She could hear the sounds of Ryland out in the kitchen and then he was beside her again. She blinked against the flickering light of the candle he placed on the bedside table. “I turned off the lights in the kitchen and blew out the rest of the candles.” He picked up the holder she kept on her nightstand and lit the second candle off the one he’d brought from the kitchen.
It was a good thing one of them had thought of that. Her mind was mush.
“There.” He seemed satisfied with the light from the two candles and sat on the bed beside her. “How are you feeling?”
How was she feeling? Amazing. Stupendous. There weren’t words enough to say exactly how she was feeling. “Great.” She cleared her throat. “I feel great.” Now that was an insipid word to describe the state of her mind and body.
He smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled. His pale blue eyes appeared warmer and his face not as harsh as usual. “Great, huh? We’ll have to do better than that.”
“I’ll die if we do any better,” she muttered and then groaned and turned her head into her pillow. “Did I say that out loud?”
Ryland laughed, but thankfully didn’t comment as he reached for the waistband of her jeans and tugged them down. “Lift up.” She lifted her bottom and he slid her jeans off, taking her sneakers and socks off at the same time. He tossed the mass of clothing to the floor and reached for the hem of her sweater. “Okay?”
Was it okay? He’d called her a witch when he was touching her. That was twice now he’d used that term to describe her. He’d meant it in a teasing way, as a sensual term of endearment. She knew he didn’t believe her when she said she was a witch. She wasn’t quite sure what he thought. That it was a set of spiritual beliefs, a persona she’d created to help sell things at the store, or that she was a nutcase. Either way, it boiled down to the fact that he didn’t believe her.
Taunts from her childhood rose up to haunt her. Memories of past boyfriends turning away from her, being cruel as they broke up with her, saying she was just too weird.
She was usually a very confident woman. She owned and operated her own business, had her own home and had a great sense of style. At this moment, none of those things mattered.
All her insecurities tried to come flooding back. She shoved them aside. She wanted Ryland. No matter what happened tomorrow, she wanted him now, and for once in her life she was going to throw caution to the wind and not worry about the consequences. She’d told him what she was. It was on him if he didn’t believe her.
He was waiting patiently for her, all traces of humor gone from his face. He watched her from under a set of thick, dark lashes, his blue eyes as sharp as a laser beam.
Slowly, she sat up and raised her arms. Ryland got busy, helping her tug her sweater over her head. He whistled long and low as he uncovered her. “Matching bra and panties in red. I would never have guessed.”
She shrugged, not wanting him to know she’d worn it just for him, which was stupid. He’d have to know or at least suspect.
He trailed his finger over the edge of her bra, stroking the lace. His hand looked so dark and large next to her much paler skin, a vivid reminder of the physical differences between them. He was so masculine. And he made her feel feminine to her core.
“Very pretty, but not nearly as beautiful as what’s beneath it.”
Rhiannon studied him in the candlelight. His blond hair shone, appearing almost a burnished gold in the candlelight. His eyes picked up the pearl-gray color of his shirt making them appear different, warmer. It was fascinating how his eyes seemed to shift color with his mood. One moment they were pale and intense, the next warm enough to make her skin sizzle. His shoulders were wide and she could just see a tuft of dark blond hair peeking out over the vee of his buttoned shirt.
She realized quite suddenly that she was half-naked and he was still fully dressed. “Take off your shirt.” She wanted to see every single hard inch of him. She’d certainly spent enough time last night and today wondering what he looked like beneath his clothing. Now it was time to find out.
The color in his eyes darkened as his fingers went to the top button, sliding it free. Lower and lower he went, tugging the material from his jeans. Sitting up, she slid her hands beneath his shirt and pushed it down his arms.
Oh my. He was even better than she’d imagined. And she had quite a vivid imagination. He was harder. His torso sculpted out of sinew, bone and muscle. His shoulders and chest were broad and muscular and his skin still held a tan from summer. Or maybe it was his natural coloring. She didn’t know. But she did need to touch him.
She licked her suddenly dry lips and flattened her hands against his skin. It was soft, but what was beneath it was incredibly hard. Muscles rippled beneath her palms. The tuft of hair in the center of his chest was slightly darker than the hair on his head. It thinned out as it angled downward, disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. Her fingers itched to follow the line of hair to the large bulge in his pants, but for now she contented herself with stroking his torso. Bands of muscle wrapped around him, hard and warm against her fingers.
“Rhiannon.” His voice was strained as he captured one of her hands and shifted it lower. A hard, pulsing bulge pushed against her palm. She pressed more firmly, trying to wrap her fingers around him through the thick fabric of his jeans. He groaned.
“Finish it,” she urged him.
