Chapter 5
Ryder
I kiss her again.
Slow at first. Then deeper. Hungrier.
My hand slides along her thigh as she arches into me with a soft, desperate sound that nearly undoes me.
Her fingers tangle in my hair, tugging me down, pulling me closer, until there’s nothing between us but heat, want, and the dangerous truth in every breath we share.
Her sweater rides up under my hands, soft fabric giving way to bare skin. I groan against her mouth.
I trail kisses down her throat, tasting the heat blooming across her skin.
She shivers beneath me, legs wrapping tighter around my waist.
"Ryder..." she gasps when my hands slip beneath the hem of her sweater.
My voice is raw. "Tell me to stop."
She shakes her head, pupils wide and dark.
"Don’t you dare."
Her words ignite something in me. Possession.
I strip the sweater from her. Damn, no bra.
She’s beautiful. Glowing in the firelight. Soft in a way that makes my chest ache.
"Nikki..." Her name leaves me like it’s the only thing anchoring me to the ground. "You are so incredibly beautiful."
She reaches for me, guiding me back down, her body pressing into mine in a silent plea that wrecks every part of me I thought I’d locked down.
I lower my mouth and kiss over every inch of skin I can reach.
Her collarbones. The valley of her breasts. Her stomach.
She arches under me, gasping when my teeth graze a sensitive spot.
Her hands slip under my shirt, nails scraping lightly over my back, tracing old scars without fear.
She doesn’t flinch. She holds me tighter.
"You’re beautiful," she whispers like it’s the only truth she knows.
I freeze.
I’ve been called a lot of things. Strong. Damaged. Dangerous. But beautiful?
From her, it hits like a punch to the gut.
I look down at her.
Flushed cheeks. Kiss-swollen lips. Eyes full of trust I haven’t earned.
This is what it feels like.
To want someone so badly it steals your breath.
To need them like air.
And to know they need you right back.
My hand slides to her leggings. I hook my fingers under the waistband.
She gives a soft nod, lifts her hips. Trusts me.
I pull them off. Panties and socks follow.
Then I’m over her again, skin to skin. My body covering hers. My heart thundering.
She feels like heaven.
Like home.
Like everything I didn’t know I’d been searching for.
Our mouths meet again.
My hard cock presses against her heat.
She gasps, hips tilting, her body rising to meet mine.
I break the kiss, forehead pressed to hers.
"Nikki…" Her name is both warning and prayer.
“Please,” she whispers. “Ryder… I want you to be my first.”
The words knock the breath from my lungs. Heavy with meaning. With trust.
And God help me, I’m going to take it.
But I’m going to earn it.
I kiss her again. Slow. Deep. A promise in every breath.
"Look at me," I whisper against her lips.
She opens her eyes. What I see there wrecks me.
"I’ve got you," I promise. "I’ll be gentle."
She shakes her head, fingers back in my hair.
"No. Don’t be gentle. I want to feel you. All of you. The real you."
The real me.
The man with jagged edges.
With damage and darkness.
The man I keep buried.
She wants him.
And I want to give him to her.
I strip out of my clothes.
Then I’m back on her, kissing her deep and hard, hands mapping her body, memorizing every curve and dip and tremble.
She arches into me, soft sounds escaping her lips with every touch.
I part her folds with my fingers, feel her slick heat. I rub slow circles around her clit, and then I lower my mouth, tasting her.
She cries out. Fists my hair. Writhes under my tongue.
She’s sweet. Salty.
A flavor that’s all her.
And I’m already addicted.
I lap at her, explore every fold, every crease, fingers gripping her hips to hold her steady.
She bucks under me, breath coming in broken pants.
"Ryder… oh god… Ryder..."
I slide two fingers inside her pussy, my tongue teasing her clit as I curl deep, searching for that perfect spot.
She breaks apart under me. A cry torn from her lips as her body arches, clenches, pulses around my fingers.
I don’t stop. Not until every last tremor has passed.
Then I kiss my way up her body. Stomach. Breasts. Throat. Until I’m above her again, chest heaving.
Her eyes are heavy-lidded. Glowing.
She’s never looked more beautiful.
“Ryder,” she whispers, hands cupping my face. “That was…”
I kiss her. Let her taste herself on my tongue.
"It’s not over yet."
Her legs wrap around my waist. Heels press into my back.
"Then don’t stop."
I don’t.
I position myself at her entrance. Hard and aching with need.
I push into her. Slow. Inch by inch.
Her heat stretches around me, tight and hot and perfect.
Her breath hitches. Her hands clutch at my shoulders.
I pause when I’m fully inside. Give her a moment to adjust.
"You okay?" My voice is hoarse, trembling.
She nods. "Okay."
And then I move.
Slow at first. Then faster. Harder.
My hips rock into hers with a rhythm that feels ancient. Right.
She meets me thrust for thrust. Fingers digging into my back. Legs tight around my waist, keeping me close. Keeping me hers.
We move together, slick with sweat, breaths tangled, moans and gasps filling the cabin.
I look down at her.
This girl who somehow cracked me open.
Who made me feel again.
And I know I’m a goner. And I don’t care.
I kiss her like I’ll never get enough. Because I won’t.
My movements grow frantic. Ragged.
The tension coils tight in my spine.
"Nikki," I gasp. "I’m close."
"Me too," she breathes. "Ryder… I’m—"
She breaks apart beneath me again. Her body clenching around mine. Pulling me under with her.
I follow with a groan. Release ripping through me, hot and overwhelming.
I collapse on top of her, shaking, heart thudding.
We stay like this. Wrapped around each other. Breath to breath.
Still joined. Still hers. Still real.
Eventually I shift, rolling us gently so she’s tucked against my side, her head on my chest, her arm across my waist.
The fire crackles. Snow falls outside.
And inside this cabin, for the first time in years, I feel peace.
Real peace.
I press a kiss to the top of her head. Stroke her hair.
"You okay?"
She nods against me. "More than okay."
I hold her tighter, like she might vanish.
But she doesn’t. She stays.
Warm. Soft. Mine.