Page 200 of Beyond the Temptation: Vol 2

When I’m in the stall, I do my thing and after I wash my hands, I check my makeup.

“Callie Winters, right?” the woman next to me asks. I smile and nod, putting my lipstick on. “I thought that was with you. You’re with Ryan Hayfield tonight, right?”

“Yes,” I acknowledge. “Do I know you?”

“No. But I know you. I love your books and his too. After he spent the night with my friend the other night, I was sure he would have called her. She’s devastated he just walked out on her. Said he had to be somewhere.”

“Maybe he did.” I try to play it off like it doesn’t bother me. “It was really nice meeting you, I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name?”

“Megan,” she says. “Tell your date that what he did to my friend Sara was pretty shitty.”

“I’ll make sure to do that.” I give her a polite smile and excuse myself from the bathroom.

“Dammit, Callie, will you stop?” Ryan caught up with me finally. I’ve made it to the hotel and am just feet from my door. He grabs my arm and spins me toward him. “What the hell?” he asks. “Talk to me.”

“Talk to you?” I poke my finger at him. “You want me to talk to you when you can’t even be honest with me?” Shoving him to get some space, I continue. “I have had it with men who lie.” I turn and unlock my door, push it open and charge into the room. Unfortunately, he stops it from closing shut all the way. “Get out.”

“No.” He charges toward me. “Not until you talk to me.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“That’s too bad, because I’m not leaving until you do.”

“Megan told me that what you did to her friend Sara the other night was pretty shitty.”

“What I did to her friend Sara?” He points to himself.

“Yes.” I cross my arms and stare him down. “Do tell, Ryan. What did you to do with Sara?”

“I’ll tell you what I did with Sara. She got so drunk that she didn’t even remember where she was staying. I took her purse and found out what room she was in and dropped her off there.”

“Then what?”

“Then I went to my own room and sat right outside on the balcony and hoped and prayed that you would come out to say goodnight.” He sits on the couch in defeat. With his elbows on his knees, he rests his head in his hands. “Sometimes I don’t even know why I try.”

Watching him torment himself is breaking my walls down. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest that I can hear every time it pounds in my ears. Slowly, I take my first shaky step toward him. When I find myself in front of him. I rest my hand on his dark hair. He freezes for a long moment before dropping his hands on my hips. He looks up. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats. He pulls me closer to him and holds me tightly. “This isn’t how I imagined this night to go,” he admits.

“How did you imagine it?”

“Alone with you.” I sit on his lap and wait for his attention. When I have it, I look around the room and notice it’s empty.

“Looks like there’s no one here.” I slink my arms around his neck. “What more did you imagine?” He finally gets the hint and grins.

“Well, there’s this one thing I imagined doing to you,” he finally admits, lifting me in his arms and taking me to the bedroom. “First we need to get you out of this dress.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm.” His lips are on my neck. “Last time, I don’t think either of us remember that part.”

“I actually think that is the only part I do remember. Everything after that seems to be a blur.”

“Well, let’s rectify that.”

He stands me on my feet then brushes my hair behind my shoulders. His eyes are bouncing back and forth with my own. “You are so beautiful.” His voice is a whisper. He leans in and kisses me gently. The kiss begins soft and gentle, then it transitions into something deeper. “I want to remember every second of this.”

Slowly, I begin to unbutton is shirt. He helps me remove it and tosses it away from us. I can’t help myself and reach out to run my fingers over his incredibly fit chest. He has a chest to die for and those abs that lead to his happy trail. My God, he takes care of his body. His fingers trail up my arms and ends up behind my neck. He loosens the knot that’s around my neck and the halter dress falls to the floor. He steps back and his eyes undress me as if the dress is still on. The look on his face is giving me goosebumps. All I’m wearing is my panties and heels. He takes my hands and pulls me toward him. I step out of the dress circle and into his arms.

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