by Meredith, MK
“Ryker?”
“Hmmm?” Pulling each strap over her shoulders, he let the dress continue to hang as he trailed his tongue and lips along the sensitive skin of her neck and jaw. Finally reaching her mouth, he pulled her in, and she wanted to savor the feel of him pressing against her aching breasts.
“I don’t know if I remember how to do this.” Her whisper joined the hum of the woods.
He immediately stopped and held her gaze. Drawing one finger over her brows then down the bridge of her nose, he said, “We don’t have to do this. Just don’t avoid me. Life is full of hard things, but that’s what makes you feel alive.”
She stared back, afraid to move forward but more afraid to step back. It would never work between them, but this moment… This moment was her chance to live, maybe even love.
“I want this. I’m just…”
“Scared? Hell, woman. You terrify me.”
She chuckled at the thought. It was ridiculous to think anything could ever scare this hulk of man. “I do not.”
Sliding both hands up to softly cup her face, he said, “More than anything. In fact, I have a feeling you might destroy me.” His voice was low and as dark as his words.
Larkin blinked, immediately wanting to deny it, but the hard truth was he might be right. But she still couldn’t stop fighting to save her memories. She couldn’t stop fighting against his goals. And she could stop fighting against the irresistible pull to taste him and feel him and wrap herself in his masculine scent.
Dropping unsteady hands to his waist, she shoved aside his shirt then unbuttoned his jeans. Every time her trembling fingers slid against his hard abs, he sucked in a breath. He ran his big, warm hands over her shoulders, giving the straps of her dress a tug. In one swoosh, the dress fell to the ground, leaving her in nothing but a nude pair of panties.
He took in the sight of her peaked nipples with hungry eyes. “You are stunning.”
His words emboldened her and she grabbed the hem of his shirt, lifting it up and over his head. He kicked off his shoes, then dropped his pants and boxer briefs.
Larkin pulled in a shaky breath. He was magnificent. Tanned skin stretched tight over mounds of muscle lightly sprinkled with black hair. His torso narrowed slightly to his thick abs and his thighs flared back out in a way that made her want to sink her teeth into them. She stared, mute. There were no words to describe his erection, but there was every bit of evidence he felt the same desire for her.
“If you keep looking at me like that, this is going to be over way too soon.” He inched closer to her, cupping her breasts in his hands. Lowering his head, he flicked his tongue over one tight nipple, sending a wash of awareness through her body in one swift kick.
“God.” She let her head drop back.
“This is the closest I’ve ever been.” He sucked a nipple into his mouth and the tight sensation shot to her center.
She gripped the back of his head, fisting his hair and pressing him tighter to her. His hands dropped to the top of her panties and slid beneath the band. He pushed them over her thighs, following the path with soft presses of his lips to her flushed skin.
A low groan reached her ears as she stepped from her flip flops and panties. The cool, velvety moss beneath her feet felt more luxurious than the finest silk sheets as she wiggled her toes deeper.
His hands glided up the back of her thighs, encouraging her to widen her stance. Then he dipped his head, placing a wet kiss along the inside of her knee. “Ryker?”
He slid his tongue along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh and she grabbed on to his shoulders to keep standing.
With a light nip at the juncture of her thigh and torso, he ground out, “Please don’t tell me to stop.”
She’d have grinned if she wasn’t concentrating so hard on staying upright. “Don’t stop.” She massaged his shoulders, wanting to feel more of him but not wanting to distract him from what she hoped was his goal.
His hot tongue rubbed against her center and her knees buckled.
He tightened his grip on her ass as he continued to lick and suck. Every nerve ending in her body was primed and firing at will. She tilted her pelvis, encouraging him to continue, wanting more, needing more.
A tight ball of energy formed low in her stomach making her legs tremble. “I don’t know if I—
“Stay with me, cupcake,” he demanded as he continued tasting her.
