Exquisite Betrayal (21 page)

His arms cocoon me, and for a minute, he’s
silent. “You weren’t stupid. You put your trust in someone you
thought deserved it. I’m just as bad as that wanker. And it doesn’t
negate the fact that I should never have treated you so
dreadfully.”

I look at him. “I’m not gonna lie and say
it’s okay. I had every intention of telling you to fuck off when I
saw you. But, I don’t know. There’s something between us. I mean,
at least I think there is.”

“
Yes! You know I feel it, too. I’m not
making excuses for my bad behavior, but what I’m asking for is a
chance to prove myself to you, Fallon. I promise not to act like
such a bloody bastard again, if you’ll only give me that
chance.”

“
Um, Ryland Thomas, aren’t you the one
I’ve been with for the last few days?”

“
Well, yeah, why?”

“
Because, that’s me saying I’m willing
to give you another chance. But don’t mess it up this time, okay? I
don’t think my ego can take another one of those—”

“
You don’t have to worry about that,
Fallon.”

Then, the next thing I know, I’m in his arms
and my body’s on fire for this man. I’m consumed with him, but he
says he wants to take it slow, so I let him.

He takes me to dinner that night and I’m
disappointed when he leaves to go back to Tilly’s. “You’re not
staying?”

“
Uh-uh. We’re not ready for that yet.
I know I slept with you that one night at her place, and you wanna
know something?”

“
What?”

“
I didn’t sleep all night with you
next to me. We need to wait until it’s right. I’ve already messed
it up once, Fallon; I don’t want to fuck it up with you again. I
want it to be perfect with you. Do you understand what I’m saying
here?”

“
I do. I’m not sure I’m gonna like it,
though.”

“
I’m not sure I will, either, yet I
think it’s the right thing to do.”

He hugs and kisses me and then he’s gone. I
feel so empty without him here. It’s the first time since I arrived
in San Francisco that I’m alone and it’s a strange feeling. I’ve
lived alone for a while, but it was so great having the two of them
around for company. Now, I’m plunged into silence and it’s a bit
eerie.

With nothing to really do, my new bed calls
to me, so I head that way and read for a time. Before long, I’m
fast asleep.

***

The ringing of my phone awakens me. It’s
Ryland Thomas. “I have coffee and scones. I’ll be at your door in
three minutes.” No sooner has he ended the call than I’m out of bed
and brushing my teeth. By the time I finish, the doorbell
rings.

“
I love your nighties,” he says as he
pulls me into him. “But most of all, I love the way you look when
you’ve just gotten out of bed. You’re terribly sexy.” He slides his
thumb across my lower lip and I catch it with my teeth and bite it
gently as I look at him. “Now you’re fucking dangerous.” His arms
are then immediately wrapped around me and he lifts me against him
as he backs me into the wall. His mouth crushes mine and he steals
every last bit of oxygen I ever dreamed of owning.

I’m reeling when he releases me, touching
his forehead to mine. “My body is telling me to throw you over my
shoulder and carry you to your bed where I can fuck you silly, but
my heart is telling me otherwise. What do you tell me, Fallon?”

Shit
. I can’t
say a thing because my throat is so tight with need for him. I want
this man like I’ve never wanted anything before. Yet I wonder if
it’s the right thing to do. Will it ruin things between
us?

He senses my hesitancy. “You’ve just given
me your answer, love.”

He steps back from me, but his eyes don’t
release mine. They’re melting me, deep pools of emerald green, as
they stare at me.

“
It’s not that I don’t want
to.”

“
Oh, trust me, I know. I can feel your
response. And you know how much I want you, right?”

I nod.

“
Right then. Shall we have our coffee
and scones?”

I move from the wall, my legs still a bit
shaky, as he covers my hand in his and smiles. “Fallon, we’ll get
there.”

“
I’m hoping I don’t explode in the
interim.”

He gives me a quirky smile.

While we’re eating, he suggests some
sightseeing things for the day. He wants to take me up to the wine
country. I’m excited because I’ve read amazing things about how
wonderful it is.

