Love Me Knot (6 page)

What the fuck? Get your ass away from the sinking boat.

There was no sign of the third victim.

Ryan
positioned the sling around him
to ready for descent. The cabin door opened and a second later the flight mechanic began to lower him out of the helicopter.

“Swimmer going down!”

While going down he studied the waves, concentrating on direction and keeping his eyes on the targets just ahead of him.

Ryan mentally said a quick prayer. A second later he hit the water and
unhook
ed himself from the harness, then
began cutting
through the water toward the
victims.

Another gust of wind rocked the small house and Ciara flinched, tightening her grip on the mug of tea she was drinking.

The storm seemed to just be getting worse. Which was still a little shocking after how great the weather had been yesterday.

Rain would slam into the window with each wind gust, making her grateful for the small fire she’d built. Who would’ve thought she’d need the fireplace in the middle of summer?

For a moment she was almost convinced the sharp pounding at the front door was part of the storm. Then she snapped out of her daze and rose to her feet.

The only person who knew where she was staying was Kate. And right now Kate should be up to her eyeballs in
piña coladas
and honeymoon sex.

She approached the door warily and glanced through the peephole.

Even with his back to the door and hands shoved into his jeans pockets, she knew it was
Ryan
.

If she were smart she’d walk back to the couch a
nd ignore him, but part of her
wanted to hear his explanation. As if there could possibly be an explanation.

You’re a grown woman, Ciara, you can face your unintentional one-night stand.

She straightened her spine and opened the door.

“You’re kind of ruining the fuck and run concept by showing up here, you know.”

And that was real mature.
Damn she should’ve planned a better greeting.

Ryan
turned around and her anger died rapidly. His face was pale and there was a glint of torment in his eyes he probably wasn’t even aware of.

“Can I come in?”

Her pulse quickened, but it wasn’t because of the man in front of her this time. It was the sudden and powerful sense of emotional pain radiating off him.

“Of course.” She stepped back and gestured him in from the powerful wind and stinging rain.

He hadn’t even worn a coa
t, and wearing just a t-shirt
left his forearms bare and coated with rain.

“
Ryan
, what’s wrong?”

“You’re renting the same place Ellie did.” His gaze slid around the interior of the house. “She rented it to hide when she was supposed to testify on a trial. That’s how she met Tyson, you know.”

Ciara frowned. She only had a small amount of information on the Wyatt brothers and how they’d all met their wives—Kate had filled her in that day at the salon. But she was pretty sure that no matter how fascinating their stories were,
Ryan
hadn’t come here today to discuss his cousins’ love life.

“Okay...” she wasn’t quite sure how to even reply to that. But she did know
Ryan
was upset. Struggling with something.

“Let me get you a drink.” She turned away, but he caught her hand and pulled her back.

“I don’t need a drink,” he said thickly. “I...fuck, I just need
you
right now, Ciara.”

Tension took over her muscles and she shoo
k her head. “You can’t do that
. You can’t just come back because you’ve decided you want to get laid—”

“I couldn’t save them.”

She stilled. “What?”

“We got called out to a vessel taking on water and going under. A
couple parents and their kid
had gone out fishing and hadn’t checked the weather report.”

“Oh my god.”

“We got the kid
, but the husband
ignored my instructions and
went after his
wife who for some reason was still on the boat.
” He shook his head and his fingers tightened around her wrist. “It went under before I could reach them.”

The visual made her stomach clench and brought tears to her eyes.

“It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with death on the job. But to know
that nine-year-old just lost both his
parents—”

“I’m so sorry,
Ryan
.” She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. “So sorry.”

He clung to her, nuzzling the top of her head.

“I know I have no right to be here today. I started to drive to Tyson’s, but I couldn’t do it. I needed to see you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

Emotion gathered thick in her throat and there were doubts, but she shoved them aside when
Ryan
’s mouth found hers.

There was desperation in his kiss, a blatant plea for distraction, but she couldn’t think about that right now. He’d sought
her
out when he was hurting, surely that meant something?

And if he’d been thinking about her, maybe he’d just been too busy to call?

Fool me once...

She silenced the warning voice in her head and clung to him, kissing him back fervently.

She didn’t try to stop him as he walked her backward into living room and toppled them both onto the couch.

Cool air hit her thighs as he shoved her cotton sundress over her hips. He maneuvered his fingers beneath her panties and delved past the damp folds of her sex.

Ciara cried out, her hips bucking against him as he
brought her to
a quick, powerful release.

But even when she came, he wasn’t done.
Ryan
ripped her panties off her body and then slid off the couch to his knees. He draped her legs over her shoulders and a second later his mouth claimed the most intimate part of her.

Hot thick pleasure raced throug
h her veins as he tasted
her. She gripped his hair and rode his tongue, not stifling her moans of pleasure.

She came harder this time. Trembling and mind spinning.  Vaguely she became aware of him rising to his knees and the hiss of his jeans unzipping.

