by Shayla Black
She tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his lean torso, hugging him. She thought she probably could have stayed like that for the rest of the night and enjoyed the best sleep of her life, until she remembered that she’d been alone when she’d awakened from her nightmare. “You’d gone back to your room, hadn’t you?”
His body stiffened against hers. “Yeah.”
Forcing herself to pull out of his arms, she climbed off his lap. “I’m fine, Scott. You can head back to your own bed now. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“Lily, I just—”
“Really, it’s okay,” she said, cutting him off. “I just need to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, moving to his feet. But he didn’t leave her. Instead, he took off his jeans and turned off the light.
“What are you doing?” she asked, when he climbed back onto the bed, pulled the covers over them, and yanked her against his chest, tangling his legs with hers.
“Just shut up and let me hold you,” he said into her hair, tucking her head beneath his chin again. “I haven’t been able to sleep worth a damn tonight anyway.”
She was still hurt that he’d left her, but didn’t argue or resist, simply wanting as much time with him as she could get. Lying quietly in his arms, she thought he’d already fallen asleep when his deep voice rumbled above her head in the darkness. “Did you know that you’re the only person I know who calls me Scott?”
“Not in my thoughts.”
“Huh?”
“I think of you as Ryder,” she explained. “But I purposefully started using your first name when talking to you a long time ago so that you might notice me. I wanted to be different from all the other girls you knew.”
Running his big hand down her back, he said, “You didn’t need to do that to get me to notice you, Lil. You were firmly stuck in my head from the first moment I ever saw you, even though you were too damn young for a guy my age.”
“Well, I’m a big girl now. So you don’t have to feel like a pervert anymore,” she teased, cuddling a little closer to his mouthwatering bod as she hitched her leg over his hip.
She could hear the smile in his voice as he said, “Considering some of the things I’d like to do to you, I think the pervert thing is probably still valid.” His tone was wry.
“Oh yeah? What kind of things?”
“Things that would be too much for your sore little pussy right now,” he rumbled, sliding his hand between her legs and cupping her puffy folds. He slipped his fingertips around her vulva, which was already hot and slick. “God, I love how wet you get for me. But damn, you’re really swollen, Lil. I went at you pretty hard tonight.”
She moaned low in her throat. “I’m okay.”
“Well, let’s make it better than okay.”
Even though she knew how incredible his mouth was, she was actually sore enough that she didn’t think she would be able to fully appreciate his efforts when he pushed her to her back and started kissing his way down the front of her body. But she’d underestimated him and her need for him. Her craving for the way he could make her feel. Her body melted into a pool of hot liquid as he held her open with his thumbs and took his time, licking her slowly, thoroughly, hungrily. The hard, husky sounds he made in the back of his throat, along with the feel of his hands as he gripped the insides of her thighs, keeping her pressed open, made it clear that he was really enjoying himself. Even when she started to come, he kept at her, licking and sucking on the tender opening of her body, eating her out in every sense of the word until she was boneless and replete, too steeped in satisfaction to even open her eyes.
“What now?” she asked when he placed a lingering kiss to her still softly pulsing clit, then moved back up beside her.
“What do you mean?” There was a definite edge in his voice, as if he was worried about where she was going with the question.
She trailed her fingertips down the hard ridges on his sexy-as-sin stomach. “Don’t I get a turn?”
“You can have your turn later,” he said, clearly relieved she’d been talking about giving him head, and not what was happening between them. He grabbed her hand and flattened it against his chest, over the heavy beat of his heart. Then he pulled her close and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “Right now, just get some sleep. I’ll be here until I have to go and take over the watch for Mike. I won’t leave you again. I promise.”
With those beautiful words drifting through her head, Lily closed her eyes and drifted away.
