Sullivans 06 - Let Me Be the One

still hiding whatever was in his hands from her.
    Even after making love several times that week, she was amazed to realize there were still so many firsts for them, like stripping down for Ryan. She’d done it over the phone the night before, but never in person. He’d always ripped the clothes off her before she could do a thing to help.
    Inherently shy, it was tempting just to quickly shove off the tank top and leggings she’d worn from the studio to the plane and beg him to join her on the bed. But that wouldn’t be fair to either of them.
    Slowly, she got up off the bed and walked across the room to stand in front of him. With every step, Ryan’s gaze heated up more and more. Her nerves gave way to a rush of joy.
    He was hers.
    And she was his.
    Keeping her gaze locked with his, she reached for the hem of her tank top and slid it up over her waist, then her breasts, one slow inch at a time. By the time she pulled her shirt up over her head, and uncovered black lace, air was whooshing out of Ryan’s lungs.
    “Gorgeous, Vicki. You’re so damn gorgeous.”
    She was smiling by the time she threw her shirt to the side. “Wait,” she teased, “there’s more.”
    Her thumbs went into the waistband of her leggings a moment later so that she could slide them down over her hips to reveal the matching lace thong. Just as her leggings fell to the floor and she stepped out of them, he wrapped two big hands around her bared bottom cheeks and pulled her into him so that he could press kisses against her stomach, her hip bones, and then the sheer fabric covering her sex.
    Her breath was coming fast now, faster still when he slid two fingers beneath her panties and into her. A heartbeat later, she was lying on the couch and he was lowering his deliciously heavy weight to her so that they could kiss and grind against each other.
    Maybe it was because they had first fallen for each other as teenagers, but she loved the way they always got down and dirty on the couch like two horny kids who couldn’t get enough of each other even when a bed was just feet away.
    He levered himself up from her just enough to remove her bra and panties, but once she was naked, instead of coming back into her arms, he simply stared.
    “I can hardly believe you’re mine.” His whispered words were filled with awe. Pure, never-ending desire.
    And so much love it filled her to overflowing.
    “Always,” she whispered back. “Forever.”
    She was reaching to pull him in for more kisses, when her elbow smacked into something hard. And cold. And wet.
    “Sorry about that,” he said as he lifted her elbow up to press a kiss to it. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He pulled a champagne bottle out of its hiding place. “Surprise.”
    She tried to smile back at him, but it was hard to pull it off when all she could think about was what he was planning on doing with the champagne. She watched with heady anticipation as his deft fingers worked the cork. It popped open and champagne sprayed all over her breasts, making her laugh in surprise as the cold, fizzing droplets covered her.
    “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
    A flash of his wicked grin was the only answer she got before he lowered his mouth to her sensitive flesh and licked off every last drop. When he found a particularly sensitive spot, and then another, she threaded her hands into his hair to hold him against her.
    Finally, he lifted his head to stare down at her with his dark, intense eyes.
    “I think we’re ready to start now.”
    He hadn’t even started yet?
    Oh God...she was never going to make it out of this hotel room in one piece.
    And that was just fine by her.
     
    * * *
     
    Ryan wanted to savor every single second with Vicki. It meant everything to him that she trusted him to love her the way she deserved to be loved.
    Gently, he ran one finger down between her breasts to her belly button. “Do you know what they call this part of a woman?”
    She shook her head, her eyes wide and filled with heat.
    “The champagne line.”
    A soft whimper left her pretty lips and he had to press a kiss to them. She licked the bubbly from his tongue and he was tempted just to take her right then and there and forget about the full bottle of champagne. But he’d have a lifetime to take her hard and fast.
    Tonight, he wanted to cherish. To treasure.
    To love.
    He lifted her arms above her head one at a time and curled her fingers around the arm of the couch. Her