With her legs still over his shoulder, he thrust deep into her. Ciara reached behind her, gripping the back of the couch as he plunged again and again inside her.

Her world became his, where she became aware only the feel of him, scent of him, and the guttural sounds he made while he took her.

When she fell off the cliff of pleasure he was with her. And it was so much more intense. Mind-blowing. It was only when he pulled out of her did she realize why.

“Fuck,” he muttered, lowering her legs back to the ground and lowering his head to her breast. “I didn’t...”

“Use a condom. I know.” She closed her eyes. Her heart had yet to slowdown.

Somehow, she managed to do the math in her head. “I just finished my period a few days before the wedding. I should be okay.”

“I’m clean, Ciara. I can show you my last test results—”

“Me too.” A shiver of unease ran through her. She never had sex w
ithout a condom. She k
new the risks that came along with it—pregnancy and disease wise. “That can’t happen again, though.”

“It won’t.” He moved to the couch beside her and cupped the side of her face, before brushing a soft kiss over her lips. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to think straight around you. It’s so hard to go slow...”

Her heart gave a little flip. “We just need to have sex a dozen times or so and then the novelty will wear off.”

That is if you call this time.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

His mouth twitched into a slight smile, but there was still a heaviness in his gaze. Even quick sex on the couch probably hadn’t distracted him completely from the horrors of his day.

“Can I stay here tonight, Ciara?”

“I think I’d hate you a little if you didn’t,” she admitted and trailed a finger gently over his mouth. “Have you eaten dinner?”

He sighed. “I haven’t been able to eat.”

“You should try. Let me cook you something.” 

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I realize that. But I want to.” She slid out from beneath him. “Lay down and try to relax for awhile. You can watch a movie or something.”

Anything to take your mind off of what happened today.
As she cooked up some ground turkey to make spaghetti, she glanced out the kitchen window at the water. Another chill slid through her. The ocean had turned violent in the storm.

How did the Coast Guard even conduct a rescue in these conditions? She wanted to ask, but wasn’t about to bring it up now.

She heard the television running in the other room and hoped
Ryan
had managed to distract himself.

What must that be like? Going out into such a powerful storm knowing you were responsible for trying to save a life? Or multiple lives?

The images occupied her mind as she continued whipping up dinner. Ten minutes later she set the pasta to boil and then turned down the heat on the spaghetti sauce to simmer.

Ciara wiped her hands on a towel, before going into the living room to check on
Ryan
.

He was stretched out on the couch, facing the television, and fast asleep.

Her heart softened and her stomach di
d a little flip. For a man who seemed
so solid and invincible, he seemed plagued with
demons
in his sleep.

She reached beyond him for the remote and turned off the television, then made her way to the old desktop computer in the corner.

The thing was a dinosaur and ran epically slow, but it would still help her figure out just what the heck a rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard did. Wasn’t that what
Ryan
had said he did?

A
fter a
short time watching videos and researching informational sites, she held a whole new respect for him. And fear for his life.

Chapter Eight

The smell of food woke him. Something with garlic and tomato... Spaghetti sauce?

Ryan
sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. How long had he been out? And where was Ciara?

He glanced around and spotted her working on the computer in the corner.

It should’ve been odd that seeing her immediately eased some of the tension in his muscles. Why Ciara had been the only person he’d wanted to
see
after today was a bit troubling.

Or was it?

Why was he fighting it so hard? Why was he trying to push away the best thing that ha
d
ever happened to him? Simply because of who her brother was?

Ryan
unfurled his body from the couch and walked over to her.

“What are you doing?”

Ciara let out a surprised yelp, and twisted around to see him. Her brows were drawn together and her eyes held a flicker of worry.

“Realizing just how dangerous your job is.”

Ah, so she’d figured it out. His lips twisted slightly and he shrugged. “There’re a lot of dangerous jobs, darlin’. I’m a lot like you. We’re both in the business of saving lives.”

“Yeah but I do it from the safety of an ICU ward.”

He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “What exactly did you think a rescue swimmer did?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered.
“You said Coast Guard and I figured you were like a glorified lifeguard or something—not someone who jumps out of helicopters into twenty foot ocean swells.”

There was genuine concern in her gaze, not the gleam of fascination he’d grown accustomed to seeing in the women he dated.

“We also do cliff rescues and medical evacuations. I’m not always jumping out of helos into storms. We wear many hats, Ciara. Like when Katrina hit. I was sent down to New Orleans to help out.”

“You’re amazing.” She shook her head. “You guys are so under appreciated.”

“The Coast Guard doesn’t get much glory, and when we do it’s usually the rescue swimmers—like me—but e
very job there is important. We’re
a team and
we
work our asses off.”

“I know you do.” She traced a finger
ed
over his chest, just above where his heart was, then presse
d a kiss against his shoulder. “I’m sorry about what happened out there today. I wish I could take away your pain.”