She opened her eyes, seeing him arch a brow.
“And who got to eat my cake?”
“I did.” She grinned. “And Crookshanks. And if there was any left, I’d take it into work.”
Ryan ran his eyes along the length of the kitchen bench until they fell on the bowl she had tucked in the corner. He strode towards it and sat her down on the bench. Standing between her thighs, he dipped his finger in the thick, cream cheese frosting. A shudder of heat flooded her body as she watched him lick it slowly from his finger.
“Mmm, baby. This is good.”
His hand reached for the bowl again, and she smacked it. “Leave some for the cake.”
Ryan smirked as he scooped up some more. “It’s my cake.”
He smeared the frosting over the swell of her br**sts, and she gasped. “What are you doing?”
Leaning down, he began licking it off her skin.
“Oh God,” she breathed, fisting his hair in her hands and shivering at the wet heat of his tongue stroking her skin.
“I’m making up for all those years of missed cake.”
The idea of baking Ryan a cake every day for the rest of her life suddenly held enormous appeal.
He slipped his hands underneath the hem of her pretty pink dress and spreading his fingers wide, ran them up her bare thighs. “You taste so good,” he moaned.
Loud thumping came from the front door and he froze, his muscles tensing as his grip on her tightened. “Tell me you didn’t.”
“Open the door before we bust it down,” Kyle yelled.
Ryan groaned, his head falling onto her shoulder.
“I did.” Fin sighed and he took a step back, letting her slide off the bench. “I’ll get it.”
“Hey,” he said, and she looked up at him. “Thank you. For doing this.”
“I’m just glad you’re here so I can.”
“Me too,” Ryan agreed, his lips curving softly. He wiped at a smear of frosting on her cheek. “I’ll get the door,” he told her and disappeared up the hallway.
Moments later, Kyle filled the little kitchen followed by Tex, Monty, and Galloway. She was greeted with kisses on the cheek and moved to the side as they filled the fridge with beer and rummaged through her cupboards, grabbing bowls and filling them with chips.
The television was flicked on and the sound of football flooded the living room as Kyle shoved the second beer in his hand at Ryan.
Ryan took it as Kyle slung his arm around Fin’s shoulders and grinned down at her. “How’s my girl?”
Ryan cleared his throat pointedly.
“Hey, I got a penguin from Antarctica.” Kyle smirked. “What did you get?”
“I got Fin,” Ryan replied smugly as he folded his arms.
“You win,” Kyle muttered. His eyes dropped to her chest and amusement flashed in his hazel eyes. “Fin? You’ve got a bit of something on your boob.”
Fin flushed wildly when she looked down at her cl**vage and saw the blob of frosting.
“What is that anyway?” Kyle asked. His arm fell away from her shoulders as she spun around and grabbed for the cloth from the sink.
“That’s my birthday cake,” Ryan retorted, “which I was enjoying until you all so rudely barged your way into our house.”
“Ryan!” she wailed through the laughter and catcalls. He joined in the laughter and she glared. “You won’t get your present later.”
He sobered. “Later? Why can’t I have it now?”
Fin flushed all over again. “Because.”
“That’s gotta be something good,” Tex said around a mouthful of chips as he launched himself into the armchair, his eyes glued to the television.
“Christ, Ryan.” Kyle slapped him on the back as he passed by into the living room. “You lucky bastard.”
“Excuse us,” Ryan said to the room. He grabbed her hand and despite her resistance, dragged her effortlessly up the hallway.
“Ryan. What are you doing?”
“I want my present.”
Another loud thump came from the front door, but it flew open before they could do anything. Rachael came through, followed by Fin’s cousin Laura and Jess, another friend from Fin’s years at university.
Without pausing, Ryan nodded towards the living room. “They’re all in there.”
Fin shrugged helplessly at the wide eyes and raised brows before she was shoved inside the bedroom and the door slammed shut behind her.
She spun around and folded her arms. “Well, that was rude.”
“I don’t care. I’m the birthday boy. I can do what I want.”
She shivered and he grinned, knowing full well how much she loved his controlling behaviour in the bedroom.
“I’ll remember this when it’s my birthday.”
“Good. I’ll look forward to it. Now take off your dress.”
“Ryan! No. We have guests, and I have a cake in the oven.”
“So we’ll be quick.” He folded his arms and leaned back against the closed door as the muffled sound of loud talking interspersed with laughter filtered through. “Take it off or I’ll rip it off.”
Fin closed her eyes, throbbing at the heat in his words.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Me ripping off your dress.”
Determination darkening his eyes, he strode towards her and her breath caught in her throat. Grasping the hem of her dress in her fingers, she pulled it off with hurried, jerky movements.
Ryan’s eyes roamed over the tiny pink creation of lace that barely held her br**sts together. “You know pink is my favourite colour on you,” he muttered hoarsely. His eyes lowered further and he froze. “What the f**k is that?”
