Battered Not Broken (46 page)

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Maria. Melissa and Trisha. Cameron, Sanchez and a handful of other Knockout gym members. Ryan’s Marine Corps friend in Quantico. Many of Ally’s local extended family members. And Manny, or rather, his grave. Those were the people Ally and Ryan had spent the last of their time in Baltimore with.

The visits had gone by quickly, and their last four days in the city even more so. Ally replayed their time with each individual and group during her and Ryan’s flight. It was either that or try to imagine what it would be like in New York.

She’d never been there, so her imaginings were limited to the skyline and inner-city screen shots she’d seen during hundreds of movies and TV shows. The city would be bigger and busier than Baltimore – that was for sure. Other than that, it was hard to know what to expect, mostly because the quality of their time there would hinge less on the local scenery and life and more on Ryan’s relationship with his family.

He’d arranged everything about the move over the phone, discussing the details with his parents and laying plans so that when he and Ally arrived, they’d have a place to stay. Already, an apartment was waiting for them. Ryan’s mustang would be transported from Maryland to New York and once they arrived, he’d be meeting with his father to discuss possible positions for him at Greene & Jacobs Industries, the multinational construction firm his father served as CEO of.

To say that it was all a bit surreal would’ve been the understatement of the century. Ryan seemed to accept their new role with a steadfast sort of tolerance, tinged with a hint of resignation. When Ally thought of their new life, it was with wonder. She worried too, of course, about what the transition would be like for Ryan. Still, being whisked away to New York for a fresh start felt weirdly like someone had waved a magic wand over her life, plunging her into a new reality that wouldn’t have been possible by ordinary means.

Then again, as far as she was concerned, money
was
extraordinary means. The ease with which Ryan’s parents spent it, arranging flights and readying an apartment within a few days’ time, was alien, almost incomprehensible. It made the only hint of wealth she’d ever associated with Ryan before – his car – seem modest. But even if he didn’t like it, he was used to it, or had been at one point, anyway. So she did her best to not seem amazed at every turn.

When she looked back on things, there had been little signs of Ryan’s above-average upbringing. His car, which his parents had bought for him during his college years, for one. And even the wine savviness he’d displayed on their first date. At the time, she’d viewed those things as pleasant anomalies, not realizing the early life of privilege they’d reflected.

“How are you doing?” Ryan placed a hand over hers, squeezing lightly. They’d purposely sat so that their uninjured arms were side by side, almost rubbing at the shoulders. That way, they could touch and hold hands when they wanted.

“Fine.” A hint of heat crept into her cheeks. That morning, she’d confessed to Ryan that she’d never flown before. He’d seemed extra-attuned to her ever since, watching her out of the corner of his eye and asking her how she was doing every so often.

“Good. We’re almost there.” He picked up the little plastic cup from the tray he’d folded down over his lap. There were a few drops of ginger ale left in the bottom. He drained the rest of the drink and let an ice cube slip into his mouth.

They’d departed from Dulles in DC and the flight to New York City was only about an hour and ten minutes long. So far, about an hour had ticked by. It seemed like an absurdly short trip, in light of what she was leaving behind. A little over an hour and she’d land on tarmac in a state she’d never stepped foot in before, officially beginning a new life that she never could have imagined for herself, even in her strangest dreams.

A voice sounded over the intercom, announcing that they’d begun their descent.

“Things might get a little shaky,” Ryan warned, giving her hand a light squeeze.

But the landing went smoothly. In what seemed like mere moments, the plane had landed and Ally was filing down the narrow aisle with Ryan behind her, guiding her with a hand against the small of her back.

Flying hadn’t scared her, but she enjoyed his comforting gestures anyway. Together, they made their way to the baggage claim. Ryan strode through La Guardia airport like he’d done it a hundred times before. Maybe he had.

“Good thing we packed light,” he said when they’d each retrieved their single suitcase. “I don’t think we’d get very far with more than this.”

With their good hands occupied by the luggage, they were no longer able to touch or hold hands. Instead, they walked side by side, close to one another.

Ally let him lead the way and followed him through the airport. They took a cab to the address his parents had mailed him days ago, along with a key. She sat by the window and watched the city slip by, curiosity driving her to observe what she could about her new home.

Their apartment was in Brooklyn – not that she could differentiate between that and any other part of the city yet. Ryan had requested a place there, to be relatively close to work. In his words it would be “nothing extravagant, but not shitty, either”. Ally’s palms sweated a little as she tried to envision what their new living space might look like.

Forget square footage and amenities – just the thought of having her own home with Ryan was so ridiculously exciting she could hardly stand it. For a moment, she felt as if she’d been caught in the guard of a steel-thighed fighter. Her stomach contracted and she felt the tiniest bit nauseous. The feeling was due to nervousness, not fear. The sensation passed though, leaving her to contend with the butterflies in her stomach during the rest of the ride.

