The corner of her lip quirked up. ‘Oh yeah? Like what?’
His smile was more than skin deep. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the way he was touching her. Hear it in the way his breathing sped up as he pressed his mouth against hers. His kiss was soft and slow, but she could already feel it shooting straight through her. He reached his hands up to cradle her face, angling her so he could deepen it, his tongue slowly sliding along the seam of her lips, until a small gasp from her parted them.
They were all lips and hands and heat. His fingers tangled into her hair, while sh
e looped hers around his neck, pressing her body against his so she could feel his desire pulsing against her. Her own body was pulsing, too, her nipples hard, her thighs aching, and with every kiss he was making her need him more.
He turned around, pushing her until her back was against the front door, pressing himself ever closer into her until she didn’t know where he ended and she began. Sliding his hands down her back, he cupped her behind, lifting her until her legs were wrapped around his hips, and his groin was pressed right into hers.
He flexed his hips and she moaned softly into his mouth. Flexed them again until she gasped. Still holding her tight, he slid his lips along her jaw, down her neck, finding that sensitive spot at the side of her throat.
‘Ryan.’
‘Mmm?’ he mumbled against her neck.
‘Do you want to come inside?’
He lifted his head, a deliciously wicked glint in his eyes. A slow, sexy smile formed on his lips, making her heart beat faster at the intent she could see there. ‘Babe,’ he said, still holding her up with his big, strong hands. ‘You have no goddamned idea how much I want to come inside.’
30
Loving goes by haps;
Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps
– Much Ado About Nothing
Compared to Ryan’s, Juliet’s bedroom seemed as though it would be more at home in a doll’s house than anywhere else. It was small and the floor space was filled with a small double bed and closet. Unlike his, though, she’d made it look like home. A pretty bedspread lay pooled at their feet, and the scatter cushions were now lying on the carpet where they’d thrown them in their need to get on the mattress as fast as they could. There were pictures on the wall – some snapshots of Poppy, and paintings of flowers and their meanings. He grinned again, still not able to believe his luck.
Because he was lucky. He had no doubt of that.
‘Which flowers did you like the best?’ he asked her, as she lay naked, nestled in the crook of his arm.
She rolled over, placing her hands on his chest, and leaning her chin against them. Looking up at him through thick lashes, a smile formed on her face. ‘I loved them all. Every single one of them. But if I had to choose one, it would be the daffodil you left on my doorstep last night.’
‘Why?’ He wasn’t surprised she’d chosen something so simple.
‘Because it made me question everything I thought. Until I saw it lying there I thought we were over, and I meant nothing to you. But then when I saw the daffodil and I realised what it meant—’
‘What did it mean?’ he interrupted. Of all people, Juliet should have gotten the significance of the gesture. But he wanted to be sure.
‘Daffodils have lots of different meanings,’ she said, her eyes soft as she stared at him. ‘But the most common is chivalry. So I guess I took it as a sign you wanted to be my white knight after all.’
His heart was hammering in his chest. He wondered if she could feel it beneath her palms. Having her so close – after all they’d been through – was overwhelming. But there was something else, too. An honesty, a vulnerability that he hadn’t had before. If he wanted this woman he knew he had to fight for her, but the person he needed to defeat was himself.
His old self, anyway.
‘You’re close,’ he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. ‘But while I was at the airport I realised it isn’t me who was the white knight. It’s you. You’ve saved me, London, whether you know it or not. You’ve saved me from living a surface life, and from giving up the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’ He stroked his hand down the length of her fiery hair. ‘You’re the hero in this.’
She blinked a couple of times, rolling her lip between her teeth. Christ, she was sexy. He could feel himself stirring again, in spite of the short time since they’d come together, limbs entwined. Did she even know what she did to him?
‘You saved me too,’ she whispered. ‘You made me realise that strength can only come from within. Without you I’d never have had the nerve to stand up to Thomas.’
‘It was a matter of time. You would have gotten there without me.’
‘I don’t want to get anywhere without you.’ Her expression was so earnest it hit him straight in the stomach. He pulled her closer, needing to feel her, to breathe her in. His lips found hers almost immediately, his kisses needy, demanding, as he slid his hands down her back.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said against her lips. ‘I’m sorry for walking away when you needed me. I’m sorry for believing you were capable of staying with that asshole.’