He made her take him, controlled them, and the whole time he kept their gazes locked. Even when her eyes drifted shut, when she arched as he shifted and nudged something deep inside her that sent spirals of erotic need coiling through her, he watched her.
His hips fastened a little, but the pace he set was still too slow, just as it was relentless. But the force of it was undeniable, his hips shoving hers into the sofa cushions as he thrust in, hard little bounces with the force of his unyielding thrusts.
The heat inside her grew, spread as he ruthlessly rubbed against the sweet spot inside her sheath, the position of his thick shaft as it massaged the spot, hit it, scraped over it and back again driving her higher, hotter, until she was arching beneath him, her head back against the pillow as she bit her lip, trying to stop the cries, the pleadings, from spilling forth.
Suddenly he was there, arched over her, riding her harder, his mouth taking hers ruthlessly, tongue invading the tender recesses as his shaft invaded her body, plundering both depths.
Releasing her mouth suddenly, he ordered harshly, “Don’t hide those cries from me, babe. I want to hear them. I want to hear you scream my name.” He drew back sudden and fast, shaft almost leaving her altogether, but before she could say anything, protest or do anything, he thrust forward hard and then set a punishing, pounding pace.
She couldn’t think, could only feel as he rode her with a carnal rapacity that had her vision exploding, blood roaring through her veins, her nerves spiralling, her heart thundering. “Oh God! Ryder!”
“Scream it,” he ground out. “Scream my name.”
Pulling back he shoved in powerfully, lodging high, tearing the scream from her throat as she arched under him, his name filling the room as he rode her ruthlessly, pounding into her, his head dropping to swallow her scream, kissing her with a voracity that shook her to her soul.
He kissed her like he was never going to let her go, his breath her breath, his taste her taste, his body part of her.
One big hand gripped her hip, holding her for his pleasure, their pleasure, keeping her under him as he pumped harder, his shaft swelling inside her, filling her fuller than ever, dragging through her as he worked, every thrust and drag of him inside her, his body sliding against hers in hard muscle and hot skin, winding her higher, pushing her further, his mouth a hot, moist cavern that claimed hers.
His grip was relentless, his pounding hips ungiving, yet he struck her sweet spot every time, making her writhe in ecstasy, forcing her into a vortex of need, sensation, emotion and all-consuming hunger and blistering desire.
One last thrust that had Ryder roaring her name, fingers biting into her hip, and she shattered, falling apart, sucked down into a wild whirlpool of pure heat before flinging her back out into a splintering light.
She didn’t know how long she was out floating in a pleasurable haze of aftermath, but the coolness creeping over her brought her back to reality.
Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Ryder lifting himself off her.
His eyes were tender, the tenderest she’d ever seen them as he dropped a light kiss on her lips, whispering, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Straightening, he pulled his pants up, the zip gaping open, his hand working the slick latex off himself even as he turned and strode out of the lounge room.
Blinking at the empty doorway, she let the knowledge sink into her.
Oh God, she’d just made mad, passionate love with Ryder. Again.
No, wait. Not love, he didn’t love her. She sat up, wincing at both the sharper ache of the stitches in her arm and the unaccustomed tenderness between her legs. Hard, heavy, hot sex, yeah, that was more like it. Cripes, no wonder his ex girlfriends came back wanting more, reluctant to give him up. Now she could understand it.
It also made her shiver, a measure of self-disgust filling her. Was she going to be like that? Always wanting more? And even more pathetically, she’d never even been a girlfriend.
Suddenly self-conscious, she stood, pulling her nightie down and wrapping her arms around her waist, not quite knowing where to look, what to do. For sure she couldn’t just stand there in her nightie, Ryder’s scent on her skin. She looked down at herself. She needed more than the nightie.
Oh God, she couldn’t face him like this. It was going to be awkward as it was. What would he think, that she was waiting for more?
