Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
noia
His words vibrate against my neck, sending aftershocks through my trembling body. I’m still trying to catch my breath from the first orgasm when his towel falls away. The sight of him—long, thick, and gloriously hard—makes my mouth water.
“Ryder,” I whisper, reaching for him.
His powerful thighs nudge mine further apart as he moves between my legs, positioning his thick cock against my entrance.
“Are you ready? I’m going to fuck you so hard, kitten.”
The raw need in his voice makes me whimper. I nod frantically, beyond words as I lift my hips.
“Tell me,” he demands, eyes locked on mine as he pushes just the tip inside. “I need to hear you say it.”
“Yes,” I gasp, digging my fingers into his shoulders. “I need you inside me.”
With a low, primal growl, he thrusts inside in one long, delicious stroke that makes both of us moan. The stretch and fullness of him seated inside me is almost overwhelming—almost too much—but perfect all at the same time.
“Fuck,” he groans, dropping his forehead to mine as he stills, giving me time to adjust. His muscles tremble with the effort and I can feel his heartbeat through every inch of where our bodies connect. “You feel so good, Noia. So fucking tight.”
Finally, he pulls back slowly before driving into me again, setting a rhythm that has me seeing stars. Each thrust is deeper, harder than the last, the headboard slamming against the wall as he takes me with an intensity that steals my breath away.
“Is this what you want?” he pants against my ear, hips snapping over and over as he drives into me. “To be fucked like this? So hard you won’t be able to walk tomorrow?”
“Yes,” I cry out as he suddenly hits a spot deep inside that makes my back arch off the bed. “Oh god, yes!”
Shifting the angle, he throws one of my legs over his shoulder, which allows him to fuck me even deeper, quickly spiraling me toward another peak.
“That’s it, kitten,” he encourages, his voice strained as he watches my face. “Let go for me again. I want to feel you squeeze my cock so hard.”
Once his thumb finds my clit, circling it in time with his thrusts, I’m lost. The second orgasm hits me even harder than the first, tearing a scream from my throat as a tsunami of pleasure pulses through me.
Ryder’s rhythm falters as my inner walls clench his cock. Voice hoarse, he shouts my name as he quickly follows me over the edge, body shuddering as he empties himself inside me.
For several long moments, we stay like that, tangled together, breathing hard, our sweat-slicked bodies pressed tightly together. Ryder’s weight on me feels like an anchor, keeping me from completely floating away.
“Holy shit,” I croak when I’m finally able to form words again.
He chuckles against my neck, the vibration sending pleasant aftershocks down my spine. “That’s one way to put it.”
Gently, he pulls out and rolls onto his back, tucking me against his chest. His heartbeat thunders in my ear, gradually slowing as we both catch our breath.
“Are you okay?” he asks, voice tender as he brushes my damp hair away from my forehead.
I nod, still too overwhelmed to speak. My body is boneless, utterly spent in the best possible way.
“Look at me,” he murmurs, tilting my chin up.
When our eyes lock, something shifts in the atmosphere. Gaze soft, his earlier intensity has been replaced with something that makes my chest ache.
“That was...” I trail off, searching for the right words.
“Better than fiction?” he suggests, a small smirk playing on his lips.
“I was going to say incredible, but yes,” I laugh, “definitely better than fiction.”
His arms tighten around me as he presses a kiss to my temple. “Good. Because I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I first saw you.”
We lie in comfortable silence, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my back. I feel myself drifting, content and sated, when he speaks again.
“There’s a party this weekend,” he says quietly. “For Skin & Ink’s ten-year anniversary.”
I lift my head to look at him. “Oh, yeah?”
“I want you to come with me.” He’s keeping his expression carefully neutral, but I can see the vulnerability lurking behind his eyes. “Meet the people I work with. My friends.”
The meaning of what he’s asking isn’t lost on me. He’s asking me to be a part of his new world in a very public way.
“Are you sure?” I ask, suddenly shy despite the fact that we’re both gloriously naked.
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “Say yes.”
How can I refuse when he’s looking at me like that? Besides, I’m curious about the people in his life, the ones who somehow know him even though he’s only existed in this reality for a short period of time. This journey we are on is more about him than it ever was about me. I realize that now.
“Okay,” I agree softly. “I’d love to.”
His answering smile is as brilliant as the sun before he captures my mouth in a kiss that quickly deepens, tongue lazily grazing mine as he slides a hand down to cup my breast and tweak a nipple.
“Again?” I gasp when we finally break apart.
“Got a problem with that?” he growls, rolling me beneath him and sliding back inside.
“God, no,” I moan as he proceeds to fuck me into the mattress.