The Vargas Cartel Trilogy (Vargas Cartel #1-3)(169)

Ryker pulled out my chair, and I sat down. “I’m glad you like it. I was a little worried the traffic would make us miss the sunset, but it all worked out,” he said, waving his hand in the direction of the setting sun.

“Yes, it did. How’d you do all this?”

He poured two glasses of champagne from the open bottle in an ice bucket and handed me one. “Rever helped.”

Dumbfounded, I shook my head. “How’d that happen? I thought he left the country with Anna.”

Ryker’s lips tightened. “That didn’t work out so well.”

“What happened?”

He sighed. “Long story. She lied about everything. About being pregnant. Her continued involvement with the Alvarez Cartel. Her feelings for Rever.”

I glanced to the side. “I’m sorry,” I said, not sure what to say.

“It worked out. Rever and I are in a better place now, and he’s already over it.” He held up his glass. “To new beginnings.”

“To us,” I said, tapping my glass against his. I took a sip and the tiny bubbles danced on my tongue. “I’m glad you and Rever worked things out.”

He rubbed his finger along the rim of his glass. “Growing up, we were never close. I used to blame our problems on him, but in retrospect, I realize Ignacio pitted us against each other. He bragged about all of my successes to Rever, and he constantly reminded me that Rever was his only legitimate son and heir. I never stopped trying to prove I was smarter and braver than Rever.” He shook his head. “I thought a long list of accomplishments would erase the error of my birth and make me worthy of my father’s love and attention.”

“How do you feel now?”

“I’m indifferent. I don’t care what he thinks anymore. He’s not perfect, but you know what I do care about?” He tugged on my sleeve.

“What?”

He inched closer to me and his knee brushed against my bare thigh. A ribbon of heat shot up my leg. “That you’ve done a half of dozen things to avoid kissing me tonight. Should I be offended?”

Flames rolled up my face and my exhalation fractured. I planned to spend my life with Ryker. I suspected he knew me better than my parents and my friends, but I’d been unable to relax around him since he picked me up at the airport. Now that we’d overcome all the obstacles to our relationship, I was scared and more than a little nervous. The incongruity of my emotions didn’t escape my attention.

I held up my thumb and index finger. “I’m a little bit nervous.”

Grinning, he stared at me with his smoky eyes. “We’ll have to change that,” he said playfully.

My eyebrows lifted, and I leaned forward a couple of inches. “I’m curious. How do you plan to do that? Do you have a magic wand tucked in your pants somewhere?” A laugh burst from his mouth and for a blissful second I didn’t understand what was so funny.

“As a matter of a fact, I think I do.”

I shoved his shoulder when the innuendo registered in my brain. “Shut up. I didn’t mean it that way.”

He angled his head to the side. “No?”

“No,” I said, unable to stop the smile from spreading across my face.

“That’s too bad.”

“Why’s that?”

He tugged on my arms, sliding me onto his lap and my eyes flared. My breasts grazed his firm chest, and he splayed one hand over my lower back. The heat of his body burned right through me.

“I think you’re on to something,” he whispered next to my ear, his thumb tracing my collarbone.

Anticipation zipped through my nerve endings. “Really? How so?” I said breathlessly as I clutched the solid muscles of his shoulders.

His hand curled around the back of my neck, toying with the knot of my halter top. My heart hammered against by breastbone and my stomach coiled into a ball of longing. He leaned back and his eyes locked on mine with so much smoldering heat, my breath tripped in my lungs.

“If you’re ready to go inside, I’d be happy to show you.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” I choked out, my chest aching with love for him.

He rose out of the chair, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Almost immediately, his mouth found mine. I closed my eyes, and I released all the fears and anxiety plaguing me. This night was about reclaiming our future, and I’d be damned if I would waste it tying myself into knots, worrying about things I couldn’t control.

He laid me down on a platform bed covered with white rose petals. White gauzy material hung from the ceiling in billowing waves. Candles lined the mahogany nightstands. Shadows from the flickering flames danced on the creamy walls. The ocean scent from the open patio doors filled the air.

“This is beautiful. I love it.”

He kneeled on the bed and brushed his fingertips down my cheek. The light touch sent shivers down my spine. “You’re beautiful.”

Caught in his gaze, words escaped me, but it didn’t matter. In a flash, his lips swept over mine in a soul-searching kiss. A languid heat flowed through my limbs as his lips made their way down my body. In a haze, I barely noticed the clothes disappearing from my body one item at a time. His hands and his lips touched every inch of my skin, teasing me, loving me, and worshipping me until I thought I’d spontaneously combust.