SEVEN
THE NEXT DAY PROVED TO BE HELL FOR RYDER. SHEER FUCKING hell. He’d wanted to wake Lily up slow and easy, with his dick already buried deep inside her, where he knew she would be soft and wet . . . soaking him, hugging him. Had wanted to squeeze himself in, forcing that mouthwatering cunt to give way for him, and then ride her with gentle nudges, like a lapping sea, until she’d finally opened her eyes and stared up at him. There would have been a small, sexy smile on her pink lips. And it would have been his signal to fuck her harder, until they were pounding away like a storm. Hot and raw, with sweat flying and her short nails digging into his back, urging him on. It was a hell of a fantasy. But he hadn’t been able to play it out, since he’d had to leave her to take over for Mike in the early hours of the morning.
Like a bad sitcom, his luck hadn’t improved as the day progressed. Once everyone was up and moving around, he’d kept trying to snag a moment alone with her but shit just kept getting in his way. First there were the calls from Ben, giving him frustrating updates on the search for Radovich that was so far going nowhere. When he’d finally gotten off the phone with the sheriff and tracked Lily down in the living room, where she was reading, Mike had walked into the room announcing that lunch was ready. Getting desperate, Ryder had cornered her in the kitchen when they’d finished eating and managed to steal a hungry, mouthwatering kiss from her. She’d tasted delicious, and the innocent blush on her cheeks when he’d finally pulled away to suck in some much-needed oxygen had only cranked up his need to fuck her. But before they’d even made it out of the kitchen, there was another interruption when Reese showed up at the front door with her friend Brit. The women had come over to keep Lily company for the afternoon, and while Ryder appreciated the friendly gesture, he’d still wanted to wring their damn necks for getting in his way.
Listening to the women chattering away in the living room, he’d hunkered down with Mike in the control room and focused his mind on the Radovich problem. He knew Mike had to be aware of what had happened between him and Lily during the night, considering how loudly she’d been screaming. But Mike had been smart enough not to say anything about it, which was a relief. She might be gutsy as hell in some ways, but Ryder wasn’t sure how much teasing she could take about the two of them fucking each other’s brains out. Especially when it was just a temporary thing.
A scowl wove its way between his brows as that last thought twisted through his mind, same as it’d been doing all damn day. He hated the cramp in his gut that came every time he thought about the fact that what they had wasn’t permanent. He had no doubt that the end would . . . suck. For both of them. But it wasn’t going to keep him from getting as much of her as he could until the Rado situation was over and she could haul her little ass back to Virginia.
Where I’ll never get to see her. Or talk to her. Or hear her laugh.
Muttering a guttural curse under his breath, he pushed away from the desk in the control room, breathing a sigh of relief when he heard Reese and Brit saying their good-byes. The women had even stayed to help clean up after dinner, and Ryder had tried to work out his frustration in the fitness room, then grabbed a shower while everyone had coffee. But now they were finally leaving, Mike was taking the first watch again, and Ryder couldn’t wait to get Lily alone.
With a comfortable pair of jeans hanging low on his hips, he waited in the hallway for Lily to head to her room,
anticipation making his heart pound like a bitch when she turned the corner. She gave him a shy, sweet smile the second she saw him, and his damn dick nearly burst through the denim.
“Jesus. I didn’t think they were ever gonna leave.” He grabbed her by the waist, jerking her against him, and buried his face in the curve of her throat. “I can still taste you in my mouth, Lil. I can’t get it out of my head. It’s kept me hard the entire fucking day.”
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he could hear the smile in her voice as she crooned, “Aw. Poor baby. That can’t have been comfortable.”
“You’re telling me,” he muttered, herding her into her room and locking the door behind them. It took him only a handful of seconds to get rid of her tank top and lacy bra, and then he lifted her against the front of his body, his face buried between her perfect tits as he carried her to the bed. “I need help, Lily. I need you to help me.”
Her touch was gentle as she sifted her fingers through the damp locks of his hair. “Not that I’m complaining, but what exactly has gotten into you?”
