Nicole had turned down many dates in her life and the men seemed to crawl away with their tale between their legs. She'd never walked away before and had the guy chase her. She found she was incredibly turned on by his boldness. That worried her more than anything else. The game was suddenly starting to scare her. She should've known she could never compete with a man like Ryan. He was far out of her league. She kept her body stiff, as his hand pushed on her lower back, pulling her into his strength.
"I don't recall you asking me to dance and I certainly didn't say I would," she finally said to him as she stood stock still in his arms.
"I didn't ask," he said with confidence, as he looked down into her eyes. "We're starting to make a scene so unless you like to be the center of attention I suggest you simply go with the dance because I'm not letting go."
Nicole thought about stomping on his foot with the high heel of her shoe but she noticed several heads were turned their way and didn't want anyone to notice her. If anyone really took a look at her, they would realize quickly she didn't belong in their world. She glared up at him as she allowed him to maneuver her around the dance floor. He kept pulling her tightly against his body and she kept pushing away from it. It was a game they played for the next several minutes.
Ryan was walking a thin line and he knew it. The feel of her pressed against his body was both agony and ecstasy. Her hips were well rounded and he swept his hand lower, while she reached around and pushed his hand back up. It was a game of cat and mouse and he knew he'd become the victor. She may be glaring at him but he could also feel the accelerated pulse in her wrist. He saw her eyes darken with desire and he could feel her breath coming out in pants against his neck. She was as turned on as him but she was fighting it. He would break her down, or he would die trying.
"I'm a little too warm, I need to step outside," she said. She was frustrated with herself at the breathless quality to her tone. How was she going to convince Ryan she didn't want him when she couldn't control her own desire, which contradicted her words? She knew they had an agreement but that didn't mean she had to be so easy.
"I could use a cooling off, myself," he said between clenched teeth. He wasn't sure which one of them was more worked up at that point. He knew no one around them would be able to tell how he felt, as he was a master of hiding his emotions but he was one step away from embarrassing himself, as if he was a teenager, instead of a mature man.
Nicole said nothing else, as she pulled away from him and started walking towards the balcony doors. She tried to pull her hand free but he refused to let go. She couldn't pull free of his touch without attracting attention so she once again let him have his way. She was going to give him a piece of her mind if he didn't back off, though.
They stepped through the doorway, onto the dark balcony. Ryan looked over his shoulder before closing the door and was relieved to find no one had noticed their departure. He released Nicole's hand and she quickly went to the far end of the balcony, trying to get as far from him as possible. He smiled to himself. It was never any fun if you caught your prey too soon.
He quietly grabbed a deck chair and pushed it under the doorknob. He didn't want anyone coming out and interrupting his time with her. It had been too long since he'd been deep inside her body and no one was going to stop him that night.
Nicole leaned against the railing and tried to get her body back under control. She was playing a game with a man who could eat her for lunch. He'd been the one in control from the moment she made that phone call and he was once again letting her know it. She could feel her breathing slowly get back under control and her heart return beating at a normal rate. She continued to stare out at the nearly black sky.
In Seattle a clear night was a rare thing and that night was no exception. It was unusually warm but the cloud cover made the deck completely sealed off from the rest of the world. She would gain control over her raging hormones and slip back inside and away from the party she should've never attended in the first place. She should be helping her sister, not flirting with the man who was making her into something she despised.
As Nicole was getting ready to turn back around, she felt Ryan come up behind her, his hands wrapping around her body. Her pulse skyrocketed and her breathing exercises went out the window. One touch from him and she felt like a bowl of jello, with zero control over her own body.
His hands were splayed across her stomach and his body was pressed along the length of her back. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and couldn't stop the shiver running down her spine. He said nothing, as he stood there and rubbed circles on her quivering stomach.