She nodded. “I want to watch you get off on me,” she whispered as she held on tight to the ends of the red fabric, her firm grip on the ribbon giving him all the friction he needed. “I’ve never seen your face when you’re coming. I want to know what you look like when you come all over me.”

Desire surged in him, like white waters raging, as he pumped between that perfect flesh. He jammed his hands harder against the table. “Tell me how much you want it,” he growled, his voice ragged.

“So much,” she pleaded, her blue eyes shining with desire. My God, he had unleashed a wild woman in her, and he fucking loved it as she talked dirty right at him, saying, “I want you all over my neck, and my chest, and my tits. Please give it to me.”

His spine ignited. His balls tightened, drawing up closer as he rocked through the slick, hot valley of her breasts. That first neon burst of pleasure roared in him, then climbed higher as he pumped. Keeping his dick where it was happiest, he sat up so she could see his face as he gave her what she wanted.

“Now. Fucking now. Watch me come on you,” he groaned, fighting to keep his own eyes open, wanting to watch her as she savored the sight of him straddling her chest, rocking into her tits, and spilling hot white streams onto her breasts, all the way up to her neck and her chin, even the ends of her hair.

He shuddered.

A total body release.

She let go of the hold on one of her ribbons, dragged her finger between her breasts and brought it to her lips, licking him off.

“Oh, beautiful. You deserve another orgasm for that,” he said then fucked her with his fingers until she came riding his hand on her dining room table.

Chapter Twenty-One

Hot water rained down on them in her luxurious shower with glass brick walls. He poured some of her shampoo into his palm then lathered up her soft hair, taking his time working it into her wet strands. She closed her eyes, and leaned her head against his chest.

“Your dinner’s probably getting cold,” he murmured in her ear as he turned her around and rinsed the shampoo from her hair.

“I know. But that’s what re-warming in the oven is for,” she said.

He looped an arm around her waist, tugging her soft, wet body against his. “I know this sounds crazy because it was only a few days ago when I saw you, but I did miss you,” he said, planting a kiss on her neck, then traveling to her lips, kissing her softly, slowly, taking his time. She whimpered sexily against his lips, and he let go. “That dinner is really going to get cold.”

“And I am really going to get hot the longer I stand here in the shower naked with you,” she said, and he eyed her all over, keenly aware that this was the first time she’d been completely naked in front of him, and him with her.

He held up his finger. “Let me go get a condom.” He turned to the shower door when he felt her grasp his arm.

“I’m on the pill,” she said. “And I’m kind of ridiculously clean.”

He laughed. “Ridiculous is good. And same here. Clean, that is.”

He backed her up against the royal-blue tiled wall, hitched up her right leg around his hip, and guided himself into her.

There were no words to describe how fantastic she felt. So he didn’t say anything. He simply moved inside her, getting to know her body even more intimately as twilight fell and she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered his name.

Soon, she was saying it louder, in an orgasmic shout, and he chased her there.

* * *

Ryan pointed admiringly at the chicken, which had been reheated and was as tasty as she’d hoped. He was polishing off his second serving. “This is delicious. You sure can cook.”

“Just wait ’til you have dessert then,” she said with a smile as she brought the glass of pinot grigio to her lips and took a sip of the wine he’d given her. The peach tulips blazed brightly in a vase in the middle of the table. She’d changed into a short yellow sundress and had combed her hair into a clip. The ends of his still-wet hair curled up, a look she found made him even sexier than usual, considering what they’d just done in the shower.

Sparks swooped through her, and she was damn near ready for another round. But she also enjoyed talking to him, and they’d had a nice chat over dinner. He’d spotted a wedding photo of Holden and her, and had even remarked how pretty she looked. If he’d felt any tension or jealousy over her friendship with her ex, he didn’t let on, which made her happy. He’d asked about Holden’s work, and she’d shared more details, mentioning that he was helping with the upcoming fundraiser.

“I’m getting together with Holden tomorrow to go over some details, and truth be told, we’ll probably do some shopping, too. We’re both partial to the Grand Canal shops,” she said, as if divulging a naughty secret.

“This sounds strange even as I say it, but I hope you have fun shopping with your ex,” he said, bemused. She laughed, delighted that he could accept her friendship with Holden so easily.

“Tell me more about your company, and what it’s like working with your older brother,” she said.

As he talked about his work, and both the joys and pitfalls of working with a sibling, a realization slipped to front and center in her mind.

She liked him. A lot.

No, that wasn’t it. It was way more than like.

She was falling for Ryan Sloan. That was what the sparks in her belly were. They weren’t sex butterflies. They were falling for you butterflies.

Ryan set down his fork and cleared his throat. “So, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

Her shoulders tensed instinctively. Nothing good ever came from those words. “You’re married?” she asked, panic seizing her. She wasn’t sure why that was the first thing that came to her mind. But she was sure something bad was about to come out of his mouth. Especially given where her own mind and heart had just gone.

He laughed and shook his head, and his response made her feel the tiniest bit better. “No. It’s about—”

But his words were cut off by a knock on the door. She stood up quickly. “It’s probably just a delivery or something. Dry cleaning maybe,” she said, and walked to the door. She peered through the peephole and beamed when she saw her brother.

She turned to Ryan as she opened the door. “You can meet John.”

Ryan’s face froze, and so did her brother’s when he made eye contact with the other man in the room.

John said her lover’s name like a hiss.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“You two know each other?” Sophie gestured from her brother to Ryan.

Ryan nodded as John said, “Yes.”

John went next, pointing to Ryan. “Why are you talking to my sister?” His voice was accusing. The tone was enough to send hackles up her spine.

Sophie held up both hands. “Wait,” she said firmly. “Someone tell me what is going on.”

Ryan pushed back his chair, the wooden legs scraping loudly against the floor. “We know each other because he’s working on a case that involves my family.” He took long strides to her. “My father’s murder.”

Sophie clasped her hand over her mouth. She shuddered, but then blinked when she realized something didn’t add up. “You said you were fourteen when he died?”

“I was,” Ryan said, standing a few feet from her. He pressed his fingers against his temple, speaking the next words as if they pained him. “He was shot in the driveway of our home one night. Both the gunman and my mother are in prison for the crime. The case was just reopened.”

Sophie’s mouth fell open, and the earth ceased rotating as the enormity of his statement rocked through her. Slowly, she let each word soak in. That was a hell of a hand of cards to be dealt. She couldn’t even imagine what he’d gone through, living with that kind of tragedy. To think, she’d once pictured Ryan’s mom missing her husband, not serving hard time for offing him. This was so much bigger, so much heavier.