by KaLyn Cooper
“No. Although I loved science in school, since it didn’t affect us, we didn’t study geology very much. Geography with flooding rivers was more important. Agriculture and things like 4-H, Future Farmers of America, were big at my high school.”
She grimaced. "I can stop.”
“No. Please. I’m interested.” Ryker really was curious.
“Okay, if you’re sure.” She seemed content to go on after he nodded. “The lithosphere, the outer shell of the earth, is made up of rigid slabs that are constantly shifting and sliding into each other. They’re called tectonic plates and fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Eden is located where the Eastern African plate rubs up against the great African plate. Our valley is almost in a straight line, so they slide against each other easily. It actually moves almost an inch year. That’s what formed the mountains behind us.”
Worry had completely left her voice, replaced by excitement. “Daddy believes that this area is where man began. Back in 1994, he was on the dig that discovered Lucy, the oldest humanoid unearthed to date. He helped carbon date her to 4.2 million years old. You saw some of the skulls his students are digging up now. The most recent one was discovered at eleven thousand feet up that mountain.” She threw her thumb in the general direction. “Remembering that the rift moves almost an inch year, his students can cross qualify and validate the carbon dating.”
Holy shit. “So, what you’re saying is this really could be the Garden of Eden the Bible talks about?” Ryker suddenly had a greater appreciation for Ethiopia.
“Could be,” Xena shrugged her bare shoulders. “Daddy named the compound Eden as a joke. His first name is Adam and when he found the original house, it had an apple orchard in the backyard. We’re pretty sure those were planted by missionaries around the 1940s but it adds to his tale. He also says that the Garden of Eden, also known as the Garden of God in Hebrew, was supposed to be the most beautiful place on earth. Every time I look through the big front windows at Lake Shala, I have to agree with him.”
“I’ll make it a point to catch that view.” In the meantime, he was enjoying the view in front of him. Xena, tucked into bed, all warm from her shower, soft pink on her high cheekbones, big golden eyes that stared back at him.
She fought a yawn and lost.
“You ready to go to sleep?”
“Yeah.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Ryker leaned up and kissed her forehead. He’d just lay there for a few minutes until she was sound asleep, then he’d go to his own bed. He matched his breathing to hers, closing his eyes for what he promised himself would be only a moment.
Chapter 13
Xena’s internal alarm clock went off. She needed to go back to the topo maps in the library and study the terrain around Metu Zuria. Although she’d been through there on the way to Gambella National Park, she didn’t remember much of the area. Rain forest. Tall trees. Lions. Poachers. The latter was why they’d wanted to hire her father’s paramilitary.
She tried to take a deep breath, but it felt as though something heavy laid across her chest. She smelled him before she was able to open her eyes.
Ryker had stayed.
She rolled onto her side and watched him sleep. He didn’t look quite so dangerous with his face completely relaxed, his arm slung over her body. His knee covered her thighs. A sheet and a comforter separated her from him…and his clothes.
He was handsome. His dark brown hair was a little longer than SEAL regs. That didn’t matter because Ryker was no longer a SEAL. She hoped to remedy that situation very soon.
Glancing at the bedside clock, she saw that she had plenty of time. She could roll over and go back to sleep for another hour and a half at least.
But the longer she stared at Ryker the more she knew that’s not what she wanted.
She wanted him. She’d enjoyed the feeling of his strong body next to hers as they swayed around the dance floor. The way he’d held her, reassured her, during the earthquake, making her feel safe.
Maybe she’d thank him with an orgasm. They were two consenting adults. He’d only be around for another couple of days and she hated to waste the opportunity to have sex with him. Nothing further could come of it because he was leaving. In the meantime, they could enjoy each other’s bodies.
“Ryker,” she said just above a whisper.
Xena couldn’t tell if the noise he made was a groan or a purr. He pulled her closer to him. He nuzzled his face into her neck, scratching her sensitive skin with his impressive five o’clock shadow. But it wasn’t really a five o’clock shadow since it wasn’t five yet. He’d shaved just before the party, and not before breakfast, so that made it about…who the hell knew? Math before she was caffeinated was impossible.
“Ryker,” she repeated and ran her fingers through his inch-long hair. “Are you awake?”
He inhaled a deep breath and opened his eyes. “I am now.” When he raised his head to look at her, she laid her lips on his. There was a brief moment of hesitation before he took it deeper. What started out as testing, quickly became needy.
Ryker was a great kisser. No part of her lips was ignored as he softened the intensity before nipping the edges of her mouth.
“Oh, Xena, I can think of a dozen reasons why we should stop.” He started nipping his way down her throat.
“I have six condoms in the drawer. That’s six reasons you should keep going,” she invited as a tingle ran down her body to her center. Her nipples hardened as they peeked out from under the covers.
“Fuck,” he growled.
“Exactly.” Her voice sounded husky. “I want you, Ryker Tufano.”
He raised his head to meet her eyes. “This changes nothing. It’s only sex. A stress reliever.”
She giggled. “You think you’re going to fuck me so good that I’m going to instantly fall in love with you? Get real. This mission will be over in days. You’ll take your teammates back to the United States and we’ll never see each other again. You’ll forget about me, and I’ll forget about you.”
