16. Chapter Sixteen
16
Wren
As soon as the front door shuts behind Ryker, I glare at my brother. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Elias sighs heavily. “I can tell you like him, Wren, and I just don’t want you to get hurt like everyone else that’s been in his life.”
“You’re going based on everything you’ve seen online, not bothering to pay attention to the kind of guy he truly is.”
“What else am I supposed to do when he’s all over the internet?”
“What you would do if it were anyone else,” I grind out. “You’re one of the best guys I know, so why is it so hard for you to give Ryker the benefit of the doubt like you’d do for others?”
Elias has never been one to pass judgment. That’s what I’ve always loved most about him, but the way he’s acting about Ryker is frustrating. If both he and my dad would get to know him as a person rather than act as if they knew him, they’d see how wrong they are.
“He’s got anger problems, Wren. Shouldn’t you be more worried?”
“It’s my job to get people to cope with things like that!” I wave my hand at Ryker’s house. “He’s been doing so much better since we started, and I’m not about to give up on him now just because you think he’s bad news for me.”
“I’m not telling you to give up on him,” my brother mutters. “I just don’t want you making a mistake by ruining your career for someone who can’t control themselves.”
If my mind was on right, I could agree with everything he’s saying. It’s what has been running through my mind every step of the way throughout the last few days or so. Ryker and I can’t be together, it’s against the code and the rules his manager wrote out for me.
No matter which way we spin this, my career would be ruined, and that could be it for me.
“Why are you even assuming I like him?”
He arches a brow and sighs heavily, running a hand through his thick hair. “I saw the way you looked at him, and you’re also not exactly denying it right now.”
I hate how deceptive he is.
“That doesn’t give you the right to come into his property like it’s your own. When I gave you his address, I thought you understood you couldn’t just show up like this. There’s a reason he has a secured gate to get into the place, anyone could’ve seen you come through here, and he’s managed to go undetected so far.”
My brother blinks and shakes his head. “I didn’t think about that, Wren.”
“Of course you didn’t! For whatever reason, you think it’s okay to jeopardize Ryker’s well-being all because you believe he’s a bad guy who doesn’t deserve a shred of privacy.”
I groan loudly and take a step backward. “If there’s anyone I thought would give Ryker a chance to be himself, it was you – clearly I was wrong to think that.”
“Come on, Wren, I’m just looking out for you.”
“Eli, I’m not a little kid anymore. I graduated high school years ago and know how to take care of myself.”
“You’re right,” he says softly. “I don’t like it, but you are.”
“I’m not an idiot, Eli. I understand what I’m doing, and I know the risks involved.”
“I’m sorry for showing up like this.”
“I get it, but tone it down just a little bit,” I say while pinching my pointer and thumb together, leaving a tiny sliver of space between them to indicate how much he should tone it down.
He chuckles and pulls me in for a big hug. “Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
I wait until he’s heading back down the driveway to head inside, the memories of today flooding right back into my mind as soon as I step through the front door. I’ve noticed a change in Ryker, and I want to believe it’s because I’m that good. But, is it something else?
He was talking to his parents today, maybe that’s got something to do with it.
When I walk through the entryway and into the living room, there’s no sign of him relaxing inside and I frown. I wanted to talk to him when I came back in, to understand what the hell is going on between us because I can’t seem to figure it out.
The picnic today was a pleasant surprise, one that I didn’t know Ryker could be capable of, and it only confirmed that he’s more than the media makes him out to be. He’s got a kind heart, but nobody lets him show it.
There’s also a fun side to him that was refreshing. I hadn’t expected him to take me bungee jumping, or to have so much fun doing it.
What else will he bring out of me?
We’ve been gone most of the day, having spent hours sitting on that soft blanket with the canyon as a backdrop, so I’m not surprised when the sun starts setting through the large window in the kitchen. I watch it for a moment while silently wishing that Ryker and I were still on that canyon to watch it roll under the horizon, then calmly make my way down the hall.
I don’t know what I had expected when we got back.
Maybe that Ryker would wait up for me before heading to his room or wish me a proper goodnight, but none of those things happened, and there's a smidge of sadness swirling through my body at the fact.
Instead of focusing on the negative, I make my way into the shower and turn the water on as hot as it will go. Maybe the steam will lift the emotions from today away and keep my head from being clouded.
After I quickly discard my clothes, I step under the steaming stream of water and lean back into it with a happy sigh. The heat from it feels glorious against my skin and I’m so lost in it that I don’t notice Ryker’s in here with me until his arms wrap around my waist. I gasp when he spins me around, my breasts brushing against his chest, and I look into his eyes for some sort of answer.
