Winter

by Michelle Love

  “I am too. They really do love you, baby. I can’t wait to see you again. I miss you in a way I didn’t know was possible. And I’m proud of you in a way I never knew was possible too.”

  “Thank you. I’m pretty damn proud of myself too.”

  Her voice is so confident and strong, it’s hard to believe it’s only been a couple of weeks that’s made such a change in her. “I’m going to get some rest now. I can finally sleep well, now that I know you are more than okay.”

  “Ryker, I guess I could use your help,” she says.

  “Anything.”

  “Do you think you could find me a place to rent in Orlando? I’ll want a home there since I’ll be spending at least two weeks of each month there. I’ve already found a flat in London for the other two weeks I’ll need to be there every month.”

  “Why rent when you can stay with me?” I ask her and kind of hate the laugh she gives me in return. “Is that a, no?”

  “I’m not ready to move in with you. So, if you could send me some ideas about what’s available there, that would be great.”

  “Price range?” I ask her.

  “I want something upscale and cutting edge, price isn’t an issue,” she tells me and I am again surprised.

  “Did you really gain that much wealth, Gia?”

  “I did, Ryker. So, make sure you find something very nice. I’ll be having clients over at times. I want something that says I’m cutting edge and successful.”

  “Can do, Gia. Anything else you might need?”

  “I could hear you tell me that you still love me.”

  “I love you, Gia.”

  “I love you too, Ryker. See you in a couple of weeks. Bye.”

  “Bye, baby.” I end the call and feel a million times better than I have since she left.

  She sounds like an entirely different woman. I wonder if this means she might join me on Mars.

  GIA

  The funny thing is, I was more than a little worried about facing Ryker again after making my miraculous transformation. I came in from Russia and took a cab right over to Apollo Engineering with my assistant, Viola. She’s thirty, a perfectionist, and professional at all times. She’s also a lesbian who lives with her life partner in Vermont, when she’s not traveling with me, that is.

  “After this initial meeting with the team I’m working with at Apollo, you can go back to Vermont for the remainder of this month. You can do everything I’ll need you to via the internet and phone,” I tell her as the cab stops at the front entrance to the massive building that is Apollo Engineering headquarters.

  “Lois will be pleased to hear that,” Viola tells me with a stoic face. Her dirty blonde hair is pulled back into a very tight bun and her gray pantsuit is impeccably pressed. Her ever-present clipboard is in her hand as we slip out of the cab.

  “I’m sure Mr. Crawford will allow you to take the company jet back home,” I tell her as we walk to the elevator bank in the main lobby.

  “Baby!” I hear coming from the left of us. I turn to find Ryker with his arms outstretched and I find myself frozen.

  “Oh, my God, he’s even more gorgeous than I recalled.” I move in slow motion as he hurries to me and find myself enveloped in his strong arms and warm embrace and I would love it if I never had to leave it. “Ryker, I’ve missed you.”

  “You better have!” he says then he gives me only a quick kiss. He looks into my eyes and his twinkle with excitement. “I’ll give you a better kiss when we don’t have so many people staring at us.”

  I cut my eyes to either side of us and see that we do, indeed, have many onlookers. “I’m going to hold you to that, Ryker.”

  He smiles and lets go of only one side of me, keeping me locked tight to him with his right arm as we walk back to Viola who is busily ignoring us and tapping something into her cell. “And you must be Viola,” he says as he lets me go to shake her hand.

  “I am, Mr. Crawford. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “And you as well. You are certainly extremely capable. I think Miss Flynn has made a wonderful choice in making you her right hand,” he says as he gestures to the elevator that’s just arrived. “Please step inside and I will take you where the others are waiting.”

  He chats away with her, telling her all about the things he thinks I’ll do for his company and the venture to Mars. I can’t speak as I breathe him in and relish the citrusy, musky scent that’s coming off him. If we were alone in the elevator, I’d have myself wrapped around him right now.

