OK. She’d run with it.
She closed her eyes. But when the bed still didn’t dip under his weight, she opened her eyes.
She was alone in the room.
Clearly he’d changed his mind.
She was about to get up and close the door, when he reappeared. ‘You were supposed to keep your eyes closed and hold that thought,’ he said. ‘Because there’s something important I needed.’
Then she saw the little box in his hand. Condoms. Again, he was being careful with her, and she appreciated it.
‘Since you opened your eyes,’ he said, ‘I think it’s my turn.’
‘Your turn?’
‘For the show. You’re wearing more than me.’
‘Taking off my tights isn’t sexy.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you asking me to do it?’
She sucked in a breath. ‘Yes.’
‘Then your wish is my command,’ he said, giving her a deep bow.
He placed the box of condoms on her bedside table, then sat on the bed next to her and slid his fingers underneath the waistband of her tights before gently drawing them downwards. With one hand, he urged her to lift her bottom from the bed so he could take the nylon down further; and then he peeled the tights off achingly slowly, caressing every bit of skin as he uncovered it.
By the time he’d finished, Georgie was quivering.
She wasn’t sure which of them removed which bit of clothing next, because by then everything was blurred by desperate need; all she was aware of was how badly she wanted him and how her temperature felt as if it had risen a thousand degrees.
Ryan kissed her, his mouth sensual and persuading, until she was a quivering mess; but it still wasn’t enough to sate her desire. She wanted more. So much more.
She must’ve said it out loud, because at last he moved between her thighs.
‘Are you sure about this?’ he asked.
‘I’m a bit out of practice, but I’m very sure,’ she whispered.
He reached over to take a condom from the box.
She curled her fingers round his. ‘Let me.’
‘Of course,’ he said, and his smile was so sexy that she felt the pulse beating hard between her legs.
The past didn’t matter any more. All that mattered was this man, here and now, and how much she wanted him.
She undid the foil packet and caressed his hard length, making him gasp with pleasure, then rolled the condom on.
‘Now?’ he asked.
‘Now,’ she whispered.
He eased inside her, gaze intense and focused on hers. It should’ve been awkward and faintly embarrassing, the first time, but it just felt so right.
Then he began to move. ‘Keep your eyes open,’ he said.
And she did. Instead of closing her eyes and giving up to the sensations shimmering through her, she watched his eyes, his face. She could see her own desire reflected there, the need.
And then she felt her climax splintering through her, felt his body tighten against hers and heard his answering cry.
He held her for a few moments longer, then went to deal with the condom.
When he came back, he went to pick up his discarded clothes.
‘Don’t go,’ she said.
She could see the emotions running through his expression—longing, as if he wanted to stay, and regret, as if he thought it’d be a bad idea to let her this close.
‘Just for tonight,’ she said. They could deal with the fallout tomorrow. But she wanted tonight first.
As if he guessed what she was thinking, Ryan nodded and slid into bed beside her, drawing her into his arms. Georgie curled against him, feeling warmer and happier than she had for a very long time, and finally fell asleep.
The next morning, Ryan was the first to wake.
He didn’t regret last night—he was so glad he’d had that moment of closeness with her, because it had been everything he’d hoped it would be—but this whole thing made him feel seriously antsy. If he got this wrong, they’d both end up hurt.
He shifted so he could see her as she slept. She was so sweet, so gorgeous and so giving.
Maybe he should get out of the bed without waking her, and then they could face this when they were both fully clothed; but he couldn’t bring himself to abandon her.
And then her eyes opened.
‘Hello,’ she said, all pink-cheeked and shy and adorable.
He desperately wanted to kiss her, but that would complicate things. ‘Hello,’ he said softly.
His feelings must have shown on his face, because her eyes narrowed slightly. ‘You’re not OK with this, are you?’
‘It’s not you. It’s me.’
‘Uh-huh. That’s what men say when they want to make themselves feel less guilty.’
He raked a hand through his hair. ‘I’m not trying to make myself feel less guilty. But I shouldn’t have even kissed you last night. It wasn’t fair to you.’
‘Because you’re still in love with your ex and you’re not ready to move on?’
‘No. I’m not still in love with my ex.’
‘Then why?’
‘Because,’ he said, ‘I’m not good at relationships and I shouldn’t have led you on.’
‘Uh-huh.’
He grimaced. ‘I need to be honest with you. It’s my fault my marriage broke up. I loved Zoe, and she loved me, and I honestly never meant to hurt her.’
‘You cheated on her?’
Why on earth had she assumed that? ‘No. I would never have done that. But I still hurt her. She wanted me to let her close. She wanted to have children. And I couldn’t do either of those things.’
The expression on her face told him she was assuming he meant he was infertile, and she could think of plenty of solutions. He needed to tell her the truth.
‘Not that I couldn’t—I wouldn’t,’ he corrected himself. ‘Since I was six, I’d learned to rely on myself and not let people close. Zoe couldn’t change that. Neither of us wanted children when we got married—we were both focused on our careers. But then things changed. Her biological clock started ticking, and mine didn’t.’ He shrugged. ‘Having children or not having children isn’t something you can compromise on. One of you has to lose. But I never pretended to be
