say coaxingly. “We could skip the date, go right to bed and find out.”
A shudder moves through his hearty frame. “Nice try.”
I’m suddenly aware of how much power I have. In my shock and confusion over finding out Ryan is in love with me, I’ve barely wielded it at all. I move closer to him, step by step, lifting my right hand slowly to toy with the button of his jeans. “Are there any neighbors close by to hear me scream your name?”
“Jessie,” he says harshly. “Stop.”
“When you force yourself through my virginity…” I push out my lower lip. “Do you think you’ll feel it tear?”
Ryan makes a ragged sound and lunges toward me, his mouth stamping down on mine, twisting my lips open and plunging his tongue deep inside. His hands climb the backs of my thighs and reach up beneath my dress, grasping my buttocks. I wail his name into his mouth over the punishing nature of his grip, but it thrills me. Makes me hot and wet between my legs. Holding onto his shoulders, I boost myself up his extra-large body and wind my legs around his hips—and the world blurs as I’m turned and rammed into the wall, Ryan thrusting up between my thighs like a snarling beast, his mouth releasing mine to grunt into the curve of my neck. “I ought to spank your sweet, little ass,” he growls. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this? Do you think my obsession with you is a game?”
My breath catches. “No. I’m starting to realize it isn’t.”
He lifts his head, eyes glittering as they land on mine. “Are you scared?”
“No,” I whisper, honestly. “I could never be scared of you. I’m only scared of what you want from me.”
“We have all the time in the world to fight that fear until it’s gone. I’m not going anywhere.” He grinds his erection against my core, as if powerless to stop, his groan long and agonized. Animalistic. “Almost, Jessie. You’re almost ready for me.”
“I’m ready,” I whimper. “I’m ready now.”
“I’m not talking about your pretty, wet pussy.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I’m talking about up here.”
With that, Ryan carries me from the room, his hands still molded to my bottom. He sets me down on the kitchen table and without breaking eye contact, he reaches into the to-go bag full of food and removes a container, ripping off the lid. I catch a whiff of glorious flavors like lemon, butter, cream and before I know it, he’s feeding me bites of chicken and pasta, wrapped around a plastic fork. There’s something so hot about Ryan feeding me. Like he’s in charge of my care and comfort and I have nothing to think about except being pampered.
“You liked when I fed you this morning. It turned you on.”
Caught off guard by his astuteness, I swallow a bite. “How could you tell?”
He doesn’t answer, but I get the odd feeling he’s harboring secrets behind those blue eyes. “Is your mother back in town, Jessie?”