  My blood is boiling and I have no idea how long I can wait to really let myself go with the man. When we get off the elevator, he takes us to another area that I’ve never been too and we go into a lab to find my partners Sandra and Tabitha in lab coats and both are glad to see me.

  “Gia, finally!” Sandra calls out as we come inside. “How we’ve needed more than your phone calls. I hope you’re ready to work your ass off for the next week.”

  “I will leave you all to your work,” Ryker says then gives me a gentle squeeze before releasing me entirely. “And you and I will be eating lunch together. I’ll be back to get you at noon.”

  I smile and nod then remember what I wanted to ask him. “Ryker, do you think you could have the company jet take Viola to Vermont? I’m releasing her for the remainder of this month, to work from home. I need her for only a couple of hours then she can go if you have the plane available.”

  “I do and I’ll get that set up right away. I’ll come back in when I have it all set up and I’ll have one of our cars take her to the airport and see her to our jet.” He looks at me with a certain depth to his gaze. “It gives me another chance to stop in and look at you, anyway.” With a kiss to my cheek, he turns and leaves and I’m left breathless, with a foggy brain.

  “I wonder just how long it will take,” Tabitha says.

  I shake my head to rid the cobwebs that have taken it over. “How long what will take?”

  “For you two to make it official,” she says then all of them giggle and I look at them with what is sure to be a dumbfounded expression.

  “I’m going to take at least a year to be myself,” I let them all know and find them laughing openly. “I am! Now, let’s get to work. My time is money, you know!”

  We get down to business, the laughing done away with and the importance of the project taking our complete attention. Until he comes back in to get Viola.

  “Hey,” he says with a deep, brusque voice that comes from near my ear. “You all were in such deep conversation, none of you seemed to have noticed that I came in.” His hand barely touches the small of my back and I find my body is going loose and my mind is too.

  “Huh?” I ask as I turn to look at him. His hand trails over me as I move and he leaves it, resting on my hip.

  His smile is cocky and he looks like a man who knows he has me right where he wants me. “I’m here to take Viola down to the car that’s waiting to take her to the jet. And then, in an hour, I’m coming back for you, Miss Flynn. So, get to a stopping point by then. K?”

  “K,” I say and sigh. I didn’t mean to sigh, it just came out.

  Giggles start up again but at least they’re quiet ones that Ryker doesn’t seem to notice. “K.” He turns away from me and gestures for my assistant to go with him. “This way, Viola.”

  “Call or send me an email,” I tell her. “I want to know when you’ve made it home safe and sound.”

  “Will do, ma’am,” she says and gives me a little salute.

  “Viola, what have I told you about that?” I ask her.

  “Sorry, ma’am,” she says and puts her hand down. “Left over from my military days. I’ll stop doing it someday.”

  “I hope so,” I say and turn back to my work. “Bye now.”

  “Goodbye,” she says and leaves the room with Ryker just behind her.

  He turns back and I can feel his eyes on me and turn back to see he is looking at me. “One hour, Miss Flynn. Not one m
inute longer.”

  I give him a nod. “I won’t keep you waiting.”

  The women erupt into giggles again and I find my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Oh, you have it bad,” Sandra whispers, so Ryker doesn’t hear her.

  I look up at her and ask, “Does it show that badly?”

  They both nod and I know I’m going to have to fight myself where Ryker Crawford is concerned.

  RYKER

  Pushing open the lab room door, I announce, “Lunch!”

  Gia spins around with a giant smile on her beautiful face and comes straight to me, ditching the lab coat along the way. “I’m starving.”

  “Take a two-hour lunch, girls,” I tell the others and they nod at me.

  I can’t help but run my arm around Gia’s waist as she gets to me. Taking in a deep breath, I inhale her essence. She smells like love and sunshine and I don’t know if I can ever get enough of that scent.

  It feels as if I’m walking on air as I lead her back to my office. “Did you forget something?” she asks me as we head in the wrong direction from the exit.

