Chapter 14
Raider cocked his head and listened to the silence. It didn’t make sense to take chances, so he kept Piper moving. His goal was to put as much distance between them and Kasinski and Denlo as possible. According to the map in his head, they were in the Pu’U Maka’ Ala Natural Area Reserve. He had no idea if there were any cabins or anything, but he was counting on finding someplace to hunker down.
An hour later, clouds had moved in and between those and the ash filling the sky, they no longer had even a hint of light. Navigating a run through the trees was already hard enough and when it started to rain, he had no choice except to slow their pace to a walk. Raider brought out his cell and used the screen to light a path for a bit. He didn’t want to do it for long because he wanted to conserve the battery, but it was hard to move in the pitch dark in the rain forest. They’d been following a game trail and suddenly they came to a clearing. A small ramshackle cabin sat on one side.
Raider motioned for Piper to wait while he did a three-sixty circuit around it and then hurried back to her side. “It’s empty, but I’ll go in first. Wait here.” Relief filled him when she nodded. Apparently, she’d taken to heart his request to do as he instructed, when he instructed.
She remained hidden among the trees while he approached carefully. He looked in the windows and then picked the lock hanging from a hasp on the door. He waved her over.
The cabin was a one-room affair with a cot in the far corner. There was a small table in front of a stove. There didn’t appear to be any running water.
“At least we’re not getting rained on anymore,” Piper said as she sat down at the table. The rain pinged on the tin roof of the shack, sounding like tiny hammers striking metal.
Raider took off the backpack and took out the laptop. He dried the exterior on a bit of his shirt that wasn’t too soaked, then booted it up. “Crap, it’s password protected.”
Piper rubbed her face. “Well, that sucks.”
Raider pulled out his cell and made a call. “Waylen, I need your help.”
“Dude, are you okay? Been hearing you’re with your ex. Never a good thing.”
“You heard right,” Raider said but didn’t elaborate.
Waylen wasn’t wrong. All this time with Piper hadn’t been good for him, but he’d stuck to her side like they were still married. He’d deal with the fallout later. “I have a laptop that I need to use and it’s password protected.”
“I can help,” Waylen agreed. “Where are you?”
“In a cabin, I think in the middle of the Pu’U Maka’ Ala Natural Area Reserve.”
Waylen snorted. “All hell’s breaking loose and you’re sightseeing. Typical Raider, just typical.”
“Funny. How do I get into the laptop?”
Waylen spent the next ten minutes explaining how to get in. Raider executed each step exactly as Waylen directed.
“Yes,” Raider said when the desktop appeared on the screen. He inserted the thumb drive. Then double-clicked on the icon for the USB stick when it appeared on the screen. “Shit,” he mumbled.
“What?” Waylen demanded.
“It says it’s encrypted. Any idea how to break it?”
Waylen’s laugh was curt and sardonic. “Sure, no problem, why don’t I solve world hunger while I’m at it? You’re in the middle of a freakin’ rainforest with no internet. No, I can’t break it.”
“Just thought I’d ask.”
“Do you need to be picked up?” Waylen asked.
Raider leaned back in the chair and glanced at Piper. She looked spent. And soaked. And so damn sexy. “Yeah. I’m guessing it won’t happen tonight though.”
“Probably not. We can meet you at first light. It’s oh-three-thirty. Where do you want to meet and what time?”
Raider snorted. “We’re working our way back towards Hilo. We’ve kind of done a big circle. I’ll call you when we get somewhere that has a landmark.”
“Okay, brother. Call if you need us to come rescue your ass before that. We’ll figure it out.”
“Will do.” Raider hung up the phone.
He captured Piper’s gaze. “Looks like we’re here until daybreak. We’ll share the cot.” He’d been about to offer it to her but fuck that. He’d been through too much today to try sleeping sitting up. He wasn’t worried about Kasinski or Chambers finding them tonight, especially since it was raining. The cot wasn’t much but it was better than nothing, certainly better than laying down on the grody, dust-covered floor.
Piper opened her mouth to say something but she changed her mind. Instead, she got up and went over to the cot. She lay down on her side facing the wall.
