8. Ryan
Chapter 8
Ryan
I almost kissed Torey.
I was this close to putting my lips to hers and taking us both to another world. In the end, I showed some much-needed restraint. Too much. My only regret was that it was only an almost kiss. I still felt the heat of her pressed against me, the soft fan of her hot chocolate-scented breath as she tilted her head back, ready for my kiss. Yeah, she wanted it as much as I did, which only made me feel like a bigger idiot.
“This is ridiculous,” I grumbled to myself as I sat up in bed, grouchy as hell because I slept terribly. Each time my eyes closed, there she was—Torey, with her big blue eyes teasing, taunting, daring me to kiss her the way I wanted. I’d woken up twice, hard and aching, and nothing satisfied my need, not even taking my cock in hand and rubbing one out to thoughts of the raven-haired woman.
I should have just kissed her. That thought ran through my head as I got out of bed and headed for the shower. I had another appointment with the physical therapist, which I dreaded, but this was the path back to the Army—back to my brothers.
“How are you feeling?” Greg, the therapist, smiled up at me, his bright white teeth a stark contrast to his deep mahogany skin.
“Good. There’s very little ache in my thigh and I’ve been working out daily.”
Greg glared at me. “Daily is a bit much right now. Scale it back to every other day.”
I bit back a curse at his admonishment. “Fine. Every other day.”
He grinned. “Trust me. Do as I say and I’ll get you as ready as can be to get back to it.”
I nodded, but heard what he didn’t say. He’d get me as good as he could, but we both knew there was no guarantee it would get me back into the Army. “We’ll increase it as needed?”
“Yeah, of course, but you’ve got to fully heal first man.” He was encouraging as we went through the paces, giving me shit when I needed it and supporting me when I struggled. “Looking good, Ryan. Keep up the good work, but scale back like I said to avoid setbacks.”
“Thanks, Greg.” I was a little sweaty as I made my way back to Holiday Grove and back to the farmhouse where I’d hardly seen Nix because she was basically living with Lee. I was happy for her but missed her, so I shot off a quick text.
Me: Am I gonna see you during this visit? Dinner? Lunch? Coffee?
With that done, I stripped out of my sweats and took another shower, and soon enough thoughts of Torey took over, forcing me to rub one out as I thought about her on her knees, those blue eyes smiling up at me while she took my cock between her lush lips. I came hard and fast before I soaped up, rinsed off, and stepped from the shower.
I had no plans for the day and no clue what Torey’s schedule was like. We had two days until the week of Valentine’s Day activities officially began, and already I was out of things to do. I thought about calling Torey, but the temptation she presented was too strong. I wanted her more than I expected—hell, more than I’d ever wanted any woman.
And that was problematic.
After a quick thigh massage, I stepped into a pair of jeans just as a loud, frantic knock sounded downstairs. I groaned and snatched my t-shirt off the bed before I—slowly—made my way down the steps and to the front door. Because it was Holiday Grove, I answered the door without looking and found Torey staring up at me with an unreadable expression on her face. “Torey.”
“Ryan.” My name left her lips on a heavy sigh as she stepped inside the house before I even invited her. “We should talk.”
“Now isn’t a good time.” My emotions were raw as they tended to be after physical therapy and thinking about my brothers out there, down a man or worse, trusting a man they didn’t know. Those thoughts combined with the issue of Torey had me feeling on edge.
“It’s never going to be a good time with you, I’m sure.” There was attitude in her tone, and I wondered what had prompted it. “Look, let’s just clear the air and then we never have to talk about this. Ever again.” She turned with her hands on her hips and studied me.
“Later,” I growled.
She huffed impatiently. “I’m not here to beg you to kiss me or be with me, Ryan. It’s clear that there’s an attraction here,” she motioned between us. “You don’t want it and that’s fine so we should clear the air and move on so we can get through this week without a lot of drama.”
“Torey! Now isn’t a good time.”
She pulled those plump pink lips into her mouth, and her nostrils flared as her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. The hurt transformed into anger before my eyes, and she nodded. “Yeah. Okay, fine.” She shook her head. “I thought we could be adults about this, but clearly, I was wrong. Screw you, Ryan Murphy.” She shoulder-checked me as she walked past, and that was it.
My temper exploded. Instinctively, my hand reached out and gripped her wrist. “Torey.”
She gasped and looked over her shoulder at me. “Get your hands off me.” Her blue gaze darkened to midnight, but she made no move to free herself from my grasp. “Ryan.”
“Torey,” I growled and pulled her flush against mine as I stared at her pretty face. She was gorgeous with flushed cheeks, dilated pupils, and with her lips parted slightly. One hand slid up her neck until I cupped her face, and the other tangled in her black waves. I shouldn’t kiss her. This couldn’t go anywhere. But the desire in her eyes and the flush on her skin was too tempting to ignore. “Fuck!” The word left my mouth a heartbeat before my mouth crashed down on hers.
She moaned and slipped her tongue past my lips, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she pushed her body closer to mine.
Desire coursed through me at her response, at how much this gorgeous woman wanted me. My cock hardened and pressed impatiently against my zipper. The need for her was too strong to ignore. One of my hands left her hair and slid down her back to cup her beautiful ass. I squeezed one cheek and then the other, groaning at how soft and feminine she felt.