Ryker grinned evilly as he cupped her bare breast in his hand. “No, you won’t. I’m going to be the best you’ve ever had.” He rolled her pebbled nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “No other man will even come close to the bar I’ll set. You’ll think of me every time you even consider taking a man to your bed.”
She laughed. “You think you’re that fucking good? Pretty cocky aren’t you?”
He grabbed her hand and placed it on his cock pressing against his zipper, wrapping her fingers around his girth. “Yeah, I have a right to be cocky.”
Fuck. He’s big. But she wasn’t going to let him know how impressed she was. “Size only matters if you know what to do with it.” She rolled her hand over, capturing his before she spread his fingers. “These are often much more important to a woman.”
Leaning in she kissed him, opening her mouth so he would too. Their tongues tangled in a dance as old as Eve. She sucked his into her mouth before releasing it. “And women truly enjoy a man who knows what to do with his tongue.”
“Challenge accepted.” He rushed in, kissing her with an intensity she’d never felt before. Thrusting his tongue in and out, he made love to her mouth. When she ran the flat of her tongue under his, drawing it as deep as she could, he broke the kiss. “And men truly enjoy what women can do with their mouth.”
Oh, fuck. Sex with Ryker was going to be fun.
Grabbing the bottom of his T-shirt, she started pulling it up. She needed his bare skin. He grabbed the back of the shirt and pulled it off in one smooth move.
“You’re still wearing too many clothes.” She reached for the button on his pants, but he simply yanked them off.
He was commando. Xena knew it was rude, but she stared at his cock. He was bigger than any man she’d ever seen. Sure, he had a large body, and damn, was he built. Every man in her father’s military worked out with weights regularly but it was obvious that Ryker had earned those muscles from
the time he was a teenager. He was such a beautiful specimen of a man, she wanted him even more.
“Bring that thing here,” she ordered and held up the sheet for him to crawl in.
“Now, where was I?” He dropped his head to her breast, taking the nipple into his mouth. His hand went to her other breast, kneading it gently. He rolled his tongue around her areola and circled the other with his finger before attacking the nipple with teeth and suction while rolling and lightly pinching the other.
Involuntarily, Xena arched off the bed, begging for more. Her nipples under his ministrations seemed to be connected to her clit. That had never happened before.
Wanting to bring him as much pleasure as he was giving her, she ran her short nails through the dark, soft hair on his chest, enjoying the feel of his steel pecs. Finding his flat nipples, she gently scraped her nails over them, smiling when they hardened.
Ryker sucked in a breath through his clenched teeth and sent her a warning glance.
“Did you like that?” Her question was serious. She’d never been big on foreplay. It was usually kissing, he might play with her boobs a little, get naked. The good ones found her clit before it was insert tab A into slot B. The really good ones made her come first before taking their own pleasure.
“Fuck, yeah.” He lightly bit her nipple, holding it between his straight white teeth. He bit down a little tighter and pinched the nipple on the other side at the same time.
She about came off the bed.
“Some men, like some women, have very sensitive nipples,” he explained. “I like it when you play with mine.” He grinned. “Yours are extremely responsive.”
Xena flushed because in minutes he discovered something no other man had found, even her long-term boyfriends.
As Ryker kissed his way down her torso, his hand leading the way igniting every nerve ending, she was so wet and ready for him. When he parted her folds with his fingers, she expected he’d quickly roll on protection and slide inside her. Wanting to be prepared, she reached over to the night table to grab the condoms.
He grabbed her hand, dragging it to his face where he placed a gentle kiss on her palm. “We’ll get to that. I know where they are. In the meantime, I’m nowhere near done with you.” He kissed her, slow and tender.
She hadn’t realized his hand had traveled back down to the apex of her legs. When he raked his fingers through the short blonde hair—that she thankfully trimmed last week— her legs automatically parted for him. Deftly, he separated her folds and quickly found her clitoris.
“You are so wet.” He gathered her moisture and smoothed circles around her most sensitive bundle of nerves, occasionally pressing down hard on the nub. The more he rubbed, the tighter her leg muscles got.
“Right there,” she directed when he brought his fingers up from the underside of her clit. “I’m so close.”
Ryker stopped.
Xena lifted her head expecting to see him reaching for the condoms. Instead, he was moving down the bed. “What the hell?”
There was that evil grin once again. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you there.” He moved her legs so they were bent at the knees, her heels almost touching her butt, held there by his broad shoulders. She was completely exposed to him.
Oh. My. God. She’d only let a few men perform cunnilingus on her. Probably because the first time wasn’t exactly enjoyable. She couldn’t relax enough. Her brain had over-thought the entire event. The boy in college hadn’t been very skilled and was more interested in her reciprocating than her enjoyment. The two others since that disastrous indoctrination hadn’t been much better. She was about to refuse him when Ryker licked her the entire length. When he reached the top, he kissed her clit, then flicked his tongue on the underside.
Every muscle and nerve in Xena’s body came to attention. Ryker knew what he was doing. He licked and sucked before he slid a finger into her channel. Closing his lips around her clit and sucking, he began moving his finger in and out. He sucked hard and added a second finger.
