Page 16

Cadence

My feet hit solid ground, and I fell forward as I struggled to right myself.

Traversing Ryker’s shadows had been a disconcerting experience, and I felt the need to hold myself together as though I had somehow broken apart and then reformed on the other side.

Of course, Ryker had no such qualms. He moved with a predator’s grace, not the least bit ruffled by our journey.

I glanced around, realizing that I now stood in the middle of Ryker’s bedchamber.

Naked.

A shudder ran through me as I tried to cover myself, and when I met Ryker’s steel-grey eyes, a malicious glint stared back at me.

Ryker reached for his belt. With steady fingers, he undid the clasp and pulled the leather free from his waist.

What the hell did he intend to do with that?

“On your knees, Cadence.”

There were moments in life when you had to make choices that could alter the very fabric of your being.

This was one of those moments.

I knew I should fight Ryker, defy his command to obey, and reassert my authority over my being. If I gave in to him, he would only be emboldened. He would take it as an act of submission. That I accepted the bond he insisted we shared.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Still, there was a part of me, and not a small part, that desperately wanted to know what Ryker intended to do to me.

Despite my better judgment, I lowered myself to my knees before him, not once breaking eye contact.

Ryker smirked down at me, and he cupped my cheek with his calloused palm.

“So, you can be trained,” he purred as he cocked his head to the side to study me.

I wanted to return a scathing retort, but I was so transfixed by the intensity glinting in Ryker’s grey eyes to risk him stopping whatever this was. Instead, I bit my tongue and glared back at him.

“There she is,” Ryker cooed as he stroked my cheek. “My Temptress. My mate.”

He ran his eyes over my naked form, and he hummed in appreciation.

“You don’t seem to understand your place, sweet Cadence. But don’t worry, I intend to show you.”

Ryker seemed to vibrate with anticipation, and I knew I should be concerned, but I wasn’t.

“You are my mate. Mine. Only I get to gaze upon your perfect skin. To see the way your breasts rise and fall in time with each accelerated heartbeat.”

Ryker took a step back and reached behind him as he tugged off his tunic before discarding it on the floor.

My throat bobbed as I swallowed.

“I won’t fucking share you,” he snarled.

Ryker prowled toward me, his leather belt pulled taut between his fists. He leaned down and wrapped it around my neck before securing it in place with the buckle.

He pulled on the end still clasped in his hand, and I gasped.

My body caught ablaze, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning out loud.

Gods, what the hell was wrong with me?

Why did I like this?

A knowing smirk pulled up the side of Ryker’s mouth. The hand not holding his belt reached down and loosened the ties of his trousers. Then it dipped inside his pants and freed his cock.

Fuck.

I’d forgotten how huge he was.

I pushed my nerves away, too curious, and if I was being honest with myself, too turned on to back down now.

Ryker tugged on the belt, pulling me forward so his cock pressed against my mouth.

“Open.”

The authority in his voice went straight to my core, and I parted my lips.

Ryker dipped the engorged head inside my mouth, letting me taste him before he slammed all the way to the back of my throat.

I gagged around his length, and tears sprang to my eyes.

Ryker grinned, but he pulled back until only the tip remained pressed between my lips.

“Suck,” he commanded.

I took more of him into my mouth and used my tongue to massage the underside of his cock. Ryker groaned, and I intensified my efforts, bobbing up and down as I tasted him.

“This is what happens when you disobey me, Cadence. You get punished.”

Ryker thrust his hips in time with each bob of my head. I hollowed my cheeks, sucking him into my mouth with vigor. He tapped my cheek, and I looked up at him as he waggled his finger at me like I was a misbehaving child.

“This won’t be over quickly, Cadence.”

Ryker tugged on the belt once more, and then he wrapped it around his knuckles. I straightened, extending my body to avoid being choked by the leather.

He chuckled above me, and I knew he was enjoying the way I was forced to bend to his will just as much as he enjoyed having my mouth wrapped around his cock.

