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Twelve
Ryder
So much for not getting involved with a woman during the championships. I’m about as involved as a guy can get. In the past few hours, I’ve threatened her boss, declared my feelings for her on live TV, punched out a couple of drunk assholes for her, and taken her back to her room. Rage floods through me when I think about those pricks, but as I hold her in my arms and listen to the sound of her breathing, I start to calm down.
She’s safe now and if I have my way, she always will be. I hold her even though dinner time has long since passed and I’m as hungry as a bear in spring. There’s nothing that could tear me away from her. Not when she needs me.
She wakes after an hour, seeming confused, then rubbing her eyes and looking embarrassed. “Did I fall asleep on you?”
“I don’t mind. How are you doing?”
“Hungry, but otherwise okay.” She gets up off of my lap and I’m left feeling empty even though she’s standing right in front of me.
I stand as well. “I’ll order some food unless you prefer that I leave.”
Shaking her head, she says, “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Then you don’t have to be.”
Half an hour later, we’re sitting out on the balcony eating burgers and sipping cold beers. Julia has started to relax a little and I even manage to make her laugh a few times. I take a sip of my drink, but keep my eyes on her, unable to pull my gaze away for more than a second at a time.
Once we’ve eaten, she sighs, looking out at the view below.
“What do you want to do now?” I ask her.
“Before that happened, all I wanted was some room service and a hot bath.”
“One down, one to go,” I say, standing and holding my hand out.
She looks shocked for a second until I shake my head. “For you, not me. Not tonight.”
I open the French door and lead her back into the suite, then to the bathroom. I plug the drain of the enormous jetted tub, then turn on the water and test it with my hand, then pour half a bottle of bubble bath in. Julia stands by the counter watching me, her eyes soft.
“Why’d you walk away from me the other night? In the kitchen?”
I cross the room and lift both hands to her face. “I didn’t want to take you when you’d been drinking. I also promised myself I wouldn’t get involved with anyone until after the finals were over.”
“So, it wasn’t because you don’t find me…” She looks down at the floor.
I lift her chin so she has to look me in the eye. “Attractive? Hell, no. I want you, Julia. You’re the sexiest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I want you every way a man can have a woman, including forever.”
“But, if you want me so bad, how could you leave like that? Without saying anything?”
“Because I knew the next thing I said would scare you off. Because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to resist taking you if I stayed even a second longer.” I ache to kiss her, but I won’t. Not tonight.
“I’m so confused. I don’t know what to believe.”
“Believe this—I’ll be here tonight. I’ll be here tomorrow. And I’ll be here every day after that if you’ll let me.”
She reaches up on her tiptoes and kisses me softly, tentatively. I let her set the pace, knowing what she’s been through and what she needs from me right now. She needs to know she can trust me. We kiss and hold each other for a few minutes until I remember the bath water is running. I pull away and hurry to shut it off.
When I turn back to her, she’s unbuttoning her shirt. The look on her face says she wants more than just comfort. Her shirt falls to the tile at her feet, leaving her in a lacy pink bra and her jeans. I swallow hard, reminding myself that she’s not mine for the taking. Not yet.
She pushes off the counter and walks to me, her eyes on mine the entire time. When she reaches me, she tugs my shirt out of my jeans and yanks at the front, causing the snaps to open. Running her hands over my chest, she smiles. “It’s only fair if we both take our shirts off.”
“Well, I’m all about fair, honey,” I say with a slow grin.
She glides her hands up and across my shoulders, moving the fabric out of her way. When it’s off, she makes a little moaning sound at the sight of me like this. Next, she unbuttons the top button of her jeans, unzips them, and shimmies them past her hips and to the floor. Stepping out of them, she toes them out of the way. I’m stunned by her beauty—in nothing but her lacy bra and matching panties. She reaches for my belt buckle.
