She felt him prodding against her and wanted to arch up and take him inside her. She needed this flame he’d started inside her quenched, but something nagged at her.
“Wait!” She pushed against his shoulders. “Condom. I’m not on anything. I-I haven’t been with anyone in a long time.” Years to be exact.
“How long?” He froze and swallowed hard. “Did you and Dare ever—”
“No, we never did. It wasn’t him. There was a guy at a work function four years ago. I’d had too many drinks, and well… it wasn’t the best way to lose your virginity.” And she’d regretted that night ever since.
He rose above her, resting his weight on his elbows, his fiery green eyes boring into hers. “You’ve only been with one man? Only one time?”
“Uh-huh.” She bit her lower lip, suddenly self-conscious. “Is that a problem?”
“Christ.” He rested his forehead against hers. “And here I am going at you like a man possessed,” he whispered in a harsh tone, more to himself than to her.
He rolled off her and lay on the floor, his arm covering his eyes, breathing hard.
“Ryder?”
“Give me a minute.”
“Did I do something wrong?” She sat up curling her knees into her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, suddenly chilled.
He lowered his arm and looked at her. “No, I’m the one who is doing everything wrong. I’m sorry, Gabriella. I never should have made demands on you like I did. Please forgive me.”
Did that mean he wasn’t going to make love to her? Had her lack of experience put him off? “There’s nothing to forgive.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I kind of liked the whole He-Man routine. Though don’t let it go to your head and think you can act like that all the time. I’m a liberated woman.”
“You’re more than that.” He rose up on his elbow, his other hand reaching up and smoothing her hair back from her face. “You’re everything, and I should have treated you like the precious thing you are. I was careless, caught up in my need for you that I didn’t give any thought to yours.”
“Well, I might be kind of new to this, but I didn’t feel that way.”
“How did you feel?”
“Like I would die if I couldn’t have you.”
He growled. “That’s exactly how I feel too.”
“So you still want me?” she asked, glancing at him from under her lashes, a part of her fearing his rejection now that he knew she’d only done this one other time.
“God, yes,” he hissed, cupping her cheek and dragging her down for his kiss. It was quick, hot, and hard, more of a branding. He took her hand and placed it over his throbbing erection. “I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you.”
She stroked him, loving how his eyes rolled back in his head and the velvet feel of him under her hand. “Then can we get back to it then?”
The sound that rumbled up out of his chest rivaled that of a wild animal. “I want it to be good for you. Special. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t. If you turn away from me, that will hurt. Be with me, teach me, erase the memory of that other time. Make this feel like my first time.” She realized that it was true. This was her first time. The other had been over before she’d known what had happened, and it was all a little blurry anyway since she’d downed too many mojitos, a drink she’d lost the taste for after that night.
He got to his feet, and her heart sank. Then he was cupping her face again. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not going anywhere. I just need to do a few things first.” He stood, nude and male and completely confident in his nudity, glancing around the room. Then he walked to the air mattress and stripped the down comforter off and spread it out on the floor. Next, he retrieved his phone from his pocket and fiddled with it until soft music played from the speaker. He set the phone on the windowsill, the music bouncing off the glass, amplifying the sound.
She smiled, realizing that he was trying to set the mood for her, and a warmth filled her heart, the romantic girl inside her sighing with love.
Could she be in love with him? It had only been a week since they’d reunited. But then the way she felt toward him didn’t have anything to do with time.
He searched through her things, found a couple of candles she’d placed in the bathroom and returned, lighting them and placing them around the room. He stood gorgeously naked, his hands on his lean hips as he took in the space. “I’m missing something,” he muttered to himself. Then he held up his hand. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
He rushed from the room, and she heard him pound down the stairs, and then the front door opened and closed.
Had he left? Naked? What was he doing?
Then he was back with a bunch of forget-me-nots clutched in his hand.
“Where did you get those?” she asked.
“Your pot on the porch. I’ll get you some more for the planter, but you need flowers tonight. Do you have any champagne?”
She giggled. “I don’t need champagne. This is perfect. You’re perfect. Thank you.”
He smiled, looking boyishly pleased. He reached down and offered her his hand, She placed hers in his and he pulled her to her feet. “My lady,” he said, walking her to the comforter and helping her down. He laid her out on top of the fluffy down and spread her hair until it haloed around her, then he placed the flowers next to her. “God, you’re beautiful. Your beauty humbles me.”
Everything inside her liquefied. He reached for his pants discarded on the floor and took a condom out of his wallet, tearing the foil with his teeth and sheathing himself. It was seriously the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, and it had a lump of emotion rising in her throat. If she didn’t think she was in falling in love with him before, she knew the truth of it now.
Lying beside her, he took one of the forget-me-not blooms and trailed the honey-sweet smelling flower over her cheek, down her neck, over her breasts and tickling her stomach until she sucked in a breath, her belly quivering with anticipation.
