Page 18

Chapter Eighteen

Ryder’s strong hands gripped my waist as he slowly lowered me back to the floor, my body sliding against his on the way down. The friction between us sent waves of electricity through me as my shirt bunched up slightly against his chest. His eyes never left mine, holding me captive with their intensity.

My breath came in short gasps as my feet touched the ground again, but I didn’t want to break contact. Without thinking, I grabbed the front of his shirt, twisting the fabric in my fist.

“Would you like to see my room?” I asked, my voice filled with raw desire.

“Yes, please,” he said, following as I walked backward into my room, never letting go of his shirt.

The moonlight spilled through the crack in the curtains, giving the room a gentle glow. My calves bumped against the edge of my bed, and I ran my hand down his solid chest.

“Nice room,” Ryder said, his voice rough.

“Do you like the bed?” I asked, popping the next button on his shirt.

He glanced over my shoulder. “A little small.”

A bubbly laugh escaped me, but quickly faded. There was so much heat in his glowing blue eyes as he watched me undo the rest of the buttons on his shirt.

His hands moved to cup my face, thumbs brushing against my cheeks as he brought his lips to mine. Each stroke of his tongue against mine sent sparks through my body, pooling low in my stomach with a heat I couldn’t ignore.

I reached up, sliding my hands to his shoulders and pushing off his shirt. The dim light revealed the sculpted planes of his chest, shoulders, and abdomen, and I ran my hands over his warm skin, feeling the strength beneath.

Ryder’s fingers found the hem of my shirt, drawing it upward with agonizing slowness as if he were purposefully torturing himself. His knuckles brushed against my skin as he went, leaving trails of fire. When he finally pulled it over my head, I felt exposed but thoroughly enjoying the way he looked at me… like I was something precious and delicate. Breakable.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered as he kissed my shoulder.

His hands skimmed down my sides, curving around the sides of my breasts and resting at my hips before he pulled me against him again. The feel of his bare chest against mine drew a small gasp from my lips.

He was so warm. Solid. Hard.

I sat down on the bed, hooking my finger in a belt loop to pull him down with me. He grinned as he carefully lowered himself down, pressing me into the mattress. He kissed down my chest, his warm, wet tongue finding my erect nipple.

“Oh, god,” I moaned, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

His hands moved with surprising gentleness for someone so strong, unfastening my jeans and sliding them down my legs. His fingers trailed back up my thighs, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I reached between us, fumbling with his belt until I managed to get it undone.

He wiggled out of his jeans, tossing them to the floor. The heat of his skin against mine sent vibrations from my head down to my toes.

Ryder’s large hand cupped my breast, his rough palm creating the most delicious sensation against my skin. His thumb circled my nipple with torturous precision, occasionally flicking across the hardened peak, sending jolts of pleasure straight to my core.

He kissed my neck and gently pinched and rolled my hard nipple between his fingers. My back arched off the bed, and every inch of my body tingled with a desperate need.

“Ryder,” I whimpered as his attention moved to my other breast, kneading the soft flesh before focusing on the neglected nipple.

He alternated between feather-light touches that made me squirm to firm strokes that almost brought me over the edge. His eyes remained locked with mine, watching me respond to his every touch, my chest rising and falling with increasingly ragged breaths.

His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, discovering places I never knew could feel so sensitive. When his fingers finally slid between my legs, I gasped, my hips bucking involuntarily against his touch as my fingers dug into the sheets.

“How does that feel?” he groaned.

“Oh, perfect. Please, don’t stop,” I begged, my voice catching as his fingers moved in slow, delicious circles.

His mouth claimed mine as he gently circled my clit, swallowing my moans as pleasure built inside me. Growing… and growing. I reached between us, wrapping my fingers around him, feeling his long, hard cock against my palm.

“Oh, Everly,” he groaned against my neck as I stroked him. “Careful.”

My heart hammered against my ribs as Ryder’s fingers worked their magic between my legs. I arched my back, pressing myself harder against his hand, desperate for my release.

Ryder kissed down my neck, across my collarbone, and down my breast, sucking my nipple in his warm, wet mouth before moving to my stomach. Each press of his lips left me more desperate than the last. I didn’t even know how much longer I could hold on before I came.

He moved between my legs, his strong hands gripping my thighs and gently parting them. His lips moved up my inner thigh, stopping to look up at me with lust blazing in his eyes.

“I want to taste you,” he murmured, as his breath teased my skin.

I propped myself up on my elbows, wanting to see his face. The sight of him looking up at me from between my legs nearly undid me completely.

“Oh, god. Yes, please,” I whispered, not caring how needy or desperate I sounded.

