She tried to stand patiently while Ryan slowly slipped each satin covered pearl
button from its tiny loophole. But his touch did things to her sense of equilibrium.
She shivered each time his warm knuckles brushed the bare skin of her back.
“Are you cold?” Ryan’s voice whispered softly against her
ear.
“Not really.”
“You’re shivering.”
“Um…yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Liar.
Ryan’s hands stilled. “Does my touch bother you?”
His touch most definitely bothered her. But not in the way he thought.
“No, it’s fine. Go ahead.”
She steeled herself against any more outward signs of his effect on her. It
wouldn’t do at all to fall into bed with him, no matter how much his skin
on hers made her tingle. She’d made a bargain for two months and needed
that time to get to know her new husband.
These were new sensations, new feelings, and her senses were already on overload
from the day’s events. She couldn’t handle much more without a complete
meltdown.
But then his hands moved lower as he freed the buttons near her bottom. The
chills returned.
“I think there’s enough undone now that I can get out of this thing,”
she stammered.
“Just a few more,” he said, ignoring her request. Obviously his
touch on her skin didn’t affect him at all. “Do you need me to help
you take it off?”
“No!” Faith cringed, not meaning for her denial to sound so forceful.
She turned to Ryan. His gray eyes darkened like smoldering storm clouds. Maybe
he wasn’t so oblivious to the contact between them. “What I meant
to say was, I can get this off by myself. But thank you, anyway.”
He threw her a crooked smile. Now that her dress was all but slipping off her
body, why didn’t he leave?
“I’ll just wait here while you change, in case you need me again.
No need wandering the halls half-naked for help.”
Half-naked. Her cheeks flushed with heat. The dress was completely open in
the back, and she had her hands firmly pressed against her chest to keep it from
dropping to the floor. “It’s almost falling off me right now, Ryan.
I hardly think I’ll need any more assistance. But thank you for your help.
Goodnight.”
Hoping he’d grab a clue that she wanted to be alone to undress, she fled
to the dressing area.
The satin nightgown. She had no other choice. It was either that or
eat her sandwich naked. Bet Ryan would like that. The way his eyes had gleamed
when he saw her in her wedding gown led her to believe there might be a spark
of interest.
She pushed the thought aside. Ridiculous. Ryan McKay had never been interested
in her. Why would he be? She was nothing like the women he escorted. Not even
close.
Attempting to redirect her thoughts to her hunger, she removed her underthings
and slipped the gown over her head. Unable to resist, she ran her hands down the
cool satin. A quick glance in the mirror shocked her. The gown molded to her body
like a lover’s hand, clearly showcasing every minimal asset she had.
Why hadn’t she heard the door close? Surely Ryan had left by now. Faith
waited a few more seconds for the sound of the door closing, but didn’t
hear anything.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
He was still there but his voice was muffled.
“What are you doing?”
“Eating.”
“Oh.” She peered around the doorway into the bedroom. He sat at
the table next to her bed, eating one of the sandwiches Leland had fixed for her.
“You haven’t eaten yet, Faith. Come out and have one of these sandwiches.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m not that hungry, really.” Right.
She was surprised Ryan couldn’t hear her stomach grumbling in the other
room.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Come out here now and eat with me.”
Fortunately the gown had a matching satin wrap that she quickly donned. Hunger
won out over modesty. She wanted to get some food before he ate it all. She tightened
the belt on the robe and entered the bedroom.
As she crossed in front of him, his eyes widened. Faith clutched the edges
of the robe over her chest, feeling less than adequate in a gown that should have
been worn by a goddess like Erica, not by her. She didn’t do it justice.
“Hungry?” he asked.
Faith nodded. “Starving. I hadn’t realized that I hadn’t
eaten until Leland mentioned something about food.”
Ryan smiled. “I know. When I saw the food on the table my stomach reminded
me I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Why would I mind?” She grabbed a sandwich and tried not to shove
it in her mouth. With as much dignity as she could muster considering the depth
of her hunger, she took a bite of the delicious turkey sandwich.
He sipped a glass of tea and watched her eat. At first she was self-conscious,
but then her appetite took over and she downed the sandwich in no time flat.
Satisfied, Faith sat back and took a drink. And still he stared at her.
“Is something wrong?” She knew he wanted to say something, but
didn’t. She chewed her lip in anticipation.
Without a word he reached across the table and drew his thumb against the corner
of her mouth, then slowly dragged it across her bottom lip. Faith watched in rapture
as he brought his thumb to his mouth and licked it with agonizing slowness.
“You had mayonnaise on the corner of your lip,” he said, his voice
low and oh-so-sexy.
Was he deliberately trying to drive her crazy? She grabbed the napkin and swept
it across her mouth. “Thank you.”
His dark eyes warmed her. “It was my pleasure.”
She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him, despite knowing she should
stop whatever was happening between them. She simply could not deal with any more
today.
Thankfully, Ryan stood. “I’m sure you’re tired. I’ll
let you get some sleep.”
Faith rose from the table, nodding. “Thank you for your help with the
dress.”
“You’re welcome,” he said and stepped toward her, taking
her hands in his. He pulled her against his chest and slid his arms around her
back.
The crisp hairs of his chest rubbed her breasts. The thin silk of the gown
and robe did little to keep the heat of his body from hers. Her nipples hardened
against him, the rush of desire almost dropping her. Her limbs turned to gelatin
and she felt weightless and lightheaded.
“Two months, Faith,” he said softly as his head dipped towards
her. “That’s a very long time. Are you sure?”
This wasn’t fair. No one had ever held her like this, made her feel such
uncontrollable need. She wanted so much to experience these feelings, to step
toward that desire and know what she hadn’t known before. Blood pounded
at her temples and liquid heat pooled deep within her. She was certain Ryan could
sense her reaction because he tightened his hold on her, his hands softly kneading
the muscles of her back, gradually sliding lower and lower.
“I…it’s…you agreed to it.” Pitiful excuse.
“I know. How stupid of me.”
The smoke-filled depth of his eyes drew her in, hypnotizing her senses, rushing
over her like a wildfire out of control.
If his lips drew any closer they’d touch hers. Faith was sure she’d
die if they did. She was already losing control, inhaling his scent with rapid
breaths, his hands burning against the silk of her gown, drawing her ever nearer
to the heat of his lips.
Then just as suddenly as it started, the storming inferno was over. Ryan stepped
back, his lips parted as the hint of a smile crossed his features.
“Tomorrow, you move into my bedroom. Goodnight, Faith.”
He turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Faith stood in the middle of the room, wondering what had just happened. Her
breathing still hadn’t returned to normal. The rhythm of her heart continued
to pound its staccato beat. She still felt him, smelled him, all but tasted him
on her lips as the memory of his thumb against her mouth singed her skin.
Despite her thoughts about needing to wait, wanting to wait, she had been ready
to leap into her husband’s arms.
She thought she had more self-control than that. It was obvious her inexperience
was no match for the powerful charm of Ryan McKay. She’d have to be extra
careful over the next couple months and try to keep her distance from him. Too
much of his overpowering sexuality and she’d self combust. Clearly, she
was not ready at all for an intimate encounter with Ryan.
Two months wasn’t nearly long enough.
And yet, two months was a very long time.
