A Love Like This (3 page)

My mother’s hand traced over the muscles of
my back and brought me out of my personal thoughts and back into
the room around me. She was sitting on my right and my dad was on
the other side of Aaron. The two men were in deep conversation
together, a concentrated frown on my brother’s face and a look of
wry amusement on my father’s.

“Are you all right, Ryan? You look
exhausted.” Mom’s voice floated around me. I turned toward her
slightly and covered her hand with my own, trying to reassure the
worry out of her voice and her expression.

“Sure, Mom. The hours are hellacious, but
I’m fine. It’s nothing that a few hours of sleep won’t cure.” I
lifted the corners of my mouth in the start of a lazy smile.

“I remember when your father went through
his residency. There were times when I barely saw him,” Mom
continued.

I groaned softly in protest. “Don’t remind
me.” My eyes snapped back to the gorgeous picture of my own bride,
giggling with her friends. Her voice sent little tingles through me
and found me wishing that we’d have been smart enough to tell them
that we couldn’t get in until the morning and snuck off to some
small hotel where we could be alone all night.

A good portion of porcelain skin on Julia’s
shoulders and back was open to view by the neckline of the deep
pinkish-purple sweater she had on. The sleeves were long, but the
design was meant to be provocative and it was. She must have felt
my stare because her soft gaze landed on mine, followed by a half
smile lifting her soft lips. It was an innocent gesture and full of
love, but damn if my body didn’t tighten immediately in response.
Those pouty little lips, the lower one jutting out slightly before
being captured by her top teeth, combined with those deep green
pools would be my undoing. I was so fucking hungry for her; I could
barely restrain myself from hauling her up to the room right then
and there. My eyes narrowed and I smirked at her. Julia’s eyes
danced with mischief. She was well aware of the effect she had on
me. She knew it well, and milked it for every last drop. I loved
that shit. I chuckled softly to myself and reached for my
drink.

“Julia looks beautiful. Married life agrees
with her,” Mom observed, her hand still moving lightly over my
shirt.

“Mmmm. Uh, yes.” I pulled myself out of my
daze to answer her precisely and turned my head in her direction.
“With both of us. We’re very happy except we do wish we had more
time together. Has Dad been very busy? Why don’t you guys take a
trip or something? Shit, if it were up to me, I’d be whisking Julia
off to some remote part of the world at least once a month.”

“I thought this was a trip, and once a month
is a bit excessive. Even for you, darling.”

Harris came back from the bar with three
more bottles of wine and handed one to me with a corkscrew,
followed by a waiter carrying the ice bucket for the bottle of
Chardonnay.

“The money this place charges and I have to
open the damn wine?” I grinned at him as I grabbed the bottle and
sat up in my chair, causing my mom’s hand to fall from my back. The
waiter glanced at me apologetically and stood patiently beside the
table until he could take the bottle, wrap it in a white linen
napkin and place it inside the chiller.

“I didn’t want to wait,” Harris said
shortly, his tone stilted as he threw a hard glance in the
direction of the women. My eyes shot to Aaron’s, who’s widened. He
shook his head just enough to communicate that I shouldn’t go
there.

The music coming from the band was a cover
mixture of various artists; there were people dancing and the
lights were low. The atmosphere was much the same as it’d been the
night when I’d found that ass Moore here with my Julia. That night
started out badly, but where it ended couldn’t have been
better.

I still thought about that night all the
time. The kissing on the dance floor that finally connected Julia
and I after months of denying the love and the lovemaking afterward
had been so fucking profound the earth had moved. Jesus, the
thought of it still rocked me to the core. Fuck, it had been hotter
than hell. We didn’t even have sex in the traditional sense, but it
had been one of the most intimate nights of our lives. Every time
we touched, I was still amazed at the intensity.

Harris poured another round of wine after
I’d finished opening the bottles and then flopped back down on the
other side of my mother. He seemed out of sorts so I took it as an
opportunity to speak to Aaron.

