Romance: Her Fighter (8 page)

Chapter 11

Dinner with Mom was delicious, both in taste and company.

Eric was nice enough and I could tell right away that he and Mom adored each other.

They were good with just being a couple. I noticed there was no talk of marriage or engagements at all.

It made me smile.

“Are you going with Eric when he leaves town again?” I asked Mom that evening when we returned to the apartment.

She smiled at me, her face transforming into one of pure bliss as she said, “Yes, which brings me to another concern, Claire. I don’t think I’ll be returning to this apartment often. Would you like to take over my lease if we okay it with the complex manager?”

I would, and we spent the next hour hashing out details together.

We were about halfway through when a hard knock resounded on the door.

Mom glanced down at her watch. “Interesting. Eric’s back early. I guess his meeting went faster than he thought.”

She stood up and went to the door, but when she opened it, it wasn’t Eric waiting at the door.

It was Ryan.

“What are you doing here?” I asked from where I sat on the couch.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Dear, who is this young man?” Mom asked.

I could tell she was already smitten with him, even if she didn’t know who he was.

With a groan, I stood and went to confront the two.

“Mom, this is Ryan. He was the guy I told you about that I’ve been seeing—until today that is.” I glared at him. Then I smiled at her. “Ryan, this is my mother, Evelyn.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Evelyn,” Ryan said, shaking her hand with a charming grin. “I really need to speak with your daughter. Is there any way I can steal her away from you for a bit?”

Mom liked him. I could tell in the way she lied to Ryan.

“Oh, would you look at the time. Hun, I hate to leave you, but I just remembered that Eric said he’d meet me down in the lobby about now.” She smiled at Ryan in apology and hugged me. “We’ll talk later, dear.”

She gave me a wink and slid past Ryan out the door, taking off down the hall with a swing of her hips and a hum upon her lips.

Mom!

I did not want to be stuck here with Ryan.

“What do you want?” I snapped.

He looked down at the floor. “I wanted to explain.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I think I get the picture, Ryan, really. There’s no need to explain yourself. You can leave now.”

I started to close the door, but he didn’t budge from the frame.

“No, Claire, I don’t think so. Nothing happened. Patricia always comes in before matches. She’s—” He waved his arms in the air as he tried to find the words to describe her.

Words I could easily say.

“A bimbo.” My lack of emotion showed in the word.

“Yes,” he agreed. “Wait. No. All she wants to be is arm candy for the matches. In the past, she’s been mine, and she expected the same thing this time because that’s our usual arrangement.”

“Ryan, you really don’t have to explain. It’s none of my business what you do with your side girls.”

He growled, running his hand through his hair and finally burying his face in his hands. “I don’t want side girls, Claire. That’s what I’m trying to explain. I want you.”

For a moment, I simply stared at him.

Then I started laughing uncontrollably.

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked. I covered my mouth to stifle more giggles. “That’s rich. Really rich. What are you, in love with me?”

His face sobered as he gazed at me. “Yes.”

The words caught me off guard.

I blinked at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

What had he just said?

“Excuse me?”

He entered the apartment.

I let him.

What else could I do?

I was still in shock upon hearing his words. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, watching my reaction as he said, “I love you, Claire.”

That was not true.

It couldn’t be true.

There was no way.

How long had we been dating?

Had we even been dating, really dating?

We’d never said the term to one another.

Mostly it was sex.

Even now, with him leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest, I could feel my attraction to him. I wanted him, even now. Wow, I wanted him.

But, to have fallen in love with me?

That didn’t seem plausible, especially for someone like him who was a definite player. Today had proven that without a doubt.

Maybe he was just playing me for more sex?

Maybe sex with the bimbo wasn’t as exciting as our romps?

“What about Miss Bimbo?” I asked.

Ryan pushed himself up straight and walked over to me, waiting until he was inches from me to speak.

“Patricia? She’s eye candy for my arm, Claire. That’s all. She’s meant to flirt and look cute and gain us sponsors. It’s what Derrick pays her for. In the past, I’ll admit I’ve also had sex with her a time or two, but if I really wanted her, would I be here, telling you that I love you? Something I’ve never admitted to any woman, even Patricia.”

Would he be here?

Why wasn’t he with the woman with legs so long that I felt like a penguin next to her— a short, ugly penguin, at that?

I sighed and my hands dropped to my sides.

“I don’t know what you want, Ryan. I will admit that I like you a lot, but I don’t think I’m ready to admit that I’m in love with you, and I definitely don’t trust that you’ve dropped your playboy ways.”

“Playboy ways?” he asked.

There was a grin on his face though.

“Don’t act so cute and innocent—” He cut me off, his mouth capturing mine, his tongue diving into my mouth until I couldn’t think any longer.

There was nothing but me and him and the attraction that bound us to one another.

“Are we done talking for now?” he asked. “I’m willing to prove myself to you, but right now I just want to fuck you.”

He nibbled at my ear but waited to take it any further.

“No…”

He kissed my neck.

“No…” I tried to resist again.

“You want me,” Ryan stated bluntly.

I did.

