Compass (28 page)

Ryan felt a staggering wave of relief. He smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. “Give us a chance, Lex. That’s all I ask.”

She nodded her head, her eyes screwed shut. “Okay.” Silence engulfed them. Ryan rocked her in his arms, kissing her smooth skin. She was still gloriously naked and more beautiful than any woman should ever dare to be. Her dark hair was wild and carefree and her skin flushed and pink from their romps throughout the night. Ryan reached behind him and pulled a blanket around them.

The longer they sat there, the more she relaxed in his arms. The silence was comforting, almost a promise between them. He pressed a kiss to her temple. He dared to break the silence as he asked, “You hungry?”

“A little.”

“What do you say we get dressed and go get some breakfast?”

Her lips brushed against his. “Okay.”

She slipped off his lap, taking the blanket with her. Ryan caught her eyes shifting down to his hips. His body had reacted to her sweet kiss in delicious ways. He leaned back, placing his weight on his hands. “I told you, you do things to me.”

She groaned. “This is not the way to get me out of here.”

Ryan stood up, pulling her into his arms. “Go get dressed, woman.” He swatted her behind. She glared at him, stomping her feet. Ryan laughed. He flicked on the lights to find his own discarded clothes. “We have the whole day to play,” he teased. “But first, I need food.”

Alexis dropped the blanket. “Fine.” It was Ryan’s turn to groan, as she bent forward, giving him the most glorious view of her body.

“Oh, you’re good,” he grumbled, slipping on his pants.

“Just playing your game,” she teased, as she pulled her pants on without her panties.

“Too good,” he growled, forcing himself to get dressed.

In no time, they were both dressed and in the car.

The drive was a quiet but cozy one. The sun was more than a shadow over the horizon, bringing to life the dawn of a new day. There was a chill in the October air, so Ryan turned on the heater to keep her warm. When they reached their destination, he parked the car.

Alexis’ brow furrowed in confusion. Ryan had brought her to the airport, of all places. They parked in a field, close enough to the runway to feel the planes rumble as they made their descent or landing, but far enough away to be safe.

“Um, what happened to us getting food?” she questioned.

He reached behind them and pulled a blanket from the backseat. “I thought we could watch the sunrise first.” He jumped out of the vehicle. Within a few strides, he was at her door and helped her out of the car. “I love coming up here,” he mused. “Especially in the mornings.”

Leaves crunched under their shoes and the soft grass rumpled with each step they took. “It’s beautiful.”

Ryan wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her into his side. “I know you fear falling, in more ways than one.”

“Ryan,” she whispered.

“No. Hear me out.” He kissed her temple and released her. He withdrew the blanket from under his arm and spread it out over the grass. “You’re the first and only woman I’ve ever brought here. Not even Reagan has been to this spot with me. I come here to think. This is peace to me. To watch the planes coming and going. Each one holds a new adventure for its passengers.” Ryan walked around to the driver’s side of the car and reached through the window. He turned the headlights off and turned the stereo up.

Alexis sat down on the blanket, pulling her legs beneath her. Ryan plopped down beside her, crossing his legs out in front of him. “This is a new adventure for us. There maybe disturbances along the way, but that’s what makes life fun.”

The chill of the morning air licked their skin. They should’ve felt cold, but neither of them seemed to care. Ryan moved in closer to her, stroking his thumb over the top of her hand. The clouds slowly passed across the sky, coloring the sliver of sun with a haze.

A plane made its descent to the earth. From where they sat, they could smell the rubber meeting the pavement and the ground rumble as the wheels made contact. “But what if we crash and burn?” she wondered.

“We won’t.” Ryan turned to her, taking her hands in his.

“What makes you so certain?”

His face blossomed with hope. “Do you trust me?”

She smiled, kissing him tenderly. “That’s a silly question.”

He shrugged. “Then trust me to protect you. Trust me to never let you fall.”

Alexis chuckled. “That makes no sense, Ryan. I thought people were supposed to fall in love.”

