Along for the Ride (5 page)
Stepping outside on the balcony, she blinked at the brightness of the day until her eyes adjusted. There wasn’t much of a view, just some old brick buildings, but it was outside and high enough that the air seemed fresher. Megan glanced around. First she saw Sasha and Zoe, both of them smirking in amusement which was never a good sign.
Sasha leant back against the balcony’s rail. Her dark-brown knit sweater seemed a little too warm of an outfit, as it fluttered open in the breeze. The long length fell to her thighs like a jacket, showing the matching brown and cream layered T-shirts beneath. A contrast to her blue jeans and fall wear was Zoe in a yellow peasant skirt and cream tank-top with flip-flops.
All of the Matthews women had the same fair complexions. Zoe, Kat and Ella had their mother’s blonde hair and Megan and Sasha took after their father’s dark brown. After so many girls, their parents had resigned themselves to waiting for sons-in-law. Apparently, her mother decided to scheme for men in the family instead of waiting for the girls to find their own husbands. Wasn’t Kat’s marriage enough for the woman? Megan could just imagine who her mother would pick out for them.
‘Megan.’
Megan glanced to the side at the familiar voice and grimaced as a little ripple of attraction caught her off guard. Ryan Lucas? Megan had forgotten Kat invited him to come. She knew there was a reason she didn’t want to get out of bed that morning. Silly her for thinking it was because of the pounding headache. When she was at work, she was ready to handle him, but here? She didn’t have an excuse to leave. Not caring if she sounded rude, she asked, ‘What are you doing here?’
Ryan smiled cheerfully at her, taking her by surprise. He looked really sexy in a camel-coloured sweater and dark-blue jeans. Had the man finally run out of T-shirts? This was the first time since they met that she’d seen him in anything else.
Megan didn’t move as he hurried across the balcony to greet her. Why was he looking at her like that? His eyes all soft and warm? The sun reflected off his dark hair, showing strands of lighter brown in its depths. He was clean shaven, a state she’d rarely seen him in. Usually, it was dark out and he had five o’clock shadow lining his jaw. Her hands shook as she reached to touch the side of her head. She could barely remember brushing her hair that morning as she pulled it back into the standard bun, let alone if she’d worn anything nice.
‘Sorry, sweetheart, I couldn’t wait to tell them about us,’ Ryan said.
Did he just say ‘about us’? Sweetheart?
She opened her mouth to protest the insanity, when his hand lifted to her cheek cupping her face in his warm palm. His dark-blue eyes focused in on hers, intense and bold. Instead of her words coming out, Ryan’s mouth came in, covering hers in a kiss. A weak noise of protest started to form as she lifted her arms to shove him off, but then his tongue slid along her bottom lip and her knees instantly weakened.
‘Let’s give them some space,’ Beatrice said behind her.
The sudden yet unexpectedly intimate contact kept her immobile and Megan ignored her mother’s words. No man had ever dared to kiss her without her implied permission. Her senses became engrossed in Ryan’s touch – the firm yet shockingly soft play of his mouth against hers, the warmth of his palm to her cheek, the heat radiating off his body to contrast with the slight breeze.
Her arms were to the side, held out from her body, torn between grabbing him and pushing him away. A hand skimmed lightly over her waist as the other one stayed on her cheek. Fingers curled around her ear, tangling into her hair. His parted lips wrapped around her bottom one, sucking gently at it. She waited for him to deepen the kiss, hoping the probe of his tongue would shake her into action.
Megan told herself she would just wait for the tongue. Men always tried to deepen kisses too quickly. When she felt the deep probe, she’d know it was time to pull away. She could retain her dignity and still be angry at him for daring to presume she wanted him.
‘
Mmm.
’
Mmm.
’
She wasn’t sure who made the sound. All thoughts dissipated as his hand slid behind her back, pulling her tightly against his taller frame. Unmistakable heat centred on her stomach. She wasn’t sure if it was hers or his, all she knew was it had been too long since she’d felt it. A thick curtain fell around her senses, trapping her in the insanity of the moment, blocking out everything else. There was no balcony, no parents or siblings in the next room. This wasn’t Ryan. It wasn’t her. They were just two people, joined by the mouth, held in the growing turmoil of irrational desire.