“That’s your present,” she whispered.
“Get on the bed, baby, and lie down,” he ordered.
Fin felt his eyes on her as he stepped towards the bed. Climbing over the soft, cool sheets, she lay down and rolled onto her back. Ryan was right behind her. Leaning over her body, she watched as he hooked his thumbs in her pink lace panties and peeled them down a fraction. With hands that shook slightly, Ryan reached for the rectangular bandage that covered the hollow below her right hipbone. With gentle fingers, he peeled the tape from her skin and folded the bandage over.
“Fin,” he breathed. “I …” He swallowed as he stared at the tattoo of his name in swirling black script. The initial was an oversized flourish and at the end sat a tiny little pink heart. His eyes flew to hers. “It’s beautiful.”
Her eyes swam at the love so bright in his eyes. “Someone once said to me that I’ve always been his, and that even if he never got to keep me, I’d still be his. Well I’m yours, Ryan, and even if you have to leave me, I’ll always be yours.”
Ryan crawled up over her and ducked his head, his lips hovering close to hers. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
“Fin!” Rachael shouted from somewhere down the hall. “The oven is screaming. Make it stop!”
“Dammit,” Fin mumbled.
Chuckling, Ryan stood and taking her hands in his, helped her off the bed. He reached for her dress and it held it out to her. “We better get out there and rescue my cake.”
Fin took the dress from his hands and slipped it over her head. “I thought we were going to be quick?”
Ryan shook his head as he stepped towards her. His hand slid around her neck, untucking her hair from the dress until it tumbled down her back. “I can’t be quick after seeing that. I need slow. I need to fall asleep with your thighs wrapped around me and the taste of you on my lips. That’s worth waiting a little longer for.”
Ryan returned to the living room as Fin raced in the other direction, heading for the kitchen to switch off the timer and rescue the cake. Tex handed him another beer after he kissed Rachael and Laura on the cheek in greeting.
“You remember Jess from Fin’s farewell party, don’t you?”
He nodded at her with a polite smile. He never forgot a face. “I do. It’s nice to see you again.”
Tex and Monty roared at the television as someone took a dive over the line with the football. Kyle peeled his eyes away and looked at him. “So don’t leave us hanging, a**hole. What was the present?”
Ryan grabbed a handful of chips from the bowl on the coffee table and grinned. “None of your business.”
The tattoo was completely unexpected and utterly beautiful. Her creamy, flawless skin was now marked with his name. A possessive wave of heat rolled through him just picturing it in his mind.
“Were you showing Ryan your present?” Rachael called out to Fin while she took the cake out of the tin to cool on a wire rack.
“Did she get it done?” Laura said to Rachael as Ryan took a deep pull of his beer.
“Yes I did,” Fin called back.
Rachael winked at Ryan. “Did you like it?”
He raised a brow. “You’ve seen it?”
“Seen what, dammit?” Kyle interrupted.
Everyone paused their chatter and looked at Fin. Wiping her hands on a tea towel, she shrugged as she walked into the living room. “It’s just a tattoo.”
Ryan frowned at Fin as she perched herself on his knee. “It’s not just a tattoo.”
“It’s Ryan’s name,” Rachael announced to the room. “In a private spot,” she added. “I took her to get it done today on her lunch hour.”
Ryan’s mouth fell open. “You just went on out and got a tattoo during the middle of work?” He felt a sudden urge to thank the guy who did it and punch him at the same time for having his hands where they didn’t belong.
Fin twisted and looked down at him. “Well … yeah. When else was I supposed to get it done? Is there some special decree that says you can only get a tattoo on a weekend or something?”
“Smartass.”
She winked at him and his heart tripped over. “Nerds are cool.”
“That’s hot,” Kyle announced. Ryan didn’t like the way he was looking at Fin like she was nak*d. “Show us.”
“You’re not getting your eyes on it,” Ryan told him.
Kyle smirked at Ryan. “You’ll show me, won’t you, Fin?”
“I will,” she replied, and Ryan’s entire body tightened, “if Ryan says it’s okay.”
“No,” Ryan replied without hesitation.
Kyle grinned at him. “Sharing is caring.”
Wine in hand, Jess sat down in a cross-legged position on the fluffy, cream rug. Tiny with black hair and blue eyes, Ryan remembered her from Fin’s party. She was an accountant and had been commiserating with Rachael about the lack of male eye candy in the office.
He’d mentioned that the Army recruited accountants and maybe they should try their luck there, laughing when both their mouths fell open.
“Really?” Jess had asked, her eyes narrowing as she searched for Fin through the crowd of people. “How come Fin never told us this?”
“Maybe because you’d have to move across the other side of the country,” he pointed out.