Torey moaned again and unwrapped her arms from around me, sliding them both down my chest to my abs and then back up over my pecs. She took her time and explored every inch of my torso, releasing moan after moan, which I swallowed happily. Then she hooked her fingertips inside the waistband of my jeans, sliding them side to side as if she just needed to feel my skin.
“Torey,” I moaned into her mouth when she grabbed my cock through my jeans.
“You’re hard,” she whispered and stroked me again and again. “And big.” She licked her lips as her hands made quick work of my button and zipper before she reached inside my boxers to fist my cock. “So big.”
The last shreds of my control snapped, and I kissed down her throat and across her chest, up to her earlobe. She let out a shaky breath right beside my ear, the sound full of want and need. I pulled back and removed her jacket, her pink sweater, and her pale pink lacy bra. “Fuck, you are stunning.” Her tits were big and perky, her nipples pink and hard. My mouth watered, and I didn’t deny myself any longer.
“God, yes!” Torey’s fingers tangled in my hair and held me right there, crying out her pleasure as I sucked and licked and teased her nipples, kneaded the flesh of her breasts. “Ryan!” Her hips bucked against mine when I sank my teeth into the hard nub.
Her moans drove me crazy, and I needed more, so I took more, sliding my hands into the waistband of her black leggings until I found the hot, wet core of her. She was drenched and swollen. “You’re so wet for me, Tor.”
“You’re a good kisser,” she replied breathlessly. “And you’re good with your, oh, hands!” She bit down on her bottom lip when one finger slid deep. “Yes!”
She was so fucking hot. So responsive, I felt my cock weeping against my belly. Torey’s blue eyes were fixed on mine, but when she grabbed her tits in her hands, nipples hard and calling out to me, I tore my gaze away and feasted on her soft skin while one finger slid in long, fast strokes. She got wetter as she pulsed around my fingers, her orgasm rose closer and closer to the surface.
“Ryan,” she said in warning.
“I got you, Torey. Let go.” I added a second finger and sucked her nipple harder until her body exploded around my fingers. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but I looked up because I had to watch her come apart.
Her eyes widened in shock as her body twitched and convulsed, a look of absolute wonder on her face. Her mouth spread into a satisfied smile. “Damn!” Her gaze flicked to mine, playful and teasing. “Now I’m really curious to see what else you can do.”
I growled like the beast that I was when this woman was around and spun her around before I bent her over the arm of the closet sofa. “God, this ass is a work of art,” I told her and gave one cheek a loud smack.
The low hum of arousal that left her mouth made it impossible to slow down as I gripped my cock in one hand and tested her honeyed center with the other.
“Ryan, please.” She arched her back, and that was all the invitation I needed.
“What do you need,” I growled as I lined up the blunt head of my cock with her dripping core and pushed inside one slow inch at a time. “Fuck,” I bit out because she felt so fucking good. Hot and wet and tight.
“That’s a good start,” she gritted out and arched her back to take more of my cock. “So good.”
I pushed and pushed until I was balls deep.
“More,” she demanded.
I smiled and slowly reversed path before I slammed in again and again, harder with every stroke until she scratched at the fabric of the sofa and pushed back. I smacked her cheek again, and her body responded instantly, pulsing and wetter. She was going to be my undoing, I just knew it.
There were no more words after that, just grunts and moans and the sound of damp flesh as it smacked together in a frantic symphony of need. My skin was soaked with sweat, and my focus was on the sight of my cock as it disappeared into the depths of her, her plump ass, and the way I was shiny with her juices when I pulled back.
“Torey,” I groaned and gave her ass another smack.
“Yes, oh fuck! Yes!” She liked it when I gripped her hips and fucked her hard, and before either of us were prepared for it, she came again, squeezing my cock in a vice grip until she triggered my own orgasm.
“Fuck!” I roared my pleasure, but my hips didn’t stop moving, my cock was still too hungry, too needy to leave her body. I pumped until I felt my hard-on fade and her walls stopped pulsing around me before I finally—and reluctantly—left her body.
“Wow,” she panted and smiled at me over her shoulder. “Just fucking wow.”
A smile touched my lips at her effusive praise at what had just happened between us. I couldn’t deny the truth in her smile. That was a good fuck, but it was more than that. I couldn’t say why exactly, only that I felt the difference. It wasn’t just fucking for the sake of getting off—though that was amazing, it was something else. Something more.
Something deeper.
My smile faded, and I took a step back. My legs were shaky, and my heart pounded so loud that my words sounded muffled as they left my lips. “This was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened.”
Her smile disappeared immediately, and she pushed off the arm of the sofa, standing straight with a glare fixed on me. “Right. A mistake.” She frowned, tugging her leggings back into place, hiding all her sweet parts from view. “Asshole.” Venom laced her words, but her blue eyes were watery with unshed tears, her bottom lip quivering. Without another word, she slipped on her sweater, shoved the bra into her pocket, snatched her coat off the floor, and stormed out of the farmhouse.
She was right; I was an asshole, but I was something else too. Something worse than a callous bastard who would say that to the most beautiful, most responsive, most incredible woman I’d ever been inside.
I was a fucking coward.