“What’s gotten into me?” He was already leaning over her and pulling down the zipper on her jeans, his shaking hands making the task anything but easy. “How about the fact that I’m dying to get my tongue back into you? It’s damn near the only thing I can think about, which is seriously fucked, seeing as how I’m meant to be thinking about how to keep you alive.”
“You want to go down on me again?” she whispered, still touching his hair, petting him like a wild animal. Which was exactly how he felt with her. Wild and savage and completely out of control.
“Again?” He wrenched her panties down with her jeans, pulled them off her slender legs, then tossed them over his shoulder, his lungs working even harder as he took in the beautiful sight of her spread out naked before him. “I never wanted to stop in the first place. But you were tired last night and needed to get some sleep.”
A warm blush started to burn beneath her creamy skin, her bright eyes glowing in a way that made her look impossibly happy, and it pierced something deep in his chest. “You really like it that much?” she asked him, scooting back a little to make room for him as he climbed onto the bed with her.
Loving the way her breath quickened as he crawled over her, he said, “You have the sweetest little cunt I’ve ever tasted and I just want to keep my face buried in it. So yeah, baby, I definitely like it.” He flashed her a sharp smile. “I fucking love it.”
She gave him a teasing look through her lashes, her tone coy. “And is your tongue the only thing you were hoping to get back inside me, Deputy? ’Cause I was kinda hoping we could do more.”
“I’d love that, too, but we can’t,” he said wistfully. He’d noticed her wincing a few times when they’d been clearing the table after dinner, and when he thought about how hard they’d gone at it the night before, it hadn’t been difficult to figure out why.
Her expression fell. “What? Why not?”
He gave her a knowing look. “Because you’re probably sore as hell, Lil.”
Oh . . . She was, but Lily wasn’t going to let that stop her when there was no telling how much longer they had together. “It doesn’t matter.”
His response was gruff. “It matters to me.”
Before she could argue, he shoved his hand between her legs, his long fingers slipping through her swollen folds, opening her. He pushed two into her, working them deep, pumping into her tight, wet heat before pulling out. Then he lifted his hand to his mouth and sucked the glistening digits clean. “Fuck,” he groaned. “I swear you taste even sweeter today. How is that possible?”
She pushed against his chest, making him roll onto his back. Kneeling beside him, she started yanking at the buttons on the fly of his jeans. “No more of that until I get to mess with your mind the same way you’re always messing with mine.”
He went so still she didn’t even think he was breathing. “You want my cock in your mouth?” The husky rumble in his voice left no doubt that he liked the idea. A lot.
“That’s exactly what I want.”
He raked a hand back through his hair and grimaced, as if the idea caused him pain. “Fine,” he growled, lifting his hips to help her as she struggled to pull down his jeans, stripping him bare. “But it’ll probably kill me.”
Lily started to scowl, until she realized he was teasing her. “I might not have a lot of practice, but surely I can’t be that bad at it,” she said, throwing his jeans over the side of the bed.
He seemed to be having a little trouble breathing as she situated herself between his long, powerful legs, and his eyes were getting heavy. “I have no doubt it’ll be the best I’ve ever had. But my heart might not take it.”
She snorted, pressing her forehead to his muscular thigh as she took him in hand. “You’ll survive.”
“You think I’m joking, but I’m not.” He pulled in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “Seriously, Lil. You have no idea how far this is going to push me.”
“Come on. I know you, Scott.” And thanks to some of the comments she had heard Mike make, she knew he had a helluva reputation in this little beach community as a guy who liked to fuck but not commit. “You’ve probably had more head than any other man I’ve ever known.”