So that’s how it was going to be? All the anger that he’d been fighting since he first saw her again came flooding back. She’d kicked him out and now she was going to face the wall like he was some kind of monster. He ground his teeth as he lay down next to her. He flipped on his side and faced the door. His ass kissed hers, thanks to the narrow confines of the cot.
Twenty minutes later, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to spend the night like this. He was too close to her and not being able to touch her was driving him crazy. Maybe he should sleep in the chair. He might actually get some sleep then. He shifted to his back at the same moment she rolled over and she rolled into his chest. Their gazes locked in the darkness, and he threw caution to the wind and captured her mouth with his. She didn’t hesitate but kissed him back with a ferocity that only drove his need higher.
He flipped her on her back and pinned her to the cot with his body. Planting little bites along the side of her neck, he pushed the stray hair out of the way, then lifted her shirt and kissed his way down her chest. He licked the hollow between her breasts, then freed the plump orbs from her bra, eliciting a moan from her as she clutched his t-shirt. With one hand, he jerked it over his head and dropped it to the floor before lowering himself onto her once again. One thigh was tucked between hers, and the heat of her core seared his leg.
She ran her hands over his chest and along his arms and back. She’d always loved his tattoos. Said they were so damn sexy. She ran her hands down to his belt. She started to undo it.
“Slow down,” he whispered in between bites. “I need to hear you say you’re mine first.” He mouthed her nipple again and then grabbed her wrists and held her hands above her head. “Say it, Piper.” He licked the sensitive peak of her nipple. “I’m yours, Raider. I want to hear that from you.”
His lips found hers again in a heated kiss while she struggled against his grip. He wasn’t hurting her, but he wasn’t letting go either. He kissed and nipped along her jaw, then down the front of her throat, his tongue dancing in the hollow at the base. As soon as his lips brushed over one of her nipples, she moaned in pleasure.
“God, that’s so good,” she whispered into his ear. “I’ve miss this so much, missed you so much.”
He pulled back and held her gaze. He shifted until both his legs were between her thighs and his hips nestled against her center. The words were uttered in a soft voice but there was no mistaking he was serious. “Say it, Piper. Say you’re mine. We both know it’s true. Just say it.”
He needed her to admit she still wanted him as much as he wanted her. The idea that she’d been with any other man was enough to drive him insane. He needed to hear her say she was his. Always had been. Always would be. Just as he was hers. Forever.
He rocked his hips hard against her center. Taking control of the kiss once again, he used his tongue to leave her breathless. He moved slowly from her lips to kiss a trail down her neck and then to each of her nipples, tugging lightly at them until she gasped for air. “Say it.” She struggled against his hold, but he maintained a tight grip. He lifted off her body, withdrawing the heat he was certain she was craving. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Say it, Piper. Or I’ll stop.”
She yelped when he groaned and playfully nipped at her breast. He was still holding himself off her, and she was certain he’d make good on his promise to stop. He’d always had amazing control during sex. Loving her to the brink, then easing her back to earth and starting all over again. The number of times she could orgasm before him was astounding. And oh, so good.
Raider rolled her onto her stomach on the cot and held her hands above her head as he alternated kisses and bites down her neck and her back. His cock pressed against the curve of her backside, and it only added to the intense heat coursing through her body. She was wet and ready and he hadn’t even taken off her pants yet. She’d missed this man. Her husband. She’d missed his touch so damn much. A moan escaped her lips.
Moving his hand around to the front, he found the apex of her legs and began massaging her through the fabric of her jeans.
“Take them off,” she whispered, lifting her hips upward.
Raider quickly undid the button and zipper, pulling the jeans down her legs. As he kissed her neck, his fingers slipped inside the edge of her thong. He gently rubbed her clit, teasingly slow as she squirmed under him. Her anticipation grew until she couldn”t take it anymore.
“Faster,” she pleaded.
He rose to his knees behind her and removed his fingers from her thong. She whimpered, but he was relentless. “Say it, Piper” he whispered. “I won’t let you come until you say it. You’re mine.”
Un-fucking-believable. She bit her lip and shook her head. If she said it now, it would be real, and she feared the possibility of real with Raider. What the hell had the last five years been about? While she struggled with the questions and uncertainty, he sighed behind her. The tiniest whisper of air on her spine.