He lifted her hand from his erection and brought it to his lips, planting a kiss in the center of her palm. His eyes never left her as he stood and bent forward, unlacing and yanking off his boots and then his socks. She was unable to look away when he unbuckled his belt. The metal fastener and the zipper of his jeans were next. He shoved them down his hips and legs, taking his sexy gray boxer briefs with them.
His cock sprang forward, hard and heavy. The crown was dark red and already damp. Dark veins and ridges ran the length of his shaft. Her heart sped up as she continued to stare. She’d never seen any man quite so large before. He’d fill her and then some.
“We’ll fit.” His voice startled her gaze back to his face. He stood before her, hands on his hips, elemental and all male. Power emanated from him. Raw male energy called to the feminine force within her, demanding that she join with him.
He came down onto the bed beside her, propping himself on one elbow and blocking most of the light. He was large and fierce, yet she felt no fear. Instead she felt a tingling inside her, a low tickle in the center of her breastbone, a sense of anticipation. Her body was on fire even though she’d just had an orgasm. Her breasts ached and her core felt empty, needing him to fill it.
Reaching up, she cupped the side of his face, delighting in the scrape of his five o’clock shadow against her fingers. He was rough where she was smooth, hard where she was soft, masculine to her feminine. They complemented each other perfectly. She felt it deep in her heart.
He dipped his head, capturing her mouth with his. His tongue stroked the crease of her lips and she parted them eagerly. He surged inward, laying claim to it, to her. She returned his ardor, twining her tongue with his. And when his tongue retreated, she followed, learning the taste and texture of his lips and his mouth. They’d kissed before, but this was different. This was a prelude to something more, something deeper.
His hand was heavy on her stomach as he kissed her again and again as if he couldn’t get enough of the taste of her. It was heady indeed to be the focus of such intense passion and she returned it freely, without reserve. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, giving her something, someone, solid to cling to.
By the time he broke the torrid kiss and pulled away, she was gasping for breath. He trailed hot, openmouthed kisses down her neck, licking her collarbone. She moaned as he slid his hand beneath her. A quick twist and a tug and he had the hooks of her bra undone. If she hadn’t been quite so caught up in the passion of the moment, she’d have been more impressed with his skill at removing lady’s undergarments. As it was, she was vaguely alarmed by th
e thought of how many bras he’d removed to get that proficient.
The elastic relaxed and he tugged the garment down her arms, freeing her breasts for his view. She forgot about everything else as he stared down at her, the intensity of his gaze making her nipples tighten and her skin warm.
“Beautiful,” he breathed as he cupped both mounds in his hands and lowered his head. He nuzzled her breasts, lapping at first one tight, beaded tip before moving over to do the same thing to the other one.
Rhiannon clutched at his head, her fingers tangling in his short hair. She shifted her legs restlessly against the mattress. The air in the room was cool, but she was on fire for him, every cell in her body attuned with his every movement, his every touch. As impossible as it seemed, she was close to orgasm yet again.
The hard length of his cock pressed against her leg. She wanted to touch him but couldn’t find the strength to move. Ryland closed his mouth over a turgid nipple and suckled. Rhiannon cried out, her hips arching up, seeking him.
He swore under his breath as he released her and kissed a trail down her torso, stroking and licking as he moved lower. Her inner muscles clenched in anticipation as his tongue stroked the line of her bikini panties, sending a fresh gush of cream flowing from her. Hooking his fingers in the thin straps, he eased the fabric down, exposing her dark pubic hair.
“Oh, yeah.” He slid one finger over her dark curls, smiling when one of them wrapped itself around the digit. “You’re so damn sexy.”
He made her feel that way. She’d always been confident as a woman, but never had she quite felt this aware of her feminine power.
He leaned down and kissed the tops of her thighs as he pulled her panties down her legs. Rearing back, he tugged them over her feet and tossed them aside. Sitting on his knees between her sprawling legs, he studied her. “Open your legs wider. I want to see you.”
Never in her life had a man spoken in such a blunt, sexual manner to her. He was elementally male, at home with his sexuality, and made no apology for it. It shocked her just how much she liked it. She could feel her sex rhythmically clutching, urging her to do as he asked. Her blood pulsed heavily through her veins. She parted her legs, knowing he could now see every inch of her.
“Pretty.” His voice was low, almost guttural. His chest rose and fell heavily as he struggled to control himself. His cock was hard and ready between his thighs, the head thick and broad and wet. She licked her lips, wanting to stroke her tongue up and down his shaft, to take him into her mouth and give him the same kind of pleasure he was giving her. He followed her gaze and groaned. “Soon,” he promised.
And she’d take him up on that. She wanted to tease him with her mouth and taste his essence on her tongue. He’d be hot and spicy and… All thought fled when he touched her. With one simple stroke of his finger, he brought all her focus to the sensitive area between her thighs. She whimpered when he dragged his finger up one side of her slick folds and down the other.