Despite knowing this, tingles danced through my core, and I had to rub my thighs together to alleviate the tension building there.

But it wasn’t enough.

My hand moved toward the juncture between my thighs, and I pressed a finger against my entrance.

Ryker ripped my hand away and snarled. “This is a punishment, Cadence. You don’t get to come unless I allow it.”

Ryker’s movements sped up, and I gagged as I tried to suck in air. Drool spilled from my mouth, and the tears that had been pooling in my eyes streaked down my cheeks as I struggled to breathe.

“Cry for me, Temptress. Your tears will only make me come that much harder.”

I couldn’t help myself. I moaned around his length, and Ryker shuddered.

There was something about the way he used me, treated me as an object for his pleasure, that turned my core molten.

Ryker slammed his cock into my mouth, and with a deep, masculine groan, he came down my throat.

His salty taste exploded on my tongue, and I was surprised to realize I didn’t hate it. I swallowed him down, and Ryker preened above me.

He stepped back, his cock jutting out in front of me as his come dribbled from the tip.

“Clean it up,” he demanded. “Every drop.”

And gods help me, I did. I swirled my tongue around his cock as I licked up every drop of his come until there was none left.

“Good girl,” Ryker growled, and my nipples tightened under his praise.

“Get on all fours, Cadence,” he commanded as he circled me, the belt still clutched firmly in his grasp.

I lowered my arms to the ground, and I choked as the leather pulled taut against my throat.

Ryker didn’t release his grip on the belt. Instead, he watched me flail, my face turning crimson as I struggled to breathe. I tried to straighten, but Ryker placed a hand between my shoulders, keeping me in place.

“You need to understand that I own you, Cadence,” he whispered as he crouched behind me. “I set the rules, and you obey. The very first rule is that you never, never show anyone else what belongs to me.”

Panic gripped me, even though I knew Ryker wouldn’t kill me. He’d made it clear that he wanted me.

No.

Needed me.

“The sooner you accept that, the better your life will become. In return, I promise to give you everything you need, to protect you and keep you safe. We can have a good life together, Cadence. All you have to do is embrace it.”

The hold Ryker had on the belt slackened, and I sagged forward as I greedily sucked air into my starving lungs.

I drew my knee up before sending my foot backward, straight into Ryker’s chest.

“You’re a fucking bastard,” I wheezed. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

Ryker groaned and then barked out a laugh.

Rising to my elbows, I went to stand just as Ryker gripped the belt and tugged me back down on all fours.

“Let me show you what it means to be mine,” he said huskily.

Before I could even consider his words, Ryker’s tongue dipped inside me, and a low, wanton moan burst free. I arched my back, and his teeth grazed my clit. I knew it wouldn’t take long before I was coming.

The belt tightened around my throat, cutting off my oxygen once more, just as Ryker pushed a finger inside me.

He wasn’t gentle about it, either.

He thrust his finger forward with brutal force, and my hips moved of their own volition as they rocked against his hand.

“That’s it, Temptress,” he panted. “Now, make yourself come.”

His words were muted as I lost myself in the sensations he created inside of me. Ryker thrust another finger into my core as he lapped at my entrance, licking the entire length of me.

Just as I thought I might pass out from a lack of air, he released his hold on the belt, and I came so hard my vision darkened.

My orgasm tore through me with the force of a raging storm, and I screamed, unable to contain the sounds I was making.

I collapsed on the floor, my arms giving way as aftershocks continued to wrack my body.

Ryker unclasped the belt and then scooped me into his arms. He strode toward the bed and gently set me down beneath the covers. His large, muscular frame wrapped around me, and he stroked my hair away from my face.

A soft kiss landed on the corner of my mouth, and I couldn’t even convey my confusion as my body gave in to the need for rest.

“Sleep, Cadence. I’ve got you.”

My eyelids shuttered closed, and I surrendered myself to the darkness.