Page 25 of Wicked Games

I was too tired to argue, and I knew he was right. I was still pretty far gone even if my body expelled the booze. The next thing I remembered, Lucien was rousing me from sleep so we could go inside the hotel. Like in the club, he slid his shoulder beneath mine and balanced me against his body to get through the lobby. I was pretty sure I dozed against him during the elevator ride up, and I don’t remember much about him getting me ready for bed.

I do distinctly remember seeking out his warmth when he climbed beneath the sheets. “No funny business,” I said, resting my hand on his abdomen and snuggling closer against his side. “I don’t think we’ve ever just slept in a bed together.”

“They say there’s a first time for everything,” Lucien whispered.

“Do you ever wonder who ‘they’ are? Who are these smart people who know so much?”

“Ryder, close your eyes and go to sleep.”

“Yes, dear.”

Lucien’s chuckle vibrated in his chest beneath my cheek, and his hand slid through my hair, massaging my scalp until sleep claimed me.

IFI’D SLEPT ON THEsofa, I probably would’ve gotten some sleep, but I wouldn’t have held Ryder in my arms while he snored and drooled all over my chest. I also wouldn’t have his hand stroking my cock through my briefs while he dreamed.Professional relationship. Professional relationship. Professional relationship.It’s what he said he wanted, and even though I knew he didn’t mean it, I needed to earn his trust before we had sex again. My cock wept in misery over the thought of not taking this further, or was it leaking with delight from the brief touch? Perhaps both?

I carefully untangled myself from Ryder’s long limbs and eager hand before I did something stupid like let him jack me off when he wasn’t conscious of what he was doing. I stood by the bed and watched him sleep for a few seconds, fighting the urge to run my fingers through his silky strands of blond hair. Ryder needed sleep, and I needed to think, so I quietly went into the bathroom and started the shower. I brushed my teeth and rolled my options around in my brain while waiting for the water to heat up.

I promised Ryder answers, and I would deliver, but I had to decide how much I should, or rather could, tell him. I tried ignoring the raging hard-on Ryder gave me by coming up with a game plan, but it was too persistent, and his warm hand stroking me was all I could think about right then. I regretted not staying long enough for him to ease his hand beneath my underwear to touch my bare skin, so I stroked myself while pretending it was Ryder’s hand touching me instead. I had lain in bed stiff, aching, and wanting for hours. My release built inside me as I thought about the dirty things Ryder used to whisper in my ear. It felt so fucking good.

The bathroom door opened, and I felt the electric charge in the air announcing Ryder’s presence without me turning to look. Knowing he could see me through the glass doors only made me hotter, and it only took a few more strokes before I grunted and came hard. I stood silently beneath the spray for a few seconds as the orgasm and hot water eased the tension that had taken my body hostage while waiting for Ryder to reach out to me.

“There’s a spare toothbrush in the drawer,” I said, breaking the silence. I turned to look at Ryder then. He stood in the doorway unabashedly staring at my body. The thick head of his dick had escaped its cotton prison, proudly pushing beyond the elastic waistband. I loved the smell of his arousal and his salty essence, and it took more strength than I knew I possessed to stay right where I was instead of going to him.

“Have many guests, do you?” Ryder asked, his voice thick with sleep and lust.

I ignored his taunt and started washing my hair, feeling his eyes on my every move. Nothing I said would appease Ryder, and I didn’t want to argue with him, at least not before breakfast. He released a frustrated sigh, then I heard him opening drawers until he found the one with the spare toothbrush.

“You have a lot of stuff for someone who lives on the run,” Ryder remarked as he tore the toothbrush from the package. “Do you pack it all back up or leave it behind when you bolt?”

Maybe I had overthought things the past few days. Perhaps the best way to share information with Ryder was to answer his questions as best I could and build trust rather than toss up a lot of roadblocks to steer him in the direction I wanted him to take. If he asked something I couldn’t answer, then I’d tell him so and explain why the best I could. I’d hoped to eat breakfast first, but it would only look like an evasive maneuver.

“I pack the essential things and leave the rest for our cleanup crew to dispose of,” I said, meeting his gaze in the mirror. “I’m not normally in a city long enough to accrue as much stuff as you see in there.”

“Cleanup crew?”

I rinsed the shampoo from my hair then reached for my body wash. “We have an advance scout who sets up our arrangements, we have a transportation team who moves the recovered items, and we have a cleanup crew who erases our existence. Then there are the techie people at headquarters who are responsible for manipulating cameras and overriding security systems.” I knew it was risky to share this with him, but it was the only way he’d trust me again.

“Holy fuck,” Ryder said, pulling my attention toward him. He held the toothbrush suspended in the air, and a ring of toothpaste foam circled his parted lips. His expression was a mixture of astonishment and awe with a little bit of horror thrown in. He put his toothbrush back in his mouth and vigorously scrubbed his teeth, signaling our conversation was over, at least for the moment. I continued washing my body while waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

Ryder didn’t say anything else until I had rinsed off and reached for the faucet. “Might as well leave the shower running since I’m getting in next.” I hoped we would be sharing showers before too much longer.

I opened the door, reached for the towel, and stepped on the rug outside the shower as I wrapped it around my waist. Unable to resist punishing me, Ryder slid his boxers down his long legs so I could see what I was missing out on.

“Are you going to stick around for the show?” he asked. I quirked a brow, but I knew what he meant. Fuck yes, I wanted to stick around and watch him fuck his fist, but I wouldn’t.

“It would only be fair since you barged in on me, but I think I’ll allow you the privacy you denied me. I’ll order breakfast from room service.”

“I like my bacon crisp and scrambled eggs—”

“Dry,” I said, cutting him off. “I haven’t forgotten.” I couldn’t read Ryder’s expression, so I decided to press on. “I’ll lay out some clothes for you to wear so you don’t have to put your smelly clubbing clothes back on.”

“Thank you,” Ryder said after an awkward pause.

“Okay, then. I’ll just…um…” I headed for the door, but Ryder stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“Thank you for last night, and this morning.”

“This morning?” I asked.