My breath hitches when he places his hand on my waist under my tank top. His eyes drop to my parted lips as his hand works its way up my stomach. My heart pounds in my chest as I try to stay upright. My legs are on the verge of buckling.
“You’re breathing heavy.” His eyes connect with mine again, and his lips twitch. “Just my touch has your heart racing.” He manages to squeeze his large hand beneath the bottom of my sports bra, and he cups my breast. He lowers his face to mine. “Tell me again how disappointed you were.”
I lick my lips. “Extremely.” The word came out as a whimper. Walk away. His hand inches up a little more, and he takes my hard nipple between his two fingers. Come on, pull away, I tell myself, but I’m unable to move my legs. He pinches it hard, and I gasp from the jolt it sends straight to my core.
“Right.” He draws the word out, and I reach out to pull him closer.
“Okay,” I say breathlessly. What can one more time hurt? Becca already told me she didn’t care that I slept with him. And there really was no faking with him.
I’m so weak!
“Okay, what?” His other hand slides up my back then he grabs my messy bun. He pulls my head back, and I find myself looking up at the kitchen ceiling. “Okay, what?” he repeats, placing two more kisses on my neck.
I swallow. “I’ll give you another chance.” I sound like I’m gonna come right now; I’m so breathless.
He chuckles, and it makes my body shake. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Then his lips are on mine.
CHAPTER SEVEN
RYDER
Of course, she gave in.
She parts her lips, and I slide my tongue into her mouth as I wrap one arm around her while the other continues to massage her breast. She moans, and it causes me to become more aggressive. I kiss her fearlessly. Deeply. She stands limp in my arms, and I swallow all of her moans and whimpers. I can taste her desire for me. And I can feel the heat radiating from her body. In a way, I knew one night with this woman wasn’t gonna be enough for me.
She grinds her hips into my achingly hard cock, and I fight with everything I have to keep from yanking her sweatpants down and sliding my dick into her right here and now.
I gotta play this one smart. She really did not intend to let me touch her again because of who my sister is. Last night was different—she was ready and willing. I’m not saying she’s not willing now, but ever since she figured out I’m her best friend’s brother, she’s made it very clear that nothing was gonna happen again. So I had to pursue her. Now, I have to remind her how amazing it felt to be under me. Then I’m gonna have to leave her wanting more. Always give them a reason to come back. Which is crazy of me, since I usually don’t want them coming back. Should I really do this with her? She is my sister’s best friend and about to move into my building. What if she wants more when I’m ready to stop?
I pull away and look down at her. Her lips are swollen and wet and eyes closed while she’s gasping for air. It reminds me of last night. Yeah, I’m willing to take that chance.
A bang on the door has her eyes springing open and her yanking away from me. She reaches down and picks up her jacket to cover herself while she tries to recover from that kiss.
Leaving her, I go to open the door. My sister comes in just as fast as she stormed out. “God, I hate him!” she shouts.
“What happened?” Ashlyn asks her, coming from the kitchen to her friend’s side. Anything she felt for me seconds ago is now gone.
“I found him downstairs at the bar,” she cries into her hands. “I asked him to come up here, and he said he didn’t want to.” She sniffs. “I said I don’t get to see my brother very often. And his argument was that after next week, I will be living in the same building.” She throws her hands out to her side. “As if that’s reason enough not to spend time with him now.”
Ashlyn wraps her arms around her and pulls her in for a hug. “What do you wanna do, sweetie? Want us to all go down there and hang out in the bar?”
Becca shakes her head as she pulls away. “I wanna get drunk,” she says as a matter-of-fact.
Ashlyn looks up at me. “Show me what you have this place stocked with.”
I stand back and let Ashlyn do her thing. I’m not good with women who cry. Or women, in general. In the bedroom—I got that part covered. Any other aspect of a woman’s life—I got shit! It’s been almost two hours since Becca came back from finding Conner, and she has accomplished getting drunk. No, that’s an understatement; she’s shitfaced. And still no sign of Conner.
