Learning Curve (BBW Romance) (3 page)

“
Really?” He sat forward
in his chair, his blood kicking up a notch at the very idea. “That
sounds… sexy. What did we do?”

“
We were just standing
there, kissing near the surf. Your arms were around me, and you
were so warm. I… you slid my dress down my shoulders.” Her voice
grew a little breathier with each word, and his blood began to pump
a little faster.

“
Were you wearing anything
underneath?” he murmured, and Suzie shivered at the husky note in
his voice. She’d been terrified of confessing this to him, had
known it would eventually come to this the moment when she’d
foolishly blurted out that she’d dreamt about him. But rather than
being repulsed or shocked, he seemed interested… maybe even
excited.

“
You would think that I
might’ve had a bathing suit on underneath or something, but no. I
wasn’t wearing anything.”

His cock grew hard at the thought of her
standing naked before him in the moonlight, even though he had no
idea what she looked like. “Did I touch you? Kiss you again?” he
prompted, wanting to hear more.

“
Oh yes,” she breathed.
“You kissed the breath out of me, and pushed me down into the sand,
with your hands all over me.”

“
Can you imagine me doing
that now?” he asked. “My hands on you now, on your breasts, teasing
your nipples?”

“
Mmm, yeah.” She put the
phone on speaker, then slid her hands up her shirt, beneath her
bra, to do just that. “It… feels good.”

“
Can you flick your thumbs
over your nipples for me?” He heard her breathy little moan. “Just
like that, Susie. Like that. Can you imagine me doing that to you?
Does it feel good?”

“
Yes, yes, yes,” Suzie
moaned as she reclined against the pillows on her bed. Moisture
gushed between her thighs at every flick of her thumbs against her
nipples. She should have been mortified, should have changed the
topic of conversation immediately, but she wasn’t, she couldn’t.
Phone sex had always been a fascinating concept to her, and since
she’d seen his picture she could visualize him perfectly as she
touched herself.

“
What color panties are
you wearing?”

“
They’re pink.” She
fingered the lacy edge beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms.
“Pale pink.”

“
I want you to dip your
hand beneath them, and touch your pussy. Can you do
that?”

She sucked in a breath, and was just about
to do as he wanted when her phone buzzed, signaling an incoming
call. Yanking her hand away from the waistband of her pajamas, she
snatched the phone up and checked the Caller ID.

“
Damn it,” she sighed in
frustration. “Can you hang on? It’s my work.”

“
Sure.” He sounded
slightly on edge, but she figured that was probably part and parcel
of sexual frustration.

She took the call, and then with a somewhat
heavy heart switched back to the other line.

“
Ryan? I’m really sorry,
but I’ve got to go. They’re slammed at the ER tonight and they need
me back.”

“
That’s okay.” He cleared
his throat, and when he spoke again his voice had lost some of that
huskiness. “I understand how important your job is. Go out there
and save some lives, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart.
She flushed from head to toe with pleasure—it was
the first time he’d given her an endearment. She was going to say
goodbye, but a thought struck her. “Are you… do you want to
meet?”

The hesitation was back in her voice. “Do
you need more time?”

“
I… well… it’s not that.”
She gave a little laugh. “I can’t give you that excuse after
tonight.”

“
Then what is
it?”

“
I just… I’m worried that
I won’t be what you expect.”

“
I don’t know what you
mean,” He sat up straight. “Susie, I’m not looking for a “type”.
I’m looking for a woman with a great personality who I feel
comfortable with, and I certainly feel comfortable with
you.”

“
I know… it’s just…” She
sighed. “Okay, what do you say we meet tomorrow evening?” She named
a time and place.

“
I’ll be there,” he
promised. “Sweet dreams, Susie.”

“
Goodnight.” She hung up
the phone, and the slight tremble in her voice only firmed his
resolve.

When they met tomorrow, he was going to do
everything in his power to show her that she was as beautiful on
the outside as he knew she was on the inside. And he was convinced
that she was, no matter what she said.

