Page 19

N aomi

The shrill beep of my alarm woke me up the next morning. Blearily, I reached to the side, trying to find the button to make it stop.

After convincing myself that I couldn’t go back to sleep, I opened my eyes, half expecting Ryker to still be lying beside me in the bed, but he wasn’t there. When I turned my head, the other side of the bed didn’t even look slept in.

He must have slept on the couch again after I’d fallen asleep.

Ever the gentleman, that man.

I covered my face with my hands, thinking about what he’d done to me last night. It had been so shameful, yet so captivatingly arousing that my thighs pressed together greedily just thinking about it. I glanced down, half wishing him to return to do the exact same thing.

I could never ask for that though. It would be too much. Briefly, I wondered about his own satisfaction. He gave me orgasm after orgasm, but I’d given him only one.

With a groan, I pushed myself up to a seated position, not entirely willing to get out of the warm cocoon that surrounded me. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and bacon wafted over though, making my mouth water.

A girl could get used to having breakfast made for her every day.

I smirked and curled my knees into my chest. When I glanced at the clock again, I knew it was time to get moving.

With the heaviest sigh I could muster, I climbed out of bed and padded into the master bath.

I brushed my teeth while refusing to look at the bathtub.

Soon enough though, my eyes wandered over there anyway, and I was instantly reminded of how he’d bathed me the night before, the intimacy of his care.

I didn’t want to accept the aroused tremor that raced through me at the thought.

I quickly finished getting ready. I wasn’t particularly gentle as I brushed my hair, but I did take a few extra minutes to fix my makeup just right.

When I was finished, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt, wanting to be comfortable for the journey.

I packed up a small backpack with essentials before I headed out into the kitchen.

Ryker was setting the table. There was already a steaming pile of bacon in the center, along with more of his delicious pancakes and what appeared to be eggs. It all looked delectable.

“Good morning. I hope you slept well,” he greeted me so cheerily, it made me smile.

I glanced in his direction, a bit shyly, the smile lingering on my lips and in my eyes.

“I did, thank you. I hope you did too,” I replied, sliding into my seat.

“It was a comfortable night,” he answered.

Looking at the laden table, I declared, “My goodness, you have outdone yourself! This all looks delicious. Thank you so much!”

“My pleasure,” was his warm reply.

I began filling my plate with servings from each of the different foods he’d made.

I put butter and syrup on the pancakes just like he’d done before.

I could see him grinning out of the corner of my eye as he watched me.

I was just about to get up to make myself a cup of coffee, but he walked over with one already prepared for me.

“Let me know what you think. I made it how I think you like it.”

I took a slow sip, not wanting to burn the roof of my mouth. The sweet deliciousness of the perfect amount of creamer and just the slightest hint of sugar was absolutely divine.

“It’s really good. Perfect,” I grinned, taking a bigger swallow now that I was more certain of both the taste and temperature. So thoughtful of him.

“Good. Then eat up. It’s going to be a long flight and then when we land, we have to go the rest of the way on the ground.”

“On the ground?”

“Yes. We’ll have four-wheel drive, but it’s entirely possible that will only take us part of the way. It’s likely we’ll have to do the last bit on foot.”

“We don’t exactly know where we’re going, though,” I pursed my lips, chewing a piece of bacon thoughtfully.

“With your expertise, we were able to narrow in on a range of coordinates. We’ll find it. We’ve got the support of both of our city states at our backs,” he replied. I couldn’t help but catch that he looked back at me with a certain wariness. I wondered if perhaps he didn’t trust mine.

I focused on my meal so that I didn’t have to think of anything to say in return. Before I knew it, I’d finished my plate and had returned to sipping my coffee. Ryker didn’t wait nor did he listen when I offered to clean. He simply picked up the plates and started washing them in the sink.

“I can do this. You finish getting ready, Naomi. We are scheduled to take off in a little over an hour,” he commanded.

I nodded, hopping up from the table and leaving the room.

I finished packing my essentials and several changes of clothes that would be appropriate for traipsing outdoors in unfamiliar terrain.

I packed jeans and a few pairs of shorts, not really knowing what we were going to encounter out there.

When I walked back out, Ryker glanced down at my sneakers.

“Do you have any proper hiking boots?”

I shook my head. He pulled his comm out of his pocket and slid his fingers across the surface. He typed a short message and sent it along.

“I’ll take care of it,” he murmured. I lifted an eyebrow, wanting to ask but deciding against it.

“I’m ready when you are.” I propped my bag a bit higher on my shoulder and he strode over to my side, taking it from my grasp.

I protested, but he gave me a glance that said he wouldn’t hesitate to spank me again if I said anything to argue.

Reflexively, my backside tightened as if it was already bare and back over his knee for another lesson I wouldn’t soon forget.

I liked that with him: a man with dark forbidden desire brewing just beneath the surface.

He said nothing about the expression on my face. Instead, he smiled coyly, cocked his head, and guided me toward the door with an innocent touch on my upper back.

A chivalrous gentleman once more.

His thumb caressed the back of my neck. It was soft but possessive, but just before I reached the front door, his grip changed, and he spun me around to face him while pushing me none too gently against the wall behind me.

The breath caught in the back of my throat as I stared up into the dark, stormy depths of his gaze.

“Before we go, I want to make one thing very clear between you and me,” he began.

“What’s that?” I breathed anxiously.

“When we’re out there and I tell you to do something, whether it be to run or hide or just to step to the right, you are going to be a good girl and obey me immediately, without question or hesitation,” he said firmly.

“Or else what,” I retorted defiantly. I don’t know what emboldened me to say those words, but by the time I thought them through, they were already there out in the open.

There was no taking them back.

His fingers wound around my chin, digging in only slightly, but enough to make it clear that he could overpower me in a second.

“Or else I’m going to punish you hard enough to make your belting over the couch the other night look like a gentle caress. Your well-being is paramount to me, and I won’t have you putting yourself at risk when we’re out there,” he growled.

I wanted to yell, and tell him he was being a chauvinist, and that I was more than capable of taking care of myself.

I did none of those things.

With a bit of amazement, I realized that underneath that threat, I could see on his handsome face and hear in his low voice that he genuinely cared for me. His hold on my chin lightened as his thumb grazed across my cheek.

“Do you understand me, sweet girl?”

“Yes,” I whispered, staring up into his eyes.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir,” I said, my voice shaky. His leg pressed between mine. The top of his thigh brushed against my pussy, and I quivered at the unexpected touch.

“Good girl,” he praised, and my heart swelled.

He leaned down and kissed me sweetly. I was taken aback by the dichotomy of dark and light within him, and of my response to both. One hand slid down the side of my torso, reaching back and squeezing my bottom tight.

“You should know something else,” he rumbled, and my heart raced frantically in my chest.

“What’s that?”

“You’re going to come for me a great many times on our journey. How, when, or where is not going to be up to you. The only thing for you to decide is how red your bottom is going to be when you do,” he growled.

My face turned beet red. I did my best to hide it, but I had a sinking feeling that I wasn’t doing a very good job.

“Yes, sir,” I squeaked. His finger dipped below my chin, forcing me to look up at him. His gaze searched my face, practically feasting on the vision that was my all-consuming shame.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he mused.