“
Really. We can do that in a
day?”

“
Well, would you like to do an
overnight?”

“
No.” I’m unwavering about this
because he’s done way too much for me already. “Maybe in a month or
so.”

“
Then a day trip it is.”

After I quickly shower and dress, we hit the
road. It’s a great day as we stop at a couple of wineries and enjoy
the scenery. He’s an exceptional tour guide who takes special care
in making sure that my walking is kept to a minimum. After a
wonderful day, we stop at a quaint café in Tiburon for dinner and
don’t get home until late.

He’s been snapping pictures left and right
all day, so when we get home, I ask to see them. All day I’ve
assumed he was taking pictures of the scenery, but I’m astonished
to see they’re all of me. Sitting, standing, looking out at
something in the distance, he’s caught me in a multitude of candid
shots.

My expression says it all. “You’re
surprised?” he asks.

“
Well, yeah.”

“
Don’t be. I take great pleasure in
watching you. And now I have these to look at when you’re three
hours away from me.” His eyes are so soft, I dissolve. My hand
reaches for his and I bring it to my lips and smile.

***

The next night is New Year’s Eve and he’s
made a reservation at some fancy restaurant. I’m embarrassed
because I don’t have expensive clothes to wear.

“
You don’t have a little black
dress?”

“
Of course I do, but it’s not very
elaborate.”

“
Fallon, you could wear a paper sack
and knock it out of the park.”

I shoulder bump him. He promises to pick me
up at six, which leaves me with the whole day to myself. Hmm,
what’ll I do? Read, I suppose.

What I really want to do, though, is have a
group online chat with all my blogger girls, so I make the
arrangements and we do exactly that. I really need their opinions
on what to do about Ryland Thomas. Of course, they can’t know who
he really is, so I plan on only giving them the old story.

***

Once we’re all online together, I realize
just how much I’ve missed them.

“
You should just go for it,” Amanda
says.

Andrea and Kat agree.

“
I don’t know. What if it’s too soon?
Besides, he’s all for taking it slow.”

“
I think Fallon’s right. They need to
take their time on this. At least her heart won’t get crushed
again,” Kat says.

Mandy pipes in, “But he’s promised not to do
that, so why do you have to have a plan? Why not just let things
flow. I mean, if the timing is right, go for it. You’ll know when
it is.”

“
Thing is, it’s always right. I’m
ready for the man right now,” I say.

“
Do you realize how lucky you are?”
Amanda asks. “What I would do to have your problem.”

“
Amanda’s right. I’d trade places with
you right now. Besides, he’s committed to making it right this
time. He already knows he acted like an arse. He’ll be doubly
careful not to do a repeat,” Andrea says.

“
Yeah, I guess so. I think I’ll simply
play it by ear. You know, if it all works out, I’ll go with
it.”

“
So, are you psyched about the new
job?” Kat asks.

“
Nervous is more like it.”

They all pshaw me and tell me I’ll be fine.
We chat like this for another thirty minutes or so then wish each
other a happy new year and end the call. By now I need to get
showered and ready for dinner.

Still unsure of what to do, I push it out of
my mind and get dressed. Soon my doorbell is ringing and Ryland
Thomas is there, collecting me for dinner.

He looks divine. He’s wearing a dark suit
with an emerald green tie, and it makes the green in his eyes glow.
His hair is messy and it makes me want to thread my fingers through
it. I can barely pull my gaze away from his mouth as the corners of
it lift up.

“
Fallon, you’re lovely this
evening.”

“
Oh, yeah, especially my lovely boot.”
I motion to my foot, still encased in that atrocious thing I have
to wear.

He smiles. “I never noticed.” He presses a
soft kiss in the palm of my hand.

Whoa. I’m melting already. This is going to
be a heated night.

“
Shall we go?”

