Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
One tiny step forward is all Ryker needs to snatch my belt loop and tug me to his chest.
“You’ve been ignoring me,” he says, arm snaking around my waist, preventing me from escaping. “I fucking hate it.”
“No,” I whisper, voice low and breathy. “I haven’t been.”
I try to step out of his grip, but that only makes him hold me more firmly. Eyes locked on mine, his thumb caresses my hip bone while his free hand moves to my lower back, sliding farther and farther south. I clench my thighs, struggling not to close my eyes and moan.
“Lie to me again, Princess ,” Ryker warns, slowly trailing his nose along my jaw. “I fucking dare you.”
Heart pounding against my rib cage, I lean back just far enough to meet his stare. “I haven’t been ignoring you. I just?—”
Smack.
He spanks my ass, and I gasp, nearly losing my footing when all the blood in my body rushes to the throbbing pulse between my legs. Trying to steady myself, I drop my hand to his bicep, my fingers catching on something plasticky and smooth, but I forget about it the second he speaks .
“I need you to stop ignoring me,” he growls against my temple.
My eyes flutter closed as he slides his palm across my ass to soothe the sting, but then he rears back and spanks me again, this time much harder.
Crack.
I cry out, but his lips are already moving again. “And you need to stop wearing such tiny fucking shorts around the house. Every time I see you, I want to bend you over my knee and remind you that I’m still fucking here.”
Crack.
The impact pitches me forward, bringing my chest flush against Ryker’s as something hard digs into my stomach. Brain fuzzy, I drop my eyes to his waist and realize it’s definitely not his belt buckle this time…
“You said I was distracting you from Charlie,” I whisper, cheeks an absolute inferno. “You said you were thinking about me when you should be thinking about her…”
The hand on my ass stops and squeezes. “Apparently I was fucking high. And I happen to like you distracting me—so much more than I should, Princess.”
A thousand wings take flight inside my chest as I stare up at him.
“I need you to start talking to me again,” he continues, eyes soft and vulnerable. “Everything with Charlie’s custody is going to shit because I can’t find a job that pays enough to support the both of us. Beau’s petitioning the court for a hearing date, which means he’s one step closer to having his parental rights reinstated. And on top of all that, I can’t take another goddamned second of your silence and polite bullshit small talk.”
He drops his forehead to mine, and the hand he has on my ass kneads the tender skin beneath my shorts with so much urgency I can’t tell whether he’s trying to soothe the ache of his latest slap or soothe himself.
Every nerve ending in my body fires off at once, and my brain struggles to remember why I’m supposed to be staying away in the first place while my limbs twitch with the need to wrap around him. Then Ryker brings a hand to my cheek, the sweet fragrance of stolen strawberries and a heady scent that’s so uniquely him obliterating all rational thought as he trails his thumb across my lower lip.
Unsure where it’s okay to touch him but needing to be closer, I grab his shirt and tilt my chin up. “Ryker?—”
His lips slam into mine, rough and all-consuming. A flood of shocked delight washes over my body, and even though I have absolutely no idea how to properly kiss him back, his mouth and hard muscles feel so incredible pressed up against me that I sigh and melt into him.
Whatever sound I make seems to snap Ryker out of his momentary madness because he abruptly pulls away.
My lungs tighten when his moss-green eyes lock onto mine, scanning my face with such intensity I forget to breathe. Half in a daze, all I can do is stare when he brings his fingers to his lips, brows lifting in surprise, like he can’t believe he kissed me.
I brace myself for the moment he shoves me away and retreats. But he just stands there, hand on my hip as he draws in one ragged breath after another.
The air around us turns thick and heavy, vibrating with the tension of the storm brewing between us. Too afraid to speak or move, I cling to his shirt like a lifeline, silently pleading for him to stay and kiss me again.
Ryker’s jaw hardens, and the hairs on my arms rise the same way they do moments before the first clap of rolling thunder.
“Fuck it,” he growls, and then his hand is in my hair and his lips are crashing into mine again, fierce and claiming as he hauls my body against his. I sigh, my heart beating so fast it might burst when I lift onto my tiptoes to meet him.
At first, I fumble to keep up, trying too hard to match the tempo of his lips and overthinking every movement of my mouth. But then his fingers dig into my scalp, sending shivers dancing across my skin, and my muscles slowly uncoil. When he captures my lower lip with his teeth a second later, it’s like a switch flips in my head and suddenly my busy mind is quiet.
I kiss him back without restraint, until I’m unsure where he begins and I end. There’s only him and me, our mouths and bodies perfectly synced. I’m so caught up in the feel of his lips and his sweet strawberry taste I barely notice when he picks me up, seamlessly maneuvering us onto the sofa so that I’m straddling his lap.