“I just don’t know what to do,” she cries as she sits at the bar in the kitchen. Big tears run down her cheeks, and I hate to see her like this. I feel so helpless. Ashlyn sits beside her. Jaycent and I stand on the other side of the bar in the kitchen as we take in the agony of my sister’s love life. Empty shot glasses litter the bar, and bottles of alcohol sit on the kitchen counter. An untouched grilled cheese sits on the silver tray from room service. Ashlyn had me order it, informing Becca needed to eat something, but she refused it once it arrived. My sister was on a mission, and it’s safe to say she accomplished it.
Ashlyn places her arm over her shoulders. “You do what is best for you,” she says softly.
“I thought he was best for me.” She sobs. “Now, I just don’t know. What if he leaves me?” She places her head in her hands as she continues to cry uncontrollably.
Ashlyn takes her hands away and makes her look at her. “It’s okay if he does,” she says softly. “I’m not saying it won’t hurt like a bitch, but I will be here for you no matter what.” She gives Becca a small smile. “Remember when Jake dumped me in a newsletter?” Becca nods, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “We spent that entire weekend drinking nothing but wine and only eating chocolate mint ice cream while watching every Nicholas Sparks movie ever made.” The tears continue to fall, and this time, Ashlyn wipes them away. “You ignored every phone call, text, and called in to work to be there for me. I would do nothing less for you, Becca. You are beautiful. Smart. Caring and loving. You deserve so much better than what he is giving you. You don’t need him.” She looks at her as if they’re the only two in the room. “Say it, Becca. You don’t need a man.”
She swallows as she tries to slow the tears. “I don’t need a man,” she says softly.
“Make me believe it.” Ashlyn urges.
“I don’t need a man,” my sister says with more conviction, and Ashlyn’s smiles.
“That’s better—”
Becca cuts her off, throwing her arms around Ashlyn’s neck. She gently rubs her back and then we hear the sobs again. Jaycent and I watch uncomfortably as Ashlyn holds her tightly. She whispers to her, but it’s too low for us to hear over my sister’s cries. Within a few minutes, they start to quiet. Becca finally pulls away from Ashlyn, and she lets out a yawn. “Well, boys, we’re gonna call it a night.” Ashlyn looks up at me. “Thanks—”
“No,” Becca interrupts her. “You stay and party with them.” Her dark green eyes are puffy and red, and it breaks my heart that she allows such a piece of shit to make her feel this low.
Ashlyn shakes her head. “I go where you go,” she says, and I smile to myself. This is exactly the Ashlyn that my sister has told me about. I don’t know much about her because I never asked about her best friend, but she would tell me about this woman who looked over her like I did when we were younger.
“I need to pee,” Becca, all of a sudden, blurts out, making us laugh.
“May I?” Ashlyn asks, looking at me and then nodding to my bedroom.
“Yes. Of course.”
Jaycent and I just stand there as we watch Ashlyn help her to my bedroom. “How many times?” Jaycent asks me once they are behind the closed door.
“What?” I look at him.
He tips his beer and then asks with an edge to his voice. “How many times do you think he’s made her feel like that?” he asks through clenched teeth.
“I don’t know, but I promise you
it will be the last.”
When the door to my bedroom opens, I’m in the middle of pouring Jaycent and me a shot. “Where’s Becca?” he asks when we look up to see it’s just Ashlyn.
“She’s in your bed, Ryder,” She smiles softly. “I hope you don’t mind, but she just wanted to lay down for a second. She said the room was spinning and then she just passed out.”
I shake my head. “No problem.” I pat the bar top. “Come take a shot with us.” She has had just as many shots as Becca had, and although she may be tipsy, she is nowhere near drunk.
I set her shot down, and before we can even toast, she throws it back and places it back on the countertop. “That was nice of you.” She looks at me with her big blue eyes and a frown on her face. “What you said to her ...”
