Page 83 of The Restoration Program
“Oh, my God…” Ryan’s arousal mingled with laughter when he caught sight of the makeshift garter she’d tied around her leg. It had been part of an old hair ribbon of hers, slender enough to fashion into a tidy bow.
She sauntered to the stack of decorative books on the coffee table and braced one foot onto the cover ofRedecorating on a Budget.Her chin lifted in a silent summon, mischief playing on her lips.
Ryan got onto his knees at once. The heat of his hands against her cool, bare skin sent pleasant shivers of anticipation down her spine. He watched her face as he let his touch first tease her slender waist. He acted like he was going to pick her up, closing his hand around her middle, releasing, then closing again. Like he was still amazed by his sensation after all this time.
His hands slid down the curve of her ass before reaching the garter. And then—
Maybe it was the dumbstruck awe on his face or the contact with her legs, but suddenly, she was back in the alleyway. The busboy was staring at her, feeling her up.
You’re going to be mine now, okay?
Confidence sapped, she would have fallen back entirely if Ryan wasn’t holding her.
“Nicki?” His expression knit with concern.
“I—I’m fine.” She forced a smile and rocked her hips into his touch. “What’re you waiting for?”
He pinched the garter and used both hands to tug it down her leg as though it was the most important task in the world. The moment the ribbon was gone, Ryan ducked his head and kissed her ankle. His mouth moved along her thigh, imparting gentle kisses right up to the growing wetness between her legs. She fell weightlessly into his hands, and he whisked her off to the couch.
He straddled her position on the cushion, working down the buttons of his shirt. She leaned back on her elbows and gaped up at him. His fingers slowed, eagerness flickering as he drank her in.
“You’re shaking again,” he said.
Nicole swallowed hard. He was right. “It’s a good thing,” she offered with a breathless grin. “You look… You look really good, babe.”
His worry eased slightly, a cocky smirk taking hold. “Really?”
She wondered if he knew what she meant. If he could possibly wrap his head around that from her perspective, he looked like a literal god peeling off a J-Crew shirt.
But with the awe came a terror that ran so deep that she couldn’t quite comprehend it. His sculpted arms looked like they could tear down buildings—and for a moment, all she could see was flashes of his fists beating down another man’s face into a pulp.
She shoved the image aside and focused on what made her wet. His protective strength, not the destructive. The way his eyes followed her every move like he was ready to pounce. Her gaze traveled hungrily up and down his body. His toned stomach was like a landscape she could walk across and feel every hitch of his breath underfoot. And hisdick…
The thought of it made her legs cross and squirm as he lowered himself to his forearms and pressed his lips to her exposed neck.
“Tell me what you want tonight,” he whispered. He was everywhere and it felt wonderful.
She dragged her hand along his jaw, fingertips catching on the prickle of his stubble. He leaned into her touch with a pleasured sigh that rumbled deep in his throat.
“I want your mouth all over me again, or I’m going to explode,” she said.
“Oh, is that all?” He grazed her arm with his teeth, eliciting a giggle.
Shirking her bra, she allowed him to gently prod her onto her back. He nibbled at her breasts—eager, but not painful. Tilting her head back, she dug her heels into the cushion and moaned his name.
As their eyes met, an electric surge passed between them. The air was warm tonight, something familiar and comforting about the look they shared, the way he touched her. There was no looming pressure of the world outside or the urge to be the former version of herself. This was here and now.
His lips parted as he moved down her body, tongue gliding over her stomach. Her trembling fingers slipped under her panties to slide them off. He nudged her knees further apart with his chin before closing in. The tip of his tongue only teased at first—a taste-test that left her positively feverish. She whimpered and eased her hips closer to his mouth. His answering chuckle sent butterflies soaring through her.
Finally, he gave into her desire. His tongue plunged with forceful pressure, moving with a rhythm that left her dizzy. When she would sit up to offer caresses in return, Ryan easily forced her back down, unwilling to depart.
She lost track of how long she laid there with her legs spread. Following her final, prolonged cry, he pressed a kiss between her legs and pulled back to see her flushed face. She couldn’t remember the last time she fully came.
“Look at you.” Ryan was cupping her head, smiling down at her. He kissed her lips, telling her what a good girl she was and stroking her temple. “You look like you just got off a roller coaster.”
She gave a heady laugh. “Oh, the roller coasterwishes.”
She recognized that look on his face—the way his teeth picked at his lower lip as his eyes swept her up and down. He took up so much of her world that she couldn’t see his lower half, but she could picture the bulge in his pants begging to be freed.