• • •
SHIT. EVER SINCE he’d walked away from her, Ryder had tried screwing Lily Heller out of his memory in a never-ending stream of women. But it hadn’t worked, and there’d always been a part of him that felt like hell for even trying. As if he were betraying her somehow. Of course, he’d justified his actions with the belief that she probably had her choice of handsome men whom she willingly shared her body with. Only, that hadn’t been the case. Oh, he knew she’d had the opportunity, and that she’d dated, but after last night it was obvious she’d never let anything get too serious between her and another man. He, on the other hand, had slept with more women than he could remember, and it made him cringe. They might not have meant anything to him, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d fucked them. If Lily had done the same, he’d want to hunt down every man who’d lost himself in her beautiful little body and make him hurt for it.
Not that he had the right to feel that way. All he’d offered her was sex. It seemed like so little in comparison to what they could have had if he wasn’t so screwed up inside. But at least he could offer her a little honesty to go along with it.
Lifting himself onto his elbows, Ryder gave her a sharp look. “I don’t give a fuck how many mouths I might have been in. They weren’t yours.”
She lifted her brows. “And I’m supposed to think that makes a difference?”
His jaw tightened. “Think what you want. But I’m telling you the truth.”
She didn’t say anything at first. Just stared back at him with those big green eyes. “I guess I better make it count, then,” she finally murmured, the husky words followed by a slow lap of her tongue over the very tip of him. Then she took the heavy head inside her mouth, sucking on it, and Ryder felt every drop of blood drain from his brain.
“Damn it,” he gasped.
She pulled back, keeping her lips against the broad, flushed crown as she asked, “Good damn it? Or bad damn it?”
He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes as he fell back to the bed, his chest shaking with a gritty burst of laughter. “Uh, that was a I think I just saw stars damn it.”
“I can live with that.” Then the crazy woman set about driving him out of his ever-loving mind.
“Oh, God. Go slow,” he panted, reaching down and digging his fingers into her hair, curving them around her head. “Make it last. I don’t want this to be over too soon.”
She sucked him a little deeper, and he cursed, his back arching as if he’d been jolted with a sharp burst of electricity.
“Fuck!” he snarled, when his legs started to shake, the base of his spine tingling. It was crashing down on him, hard, and he couldn’t hold it much longer. “I said slow, Lily!”
Her soft curls whipped against his thighs as she shook her head. “No. Just let go. I want to feel it.”
And she got exactly what she wanted. The instant she sucked him deep again, Lily felt his incredible power blast against her as he slammed over the edge, coming in hot, violent bursts. His flavor was incredible, driving her hunger higher, pushing her craving for him to a place she hadn’t even known existed.
“Wow,” she whispered, when she finally pulled back and looked up at him. “That was really hot.”
“Yeah.” Ryder blinked, not even sure what he was saying. He lowered one hand, rubbing his thumb against the corner of her swollen lips, where a drop of his cum was glistening. He could feel his expression tighten, the way she was smiling at him the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“What?” she asked, her head tilting a bit to the side as she studied him in that way that always let her see too much. But in this moment he had nothing to hide. She’d ripped him wide open.
“You.” He shook his head, his voice shaking a little, too. “You’re so fucking sexy.”
A shy laugh slipped from her lips. “Naw. I’m just kneeling here.”
He touched his thumb to her bottom lip, rubbing the tip across her white teeth. “You were doing a hell of a lot more than that. And now it’s my turn,” he said, quickly grabbing her and pinning her beneath him as he reversed their positions.
“You’re obsessed!” Lily squealed, laughing as he kissed his way down her torso, until he had his broad shoulders wedged between her legs.
He muffled his laughter against her inner thigh. “You complaining?”
“Hardly. It’s just that—”
He cut her off. “Based on the moaning and the screaming you did last night, and in the motel before that”—he lifted his head a little and winked at her—“I kind of thought you like it when I go down on you.”
She blinked at him across the trembling length of her body, thinking he was the most gorgeous man in existence, with that hungry look on his face and his mouth already damp from the way he’d rubbed his lips across her tingling sex before looking at her. “Of course I like it,” she panted. “If I liked it any more, it’d probably kill me. My heart wouldn’t be able to take it.”