I wanted that hot body to want mine. I wanted the passion. I wanted the heat.

And right now, this room was on fire with lust.

“Yes…” I moaned, not caring for the moment about Patricia or the competition or anything else.

I needed Ryan like he wanted me.

I needed his hands on my flesh, his cock buried inside me. I’d worry about his intentions for our relationship later.

For now, I just wanted him.

He didn’t wait for me to change my mind.

Our clothes came off before we entered my room, and I honestly hoped Mom wouldn’t come back up for a while—if at all.

It certainly would have been hard to explain the mess between the doorway and my room.

Ryan’s mouth was hot upon mine, his tongue dancing with my own in a delicious battle of will.

His hands cupped my face, making sure I couldn’t turn away from him, but that didn’t stop me from exploring his own body.

My hands drifted down the contours of his chest and abs, sliding lower until I gripped his cock in my hand and pumped it.

He groaned and nipped at my bottom lip.

“Yes, that feels so good, Claire.” I don’t know what turned me on more: his mounting desire or the fact that he bent his forehead to mine so he could watch me give him a hand job.

“Just shut up,” I growled.

He did, a heavy groan escaping his lips every now and then.

He wouldn’t let me have all the fun though, and it didn’t take long for him to bury his fingers deep inside my core.

Oh…

My hips bucked toward him involuntarily and a gasp tore from my throat.

“Two can play that game,” he said as I gave him an incredulous look.

He worked his magic, stroking me and bringing me closer and closer to an orgasm even as I worked his cock in my hands.

I pushed him away from me.

My ability to do so surprised both of us since he was so much larger than me, but a pleased grin covered his face as I pushed him down on the bed and bent over him.

When my mouth wrapped around his girth, he groaned, throwing his head back as pleasure rippled through him. I purred my delight, taking my time as I sucked on him, lifting my head to watch his expression and lap at the head of his dick.

“Claire.” His words were elongated around a groan, which only made me grin as I continued to work.

I don’t know who tired of the game first, but after a while he pulled me up into his arms so that I straddled him.

His cock slid inside me with ease.

I was so wet just from pleasing him, there was no resistance, which made both of us moan with pleasure.

Then I was riding him, my hips rolling to meet every thrust of his hips.

His hands grasped my waist, guiding my actions and my own fingers snagged on the short tufts of hair upon his head. He bent his head down and latched onto my breast.

It took everything in me not to come then and there, but I managed to hold on.

I was climbing higher and higher, but I wasn’t ready to fall yet, and I knew he wasn’t either.

“You feel so good, Claire,” he murmured against my flesh as he put his head between my breasts. “So, so good.”

There were no words to describe my own emotions.

I was riding on a roller coaster.

The ride was exhilarating.

I was climbing higher and higher, knowing soon I would fall off the edge, but it wasn’t coming soon enough for me to predict it.

Then his mouth closed upon my other breast, teasing the nipple until it hardened and I came, gasping for air as my pussy clenched around his cock, milking him with each contraction.

I clung to him, knowing full well that he wasn’t through, but unsure of how much longer I could handle his demands.

My answer came then.

“Get on your hands and knees, Claire. I want to fuck you from behind.”

I didn’t even question it.

A thrill went through me as I turned away from him.

Then he was slipping inside my folds, and pumping fast and hard.

I grabbed a fistful of my blanket with one hand and braced myself against the wall with my other, crying out in pleasure.

“Ryan!”

He grunted in reply, and for several moments, the only noise between us were the sound of skin against skin and my throaty moans as I took his thrusts.

I could feel a second orgasm building on my end and knew I wouldn’t be able to hold off for much longer.

As if he knew that, Ryan groaned. “Come for me, baby. Come for me now.”

I did, soaking his cock in my juices.

It was exactly what he needed.

With a loud groan, his nails bit into my hips, and he thrust himself inside me one last time as he threw his head back.

Hot jets of cum filled me with creamy warmth.

I purred with pleasure, making him chuckle as he bent over my body and pressed a kiss upon my back.

“Are you a cat now, baby?”

“Meow?” I teased. “I’ll be your pussy for a bit.”

He chuckled, sliding out of me and pulling me against him as he laid in the bed.

“I love you, Claire,” he whispered in my ear as he tucked hair behind my ears. “One day, I’ll prove that to you in a way you’ll accept it. Do you understand me?” He shifted his body so that he looked down at me, his dark eyes burning. It felt like he was trying to brand me with the importance of his statement. “I love you.”

I bit my lip and nodded, accepting his words for the moment but not ready to say them to him in return.

I wasn’t in love with him, and I wasn’t dumb enough to say I was when I knew the truth.

I could only hope he saw that on my face.

In a way, I think he did for he kissed me, a soft smile on his face. “One day, you’ll believe that. One day, you’ll reply in kind when I say those words. You’ll see.”

Part of me hoped I would, that my fears about his relationship with Patricia were without standing and that he really did care about me.

The other part of me was already in love with him but wouldn’t admit it until I was sure of his affection for me in return.

The only thing I could say to his words were, “So, show me.”

He accepted my challenge.