Gripping the couch cushion behind him for balance, I deepen the kiss, reveling in the little noise of appreciation Ryker makes when I open for him. I moan into his mouth, and his powerful muscles tense, the urgency of his touches becoming more frantic as he explores and devours me. His hands and lips are everywhere, each sweep of his tongue over mine eliciting a soft groan from low in my chest and stirring a desperate need in my core.
I shiver when his fingers roam beneath my shirt, trailing across the damaged flesh of my hips and back without an ounce of hesitation. It’s not enough. I want more. I want to be closer.
Ryker growls when I pull just far enough away to grab the hem of my shirt. With shaking hands, I slide the fabric up and over my head, leaving me in only my cotton bralette and shorts.
“Look at you,” he says huskily, palms sliding up the length of my scarred back as he takes in the sight of my breasts spilling over my bra.
The heat in his gaze steals my breath away.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” His voice is a raspy whisper, but the enraptured glint in his eyes and the reverent way he runs his hands across my skin makes me feel like he’s shouting it from the rooftops.
I stop shaking, and a delicate warmth spreads out from the center of my chest into my limbs. I bring my hands up, intending to wrap them around his shoulders and kiss him again, but Ryker stops me, roughly capturing my wrists and pinning them to my sides.
Eyes wide with panic and cheeks flushed pink, he tries to look away, but I lean forward and place my forehead against his. Once his breathing evens out, I let my arms go limp so he can see I won’t touch him unbidden.
“Show me where you want my hands,” I whisper.
Ryker inhales deeply, and the next thing I know, my wrists are pinned behind my back. The arch he’s forcing into my spine shoves my now heaving breasts into his face, barely an inch away from his mouth. I make a sound that’s halfway between a gasp and a moan, the pulse at the apex of my thighs throbbing as my clit grazes against the tented fabric of his jeans.
Gaze locked on mine, he tightens his grip on my wrists and tugs down, like he’s trying to gauge my reaction now that I can’t move. A thrill shoots up my spine, and my nipples pebble into sharp points as the ghost of his breath penetrates the thin cotton of my bra. Still staring into his eyes, I relax my shoulders in surrender. If he needs control to feel comfortable, I’m more than happy to give it to him.
The corner of his mouth kicks up.
“You’re fucking perfect, you know that?” Shifting my wrists so he’s holding them with only one hand, he threads his fingers into my hair and licks my bottom lip before diving in to recapture my mouth. He’s much rougher this time, dragging my hips across his lap and massaging my breasts over my bra until I’m putty in his hands. Before long, we’re grinding against each other as we make out, a small moan escaping my lips every time his belt buckle grazes my clit.
Chest heaving, Ryker pulls away and gives my ass a quick pat. “Up.”
Wrists still secured behind me, I rise to my knees so he can adjust himself, my eyes widening at the massive imprint of his dick beneath his jeans. Before I can fully process what I’m looking at, Ryker slams me back onto his lap and starts kissing my neck while guiding my hips up and down his thigh.
Holy fuck . My eyes flutter open and closed, his hard length pressed against my center sending me into a frenzy. It only takes a second before my hips move of their own accord .
Ryker hums approvingly. “You like grinding against my cock, don’t you, Princess?”
“ Mm-hmm .”
“Is this how you make yourself come when you’re alone? By rubbing that sweet pussy on whatever hard surface you can find and wishing it was me?”
Jesus Christ. It will be now…
“Show me,” he growls. “Get rid of these shorts so I can watch how you get yourself off.” He releases my hands, and although my clit is still pounding, the feeling slowly slips away as reality comes crashing back in…
I’d rather die than confess to my accidental pillow-humping orgasm, so instead of verbalizing that I’ve never been able to come on purpose, I just sorta lock up.
Ryker’s mouth pulls into a tight line. “You’ve made yourself come before, right?”
I drop my chin and look away, then I’m squealing and flying through the air as Ryker flips me onto my back, pinning one of my legs to the sofa with his bodyweight as I dig my fingers into the couch beneath me.
Placing a rough palm on my bare stomach, he slides his opposite hand to my neck and tilts my head forward until I have no choice but to look him in the eye.
“Were you waiting for my help?” he whispers, slowly bringing his face to mine. “Because if you wanted me to make you come, all you had to do was ask.” He kisses my jaw. “I’d have been here in a heartbeat. I’d have helped you through those lonely nights.” Chills prickle across my skin as he trails his lips down the column of my throat. “I’d have had you convulsing around my fingers while you begged for more.” He nips at my neck, and then starts making his way back toward my mouth. “Were you really just waiting for me this whole time, Princess?”
