Ray of Hope (Ray #2)

by E. L. Todd

  Ryker turned away from the mirror and watched me instead. His eyes were glued to my face as he watched me explode, covering his dick with my come. My ass tightened around his fingers as the sensation stretched on forever.

  It was the most intense ecstasy I’d ever had, and I didn’t know if it was because of the intense fullness or the simple arousal from this man underneath me. But everything was working together to put me onto a new plane of pleasure.

  His fingers continued to work my ass, but he didn’t look in the mirror again. All he did was stare at my face as we moved together, man and woman and the abundant lubrication between us. He pressed his face to mine, and he breathed hard with me, burying himself in my tight pussy.

  My hands cupped his face, and I looked into his eyes. I felt my heart give way for the man underneath me. I’d never fallen this far for someone, never hit this new level of feeling. I didn’t just picture tomorrow and the day after that. I pictured a lifetime into the future of endless nights of good sex and years of joy. I pictured him standing at the end of the altar when Rex gave me away. I pictured our first house outside the city. I pictured giving birth to a son in his exact likeness.

  Oh shit.

  I really had fallen hard.

  He kissed me hard on the mouth, practically bruising my lips as he slid deep inside me repeatedly. “I want to keep going, but fuck, I want to come.” His cock was throbbing, pressing against my tight channel anxiously.

  “Then come and let’s keep going.”

  He moved his head to the back of the couch and took a deep breath, my words hitting him deep in the gut. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Not a single thought possessed me to do this. It was instinct, lust, and even love. I inserted my fingers into his mouth. “Suck.”

  He straightened and did as I asked, his dark eyes locked to mine the entire time. His tongue moved against my fingers just the way it did against my tongue.

  When they were thoroughly wet, I pulled them out and placed them against my entrance, moving his fingers away from the spot.

  His eyes immediately went to the mirror.

  I inserted my fingers inside myself and pulsed just the way he did to me. I’d never done anything like that in my life, but he made me feel so sexy that I thought I could do anything. I rode his cock and fingered myself at the same time.

  “Holy…fuck.” He watched my movements in the mirror, and his breathing was off the wall. He gripped my hips and pulled me onto his length harder, watching my fingers as they worked my ass.

  “Now come.”

  He squeezed my hips so hard he nearly bruised me. Then he switched into a purely carnal mode and fucked me aggressively. His thighs worked underneath me and pounded his dick into my pussy without an ounce of gentleness. He was officially gone in a fog of unbridled pleasure.

  He came with a loud moan, being more vocal than he ever had before. Sweat marked his forehead, and he shoved himself farther inside me as he filled my pussy with everything he had. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” He gripped my cheeks and pulled them apart as he gave me every single last drop. The orgasm stretched on forever, and he held on to it for as long as possible.

  When it was finally over, he met my look, his chest rising and falling with his heavy breathing. “That was…perfect.” He kissed my neck and then my jawline. When his lips met mine, he gave me a gentle kiss that betrayed the aggression he’d shown just a moment ago. “I want to fuck you again…just like that.”

  “Then I’ll keep my fingers here…for you to watch.”

  As if he wasn’t just satisfied a moment ago, his eyes darkened again. “You’re perfect. You know that?”

  I gave him a seductive kiss, my tongue moving with his before I pulled away. “I know.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rae

  I entered the bar and found the girls sitting at a table near the back. Jessie was already in a dress with heels because that’s what she wore to work—even though she was on her feet all day. Kayden was in jeans like usual, so she didn’t make me stick out like a sore thumb.

  They already had my drink waiting for me when I arrived.

  “How’s the garbage doing?” Jessie asked.

  “I work in recycling.” She knew better, but she liked to tease me whenever possible.

  “How’s that?” she asked.

  “It’s good.” I didn’t get much done today because my mind was in the gutter—thinking about Ryker. “I have something a lot more interesting to talk about.”

