Ray of Hope (Ray #2)

by E. L. Todd

  I kept my eyes on my food and ignored him.

  “Tune me out all you want, sweetheart,” he said. “But when we get home, it’s on.”

  “That’s what you think…”

  Ryker stopped eating altogether and chose to occupy his time by staring at me. He sat with his elbows on the table, observing me like he was watching a film. He hardly blinked because he was so absorbed.

  His tactics were already getting to me, but I refused to cave. I purposely ate another slice just to avoid him.

  “Ryker?” A beautiful woman came to his side at the table. She wore skinny jeans and a tube top, looking like she was going to the club rather than bowling. Her hair was done like she just stepped out of the salon. Judging by the way she looked at him, she’d already been in his bed long before I came along.

  I refused to get jealous.

  Wasn’t gonna happen.

  Don’t care.

  “How are you?” Her hand immediately went to his shoulder like she had every right to touch him.

  Forget it. I’m jealous. Damn jealous.

  “Good. What brings you here?” He turned his shoulders naturally, forcing her hand to slide off.

  That’s right.

  “Some friends and I are out. Want to join us?”

  She clearly thought he was just hanging out with a group of friends. Since my hair was thrown in a bun and I was stuffing my face with pizza, I obviously didn’t look like Ryker’s type. I couldn’t blame her for thinking that. And I wasn’t showing him an ounce of affection.

  “Thanks for the offer,” he said. “But I’m hanging out with my girlfriend and her friends.”

  I felt the thrill shoot down my body when he actually referred to me that way. I’d never heard him say it outside our group. And it was nice to hear—really nice.

  “Oh…” She couldn’t recover from her shock. Her eyes turned to me, and judging by the surprise I saw there, she wasn’t sure if I was the girlfriend he was referring to—because I looked like a slob. “Oh, I’m sorry. Have a good night.”

  “I will,” he said. “You too.” He gave her a wave as she walked off.

  Now it was hard to hold my grudge. He did exactly as I asked and wouldn’t even let her touch him.

  He turned back to me, the same look in his eyes as he had before. He only had his sights on me and nothing else.

  My resentment was fading away, and I didn’t care about the game we just bowled. I didn’t care that he teased me in front of his friends. And I didn’t care that he said I couldn’t keep my legs closed when it came to him.

  Because it was true.

  He knew he had me right where he wanted me. That hint of arrogance was in his eyes. “You wanna get out of here?”

  Chapter Nine

  Rex

  Jessie went home, but the rest of us came back to the apartment. I was glad Rae took off with Ryker. She’d be at his place until tomorrow afternoon. I wouldn’t have to watch him stick his tongue down my sister’s throat.

  “Nice place,” Rochelle said as she walked inside.

  “Thanks.” I grabbed a few beers and handed them out. When I gave one to Kayden, I did my very best not to touch her. If I did, I knew my cock would spring to life. She wore these skinny jeans that highlighted her perfect curves. And the t-shirt she wore hugged her glorious breasts. I hadn’t seen her naked just yet, but my imagination painted a good picture.

  “It’s not his place,” Zeke explained. “It’s Rae’s.”

  “You live with her?” Rochelle asked.

  I’d been teased for this so many times I didn’t feel any shame. “Yeah. Trying to save money.”

  “Oh, cool.” Rochelle accepted my explanation without judgment and walked into the living room.

  When she was out of earshot, I turned to Zeke. “She’s really cool, man.”

  “I know.” He grinned to himself before he twisted off the cap to his beer. “She really is.”

  “So…is Rae off your mind?” They’d only been seeing each other for two weeks, but their relationship was moving pretty quickly. He introduced Rochelle as his girlfriend, and he spent nearly all his free time with her. That worked out for me because I’d been seeing Kayden a lot more. If he were single, I’d have to make excuses not to hang out with him.

  “I haven’t really thought about her.” Zeke spoke like he was talking to himself more than me. “So yeah, I think so.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Yeah. It was never gonna happen with her anyway. If I told her how I felt, she would have just rejected me, and it would have made our friendship awkward. It worked out much better this way. Rochelle is really cool, sexy, funny, and smart.”