Gently he kissed her, brushing his lips lightly against hers once, twice, before settling in and exploring her depths with his tongue. She curled into him, his hands tenderly caressing her, as she, in turn, explored him and all the muscle packed onto his solid frame. She felt protected and cherished in his arms and never wanted to leave, never wanted to forget this feeling.
“Let me love you, let me know everything about you,” he whispered against her lips.
“Yes, yes.” She gasped as he kissed down her neck, nibbling at a sensitive spot that had her seeing rainbows. Then his mouth was back at her breasts, lavishing attention onto them before kissing and licking his way down her stomach.
He reached her sex, breathing hard, and she knew he was doing his best to hold himself in check for her, and it had moisture wetting her eyes at how gentle he was being with her.
Part of her wanted him grabbing at her again, satiating this burning desire growing inside her, but she’d enjoy this exquisite attention for now. There would be time for a fast and furious ride later. He had a reputation for being a wild ride after all, and she wanted to experience all the many facets of him.
He slowly dragged her lacy underwear down her legs and then he shocked her by bringing the flimsy lace to his nose and dragging in a deep breath. “God, your scent is intoxicating. I have to know how you taste.”
A blush heated her whole body at his actions and words, but she stiffened as he knelt between her thighs.
“Relax, you’ll like this, and I’m going to love it.”
She covered herself, suddenly feeling insecure. “But—”
“No buts, just feel.” He pulled her hands away and placed them above her head. “Keep them there,” he demanded. And then he was kissing her inner thighs, eliciting a moan from her. He teased and tormented until finally licking her.
She gasped, her hips rising off the comforter. He cupped her backside and held her there for his mouth to feast.
He dr
ove her up fast, her head thrashing back and forth, as the orgasm ripped through her, and she found herself indeed screaming his name.
Looking extremely satisfied, he positioned himself between her thighs, breeching her inner folds. Reaching for her hands, he entwined their fingers as he gently, inch by inch, slowly joined their bodies together.
“Oh, God, Ryder.” She moaned, feeling him so perfectly deep inside her.
“Gabriella,” he growled her name, holding himself still, the veins in his neck pronounced with the effort of giving her body time to adjust to the penetration of his. Then he began to move, thrusting in and out, until she couldn’t think at all, could only feel the glorious sensations sparking inside, setting off a chain reaction that had stars bursting above her as she soared into the heavens.
Shouting her name, Ryder followed her into the rapture.
Chapter 14
Ryder gazed down at Gabriella, his heart so full he was sure it would surely surge from his chest. She glistened, her skin dewy and rosy gold from their love making. She opened those striking blue eyes, so similar to the forget-me-not blooms scattered around her and looked straight into his. Pleasure and what he hoped was love shining in the depths.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice gravely. He was still inside her, not willing to lose their sensual connection just yet.
“More than okay.” She reached up and stroked the side of his face, rubbing his beard.
He needed to shave, he’d let it go too long, and now he could see where his beard had grazed her sensitive skin. “I’ll shave tomorrow.”
“Don’t you dare. I love it. Plus, it heightens…you know.” She looked away embarrassed.
“No, I don’t know,” he teased. “I do believe you need to tell me.”
“How many condoms do you have?” she asked instead. “I have a lot of time to make up for.”
He groaned, dropping his head.
“Only the one?” she asked, disbelieving.
“Come on.” He slipped out of her and got to his feet, pulling her up. “Get dressed. We need to make a condom run.”
“I don’t need to go.” She looked horrified at the thought of being seen buying condoms. “You go. Take my car.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
“I’ll be fine. I have Reaper, and I won’t open the door to anyone I don’t know. Besides, I need a shower.”
The image of her all wet and naked in the shower hardened him again. He was like a randy teenager sporting a constant hard-on around her. “Gabriella,” he warned.
“What?” She looked at him, bewildered.
“You really have no idea what you do to me, do you?”
She looked him over, her gaze centering on his erection. “I’m getting a pretty good idea. I thought men had to wait at least twenty minutes before they were ready to go again.”
“Most do. With you, the rules don’t seem to apply. Now, get dressed. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“You at least have to give me a few minutes. I go out looking like this, everyone will know that we just…you know.”
“God, I hope so.” She gave him a dirty look and he just laughed. Besides, buying condoms with him would inform the Heart to Heart Network who she was sleeping with soon enough. Not that he was going to remind her of that. She must have forgotten how this town worked in her years away.
She grabbed a change of clothes and locked herself in the bathroom. He chuckled, feeling more lighthearted than he had in years, if ever. Life had never seemed so full of hope and promise. He wanted it to never end. He stopped in his tracks, buttoning his jeans.
Holy shit. He wanted to marry her. After what they’d just done together, he couldn’t imagine being with another woman. The very thought of it soured his stomach.
She was it. She was everything.
He remembered his dad telling all of them that he’d fallen in love with their mother the moment he’d seen her. Looked as though the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree, or the nut, in his case. He had to be crazy thinking of marriage this soon. For now, he wouldn’t mention anything to her. He didn’t want to scare her off.
She came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of snug jeans and lightweight sweater in purple, which turned her eyes to violet. She’d tied her hair up into a ponytail and freshened her makeup.