  “That Ryker has an older, richer, and even better-looking brother?” Jessie asked with hope bright in her eyes.

  “No.” Actually, I didn’t know if he had any siblings. He was peculiar when it came to the subject of his family—even though I already knew who his father was. “But it is about Ryker.”

  “What?” Kayden asked. “Did he ask you to move in with him?”

  I wish. “No. But…I think I’m in love with him.”

  Jessie shared a look with Kayden before she rolled her eyes. “We already knew that.”

  “Yeah,” Kayden said. “Old news.”

  “But now I really know.” I sipped my drink and realized Jessie ordered it twice as strong as it needed to be—how she took all of her drinks. “It was looking me in the face the other night.”

  “What happened?” Kayden asked. “Did he do something particularly romantic?”

  I wouldn’t call ass play romantic. “You guys know my ass is off-limits, right?”

  “Yep,” Jessie said. “Mine too.”

  “Mine three,” Kayden said.

  “Well, we were doing the deed, and I let him finger me a bit.” I wouldn’t tell this to anyone besides the two of them, not even Zeke. That was just weird.

  “Really?” Jessie made a face.

  “What was it like?” Kayden asked.

  “It was…” I shrugged because I couldn’t find the right words. “Just alright. But he went crazy over it. He’s always been enthusiastic in bed, but it brought out a completely different side to him.”

  “So it was totally worth it,” Kayden said.

  “Absolutely.” Seeing him that hot for me made me even hotter.

  “He’s going to want to fuck you in the ass now.” Leave it to Jessie to come out and give it to you straight.

  “Totally,” Kayden said. “Probably the next time you see him.”

  “I hope not.” A little ass play was okay, but I wasn’t ready for nine inches.

  “You cave in once, they’ll push you,” Jessie said. “Been there, done that.”

  Kayden sipped her drink. “What did he do to make you realize you were in love?”

  “Nothing really.” There wasn’t a specific thing he said or did. It just hit me when we were moving together on that couch. I loved seeing the satisfaction in his eyes, and I wanted to make him feel that good every single day. “I just knew…you know?”

  “Aww…” Kayden reached across the table and gave my wrist a gentle squeeze. “I do.”

  “Are you going to tell him?” Jessie asked.

  “I don’t know…” I couldn’t tell how he felt. Sometimes it seemed like he might feel the same way, but then other times, I remembered how withdrawn he was. He gave me a lot of himself, but not everything.

  “I think he feels the same way,” Kayden said. “I mean, no guy would stick around as long as he has unless there was more to your relationship than getting his dick wet.”

  “Me too,” Jessie said. “But he might not realize it. Guys are pretty clueless about how they feel.”

  “So do you think I should tell him?” Talking about this made me nervous in both good and bad ways, so I drank my glass much quicker than I should have. The alcohol was already hitting me.

  “I don’t know,” Kayden said. “You know him better than we do.”

  “I think you should just tell him,” Jessie said. “What’s the worst that could happen? He doesn’t say it back?”r />
  “That sounds pretty devastating to me,” Kayden said with a laugh.

  “I agree.” That would hurt—a lot.

  “Just because he doesn’t say it back now doesn’t mean he won’t later. And he’ll know how you feel. I mean, who hates hearing someone say they love them?” Jessie finished her drink then motioned to the waitress to bring another. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. If anything, it’ll boost his ego. And when he’s ready, he’ll say it because he knows you already feel the same way.”

  “That’s true,” Kayden said. “Another way of looking at it.”

  “So you both think I should tell him?” I asked.

  Jessie shrugged. “That’s totally up to you. You could wait a while if you want. I mean, there really is no rush to blurt it out right this second.”

  “But if you’re in love, shouldn’t you be honest about that?” Kayden asked. “I’ve never been in love, but if I were, I’d want to be up front about it. You could be yourself, do and say things that you might not otherwise.”

  “I guess I’ll see what happens,” I said. “If the right moment comes up, I might say something. But if it doesn’t…I’ll keep it to myself.”