“Aaron. Why aren’t you on the dance floor
with your bride? Get your ass out there and show me how it’s done.”
I nodded my head in the direction of the girls. Jenna was talking
to the group and using her hands in a flamboyant way to express her
words. Julia threw her head back and let out a peal of laughter at
whatever Jenna was saying. Aaron walked to Jenna and grabbed her
hand, pulling her with him to the middle of the dance floor. Jenna
was radiantly happy, her cheeks glowing and a brilliant smile
dancing on her lips.

The music pulsed and my eyes moved from the
couple on the dance floor to the woman walking toward our table.
When Julia reached us, she leaned down and kissed my father on his
cheek and moved around me to lean down to hug my mother. “I’ve
missed you two.”

“You look beautiful, sweetheart. How are
you?” Dad asked.

“I’m fine, but Ryan is exhausted.” Her hand
found its way to the top of my head and her fingers threaded
through the hair at my forehead, pushing it back. The sensation of
her touch felt wonderful and my lids dropped over my eyes right
before she leaned in to kiss my temple. Her perfume only added to
the miracle of Julia and I reached for her free hand.

“Yes. He’s been putting up a good front, but
a mother knows these things.”

“You’re having a good time, so I can go up
and you can stay with the girls, babe.”

Her face twisted sardonically, clearly
showing me the absurdity of my idea. “Don’t be crazy. Of course
I’ll come up with you. It’s late.” Julia’s eyes lifted from mine to
glance between my parents and then to Harris; still brooding and
staring in Ellie’s direction without saying anything. “Do you mind
if I steal my boy away?” she asked gently.

I rubbed her hand lightly with my thumb and
leaned in toward Harris while Julia said goodnight to my parents.
“Hey, man, what’s up? You okay?”

“Huh?” He looked up at me while I stood from
my chair, still holding my wife’s hand.

“Oh, sure. I’m a little preoccupied, that’s
all. How have you been, Ryan?”

“Really good. Every second is occupied so it
feels like the time since Julia and I have been in New York City
has literally flown. How’s the band doing? Julia mentioned you got
a record deal a few months back, right?”

“Yes. We’ve just started promoting it and
hopefully we’ll have a tour in a couple of months.”

“That’s great, man. I’m looking forward to
hearing all about it.”

“Sounds good. We’ll talk more tomorrow. Have
a good night, dude.”

Julia pulled her hand from mine and turned
to hug Harris goodbye. “Bye, Harris. See you tomorrow.” Her arms
tightened around his neck and he hugged her back lightly. “Love
you.”

My hand slid automatically around her back
and pulled her close to my side as we walked through the hotel and
up in the elevators. I drew in a deep breath.

“What’s going on with Ellie and Harris?”
Ellie would have told her everything, and if I knew my wife, it was
bugging her.

“They’re struggling a little. He’s asked her
to marry him multiple times and she won’t agree,” she said softly.
Her hand reached around my waist and she leaned her head on my
shoulder.

“What? That’s crazy. Isn’t it? I thought she
loved the guy.” I felt her head nod against me and I turned mine to
place a lingering kiss on her forehead as we walked together.

“She does. But they’ve distanced some due to
his traveling with the band and the demands of her job. They’ll
work it out. You have enough to worry about,” she said softly as we
made our way though the hotel room door.

Finally alone.
I reached out and
grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly back into my arms while my
eager mouth sought hers. “Julia, come here.”

I gathered her close to my chest and her
arms slid up over my chest and around my neck as we kissed hungrily
and I turned her toward the bed. It hadn’t escaped my notice that
this was the same suite we stayed in on the night we were married.
I was aware of it earlier as we showered and rushed out, but now I
let my mind wrap around it.
My perfect girl must have conspired
with Jenna.

We kissed for a few minutes, each of us
caressing and grasping, feasting on the other’s mouth like we were
starving. “God, you taste so good,” I murmured as Julia turned her
mouth away from mine to gasp for breath. I slid my hand up her back
to twine in the hair at her nape. “This suite…” I murmured as my
arm tightened around her waist to lift her onto the bed and follow
her down, never letting go of her.

Julia nodded against my neck, her mouth
kissing along the skin. “Yes,” she answered breathlessly. “We have
it all weekend.”

