Chapter 7
7
RYLAN
From the moment the officiant said the words “husband and wife,” I couldn’t keep my hands off Joss. Not that it was easy before that.
I’m married.
That thought ran rampant in my head, repeating as I helped her into the car I called to take us back to the hotel. As we ran inside, and she gave a little pout when she saw the gift shop was closed. As that pout turned to a glorious smile when I told her I’d already had two dozen chocolate covered strawberries delivered to our room.
And as the elevator doors closed us in and Joss nestled her fingers into my hair and pulled my mouth to hers, that thought was replaced with a new one: This woman is my wife.
This perfect, wonderful, gorgeous woman was all mine. All her tears. All her smiles. She was mine for the rest of our lives.
She squealed as I swept her off her feet, but she didn’t stop kissing me as I carried her down the hall. When I shifted her weight to open the door, she wrapped her legs around my waist and all thoughts went quiet but one.
Mine .
“Fuck, Joss!” The door slammed open, and I stumbled in, stopping only when her back hit the wall. Her hands were everywhere—in my hair, tearing open the buttons on my shirt, tugging at the waistband of my pants—and her body was rubbing up against mine. Those silky, purple panties were doing nothing to keep her wetness from soaking through my jeans to my dick.
“I want you so bad.” Her love-drunk words hit me below the belt, and it took all my willpower to edge back and shake my head.
“Not gonna fuck you against the wall, gorgeous.”
Pure confusion colored her face, and she blinked her heavy-lidded eyes. “What?”
Scooping her off the wall, I held on tight and turned toward the bedroom. “You’re my wife.” My heart swelled at the words. “I’m going to take your clothes off piece by piece, then devour every inch of you until you’re begging me for my cock. Then, and only then, will we make love. Then I’ll show you exactly how a gorgeous woman like you should be treated.”
“What if I beg for your cock now?” Joss’s mouth twisted into a crooked grin.
I lifted a brow, then laughed as she let out a scream when I threw her on the bed. She bounced once and by the time she’d settled, I had already crawled up and was hovering over her.
“Did I tell you how perfect you are, baby?”
Her cheeks flushed in the dim light coming through the windows, and her response was just a whisper. “Maybe.”
“Nah.” I caught her chin between my thumb and finger, directing her attention back to me. “I did. And you are. You are the most perfect woman in the world for me.”
“Rylan—” She caught my hand in both of hers and tried to drag it away. But I lowered my mouth to hers, giving in once more to my desire to taste her.
“Perfect,” I whispered against her lips. “Gorgeous,” I said before I drove my tongue inside her mouth to dance with hers. “Wanna taste you,” I implored, dragging my mouth away from hers so I could do just that.
I licked and nipped and ate up her moans, my greedy hands aching to touch her squirming body. Reaching behind her, I tugged at the zipper of her dress until I’d dragged it down to her waist. Then I peeled her beautiful dress off her shoulders, getting lost in the flicker of lust in her eyes as much as I did the deep tan that covered her breasts.
“I like this.” I dragged my fingertip across the tan line that nearly touched the edge of her areola. She held her breath, watching my every move, then gasped when I dropped my mouth and captured her nipple.
“Oh God!” She wove her fingers in my hair and held me still, as if I’d even think of moving. Each time I tugged at the hard bud, she gasped. Each time I sucked, she arched her back and pulled me closer, until there was no space between us, until there was nothing but the taste of her, the sound of her, the feel of her body writhing under mine. “Please, Rylan.”
“Not done yet, gorgeous.” I shifted, dragging my tongue down the valley between her breasts before latching onto her other one. My dick throbbed with the moan she let out, and I had to grab her hands to keep her from touching me. “Not done yet.”
“But I want it!” She rolled her hips, that little wet patch of fabric rubbing against the skin under my untucked shirt.
“Shh. Soon,” I cooed before licking my way down her stomach. I lifted her hips, gently pulling her dress—her fucking gorgeous wedding dress—down her legs. Then I was back again, my tongue flicking at the edges of her panties.
“I like this too,” I told her, laughing as she squirmed and spread her legs a little more.
“Do you like it as much as this?” That coy little smile she wore so well made an appearance as she traced her tan line down her chest.
“Mmm, you have no idea.”
“Prove it.” Her voice was all rasp and desire, barely louder than the blood pumping through my body and radiating in my ears. I gave her exactly what she wanted.
I lowered my mouth, keeping my eyes locked on hers as I flicked out my tongue and licked at the damp fabric. The second time, there was just enough pressure there to have her squirming, to have another of her glorious moans squeezing up her throat.
“Again.” She tried to tug her wrists out of my grasp, but I didn’t trust her not to try to touch me. Not while she was begging for my attention. Not while I was watching her come undone.
And there’s no way I would last if she got ahold of me.
Her back arched off the bed as I clamped my lips over the fabric, latching on to the little bud beneath the purple silk. Her entire body tensed until her muscles shook, her breathy gasps a siren song sent up to ruin me.