  “Problem solved,” Kayden said. “Zeke and Rochelle are already saying it to each other, and they’ve only been together for a month. It’s been three months with you guys. It’s not like it’s too soon.”

  “Yeah, that’s true.” I thought it was soon because it wasn’t like me to feel this strongly about someone. But when I least expected it, it happened. I guarded my heart so securely I didn’t think I’d let my walls down enough to feel this way for anyone. But in reality, it really wasn’t too soon. “Thanks for giving me your two cents about my love life.”

  “Always,” Kayden said. “We aren’t experts by any means, but we’ve been around the block a few times.”

  “And I’ve kissed a lot of frogs,” Jessie said. “Ryker is definitely not a frog. Are you sure he doesn’t have a brother?”

  I chuckled. “I’ll ask him next time I see him.”

  “Thanks so much,” Jessie said. “Even a cousin would be okay.”

  “Got it,” I said. “So, enough about me. What’s up with you guys?”

  ***

  “Safari, roll over.” Rex held the piece of pepperoni and waved it in his face. “Just roll over. Like this.” He made the gesture with his hand.

  Safari stared at him blankly.

  “Come on, boy.” Rex whistled then waved the dog treat in his face again.

  I rolled my eyes from my seat at the table. “He doesn’t need to learn tricks.”

  “Why not?” Rex asked. “Other dogs do it.”

  “But Safari is too good for that,” I argued. “He gets a treat just for being cute. End of story.”

  Rex ignored me then tried to teach Safari how to shake.

  Safari looked at me with an expression that said, “Can I just have the damn treat?”

  Zeke drank his beer while he watched Rex. “Poor dog.”

  “I know, right?” I drank my beer then turned back to Zeke. “What are we doing tonight?”

  “There’s an escape room that just opened downtown,” Zeke said. “That could be fun. You have to solve a series of puzzles while zombies try to eat your head off.”

  “Talk about pressure,” I said.

  “Some friends of mine told me it was cool,” he said. “Maybe we should go for it. What’s Ryker up to tonight?”

  “I haven’t talked to him today.” I was purposely trying not to be clingy to compensate for the fact I wanted to be with him every second of the day. I wasn’t the type of woman to need a man’s affection around the clock, but Ryker changed a lot of things about me.

  “If we get Ryker, Rochelle, and the girls to come along, that should be enough people. Then we can head to the bars afterward.”

  I had an excuse to call him, so I took it. I made the call and pressed the phone to my ear.

  “Hey.” He usually answered with some kind of endearment, but he didn’t have one today.

  “What’s up? Are you free tonight?”

  “No, I have plans.” He didn’t elaborate whatsoever, which was very strange.

  “Uh, everything alright?” I walked away from the table when Zeke gave me a concerned look. I moved down the hallway until I was finally out of earshot.

  “I’m okay,” he said. “I’m having a bad day.”

  I hated to be this kind of girlfriend, but I did it anyway. “What are you doing?”

  Ryker didn’t give me a straightforward answer. “Rae, I’m kinda having some family problems right now. I just want some space.”

  Selfishly, I felt the sting from being kept out of the loop. He didn’t want to tell me his family problems because he never talked about that sort of thing with me. And I was hurt I still wasn’t included in that aspect of his life. After the amount of time we’d been together and our obvious closeness, I thought I’d earned the right to know intimate details of his life. But I wouldn’t press him on that right now, not when he was clearly upset. “I’m sorry to hear that. You know I’m here if you need anything.”

  “I do know. Thanks.”

  “Well…I’ll talk to you later.” I knew I wouldn’t see him all weekend, judging by his tone of voice. I just hoped his absence wouldn’t last too long.

  “I’ll call you on Monday.” He hung up without another word.

  At least he told me when I could expect to hear from him again.

  I walked back into the kitchen, and Zeke’s eyes were immediately on me.