****

Suzie sat on the waiting bench in the
restaurant, fighting to keep from biting her lip and ruining her
carefully applied lipstick. She’d arrived ten minutes early, not
wanting to miss him, and now she almost wished she hadn’t. Her
nerves were wrecking her from the inside, and she was terrified
that by the time he arrived she’d be a stark raving lunatic and
would scare him off.

Don’t be ridiculous. You can hold it
together for one more minute. Buck up, girl.

She took a deep breath, tried her best to
heed the advice. But it was hard, when she was putting herself into
this vulnerable position. If he didn’t show, she was going to shut
down her dating profile, quit her job, and join a convent. Yes,
that was the solution to rejection. No doubt about it.

She was in the middle of a heated internal
debate as to whether or not she should make a run for it when he
walked through the door. The breath whooshed out of her in a rush,
and she stood up at the same time the Maître de snapped to
attention. His sandy hair had been tamed, and what she was sure was
a lean and gorgeous body was jazzed up in a tux that had obviously
been tailor-made for him. He dripped money, power, and sex appeal,
and looked about one hundred times better than he did in the
photo.

Yup. She definitely should
have run
. Eyes darting around, she judged
the distance and wondered if she could make it past him and through
the door without alerting attention, then scoffed at herself. With
her bulk? Fat chance in hell.

“
Mr. Marshall.” He stepped
out from behind his little podium thing and actually sketched a
little bow. “It’s a pleasure to welcome you back again.”

“
Thank you.” Those deep
brown eyes looked around, then smiled as they settled on her.
“Suzie?”

She didn’t know how he was so certain of her
identity, but she knew she would look like the biggest idiot if she
tried to deny it now. “Hi Ryan.”

“
My God.” He stepped
forward, his eyes drinking her in. She was like a really, really
sexy porcelain doll, with milky pale skin that was contrasted by
the black satin halter dress flowing around some really great
curves, and the vivid green eyes that were wide in her rounded
face. Gleaming chestnut curls were piled on top of her head, but
one or two were left to hang down and kiss the sides of her neck,
where his lips were itching to be. The roses in her cheeks kept her
paleness from being unattractive, and the halter-top showcased a
pair of large, lovely breasts that looked ridiculously edible.
“You’re gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.”

Her mouth formed a small o. Grinning; he
stepped forward and took her by the arm before she could say
anything. “This is my date. Do you have the table I reserved?”

“
Right this way,
sir.”

They were whisked up to a table on the top
floor, out on the veranda where they were offered a prime view of
the sun ducking behind the skyscrapers as it slipped beneath the
horizon. Champagne was served, along with a basket of rolls and
butter. Suzie had almost convinced herself not to take one, as she
had done the other dates, but remembered that she was supposed to
be herself, and so grabbed one and slathered it with butter.

Ryan watched her eyes
flutter closed, her lashes brushing against round, rosy cheeks as
she bit into the buttered roll with such relish, such abandon. Her
red lips provided a ridiculously sensual contrast to the fluffy
white roll that it was all he could do not to yank her across the
table and into his lap so that he could eat
her
up.

Susie noticed him watching her, the look in
his eyes so hot she felt a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Surely that couldn’t be lust in his eyes… could it? She wondered as
she set the roll down.

“
Why are you staring at me
like that?”

He grinned wolfishly. “I’m just thinking
that I would give up just about anything to be in that roll’s place
right now.”

She laughed, and some of the nerves
dissipated. “You can’t be serious.”

The waiter came by, briefly interrupting
their conversation as they ordered appetizers and entrees. “Why
wouldn’t I be serious?”

She gestured with one hand. “Look at me,
Ryan.”

“
Believe me, I have looked
at you. In fact, I can’t seem to take my eyes off you. I can’t
imagine what you think I should see in you, Susie.” He leaned
forward so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “But what I do
see is a beautiful woman, one who is just as beautiful on the
outside as she is on the inside.”

Tears shimmered in her big green eyes, and
his heart clenched. He was worried he had said something wrong, but
her red lips parted into a smile so dazzling that the words were
knocked off his tongue just as he was about to ask.