She shrugs it off. “I meant it. I love her like a sister and would do anything for her.”
I pour her another shot, and then I turn to Jaycent. “He needs to disappear,” I say.
He slams back his shot and gives me a cruel smile. “I’m already on it.” Then he takes off out of the suite.
“I didn’t mean this very second,” I say, trying to stop him, but it’s too late. When Jaycent makes up his mind about something, there’s no stopping him.
I frown when I see Ashlyn is no longer sitting at the bar, but her shot glass is, and it’s empty. I scan the kitchen and living room but don’t see her. Then I spot her. She’s outside, standing on the balcony in the rain. I place my full shot glass on the bar and make my way out there. She doesn’t turn around as I open and close the door.
The rain is still coming down, and it’s a tad chilly since the wind is blowing hard. She stands at the end of the patio, holding the black rail. Her white sweatpants cling to her thin legs, and her white jacket hangs from her narrow shoulders from the water soaking it and weighing it down.
I walk up next to her. I look at her as she squints while looking into … well, nothing. You can’t even see the ocean because the rain is coming down so hard.
“What are you doing out here? You’re getting soaked,” I say, looking her over.
She turns to face me. I expect her to say no shit. Or can’t get nothing by you. Instead, she smiles. A beautiful slow smile. “I love the rain.” She turns back to look off the balcony. “I’ve lived in Seattle all of my life.” She shrugs. “And I guess living there you get used to it, but it still amazes me every time I see it.” She turns to look over at me. “Does it often rain in New York?”
“Not nearly as much as it does in Seattle.” I place my forearms on the rail, and my body breaks out in goose bumps from the cold. It’s crazy how much the temperature has dropped since yesterday.
“Are you excited about moving to New York?” I ask her.
“Yeah. I’m ready for a new beginning.”
I frown. “You sound like you’re running from something in Seattle.”
She shakes her head. “No. I just …” She sighs. “I’m just ready to start my life.”
I understand what she means by that. “Well, there’s no better way than New York.” I smile.
She turns again to face me. Water soaks our feet, and my shirt and jeans cling to me, but I feel no rush to go and dry off. She chuckles. “To be honest, I would much rather be moving here.” She lifts her hands out to her side and tilts her head back. Fuck, she’s so beautiful and free. And a tad crazy. Like who just stands in the middle of the rain? “I love the ocean. And the beach,” she says, opening her eyes and lowering her hands to her side. “It’s so beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” I say without thought.
“Ryder.” A small smile spreads across her face as she steps up to me. “Are you trying to make me blush?”
I reach up and place my hand on her wet, cool cheek, and she leans into it. “No. Just stating a fact,” I say seriously.
She places her hands on my soaked chest and runs them up to my shoulders where she then links her arms around my neck. “Didn’t you have something to prove to me?” she asks with a twinkle in her blue eyes.
“I do,” I say smiling, remembering our conversation a little while ago in the kitchen when she told me I had disappointed her last night and she had faked it. Such bullshit.
I go to pull her toward the door, but after a few steps, I remember that my sister is passed out drunk on my bed. “Shit,” I hiss.
“What’s wrong?”
I turn to face her. “I forgot about Becca …”
She shakes her head, stopping me. “We don’t need to go inside, Ryder.”
My brows crease, and she pulls her hands away from mine. My eyes shoot to her chest as she reaches up and starts to unzip her jacket. It falls to the balcony, causing the water to splash up and hit my jeans. We’re no longer standing in the middle of the rain since we stepped away from the ledge, but it’s raining so hard and fast that it can’t run off the sides of the balcony fast enough.
She surprises me even more when she reaches down for the hem of her tank top and then pulls it up and over her head. “Have you ever had sex in the rain, Ryder?” Her voice is soft, almost a whisper.
I shake my head slowly, still trying to wrap my head around what is about to happen. She bites her lower lip as she reaches up and slowly unzips her sports bra. “Neither have I.”