I settled down on top of her, and she
welcomed me into the cradle of her body, arching up to meet me. I
pressed my erection into her softness and pushed my hips against
hers in a slow rhythm. “Mmmm… Julia.” I pushed up her sweater with
eager hands and started to kiss her again but she pulled back
slightly, her hands threading through the hair at both of my
temples.

“Ryan, you need to rest, my love. I’ll give
you a back rub to relax you so you can sleep.”

I growled in protest. “I need you. I want
you. Right now.”

She smiled and continued to stroke my hair.
“Baby, we have all weekend.” Her luscious mouth reached up for mine
and she sucked the top lip between both of hers. “All weekend…”

My hand continued its quest upward
underneath the soft cashmere toward the swelling flesh I wanted. My
hand cupped around it gently and the pebbled nipple brushed my
palm. Her breath rushed out causing even more blood to rush into my
dick.

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Make love with
me, Julia. I’m so hard it hurts. Please.” My free hand found her
hip and I held her in place as I ground my hips into hers. “God,
I’ve missed you.”

“I’ll take care of you, but I want you to
relax. Lie back.”

I sighed against the skin of her throat as I
pulled the neckline of her sweater down. “Take this damn thing
off,” I commanded.

She lifted her arms for me and I pushed it
up and over her head, exposing the delicate, black lace bra she
wore underneath. I let my gaze roam over her, the sheer lace
leaving her nipples visible underneath and the swells of creamy
flesh gently spilling from the top edge.

“You’re so beautiful. Julia…”

I kissed her hungrily again, my tongue
thrusting into her mouth, demanding a response. Her mouth opened
and her hands in my hair pulled me closer as she gave in, moaning
softly into my mouth. Those sweet little sounds she made as I loved
her drove me fucking insane.

We rolled around on the bed dry-humping and
kissing until we were both panting. When she finally reached down
between us and rubbed me through my slacks, I thought I’d explode.
“Ryan, please lie back, baby.”

I slowed my frantic movements and rolled
over onto my back, pulling her with me. I couldn’t bear to lose
contact. “Okay, I’m on my back,” I said against her mouth, licking
her top lip and then kissing her softly beneath the curtain of her
hair.

The room was dark and Julia moved up to turn
on the lamp by the bed. “What the hell? Julia, are you stopping?” I
groaned and used my hands around the back of her waist to pull her
back.

She laughed softly. “No. I’m not stopping.
You’ll have your way, but I want mine, too.”

“Don’t you want to fuck your husband, Mrs.
Matthews?” I smiled between kisses.

“Mmm… constantly. He’s sooo hot.”

“Is he?” I teased.

“Yes, irresistible.”

She sat up, straddling my hips and went to
work on the buttons of my shirt. She was smiling down at me, a
devilish look on her beautiful features. I couldn’t take my eyes
off of her, roaming over the graceful curve of her neck and her
collarbones, down her full breasts covered in the provocative black
lace and down over her taut bare stomach.

Soon she was loosening my belt buckle and I
was working on the button and zipper of her black pants. Before I
could get the job done she was pulling my pants and boxer briefs
down my legs, bending to kiss my stomach and run her tongue up my
length as she moved down my body. I sucked in my breath.

She pulled off my socks and then moved off
the bed to shed her pants, revealing a matching black lace string
bikini. “Wow. Julia… that’s amazing.”

“I wanted to give you a massage tonight, but
since you are determined to make love, who am I to deny you?”

She settled back on my lap and my hands
roamed over her slender form as we started to kiss and move against
each other. I could feel her heat against my groin and her hands on
my body. It was too much to withstand. Soon I was pushing aside the
lace and finding her entrance with my fingers.

“Oh, honey…” The breath rushed from my lungs
as I parted the moist flesh and began a slow pulse against the
swollen nub. I knew just how to touch her and I was anxious to see
her fall apart. Her mouth hovered over mine until finally she bit
down on my lower lip.
Oh, God.

“Uh… Uh…” she was panting, pulling at my
shoulders and pressing her pelvis into my hand and lap.

“Ryan, baby… Don’t wait.” Her knees curled
around my hips. The want in her voice was my undoing. I pushed
myself inside her, moaning as she sheathed me in her delicious
heat.