“Shameless.” She teased. Ryan raised his eyebrows, and she reached for his hand across the table. “Thank you for getting me the fries. If you hadn’t, I’d probably have joined their table.”
"I thought so," He chuckled.
“Okay, I’ve been incredibly patient, and I’m dying to know the details.” He nodded. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Okay. I’m sorry it’s taken us some time to get here.”
"Okay." He leaned in further, but this time she could see the details working in his eyes, story time.
"I've known the Rossi’s, Michael, Andrew, and Elizabeth, since we were kids. Andrew and Michael are brothers. Andrew was, well, is my age, Michael's a bit younger. Elizabeth is their cousin; she's older. Anyway, they grew up in the family business. Andrew, and Michael's dad is the senior partner; Elizabeth stands in as her dad's representative since his passing. Vino is a winery out of Southern California. The business passes from one generation to the next, and now my friends are the acting partners. I spent my high school summers working for them. I loved it. I loved them."
Shane smiled. “What did you do?”
“Worked my ass off, that’s for sure, but I also learned the business. Those guys taught me how to make wine, how to work hard, how to take pride in your product. They showed me the ropes. Honestly, if we can secure this deal, there will be considerably more to come. Vino tends to be a leader in the market. Right now, they are looking to partner with a selected number of top chefs and offer a “Pairing” with their restaurants. You know, like a great wine to go with a great restaurant.” He took a deep breath and grinned. The man was in his element. “That in itself is an amazing opportunity, and then it opens the door to develop a campaign with the restaurant. I’ve already got ideas in mind for featuring the chefs in the winery. Black and white photos; we can do a shoot in Vegas and back at the winery in California.”
He leaned back, and she took her cue. “So, what happened, sounds like it was a done deal?”
He nodded again. "That's what I thought. Mike and Drew, Andrew, are already on board, ready to step into the next phase of their family business. It's the senior partner who is a bit more resistant to change. Don't get me wrong. They think we run a good business; they aren't convinced to move into a bigger playing field. Micah, Drew, and Michael's dad; he's set in his way."
“And Elizabeth?” Shane prodded, "How does she fit?"
"Oh." He looked down. "She's influential." He paused. "She's Micah's niece, Michael, and Drew's cousin. Her dad, Angelo, died a few years back, and Micah has always had a soft spot for her. She spent summers with him in the vineyard. Now, she runs the Vegas division. She's the one who has been spearheading the Pairing concept. She wants to explore options."
“You know her too?” Shane asked, her eyebrows knitting together.
“I do.” It was all the explanation he offered.
"What does she think about working with us?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I talked to Michael early this afternoon, and he assured me she was on board and now…" He shook his head, "not so much."
Shane nodded, taking it in. “Do you know what her concerns are?”
Ryan shook his head. “Not really. It seems she’d like to meet in person to discuss opportunities.”
“I take it that Michael and Drew are still interested in moving forward." It was a statement, not a question. She understood how things were playing out. Elizabeth was the wild card.
“Absolutely. They have no interest in backing out of the deal. It’s just that with Micah leaning toward Elizabeth’s side,” he paused. “It’s difficult…”
“To make headway.” she finished.
“Exactly.”
The middle-aged waitress was back with a mouth-watering plate of fries. They dripped with cheese and bits of pulled pork, tomatoes, and green onions. Shane and Ryan drew apart to make room.
“Here you go, plates are hot.” She nodded at the half-empty water glasses. I’ll be right back with more water.
Shane's mouth watered at the piping hot food. "Looks wonderful." Comfortable silence stretched between shared bites and relaxed conversation.
“So, Michael and Drew are in California? Elizabeth is in Vegas?”
"Right," he nodded. "That's right."
“Micah?”
Ryan nodded again, swallowing his bite. “He’s in Italy. He comes to the states when there’s a need. Usually, he’s content to stay home.”
“So, what’s the next step?” She asked.
“Vegas, baby.”
Shane burst out laughing. “Vegas, baby?”