Mortified, I almost shove the cocky prick off me, but then I notice the playful glint in his eye and the smirk he’s desperately trying to hide, and I can’t help but belt out a laugh—my chest feeling ten times lighter as my body shakes with relief.
“You caught me,” I reply with an exaggerated bob of my head. “Every time you put crickets in my bed and pulled my hair, all I could think was ‘ Gee, I sure hope this is the boy who gives me my first real orgasm .’”
“The crickets were funny,” Ryker growls, nipping at my chin before brushing the hair out of my face and hovering his lips over mine. “And I’m fucking glad it’s going to be me.”
My breath hitches when he drops his mouth back to my neck, my stomach clenching as he swirls his tongue around my pulse point. “It was always going to be me,” he says against my damp skin, slowly guiding the hand on my belly beneath the waistband of my shorts and lower until his fingers are lightly resting on the mound above my pussy.
Clutching onto the couch cushion, I moan and arch into his touch, trying to bring his hand farther south, but he doesn’t budge. Instead, he barks out a husky, pleased-sounding laugh.
“Tell me what you want, Princess,” he says, lips grazing the shell of my ear. “ Beg me for it or this stops right now.”
I tilt my chin up toward Ryker’s beautiful face. He’s breathing so fast it’s making me dizzy, but my heart flutters just the same. By commanding me to beg for what I want, he’s giving me a voice and the power to make the decision. For the first time in my life, it feels like someone sees me as an equal, not some fragile, broken little girl who needs coddling.
There are a million different ways I could ask Ryker to ease the growing ache, but there’s one thing I want even more than that.
I remind myself to be daring. To live a little.
Heart pounding, I swallow down my nervousness. “I want to touch you.”
The heat in his expression fades, but when he doesn’t pull away, I slide my hands out from beneath me and bring them toward his face, hovering my palms a few inches away from his jaw to wait for permission. “I want to touch you, and then I want you to kiss me again.”
I feel more vulnerable asking him for this than I would asking him to bend me over the couch and have his way with me…but this is what I want—what we both need . No holding back.
Breaths shallow and mouth drawn into a thin, tight line, Ryker shakes his head. “It’s not you. I just don’t like being touched when I’m…” He closes his eyes. “I have to be able to move my head.”
Something inside my heart cracks, a pool of warmth spilling out that I wish I could wrap around Ryker like a protective bubble. Wanting to show him that I can respect his boundaries, I lower my hands.
“I don’t like lighters, or fire, or rickety water towers. But I like you. I trust you.” I take a deep breath. “You can trust me, too.”
Ryker gets a faraway look in his eye, jaw clenching and unclenching like he’s mulling something over.
A beat goes by.
And then another.
My stomach sinks when he starts to lean away. But then he shifts his weight, grabs my hand, and brings it to his cheek, kissing the soft skin of my inner wrist before pushing his face against my open palm.
My chest swells in time with my rapidly beating heart as I graze my thumb across his rough stubble. “I promise I’ll never hurt you,” I whisper.
Eyes hard and smoldering with heat, Ryker brings his nose to mine. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Then he’s kissing me, and I’m sliding my hands into his raven hair and lightly dragging my nails across his scalp as he moans into my mouth.
The kiss is different this time—slower and deeper, tugging at something inside my chest while slickening my core with each subtle rotation of his hips between my thighs.
At first, I’m delicate with my touch, but after a minute or two of him rocking his body against my aching center, I’m so riled up I can’t think of anything but my singular desire for more of him. I have to use all my restraint not to claw at his shoulders and draw him closer.
Ryker’s hands are everywhere—at the nape of my neck, between the valley of my breasts, gliding up and down my sides like he can’t memorize the curves of my body fast enough. When he places his palm back on my stomach, stopping just shy of where I need his touch most, I can’t stop myself from using the arm wrapped around his shoulder as leverage to buck my hips. It’s not nearly enough, as evidenced by the absolutely pathetic whimper that escapes my lips.
“You said you wanted me to kiss you,” Ryker whispers, nibbling at my jaw. “Did you change your mind? Does that needy pussy of yours want some attention, too?”
Heat pulses through my core. “Yes,” I moan. “ Please .”
“I love it when you beg,” he groans, the rumbling sound of his voice making me shudder as his knuckles slide across my belly to unclasp the button of my shorts. Heart rate pounding violently, I lift my hips so he can slide them off, and he makes a satisfied huffing noise against my mouth. “Are you going to behave yourself and let me play as long as I want to?”
Jesus, yes .
I nod a little too enthusiastically.
Chuckling darkly, like he can hear my frenzied thoughts, he slides his hand up the inside of my thigh, brushing his thumb painfully close to my pussy as he spreads my legs apart. My entire body quakes when he drags a knuckle over the thin fabric of my underwear, my stomach coiling tightly enough that I might come apart.