She blinked, trying to clear her vision but everything around them glowed like stars in the night sky. Her body sang with each stroke of his tongue, and gruff demands or not, there was no way she’d be able to hang on much longer.
“Ryker.” This time she wasn’t asking, and he slid up her body, lifting her with him as he went. Before she caught up with the motion, he had her legs wrapped around his waist and stroked her sensitive folds with his hot, hard length.
She circled her arms about his neck, using his shoulders to leverage her body to move with him. Taking his mouth, she slid her tongue along his, reveling in every streak of pleasure that ran through her.
He supported her weight with one arm then slid his other hand between their bodies, gently circling her most sensitive place with his thumb.
“Now. I need to feel you now.” She bit into the side of his neck, loving his taste, then soothing the area with her lips.
“You are so goddamn beautiful.” He kissed her ravenously as he moved the large head of his shaft to her center, then slowly pushed in, inch by inch. His breath hissed out between his gritted teeth.
“Yes,” she whimpered against his mouth as he filled her. Waves of pleasure pulsed as he buried himself to the hilt, and again as she rocked for him to slide out. They set up a rhythm, one perfectly matched with their tongues. Tasting his dark flavor, feeling him thrusting wide and deep inside her, enveloped by his scent, all of it threw her over the edge without warning. She bit into his shoulder as her release crashed over her in hard, hot, throbbing waves.
Gasping in pleasure, she slammed down again and again, her fingers gripping his relentless muscles. Her legs trembled and her body bowed back, straining against the sensation.
Ryker dropped his head to her breast, taking a nipple into his mouth as he too rode over the edge with a long, low groan.
His arms banded around her so effortlessly that she felt as though she were flying. The thought of crashing flitted about the ragged edges of reality, but she ignored the warning and focused on feeling alive—more than ever before.
As they fought to catch their breath, he kissed her mouth with slow, languorous strokes. “That was more than I—”
“I’ve never…” She didn’t know how to finish the sentence as the reality of their situation slowly crept back in, destroying the lovely haze of paradise they’d created for themselves.
She’d never experienced something so intense, so wholly encompassing. And by the achingly tender look in his eyes, she’d have sworn that he felt it, too.
“Larkin, I think I’m fall—”
A sharp sting lit up one cheek of her ass. Slap!
“Shit.” Larkin dropped her feet to the ground, then slapped at her arm this time. “Mosquitos. Ouch!” Another stung her arm.
At the same time, Ryker began to dance about as well. “What the hell? They came out of nowhere.”
Grabbing her clothes and slipping her feet into her flip-flops, she swore. “Ohmygod! They’re everywhere.”
Ryker tucked his things under one arm and took her by the hand. “I have a bad feeling they were here all along.” Pulling her behind him, they picked their way back through the woods, then broke out onto the lawn. The moon was high in the sky, making the lighter skin of his ass glow as they ran.
Larkin laughed.
Hard.
With humor lighting his eyes, he gazed back at her as they made their way up the front stairs of the house. “This is ridiculous.”
She grinned. “We should have known better.” Racing through the front door, they dropped their clothes on the ti
le then slammed the door behind them.
Seeing Ryker gloriously naked in the brighter light of the front hall sobered her. He was so much more than just a man trying to heal. He was larger than life, full of humor and passion, and had goals that were much different than her own. Despite the latter, he was the man she was losing her heart to.
And even Mother Nature was telling her it was a bad idea.
Chapter 13
Ryker’s chest burned with his effort to stop laughing, but it was more than the attack of the mosquitos, it was how effortlessly Larkin fit him. How perfectly her body had curved into his, how easily she took the abrupt end to their little excursion, even running naked with him across the grounds. “You are something.”
Which was why he had to distance himself. This was what it was and nothing more. A means to blow off some steam, to ease the stress of both their situations. He’d simply needed a reminder.
And now he just needed to believe it.
She cleared her throat then looked down at herself. “I should probably put some clothes on.” Scratching her arm, she picked up her dress.