“Oh, yeah. Vegas, baby.”
Satisfied, they made their way back to the parking lot. His fingers entwined with hers “want to…” she paused.
“Want to what?” He mused.
“Want to…” Shane let the silence hang between them for a moment before she glanced up at him with wide eyes “come back to my place?”
The smile on his face was the only answer she needed “Very much.”
“Okay.” She leaned up into his kiss and felt his warm lips brush against hers.
“Good.” Let me run by my place to pick up a few things, and I’ll be there.”
"Okay." Shane watched as he headed towards his truck. A smile toyed at her lips as she slid into her car, "Sounds good."
Shane beat him to get to her house; she knew she would. She let herself into the building and made her way down the stairs and through the quiet hallways. Her apartment had a feeling of emptiness. She snapped on the light in the kitchen and then made her way to her bedroom, shedding work clothes. She retrieved a tank top, running shorts and a hoodie from a pile of clean laundry at the foot of her bed. Shane turned the to-do list over in her mind as she zipped up the worn sweatshirt. She wanted paper to get her ideas down and stop the spinning in her mind. She sank into the couch and grabbed a small notebook and pen she kept on a side table.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement behind the sliding glass door; and her heart lurched. Ryan stood beyond the closed glass door. She hadn't seen him approach through her reflection in the sliding glass door. She was laughed, hands trembling as she unlatched the door, sliding it open. He dropped his bag at his feet with mischief in eyes; very aware he’d surprised her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His earnest and genuine apology held only for a moment before he broke into a belly laugh.
"But you did!" Shane swatted and pressed her hands to his chest as he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close.
"Yes, but I didn't mean to." Her words were lost as he took her face in his hands and tilted her head up so he could kiss her. Shane ran her hands up and down the length of his back, landing on his waist as he held her steady. Her fingers found his belt loops and curled into them. He deepened the kiss, and her body responded to his touch like a flower opening for the sun. His hands roamed over her, caressing the small of her back and the curve of her hips under the hoodie. His hands slid over her ass and pulled her to him, squeezing. She was naked under the shorts, hoodie, and tank top she was wearing. He sought her skin with fingers grazing her ass just below the hemline of her shorts. His hands warm against her skin. Shane pressed into him, heat rising with his touch as he unzipped the hoodie and slid it from her shoulders. She stretched up into him, her body arching into the curve of his. With her desire, he slowed his pace. She stood in her skimpy shorts and tank-top, nipples hard with her body trembling against his. Ryan was still dressed in his starched and well-ironed clothes. He kissed her, making only his lips touch hers, and as she lowered her hands, the sweatshirt slipped free off her wrists to fall to the floor at her feet.
His hands moved lightly over what remained of her clothes, fingers skimming the bare strip of skin between the elastic band of her shorts and the bottom of the tank top. He deepened the kiss, tasting and sucking, her lip caught between his teeth. She breathed into him, a soft moan rising. His hands were under her
tank top now, pulling it to expose her ribs and belly, up over the curve of her breasts, her nipples hardened to the cold air, and his kiss. He broke the kiss only to pull the little tank top over her head and free her body. His lips moved over the curve of her throat and collarbone, the tender pale skin trembling under his lips, teeth, and tongue. She pressed into him, wanting him to be closer, his breath hot on her skin kissing and tasting. Ryan's hands found her ass and pulled her up on to her toes. He held her steady, his body rock hard and unyielding as she succumbed to his strength. Shane arched her back, trusting him to hold her as he took her breast in his mouth.
Her breath was coming faster now. Ohhhh.
He increased the pressure, running the back of his tongue across the erect nipple in his mouth. As he suckled, he pulled her to him, allowing her to arch further back. He nipped at her, tasting, sucking, and testing the pressure as he twisted the nipple in his right hand. It was a slow kind of pressure that began gentle and coaxing, building her up, drawing the pleasure out, until she peeked, and he took her from pleasure to pain.