She’d already ruined me.
From the moment I saw her down at the casino that morning, I’d been lost in the sight of her. Love at first glance. An unrelenting need to know her, to hold her.
To love her.
I loved her. I knew that. I knew it in the deepest depths of my heart. Even though I told myself I would never fall in love, I would never get married, I would never succumb to the plague of holy matrimony that had torn too many lives apart, the mere sight of this gorgeous woman had knocked me so off kilter, I was willing to put all my previous desires on hold or forget about them all together.
All for her.
All for her heart.
Joss’s entire body went limp, and were it not for the way her chest heaved, I would have thought she’d died and joined me in heaven. I released my grip around her wrists, then tugged her soaked panties down her legs before settling myself right back where I started. I cupped my arms under her hips, dragging her pussy toward my mouth like it was the lost chalice that would bring me eternal life.
And I drank. I drank of her until her eyes flashed open and her body reanimated, until she was squirming and moaning and grabbing my hair, trying to get me closer, trying to get more.
“More. Oh God, more!” It was a plea. A chant. A prayer sent to the gods that I was all too willing to answer. I thrust my fingers into her core, pulsing and curling as I sucked just enough to bring her to the edge, then let off. Let off and heard her scream and beg to be given that push that would let her fly back to the heavens.
I didn’t want this to end. I wanted to savor the taste she left on my tongue and feel her pulsing around me. But the throbbing in my dick was almost painful, and I wanted just as much to sink myself into my wife and turn the two of us into one.
Giving Joss one final push, I pressed my fingers against the perfect point inside of her, clamping my lips once more around her clit and sucking until she fell over the edge. Each noise she let loose made my heart swell with pride and lust, each spasm around my fingers had the blood pumping through my body threatening to end this before it even began. I held her as she flew, letting her float back to earth into the bed of my arms.
When she looked down at me this time, when she’d reanimated enough to let me know she was here with me, I couldn’t read the look on her face. She had that shyness again, half coy smile and half disbelief.
“You okay?”
It took her a moment for her eyes to clear, for her muscles to work enough to give her head a little nod. She didn’t object when I pulled my arms from under her hips and sat back on my knees, but she watched with interest as I flicked through the remaining two buttons she hadn’t undone on my shirt and slipped it off.
Her interest grew when I shucked my pants and underwear, her eyes growing wide as I climbed back onto the bed and made my way over her. She lifted her arms, spreading her hands across my body with such gentleness, it was as if she were afraid of hurting me.
She met my heated gaze, her breaths coming faster from her chest. I cupped her cheek and lowered my mouth to hers, just touching her lips.
“What is it, gorgeous?” I asked. “What’s on your mind?”
“Who are you?” was her whispered response, and I edged back to look at her. “I’ve never… I didn’t know I could…”
“You wanna know who I am, baby?” When she nodded, I felt my entire body melt. “I’m your husband. And you’re my wife. And this? This thing between us? This was meant to be.”
Joss's nod was so earnest, it was as if every last barrier I’d put up to protect my heart crumbled at her feet. She was mine and I was hers. Together, we were perfection.
I leaned in again, getting lost in a scathing kiss. Our hands hit as we fumbled around, trying to touch every last inch of the other’s skin. I hitched Joss’s leg up, and she took hold of my solid dick and guided me forward, until the tip of me sank into the wet mess of her and I had to stop. I had to keep myself from pulling back, from bursting right there at the feel of her touching me.
“More,” she whispered, and I forced myself to meet her gaze. I strung my fingers between hers, then with our eyes locked, I sank into her until I could go no farther.
“Love you, Joss.” I could barely get the words through my tight throat and felt it close in when her bottom lip trembled.
“Rylan.” She let out a little cry, then scrambled to grab my other hand. With our fingers clasped, I began to move, watching every glorious twitch of her face, paying attention to every move her body made. Everything she did had me falling harder for her, until the connection between us was so strong, I knew I could never let it break.
I would do whatever I could to keep her forever.
Gathering Joss in my arms, I lowered my mouth to hers and kissed her like she was the air I needed to breathe. I wanted to die when she slid her smooth hands down my chest, across my shoulders, clutching at my hips, my legs, my ass—as if she were trying to get me closer, as if she could pull me deeper into her and cement our bond for eternity.
“Joss, baby, you’re so perfect. I can’t…”
She tightened her grip around me, then pressed her mouth to mine. “Do it. I want you, Rylan. I want you to feel as good as you make me feel.”
Something in her voice sounded like a taunt, like she was daring me to come inside her. Something else sounded like a plea, like she needed this as much as I did.
I slammed my mouth to hers, then lowered my hand between us until I was pressing at her clit with my fingers, giving her the push she needed so she could join me as I came.
We fell together, our bodies convulsing and our mouths connected as I filled her and the feel of her filled me up. Sweat soaked our skin, but the love we had for each other stained our hearts, and I could never wash her off.
I had found my forever.
I had found the adventure I’d been looking for my entire life.
