A mistake she made sure she never made with her clients. But then again, a theme of her life was she tended to treat other people better than she treated herself.
“So tell me more about you,” he said, walking up to the lodge and then taking a little road off to the side.
She cocked her head curiously but followed him anyway. “Not much to tell. Moved from San Diego. Raised there with a normal family. Got a finance degree.” She shrugged but felt her hackles rise slightly as they moved into the woods around the lodge. “Where are we going?”
“I thought maybe I’d set us up with something special,” he said, walking toward a cabin a few yards away. “Keep you out of the main lodge where you might be bothered by the noise level.”
“I don’t remember it being loud before,” she said.
“That was before Riley Hart was in residence,” he said. “I’d rather you didn’t have to be a part of the kind of parties he throws.”
“Must be weird having a brother who’s a movie star,” she said. “And a heartthrob at that.”
“Well, we haven’t lived near each other in a long time. And I get enough press on my own. And then there’s Ryan, with his Olympic career. I guess when you’re high profile yourself, it’s not as big a deal to have high-profile siblings.”
“Hm,” she said, not entirely convinced. Damn, she liked the look of his back as he pulled away from her to unlock the front door of a cabin. So wide, so tall. She guessed he’d have no trouble carrying her to the bedroom, if he wanted to. The thought made her blush and squirm, eager to get inside away from the cold and put her mind to unsexy thoughts, like unpacking and their work schedule together.
Together. Damn, that was a word that kicked off the heat in her again, and she wondered once more at her odd connection to Ryder Hart. She’d seen him in magazine articles once or twice and couldn’t remember ever feeling anything but admiration. But the man in person? Pure liquid lust. Which wasn’t usual for logical, rational Janna.
Ryder set down her things and then flipped on a light. Then he went about the cabin, which was more like a pricey, five-star suite, checking to make things were in order.
“Would you like me to get the fire going?” he asked.
A real fire. The smell, the feel. It was tempting. She bit her lip. Sitting in front of the fire with Ryder…
“Or would you like to get dinner?” he asked, picking up her things and taking them through a door off to the side. He disappeared for a moment and reappeared without the bags. “I was thinking we could get takeout from the lodge.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “This all happened so quickly. I mean, you only gave me an hour to pack.”
He shrugged, not looking at all abashed for having whirlwinded into her life and made everything complicated. “I had to move fast. Lover boy there didn’t look very patient.”
“My love life isn’t your concern,” she said patiently. Yet.
He frowned. “I told you, Janna. What I want, I get. And I want you. Yes, right now, I want your expertise with financial matters up at the lodge. Mainly to check me as I go over things to make sure I’m not screwing them up. I’m better with big picture than small details like bookkeeping. But aside from going to hire an accountant, my next job in town would have been to find out where you lived and go to meet you and somehow convince you to come back here with me and give me a chance.”
“A chance?” She swallowed against the lump in her throat. As a financial analyst, she knew better than most that if it sounded too good to be true, it probably was.
“Yes, a chance. I like you. I liked you from the moment I saw you, and I think you like me.”
“Maybe,” she said, not meeting his eyes. If he looked into her own, he’d see the lust burning there. He’d think she was a woman that easily fell for a man, when the opposite was true.
He shed his jacket as the cabin warmed. She could hear the heater running. The room was well lit, with gorgeous leather furniture and rustic wood decor that was probably specially carved for the lodge and its adjoining buildings. For city people to feel like they were roughing it. It would have worked on her if Scott had brought her.
But apparently, she hadn’t been good enough for that.
But with Ryder, she was.
He looked even broader and taller without the coat. His massive shoulders pushed against a blue cashmere sweater just slightly darker than his eyes. His biceps and forearms more than filled out the sleeves, and he’d pushed them up slightly, baring beautiful wrists and hands. Fine hands with long, strong fingers. Fingers he’d used to tilt her chin just that afternoon. Fingers that could do wicked things that made her wet just thinking of them.
He took a couple dangerous steps forward, and Janna felt her pulse speed up. Was Ryder Hart a player? She couldn’t remember reading anything non-business about him. She bit her lip and tried to hide a shuddering breath as he looked down at her, nearly close enough to touch. He put a finger beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to his.
That’s it, she thought. He can see it. He knows. Sure enough, she met his eyes and saw triumph lighting there in the sparkling blue. She squirmed slightly and his arms came around her, holding her up.
“This is so unprofessional,” she said weakly, pressing against his chest, only to have the feel of his firm muscle make her feel even weaker.
“Mmm,” he said, leaning forward to nip the top of her ear. “Sometimes unprofessional is more fun.” His hand caressed her waist and moved toward her bottom, and she pulled away. He wrapped both arms around her instead and looked down.
Gosh, he was handsome. That jaw was cut from granite, just a hint of a cleft in his chin. Full, pouty lips with a sculpted cupid’s bow. High, carved cheekbones.
He put a hand up to caress her hair and his thumb brushed the top of her cheek. “Tell me to stop, Janna, and I will.”
