by T. S. Joyce
He blew out three sharp breaths and murmured in a panicked tone, “Stop, stop.”
For an instant, she thought she was doing something wrong, but when she eased off him to ask, he flipped her over on her back so fast, her stomach dipped. Stunned at the strength and speed he’d been hiding, her body froze in defensiveness, but Ryder didn’t seem to notice. He lowered his body to hers and kissed her lips. He was so heavy, so solid, so warm. So perfect molded to her as though he was made to fit into the cradle of her hips.
He curved his body, and she could feel it—the flex of his abs against her soft stomach, the racing of his heart, the swollen head of his cock pressing against her entrance. And all the defensiveness melted from her body. She’d never wanted anything more than this moment of connection with Ryder.
She rolled her hips invitingly in a silent plea. Ryder angled his head and thrust his tongue into her mouth, then slid into her slowly. Then out, and the next time he rolled forward, he buried himself deeper.
She was stretching with him, moving with him, sheathing him, and damn, it felt so good to be this close. The second he went deep enough that he bumped her clit, the pressure he’d conjured earlier was back and more intense. He moved in and out of her with a slick sound, and she arched her back against the blanket, desperate to be even closer to his warmth. The strange hot sensation in her chest was back, and Ryder grunted against her neck where he was sucking on her skin. It grew hotter with every stroke Ryder pushed into her, but it wasn’t painful. Just there. Ryder bucked faster now, harder. Spreading his knees wider, he pushed her legs farther apart and pounded into her, gripping the back of her hair, holding her back to keep her pressed tightly against him. He rested his forehead on hers. His teeth were gritted, his eyes gold, and he was as lost as she was now. She fucking loved him like this. Ryder’s skin slapped against hers as he thrust into her, and now she couldn’t help herself.
“Yes, harder!” she cried, closing her eyes because suddenly, the sunlight was too damn bright. There was so much heat in her chest.
She clawed at his back and shoulders, didn’t care if she broke his skin. If he was going to leave hickeys, she was going to leave him all clawed up.
“Fuck, Lexi!” he gritted out, holding her even tighter.
So fast and hard, and the pressure and heat were all too much. Lexi shattered from the inside out, screaming out his name as her orgasm blasted through her. On the second pulse, the heat turned to fire as Ryder slammed into her hard and throbbed inside of her. He groaned with every erratic thrust into her now as shot after shot of wet warmth pulsated into her. Ryder gasped and clutched at his chest as if he felt the hot poker she did. Clenching his teeth and squeezing his eyes tightly closed, he murmured her name again in a raspy voice. His rhythm changed and slowed as their orgasms pounded on.
And when at last he leaned down and drank her lips softly, the pain in her chest was replaced with a fluttering, happy feeling. Ryder sipped at her for minutes, or maybe hours, she didn’t know. Lexi lost all sense of time as he pulled her over on her side and held her close, wrapped his arms around her and made her feel so safe as he kissed on and on.
Completely sated, Lexi eased back and smiled emotionally at him.
Ryder’s chronic smile was gone, and in its place was a tender expression as he tucked her hair behind her ear. Lexi smoothed the slight frown from his eyebrows, ran her fingertips down his cheek, down his neck, and hesitated at a small scar under his collar bone. It was raised and silver, but perfectly straight, as if it had been done on purpose.
“What’s this?” she whispered, resting her cheek on his outstretched arm to better see him.
“Owls don’t mark each other, but boars mark the people who are theirs. Mason gave my mom two cuts when I was five, claiming her. My dad had just signed away parental rights, and I wanted Mason to keep me so bad. He was hurt in a boar war in Damon’s Mountains, and the crews thought he wouldn’t make it. I remember just sitting at the foot of his bed and crying because I wanted him to stay.” A thin rim of moisture lined Ryder’s eyes, but he kept his gold gaze steady on her. “I’d made up my mind that no matter what, I was his boy. So I took a sharp stick and cut a mark into my skin. It was too shallow, and the scar wouldn’t take because of my shifter healing. So when Mason finally woke up, my mom told me I had to tell him what I’d done so he could get onto me for hurting myself. But instead of punishing me, he knelt down in front of me, pulled his pocket knife from his back pocket, and gave me one mark. And he hugged me up and told me I was his.” Ryder swallowed hard. “And that’s why I don’t like to talk about my real dad. I have no right to mourn. Mason might not be blood-related to me, but he’s my dad.”
