Chapter 20
Ashley
Ryker’s words freeze time. What does it mean that he knows what I’m talking about?
“I don’t understand,” I admit, studying him.
He snaps out of his thoughts. “We’ll talk about it, but maybe not today. Not because I don’t want to, but because you’ve had a rough day. Full of emotions and stress. I don’t want to add to that load right now. It’s really late, and you should go to bed.” With that, Ryker gets up from the couch.
For a moment, I feel slightly disappointed. I opened my heart to him and told him about my tough childhood. I want him to do the same.
However, he’s right. I’m emotionally drained. This is his way of taking care of me, and it warms my heart.
It’s new to me. For the first time, I’m letting someone take care of me, and not the other way around.
Back to reality. As usual, my eyes linger on his toned, muscular, tempting body. Just the sight of him makes me hot inside. Just like now. Watching the muscles on his arms bulge under his shirt, I squeeze my thighs together, a throbbing need appearing between them. He’s so damn sexy.
It takes a moment for what he said to sink in. I look up at his face, which is sporting a knowing smile accompanied by raised eyebrows. I’m checking him out, and he knows it.
I jump to my feet and take two steps back. “I’m sorry, you’re absolutely right. It’s late. I’ll be going now.”
But before I can turn around completely, Ryker is already beside me. He grabs my hand and turns me to face him. His other hand lands on my hip, and a tingly sensation emerges in that spot. The heat in the place connecting us radiates further.
“Wait. That’s not what I mean, Ash. I don’t want you to go back to your place. Maybe I didn’t express myself well, but I was thinking you could stay here tonight.” Ryker’s eyes shine with unabashed hope.
“You want me to stay the night?”
“Only if you want to. I want you close. Maybe I’m not a guy who has a lot of experience in these situations, or rather, I have none at all.
..” Ryker’s hand leaves my shoulder and rubs the back of his neck.
He looks out of his element. It’s cute, so boy-like and insecure.
“Stay. I wanted to say that I want you to spend the night with me.”
I hold back a smile. “What do you mean you don’t have experience in these situations?”
“I’m a bit nervous about sounding like I’m overstepping, or maybe too sure of myself. I haven’t had anyone stay over before.”
“You’ve never had one-night stands?”
“I’ve had them, but no woman has ever spent the night here, with me. In fact, I’ve never brought anyone here before. This is completely different. With you, it’s different.”
“You’ve never had a steady girlfriend?”
Another smile, this time a mysterious one. I could swear this guy has at least twenty different smiles. “Not since I was six.”
Teasing, I laugh. “She must have been a special woman.”
“You have no idea. Gina was the girl all the boys feared. She was taller than any of our other peers and wouldn’t let any of them be better than her at anything. I was the one who had the honor of being her boyfriend for a whole six days.”
Raising my hands, I put them around his neck. “What happened after those six days?”
“She broke my heart, that’s what. She said she didn’t want to be with me anymore. Patrick brought her a muffin to the playground every day, and I didn’t. I still haven’t gotten over it.”
“Oh, burn.” I pretend to be horrified by his childhood experience. “I wonder what Gina would say if she saw you with another woman now.”
“I hope she regrets trading me for muffins, and I’m grateful now that Patrick bought me out of her favor.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because it led me to you,” Ryker whispers, leaning his head down and bringing our lips together.
The kiss is slow, even lazy. His lips are warm and soft. I can still taste the faint hint of whiskey on them.
When he slides his tongue out, he teases my sensitive lips left and right. I part them slightly, but Ryker tilts his head back, looking into my eyes.
“Are you staying?”
“Yes.” My answer is hardly audible. Enough for him.
My hands fall from his neck when, a second later, he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder. How on earth did I end up in this position?
I shriek in surprise, his butt right before my eyes. “What are you doing? I can walk, you know?”
“I’d rather kidnap you to my bedroom in case you change your mind. It’ll be faster that way.”
I giggle like a teenager. In revenge, I pinch his delicious ass, and he returns the favor with a smack. It’s not a hard hit, but I’m still surprised. For the first time in my life, a man has spanked me.
And I like it. A blush spreads across my cheeks.
My world turns upside down again when I land on his bed. I must have zoned out for a moment because I didn’t even notice when we got here.
Right now, it doesn’t even occur to me to look around the room. The only thing I notice is Ryker.
He stands tall, hands on his hips, with a smug look on his face. He’s breathing faster, eyes burning, shoulders tense. A man’s upper body, full of delicious muscles. Strong and seductive, the ultimate sin of female fantasies.
“Ash, I’m warning you. It’s not safe for you to look at me like that.” Ryker’s voice is lower than it was a moment ago.
I’ve never been a girl who takes warnings well. “And if I don’t stop, then what?”
Even with the dim light coming from the small lamp on the nightstand, I can see his eyes darken.
“I don’t know if you’re ready to accept me in my most primitive, raw, and unrestrained form.”
“Test the waters. I’m ready to take whatever you throw at me and meet you face to face, on equal terms,” I provoke him.
To be honest, I’m not as confident inside as my words suggest. But that’s how we are. We constantly challenge, provoke, and tease each other. It’s bound to explode in our faces eventually. I’m ready to see if he lives up to my fantasies.
Ryker closes his eyes and looks like my words hurt him. My gaze wander over his chest, stomach, and a little lower. The bulge in his suit pants is impossible to hide.
Jesus Christ.
What a sight. I understand how gray sweatpants work on women. But this is a hundred times more exciting. No red-blooded woman would be disappointed.
I lick my lips, and a growl rumbles in his throat.