She blinked, body rebelling against her mind. Her mind said this was dangerous. That she’d only gotten carried away once in her life and it had ended badly, so she should run from this. But her body kept saying how good it felt to be in Ryder’s arms and how long it had been since she’d been with a man. Maybe if she just didn’t have any expectations, maybe if she just assumed he’d leave at the end, maybe they could just have some fun together and that would be all. And it wouldn’t have to hurt or disappoint her after.
She knew her place. Ryder was probably looking for a week of fun and then to forget.
But judging from the electric feel of his hands on her body, her hormones were up for whatever he wanted.
As long as he didn’t stop touching her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling away slightly, making her body ache with need at the loss of contact.
She shook her head and pulled away with great effort and slumped over the couch.
“I just… I barely know you. This makes no sense. I don’t want you to think I’m the kind of woman who… well, makes rushed decisions.”
“Would it matter if you were?” he asked, sitting next to her, making her feel small even when they were both seated. “Would it affect what happens between us? I want to get to know you, Janna. Just who you are.”
“But why?” she asked. “You could have anyone in the world. How do I know you aren’t just killing some time while working out your father’s business. I’m sorry, but guys like you don’t go for girls like me. Not without a catch.”
“A catch?”
“Like Scott,” she said nervously, pulling down her sweater.
Ryder’s face hardened and he drew up to his full, intimidating height. “I’m nothing like him. He’s an ass.”
She laughed, slapping her knee. “It feels good to hear that, you know? But the thing was I didn’t think he was an ass then.”
“So you learned. But are you going to hold every man accountable to that? Why don’t you let me show you something different?” He leaned forward and the air heated between them. “You know I’m different.”
She licked her bottom lip and looked at his mouth. Those lips on hers… it would feel amazing. Surely she deserved a little fun after so long.
His gaze shifted to her mouth and he sucked in a ragged breath. The next moment, his lips were on hers. Sliding gently over until he found the perfect fit between them. Just warm, solid softness, light breaths, and a careful caress of his soft lips on hers. She sighed into it and opened without thinking, and his strong, deft tongue swiped inside, claiming, caressing, stroking, each movement making her a little hotter, a little weaker, a little achier in that place that kept responding to him against her better judgment.
He came forward, moving her back on the couch until he had her against the armrest. His hand wrapped around to cradle her head and tangle in her hair, and his other hand moved down her body, feeling each curve in his strong hand as if he were trying to memorize the feel of her. He drank in kisses, the feel of her soft curves, like a hungry man finding bounty, and she melted in his arms.
Ryder Hart was a kissing god.
She opened farther and met his tongue with hers, clashing, circling, moaning as he explored every sensitive spot within her mouth, making her think of a different kind of way he could be inside her, making her legs tighten and twist in anticipation and a tingling sensation settle between her thighs.
He seemed to sense it, and an excited growl rumbled from his chest as one hand moved to her breast. He caught her gasp of surprise as one deft finger flicked over her nipple, which was sticking out even in her bra. The sharp, pleasurable sensation had her arching back, and his hand covered her breast in a firm knead as he deepened the kiss even further.
She was past conscious thought. Past rational analysis. This was nothing by the numbers. This was fantasy, pleasure, joy all caught up in one moment, and she didn’t want it to end. She no longer wanted to question it. Whatever the cost was, she’d pay for it later.
And even though she knew with a slight ache that’s what had gotten her in trouble in the first place, she had no ability to say no to Ryder or this undeniable pleasure now.
He pulled back to massage both her breasts. He growled with satisfaction, and she could barely believe the lust burning in his eyes as he studied her expression. His thumbs moved over her sensitive nipples and she arched back with a low moan.
“You’re beautiful, Janna,” he murmured, pulling off her sweater with a smooth motion, revealing her in only a lacy lavender bra that contrasted her silky brown skin. “So amazingly beautiful. I could lick you all over.”
She couldn’t say anything, just arched to give him access to the back of her bra, which he undid easily, freeing her breasts.
“Oh hell yes,” he said, cupping her soft flesh in both hands. She knew she was large there, but his huge hands cradled her perfectly. “You’re so perfect, Janna. You bring out the animal in me.”
She saw something feral flash in his eyes, but she didn’t know how to describe it. And once he took one of her nipples in his able, hot mouth, she didn’t want to. Pleasure shot through her and she clenched her legs together again, almost as if her body were trying to deny her what she wanted. His hand moved between her thighs, parting her legs and putting one of his between them, holding her legs open. He finished sucking her nipple and flicked his tongue over it. She cried out and arched back at the sudden sensation.
He was too much and not enough all at once. She ached for him in her most sensitive place and found herself rubbing wantonly against his hard thigh. Thankfully, he moved back, sliding up against her with delicious friction that eased the ache inside her, but only somewhat. She needed him inside her, now.
