Ready For The Rancher. Zuri Day

No matter how beautiful, eventually one woke up and the dream came to an end.

      “Was that not the most spectacular show ever?” Victoria beamed, squeezing Ryan’s hands in her own.

      “I’m speechless,” Ryan responded. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

      Victoria turned to Adam. “Are you two joining us backstage? There’s going to be a brief meet and greet and reception for the cast and special guests.”

      Ryan looked at Adam. She could have drowned in the depth of desire she saw in his eyes. They’d rarely spoken throughout the magical performance but she knew he’d felt the energy emanating from the stage as deeply as she, and was fully prepared for him to turn down his mother’s invitation for a romp in the nearest hotel suite.

      Instead he placed an arm around Ryan. “Would you like to meet Valdemar?”

      “Of course.”

      He looked at his parents. “After you,” he said.

      Valdemar was as quietly introspective in person as he was gregarious and commanding onstage. They met other people, too, familiar faces Ryan had seen on television or in magazines. People were gracious, but Ryan couldn’t help feeling that she didn’t belong. She was glad when they left the Jewel and arrived at the car, where the driver stood at an open door. Happy that the trek through the hotel was over, Ryan climbed inside. Once seated, she immediately leaned forward and removed her shoes.

      “Oh my goodness, my feet are killing me!”

      Adam settled in beside her. “May I?”

      Desire, already pooled at the base of her core, splashed and bubbled over, sprinkling her feminine flower with dew. “Sure.”

      He hit a button. The privacy partition raised. His eyes bored into hers as he pulled her feet into his lap and ran a large hand over the sole of her foot. His gaze dropped then as strong, sure fingers began massaging her heel, pressing against the ball of her foot and caressing her toes one by one.

      “Am I doing it correctly?” he asked.

      Ryan closed her eyes and leaned into the limo’s cushiness. “That feels so good.”

      He finished one foot and reached for the other. Ryan was vaguely aware that music had been turned on, barely recognizable because so was she! Who cared that he was out of her orbit? At the moment she wanted nothing more than for this man, Adam Breedlove, to make hot and passionate love to her, to send her to another world. Would he think her too easy if she asked for what she wanted, nothing deep or serious, but a night filled with mind-blowing pleasure, the kind she would have bet money that Adam could provide? He was Dennis’s friend, something that would have normally been problematic, except one, she’d never been attracted to any of his other friends, and two, what happened between her and Adam was something that Dennis didn’t need to know. She and Adam had flirted all evening. Had he been dropping real hints about how he wanted the evening to end, or just testing the waters? When she felt his fingers leave her heel and proceed up her ankle and gently squeeze her shin, she threw caution to the wind and decided to find out.

      She lowered her foot so that it touched his leg, slowly ran it up his muscled thigh until it rested near his crotch. Her eyes flittered open to find his narrowing as he sucked in a breath. It was all the encouragement she needed. That single simple intake of air unleashed a torrent of physical craving from inside her, brought out a boldness not normally possessed. She brought her feet to the floor and shifted her body closer to him, placed a hand on his chest and leaned in.

      “May I?” she asked in a whisper, catching his answer with her lips.

      Adam responded by opening his mouth and swiping his tongue in a manner that suggested that she do the same. She did; their tongues touched and danced and mimicked each other, even as she felt Adam’s arm slide around to her waist and down to her butt. Having expected a kiss that was hard and demanding, as powerful as Adam’s long-legged strides, she was surprised at the softness with which he approached her, how he nibbled her lower lip and kissed her cheek before sliding his tongue back into her mouth. He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, as if savoring the taste of her. His leisurely kiss, deep and hot, drove Ryan crazy. She moved closer, her hands finally able to play in the curls the way she wanted before sliding down and over broad shoulders and back to the nape of his neck. Adam’s hands moved in time with hers, one sliding beneath the silky fabric of her dress and tickling her thighs. She moaned, her hips moving of their own accord, to a rhythm she wanted to dance with the partner beside her. Then something happened.

      The car stopped.

      Ryan opened her eyes and took in the red door of her condo, softly lit by the porch light she’d turned on when they left.

      “We’re here already?” She sat back, straightening her dress. “That was fast.”

      “Too fast,” Adam said.

      She looked into his eyes, wondering if she should voice her desire. With this next question there’d be no turning back.

      “Would you like to come inside?”

      Adam’s smile was slight as he shook his head. “No. I want to go home.”

      Her heart fell. A man like Adam? She should have known. She gathered her purse and made a move for the door.

      Strong fingers clamped around her arm, holding her fast. “Wait! I want you to come with me so that we can...finish what we’ve started. Would you like that?”

      Ryan laid her head on his shoulder. “I’d love that.”

      She watched Adam push a button and tell the driver, “Elvis, change of plans. Take me home.”

      Ryan closed her eyes as she felt Adam’s lips against her temple, his hand stroking her hair. Those blasted whispers tried to push through the haze of happiness and warn her that she was just being used and would then be tossed away. She shut her mind and refused to listen. She was a twenty-first-century woman who knew what she wanted. If in fact Adam was using her, so be it. Because tonight she planned to put his hard, strong body to good use, too.