“Now that would be a huge shame.” He scratched at his thigh. Damn sons-o’-bitches got them good.
She rubbed at her cheek. “Ohmygod, they’re all over.” Turning toward the mirror, she groaned. “I have three bites on my face alone.” As she looked over her arms and legs, she counted.
He slapped at his hip where a particularly large bite flared up. “Come on. Maxine has a trick that always helped me as a kid.”
Leading the way up the stairs, his dick was well aware that she was still naked behind him and they were getting closer to his room. Apparently, not all of him cared about the damn mosquito bites. He flicked on the light of the master bathroom then sorted through the medicine cabinet. Grabbing a bottle and cotton swabs, he directed her to the sink.
“Sit up here.”
She cleared her throat, gaining his attention. A deep red flush slowly made its way up her chest and neck. He followed the direction of her gaze to his now insistent hard-on.
On a bark of laughter, he pointed to the sink again. “Sit. I just had the best sex of my life, and the woman responsible is in my bathroom naked. Give me a break.” He wiggled his brows. “Or another ten minutes.”
She scooted her sweet ass onto the counter and he stepped between her thighs, unable to resist taking one more kiss, leaning into her just to see if she returned the favor.
She did.
His heart squeezed. Fuck.
The past few weeks had been changing her in a way he couldn’t begin to understand, but he could see it. Her color was richer, her eyes not so hollow.
It was the Cape.
As much as he wished it were him.
“Quit distracting me,” he commanded as he stepped back to assess the damage. Extending one of her legs out for his inspection, then the other, he lost count after fifty. “You’re a tasty morsel.” He threw her a leer before saturating the swab with tea tree oil.
She laughed, lightly nudging him on the shoulder. “Whoa…that’s strong.” She sniffed.
“You’ll smell like this all night but the itching will subside. I promise.” He dabbed one bite at a time, scouring every inch of her legs, torso, and arms. Her breasts were his favorite. Just large enough to fit snuggly in his palm, he was happy to report the mosquitoes had only gotten her twice on the one side.
A softness lit her eyes as she watched him, making him want to squirm.
“Thank you,” she said.
He dipped his chin and cleared his throat.
“My turn.” He handed her a newly saturated swab, and as she hopped from the sink, he slapped her ass.
“Hey!” She spun around. “That isn’t necessarily the best decision considering you are now in my hands. Maybe I’ll leave all the bites right in the center of your back untreated so they itch all night.” She smirked at him with her hands on her hips.
And his heart gave a thump. This playful side of hers was going to be a problem.
“You wouldn’t dare. Isn’t it bad enough you’re already trying to take the Cape?” He meant it as a joke but the light in her eyes immediately dimmed.
Not meeting his eyes, she told him to turn around.
He reached out for her hand. “Larkin. I was kidding.”
She backed away, gesturing for him to turn. She dabbed at his back. “You’re right. And we have to remember that.”
Her gaze stayed downcast in the mirror but her hands were steady as she applied the oil to his bites. Once she finished, she tossed the swab in the trash. Slipping the dress over her head, she asked, “Did you grandfather set up multiple bees on the Cape on purpose?”
Ryker blinked at the change in conversation. His grandfather always had a reason for everything he did. He was a thinking man, a courteous one. A man Ryker aspired to be but always fell short. “He did. There are so many different flowers and plants--he wanted the same variety with the bees. He and Grandmother used to provide most of the honey sold around town.”
“They don’t now?”
He frowned. “When Grandfather died, Grandmother couldn’t quite find the will to carry on some of the things they used to do, as if the memories were too much. It’s a relief to see her spunk up these days, even if it is because of Judge Carter.” He tried to hide his scowl.
“From what I hear, good ol’ Teddy is quite the bear in—
He lunged, covering her mouth with his hand, and her eyes flew wide with mirth.
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” The idea of his grandmother in that way made his stomach sour. She made him cookies, for God’s sake. And moonshine. There was that. “Promise me,” he insisted.