Ryan tapped the tip of her nose. “Falling hurts. Love’s not supposed to hurt. It’s supposed to free you, to lift you higher. To make you fly.”

“But I’m afraid of flying.”

Ryan shook his head, confident in himself. “No. You said you’re afraid of falling. I’m not going to let you fall. I’m going to make you soar.”

Engulfed in a peaceful silence, Ryan and Alexis sat gazing at the taxi that pulled up to the airplane. A soft wind blew past them, ruffling Alexis’ hair around her face. Ryan brushed back the straying strands from her eyes and tenderly kissed the top of her head.

“This one goes out to all the lovers tonight,” the radio DJ announced. The sweet melody of a ballad from their high school years filled the air around them.

Ryan bounded to his feet, his hand extended toward her, and requested, “Dance with me?”

“What?” Alexis chirped in shock.

“Pretend it’s prom night and I’ve just made sweet love to you for the first time.” He winked at her. “Now, we’re back in the auditorium and it’s the last dance of the night. So, like I said, dance with me,” he coerced.

She laughed, taking his outstretched hand. Ryan pulled her flush against his chest and began swaying to the beat of the music. With her pressed against him, he couldn’t help but feel every emotion well up inside him. Alexis was his center. His rock. Without her, his life seemed meaningless.

“Who did you take to prom?” she teased.

Ryan dipped her down, kissing the hollow of her throat. “Stephanie Jargowsky.”

“Are you serious?”

Ryan pulled her back to him, leading her to the rhythm of the music. “Yeah, well, my best friend left me all alone. I had to take someone.”

“But Stephanie?” she whined. “That bitch always hated me.”

Ryan laughed. “She was jealous of you. But have no fear, nothing more than a kiss happened between us.”

Alexis shot him an amused look. “Oh, really?”

“She was a terrible kisser,” he snarled. “All tongue. I think she even licked my nose.”

Alexis dropped her head back in laughter. “Now that’s funny.”

“Not to the eighteen year old version of me who still cringes at the thought of her.” He shivered and gagged.

“So,” she purred, “I’m a good kisser?”

Ryan rubbed his nose to hers. “The best I’ve ever had.”

He stopped swaying and tilted her face to his. Under the expanding sunlight and the glow of the runway lights, her brown eyes popped with an expression that he knew only as love. Slowly, he let down his guard and moved his lips toward hers.

“Ryan,” she breathed, her chest rising in anticipation.

“Alexis.” Her name fell from his lips like a beautiful love sonnet.

There he kissed her. Not to take from her, but to give to her. In his kiss, held his soul. He wanted her and nothing more. Just as he started to drop her down to the blanket, ready to make her his again, right there in that field, the song changed, halting his movements.

A deep voice echoed from the radio, interrupting them with childish lyrics.

Alexis and Ryan stared at one another, laughing. “This is like the worst song ever,” Alexis screeched.

“What the hell is wrong with that DJ?”

“You tell me! You’re the one who picked this station.” They laughed, but started to sing, unable to contain their childish exuberance. Before long, Ryan and Alexis were both bouncing and singing about a life in plastic being fantastic.

Later, they made a trip to their favorite diner before returning to her apartment where they shared a day of making love and getting to know one another all over again.

Alexis sat on the counter in Ryan’s kitchen. Her legs dangled back and forth as she watched him create his culinary masterpiece. It was Christmas Eve and everyone they loved had gathered together at Ryan and Declan’s apartment for an unusual holiday feast. While Ryan and Alexis were holed up in the kitchen, the rest of their guests were gathered in the living room, chatting, drinking, and watching a Christmas film.

“Lex, Baby, taste this. Tell me what you think.” Ryan lifted his index finger to her lips, which was covered in spicy mayonnaise. He wore a hachimaki wrapped around his head, making him look silly but adorable. His handsome face was lit up with his bright smile; his eyes gleamed with Christmas spirit.