“
No one has ever said
anything like that to me before,” she said softly. “Or at least no
one who’s ever meant it.”

“
Then you’ve been spending
your time around a whole lot of blind people.” He
grinned.

“
Either that, or you’re
just biased,” she told him as he poured the wine, but she was
grinning too.

“
Well, then here’s to
biased men, and to beautiful women everywhere.” He lifted his glass
to hers in a toast.

“
I can drink to
that.”

They clinked their glasses together and
drained them. As the waiter came back with their appetizers, the
warmth from both the wine and Ryan’s company flowed through her
veins, loosening her up so that she completely forgot to be
self-conscious about the fact that she was wearing a curve-hugging
dress. It was true that the flowing lines and the black were far
more flattering to her figure than any of those baggy outfits that
heavy women sometimes wore to try and hide their paunch, but she’d
still felt overexposed walking in, even with the shawl around her
arms to offer a measure of protection and to try and hide the fact
that her biceps were anything but lean.

But they were so busy talking about their
lives, sharing the funny details of their day and swapping the most
ridiculous stories that her attention was completely focused on him
so that she couldn’t think about herself even if she wanted to.
Instead, she was enraptured by how warm his brown eyes were; they
lit up when he smiled, which was quite a lot, and also revealed to
her a dimple in his left cheek that she wanted to lean over and
press a kiss to. Her heart sighed in happiness—she had to be the
luckiest girl on the planet, to be able to spend a night with such
a handsome guy in a five star restaurant. And she didn’t have to
pay him to do it either!

They stayed there talking long after the
waiter had cleared their plates and Ryan had paid their check.
Eventually, Ryan suggested they take a stroll in the park nearby to
get some air and allow the poor wait staff to give their table to
someone else.

“
So, did you enjoy
yourself?” he asked as they made their way down the path, arm in
arm. Susie was very glad that she’d chosen low heels for their
first date—Callie had tried to cajole her into a pair of three
inchers, but she hadn’t been sure how tall Ryan would be and didn’t
want to tower over him. As it was, he stood a good half-foot above
her five foot five frame, and so if she did decide to break out the
stilettos she knew there would be no issue.

“
I did.” Sighing happily,
she leaned her head against his arm. “I’ve never had such a great
time on a date with anyone before. You’ve made my night,
Ryan.”

“
I’m glad to hear it.” He
rubbed the pad of his thumb across her knuckles, and she shivered.
“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me.”

She sighed again, but this time the sound
was heavier. “It almost seems too good to be true, you know? I’ve
been looking for a man forever who likes me for who I am and isn’t
just looking for a skinny body and a pretty face, and I’ve never
been able to find one in real life. Then the first time I set up an
online profile I get you, and so far you’ve been everything I could
ever want. It’s unreal.”

He squeezed her hand, sensing that she was
unsettled. “Honey, if I knew the names of the men who’d burned you
so bad I would track them down and give them a piece of my mind.
But I can assure you that I’m very real, I’m here, and I’m
definitely interested in you, for you.”

She pulled her hand away as they stopped
beneath an apple tree. It was spring, and the plethora of pale
blossoms crowding the branches practically glowed in the moonlight.
“I just don’t understand. You’re a successful businessman with a
great life who likely has a body underneath that suit to match your
killer looks. Why would you go on an online dating site to find
someone when you probably have women falling all over you in real
life?”

Pushing his fingers through his sandy hair,
Ryan sighed. “It would almost be easier if the women falling at my
feet just wanted me for my looks, Suz. At least then I could just
get myself banged up a few times and I could weed out the shallow
ones. But the thing is, they know I make a killing doing what I do,
and I can see the dollar signs in their eyes every time they look
up at me. After a while I got tired of being looked at as a
conquest, as a grand prize to be won. I told you before that I come
from a small, grassroots-type family. I’ve always dreamed of
finding a normal woman, one who isn’t afraid to be herself, who is
smart and beautiful and can make me laugh. I never wanted the money
grubbers or the models, and you’d be surprised at how often the two
go hand in hand.”