And it felt so very good.
Her hands flexed at her side, her fingers stiff as she resisted touching him. His chest brushed hers, and she breathed deeply to ensure they touched again. Pleasure hardened the buds of her nipples and they ached to be free from her tight bra. She wiggled, trying to give relief to the arousal between her thighs. The smooth cotton of her panties became a frustrating barrier, blocking her sex from any stimulation beyond the distant echo of his mouth to hers. Waiting for the feel of his tongue turned to needing it. Megan opened her mouth, ready to accept his full deep kiss. She reached forwards with her tongue, barely thrusting past his lips when he suddenly drew back.
Megan gasped, frozen with her hands lifted to the side. Her aroused body protested by shaking violently. She blinked, stunned and confused as she stared at him. Her breathing deepened. He pulled further away, taking his warmth and the subtle smell of cologne with him.
‘What . . . ?’ she began to question, her voice a whisper.
Ryan didn’t speak. If she had her guess, she would say he appeared as shocked as she was. Suddenly, he did something she didn’t expect. He smiled at her. ‘Mm, I missed you.’
Huh?
‘Ah, look at you two,’ her mother said behind her. The words were followed by a light clapping sound. ‘I can tell you’re going to be the first to give me grandkids. Just look at the sparks. I’ve never seen anything so electric between two people.’
‘That’s the plan, isn’t it, sweetheart?’ Ryan gazed at her.
Megan’s eyes rounded. Was she dreaming? If so, she’d gladly go back to the fantasy of them kissing – no matter how distasteful it was that her dream included Ryan. Wait, no, she couldn’t be dreaming. The slight throb of a hangover beat along her temple and there was no way her own mind would stop a kiss only to replace it with the sound of her mother’s voice. Megan’s subconscious didn’t hate her
that
much.
that
much.
‘Kids?’ Ryan prompted when she didn’t speak. ‘I know how much you want them. I, for one, want a huge family.’
‘Oh!’ Her mother’s clapping got louder. ‘I’m going to be a grandma!’
Megan instantly spurred into action. She turned to face her mother, horrified as the woman went screaming into the home to tell the rest of the family. Pointing back at Ryan, her mouth worked, opening and closing several times, before she finally managed to say, ‘Don’t move. You are under arrest for . . .’ Megan looked around, confused, but then nodded once to support her claim. ‘For impersonating a cop’s fiancé!’
Hurrying into the house to stop whatever insanity her mother had started, she was accosted with an onslaught of surprise.
‘Megs, you’re pregnant?’ Sasha asked. ‘Why didn’t you call me?’
‘Ah, I can’t believe it. Beggin’ Megan’s going to have a baby!’ Zoe grinned.
Kat had arrived while Megan was out on the balcony. Her sister grinned at her, a mischievous look on her face. Megan frowned. Kat was up to something.
‘Megan?’ Her father’s voice might have been much calmer than the others, but she’d have to be blind not to see the spark of tempered excitement in his eyes.
‘I’m not pregnant,’ Megan stated flatly.
Her father’s expression fell some and she was sorry for it.
‘But they’re going to try,’ Beatrice said. ‘And all the women on my side of the family are as fertile as the rainforest.’
Megan frowned at her mother. ‘No, we’re –’
‘I spoke too soon,’ Ryan said behind her. ‘I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.’
‘I thought I told you to stay outside,’ Megan growled under her breath.
‘Megan,’ Kat interrupted. ‘I just heard the news. Congratulations on your engagement.’
Megan arched an eyebrow.
‘Mom?’ Kat continued. ‘Don’t you think this calls for a reading? Why don’t you brew the tea leaves so we can see what’s in Megan’s future?’
Megan’s brow dropped into a grimace.
‘Oh, you’re right,’ Beatrice agreed as she hurried off to the kitchen. ‘I thought the exact same thing.’
‘Walk with me, Meg,’ Kat said, threading her arm and pulling her out to the balcony. ‘You look like you need some air.’
‘Kat,’ Megan said under her breath, ‘I don’t know what Ryan told you, but I’m not engaged to him.’
‘Don’t be mad that he told everyone before you had a chance to,’ Kat scolded, though she couldn’t seem to contain her smile. ‘I told him he could.’