Quickly she went to the lounge room doorway, glancing across to the bathroom where she heard Ryder moving around. Taking a deep breath, she moved fast, stealthily, making her bedroom and shutting the door quietly. Putting her back to it, she took another deep breath, closing her eyes.
Crap on a stick, now what? Maybe if she stayed in here he’d go away. He’d just walk away, glad he wouldn’t have to see her, talk to her. Opening her eyes, she looked across to the window. Maybe she could climb out of it and make her escape.
She wasn’t a coward by nature, but just the thought of looking Ryder in the eyes right now had her quaking. How did one look at the man who’d literally made her scream his name, who’d thrust into her body? Not to mention ordered her to put a condom on him, and how, and then expected it?
She’d heard of his prowess in bed - and on tables, against walls, the back seat of a car, over an armchair, pretty much anywhere the man could get a woman on her back, belly or feet - but she’d never thought in a million years that she’d feel that prowess.
Christ, she’d never be able to look at the sofa in quite the same way. As for relaxing on it? That had just been shot to shit.
“Dee?” A knock sounded on the door, making her jump.
“Uh - yes?” She cringed at her still breathless voice.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “Just…um…getting dressed.”
There was silence.
“I’ll be right out.”
More silence, then, “Okay.”
Cripes, he was waiting for her. She’d have to face him, there was no way around it.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she strode across the room, deliberately blanking her mind, moving on automatic.
Yanking off her nightie, she pulled on panties and bra, pausing as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her jaw tightened, her heart thudding heavily. Normally she was happy, had accepted herself and her generous curves a long time ago, concentrated on living her life and having fun, doing it her own quiet, slightly sarcastic way, and she was happy. But now, really looking at herself, she wondered. What did a man like Ryder see in her? She was no slim nymph, no coy, sexy woman. Her curves were over-generous, her breasts heavy, her hips more child-bearing than come hither. Even her cheeks were rounded, what her Dad laughingly called ‘apple cheeks’. The only thing going for her was her hair, long, blonde, thick, soft, her crowning glory as it were.
Ryder’s body was perfection, hard, strong, muscular, tall. He had the body of a Greek god and the looks of a sinful angel.
What the hell did he see in her?
Did he even see anything in her?
Her breath caught, her hands trembled. Why was he even here? Why had he even had sex with her? Why now?
What had he really thought when he’d been on top of her? How soft she was? How…fat?
Jesus, get a grip. Gritting her teeth, she tore her gaze from the mirror and strode to the wardrobe, ripping it open to yank out a pair of slacks and a button-up blouse, pulling both on impatiently. You are who you are. Sliding her feet into a pair of ballet flats, she pulled the hair elastic from her plait and un-braided her hair, running a brush through it quickly. Don’t doubt yourself, never doubt yourself. You have so much.
But her hands still trembled as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. It had been a long time since she’d even thought much of her weight or body. Life was so much more than looks and figures, but it wasn’t easy to push the sudden self-doubts aside.
Especially after feeling what it was like to be held
and kissed by Ryder.
Suddenly she felt as though she didn’t measure up, could never measure up to his looks and physique.
Talk about being shallow. It was the one thing she hated.
Taking a deep breath, she looked her reflection squarely in the eyes. “You’re a good person, Dee. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.”
A squirt of perfume to bolster her confidence and she strode to the door, yanking it open with a sudden rush of annoyance. Life was too damned short to be so superficial. It was her problem if she took it on, and she bloody well wasn’t going to start carting that useless crap around with her.
Chapter 10
At first she thought that Ryder had left, her emotions lurching from relieved to hurt. However, the clinking of cutlery against china made his presence clear.
Now her emotions swung between relieved and an ‘oh shit’ feeling, because she had to face him. Her palms actually got a little damp, she had to wipe them on her slacks.
“Stop loitering out there, babe, get your arse in here,” Ryder called.
Okay, come hell or high water, the time was now. No turning back, no hiding.
