AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The evening dragged on interminably and Georgie couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief when they were finally able to leave. Back at the bungalow, with their room softly lit by a bedside lamp, she slipped out of the dress and into a bathrobe. Taking her makeup off at the mirror, she glanced up and saw Ryan watching her. He was leaning back against the wall with his hands in his pockets, one ankle crossed in front of the other. He’d removed his tie and undone the top few buttons on his shirt. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Devastatingly handsome, with his eyes hot on her face. He pushed away from the wall, never taking his eyes off her as he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, claiming her lips in a long, drugging kiss.
He raised his head, cupped her face gently, his gaze roving over her. Georgie stared up at him, mesmerized by the glow in his eyes. He bent his head to kiss her again, softly, gently, stirring all sorts of feelings in Georgie. She sighed, reaching up to undo the rest of the buttons on his shirt, skimming her hands across his chest as she pushed it open and off his shoulders. He did the same for her, untying the belt of her robe, running his hands over her breasts and pushing the robe from her shoulders. Scooping her up in his arms, he held her like she was made of glass and infinitely precious as he walked to the bed. He lay her down, stretched out next to her and kissed her deeply. Ryan pressed soft, fluttery kisses along her jaw and down her neck, lifting his hand to cover one breast while moving down to cover the other with his mouth. She gasped when he ran his tongue over her nipple, burying her fingers in his hair to hold him there. Georgie felt the heat building. A slow burn, radiating from her core down to her toes and into her fingers.
Feeling him slide his hand down over her stomach, she parted her legs for him, whimpering when he pushed his finger slowly into her wet heat. He raised his head to watch her while he moved his finger in and out of her and Georgie was trapped by his gaze. He pulled his finger out to run the tip over her clitoris, the lightness of his touch an exquisite torture. She kept her eyes on his face as she felt the first fluttering of orgasm, pushed her hips up, gripped his arm, dug her fingers in, arched her back. Her breath turned ragged and she finally closed her eyes as her body quivered and shuddered in climax. Curling into Ryan, Georgie drew deep breaths while her heart rate settled.
Kissing him again, she hooked her leg over his hip, shifting so that he was lying on top of her, so she could feel the weight of him on her. Reaching between them, she undid his pants and pushed them down his hips, waiting for him to take them all the way off. He settled between her legs, took her lips in a luxurious kiss that went on and on and on. He raised his head and brushed her hair back with exquisite tenderness. “Mo chroi,” he said huskily. Georgie’s breath caught at the look in his eyes. She’d seen it before and was too overwhelmed by the intensity of it to dwell on what it might mean. So she kissed him, running her hands down his back to his hips, shifting so she could line herself up with him.
She gasped when he pushed inside her in one long, slow stroke. He held himself there, then pulled back and pushed back in with agonizing slowness. He brushed his lips across hers in a featherlight kiss and Georgie was held captive by his gaze. Then he robbed the breath from her body, when he said, “I love you,” ever so softly and a little uncertainly.
Georgie felt the words skitter across her skin and sink into her, right down to her bones. She wished, desperately, for the courage to say them back. To show Ryan her heart. But she just didn’t know how. The words lodged in her throat, stuck there. Unable to push past her fear, her distrust, her years of isolation and loneliness. So instead she wrapped her legs around his waist and her hand around the back of his neck, pulling his head down as she pushed her hips up, so that she could love him with her body.
She pressed her face into his neck as he moved inside her, breathing him in, drowning in the sensations he was creating. Their bodies moved together, flesh sliding across flesh. Pushing Georgie higher and higher on a wave of pleasure. Higher than she’d ever been. When it broke, she had to hold on tight to Ryan to stop herself from being swept away as her body trembled in release. She kept her arms around him while he came, his body jerking against hers before collapsing on top of her.
Stroking her hands up and down his back, Georgie felt like she should say something in response. But what? She felt like she was caught in an in between time. Before Ryan’s declaration of love and after. With no idea what the after looked like, and more than a little scared of it, Georgie preferred to stay just where she was. In the shimmering quiet of now.
“I’m squashing you,” Ryan said, shifting off her, leaving Georgie feeling a little bereft. Lying on his side, he didn’t pull her into his arms, like he normally would after they made love, which made Georgie feel lost on top of bereft. “Are you freaking out?”
Blowing out a breath of relief and trepidation, Georgie turned on her side and nodded. “A little.”
“I make no demands of you.”
“I know that.”
“It doesn’t have to change anything between us.”
“Okay.” She knew that wasn’t true.
“I just feel it too much not to say it out loud.” Georgie felt a lump in her throat at his words, reached up to lay her hand across his cheek. He covered it with his own, turning his head slightly to press a kiss into her palm. God, she’d done nothing to deserve that. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Whatever it is that you’re doing. It’s stupid.”
“How can you say that when you don’t know what it is?”
“Because I know you, mo chroi. Come here.” He pulled her into his arms and she went willingly, sighing when he pressed a kiss to her forehead before reaching over to turn the lamp off. She curled into him and closed her eyes, allowing her body to relax while he ran the tips of his fingers lightly up and down her back. “I love you,” he said softly. There were only two other people in the entire world who had said those words to her. Brandon and Leah. In answer, she nestled closer, laying her hand over his heart and feeling it beat steadily as she drifted off.
CHAPTER26
Ryan woke the next morning with a mix of feelings. On the one hand he was relieved that Georgie now knew how he felt, but on the other, he was uncertain about what that might mean for their future. He hadn’t been expecting a declaration of love from her in return, but he’d felt the way she’d clung to him when they’d made love and afterwards, when he’d pulled her into his arms. It gave him a sliver of hope that maybe Georgie felt more for him than she was prepared to admit. To herself or to him. But as they left Sharon and Andrew’s, drove to Cairns Airport, flew to Melbourne, picked up his car and drove the six hours to Blessed Inlet, he had the sense that Georgie was pulling back. A slight, infinitesimal withdrawal. He felt it in the way that she let go of his hand quicker than she usually would, held herself back a little when he put his arm around her. It had his gut churning. Especially because in all other ways, she seemed her usual self.
“I can’t wait to see all my new furniture,” Georgie said as Ryan turned onto the Blessed Inlet Road.
Ryan smiled at her. “I can imagine.”
“Not sure how much I’ll be able to get unpacked tonight. At least get the appliances connected, and the bed made up. Just in case, you know…” She shot him a saucy look.
“Ah, I’m afraid I don’t know. What could you mean, Georgie May?”
She laughed. A gorgeous, lilting sound. Ryan thought he could listen to that every day of his life and never get sick of it. He reached over and grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss to the back, biting back a sigh when she pulled away.
“How does it feel?”
“What’s that?”
“Coming home.”
“Amazing,” she said simply. “Oh, Brandon’s here!” Ryan had barely pulled the car to a stop in front of the house before Georgie jumped out. Brandon came down the wide front steps, grinning at his sister. She threw herself into his arms and squeezed him tight. When he pulled back, he turned to Ryan and gave him a friendly handshake.