‘I thought you said you just found out.’ Megan crossed her arms.
‘It so happens that “just” is a relative word.’ Kat gave a know-it-all grin. ‘And I did just find out.’
‘But we’re talking about Ryan Lucas,’ Megan hissed. ‘How can you believe I’d marry
him
? You, out of all people? You know I don’t –’
him
? You, out of all people? You know I don’t –’
‘I have a motorcycle,’ Ryan said. Her senses must really be off because she didn’t hear him following them.
‘Um.’ Kat let go of her arm. ‘I’ll make sure the two of you have some privacy. Apparently, Mom needs our help planning your pre-wedding honeymoon.’
Megan watched as Kat patted Ryan’s arm on the way back into the house. A warm breeze stirred against them as they were left alone on the balcony. Megan glanced around, anything to avoid seeing Ryan. The sting of his kiss was too new on her lips. She hated him and she assured herself that fact hadn’t changed, but their kiss had been incredible. Even now her pussy ached. Vibrators only worked for so long. Eventually, a girl needed the feel of the real.
‘I give up,’ Megan sighed. ‘I have no idea what’s going on here. I’d say it was a joke, but I don’t find you lying to my parents about an engagement very funny. And I’d –’
‘I didn’t lie,’ Ryan interrupted. ‘We
are
engaged.’
are
engaged.’
‘Did I wake up in another dimension?’
‘You said it yourself. Details are irrelevant.’ Ryan’s smile stayed intact, but Megan watched him for other signs – those he wouldn’t want her to pick up on. His eyes twitched subtly and his weight shifted on his feet.
‘Excuse me?’
‘We’re relatively close to each other in age. I know because Kat told me your thirtieth birthday is coming up and I’m already thirty-one. I’m unmarried, always have been, and I have no kids. I own a classic motorcycle. The doctor gave me a clean bill of health last month and I haven’t had so much as a cold for over a year. I shower daily, sometimes more depending on my workout schedule. I –’
‘Are you crazy?’
Ryan lifted his hand. ‘Ah, don’t interrupt. I want to make sure I address all your points.’ He furrowed his brow in thought. ‘Let’s see, motorcycle, close in age, unmarried, showered, disease free, like women – I do like women, by the way.’
‘Good for you,’ Megan drawled sarcastically. Was he serious? Like she’d even consider a psycho who quoted back the list she’d used to put him off. It had taken her a second to figure out what he was talking about, but, when she did, she was torn between horror and laughter.
‘Thanks,’ he said, as if she were really having a straightforward conversation with him. ‘Let’s see. I like kids. Then, last but not least, there’s my job.’
Megan stiffened, instantly thinking of the crime-scene photograph he’d taken of her. ‘What of it?’
‘Only that I have a good-paying steady job, unless crime stops any time soon, in which case I can always go back to freelancing for the paper. They even offered me a staff position.’ Ryan smiled at her, looking pleased with himself. ‘So that more than takes care of your list of husbandly demands. I have a job
and
a backup job.’
and
a backup job.’
Megan didn’t readily speak. So that was his angle. He was blackmailing her. But why? What did he get out of it? A fiancée? Sexual favours? No, that seemed too crass. She glanced at the window leading into the house. Seeing one of her sisters walk by, she came up with an idea. ‘Who else have you told?’
‘No one really. My parents both died when I was younger and I don’t speak to my remaining uncle much. I think it’s been five years since I’ve seen him. He needed money and, when he found out I didn’t have any, he disappeared. He’s not much on keeping in touch. The last I heard he was strung out somewhere in Amsterdam trying to get a job in the red-light district as a male performer. Apparently, even balding middle-aged men with a drug habit have a fan base there.’
That was it! That was his motivation. He was obsessed with finding a family, even if he had to hijack hers. Monday at the crime scene he’d kept going on and on about her family – how he’d met Kat and Zoe, but not Ella and Sasha. He wanted a family. First, he befriended Kat. Then, he tried to befriend her. When that didn’t work, he turned to blackmail. Now the only question was, what kind of a psycho was he? A harmless needy loser? Or a dangerous sociopath who would see them all murdered in their beds so he could play house?
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