“Peyton, are we movin’ too fast?”
I immediately shook my head as my belly clinched with the realization that what we were doing was probably going to lead to sex. I mean, we were lying on my bed and the passion between us was so thick, Christopher could have cut it with his lancet.
“Are you gonna be okay if we do this?” Ryan continued.
I immediately nodded but then I realized that maybe he wouldn’t be okay with it. I cleared my throat as I gazed up at him. “Are…are you going to be okay with it? I don’t want to rush you,” I started, but he immediately shook his head.
“I’ve taken the last couple o’ days to make peace with everythin’, Peyton. I’ve done nothin’ but think an’ think some more an’ I’ve reached the conclusion, logically an’ emotionally, that I want to move forward with you.” He ran his fingers through my hair and smiled down at me. “I want you more than I’ve wanted anythin’ in a very long time.”
That was good enough for me. “Then take what you want,” I whispered in response.
Ryan gave me a smile that spoke volumes. Coupled with the burning passion in his eyes, I felt my breath catch in my throat. A flurry of butterflies quivered through me, fluttering on a breeze of elation. I just couldn’t believe that Ryan and I were finally getting down to it, that sex was in the cards at last. It felt like such a long time coming and I’d imagined the moment so many times that it hardly felt real.
I watched him lower his body on top of mine. He was tender and careful to distribute his weight so he wouldn’t crush me. He pushed his hips between my legs and the breath caught in my throat. He was so close to me! So close I could absolutely feel his excitement for me stirring against my inner thigh.
And his scent! All I wanted to do was close my eyes and inhale it—a mixture of soap, Tide detergent, spicy aftershave, and the natural aroma of his skin.
“I’ve never met anyone like you,” he whispered into my ear as he brought his mouth to my neck after peppering kisses along my collarbone. I didn’t say anything because I was too busy trying to mentally record in rapturous detail exactly what his kisses felt like. He kissed me down to the line of the top of my nightgown, and when I thought he might make a play for my breasts, he simply started up the line of my neck again, aiming toward my chin. Such a tease!
When he reached my face, he pulled away and smiled down at me. “You’re beautiful, Peyton.” He pushed a stray tendril of hair behind my ear and grinned broadly. “So beautiful.”
I couldn’t speak, and hoped the enormous grin that stretched my lips was response enough for him. His eyes crinkled at the corners and his smile broadened into a smile that was just as wide as mine. Before I knew it, his lips fastened on mine. They were so soft and moist. I wrapped my arms around his expansive chest, pulling him toward me as tightly as I could. I loved the feel of his large, warm body against mine.
I whimpered when his tongue pushed into my mouth. As soon as he heard my small cry, he responded by pushing his pelvis against me. His tongue eagerly sought mine and I ran my hands through his hair as our tongues mated. He pulled his pelvis away from me only to thrust it forward again. In glorious response, I moaned and broke the seal of our tongues. I craned my neck backward and arched up toward him, closing my eyes as I focused entirely on the tingling between my thighs. It was beginning to burn but felt delicious…not so much pain as it was an urge for satiation.
“Tell me what you want, Pey,” Ryan groaned as he pulled himself up onto his arms and continued to grind against me with his lower half.
“You,” I answered breathlessly, yanking him back toward me again. “Isn’t it obvious? I want you.”
“No,” he chuckled, shaking his head, obviously playing with me. It was like he’d become possessed by a demon whose sole purpose was to taunt me.
“Oh my God,” I grumbled.
He continued to chuckle, obviously enjoying my disquietude. “What do you want, Peyton? Tell me what you want.”
I pushed up onto my elbows and narrowed my eyes as I realized his game. A smirk formed on my lips when I spotted his erection, which was straining against his pants. In response, I spread my legs wider and arched up against him, moving up and down along the length of him. I watched him swallowing hard as he dropped his head back and closed his eyes. “Now you tell me, Ryan, what you want,” I demanded, smiling victoriously when he opened his eyes and focused on me.
He chuckled for only a moment before suddenly nodding. The expression on his face said he was meeting my bet and raising me. “I want nothin’ more,” he started as he pushed against me with a wicked smile, “than to be inside you.”
I gulped and said nothing at all because his words were turning my lower half into a swimming pool. I couldn’t remember the last time I wanted a man so badly, or the last time I’d been this turned on. After considering it, I realized I’d never been this turned on before. I wanted to feel Ryan pushing inside of me more than I’d ever wanted anything. “Kiss me,” I groaned as I gripped the back of his neck, pulling him against me. His kiss was much more urgent this time. Our tongues met instantly and we groped one another blindly. Ryan ran his hands through my hair as I pushed mine underneath his shirt and was thrilled when I felt his muscular abs. I worked my way up to his pecs, which were…rock hard.
“Take your shirt off,” I demanded. Ryan cocked an amused brow at me as he sat up and pulled his shirt over his head. I was immediately in awe. His chest looked like it could have been on the cover of Men’s Fitness magazine. “I must have been very good in a previous life,” I whispered, unable to pull my eyes from his magnificent body.
“Not as good as I was,” he mumbled and chuckled as his hands found the hem of my nightgown, which he started to pull over my head. I glanced down and as soon as the white cotton material met my eyes, memories of the possession ritual began to consume me. With the remembrances of Christopher and Lovie and the ritual itself was the realization that Ryan had no idea that Drake was also playing tenant in my body.
You have to tell him! I yelled at myself. Before this goes any further, he needs to know that Drake is a part of you!
But I suddenly couldn’t bring myself to tell him. I wasn’t sure how he’d take it. I still wasn’t exactly sure how I was taking it.
I took a deep breath and pushed away from him, watching his eyes go wide. “I, uh, I think that maybe this is going a bit too fast for me.” I said the words even though my body fought them. The truth was that I wanted nothing more than to feel Ryan pushing inside of me but I also knew that wasn’t fair to him—not when he didn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle.
“Oh,” he said in absolute surprise before he pulled away from me and took a deep breath. “It’s okay, Pey, this does seem very fast and I, uh, I apologize. I just couldn’t keep myself from you once I made the decision that this, that you, were what I wanted.” He took another breath. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I replied immediately while wanting to smack myself across the face. “Let’s just slow things down for now, okay?”
He nodded and smiled down at me, reaching for me as he wrapped me in his arms. “Your wish is my command,” he said softly.
17
TWO DAYS LATER
It was rainy, cold, and windy when Christopher and Lovie returned to host the exorcism on my house. Even though it was the middle of the day, the skies were so gray, it looked like it was closer to dusk. I’d debated the subject with myself repeatedly and even come to the decision that Ryan deserved to know, I still hadn’t told him about Drake’s new home. And I’d also decided that today wasn’t an ideal day to tell him. Instead, I pretended I wasn’t feeling well and asked him to cut his construction day short and, of course, he obliged.