Straightening her shoulders, Dee lifted her chin, crossed the landing and into the kitchen to find Ryder, now fully dressed in a rather rumpled uniform, pouring milk into two steaming mugs, perfectly at home.
Well, he’d always been at home in her kitchen To be fair, in fact, all her friends had been comfortable in each other’s places, but seeing Ryder standing in her kitchen just gave her an extra warm feeling.
Jesus, maybe he really had boinked her brains out.
That thought had her cheeks flushing, and it had to be right when he turned with the mugs in his hands, his gaze landing unerringly on her face, a knowing look crossing his as he took in her red cheeks.
Then his gaze slowly slid down her body, making her self-conscious flare anew, but she forced herself to stand still, watching him, assessing his expression, refusing to back down or hide.
His gaze slid back up her body, lingering unashamedly on her hips and breasts before sweeping upward to meet her gaze.
Oh boy, his eyes held blatant sexual heat. Jesus, really? Her confidence flowered, bloomed, flared brighter than ever at the knowledge that hit her right in her girlie spots.
She might not be slim and sexy, but he found her desirable. The lust in his eyes was unmistakeable, the sudden awareness in the air between them undeniable.
That knowledge gave her courage, made her toss her head a little as she strode forward to take the mug from his hand.
Rather than relinquish it to her, Ryder held it away.
Puzzled, she looked up at him.
“I could strip you, bend you over the table and ride you into next week,” he stated bluntly, a touch roughly. “If you don’t want that to happen right now, don’t toss your head in such a challenge, because babe, I’m up to meet any challenge you throw at me. Got it?”
Her mouth dropped open.
His gaze dropped to it, the lust in his eyes flaring brighter. “Later I’ll teach you some other uses for that mouth.”
What the…? Had she heard correctly? Oh yeah, she had. “Screw you, Ryder.”
His grin was darkly roguish. “Like I said, later.”
The bastard had no problem with his confidence, it practically oozed out of his pores. She glared up at him. “Maybe there won’t be a later, have you ever thought of that? Wait.” She smacked her forehead lightly with her palm. “Of course you haven’t. You’d never dream that anyone could say ‘no’ to you and mean it.”
“Are you saying no?”
“No.” That floored her. “Yes. No.” God, suddenly she couldn’t get a thought straight in her head.
His smile was slow, a touch wicked as he brought the mug up between them. “Good, because we have some things to discuss first.”
Christ, that sounded business-like. “You better not be planning on offering me money.” She took the mug from him.
“I wasn’t.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “But now we’re on the subject, how much do you think my performance was worth?”
That had the events of the morning crashing down around her all over again, flustering her, making it difficult now to meet his eyes. So difficult, in fact, that she turned away. “Let me check how much Monopoly money I have left.”
“Why, Dee Miller.” He was suddenly close behind her, his front to her back, his breath hot at her ear, his arm holding his mug of hot tea safely away from her even as he blatantly teased, “Are you saying my love making wasn’t up to scratch?”
“Whatever you say,” she retorted, her mind already going a little haywire at his nearness.
Not to mention that her body reacted almost immediately, her nipples pebbling. Thank God for sturdy bras, good for supporting big boobs and hiding traitorous nipples.
His chuckle vibrated through her. “Are you feeling a little shy?”
“Not at all.” She took a fortifying sip of the hot tea.
“And yet your cheeks are on fire.” His hand was suddenly cupping her chin, his thumb stroking down her cheek. “Jesus, babe, you are such a delight.”
Her heart pounded against her ribs. “Huh. You only just now realised that.”
“Oh, I always knew what a delight you were,” he said. “I just never realised how much.” Stepping back, he smacked her lightly on her bottom. “Take a seat, babe, we need to talk.”
There was no avoiding the talk. It was going to be embarrassing, awkward, and she had no idea what to expect or what to say. But there was no avoiding it, that much was clear. Unless… She glanced at the kitchen clock as she sat down at the table. “Don’t you start work at eight?”
“Yep.” He dropped down into the chair opposite, placing his mug on the table.