Oh, please. She wanted to get out of the shorts, the fabric between her legs already damp with her desire. Shane arched deeper. God. Ryan. With her fingers in his hair, she clung to his head and wrapped her leg around his; as she balanced on her toes. He would not put her down.
He pulled away slightly, licking his lips before he moved to the other breast. His fingers roamed over her body, kneading into her tenderized breast and replacing his suckling mouth. Her body began to hum, blood dispatched from her pounding heart to all the places that tingled. Shane wanted his mouth on hers; she pulled him up to the length of her body, unable to contain her patience as he left a trail of open-mouthed kisses from his starting point to her mouth. She took him in, tasting him, wanting him. Her body tight and small against his, pressing into him, her legs stretched to capacity high on tiptoe to reach his kiss. He wrapped her in his arms, and she felt her feet leave the floor.
Shane wrapped her legs around him, circling his waist. Under his pressed starched pants, she could feel him, hard and ready. Maybe not quite ready, he liked to take his time. Strong hands gripped her thighs, holding her with ease while his curious hands crept under her shorts. No panties, only a warm slippery welcome.
He maintained his control and began to tease. Shane breathed into his kiss, tasting him, with her thighs trembling as she clung to him. His fingers pressed into her tender skin, kneading her supple ass. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, warm and naked. Shane moved her legs and slid from his grip without breaking the kiss, then unbutton his buttons with nimble fingers.
Shane slid her fingers under his shirt to enjoy the expanse of his chest. "You feel so good." Undressing him, she pushed back the starched fabric making the shirt slip off his broad shoulders to the floor. Her fingers moved to work on the buckle, wanting to let him out of the perfectly pressed pants, to feel his well-worked muscled legs between hers. The buckle let loose, and then the button, he did not help her. Instead, he watched his fingers patiently caressing her bare skin as she equaled the playing field. He slid out of his shoes and socks as the pants left his body. Other than the Jockey shorts that clung to his well-muscled ass, showing off the bulk that waited for her thick and wanting, Ryan’s nakedness mirrored her own.
Shane pressed into him, drawing him back to the kiss that stopped time. Shadows fell across his face as he moved her further into the room, seeking space to lay her. She did not need to see his face or hear spoken words to understand his intent. She moved backward, easily guided by his hands. When she felt the couch against her calves, she stopped and sat. Ryan did not. He stood in front of her like a giant; thick, and perfect. She reached for him, understanding what he wanted from her, and it had her mouth-watering. This man could command her without words, and she would comply.
He cupped her face; thick, strong fingers caressed her cheek, tracing the hollow under the curve of her jaw. He stroked her throat. Shane closed her eyes and tipped her head backward, her curly mane tickling down the middle of her back, a gesture of trust.
She knew at that moment; she would give him anything. She would trust him with anything. The exchange needed no words. He already knew.
He pulled her to him, pressing his weight on her. His hands were roaming over her thighs and waist, under her back, while his mouth roamed. Her mind lost to the touching and tasting. His hands were under her thighs, and she felt the world shift as he pulled her to the edge of the couch. His fingers searched for the elastic band of her racing shorts, and with a smooth motion, Shane felt the soft fabric slip over the curve of her hips. With the shorts now discarded, his hands now roamed freely, with no fabric to hinder his touch. She lay on the couch from her waist up, her feet flat on the floor knees bent at a right angle. Ryan knelt between her now naked legs, and she felt him explore her.
His fingers moved across the pale white skin of her belly, and she sucked in a breath of cold air. She trembled as his fingers traced over the curve of her ass to the bend in her knees and down to her delicate ankles and feet. While his hands moved with practiced patience over her nakedness, hers trembled with desire. Shane reached for him, wanting to touch too.
Shane could see him in the dark. He smiled now, a cunning, wicked smile.
CHAPTER 7
Goosebumps
T he kitchen light shone across the table and brightened the edges of the room, but the living room lay in shadows. The sliding glass door picked up the subtle glow from the kitchen and reflected the room’s contents as a mirror.
