Chapter 11

Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed. She had been on this bed before, she had even slept in it, but there was an energy and tension in the room that was new. Ryan stood in front of her as her eyes danced over his bare chest to meet his soft brown ones. He held her gaze as he shifted to sit beside her. Reaching out to cup her face, letting his thumb stroke her jaw, he asked once again if she was certain and Elizabeth slowly nodded her head in affirmation.

Both feet, both feet, both feet…

Her eyes drifted shut as Ryan moved in to kiss her. She felt the sensation of his thumb on her jaw, his lips as they gently brushed against hers, his breath as he said her name. In an attempt to quiet her churning thoughts, she let her mind go soft and start to wander. A slight pressure on her cheek and at the base of her skull had her tipping her head in response as she felt his warm lips open against hers. The sensation of his tongue sliding across her upper lip ignited a burning feeling in the pit of her stomach and she opened her mouth for him.

She felt his fingers moving through her hair, curling around her chocolate locks. A groan broke through the sound of their kisses as he slowly moved his mouth against hers, teasing her with his tongue and teeth. They found a slow, sensual rhythm…He stroked her mouth with a promise of things to come.

All conscious thought was suspended as Elizabeth's mind soared. Her body felt soft, yielding and pliable. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, running her hand over his broad, bronze shoulders and through his soft sandy blonde locks. Her head rolled to the side as he trailed his hot, wet lips down the column of her throat.

Inhaling, she could smell the salty night air and she desperately wanted him to touch her. As if reading her mind, his fingers found the hem of her sweater and he started to tug. His knuckles set her skin ablaze as they skimmed up her ribcage. Her heavy lids lifted and she was blinded by a sea of crimson.

Elizabeth's eyes floated back to their closed position and her head fell forward as he pulled her top over her head and dropped it to the floor. His hands swept her silky tresses out of her face and she felt his lips on hers once again. She sensed his weight shift as he moved, encouraging her to the center of the bed. Slidingbackwards as he crawled over her, she laid her body into the soft cushion of the down comforter.

She could feel him settle above her and move between her legs. Relaxing her thighs, she cradled him and his erection pressed against her center. They began to move in unison, stroking each other until Elizabeth was smoldering for him, her body singing from a primal need. She cupped his face with her hands and arched her head back, offering her neck to him. Complying, she felt him nuzzle her, murmuring against the soft, supple skin of her throat.

Her mind continued to float as her body hummed with passion. His long lean fingers traced a pattern over her jeans, up the outside of her bent leg to her waist. She felt the calloused tips make contact with the sensitive skin around her navel and she shuddered in response. His lips trailed kisses over her collarbone as he cupped her chest, strumming her nipple through the thin silk of her bra.

Elizabeth moaned with anticipation as she felt his pout move down the swell of her breast. He flicked her straining nipple with his tongue and sucked her into his mouth. A moan escaped her lips and through hooded lids she envisioned his steel blue eyes burning a hole to her heart as his gorgeous lips worshipped her breast. Writhing underneath him, Elizabeth laced her hands through his hair, "Oh, God…Jason," she exclaimed as she exhaled.

Ryan froze.

Elizabeth's eyes shot open and she looked down her chest at the dark haired man with his mouth hanging above her breast. Her hands shot over her face and her suddenly suspended heartbeat began to race for an altogether new reason.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" she chanted.

Ryan pushed up off of the bed and strode to the other side of the room.

Aware of his departure, Elizabeth sat up and quickly hunted down her sweater. Fumbling to pull it over her head, she managed to get it on backwards and inside out, but she certainly wasn't going to fuss with that now. She stood and turned toward Ryan who was looking out the window.

Elizabeth pinched her eyes closed. "I am so sorry," she expressed, feeling utterly humiliated.

"Me too," he replied curtly.

"I-I don't know what that was about," she gestured toward the bed as she partially lied.

"I think it's pretty obvious," he said, keeping his back toward her.

"Um…okay. Well, um…I'm gonna go," she stammered, pausing to see if he turned.

Peering through the blinds into the night, he clipped, "I think that's a good idea."

Staring at his back, watching it ripple with tension, Elizabeth was overwhelmed with guilt and embarrassment. "I'm really sorry Ryan," she said apologetically.

He didn't reply.

Elizabeth wiped the tear from her cheek and quickly exiting his bedroom, fumbling to retrieve her purse before leaving the apartment.