Without thought, I reach up and cup her bare breasts. She hisses in a breath. “First time for everything,” I say roughly. My cock is hard, and my mind is spinning. I quickly look around but only see rain. The balcony spans the length of the suite, and everywhere I look, all I see is the water running down the sides of the concrete awning. It’s like a curtain that hides us from the world. My eyes go back to hers and get lost in the sight of the blue marbles. All I can see is her, but all I hear is the sound of the rain falling around us. She’s like the calm in the middle of a hurricane. Or the entire sea when all you need is a single drop of water. I’m a drizzle, and she’s a downpour. I’ve never experienced such a rare and beautiful thing in my life.
She steps up to me, and her bare chest presses into my soaked shirt. I’m breathing heavily, and my heart pounds in my chest. “Gonna just stand there and stare? Or are you gonna finish undressing me?” she asks with a naughty smile on her face.
A growl escapes my lips as I reach down to her sweatpants and untie them. They pool at her feet, and she steps out of them. I grab her arm and push her up against the wall right next to the door. That way, we’re somewhat hidden. I’d hate Jaycent to be in the living room or kitchen and see us having sex up against the window.
“Ryder.” She breathes as I press her into the wall. This position has us closer to the side rail of the balcony, so water lightly splashes on us as it comes in at an angle. Her nipples are hard, and her breathing ragged.
“Yes, baby?” I ask, leaning in and pressing my lips to her neck. I lick the rain off her as if I’ve been in the Sahara for weeks and am on the verge of dehydration. Her skin is cool to my lips, and her heart pounds against my chest. “Tell me, baby.” I wanna hear her say it.
“Fuck me in the rain.” Her voice is desperate, and her body is shaking with need. I spread her legs with mine, and a hand goes to her pussy. I bite down on the soft flesh of her neck as I feel how wet she is for me. A soft cry rips from her throat. I unclamp my teeth from her skin and softly kiss it.
She rises to her tiptoes as I slide a finger into her tight pussy. Fuck, this woman is tight. I add another finger, and she clamps around me, reminding me just how good she felt wrapped around my cock. I grind my hips into hers.
She tilts her head back, lips open and panting as she moans. I’ve never seen anything more perfect! The rain falling on us. The sound of thunder in the distance. The way her body clings to mine.
I reach up with my free hand and grab her face. I pull it down and press my lips to hers. I crave her lips on mine. And she doesn’t disappoint. She kisses me with desperation. Her hands go to my belt, and I allow her to unbuckle it followed by undoing my jeans. I moan
into her mouth when she takes my hard cock into her cool hand. She starts to stroke it firmly but gently.
Her tongue dances with mine, and I tilt my head to the side to deepen the kiss. Her hand on my cock picks up speed, and I place both of my hands on the wall on either side of her head to help keep my balance. This woman is sucking me in like a tornado, and any minute, she’s gonna tear me in two.
My jeans are still halfway on, but she lets go of my cock long enough to tear my t-shirt up and over my head. As soon as it’s off, my lips are back on hers. This time, when she grabs my cock, she pulls on it, forcing me to step to her. She runs it along her pussy, and I inhale sharply.
Not able to wait any longer, I shove her hand out of the way and take over. I start to push it into her when I realize I don’t have a fucking condom on me. I look down into her blue eyes. “Are you …?” I go to ask her if she is on birth control when she grabs the back of my neck and pulls my lips to hers.
“Yes,” she breathes into my mouth. And that was all I needed. It’s as if I’m drunk on her. All rational thought has left my mind. All I know is that I need to be inside her, and I would prefer nothing between us anyway. I push myself into her, and this time, she swallows my cry at how she wraps around me like a glove. Like she was meant to be mine.
I reach down, grab her ass and pull her off her feet. She wraps her legs around my waist as I work my way in and out of her as if I can’t get enough of her pussy pulling me in. Gripping me tightly. She pulls her lips away from mine, and the sound of the rain coming down around us silences her gasp.
Selfish Page 11