  “Everything alright?” Zeke asked.

  Rex was still wasting his time with Safari.

  “Ryker is having some family problems right now,” I explained. “He didn’t want to talk about it and said he would call me on Monday.”

  “That’s too bad,” Zeke said. “Hope it’s nothing serious.”

  “I’m not sure. He doesn’t talk about his family to me even though I know his father.”

  “It’s a touchy subject for some people,” Zeke said. “I know Ryker resents his dad for making him move to Seattle. Maybe it has something to do with that.”

  Zeke knew more about it than I did, which was sad. “Yeah, maybe.”

  He spotted the sadness creep into my eyes. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Ryker will come around, and everything will be what it was. I wouldn’t think about it too much.”

  “Yeah…” But that was all I could think about until I spoke to Ryker again.

  ***

  The weekend passed slowly because Ryker was on my mind most of the time. I stayed home and spent time with Safari and Rex. Rex knew I was a little down, so he wasn’t such a pain in the ass.

  Out of concern for Ryker, I hoped his family problems weren’t serious. Maybe someone got into a car accident, but they would recover quickly. Whatever it was, I hoped it was something that wouldn’t hurt Ryker. He wasn’t an emotional person, but I knew he cared about other people deeply even if he wouldn’t admit it.

  When I got work on Monday, I tried not to stare at my phone obsessively. Even if he didn’t call today, that wouldn’t mean anything. I hoped I could sleep over and comfort him in whatever way he needed. Maybe Safari could cheer him up.

  After I jogged in the park and had a quick shower, he called.

  My heart leapt in joy, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw his name on the screen. I took a second to compose myself before I answered. “Hey.”

  “Hey, sweetheart.” Like normal, his voice came out deep with a note of confidence—along with possessiveness.

  All the tension left my body when I was greeted with his warm attitude. Whatever happened with his family must have resolved itself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in a good mood. I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling. “How are you?”

  “Good. Just got home from the gym.”

  “Does that mean you’re all hot and sweaty?”

  “No.” A quiet chuckle escaped through the phone.
“But I can get hot and sweaty with you.”

  “Ooh…that sounds like fun.”

  “How about you get that fine piece of ass over here, then?”

  “I’ll be there pronto.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  ***

  When the elevator doors opened, he was standing there like usual. In his sweatpants and without a shirt, his chest was hard and defined—and ready for my nails to drag down the endless grooves.

  I dropped my bag on the floor and immediately moved into his chest. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I kissed him on the lips, telling him how much I missed him through the weekend.

  We silently communicated, and he pulled me into his arms just as I tugged on his shoulders and lifted myself until my legs hooked around his waist. We didn’t break our kiss, and he carried me into the bedroom. He took his time despite the desperation we both felt. I couldn’t wait until my back was pressed against his sheets and he was moving deep inside me.

  Ryker crawled up the bed while I dangled underneath him. He set me down with my head against the pillow, and he immediately moved for my clothes. He pulled my jeans and underwear off before he removed his own pants and boxers. His cock was long and ready like it always was when we were together.

  He didn’t bother taking off my shirt before he shoved himself inside me, stretching me wide and moving through my slickness. I was already wet from the trip to his apartment, thinking about all the dirty things we would do once we were finally reunited.

  He hooked my legs over his shoulders and pressed his chest against the back of my thighs. He condensed me tightly, pushing me down until I was curled up underneath him. Then he pounded into me, fucking me hard like we hadn’t been together in months rather than days. “I missed you.”

  My hands glided into his hair, and I fisted the strands as his body slammed into mine. He felt even better than he did before after our time apart, and hearing those words of intimacy made me fall further into the moment. “Missed you so goddamn much.”

  He moaned against my face and thrust harder, giving me more of this length.

  My hands moved to his hips, and I pulled him farther inside me, getting every inch even though it started to hurt when he continued to hit my cervix. I needed as much of him as possible regardless of the pain.