Skin Deep by Cher Carson

believe that, but she knew in time a man with his sexual appetite would tire of being with just one woman, and he would start looking elsewhere. Just the thought of him leaving her for someone else broke her heart, and the reality would be so much worse than the nightmare if a couple of kids stood to get hurt in the process. She wouldn’t even entertain the idea. When she got her affairs in order and her new business off the ground, she would find a nice, normal guy, settle down, and maybe have that family he talked about. The voice inside her head told her she wasn’t getting any younger, but tomorrow would have to wait another day because she was too busy trying to survive today.
    “Honey, please say something…”
    She tipped her head back to look at him and was struck by the raw emotion, bordering on pain, reflected in his eyes. If she didn’t know better, she would believe he really was in love with her. “I can’t say what you want to hear, Ryan.”
    “Can we just see where things go on this trip? Will you keep an open mind?”
    She knew it was too late for that. She’d already made up her mind, but she was too tired to argue with him now. They were on their way to paradise, and for one week, she was willing to pretend that she really could be the princess in his fairy-tale.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    Ryan arranged it so that he and Alana sat together on the plane. He smiled when she leaned her head against his shoulder, trying to find a comfortable position to claim some sleep before they landed.
    After linking his hand with hers, he brushed her knuckles against his lips.
    Her mother turned around in time to witness the display of affection and smiled at him.
    In spite of Alana’s strained relationship with her mother, he wasn’t about to alienate either of her parents. He needed all the help he could get winning her over, and if her family approved of him, he was one step closer to sealing the deal.
    He stared mindlessly at the small TV screen in front of him, but he didn’t really see the images. He was too busy planning his week. He only had seven short days to convince her that he was worth the risk. How the hell was he going to accomplish that miracle? Leaning his head against the headrest, he closed his eyes, hoping his sub-conscious would supply some brilliant solution to his dilemma.
    Alana curled into her seat, trying to get closer to him.
    He raised the armrest, pulling her into the circle of his arms.
    “Hmm, this feels nice,” she whispered, settling in.
    Nice didn’t even begin to describe it. For him, this was heaven. The woman he loved sleeping in his arms, the ability to leave their problems thousands of miles away, and all the time in the world to focus on building this relationship. He kissed the top of her head. “Get some sleep, sweetheart.” He knew she was exhausted. According to her brother, she still worked seventy plus hours every week, barely taking a moment for herself. The only comfort he found in her hectic pace was the knowledge she didn’t have time for other men, which meant he was her last lover. He remembered in vivid detail every single tremor that wracked her body that day. He’d mapped her flesh, marking every sweet spot in his mind, so he could use that knowledge to give her pleasure that exceeded her expectations every time they were together.
    “Shit,” he muttered, shifting her body weight to conceal his growing arousal. Just the thought of what he wanted to do to her was making his cock hard. “I want you now,” he whispered in her ear.
    She moaned softly in her sleep-induced haze, grinding herself against him.
    He grabbed the blanket and pillow he’d asked the flight attendant for earlier because Alana complained she always got cold on airplanes. He positioned the blanket over her, settling the pillow under her head. “I’m gonna make you come, right here, right now,” he whispered.
    She opened one eye, looking at the passengers around them.