  I would never forget what Zeke had said to me about Rae, that he could see himself settling down and marrying her. If he was going to end up with anyone, it would be her. It wasn’t something you would say if it was just a simple crush. He was downplaying it now, but that was fine. Rochelle was a much better fit, and she would be good to him. Rae had her priorities wrong. She wanted to chase a heartless bad boy until he kicked her to the side.

  I could admit Ryker had been around a lot longer than I expected him to be, and they did seem close. But I hadn’t changed my prediction. In a few months, he would get tired of her and move on to someone else. Rae would come home crying and expect me to put her back together.

  But I would say I told her so.

  “She’s perfect, man. I hope it works out.”

  “Me too. That house is too big for one person.”

  “Well, I could fix that for you.”

  He chuckled. “No way. Rochelle walks around naked all the time. I’m not gonna lose that.”

  “I can walk around naked for you.”

  He rolled his eyes and walked away.

  “Did you grow up in Seattle?” Kayden asked from the living room. She sat on one couch, and Rochelle sat on the other.

  “Born and raised,” Rochelle answered. “But I moved to California for medical school and my residency.”

  Zeke sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  I eyed the other couch where Kayden was sitting but didn’t know what to do. If I sat there, it would seem like we were on a date or something. But if I sat next to Zeke and Rochelle, that would be a cramped fit.

  Kayden watched me, waiting for me to do something.

  Zeke noticed me standing there. “Everything alright?”

  “Yeah,” I said quickly. “Why?”

  “You look weird standing there,” he said. “Why don’t you sit down?”

  I eyed the seat beside Kayden before I took it. But I sat all the way to the left and nearly off the edge.

  “Does Kayden smell?” Zeke asked with a chuckle.

  “No.” I rested my arm on the armrest and tried to look casual. “Better angle for the TV.”

  Zeke dropped the interrogation when he realized the conversation wasn’t going anywhere.

  Kayden eyed me from her seat on the couch, looking absolutely fuckable in her jeans and t-shirt. Even when she wasn’t dressed in heels and a mini skirt, she looked phenomenal. I’ve known her for over ten years, and not once did I look at her like this. But now, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. She sucked my dick like a pro, and I wanted her to do it again.

  “Want to play a game?” Zeke asked. “How about Cranium?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “You guys are way too smart for us. How about poker?”

  “That’s a guy’s game,” Zeke said. “Monopoly?”

  It was long and boring but whatever. Maybe it would distract me enough to stop thinking about Kayden riding my dick like a goddamn cowgirl.

  ***

  Zeke and Rochelle left after midnight, and Kayden lingered behind.

  I hoped she would stick around, but I also wanted her to leave. Rae could come home at any second, and I’d have a very difficult time explaining why Kayden and I were alone in the apartment—naked.

  “Are you going to t
ake off too?” I stayed by the door so I could let her out.

  She tucked her luscious blonde hair behind her ear, her eyes sparkling like stars. “I was hoping I could stick around, if that’s okay. You haven’t given me a new lesson in a while.”

  My dick was already hard. “Rae could come home at any moment…”

  “Believe me, she’s not. Did you see the two of them over dinner?”

  I tried to block it out.

  She stepped closer to me, her eyes glued to my lips. She sauntered in a sexy way, looking like a fantasy I’d beat off to on nights I was too lazy to pick up a date. When her chest was pressed to mine, she didn’t touch me. She stared at me in her innately beautiful way, practically begging me to kiss her.

  This woman had superpowers.

  I broke the tension and gripped her by the hips. My mouth found hers, and I kissed her hard. I turned her around and pressed her into the counter. The second our mouths were locked together, I fell hard into the abyss of carnal desire. I’d kissed a lot of women, but none of them had the power she possessed. She made me warm from the inside out, made my dick harder than steel, and took my breath away all in a single instant.