  “No, I made us a picnic,” I tell her and open my office door.

  A red and white checkered blanket is lying on the floor. A wooden picnic basket is sitting on one corner. A bottle of red wine and a couple of glasses are next to it. I have soft music playing on a speaker that my cell phone is playing songs I picked just for this lunch.

  I dim the lights a bit before I close and lock the door. Her eyes are wide as she looks at the pristine scene. “Ryker, this is lovely.”

  I can’t wait any longer and push her long hair to one side and press my lips to the side of her neck as I run both arms around her and pull her back to me. “Nowhere nearly as lovely as you are, Gia. I have missed you more than I knew was humanly possible. It was made worse by knowing you were merely a few doors away from me but I had to give you time to work.”

  I turn her around in my arms and look at her. Trailing my finger over her plump, pink lips, I sigh as I have missed seeing her face. “Ryker?” she asks as she draws my attention from those luscious lips to her sparkling eyes. “You do realize I have to be true to myself, don’t you?”

  “Whatever that entails,” I say. “I have to tell you how much more I feel for you, now that you’ve made such huge strides. I’m not about to get in your way. I only wish to be at your side.”

  She blinks a few times then says, “That’s beautiful.”

  “You are,” I say then I can’t wait one more moment and I kiss her.

  My mind goes to another place as her kiss takes me away. Her touch does something to me no one else has ever done before. She tastes like mint as we exchange hellos with our tongues.

  And just as I’m about to do something vulgar, like grind my blossoming manhood into her, I stop my kiss and rest my forehead to hers. Our breaths mingle as the kiss went deeper than I believe either of us knew it would. “It’s been some time since I’ve felt this way,” she says, quietly. “You won’t make it easy for me to live life as a single woman, will you?”

  “I don’t consider you a single woman, even now,” I say and pull her along with me to the little picnic. “I’m not trying to be a Neanderthal but I’d kill any man who even thinks about hitting on you. Just so you know.”

  “Oh, thank you for letting me know that,” she says with a giggle. “And may I ask if you have been out with anyone since I’ve been gone?”

  “I have not.” I help her to take a seat on the floor and join her on the blanket. “You see, you have stolen my heart. Taken my attention, completely. I see no reason to even look twice at anyone else. My heart is set on you, my one and only.”

  “And my being in Orlando only two weeks out of each month isn’t a thing that detours your feelings?” she asks me.

  “Why would it?” I ask her as it makes no difference.

  “I won’t be at your side all the time,” she says.

  I open the basket that I had a local restaurant deliver and find the cream cheese and salmon appetizers I ordered and place the small tray on the blanket. Taking one, I put it to her lips. “Gia, I don’t need you right at my side all the time. I do want you and I to have a serious relationship, though. I want us to be exclusive. But I also want you to use that brilliant mind you have. And I know you have to go to other places to do that.”

  Her eyes go dark as she looks into mine and takes the bite of food I’ve offered her. She gazes at me as she chews then swallows. “I know you’re going to leave me to go to Mars.” I open my mouth to argue but she places her finger to my lips. “Ryker, it’s okay.” Her lips quirk into a crooked smile. “I want to be with you. I want to have you in my life while I can. And the fact you want me to use my mind just makes things even better.”

  “You are surprising, Gia. I don’t know exactly what clicked in you but I’m damn glad it did. You radiate confidence and I can’t explain to you exactly how sexy I find you now. I also can’t stop myself from being forward with you. I want you. I want to make love to you. I want that so damn bad, it’s almost all I’ve thought of.”

  “Honesty, huh?” she asks then leans in close. Her lips move softly over my neck all the way up to my ear. “I want that too.”

  “Forget lunch,” I growl as I grab her and push her to lie back on the blanket.

  Our mouths collide as I unbutton her clothes as she does mine. Our shirts are off and lying where ever they were thrown as our kiss grows more intense. I planned on taking my time but things are progressing all on their own. Our bodies are making the decisions and every single one of them are right.