She nodded and he slowly lowered his hand, but as she opened her mouth, he dove in to shut her up in a manner that promised the most effect.
Pulling her up tight against his naked chest, he slid his tongue along hers. He stroked his fingers through her hair and absorbed her sweet sigh that fell against his lips.
There was an indescribable relief, holding her in his arms.
Relief? That couldn’t be right. But it was. He felt at ease with her close compared to the cold coil in his gut when he was on the Cape alone. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, skimmed his fingers down her neck before tucking his hands behind his back. “Did you leave the honey bars on my porch the other day?”
She nodded. “I thought you might like them.”
“Why didn’t you knock? I’d have shared.”
“Oh?” She raised a brow, eyeing him up and down as he slid his legs into his jeans. “Like you were so gracious with the cupcakes?”
“I gave you one of each.” He yanked on his shirt.
“You growled.”
“I didn’t.”
She snorted at him then moved quickly through his room without looking at the bed.
Smart girl. If she knew what he was thinking, she’d be running.
He followed her, closing his hands to keep from reaching for her. But then gave in to the need screaming inside of him and grabbed for her hand. “Wait.”
She reached up on tiptoe and pressed her mouth to his. He counted each second the kiss lasted.
“Stay. I make a mean waffle for breakfast.” He hated the hope in his voice. He cleared his throat.
“I love waffles.”
They slipped between the sheets of his bed. “I just want to hold you a little bit longer.” Sliding his hand into the hair at the back of her head, he gripped it firmly and brought her mouth to his one more time. He kissed her, memorizing her taste, her texture. “I know this is complicated, but it isn’t over.”
She turned toward him in silent confirmation.
And he let himself take full pleasure in just holding her until her breaths eased into the easy rhythm of sleep.
Ryker pressed both hands over his mouth to keep from screaming, to keep his ragged breathing from reaching his father’s ears. This wasn’t the first time his lung
s burned with both the strain of running away and the cold, dark fear of pain. But in all his beatings, he’d never seen the look in his father’s eyes be quite so bright with the thrill of the hunt.
The damp, pungent earth of the hollowed-out log filled his nose as he retreated into his hiding place as far as he could.
“Ryker! Come on out, boy!”
His father stomped about the woods just feet away, stopping every few minutes to listen for the slightest sound and watch for the slightest movement.
“It’s gonna be worse for you the longer you hide. But I will find you!”
And his father wasn’t lying. His last rant had sent both Ryker and his mother to the emergency room with the story that she had been carrying him down a flight of stairs and had fallen.
Trembling from the ice-cold fear trickling down his spine, Ryker shifted against the soft bark and an unmistakable crack destroyed the silence.
Suddenly his father’s dark eyes, glinting from the light of the moon, peered menacingly at him from the opening of the log. “You shouldn’t’ve hid, boy.” His huge, work-worn hand grabbed the front of Ryker’s shirt, tearing him from his shelter.
“No!” He shot up from the bed. Disoriented in the dark, he blindly swung away to stay out of reach of the fist flying toward his face.
“Ryker. It’s okay. It’s me.” Larkin’s sweet voice caressed his ears and he blinked, trying to make sense of what was happening.
“You were dreaming. It’s not real.” She stepped in front of him. “Look at me,” she demanded as she lightly placed her hand against his chest. “I’m here.”
His lungs burned. His heart slammed in his chest. Fear danced about his spine, but instead of hatred shining from his father’s eyes, it was concern staring back at him from Larkin’s.
He’d been dreaming. Fuck.
Running a hand through his hair, he dropped to the edge of the bed, willing his breath to ease. “I’m sorry.”
She lowered carefully next to him. “You yelled. Like nothing I’ve ever heard before.”
Shaking his head, he laid his hand on her thigh, the heat of her burning through the thin fabric of her dress. He traced the edge of her profile in the dark. The slope of her nose, the curve of her neck.