From where she sat, Shane could see the mouth-watering shape of Ryan’s body. His dark hair, broad shoulders, the way his chest curved into a narrow waist and sloped into that delicious ass.
She could not see a full image of herself, what she could see included a pair of lovely knees and curvy calves, one on either side of his hips. He leaned in to kiss her, pressing her back into the couch with the kiss, and the weight of his body. She felt his desire thick against her belly. She rose to it, wanting him inside her. He pressed her back, shifting away.
“Ry,” a protest rose on her lips, answered only by his gentle shush. Ryan began his delicious descent leaving wet kisses across her pale skin. His lips and mouth exploring her as his hands warmed her thighs, trailing lightly on the edges, raising rows of goosebumps. Tickling and teasing her from her knees to her hips and delighted by the way her breath quickened, he took his time. Widening the stance of her bare feet on the floor, the cold air in the room touched her skin, and she wasn't sure what caused the goosebumps his touch or the chill. His fingers read her body like brail, finding their way over the tender flesh, deepening by each pass, closer and closer to the place her body begged to be touched. He knelt back, no longer pressing her down. He now sat curiously between her thighs and pressed her knees apart with his palms. She breathed deep, wanting his touch and his taste. He drew her legs over his shoulders and pressed his open-mouthed kiss to the inside of her right knee. She closed her eyes. The next kiss was an inch closer to the throbbing desire between her legs. He pushed her legs farther apart and, with the next kiss, drew his tongue across the trembling flesh to taste her skin. She reached for his head, wanting to pull him in.
He chuckled in the dark, amused at her desire. “Shhhh.” He would not be hurried.
He kissed her again and again, taking his time as he pressed her legs apart, pleased at the scent of her desire. Sucking and tasting, he made his way to the hollow of her hip, before he drew back to kiss her on the inside of her left knee.
Oh God. Ryan. She didn't know if the words had slipped past her lips. But her desire had become audible. He pulled her forward, so her ass was completely free of the couch and pressed her legs up, tilting it to the back toward her head. With his fingers, he traced her along the warm quivering skin that met with slippery desire. Her breath was coming faster. Ryan
She wanted his fingers inside her, to fill her, to satisfy the heat rising in her belly, to go deeper a
nd deeper. Instead, he teased at the edges, moving the thick dry pads of his fingers over her beautifully shaved skin. With her bare skin begging for touch and her heart pounding, in her ears, she waited, asking with her body. He moved over the folds of skin, separating her slowly until he found her swollen clit and pressed into the center of her heat, she thrust her hips against his fingers. His touch light and tantalizing, fingers now dipping into her sticky sweetness, he lowered his mouth to taste.
“Oh.” She drew her breath in as his mouth covered her. “Yes.”
Tasting, he primed her, while his fingers circled at the entrance. Clenching, Shane's body begged for purchase. His tongue circled her clit as his fingers tested her depths. Dipping into her, he slid farther and farther in with each pass. Pairing his mouth and fingers to please her, she arched into him, delirious.
"Oh, God." The orgasm began in her thighs, a tingling hum that spread through her limbs. He slowed his fucking fingers to move inside her, curling inward to caress that nearly hidden spot.
She arched into his merciless mouth as he took her higher, the warmth traveling to her hips through her belly. Oh, god, oh! Oh! He let her climb, wanting to ride it over the top, her pelvis moving in time with his gentle thrusts. He pressed into her hips with his shoulders, spreading her wider, forcing her apart as the orgasm rose within her. He held her with firm fingers and mouth working her as its heat spread through her. Higher. She was shaking. Ryan. Ryan, fuck. He hooked her knees under her shoulders and curled her backward as he quickened the pace with his fingers. Two became three, and he was fucking her, taking her higher. His fingers were moving in and out as her pussy clenched around his hand, while the climax crashed over her, again and again.
Her muscles clenched around him, her skin too sensitive to touch, and he did not let go. Instead, the big pads of his fingers circled the too tender flesh, avoiding her clit, deliberate touch and taste with his fingers and lips.
The Bedroom Page 5