And as I held her in my arms, as she kissed me and held me back, I knew I was the luckiest man in the world. To find her. To hold her. To call her mine.
* * *
My dreams spun throughout the night, filled with thoughts of losing everything I’d come to Vegas with and everything I’d gotten since. The money I’d won playing cards and the slot machines. The adventures I’d had since I stepped off the plane.
Worst of all, was the woman sharing my bed.
More than once, I’d reached for her, tugging her closer until I could feel her heart under my palm, or her lips and hands against my skin, or her slick flesh giving in as I sank into her again and again.
But those dreams wouldn’t relent, and I awoke with a gasp, shooting up out of bed with my heart racing and my head pounding as if I’d stayed up drinking all night.
I hadn’t. I hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol since that beer at the country bar. Thoughts of losing Joss to the toxicity she’d come to Vegas with had kept me from relaxing the way I normally would, and I’d made it my mission to soak her up until I could find the right moment to kneel before her and ask her to be my wife.
My wife.
I reached for her, intending to curl around her and fall back asleep. Only, she wasn’t there. The bed was empty, nothing but a pile of messy blankets sharing the space with my naked body.
Wiping a hand down my face, I crawled from the bed and stumbled to the bathroom. When I didn’t find her there, the panic I’d felt when I sprang out of bed fully engulfed me. I ran through the suite searching, sure she’d gotten up to eat more strawberries or to grab a coffee or a newspaper or… or anything else.
Anything but the truth.
Because the truth was, she wasn’t here.
I ran back to the bedroom, slapping at the switch on the wall and raising a hand to cover my eyes as the lamps beside the bed glared. My heart pounded and my mind revolted as I took in the bags of clothing I’d had sent here from the boutique. I searched through them, trying to see if anything was missing, trying to understand what could have happened.
Grabbing my pants from the floor, I pulled them on as I shuffled into my shoes and snatched the last thing I wanted to see from the nightstand. I rushed from the room, out of the suite, down the fucking elevator that wouldn’t go fast enough. I hurried through the halls to the lobby, then the casino beyond.
She wasn’t there.
Joss wasn’t there.
I strung my hands through my hair, yanking at the strands as I spun in a circle, searching out the woman I’d fallen so hard for just yesterday. The woman I married. The woman I wanted to hold onto for the rest of my life.
The woman who’d left me.
Left our room in the clothes she’d been wearing when we met.
“Love you, Joss.” My throat tightened the way it had when I’d whispered those words to her as we made love last night.
And her response.
Her cry.
Her pain as she closed her eyes and threw her head back in what I had thought was the same love and ecstasy I was feeling to be able to call this woman my own.
Her response wasn’t to return those words.
It was nothing more than my name. My name whispered on a broken cry before she closed her eyes and left me alone.
My heart clenched in my chest, and I let out my own pained cry, a quiet roar that felt like it was ripping my heart in two.
I looked at my palm, at the symbol of what our lives could have been.
Her ring.
Her perfect diamond wedding ring.
Love you, Joss.
I loved her, but she didn’t love me back.
I wanted her, and she left me.
She left me without a word, without a note, without a reason why she wouldn’t stay. Why she wouldn’t love me the way I loved her. She left me and everything I’d given her behind.
Clutching her ring to my chest, I tugged at my hair once more, spinning one last time in the hopes that I could find her.
She wasn’t there.
Just as I knew she wouldn’t be as I tried to sleep last night.
I knew, in my heart of hearts, that what I’d given her wasn’t enough.
That my heart wasn’t enough.
With a heavy sigh, I turned back toward the elevators, only to find the same machine I’d stuck a twenty in the day before, when I was lost in the sight of the most perfect, beautiful, wonderful woman in the world. Just as I had then, I tore a bill from my wallet and shoved it in, expecting it to be as big of a waste as the last twenty-four hours had been. A redo of the day, as if it had never happened. As if I’d never seen her, never fallen for her.
Never married her.
Never loved her.
With another sigh, I turned and walked away, only to get caught in the early morning crowd that had suddenly arrived out of nowhere. The noise pounded through my head like I’d had one vodka shot too many, and I was tempted to cover my ears and run back to my room, to wallow in my pain until my broken heart scabbed over and let me die in peace. But the crowd wouldn’t let me through.
I was boxed in, pushed back, made to turn around and face the music. The ringing, buzzing, chiming music.
Coming from the slot machine.
Jackpot .
My eyes burned and my head hurt, and I couldn’t understand a damn thing that was being said, as the casino workers and the gawking crowd gathered around to see the winner of what I’d heard through the cacophony was the biggest jackpot win they’d ever seen.
On my machine.
The same machine I’d played when I first saw Joss.
My Joss.
My wife .
I looked down at the ring in my palm, then squeezed my eyes shut, trying to wipe away thoughts of her naked body writhing under mine. The way she felt, the way she sounded, the way she fit me like a glove.
My gorgeous, perfect Joss.
My lucky charm.