“You take my breath away.” Reaching for her, he pulled her into his arms for a quick kiss that quickly turned steamy. He broke it off. “Condoms, then we’ll finish that kiss.”
“We need to hurry.”
“That we do.”
Once downstairs, she handed him her keys, and they left in her Tacoma and headed toward the Convenient Heart.
Gabriella sat rooted in the car. “Do I have to go in with you?”
“I’m not leaving you out here unprotected.”
“I’ll lock the doors.”
“Are you that embarrassed to buy condoms?”
She nodded. “Wouldn’t it embarrass you to buy tampons?”
“I have four sisters, I got over that a long time ago. Come on. It’s a rite of passage. No one will blink at you twice.”
“If you say so.” She climbed out of the Tacoma and met him at the front where he took her hand in his.
Anyone seeing them would have no doubt they were a couple. He liked that. Liked knowing she was his. Possessive or not, it had his male pride strutting. He walked them back to the pharmaceutical aisle and grabbed four boxes.
“Four?” Gabriella whispered.
“You’re right, that’s not enough.” He picked up two more and then added a bottle of strawberry-flavored warming jelly to the mix, laughing at Gabriella’s blush that turned her cheeks a very becoming pink. “You’ll thank me later.” He kissed her cheek and they walked up to the counter. Gabriella grabbed a bottle of chilled champagne from the cooler.
“Good idea.” He winked, setting the items on the counter, and then turned when he heard someone calling his name.
Leia Atwood slinked their way, wearing a lowcut top that didn’t leave much to the imagination and skintight, black slacks paired with high heels, her glossy brown hair sleeked back from her face.
“Ryder, you’re a hard man to get ahold of,” she said, her tone venomous with a smile that didn’t reach her hard eyes. She gave Gabriella a dismissive glance. Taking in the items the cashier was ringing up, her gaze hardened further. “She your new flavor of the month?”
“Leia, you should go before you cause a scene.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t mind causing a scene and from what I’ve heard looks like you don’t either. You and Dare created quite a spectacle at the Pump House. The whole town is talking about it. And now you’re here with her buying condoms. Tongues will be wagging.”
“Did you have anything to do with that?”
“Me? I wasn’t even there, so how could I?”
“I think you were the one who sent the pictures,” he said.
“What pictures? Why would I do that, and how would I?” she asked covertly. She sidled up to him, her large brown eyes beseeching. “Ryder, I really need to talk to you. Just give me a few minutes. Please.”
He glanced between Gabriella and Leia.
“Talk to her,” Gabriella said, her eyes telling him he needed to figure out what was going on.
He handed Gabriella his credit card and then ushered Leia out of the Convenient Heart to the empty parking lot. “All right, what’s this all about? Why are you following me, calling me all the time?”
Leia cozied up to him, placing her hand on his chest, invading his personal space. “Is this the way it’s going to be between us, after all we’ve done together, meant to each other?”
“Leia,” he growled. “Say what you need to say and be done with it. I don’t want you calling me anymore, following me around town, bothering my…family.” Meaning, not bothering Gabriella. Neither did he want her causing problems at the job site. He needed to finish this,
put it to bed for good, even though he thought he had. Ghosting her obviously hadn’t been the best course of action. “I made it clear that we were over.”
“Well, that’s the problem. We aren’t over as your seed took root and I’m pregnant. That’s why I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. And you have been ignoring me. You shouldn’t have done that.”
Pregnant?
Good God. He stumbled back a few steps. “You can’t be pregnant. We used protection.”
“Yet, it’s only ninety-eight percent effective. Things happen. Remember that time—”
“You said you were on the pill.”
“I was, but then I had a sore throat and took an antibiotic. It turns out that antibiotics mess with birth control pills, making them less effective.”
“You can’t be pregnant,” he repeated. His whole future flashed before his eyes. All that he’d planned, Gabriella, all of it imploded. If Leia was pregnant with his baby, he couldn’t be with the woman he loved.
“Yet I am, which is why I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. Yet you refused to call me back.”
Gabriella walked out of the Convenient Heart carrying the bag of items they’d just purchased, that he’d hoped to spend the rest of the night putting to good use.
“Looks like you have a decision to make,” Leia said smugly, stepping aside. “I know I’ve dumped this on you, but it’s your own fault. Next time take my calls.” She glanced at Gabriella and then back to Ryder. “Call me when you’ve broken the news to her. I’ll be waiting.”
Leia sauntered off, and Gabriella came up to him, her brow wrinkled, looking worried. “Is everything okay?”
Not by a long shot.
“Yes, fine,” he said, taking the bag of goodies from her. “Come on, let’s go home.”
He drove back to her place, his mind reeling.
Chapter 15
“I’m sorry,” Ryder said, as they traveled the distance between the Convenient Heart to Gabriella’s place. “I want you to call your brother and have him come and stay with you. I don’t want you alone and I need to go home.”
Wild Ride (Alaska Wild Nights Book 5) Page 8