Alexis leaned forward, taking his finger between her lips, sucking the creamy garlic concoction from his skin. She watched as his eyes dilated, widening at the sound of her moan and the swirl of her tongue around his forefinger. She released his appendage with a pop, licking her lips. “Perfect.”

A crooked sort of grin twisted Ryan’s mouth. He leaned into her, pressing a sweet but tantalizing kiss to her lips. “You know you can’t do that to me right now,” he whispered.

“Do what?” she teased. “This, perhaps?” Alexis cupped the side of his face, her tongue sweeping over his lips. He accepted her invitation without haste, their mouths meeting in a sensual kiss.

“If only we didn’t have everyone here,” he panted when she’d freed him.

Grinning in confidence, she patted his cheek. “True, but just wait ‘til we’re alone tonight. The things I’m going to do to you...”

Ryan let out a moan, shaking his head. “Such a tease.”

“Yes, well, had you not insisted on making a meal like this tonight,” she waved her hand out, indicating the massive spread of sticky rice, nori, seafood, and fresh vegetables Ryan had set up along the counter, “we might’ve had some alone time.” She tossed a carrot in her mouth, thrusting her legs out, then slamming them back against the counter.

Ryan reached over, placing his hands on her knees, stopping her legs from moving. “Yes, but you love sushi,” he spoke with conviction.

Alexis swallowed down her bite. Those green eyes of his burned deep into her soul. No matter how hard she tried to fight the feelings that ached inside her, they always seemed to win out. Neither of them had said the dreaded L-word, but at moments like this, she wanted to. Love still frightened her, but the longer they were together, the more comfortable she became with the thought of giving herself to one person. And Ryan was worth it.

“True, but I would’ve been happy with a turkey that bakes all day, leaving time for the fun stuff before company arrives. Besides, who eats sushi for Christmas dinner, anyway?”

Alexis recalled Ryan’s love for the holidays from when they were children. She remembered sitting up with him on Christmas Eve the year they discovered that Santa Claus wasn’t real. Unlike most children, Ryan wasn’t upset to discover the myth. Instead, he took it as a challenge to make Christmas all the more special each year. Now, as an adult, he maintained that tradition by decorating his apartment with the most festive of decorations. Alexis swore he must’ve followed every DIY site available, because the man could put Martha Stewart to shame with his holiday flare.

Ryan tweaked her cheek before grabbing his chef’s knife to dice up cucumbers. “I wanted to make this a special night. I’m wearing my hachimaki and everything.” With a steady hand, Ryan sliced through the vegetable with swift, smooth precision.

Alexis reached over, nabbing some crabmeat. “And you look adorable, but this isn’t holiday food.”

“It’s holiday food in Japan,” he huffed, scrapping the veggies aside with his knife. He reached for his bamboo-rolling mat, laying it flat on the counter.

“Is that where you learned to make sushi?”

Ryan placed a slice of seaweed on the mat, smoothing sticky rice over the nori. “I’ve been to China, but not Japan. I’d love to go, though.”

“Me, too. All that culture and history,” she mused.

Ryan piled his favorite toppings onto what would soon be a sushi roll. “That would mean you’d have to fly.”

Alexis tenderly touched his jaw. “True, but then again, I’ll have my sexy pilot who promised to never let me fall.”

She locked her arm around his neck, pulling him in between her legs. Their mouths met in a kiss that ignited the room in passion. Gone was the need of her stomach. In its place was a longing, a deep desire for the man who’d held her captive, both in heart and soul.

Ryan dug his messy fingers into her hips. Alexis threaded her hands in his hair, attacking his mouth with vigor and insatiable need. Their tongues twisted and twirled, hungry for nothing more than the taste of each other.

Melanie, Alexis’ mother, entered the kitchen smacking Alexis on the knee. “Get a room, you two,” she chortled. Melanie snatched a cucumber from the cutting board, popping it into her mouth. She leaned against the opposite side of the counter as Ryan pulled himself from Alexis’ grasp and returned to rolling sushi. A tinge of red colored Ryan’s face, highlighted by the cocky grin drawn upon his lips.