Page 17 of The Waiter at Table 6

My cry of ecstasy is swallowed by the ocean winds. Ryder’s guttural moan in my ear only enhances the waves of pleasure rolling over me, again and again, until my throat feels hoarse and I’m shaking with overstimulation.

It isn’t until my body drops, limp, to the chaise that Ryder gives in to his own pleasure. I watch, lust drunk, as his expression transforms from tortured to relieved.

His face drops back to my neck with one last groan, his hips finally slowing. I can feel his heavy breaths against my skin as I stroke my hand over his back, staring up at the sea of stars above us.

When he finally braces himself on his forearms, his face goes right back to my neck to press kisses along my skin. I don’t even try to hide my sated smile. I feel like I’m floating.

“If that was half as good for you as it was for me…you’re welcome,” he mumbles between kisses.

My puff of laughter is giddy, but tired. A yawn overtakes me as I ask, “Do you want to stay over? That way, you don’t have to walk back.”

When he lifts his head and his eyes move over my face, there’s something adoring about the way he’s looking at me. “You’re okay with me staying over?”

I nod, pulling him closer. “Maybe it’s naïve, but I feel like I can trust you.”

“You can,” he says quickly. “Of course, you can.”

In an instant, boyish excitement brightens his expression. I let out a whine when he stands from the lounge, but then he immediately scoops me into his arms.

“So, just out of curiosity, how do you feel about being woken up with my tongue in your pussy?” A pause. “Fair warning, your answer might determine if I wake you up once, or twice, or…six times.”

I laugh, burying my face in his neck and pulling myself even closer to him.

And if I thought the pep in my step when leaving the restaurant was a needed addition to my life, it’s nothing compared to the lightness in my chest when Ryder carries me to bed.

5

RYDER

The first thing my brain registers the next morning is Vanessa sprawled on top of me.

Which is saying something, because this bed makes me feel like I’m enveloped in a cloud, and the ocean view that’s visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows is spectacular. But the only thing I can look at is the beautiful woman snuggled into my chest.

With the arm that’s wrapped around her, holding her body to mine, I lazily brush my fingers over her skin. We’re both naked save for underwear, so there’s a lot of skin begging to be touched.

I’m fully prepared to spend the entire morning trapped under her, when the soft sounds of her sleeping pause. A moment later, she shifts on top of me. And I watch as her eyes flutter open, as awareness settles into her gaze, and she finally looks up at me.

God. Her smile. As soon as our eyes lock, the sweetest, biggest smile spreads across her face, and I’m pretty sure my heart stutters. She’s gorgeous.

“Good morning,” I say quietly, my own smile just as wide.

And it’s like cold water just splashed over her, because as soon as the words are out of my mouth, she goes stock-still, the smile sliding off her face.

I frown when she hurriedly sits up and pulls the sheet to cover herself. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she says with false brightness.

A weight drops into my stomach, and I look around the room with new awareness. “Don’t tell me you’re actually married and I’m about to have to climb out the window.”

That pulls a laugh out of her, but it’s not the light and airy one from last night. She’s still tense.

“No, no, of course not. It’s not that.”

I push myself to a sitting position and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Then what is it?”

She bites her bottom lip, contemplating her answer. Finally, she whispers, “I’ve just never done this before.”

Understanding dawns. “Ah. Okay.” I lean back against the headboard, but before I can get any jokes out, she’s jumping off the bed, the sheet going with her. Part of me is flattered to see her eyes go wide when it reveals my bare chest and abs, but a larger part of me just wants the ease of last night back.

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