  My hands tightened on her hips, and I pressed my hard cock against her, out of control with longing. I sucked her bottom lip before I shoved my tongue into her mouth, feeling her desperate tongue dance with mine.

  My head was in the clouds, and even if Rae walked in right then, I wouldn’t stop. I kissed her jawline then her neck before I rose up to her ear. I nibbled on her earlobe then swiped my tongue across her shell. “What do you want to learn?”

  She gripped my arms tightly. “Whatever you want to teach me.”

  I wanted to teach her one thing in particular. I lifted her by the ass into my arms and pulled her against my chest. My mouth sealed over hers as I carried her into my bedroom. Safari lay in the hallway and ignored us as we walked by.

  When I was in my bedroom, I kicked the door shut behind me and dropped her on my bed. “If you’re with a good guy, he’ll do some serious foreplay—as he should.” I kissed her as I undid her jeans and pulled them down her thighs. She helped me kick them off until she only had on her thong.

  She pulled her top off on her own, and I reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. Like moving water, we worked together effortlessly to get what we wanted. She didn’t seem awkward or inexperienced at all. In fact, she was one of the best lovers I’d ever had.

  When her bra was gone, her tits were on display. I wanted to stare at those perky breasts, but I wanted to kiss her more. My fingers found her panties, and I pulled them down her legs, excited to know that she was about to be completely naked underneath me.

  I broke our kiss and finally looked down at her, knowing I crossed a line I could never uncross. We could return to just being friends when this was over, but I would never look at her the same. I would always picture her naked every time I saw her. “Shit, you’re perfect.” She had a narrow waist, nice hips, and a boobalicous chest I would love to tit-fuck. My hands moved to her slender waist, and I gripped her harder than I meant to. I was so eager to feel her that I couldn’t think. I stilled for a moment because I couldn’t decide what to do next. Too many things hit me at once, and I lost control.

  Her hands gripped the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, bringing me back to earth. She tugged it off until my chest was visible for her to see. She tossed it on the ground then ran her hands up my body. “You’re the one who’s perfect, Rex.” She looked at me with those big, gorgeous eyes and her nails sank into my skin. Somehow, she seemed to want me more than I wanted her—which I didn’t think was possible.

  She moved for my jeans next and got them off, along with my boxers. When I was naked, I moved on top of her and pressed my cock against her stomach, unable to believe this beautiful woman wanted me—trusted me.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” It was stupid of me to ask. I was so turned on I couldn’t have stopped if she asked me to. But the words flew out of my mouth, and I prayed she wouldn’t change her mind.

  “Yes.” She kissed my neck and ran her fingers through my hair, her sexual intensity the same as mine.

  “Our friendship will never be the same.”

  She kissed me again, harder. “We were never that close anyway.”

  I was done. I did the gentlemanly thing so I was out of the woods and guilt-free. I grabbed her hips and yanked her to the edge of the bed. Her beautiful ass hung over and her legs were parted. My knees hit the carpet, and I pressed my face between her thighs. The second my mouth touched her pussy, she writhed.

  “Oh god…” She gripped my sheets and arched her back.

  My tongue circled her clit, giving her the perfect amount of pressure to make her moan from deep in the back of her throat. My tongue moved backward and forward, absorbing the sweet taste of her slick pussy. She was wet for me, and we hadn’t even gotten started yet. She was doing a marvelous job, and I hadn’t given her a single lesson. What the hell did she need me for?

  I continued eating her out, getting her pussy soaking wet and prepared for my throbbing cock. I wanted to be inside her so bad, but I paced myself. Nothing would make this night worse than if I came right when we started. I never had a problem stopping myself from blowing my load, but I suspected things wouldn’t be easy with her.

  I pushed her to the edge, right before she was about to come, and then I pulled my face away.

  She sat up immediately, her eyes lidded with lust. “What lesson was that?”

  “No lesson. Just want to make sure you know exactly how a man should eat your pussy.” I grabbed her waist and tugged her back up the bed until I was on top of her. My hand shot to my nightstand and rifled in the drawer until I found a condom.