Within seconds, Xena was writhing on the edge of orgasm again. Her thighs tightened around his head as he brought her closer and closer.
“Ryker, I’m going to come.”
“I know.” He licked up the bottom side of her clitoris. “I want to taste you when you come.”
“I want you to come with me. Inside of me,” she insisted.
He lifted his head and gave her that sexy, defiant grin of his. “We’ll do that next.” His eyes shifted to demanding. He slid a third finger inside of her. “Come for me, Xena, my warrior princess. Come. Now.”
No one had ever ordered her around like that, least of all in bed.
Ryker lowered his head and locked his lips around her clit. He sucked hard, his tongue rubbing the underside while he pumped his fingers in and out. It took only three strokes, and she flew over the edge. Her entire body bucked as she rode out her pleasure.
Fuck! He might’ve been right. Ryker may have ruined her for any other man.
Chapter 14
Ryker watched Xena’s face as her body stopped quaking and her muscles relaxed. When her breathing returned to normal, her eyes remained closed, giving him a perfect opportunity to take in her beauty. Her blonde hair lay strewn across the pillow from where she’d thrashed her head back and forth trying to hang onto the climax for as long as she could. He never knew there were so many shades of blonde. Her eyebrows and lashes were slightly lighter than her hair on top of her head and that which covered her pubic bone. He’d never been with a real blonde.
He enjoyed the way Xena reacted to his kisses and his touch. She was extremely responsive. He wanted her to come first and did he get a show. She was uninhibited as her muscles contracted, her back arched, her body begging for more.
Quietly, Ryker slid the nightstand drawer open and he laid two condoms on the top next to the lamp. His cock was more than ready, but he needed to prepare Xena for her second orgasm.
A small smile stayed on those kissable lips as she floated her way back to consciousness. The minute she opened her eyes, he bent down to kiss her. She immediately opened for him. Good. He wanted to share her taste, let her know how delicious she was when she completely put him in charge of her orgasm.
Without lifting his mouth from hers, he ran his hand over each breast, rolling the nipples between his thumb and forefinger before he squeezed them lightly. Without wasting any time, because his cock was weeping and ready, he lightly played his fingers down her tight abdomen. He stopped and cupped her sex before he dropped his finger back into her channel and pressed the heel of his hand on her clit.
Xena gasped and Ryker inwardly smiled with contentment. He stroked her swollen and sensitive clitoris and had her begging for him within minutes.
He reached for the condom on the nightstand, but Xena was quicker. When she ripped the packet open with her teeth, he almost came. He grabbed the bottom of his cock and squeezed it in warning. The second her soft fingers touched him, he squeezed harder and closed his eyes, running through the probable starting lineup for the Indiana University football team. He couldn’t think about the ways she caressed his erection as she rolled on the condom.
“Now, come here,” Xena commanded as she grabbed his shoulders and rolled onto her back. His knees slid between hers and he spread them a little wider, opening her completely to him.
In the late afternoon light, her sex glistened. With his cock still in hand, he slid the tip through her wetness before he notched it at her opening.
“Xena, are you sure?” The last thing Ryker wanted was after-sex regrets, especially since they may find themselves in a firefight in just a few hours.
She arched up and he slid in a few inches, their gaze never wavering. “Yes. I’m sure I want you as deep as you can go inside me.”
That was all the consent he needed. In one smooth thrust of his hips, he was all the way to the hilt. Christ, that felt good. She was tight but so very soft. It felt as though he hadn’t had sex in
years, it was that good.
He was positive it had only been six weeks since he’d hooked up with an old girlfriend from high school who was between husbands. Though both were just scratching an itch, Xena felt totally different. Somehow this was more.
“Ryker, I need you to move or I’m going to flip us over and ride you until you moan my name.”
He liked that idea…next time. He unhurriedly withdrew before sliding back into her, setting a slow pace. “I like the way you think. We’ll definitely do that next time. That way I can play with those gorgeous tits. You like it when I bite them.”
Her channel suddenly became very hot and clenched around his cock. It took everything he had to hold back. Xena liked dirty talk during sex.
“You liked it when I sucked on your clit, too.” He knew he had her when she closed her eyes. “Admit it.”
She was already breathing fast. He held his gaze until she opened her eyes.
“Admit it,” he repeated.
“Yes.” She snapped the word between gasps of air.
Ryker had promised her the best she’d ever had so he stepped up his game. Hooking his elbows under her knees, he pulled up her bottom to change the angle. Christ. He thought she was tight before; she gripped him on the way in and out. He wasn’t going to last long.
“Are you close?” He asked between pants.
“Hell, yes. I’ve been waiting for you.” Her golden eyes flashed a light yellow.
“Go ahead. Take us both,” he ordered.
On his next stroke in, she arched up. Ryker swore he hit bottom. It was the most amazing feeling, as though her body kissed the head of his cock. He did it again, and her whole body shook. The third time, her internal muscles spasmed, stroking him all the way down his shaft.
Xena was coming, forcing him to follow her over the edge.
Ryker had enough clear brain to roll over to the side, taking her with him, before the dark fog took him under.