He went back to teasing her clit. Beneath him, she writhed with pleasure until he finally pushed his fingers deep inside of her, earning a loud moan from her lips.
Turning her over once again, he removed her underwear. He kissed her belly, and the tender gesture made every nerve in her body beg for him.
Pressing his body tightly against hers, Raider kissed her deeply. The feeling of their bare skin touching ignited an intense desire, one Piper had thought she would never experience again. As his fingers explored between her legs once more, she moved erratically beneath him. With each touch to her sensitive center, she found herself falling further into ecstasy. Raider made his way down her body until he was kneeling above the apex of her legs, ready to give her the thing she craved; his hot breath against her skin. As he caressed the heated folds at the apex of her thighs, she eagerly responded to his skilled touch. With deliberate movements, he blew a cool breath over her core as she sunk her fingers into his hair and held his head to her core.
His hands bit into her hips, keeping her in place as he used his tongue on her clit. She moaned and he intensified the lashings of his tongue. She locked her legs around his head and let go of his hair, gripping the sides of the cot as she tried to fight the waves of desire burning through her. Then he inserted a finger inside while continuing to pleasure her with his mouth. He picked up speed and added another finger.
Piper pushed against his fingers and bit her lip to hold back her scream. She was on the brink, and she wanted him so badly she actually ached with need.
Raider, her Raider. This was heaven, one she never thought she’d see again. He pushed a third finger inside her. She lifted her hips to meet him, reaching the peak of ecstasy. With a sudden nip of his teeth against her most sensitive spot, she cried out his name and climaxed.
Without giving her a break, he spread himself on top of her and started sucking on her nipples. His cock pounded with the need to be inside her, to feel her sweet, wet heat surround him. To know he owned her. At the same time, he wanted to punish her for kicking him out. Punish her for not being able to be with her, for not having this delicious heaven in his life. With a growl, he slammed his cock inside her, making her entire body shudder. She cried out, the sound muffled by his lips as he claimed her with a searing kiss. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her closer, driving deeper.
Piper writhed beneath him, her body responding to his every touch. Her moans rose above the sound of the rain on the roof each time he thrust into her. The pounding rhythm he set kept time with the pounding of his heart.
The intensity between them was familiar and insane. The raw desire he had for her was like nothing else and it only fueled his passion more. This was what he craved for five long years and now he was going to take it again and again.
He continued to thrust, his hips moving in a frenzied dance, his breath ragged and heavy. She clung to him, her body arching towards his, pulling his hair, digging her nails into his shoulders. A sharp sting hit his pec. She’d bit him, and the act only made him want her more. His hips thrust harder, and their bodies moved in a feverish rhythm fueled by need and anger.
And love. He’d never fallen out of love with her. The knowledge made him drive harder, deeper. Joining them in the most primal way.
This was a battle of desire and will, where they’d both win.
Raider’s eyes snagged her gaze. ”Tell me you”re mine,” he demanded.
Eyes hazed, she clawed at his back, her nails digging into his skin, and he met her intensity with his own.
“I’m yours, Raider. I always have been.” The words tumbled from her lips, one final surrender to the raw desire that had consumed them both.
Raider’s heart thumped triumphantly, his breath ragged and heavy. He thrust into her, their bodies moving in perfect synchrony, their hearts pounding in rhythm, Piper’s gaze locked on his. With a growl, he thrust deeper, his body trembling with desire.
”Say it again,” he grunted, his voice low and gritty.
”I”m yours, Raider,” she whispered. “And you’re mine.”
Oh God, he’d happily be hers if he could have her like this every night. Raider plunged into her one final time, burying himself deep within her as the world around them disappeared into a whirl of sensations. Beneath him, her body convulsed, her moans filling the small cabin as she reached the pinnacle. Raider’s orgasm was imminent, A tingling building at the base of his spine, raging within him like an inferno ignited by her surrender and the intensity of their connection.
As he climaxed, his eyes never left hers, his intensity unwavering. ”You”re mine,” he growled, his voice low and rough. He added silently and you always will be.