He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her. Ever.
When she arched against him, he lifted her off the desk and carried her to the bed. After laying her down, he stripped off his clothes. His need was so strong, he felt like a freaking teenager. His hips pressed down hard as he entered her, making her gasp, but she didn’t pull away. She came at him just as forceful, pushing him up as she lifted off the bed.
Ryan grabbed her hands and held them above her head then drew back slightly to stare at her. Bailey’s wide eyes were bright, the expression in them the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He released his grip and slid down her body, exploring her slowly. She was pliant to his touch, soft and supple. He leaned back on his knees and lifted her hips to pull her closer. He wanted to see her when he made love to her, watch her face and feel her body move under his touch.
He rested her on his thighs as her legs came around his hips. When he moved forward, he penetrated her deeper. Bailey’s eyes widened, and she fisted the blankets underneath her. With his palms on her hips, he moved inside her with even thrusts, but when she bucked toward him, he plunged harder.
Her breasts bobbed freely with the motion, and Ryan didn’t think he could hold out for very long. He was coming undone at the sight of her uninhibited surrender. Her cries drove him forward, but the beauty of her arched back—the way she lifted toward him, and the look of pure satisfaction on her face when she came— sent him into a soul-shattering orgasm that pushed him over the edge so fast, he couldn’t help but pound into her several more times before collapsing on top of her.
It took several minutes for them to catch their breath, but once they’d calmed, Bailey rested her head back and said, “Will you promise not to leave me alone with them tomorrow?”
That made him feel like a jerk. Here she was, stressing over meeting her family, and all he cared about was his own feelings. She was wholly focused on what she had to do tomorrow. Apparently, he didn’t make a great distraction.
“Bailey, I don’t think they’re going to want me hanging around.”
“I don’t care what they want. I don’t feel up to it, not without you there.”
“I promise to be the overbearing boyfriend until you tell me to back off, but don’t tell me to back off unless you’re sure. Don’t be a martyr. If I ask, be honest about it.”
“I’m afraid. I don’t know what to expect.”
“That’s understandable.” He took a deep breath and held back telling her he was afraid, too. How could he tell her he was jealous of these people he had never met before? What if they lured her away from him? What if they became more important to her than him? He hadn’t had to worry about that with Helen. With Helen, it was like they were all family, but these people didn’t know him. Why should they care?
* * *
Bailey listened to Ryan sleep for at least a half hour, her mind circling everything that had happened since losing her mother. Her life was so different now. Everything had changed, and while there were many things she wouldn’t change for anything in the world, she missed the simplicity of life before—before finding out she wasn’t who she thought she was.
No matter how much her friends tried to convince her this was a non-issue, ‘of course, they’ll love you’ nonsense, she wasn’t so sure it would be that easy. They were different. She already knew that much. Even though she wasn’t sure what to expect, she was sure they’d be nothing like her. She’d had six solid months to research them, and while she didn’t pay attention to the information released by the press, she managed to get plenty on her own.
Bailey had grown up an only child. But her siblings had grown up together…and all these years with a missing sister. What could that have been like? Bailey thought about all the books she’d read by kidnap victims, all the movies she’d seen. The outcomes had all been vastly different. Some came home; some had not. While Bailey was ultimately a kidnap victim, she didn’t feel like one. She wasn’t raised by awful people who had mistreated her. She’d been adopted into a loving family, a loving family that always seemed to fit her perfectly, even with the differences. Bailey closed her eyes, her uncertainty stronger than ever. That was it, in a nutshell. She knew this family wouldn’t fit her because she had already fit perfectly with the family she’d grown up with, small as it was.
Ryan rolled toward her and groaned. “Good morning.”
She grinned. “Hi.”
He poked his head up to look at her. “What time is it?”
“Almost eight.”
“Shit. Bet my dad’s looking for me. Wish he could sleep in for once in his—”
Ryan’s cell phone rang before he could finish his sentence. He twisted and grabbed his jeans to retrieve the phone from his pocket. “Hey, what’s up?” He rolled his eyes. “We just woke up. Yeah, I know. Hold on.” He pulled the phone from his ear and looked at Bailey. “Can you be ready by nine?”
She smiled and nodded.
Ryan winked at her. “Yeah, nine is fine. We’ll meet in the lobby.”
He ended the call, then hovered over her. “You were supposed to say no so we could stay in bed a little longer.”
“Sorry,” she muttered. Butterflies attacked her stomach, but it wasn’t because of Ryan. The realization of what she had to do hit her like a smack to the face. She felt queasy all of a sudden.
He cupped her cheek until her eyes focused on his again. “It’ll be okay. I won’t leave your side.”
She nodded. “I’ll shower first.”
Ryan’s eyes