So incredibly thankful that he’d shared that with her, Lexi scooted closer and hugged Ryder close. She’d loved him before that admission, but now her heart belonged to him completely.
“Lexi?” he murmured against her ear.
“Yeah?”
He pressed his lips to her cheek, let the kiss linger there before he whispered, “I think you’re what I’ve always been looking for.”
Chapter Eight
Ryder blew out a harsh breath and forced himself to stop shaking his leg under the table. Serena had texted him twice this morning, promising to let him see Dottie for their Tuesday call. Head games. It was like she sensed he was on the mend after the wreckage she’d turned his life into, so now she was back to sink her claws in deeper. Wouldn’t work, though. His heart belonged to Lexi now.
Still, he missed Dottie so fucking badly.
It was time to call Serena, but he couldn’t make himself hit the connect button on his laptop. The thought of even talking to his ex made his stomach feel like he’d eaten a dozen gas station burritos. This was the moment he had to choose between hanging onto Dottie, or letting her go and cutting ties with the woman who’d tried to destroy him.
Alana sat across the table from him, straightened her bright pink Alana’s Coffee & Sweets apron, and lifted her gold eyes to him.
“You smell like fur,” he gritted out. She was a brawler. If he was in his owl form right now, she would have every feather on his body puffed up defensively.
“As your second best friend, I don’t want you to call Serena. That woman is poison, Air Ryder. I like Lexi for you instead.” Whoo, full nick-name. Alana was serious.
Ryder pulled up Serena’s messages and pushed his phone across the table.
Alana’s deep scar on her lip stretched as she read the messages out loud. “You there? I have been thinking a lot about everything and how much I hurt you. I’m sorry, Ry-Ry. I just want you to come back to me so I can make it up to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy. Me, you, and Dottie can be a family again. To show you I’m serious, I promise I’ll let you talk to Dottie today when you call. I love you, Ry-Ry.” Alana gagged and scrunched up her face. She tucked a fallen curl behind her ear, settled the phone on the table, and leveled him with a look. “You want to know what I think?”
“You’ll tell me even if I say no.”
“Yep. I think bitch-face saw you post about how happy you are on your social media. She’s following you, Ryder. She’s one of those women who doesn’t really want you but wants you chasing her. I’m sorry about Dottie, but don’t call Serena. Don’t do it.”
“I wasn’t considering a call to rekindle things, Alana. Lexi has me now. I wanted to say goodbye to Dottie. I just have a feeling this is my last chance to see my dog, you know?”
“Ryder, you love her too hard.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean when you pick something, you give it your whole heart. You did that with Dottie, I know. But this is one of those things where you need to stop lookin’ back and realize what you have in front of you.”
“Lexi.”
“Yeah, and Sprinkles and your crew, your friends, your family. You want everyone you love gathered close for always, but you have no control over Dottie, and seeing her one last tim
e isn’t going to help anything. It’s going to give Serena motivation to keep you under her thumb.” Alana stood up and ruffled his hair, shoved his head. “I’ve known Lexi for a long time. We went to middle school and high school together, and she was always steady. She was kind to everyone. Lexi is a good woman who would never treat you like Serena has done. Covet her, Ryder. Don’t call your ex.”
Alana sauntered off behind the display case of pastries to help a customer, and Ryder leaned back on the bench seat. She was right. Saying goodbye to Dottie wasn’t worth hurting Lexi over. Not after the day they’d spent together. Not after she’d put this warm, happy feeling into his chest. He’d rather sever his own arm than hurt her.
