Page 35 of Hungry Hearts

Without breaking eye contact, he takes out his wallet and drops two bills on the table, not waiting for our server to bring the check. He stands, holding out his hand for me.

I glance down at the two fifties. Our brunch couldn’t have cost more than thirty dollars. “Do you want to wait for the change?”

“No.” He leads me outside and we stop on the sidewalk. “Where to?”

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and tilt my head. “I was thinking maybe the Seaport District?”

I’d never been so forward as when I left him my room key, and I don’t have the courage to come right out and beg him to strip me down and have a repeat of that night. Ryder’s a smart man. I pray he reads between the lines.

“Come,” is all he says, and I readily follow him to a parking garage. He presses his key fob and a slick, black Audi beeps. He holds the passenger door for me and helps me to the seat. The dark leather seats are soft like butter. I only have a second to glance around the fancy car before Ryder opens his door and slides behind the wheel.

We drive in silence through Boston traffic. It doesn’t take long for him to reach an underground parking garage where the spaces are numbered. He pulls into spot twelve-sixteen and turns off the engine.

He opens my door and holds out his hand. I take it and he pulls me into his chest. With his free hand, he strokes my cheek and gives me a soft kiss on the lips. “Do you want to walk along the water?”

I shake my head.

“What do you want, Maia?”

His eyes are a dark Caribbean blue, heated with desire. He likes it when I use my words, but it’s still hard for me to ask for what I want. I assume he lives here, so I say, “Maybe we could go upstairs so I can, um, use the bathroom?”

As soon as I blurt that out, I wince at how inexperienced I sound. The bathroom? Way to break the mood. I should have just told him I want him to strip me bare and have his way with me. Surely I’ve turned him off with my unsexiness and inexperience.

Ryder doesn’t take his eyes off me as he guides me to the elevator. We ride it in silence, our hands still interlaced. He doesn’t stroke my hand or flirt with me. It’s his stillness that has me on edge. He was like this when he first entered my hotel room as well.

Maybe this is how he shows his nerves? By shutting down. Or maybe he is waiting for me to make the next move, to make it clear what it is I want. He’s seen me naked. He hasn’t been shy about how much he wants me.

When the elevator doors open and we step out to a short hall, I follow him to the end where he takes out a key. Before he unlocks the door, I take a deep breath and tell him what I want.

“I’m hoping you have a bed in here as well. I’d really like to see you naked on it.”

Ryder misses the keyhole and chokes back a cough. “Fuck me now,” he says under his breath.

“That’s what I’m saying.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

IT’S LIKE THE NIGHTin the hotel all over again but with fewer nerves. It’s more anticipation because I know how amazing I’m going to feel as soon as Ryder puts his hands on me. As soon as he manages to unlock his door, he ushers me in and pins me against the nearest wall.

“Tell me what you want, Maia. Not what you think—Christ. You know what I want. What doyouwant?”

Words are hard, and actions speak louder. I slide my hand between our bodies and cup his erection. “I already told you. I want you naked in bed.”

His nostrils flare as he takes in a deep breath. Lowering his mouth to mine, he hovers over my lips. “Tell me, Angel, are you planning on joining me on my bed in my naked state?”

I squeeze him gently and hide my smile when he sucks in another deep breath. “I guess it depends on how I feel after I do what I have planned.”

“Fuck me.”

“There’s a good chance of that happening, but you’re still dressed.”

Ryder grips my thighs and picks me up, wrapping my legs around him as he carries me down the hall. His lips are hard against mine and I can’t see beyond his lust-filled eyes where he takes me. I have no doubt his apartment is impressive, but that’s not why I asked him to bring me here.

He lowers himself to his mattress, sitting on the edge with me still hanging on to him like a koala bear. I take our kiss deeper, and a moan escapes me as he explores my mouth with his tongue.

Like last time, he’s being slow and cautious. Respectful, even if his fingers are digging so hard into my hips that I’m sure I’ll have bruises tomorrow. Feeling brave enough to take the lead, I end our kiss and shove his chest.

When he falls back on the mattress, I slide down his front and drop to my knees on the floor. I reach for his zipper, and he lifts his head and covers my hand with his.

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