I grab my coat and we head down the stairs.
We go to a quaint restaurant called Fire where everything is cooked
in a wood-fired oven. The food is excellent. Ryland Thomas orders
up an array of food and we share all the dishes. It’s quite a
culinary experience for me. I can tell he’s enjoying himself as he
watches me eat.

“
I thought you were dangerous before,
but now as I watch you eat, I know you’re going to be hazardous to
my sanity. I can hardly stand sitting here as I observe your mouth.
I keep thinking about what your lips would feel like on me if they
were moving like that.”

Thank heavens there’s a glass of water in
front of me because I nearly choke on the food I’m swallowing. He
grabs my hand and asks if I’m okay.

Once my throat is clear, I finally say,
“I’ll never just be okay around you, Ryland Thomas.”

He doesn’t respond. He simply stares at me
with those intense eyes of his. His mouth opens and closes before
he, at last, speaks. “I want so much with you, Fallon. This thing,
whatever it is between us, I want it to work.”

“
So do I. Then you think we have a
chance?” My question is bold, yet I want to know.

“
Yes, I do. I think we have so much
more than a mere chance.” Our hands are still clasped together as I
smile.

“
Good. Great.”

Then he raises my hand and kisses it. Those
damn eyes of his suck me into his soul. My appetite has gone
straight out the door and the only thing I can think of now is the
unbearable ache that’s blossomed between my thighs. I squeeze my
legs together and sigh.

“
It’ll be okay, Fallon.”

Not until I get
home
, I want to say. I keep my naughty thoughts to
myself, however when I look at him again and see his little smirk,
I know he’s discerned my thoughts. I smirk back.

“
This is difficult.”

“
That it is.”

“
What are we going to do about it?” I
ask.

“
Take a lot of cold showers,
love.”

“
That’s it?’

“
Uh-huh.”

We finish dinner and head back to my place
to do the countdown to New Year’s on TV. When the ball strikes
midnight, Ryland Thomas grabs me. “Happy New Year, Fallon.” Then we
kiss like there are no more tomorrows. His mouth is fire and ice,
heating me and making me shiver, sending ripples of goosebumps all
over me. Flames of desire lick every inch of my flesh, scorching my
skin until I’m begging him to touch me, to taste me, but he
doesn’t. He just kisses me.

We’re on my couch and he’s pushed me onto my
back while his body is between my thighs. He’s flexing his hips
into me, dry humping me while I want our clothes to be off so badly
that I start to rip at his shirt, but he traps my hands in his and
won’t allow it. I’m whining in desperation, yet still, he only
kisses me. No hands, no touching other than rubbing against me with
his hips.

I pull my mouth away from his and beg,
“Ryland Thomas, I want you. Now. I need you inside of me.”

“
I need to be inside of you, too,
Fallon. But not tonight.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because I want it to be
right.”

“
Does being right include
torture?”

“
Maybe. It’s not easy for me, either.
Look at me, Fallon.”

I do as he asks. His eyes… God, they’re so
full of something, but I can’t quite define it.

He frames my face with his hands. “I fucked
it up so bad with you before, I’m swearing to you and myself that
this time, I’m gonna get it right. Physically and emotionally.
You’re that important to me.”

My heart reacts so fiercely my body jolts. I
grab his shoulders and all I can do is nod. He places a light kiss
on each corner of my mouth and looks at me again.

“
Fallon, are you with me on
that?”

“
Yeah.” My hoo-hah is not going to be
a happy girl for a while.

I’m not sure which of us is more
disappointed when I leave. I have to return to Lake Tahoe first
thing in the morning. I have a deadline to meet and an aggressive
schedule ahead of me. I’m so far behind as it is with all the time
I wasted during the fall months while I was nursing my wounds and
acting the fool. Neither my agent nor my editor are exactly pleased
with me right now since I’ve already missed several deadlines.

Even though we’ll only be able to see each
other on weekends, it will give us time to immerse ourselves in our
work without distractions. I need this to catch up. One manuscript
needs to be at my editor’s by the end of January and another one is
due in April. I will be pushing it to get both done in time.