  My hands grab her tits as her chest heaves with each breath. I knew they’d feel perfect in my hands. Her hands fumble with the button on my pants until she frees me, sending them into my pants along my hips to get rid of them for me. I do the same for her with her pencil skirt. Her body arches up as I unzip the back of it and shimmy it off her.

  I groan as one of her hands moves into my underwear and grasps my rock-hard cock. She moves it up and down the length and moans. Our mouths part as I have to rid us both of what’s left of our clothes.

  Our eyes stay glued on the others. Our breathing is hard and our bodies shimmer with sweat. “I have a shower in the connecting bathroom. You don’t have to worry,” I tell her as I pull her panties off then kiss her in a way I’ve only dreamt of.

  “Ryker!” she yelps then her hands move into my hair, tangling up in it as I kiss her, intimately.

  Her hips gyrate, as I take her with my mouth. Her moans never stop, they only increase until she’s wrapping her legs around me as she can only groan with her release.

  I can’t possibly wait another second and move my body up hers until I find myself buried in her hot, tight, wet tunnel. I groan with the first stroke, “Baby, my God! You feel like Heaven!”

  Her arms wrap around me as she coos, “You feel like home.”

  I’ve never experienced such intense emotions before and when a single tear falls from my eye and lands on her cheek, I know, without a single doubt, she is the one who was meant for me.

  And I have no clue how I’ll be able to leave her when things are ready to go to Mars!

  GIA

  The wait was worth it!

  I’ve never felt as much as I feel with Ryker. Our bodies seem to be going on their own. I move without thinking about it. Arching when he tries to leave me, he holds me down to make smooth and deft strokes that send me to new heights of pleasure.

  Our eyes hold the others as we make love. It’s as if we’re speaking to one another, using no words. I don’t doubt that he cares for me. I also don’t doubt that I care more for him than I even realized. I’d kill for this man!

  When the first quivers of pure bliss run through my body, I shudder as I don’t want this to end. But I can’t hold back the torrent of desire, lust, and love, that’s a tangle of emotion that’s just as tangled as our bodies are.

  My release has him gasping for air as he tries hard to hold
back, to make it last. He too loses his battle and we end up in a spent heap. Our breathing echoes off his office walls. Our combined sweat fills my nostrils, making me feel animal-like.

  “I love you,” he whispers in my ear as he kisses down my neck. “I love you more than I knew I was capable of loving.”

  My hands move over his back as I hold him tight. “Me too. I can’t even explain this. I think love is too subtle a word. I adore you.”

  He pulls back to look at me as he brushes the hair off my face. “And I, you.” His lips barely touch mine, with the tiniest of pecks. “I’m so damn glad I found you. My missing half.”

  I feel exactly the same way. How could I have thought I could wait years to feel this?

  I was a fool. I have no idea where my head was for the last three years. I just know I want this man for as long as I’m allowed to have him. However long or short that is.

  But I pray it’s a long time!

  “Gia, I need you to make me one promise,” he says as he looks intensely into my eyes.

  “Ryker, please don’t ask too much out of me. I’m really stretching myself as it is.”

  His smile is sweet as he says, “I know that. I only want you to promise me that you’ll never lose yourself again.”

  With a laugh, I say, “Not to worry. I will be holding on strong to the woman I’ve found again. And I think I love you even more for wanting me to stay strong and independent.”

  “But always know, you can have your weak moments with me and I’ll never take advantage of you when they happen. We all have them, you know. It’s just making sure we’re not around the wrong people when it happens that’s the key.”

  Moving my hand over his cheek, I find myself lost in his eyes. “Thank you, Ryker. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.”

  His lips touch mine and our bodies ignite all over again. I hope this is a sign of things to come. Things like lying in bed all day on the weekends, just enjoying being with one another. Not doing a damn thing but this.