Lexi had showed him something he thought no one would ever be able to. She showed him what a monster Serena had been, and not just for cheating on him. For draining his savings and using his dog as leverage. How had he put up with that shit for so long?
Because you wanted the bond so badly.
Thank God for Lexi showing him what a healthy relationship could be.
She’d opened his eyes to so much, and now he wanted to get his shit together more than ever before. He wanted to get his business off the ground and save money for a family. He wanted to fix the hole in his middle so she would never have to question if she was enough to make him happy.
Ryder wanted to give her everything.
His computer chirped, and he dragged his gaze to the glowing screen. Serena was calling. Seeing his dog one last time was right there, right at the click of a button. All he had to do was accept, but if he did this, it would hurt Lexi. A vision of betrayal in her eyes flashed across his mind, and he winced away from the thought. He couldn’t do this. He loved Lexi. Real love, not the forced kind.
Ryder slammed his computer closed and grabbed his cell phone. He scrolled through the last couple of pictures he’d taken until he came to his favorite of Lexi.
He’d taken it after they’d slept together out in the woods the other day. She’d just gotten dressed, and she was sitting with her back to him, arms wrapped around her drawn-up knees as she overlooked his favorite view—the one he hadn’t shared with anyone else. Her long, black hair was hanging in silken waves down her back, and he’d planned on sneaking a picture of her, just like that. But right before he’d taken the picture, she’d turned and given him such a beautiful look over her shoulder. Her green eyes were bright and happy, and a stunning smile stretched her lips. Shocked by her beauty, he’d rushed the picture, but it had somehow still come out perfectly clear. His girl and his favorite view, surrounded by his favorite woods, and this was now his favorite picture of all time.
Alana had been right about him looking to the future and appreciating what he had.
Ryder had never posted about who he was dating on his accounts. They were for fun, and his followers had come to expect half naked pictures and jokes from him. But right now, he wanted to shout to the world that Lexi had come in and dumped his life upside down in the best way. On each account, he posted the picture of his beautiful Lexi with the caption:
I searched the world and finally found her. #sexylexi #backoffboys #allmine #hoohoo #pussyryder #sheisgoingtokillmeforpostingthis #writediedhappyonmytombstone
His notifications started going crazy with the likes and comments, but he wasn’t in the mood to absorb the attention right now. All he wanted to do was call Lexi and hear her voice.
He tucked his computer under his arm and made his way behind the counter. Alana was helping a couple choose pastries, but he snuck into the conversation, hugged her shoulders, and kissed her cheek with an animated smack. “I’m bringing a plus one to the wedding, okay?”
Alana giggled and wiped his kiss from her cheek. “Well, ask Lexi nicely then, Ry-Ry. Girls like romantic gestures.”
He offered Alana a wink and made his way to the door. “I know what I’m doing.”
“I feel like that’s not a true statement,” she called from behind him, but he wasn’t up for the banter.
Ryder had a dozen plans rattling around in his head right now and a lot of prep work to do before tonight.
The bell dinged above the door as he exited, and in a rush, he tossed a wave back to Alana, who was watching him through the window as if he’d lost his mind.
But he hadn’t. His head had never been so clear.
It was his heart he’d lost.
Chapter Nine
“Oh, noooo,” Lexi drawled out as she bounced and bumped her way through the gate.
There was a cabin at the edge of a clearing with strange-looking plastic, green shutters and a couple more cabins up the dirt track that wound around jutting black boulders.
She’d definitely thought Ryder lived by himself.
Ryder, Weston, and Aaron sat on the front porch of the first cabin, and up the trail, Alana, Harper, and Wyatt were walking toward her Jeep. Shit, shit, double shit.
Ryder’s greeting grin was beaming as she hit the brakes and rocked to a stop next to Ryder’s jacked-up, gunmetal gray Chevy pickup. Beer in hand, he jogged down to meet her, but skidded to a stop by the driver’s side, his eyes on her cleavage.