“Ash, you’re fucking killing me here.”
“Just admiring what God’s finger has done.” I shrug as if it’s no big deal.
Quite the contrary.
Ryker’s knee lands on the bed, then the other. Like a predator, he watches me, his prey, creeping closer until we’re face to face.
My breath hitches when I see his eyes up close. He consumes my vision. I crave the feel of his body pressing down on me, yet he remains suspended above.
“You’re mine, Ash. I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, because otherwise it’s too late for you.”
With these words, his lips sink into mine. There’s no trace of the gentle kiss from a few moments ago. This kiss is like living fire, like lava that cannot be stopped. Passionately, our lips open to each other, and our tongues begin their dance.
We pant. Biting each other, licking and sucking. I don’t know where he begins and I end. I lose myself completely in the way his lips caress me. This has never happened to me before. No man has ever kissed me like I was his next breath.
I don’t even know when our hands begin to frantically wander over each other’s bodies. As I pull off his shirt, he unzips my dress. As he unhooks my bra, I’m already taking off his pants. After a moment, Ryker is completely naked, and I’m in just a thong and stockings.
His hand lands between my breasts and pushes me gently down. Piece by piece, he examines my body, biting his lip.
When his gaze reaches the spot between my thighs that is throbbing unbearably, I moan.
He traces the skin on my stomach with one finger.
“Jesus, Ash. I’ve waited so fucking long for this.
You have no idea. You’re like a wet dream.
Like the fulfillment of my perverted fantasies.
You’re not leaving this bed until I’ve had my fill of you and you’re completely fucked out. ”
His dirty words give me goosebumps. The moisture between my thighs is hot, and my panties are completely soaked.
And me? I admire the work of art.
Almost his entire arms and forearms are tattooed. Although this isn’t the time for a thorough examination, everything seems to fit together. His back must also be tattooed, as the image of flames extends to the front of his chest.
I love tattooed men, but this is something more.
My gaze follows the curves of his arms and the tautness of his abs, down to the dark hair leading to his hard cock.
At the sight of him, my mouth opens. He’s beautiful in his deception. So bad, so perfect for my fantasy. Pre-cum collects at the tip, and the view makes me lick my lips again. I’ve never been a big fan of blow jobs, but I think that’s about to change very soon.
“My dirty girl,” he whispers and starts play with my breasts.
Ryker treats them exactly the same way he treated my lips. He licks, sucks, and bites them. Treats them with the same focus. Meanwhile, he continues to let his hands wander over my body. They’re simply everywhere.
I squirm with impatience, arching my body to get even closer. I can’t believe what he’s doing to me. He was damn right about the primal thing and whatever else he said.
At this point, I can no longer concentrate. Moans escape from inside me.
“Ryker,” I gasp.
He doesn’t stop exploring me. Hot lips slide down to my stomach and his hands wander to my breasts, squeezing them, playing with my hard nipples. The stubble on his jaw teases my sensitive skin.
I’m breathing fast. Either I'll pass out or explode. Before he even touches my pussy.
And then his lips find my pubic mound.
Grabbing the edge of my panties with his teeth, he slides them down.
“These are staying,” he announces, running his hands over my stockings. “I’ve never seen anything sexier than you in my life.”
“But you own a strip club,” I point out.
“Exactly. That says a lot.”
I want to laugh, but Ryker grabs my thighs and spreads them apart. He scrutinizes me, as if he’s about to purchase a multi-million dollar car. “What are you looking at?”
His eyes meet mine. “I didn’t believe in heaven or angels—until now.”
I don’t have time to say a word before he puts his mouth on my pussy. Then he kisses me down there with the same greed and passion he showed my lips and breasts earlier.
My head is spinning from the dizzying sensation. My chest feels tight, and I can’t draw a full breath. I grip the bed tightly with my fists. Pleasure is building within my moans, heading for the abyss.
“Fuck—Ryker—I’m coming!”
“You’ll thank me later,” he says, pulling away for a moment.
That’s exactly what happens. Seconds later, I arch, moaning, as a wave of orgasm rolls over me. Ryker puts his hand on my pubic mound and continues to lick me until the last wave flows down to my toes.
He doesn’t even put a single finger inside me!
“Unbelievable,” I say to myself, but of course he hears me.
Ryker lifts himself up on his elbows and moves up. “What was that?”
“What you’re doing down there. It’s not always like that.”
“Challenge accepted. We’ll come back to that. My face just found paradise between your thighs. It tasted of nectar when you came on it. Now kiss me.”
And he kisses me tenderly. He strokes my hair as he does so. I can feel his smile the whole time.
No one ever talks to me like that either. Another first, but I like him being like that.
We start kissing, and a moment later, Ryker is between my thighs again. This time, I feel his hardness at the entrance to my pussy. He moves his hips, warming me up to a fever pitch, even though it’s totally unnecessary.
It should scare me, how much I want him and how much I surrender to him. Instead, I feel safe.
“Fuck me, Ryker!”
“Say it: pretty please,” he says kissing my neck.
“Don’t tease me. It’s a double-edged sword, and you won’t like the outcome,” I warn him.
“You can always try. Now, be a good girl and say please.”
I circle my hips, and he responds to the motion with a deep growl. “I’m on the pill. We can go without protection if you’re clean. I am.”
He pulls away from my neck and looks into my eyes. “I’m clean. Are you sure?”
“I am.” As a reward, he pushes his hips slightly again, but it’s still not enough. I need to feel him inside me. “Please—”
It takes so little for Ryker to enter me with one thrust all the way to the end.