Gilded Craving - Olivia Jaymes Page 0,55

told himself it didn't have anything to do with her, he'd simply wanted to go out and have some fun.

He was a lying sack of crap.

"More than I should have," she echoed. "Yes, that's true for me. It seems like you were always around, everywhere I looked."

"I know the feeling. You're in every nook and cranny of this room," he said, keeping his voice low. For some reason they were whispering as if they were confessing deep dark secrets and someone had their ear pressed against the door outside. "I have so many memories of you and me here."

Almost all of them were steamy, and some downright filthy. Sure, there was plenty of hanging out and watching television, but to be honest he'd been the stereotypical horn dog teenage boy. Just having Mariah in the same room with him was enough to turn even the most innocent of meetings into a hot make-out session. They'd had issues when they were together, but their physical intimacy wasn't one of them. It had always been so good with her.

She had to be having the same thoughts because the temperature in his old bedroom had risen at least fifty degrees in the last five minutes and he was beginning to sweat on the back of his neck. His heart was beginning to bang against his ribs as well, the blood pumping through his veins. It was amazing that this woman could get him like this without even trying, but then it had always been that way.

She was...special. There would never be another woman like Mariah. It was time he admitted that to himself.

Fuck, it was time he admitted a hell of lot of things to himself. He'd been lying and almost believing it for far too long. Time to strip away all of the bullshit and come clean.

"Mariah, I–"

The words stuck in his too-tight throat. He didn't know what to say because he barely knew what he was feeling. Was this nostalgia or something more? Something...new? In the last few days he'd been blown away by the sheer magnificence of this woman before him. She'd always been formidable, but now? She was amazing.

It was more than just her looks, although she was incredibly gorgeous. It was the way she stood up to him, not letting him get away with anything. She wasn't in the least impressed with him and yet he knew that she had feelings for him as well. He could see it in her green eyes, currently bright with unshed tears.

She felt it, too. This riptide of emotion that was almost pulling him under with its undeniable force. He could only do one thing.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

She didn't resist. Quite the contrary, she pressed herself against him, every curve tucked neatly against him. His head spun as her scent filled his nostrils. It wasn't flowery because that wasn't Mariah. This aroma was something akin to witchcraft. Musky, but subtle, with hints of spice. His hands slid down her spine as he pressed his face into the hollow of her shoulder and inhaled deeply into his aching lungs. If he lived to be a hundred and fifty, he'd never forget the heady way she smelled. Blue jeans and t-shirt or expensive evening gown, it was always the same.

Mariah.

"Ryan," she whispered when his lips found that spot at the base of her neck that he knew drove her crazy with need. Her fingers tightened on his biceps as he nibbled at the velvety skin. "More."

She never needed to ask. He'd give her anything she wanted.

He left a trail of kisses over her jaw and to her mouth, her lips parting instantly to give him access. She tasted of coffee and chocolate and Mariah.

At some point, they must have drifted across the room in each other's arms because they were now lying on his childhood bed, like so many times before, only this time he was a grown man and she didn't have to be home by midnight. He could make love to her all night long.

"Oh my God! I knew it! You two are back together."

He'd been so lost in kissing Mariah that he hadn't heard the click of the door or noticed the shaft of light from the hallway. Dragging his lips from hers, he lifted his head to snarl a reply to his nosy sister Liza but Mariah beat him to it. She pushed at his shoulders so he had to roll away and she sat