  “I’m on the pill.”

  I held the condom in one hand and looked her in the eye. Was she inviting me to go bareback? We were just fooling around, so it was an intimate offer.

  “Are you clean?” Her eyes looked hopeful.

  “Yeah.” I just got tested last week, actually.

  “Then no condom.”

  Seriously? Kayden was going to let me fuck her skin-to-skin? No woman had ever made the offer before. “Are you sure? I can get my papers.”

  “I trust you.” She cupped my face and kissed me. “I know you would never do anything to harm me.”

  The confession burned my heart as well as my dick, and now I was ready to fuck her pronto. My cock found her folds, and I slid through her slickness as I prepared to take the final plunge.

  She dragged her nails down my back. “You have anything to teach me?”

  I watched her tits shake as I rocked with her. “No. You’re perfect.”

  She grabbed the base of my cock and pointed my head at her entrance. She used one of my shoulders as an anchor before she pushed me hard inside her. A moan escaped her lips when she felt the fullness.

  Fuck, she was tight.

  So goddamn wet.

  Slick.

  Warm.

  Heaven.

  “Fuck…” I closed my eyes to cherish the sensation. Now I understood why men skipped the condoms most of the time. Nothing compared to this, to feeling her wet flesh rub directly against mine. It was indescribable.

  “God, you feel so good.”

  I didn’t even need to tell her to say it. She was a natural.

  Instinctively, I grabbed the back of her neck and held her in place as I fucked her hard. I gave it to her good and rough, my hips moving at lightning speed and my cock sliding through her abundant slickness.

  She dug her nails into me harder. “Fuck yes.”

  Sweat drenched my back and my chest, but I kept going. I pounded into her like it was the last thing I’d ever do. I hadn’t had a lay quite this good in a long time—if ever. I wanted to go on forever, but I wanted to come even more.

  I watched her tits shake as I thrust into her, her nipples hard and desperate to be sucked. Her chest was tinted pink
along with her cheeks, but her eyes were just as bright as ever. Her hair stretched across the comforter, and she looked like an ultimate fantasy.

  I grinded my hips against her and pressed right over her clitoris, wanting to get her off before I accidentally blew my load. My performance was never an issue, but I’d never been as hard up as this. The fact that she was my friend and taboo just got my engine going even more.

  Thankfully, she did. “Right there…” She gripped my ass and yanked me harder into her. Her mouth opened and a sexy scream escaped her lips. Her pussy clenched around me, tightening until it constricted my cock with formidable force. Her pelvis bucked as the orgasm hit her hard, smacking into her like a train. “Yes…so damn good.” She closed her eyes as she rode the high, enjoying every single second of her ecstasy.

  How was I not supposed to come after that goddamn performance?

  Her slickness overwhelmed my cock as her come surrounded me, and I could feel the thick stickiness her body produced just for me. She was smooth and wet, but she was also so viscous.

  I wanted to keep going, but I knew that wasn’t possible.

  “My turn.” She gripped my shoulder and rolled me onto my back.

  This was too damn good to be true.

  I lay on my back and watched her straddle me. Instead of pressing her knees to the bed, she balanced on the balls of her feet and gripped my tight stomach for balance. Like an athlete, she bounced up and down on my dick, her ass smacking my thighs every time she came down.

  Was this really happening?

  She took my dick like a pro and kept bouncing, burying my enormous cock deep inside her over and over. We were so wet together, and my thick cock opened her lips wide every time I thrust inside her.

  I gripped my skull because I couldn’t believe how good this was. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

  She rode me hard and sheathed my entire length to my base. She fucked my cock like she loved it more than anything else in the world. Her nails dug into me, and she moaned as she worked up a sweat, her tits shaking.

  “I want to make you come again…but fuck…I really want to come.”

  “I want you to come too.” She slowed down her pace and reached behind her ass, her fingertips finding my nuts. She massaged them gently as she continued to ride me up and down. The touch was magnificent, fucking incredible.