But he seemed intent on taking his time, moving his huge leg against her while his hands kneaded her sensitive breasts and his lips took hers again, his tongue delving deep, promising rhythmic ability in other activities. He left her mouth to press kisses to her cheek, her jaw, her neck, and then stroking along the sensitive inner shell of her ear with a deft motion that had her crying out as his thigh pressed once more into the apex of her pleasure.
She hit her release with him touching her everywhere, owning her body, and keeping the rhythmic contractions going again and again as he moved against her, setting all of her nerves on overload and making her cry out over and over for relief from the overwhelming pleasure. When she finally settled, she found him pulling his shirt over his head.
She flushed in relief. She needed him inside her. Now. She’d never moved this fast, but she knew if she didn’t have this now, she’d always regret it. She could think about that later. Right now all she could think about was having the hard length of that thing bulging the front of his jeans buried inside her, warm and stimulating and stretching her as never before. Something like that, she’d never forget.
The clink of his buckle and zip of his jeans heated her fever and she pulled at her own pants helplessly. He pulled hers down easily, fingers grazing her soft thighs in wonder as he let out a groan of agony at how hot she was. He leaned down to place a kiss at the top of her damp panties, and she arched to let him. He pulled them off with a quick flick of his fingers and she was bared to him. But she felt beautiful, desirable. She no longer cared that he was a famous billionaire and she was just average. He was just a man about to take her as a woman, and every nerve in her body screamed for it to be so.
He was free of his pants a second later, and she gasped at the size of him as he sprang free from a pair of tight boxer briefs. Would he fit? He put on a condom. She squirmed in anticipation and he licked his lips and positioned himself over her. He felt her with his fingers and smiled as he licked her wetness off.
“So wet for me, sweetheart,” he said.
She nodded. It was too late for embarrassment.
“I’ll try not to hurt you,” he said. “I know I’m large.”
She swallowed, trying to stay relaxed as she felt his huge tip at her entrance. If she got him in, she was in for one hell of a ride. Just as she tensed, she felt his hand gently moving over her tummy to relax her, moving up to caress her breast as he placed a soft kiss at her jawline and then moved to take her mouth.
As his tongue thrust in, so did the rest of him, taking her channel in one swift movement that had her writhing in shock against the sudden, incredible fullness. She gasped against his mouth and he stroked a hand comfortingly over her skin, running along her side and cupping her bottom to hold her against him.
She took a few deep breaths and the fullness adjusted to something else. Incredible pleasure, once she could distinguish it from the panic of being so full. He was right against her G-spot, pressing it hard, lighting her up with sensation, and then he started to move.
She screamed and dug her hands in. She couldn’t help it. The feel of his firm hardness moving inside her, going deep and thick against every sensitive millimeter of her pussy, made her feel like no one else ever had. When he was nearly out, and her body exhaled in relief, he pushed back in again, and she gasped and cried out as her body accommodated him. It was heaven; it was almost too much to take. And she could see from the determined, tense look in his eyes that he was equally overcome by the sensations they were creating together.
“You feel so damn good,” he said, gritting his teeth as he completed another agonizingly good stroke. “It’s never… been like this.”
“I know,” she said, practically sobbing into her hand. “You’re so…” She trailed off as he buried himself deep inside her. Too overwhelmed to have any conscious thought at that moment.
“So what?” he asked teasingly, his voice raspy with want.
“Never mind. So something I can’t think of because you make me feel… too good!” She cried out as he thrust deep within again, feeling a surging pressure rising with each movement in and out. Could she actually go from intercourse? It seemed with Ryder Hart, she could. After a few more intense thrusts, she felt the overwhelming power surge forward within her, shaking her body in a powerful release that had her sobbing at the pleasure that shook her
down to her toes. Even her fingertips flooded with pleasure as she dug her nails into his back, wrapping her legs around him to take and hold him deep as she took her release.
He growled her name and held her close, tight, safe, and for the moment, she was in a different world. An animal world where there was only mating and heat and taking and claiming.
She couldn’t explain it. It was like the air had changed and her body was responding chemically in ways it never had. As he began to move again, she uttered an oath and held on, savoring the intense feelings he stimulated inside her as she felt the tension in his body building toward his own release. Sensing he couldn’t hold on much longer, he moved his hand between them, gently moving over her as he stroked inside. It increased the speed of everything, and she gave herself up to the sensation of pleasure everywhere as a mind-shattering orgasm shook them both.
She treasured the feeling of him shaking inside her as he pumped out his release, and dug her nails in as her own pleasure reverberated inside her in answer to his. She cried out his name and he answered, and they moved together until they were sated and he slumped forward over her body on the couch.
She caught her breath, listening to the pounding of her heart and feeling his heart racing against her. He was still panting with the exertion, and when he lifted his eyes to meet hers, she could tell he was just as shocked, just as satisfied, as she was.
She took a few more deep breaths and waited for her mind to come back to Earth, for reality to settle in. But as she held him and savored the way her body felt after a good loving, she couldn’t bring herself to regret what they’d just shared together.
Bearllionaire: (BWWM) Paranormal BBW Bear Shifter Romance Standalone Page 4