“What are you wearing?” he asked, his voice muffled through the door.
Heat blazed up into her cheeks, and she couldn’t meet his eyes. She searched the back seat for a jacket or hoodie, or for fuck’s sake, a burlap sack would’ve worked about now. But of course, there was nothing since she’d just cleaned her ride out last night.
Her mortification was infinite, and now the other Bloodrunners were gathering around her Jeep.
Well…there was no help for it. She couldn’t just turn around and speed out of here, even if that was exactly what she wanted to do.
Ryder pulled open the door as she unbuckled. Boneless and full of shame, she slid from the seat and clamped her hands in front of her thighs.
“Holy fuck, you look hot!” Ryder crowed. He pointed to each boob in turn. “That’s mine and that’s mine.”
Wes and Aaron were snickering.
“I didn’t know the whole crew lived together,” Lexi choked out. “I thought you lived alone.”
“That’s okay, nobody minds you dressed up as a…” Realization struck Ryder’s face like lightning. “Is this for me because of what I said the other day?”
“What did you say?” Harper asked, biting her lip to hold back a smile. She was failing.
Lexi wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out. “Ryder said he always had this fantasy of fucking a Wild West saloon girl.”
Aaron doubled over and laughed so loud it echoed across the mountains, but Alana shoved hard, and he almost fell over. Wes was staring at Lexi’s tits, pushed up to her chin with the red silk corset lined in black lace. Ryder looked so damn gleeful Lexi wanted to slap him.
“This is your fault!” she snapped. “You told me to dress like this.”
“I assure you I did not. I would remember. I said ‘dress for the woods.’”
“Oh. Shit,” Lexi muttered. “Well…” She pulled down the tiny skirt to cover up her fishnet clad thighs a little better. “That makes more sense then.”
“What did you think I said?”
Her cheeks caught fire. She cleared her throat delicately and muttered, “I thought you said ‘dress for wood.’”
Wyatt and Aaron weren’t even trying to stifle their laughter now, Wes was still staring at her fucking tits, and Ryder was doubled over cackling and stomping his feet, spilling his beer all over the grass.
Alana looked impressed, though, and she punched out through her giggles, “Girl, at least you’re working it. You came to get your man.”
“He’s not getting anything now,” Lexi grumbled.
Harper shoved Wes’s head, and he came out of his tit-trance, but just barely.
“I have some clothes you can borrow if you want,” the Bloodrunner alpha offered. “You look awesome, but I doubt that will work for where we’re going.”
“Where we’re going?
” God, she’d really thought when Ryder called earlier, he had a one-on-one date planned for them. Apparently this was a group date, and her mortification somehow deepened.
Ryder picked her up like a sack of flour and tossed her onto his shoulder.
“Ryder!” she squawked as he slapped her bare ass.
“Sorry, y’all. I need at least thirty-three seconds with my girl.” Ryder pretended to shoot laser beams from his dick with a couple pelvic thrusts and said in a high pitched voice, “Pew pew.”
Lexi struggled, trying to hide her bare body parts from the crew, but Ryder was immovable, the brute.
“Thirty-three seconds, yeah right,” Aaron called as Ryder shoved the door to the cabin open. “That would be a record for you, Ryder! One pump wonder!”
“Harper!” Lexi pleaded. “Clothes!”
Ryder shut the door, but she could hear Harper’s muffled voice. “I’ll bring them to you!”
Ryder strode straight into the bedroom and dumped her unceremoniously on the bed.
“I’m so embarrassed!” She pressed her palms against her burning cheeks to cool them. Ryder was unsnapping his pants like this was really going to happen now, and Lexi opened her mouth to tell him hell no to all of this, but movement caught her attention.
When a mouse ran across the wooden floors of the bedroom, Lexi bolted upright on the bed with a horror film scream clawing its way up her throat.
