Page 45 of Return on Love

He shakes his head, but his eyes remain steadfast on mine. “I just wanted to check on you. To see that you’re okay.”

Somehow I trust him, too. He leans in a little more and keeps my laptop on the coffee table. I can feel his breath on my lips. “But you said it was a mistake.” I remind him before he leaves me in a lurch again.

“I did. Because I thought you were engaged. I spoke to Alex last night and realized I was mistaken.” He is almost breathing into my lips now. I can feel the air charged and trembling between us. “Do you want this as much as I do?” He asks, the words coming out in short gasps.

In response, I fist his hair with one hand and slowly bring his lips down to mine. The kiss is soft, sensual. Everything the first one wasn’t. The hunger is still there, but we enjoy it; every moment of it. The touch of his lips on mine, the slow movement of his tongue as he parts my lips and touches my tongue. The way he almost sucks my lips with his hand moving through my hair and the other feeling my back, pressing me a little closer with every movement.

With a swift movement, he pulls me to him and I’m straddling him. His lips never leave mine. Before I know it, I’m grinding against him and even through his thick jeans, I can feel him going hard. I rub myself against it. I’m so wet that I might just rain on his pants.

I slide my hands inside his T-shirt and feel the muscles on his back. He pulls back for a second. “Are you sure you wanna do this?” he asks. I nod. I’ve wanted nothing or anyone more.

My phone rings. It’s the ringtone I’ve set for Alex.

“That’s Alex. I’ll call him back,” I say, turning and ravaging his lips.

The phone rings again.

“It’s okay,” he says. “Take it. I’ll be waiting right here.”

I give him a peck and pick up my phone.

“Just confirming about our lunch tomorrow,” says Alex.

“I don’t really want to see Dad,” I say. “Maybe make some excuse on my behalf.”

“C’mon. You never know when you’ll see him next. He’s family, Eva. Do it for me.”

I want to resist and tell him I don’t want to spoil what could be my last weekend in Boston, but Ryan comes over and hugs me from behind and puts his lips on my neck. His mere touch sends me spiraling, and I let out a loud gasp.

“Okay. If it means so much to you,” I say quickly, covering up the exhalation. Agreeing is the quickest way to get out of the conversation and back to where I was.

“Good. That’s like my sis.” There’s a momentary pause before he asks. “Where are you?”

“Home. Why?” Did he hear anything? Shit. It’d be weird for him to know that his friend is in my room. Especially the one he thinks I hate.

“Just thought I heard some sound. Anyway, see you tomorrow.”

I look at Ryan, and he’s giving me a naughty smile. “I had to agree to meet Dad because of you. You’re going to pay for it,” I shriek, throwing a cushion at him. “Now where were we?”

He nuzzles my neck and plants a few kisses, then moves over to my earlobes and nibbles them and a soft moan escapes my lips. I never knew my ears were so sensitive. This is the most turned on I've ever felt. That’s when the phone rings again. I swear I want to throw these devices into the ocean right now. This time it’s his.

“Should we put them on silent?” he says into my ear.

Even a banal statement like that seems crazy and flirty when spoken in that drawling voice.

But when he picks up his phone, I see a dilemma playing in his eyes. “It’s Emily.”

“Go on,” I say. “I’ll be waiting right here.” I try to mimic him from earlier. It’s only fair. I spoke to Alex, so he also gets to speak to his sister.

I look at the biceps of his folded arm, and I cannot keep myself in check. I sneak up behind him, push my chest against his back and, with my hands under his shirt, rub them against his abs and chest. His body visibly stiffens a little, and I can see that it’s an effort for him to keep his voice steady on the phone. I like that I have this effect on him.

“I’ll be right there. Don’t worry,” he says then turns around and holds me tight against him with one hand. Wow! His arms are like a Victorian mansion and I fit perfectly inside them. He disconnects the phone and presses his lips against mine.

“As much as I’d like to take this forward, I need to go. Emily has to go to the hospital. Some emergency. And her babysitter bailed on her. So I need to look after Jen for some hours. And I don’t want to do this in a hurry.” He looks hungrily at me from head to toe, drowning me in a fuzzy feeling. “Will that be okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” I say, not feeling okay at all. I want him with me so bad. He adjusts his T-shirt and jeans and walks to the door.

“Unless,” he says, turning around, “you wanna come with me. Do you?” He pauses and turns his gaze to the floor. “Sorry. Forget I mentioned it. I mean, it’s probably a stupid idea babysitting a kid.”

---