“Look at you,” he breathes. “Already drenched. Is all this for me?”
Chest buzzing with warm delight at how pleased he sounds, I bite my lip and nod.
Ryker smiles. And with eyes so dark they’re almost black, he leans forward, trailing his lips down my throat while grinding his thigh against my center. I arch into him and moan .
Between kisses, he shifts to the side, trapping one of my legs beneath his while the hand on my hip slides my underwear off. I shiver as cool air brushes across my pussy, my eyes fluttering open and closed with a mixture of desperate want and a jittery sensation in my stomach that feels like there’s an electric current beneath my skin.
“Keep those legs spread for me, Princess.” He kisses me again, and at the first tease of his fingers dragging over my wet center, I groan, the feel of his rough skin against my most intimate flesh making me feral. My hips rise up to beg for more, and he rewards me by circling my clit.
My nails dig into his shoulders, eyes rolling into the back of my head when Ryker grunts his approval. He’s barely touched me and already my inner walls are clenching, like that will somehow draw him inside me faster.
“So fucking needy,” Ryker pants. Kissing me, he increases the pressure and speed, groaning against my jaw each time my mouth falls open to whimper or catch my breath. Then his fingers dip lower, teasing my opening before returning to my clit. My muscles contract and little jolts of pleasure shoot up my spine as a steady pressure builds in my low belly.
“Ryker,” I gasp, pinching my eyes closed as my body coils and begins to quake.
“Keep those pretty eyes on me,” he orders, his voice a raspy growl full of the same frantic desperation taking root inside my core.
My eyes open and I nod before intertwining my fingers at the nape of his neck.
He brings his forehead to mine. “Good girl. Just like that,” he hums. “I want to see your face when I—” He slides a finger inside me, his mouth dropping open with a moan in response to the absolutely pathetic mewl of pleasure that escapes my throat.
I arch my back, moisture pooling between my legs as he begins to pump. His movements are slow and exquisite, the sensation so overwhelming, it feels like each stroke is drawing out my pleasure the same way the tide is drawn out before a tsunami .
“Please don’t stop,” I manage to gasp, keeping my gaze locked on his while I struggle to breathe.
“Fuck,” he hisses, kissing me deeply before adding another finger.
I cry out, all at once surprised by how easily it slid in and shocked by the intrusion. I’ve barely registered the fullness when he begins to move again, the heel of his hand brushing my clit once, twice, three times—each thrust slightly harder than the one before.
My stomach contracts and the pressure builds, the heat coursing through my veins threatening to consume me as I rock into his hand. My pussy flutters around his fingers.
“Ryker—”
“That’s it, Princess,” he grunts, rutting against my thigh as he finger-fucks me. “Come for me.”
My mouth drops open, and when he grinds his heel into my clit again, I shatter, convulsing as wave after wave of ecstasy crashes over me. Ryker’s lips collide with mine, my body still shaking uncontrollably with the rolling aftershocks of the most incredible feeling I’ve ever experienced as he swallows my moans.
When the quaking subsides, his fingers slow, but he doesn’t stop pumping until he’s wrung every last spasm of my orgasm from me. I lay there, blissed out of my mind, until his voice cuts through my mental haze.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispers, leaning down to brush his nose against mine.
I bring my palm to his cheek, heart thumping wildly when he doesn’t flinch. But before I can tell him that he’s the beautiful one, he’s rolling over and repositioning himself between my thighs.
His expression hardens, and then he slides his hand to my ass and squeezes. “Are you done ignoring me?”
I shake my head. “If this is what happens when I do, definitely not.”
“ Brat ,” he growls, pinning my arms above my head and kissing me again, harder than before. More urgent. I kiss him back, rocking my hips against the straining bulge in his jeans while his belt buckle presses into my stomach.
Releasing my hands, he trails his mouth down my neck, my sternum, and then lower…
I try to sit up, but he stops me with two hands on my hips. I go to reach for his belt, but he stops me again.
“That’s not how this works,” he says with a dark chuckle.
“But I— I already came.” My cheeks heat.
Was I supposed to tell him? I thought it was obvious…
Ryker grins, pushing my shoulders back onto the couch. “Once, Princess. You came once .” He kisses the skin right below my belly button, and my breath hitches at the mischievous glint in his moss-colored eyes.
“Spread these pretty legs for me,” he says with a devilish smirk. “I’ve been dying to know what you taste like.”
A car door slams, and Ryker’s head snaps to the window. “ Fuck ,” he hisses, scrambling off me to retrieve my shorts from the floor. “Your brother’s home early.”