Page 81

Bright sunlight streams in through the French doors of the hotel room, drawing me out of a deep, relaxed sleep. I smile at Ryan sleeping soundly next to me. Looking out the window at the ocean, my smile grows. Yesterday, Ryan whisked me off to the airport, telling me he had a huge surprise for me. I couldn’t believe it when we boarded a plane for the Bahamas. I know he needed this though.

He’s been working so hard to make detective and it’s made him so stressed. That stress has been making us fight even more lately. This trip will be really good for both of us. I just know it. I roll over and snuggle into Ryan. He grunts and wraps his other arm around me, pulling me close. I lie here, somewhere between awake and asleep, reveling in the sensation of being surrounded by the man I love.

“Morning.” His gruff voice startles me and my eyes snap up to his face. He leans close and plants a kiss on my neck, right under my ear. I sigh loudly as a shiver races through my body and his lips stretch into a grin against my skin.

“Good morning.”

He pulls away, half of his large body still covering mine, and looks down at me. He brushes the hair out of my face then runs his thumb down my cheek. His gaze drifts down to my lips and he licks his own. My breathing becomes labored as I imagine what he’s thinking. His gaze flicks back up to mine, his eyes like molten pools of golden desire. He leans down, his eyes never leaving mine, until our lips meet and my eyes flutter closed as my lips part and his tongue glides along mine in a slow caress that sets my body on fire.

He groans, the sound swallowed by my kiss, and I hitch a leg up over his hip. He grinds into me and I break away from his lips, gasping, as I feel his rock hard erection against my core. His lips trail over my cheek, down to my neck where he nips and licks his way to my collarbone. My body bows off the bed, grinding into him, earning me another deep groan.

His hands slides over my hips and he hooks his thumbs into the waistband of my panties, slowly pulling them down my legs. He quickly shoves his boxers off and once he’s naked, I reach out, brushing my fingers over the smooth head of his cock. He groans. In an instant, his lips are back on mine as he positions himself at my entrance and thrusts into me. I wasn’t quite ready for him so there is a bite of pain and my body tenses. He slowly pulls out and thrusts back in. I throw my head back and gasp at the delicious full feeling as my body expands to fit him. He thrusts again, getting deeper this time and I can’t stop the loud moan that leaves my mouth.

“Ryan,” I gasp and he thrusts harder, rendering me mute. The only noises I can make are incoherent gasps and moans of pleasure as he continues to power into me. My fingernails dig into the skin on his back and he groans loudly in response. His thumb finds my clit and he rubs small circles over the sensitive nub as he thrusts harder.

“Get there, babe,” he says through clenched teeth and I know he can’t hold on much longer. He leans down, flicking my nipple with his tongue and I explode without warning. I pulse around him as he lets out a long groan and I feel him empty into me. He releases a breath and lays his head in the crook of my neck, careful not to put his full weight on me as he tries to get his breathing under control.

I relax into the bed as I wait for him to move and kiss along his neck. He finally lets out another long breath and rolls off me, pulling me into his side and kissing the top of my head. We lie here cuddling while his hand trails patterns over the skin on my hips and back.

“I’m glad we did this,” he says, just as I was falling asleep and I open my eyes again.

“Me, too. Speaking of…how did you afford this?”

“I have a bunch of money that my mom gave me when my dad died that I’ve been saving, and I thought why the hell not? We definitely needed some time away. I’ve been so stressed.”

“I know you have, baby. I hope it gets better soon.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He chuckles. “’Cause when it does, I’ll be a detective.” I smile as I think about how proud of him I am. He really is working so hard. I have to try to make things easier on him. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something.” He sounds a little nervous and I perk up, very interested in whatever he’s going to say.

“What’s up?”

He takes a deep breath. “I want you to stop working. I want to take care of you.”

I bite my lip. We just said no more fighting but I know I’m not going to give in on this.

“Can I think about it?” I ask, feeling extremely guilty for lying to him.

“Of course, babe. Take all the time you need.”

I smile in response. Maybe things really are going to get better.

* * * *

I can tell Ryan is stressed with work again. I do everything I can to make things easier on him. I keep the house clean and make dinner for him every night, doing everything possible to reduce any stress at home.

After checking the food in the oven, I glance up at the clock and see that Ryan should be home any minute. I get a beer out of the fridge for him and set it down on the table when I hear the front door open.

“Hey, babe,” he calls just as I walk into the living room.

“How was work?”

He frowns before shrugging his shoulders. “Fine, I guess.”

“’Kay, well I’ve got dinner ready.”

He nods and kicks off his shoes before following me into the kitchen. Grabbing the food out of the oven, I fix us both a plate and go back to the table. We eat quietly for a while and when the silence becomes uncomfortable, I say something, anything to break it up.

“I’ve got to work in a couple hours and you’ll probably be asleep by the time I get home.”