He rests his forehead against mine and inhales deeply with a shake of his head. “As much as I wanted to keep my distance, it’s nearly impossible knowing you’re in here.”
My heart stutters violently with his words and I close my eyes, enjoying the heat from not only the water but his body as well. I’m surprised when he presses a soft kiss to my temple before pulling away and turning me back around to put shampoo in my hair.
I’ve never had anyone care for me like this, especially with no underlying reason. I’m not sick or anything, could very well do it on my own, but it feels as though he needs to touch me, and that has me easily leaning my head back to give him better access.
He massages my scalp, making sure to get between each strand of hair – definitely impossible, but that’s what it feels like – and gently tilts my head back into the water to rinse the shampoo out of it.
When that’s all out, he grabs the loofa I’ve been using and lathers soap on it with a heated gaze locked onto me. It’s not supposed to be sexual, but that’s what it feels like as he runs the loofa against my bare skin and between my parted thighs. I don’t miss how he pays extra attention to the sensitive space between them, but the moment is gone before I’ve gotten the chance to bask in it.
“Now,” he rasps before lifting me from the shower floor and carrying me out. “For the best part of the night.”
I cling to him as he walks me through one hall, down another, until we finally come to a stop in his room. He sits me carefully on the bed, then hurries into the adjoining bathroom and comes out with a bottle of clear liquid.
“What’s that?”
He shakes it with a small smile. “Baby oil. Turn onto your stomach.”
I do as he demands and rest my arms at my sides, aware of every move he makes behind me with anticipation for what’s to come next. Ryker sits the bottle on the nightstand next to his bed, and I groan when he digs his hands into my thighs.
My skin is on fire where his skin touches mine, almost as though I’m still under the hot spray of water, and I’m desperate to rub my thighs together to scratch the itch burrowing its way inside of me. Ryker makes sure to keep my thighs spread apart, though, torturing me in the most glorious way as he moves his fingers closer to my pussy.
I’m about to demand that he stop teasing me and do what he wants when he claps me lightly on the ass and forces another groan from my throat. He pushes his hands into the small of my back, then glides them slowly over my ass, and I close my eyes with a silent prayer that he’ll get on with whatever he’s got planned.
It better be making me scream, or I’ll go insane.
“I think that’s enough,” he says, then I’m being pushed onto all fours so he can situate himself between my legs. “Perfect,” he growls while pushing a finger into my entrance.
My legs shake as he slowly pulls it out, then runs it gently over my clit, only to push back into me with more force than the first time. He continues the sweet torture bringing, nearly bringing me over the edge.
" I want to feel you," I beg. "Greedy little darling," he says and leans over for a condom.
"No, all of you," I say. "Wren," he hesitates. "I'm on birth control, please," I whisper.
He shudders behind me, holding his cock at my entrance, and then slowly sinks an inch before pulling out. "Fuck, darling, you're so wet for me," he growls as he sinks in a little more and pulls out again.
I’m so lost in my head that I gasp when he fully pushes his length into me, stretching my walls, and I squeeze the sheets so tightly I’m afraid my nails are going to rip through them.
He grips both of my hips, pulls out, and slams back into me so hard that he has me falling forward – I’m going to get broken at the end of this.
He massages the curve of my ass, only to bring it right back to my hips and slam himself into me once again with the same amount of eagerness as the first time – at least I was prepared.
"Fuck, you're so beautiful," he growls and ups the pace. I push back to meet each thrust, feeling the edge of my release. "God, Wren," he groans as he pumps deeper and harder, giving me the pressure to bring me to the peak of the most intense ecstasy.
"Ryker," I moan as my orgasm is sharp and strong and has me clenching his cock and squeezing the blanket below me. "It feels so good," I say.
"Fuck, Wren," he groans as his release follows mine. slowing the pumping as our bodies tremble and sink together.
"Oh, God," I think.
How could I possibly deny this connection we seem to have with each other? No one else can make my toes curl the way he is right now just by touching me. I’ve never been so eager to feel a man’s touch to the point that I’m pushing my ass back into them, desperate for the release increasing inside of me.
It’s insane how powerful his touch is, and I know there’s no way I could ever get this man out of my head, no matter how much I might try when our time together comes to a gruesome end.
The way my heart beats erratically when I’m with him is nothing like I’ve ever felt before, and that terrifies yet excites me. I want to push the boundaries we set up in the beginning and see what this could be without them, and I’ve got a feeling he wants to do the same thing.
If his words tonight are any indication, I don’t know what else would be.
It’s much clearer to me now than before – I’m falling for this man, even though it goes against everything I’ve ever been taught.
Do I ignore this feeling or let it take over my entire existence?
That’s the most pressing question and one I don’t have an answer for.
Not yet, anyway.