When the cab finally rolled to a stop, it idled in front of a sand-colored high-rise. It was a narrow box of a building, its front lined with half a dozen trees trimmed in the shape of lollipops. Steel balconies extended from some of the units. From the outside, it sounded about like Ryan had described – not extravagant, exactly, but certainly not shitty, either.

Ryan paid the driver and they took their suitcases.

“Come on, baby.” Ryan motioned for her to follow and they approached the entrance. There was a doorman, a fitness center, and as they stepped into an elevator, Ryan said something about the roof being terraced.

Basically, it was nothing like her old home in Baltimore. At all. But then, she hadn’t expected it to be.

Their unit was on the sixth floor. Ryan used the key his father had mailed him, turning it in the brass knob’s lock to gain entry. When the door swung inward, it didn’t make a sound, only opened silently into their new home.

“Well, I’d carry you over the threshold,” Ryan said, “but something tells me it would be more clumsy than romantic with my arm in this cast.”

She gave him a small smile as he stepped inside and she followed.

Their suitcases rolled across honey-colored wooden floorboards as they entered the foyer, a small area that boasted a row of coat hooks and a simple wooden shelf above that.

Ryan locked and bolted the door behind them. “Shall we give ourselves a tour?”

“Sure.”

They left their suitcases in the foyer and began exploring, starting with the door to the right of the entry way. It opened into a bathroom done in cream-colored tile and clean white fixtures. It was relatively spacious and full of tasteful contradictions, like the sleek modern showerhead above an old-fashioned looking claw-footed tub.

Next was the kitchen, which was a little bigger than the one she’d had at home. It too was tiled and filled with appliances that looked brand new. Even small ones, like a blender and toaster. “There are pots and pans,” Ally said, eyeing the pristine set of cookware that hung from a gridded light fixture above the stove. “Did those come with the apartment?”

Ryan walked slowly through the kitchen, running a hand over the countertop. “I don’t know.”

There were other things in the apartment that seemed both at home and out of place at the same time. Like the bed in the single large bedroom, and the sheets, blankets and pillows that covered it. And the cherry wood dresser that stood in one corner.

A sinking suspicion filled Ally when she saw it, and she pulled open the drawers one by one, half fearing that they’d be filled with clothing.

They were empty.

The living area was the largest and most impressive room in the house. It was open and took up about half the apartment’s square footage, boasting two panoramic windows that framed views of the city beyond. A dark beige leather couch and matching loveseat gave it a comfortable feel, and an empty oaken bookcase stood in one corner, ready to be filled.

“I didn’t realize the apartment came already furnished.” She ran a hand over the loveseat’s armrest. The leather was supple and definitely real. “This feels brand new.”

“I don’t think it was supposed to come furnished,” he said, raising an eyebrow at the high-quality seating.

“Oh.” His parents and their money. Not for the first time that day, she was left surprised by the ease with which they apparently spent it.

“Do you like it?” Ryan asked, standing tall in the middle of the living room with his good hand in his pocket. “The apartment, I mean.”

“It’s great.” It was the nicest place she’d ever lived. Walking through it and knowing she’d spend the coming months and probably years there was just as surreal as the rest of the day had been.

Ryan’s shoulders eased down a little, as if he was relieved.

Had he really thought there was any chance she wouldn’t love the place? “Don’t you like it?”

“I do,” he said, striding toward her. “But I think we need to make it ours.”

“What do you mean?” Did he really want to get rid of the furniture his parents had apparently chosen for them?

“I’ll show you.” He gripped her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers.

She followed him to the kitchen.

“Remember our first time at my old place?”

How could she not? “Yes.”

“What do you say we make it a tradition?” He wrapped her in a one-armed embrace and hefted her up onto the countertop, using his hip and the strength of his back to lift her.

She balanced on the edge of the counter, her pulse already speeding. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

As if that was all the go-ahead he needed, he quickly divested her of her boots and jeans.

“You’ve gotten pretty good at taking off clothes one-handed,” she said, her voice already breathy as he hooked a thumb beneath her panty’s side strap.

“It’s an important skill,” he said, tossing her underwear onto the floor.

Chapter 25

He was kneeling between her knees before she knew it, pressing his mouth to her pussy before she could so much as gasp.

After a day spent waiting, sitting and waiting some more, the burst of sensation was electric. Her body responded with enthusiasm, her nerves buzzing as he lashed her clit with his tongue, zoning in on the fastest way to make her want to squirm. She arched her back, bearing down with her hips against the countertop.

He moaned and pressed his lips more firmly against her sex, letting his teeth scrape lightly against her slick skin, just above her clit.

The pristine countertop in their brand-new apartment had become heaven. She spread her legs a little wider, a response born of instinct and need, inviting him to get as close as he dared.

He slid his tongue below, briefly tracing the slit of her entrance before returning his attention to her clit again. She hadn’t even been aroused when he’d led her to the kitchen, but he’d quickly summoned an intense need inside her. As he fucked her with his mouth, he drove her desire to a fever pitch.