Great. “That’s in half an hour.”
“Yep.”
“So you better go home and change.”
“Nope.”
“You’ll be late.”
“I rang and told them I’d be in at ten.”
“You what?”
“Unless there’s an emergency, then they can ring my mobile.”
“How can you just-”
“They owe me a heap of overtime. The boss is cool with me coming in a bit later.” Ryder paused. “As long as I bring one of Cheryl’s iced coffees from the café for him. Man isn’t above some bribery.”
“He’s worked too long with you.”
“Not nice.”
“The truth can hurt.”
“It can also be revealing.” Suddenly serious, he cocked his head curiously to one side. “Why did you deny that you kissed me all those years ago?’
Oh boy. Dee shrugged. “It was nothing.”
“Really? So why have I had this recurring dream about a faceless girl kissing me all these years?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you watched too many porn movies when you were young. Something was bound to stick.”
“Hey, my parents wouldn’t let me watch porn.”
“Who said your parents knew? Cripes, Ryder, you cut on your teeth on ‘Debbie Does Dallas’.”
Rather than deny it, he grinned. “Scott saw it as well, did he ever tell you that?”
“I am so surprised,” she said dryly.
“Back then we thought it was rather risqué.” His grin turned a little wicked. “But I think I’ve seen and done worse since.”
“If you need to confess, the church is up the road.”
“I’m Anglican, we don’t confess anything.”
“I’m surprised the roof doesn’t cave in when you walk into church on Christmas morning.”
“Haven’t you heard the angels sing?” He noticed her shift her chair back a little. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to be anywhere near when the lightening strikes.”
His grin this time was downright sinful.
It was enough to kick her heart into double time. She glanced down at her mug, traci
ng one finger around the rim.
The silence ticked on for several seconds before Ryder broke it. “So why did you deny it?”
“Forget it, it was no big deal.”
“No big deal? I wake up with a boner every time I have that dream.”
That had her beaming on the inside, though she kept her reply casual. “Morning wood. I think it has something to do with a full bladder.”
“Jesus, Dee, you know how to kill a sexy moment.”
“Do you deny it?” She dared a peek to find him watching her incredulously.
“Hell yes. Most times it’s simply that I want sex.”
“Wow, and you say I’m a mood killer.”
“Nothing wrong with wanting sex. I like sex. Lots of it. Pretty much up for it any time of the day or night.” Ryder’s eyes went a little darker, pupils dilating as his gaze travelled over her face, down to her shoulders, dropped to her breasts and slowly rose back up again to lock on her mortified face as he drawled huskily, “I like sex with you.”
She didn’t know what to reply. Her heart leaped in anticipation, she was going to have a heart attack any second if she couldn’t get it under control. Her grip tightened on the mug.
“A lot,” he added.
No way could she look at him. No way. Her cheeks were blazing, her womb contracting, her girlie parts tingling. Cripes, if he could do this just by saying how much he liked having sex with her, well, hell - wait a minute.
Liked having sex with her. Liked. Not loved. He liked sex, he’d had it with a lot of women. She was just the latest.
That thought was enough to steady her wildly beating heart. In fact, it fell in her chest with a thud. Shit, that hurt. Slowly, she looked across the table at him.
Whatever he saw in her face wiped all teasing and wickedness from his. He straightened from his slouch in the chair. “Dee?”
“Look, Ryder, whatever you want to say, just say it.” She took a deep breath, gripped the mug hard. “How about I say it instead?” She might die of embarrassment, true, but hell, she had to get it over with and him out of her home. “We had sex three times. You liked it. Fine. Done. Finished. Was there anything else?” She arched her brow at his astonished expression. “Do I say ‘thank you’? How about I say ‘thank you’? Thank you, Ryder, the sex was great. You are a true sex god, a real stud. I know what the women of Gully’s Fall pant after now. Thank you.” Pushing to her feet, she folded her arms. “You can go.”
Lie to Me Page 26
