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“Thank you,” she said softly, putting her hand on his chest and pushing up on tiptoe to kiss him. She put a little heat into it and when she pulled back, she saw that his eyes had darkened. “Will you dance with me later?”
“I will.”
“Good.”
As the sun’s light slowly faded from the sky, a full moon rose to replace it. The fairy lights were turned on, Callum got the sound system going and the party started in earnest. Rafe pulled Mikayla onstage for the first dance, then Mikayla called for all the women to join her. Georgie moved away from Ryan’s side, grinning as she stepped up to Mikayla, who immediately grabbed her in an enthusiastic hug.
“Are you having a good time?”
“I sure am. Are you?”
Mikayla nodded. “All the weddings I’ve been to over the years, I never knew my own would be so much fun!”
“Excellent!”
A while later, Georgie was standing with Nora when the first beats of the CranberriesDreamsdropped. She immediately looked around for Ryan, only to find his eyes already on her, smiling as he walked towards her. He’d requested it. Slipping her hand in his, she followed him onto the dance floor, laughing when he spun her around before pulling her into his arms. The beat was fast and she had to concentrate to keep up with him. She was slightly breathless when the song ended. The next one was a slow, sweet love song. Ryan slipped his arm around her waist and held her close, smiling down at her.
“Do you know something?”
“Mmm?” He held her hand against his chest, over his heart.
“It wasn’t that long ago that I couldn’t have imagined this.”
“No?”
“No. Dancing…hell, just walking properly. It all seemed like something I’d never be able to do again.”
“And here you are.”
“Here I am,” she agreed. “Thanks to you.”
“No, Georgie May, you did it yourself.”
“That’s not really true. I never would have done it if you hadn’t looked after me like you did. From the very start, I mean. Just listening to me, understanding me, not judging me. It means a lot to me, Ryan. So thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You have to bend down so I can kiss you.”
He smiled, lowering his head so she could press a soft kiss to his lips. She wanted to give him more, but there was a good chance she’d get carried away, so she pulled back. Instead, she dropped her head to his shoulder, smiling to herself as they swayed to the music.
* * *
The party went late into the night and by the time Mikayla was ready to call it quits, Georgie’s blood was singing. Ryan drove them up to the Lighthouse, parked his car in his allocated spot. Georgie felt a weird rush of nerves that made her uncomfortable, so she didn’t say anything as they got out of the car and walked down the track. When it looked like Ryan intended to walk her all the way to her cabin, Georgie stopped him. “Will you wait here for me?”
He looked at her for a moment in the silvery light of the moon. “Aye, if you like.”
Georgie hurried down the track to her cabin, stepping through the sliding door and stopping short, needing to gulp some air to settle her nerves. She considered, for the briefest moment, not going back to Ryan. Pictured herself getting into her pajamas and going to bed, shook her head at her own silliness. She wanted this. Ryan had made it perfectly clear that he wanted it as well. There was no point waiting any longer. She took her low-heeled sandals off and slipped out of the dress, laying it carefully over the dining chair before going into the bathroom.
She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror for long moments. “Okay, Quinn, you can do this. It’s only the first part that’s terrifying you.” Her reflection gazed back at her with clear eyed resolve. Satisfied, Georgie washed her face, took her underwear off and slipped a dressing gown on. Sliding her feet into ballet flats, she left the cabin, walking up the track on shaking legs, with her heart thumping violently.
When she got close enough to Ryan’s cabin, she saw him lying back on the recliner on the veranda, with the light off. He was still wearing his suit pants and his shirt was untucked. She paused, barely able to move since her legs had turned to jelly. But she pushed herself to move forward, to close the distance between them, to step up onto the deck. He sat up without a word, his expression unreadable in the dim light of the moon. Ignoring her pounding heart, Georgie kicked her shoes off, brought her shaking hands to the tie of her robe and slowly undid it, pulled the robe open and shrugged out of it, letting it fall to the deck. Ryan went completely still for long enough that Georgie started to panic, then he reached out, wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her into his lap, sliding one arm around her waist. He brought his other hand up to her cheek, resting it there while his eyes roved over her face. Then he kissed her. It started out as a gentle exploration but turned hot quickly. He pushed his hand into her hair, tilting her head, tangling his tongue with hers. Georgie gloried in it, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing herself against him. All hesitation, doubt, self-consciousness, left her. In this moment, with him holding her and kissing her, she gave no thought to her scars, to her broken body, to whether or not he really wanted her. She just fell into his kiss, tumbled endlessly into the heat between them.
CHAPTER17
He broke away, pressing scorching kisses along her jawline and down her neck, lower, over her breast to her nipple. Georgie gasped when he ran his tongue over it, moving his hand down to cover her other breast. She cried out when he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked, the sensation sending an arrow of heat to her core. It was too much. She buried her fingers in his hair. “Stop.” When he lifted his head, she kissed him again, moving restlessly as her desire grew. He let go of her breast, trailing his fingertips over her stomach, then lower. She pressed her thighs together.
“No?” He asked, his voice husky.