He maintained eye contact as he lowered his mouth to me, the first touch of his tongue sending a jolt to the top of my head. I fell back against the pillows, a cry of absolute bliss ripping from my throat. My fingers found their way into his hair as I spread my legs further for him.

His tongue swirled and dipped, as if he knew exactly what I needed. I slid my hand up my stomach, my fingers finding my nipple impossibly hard.

“Ryder,” I breathed, my thighs trembling. “I need you.”

“Go ahead,” he said, breaking slightly.

“I want to feel you,” I said, biting my lip.

He flicked my clit with his tongue. “You think I can’t make you come again?”

“I’ve never had more than?—”

“Well, you’re about to.”

His words were almost enough to send me over the edge, a delicious promise that made every nerve ending in my body fire at once. I’d never been with someone who seemed so determined to utterly unravel me, and so confident in his ability to do so.

As Ryder’s tongue worked against me with precise, deliberate strokes, I couldn’t help but lose myself completely. Each swirl and flick sent tremors through my body, building a pressure deep inside that threatened to shatter me entirely.

My fingers tightened in his hair, my hips moving in rhythm with his mouth as if my body had developed a mind of its own, chasing the release that was so tantalizingly close.

“Oh god, Ryder,” I gasped, my back arching off the bed when he sucked my clit between his lips while sliding a finger inside me.

I clenched around his finger as he curled it upward, finding a spot that made my breath catch. My thighs trembled uncontrollably, my breath coming in short, desperate pants as I teetered on the edge.

It hit me like a tidal wave… pleasure so intense it bordered on pain, radiating outward until every inch of my being was consumed by it. I cried out as my body convulsed with the intense orgasm that ripped through me with unexpected force.

My consciousness narrowed to nothing but sensation, wave after wave of ecstasy washing over me as Ryder continued his relentless attention, drawing out my climax until I was whimpering, oversensitive, and utterly spent. I’d never come so hard in my life, never felt so completely undone by another person’s touch.

But it wasn’t done. Something he was doing quickly made something in the background start up again.

Ryder got to his knees and hoisted up my hips to meet him. He pushed inside, and we both froze.

“Oh, fuck,” he whispered, his voice rough with desire.

He moved slowly, each movement careful and agonizingly deep. My hands clutched the pillows as I weakly writhed beneath him. There was something almost magical about the way he seemed to know exactly how to move, to make me gasp and shudder beneath him.

His eyes started to glow, and his hair seemed to stand on end as if it were growing. It should have frightened me, but it only excited me more to see what was happening to him.

I didn’t want to take my eyes off him, but my body abruptly tensed as if I had no control over it. My eyes closed, and I came so hard it felt like I was being propelled into another dimension.

I bit my lip, and my head pressed back against the pillow. “Oh my god!”

“Fuck,” he said as a raw, almost animalist sound escaped his throat. He rolled his hips, nearly growling.

I watched Ryder’s face transform as his release took hold of him. His eyes, still glowing that ethereal blue, widened before squeezing shut. His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck straining as he threw his head back.

His whole body tensed above me, trembling with the force of his orgasm. I’d never seen anything so beautiful, so raw and unguarded, as Ryder in that moment of complete surrender.

After the last waves passed through him, he carefully lowered himself onto the bed beside me. He threw one arm over his eyes as if hiding them.

His chest rose and fell rapidly as he worked to catch his breath. I turned on my side, propping myself up on an elbow to study him.

His hair, which had seemed to stand on end, was now settled back in place, although damp with sweat. Even though he was hiding them, I could see Ryder’s eyes had dimmed, but they hadn’t quite returned to their normal state.

He looked… stunned, as if he had just witnessed something impossible. A smile quickly spread across my face at the sight of him.

“Stop looking at me,” he said.

“Was it good?” I asked softly, tracing lazy patterns on his chest with my fingertip.

Ryder lowered his arm from his eyes and turned his head to look at me. For a moment, he just stared, as if searching for words that wouldn’t come.

“Everly,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “That was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.” He shook his head slightly, still seeming dazed. “Nothing comes close. Not even remotely.”

“I know what you mean,” I said with a sigh. I curled up into his arm, closing my eyes. “And see, I’m in one piece. Fine and dandy. You didn’t break me in half.”

“I was careful,” he said, his voice low.

Ryder’s arm was warm around my still humming body. I nestled closer, listening to his heartbeat gradually slow to a steady rhythm.

A long, haunting howl cut through the night air. It was distant, but clear, and Ryder’s entire body tensed before he bolted upright.

“Everly, I…” he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “I hate to do this.”

“Seriously?”

His eyes met mine, conflicted and intense. “I know. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t leave if it weren’t important. I will make it up to you.”

“Haven’t heard that one before,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. A quick look toward the window and I could tell it would be dawn soon.

Ryder was already dressed. “Lock the door behind me.”