Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(62)

I groaned. “Fine, but—”

“But nothing. You like me. I like you. So be my girlfriend.”

“I’ve only known you a couple days.”

“That’s plenty long enough to know that it’s right.”

He has a point. I was so surprised at my own thought that I nearly short-circuited the room. He had a point? Did I really believe that? Did I really think he was right for me after only knowing him a couple of days? Granted, I must have thought he was right for me once, enough to agree to marry him. And unlike when I used to think that about Teddy, I completely understood how I could have been engaged to Ryan. If I was being honest with myself, I’d already accepted our previous engagement and figured we’d end up there again eventually. But after two days?

“Jamie.” While I’d been mentally fighting with myself, Ryan had flipped back into his dangerous, irresistible mode. And he was holding me again. How the heck did I end up back in his arms? He ran his hands over my shoulders, and then placed my arms around his neck. He pulled me close, held me tight. “Doesn’t this feel right?”

It felt so right I couldn’t speak. My silence was answer enough for Ryan. He lowered his mouth to mine, nudging my lips with his, demanding that I open up for him and give him access to deepen the kiss. I was helpless against his advances; welcomed them.

I gave him what he wanted and returned the kiss. At first it was tender. He held me gently, kissed me slowly. I savored every blissful feeling. Right. It was definitely right.

He claimed last night that he had no restraint, but I was the one who lost control first. I couldn’t help it. I’d been dreaming of a connection like this for six months, and though I couldn’t really explain it, Ryan felt familiar. The way my body responded to him, the way we fit so well together, kissed like we’d been doing it for years… It was as if I knew him. I couldn’t remember him, but I knew him on some deeper, instinctual level.

Realizing this, I let myself go. I relaxed completely. That’s when the warm, tingly energy that lived deep inside of me rose to the surface of my skin, setting me on fire. This had happened last night as well, and it was just as overwhelming the second time. The energy seemed to respond to me. It worked with me, for me, as if it knew what I wanted. And at the moment, Ryan was all that I wanted.

The energy pulled us together with this insane sort of magnetism, strengthening our connection and heightening our senses. I became so much more physically aware of everything. Every touch. Every sensation. The taste of him. The feel of his chest heaving against mine. The sound of his heart beating wildly. I knew from the way Ryan kissed me back that he was experiencing the same things as me.

Unable to stop myself, I unlocked my arms from behind his head and let my hands explore all the muscles I’d dreamed of feeling from the moment I first saw them. At my touch, Ryan sucked in a breath through his nose and released a noise somewhere between a groan and a growl. His hands found their way beneath my shirt, eagerly exploring my stomach and the small of my back. When his fingers found my bra and he instinctively started to remove my shirt, I finally regained my senses and ripped myself away from him.

For a moment we just stood there, gasping for air. My eyes were wide. His were feverish. “Right,” he said. He took a deep breath and shook off a wave of chills. “Right. We’re not there anymore. Sorry. I know that; I just got a little carried away.”

And I didn’t?

After a couple of those funky yoga breaths he sometimes did—I was going to have to ask him about those—he smiled at me. “Okay.” He clapped his hands together. “I’m going to hit the showers, and then we’ll call Major Wilks and see if things are still on schedule. Think you’re ready to do this?”

After the roller coaster ride with Ryan this morning, a few reporters and some medical tests seemed easy. “I’m good.”

Ryan might have guessed my thoughts, because he gave me a smile that showed all his teeth. “Good.” He winked at me. “See you in a bit, Sunshine.”

. . . . .

Carter wasn’t kidding about my new celebrity status. The downstairs lobby of the hotel was a zoo. Major Wilks had called the local black and whites to help with crowd control. I heard the noise the moment I left my hotel room and focused my hearing on what was going on around me. Major Wilks had met Ryan and me at my hotel room door with Johnny G. Shortstop and Smut were waiting for us in the lobby.

As we made our way down to the chaos, I tugged at my outfit. I’d been trying to avoid my reflection all morning, but the mirrored walls in the elevator were throwing it in my face right before I had to be ambushed by dozens of reporters. Aside from the obnoxious green that was my natural hair, Major Wilks had advised me to not cover up my bruises for the camera. My neck was ringed with dark purple marks from where Donovan’s superthug had strangled me. They looked worse now than they had the day I’d received them, since they’d had time to settle to the surface of my skin. They were hideous.

Admittedly, though, the blue contacts made a huge difference; they turned my eyes a beautiful bright green. Even if my hair now matched my eyes and I looked like an abuse victim, overall the package was a lot less startling without the yellow eyes branding me a true freak.

Ryan grabbed my hand when he noticed me fidgeting. “I love the dress,” he said, weaving our fingers together.