“Just look at you, all hot and pink and perfect.” He leaned forward and she could feel his hot breath against her.
“Ryland.” He had to touch her with his mouth or she’d go mad.
As if he’d heard what she was thinking, he said one word. “Yes.” His tongue licked her sex, tasting her, devouring her.
Her heels dug into the mattress and she lifted her hips upward, needing more from him. She was an aching mass of need, mindless to all else. Her fingers dug into the comforter.
Ryland sprawled on his stomach between her legs and hooked his arms under her thighs, widening them with his broad shoulders. His arms were long enough that he was able to cup her breasts with his hands while his mouth continued to drive her crazy.
He rolled her nipples gently between his fingers. His tongue stabbed repeatedly at her core, dipping inside before retreating. Her feminine muscles flexed and released, warning her of her impending orgasm.
“I’m going to come,” she gasped. She felt as if she had no control over her body. She belonged to Ryland and he played her like a master, pushing her even higher than she’d thought possible. His fingers plied her nipples and his tongue teased her swollen clit before plunging back into her heated depths again and again.
“Do it,” he commanded, as he gently pulled her clit between his lips and sucked.
Rhiannon screamed. Heat filled her, consuming her as she came. Her body jerked and her thighs tightened around Ryland’s head, holding him in place. Not that he seemed to be in any hurry to get away, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Giving herself over to the pleasure, she rode wave after wave of ecstasy, finally sinking into the comforter, exhausted.
Her thighs fell open and she heaved a sigh of utter contentment. She felt boneless and utterly relaxed. It took an effort, but she finally managed to open her eyes and stare down at Ryland. He had his chin resting on her pubic bone and was staring up at her. His hands were still wrapped around her breasts as he lazily thumbed her nipples.
“That,” she managed to get out. “Was amazing.”
“That,” he countered, “was just the beginning.”
Chapter Nine
Rhiannon’s body enthralled Ryland. The softness of her skin, the curve of her breasts, the narrowness of her waist and the roundness of her hips. He lingered over the indentation of her bellybutton, marveled at how quickly her nipples puckered into tight buds, begging to be tasted.
On a purely physical basis, she suited him perfectly, responding to him as though they’d been lovers for years. Each touch, each stroke of his hands over her body elicited a strong sexual response. She’d come twice already, each time holding nothing back. The sweet mewling sounds of need she’d made as she bucked against his mouth and hands had almost made him spill his seed onto the comforter. He hadn’t come that close to losing control since he was a teenager.
Her amazing violet-blue eyes were dark and slumberous, her short hair tousled and her skin dewy with perspiration. She looked like a woman who’d been well pleasured. He rubbed his chin against her mound, inhaling her musky scent. Her essence was still on his tongue, spicy and hot.
His cock flexed against the comforter, liquid seeping from the tip, giving him a vivid reminder that he hadn’t come yet. All his attention had been wrapped up in the woman sprawled in front of him. He’d wanted her pleasure more than he’d wanted his own. But she’d come twice and now it was his turn.
His hands were still filled with her lush breasts. They were full and plump and the nipples, which were normally a rosy pink, were now red and distended. He loved how responsive they were to his touch. Unable to resist, he flicked his thumbs over the taut nubs and was rewarded with a low moan of pleasure from Rhiannon that ripped though his body.
Reluctantly, he released her breasts, planted his hands on the mattress and pushed himself up. She barely stirred. The corners of her mouth turned up in a secret smile, as if she knew something he didn’t. And maybe she did. Women were mystifying creatures, and he had a feeling this woman was more mysterious than most.
That thought gave him pause. There were hidden depths to Rhiannon. She was a complex woman, one with secrets. She even thought she was a witch. She shifted her weight on the mattress, the motion rolling her hips in a seductive movement that shoved all other thoughts from his head.
Rhiannon was spread on the bed in front of him, she was naked and she wanted him. That was all he needed to know.
The room pulsed with anticipation, with an energy that filled his head until he felt as though he’d had a few too many beers to drink. It was invigorating. It was intoxicating.
Leaning over the side of the bed, Ryland snagged his jeans off the floor and dug into his pocket for a condom. He’d put two in there before he’d left home tonight just in case the gods smiled on him and he got lucky. Now he was damn glad he had. He would never take her without protection.
He ripped the foil packet open and quickly smoothed the latex over his erection, gritting his teeth to keep from groaning aloud.
His balls hung low, full and heavy. As he shifted closer to Rhiannon, they clenched with anticipation.
She watched him through half-open eyes. Her tongue, wet and pink, licked at the corner of her mouth and he thought he’d explode right there and then. He’d have that mouth wrapped around his dick someday, but not now. Now he needed to be buried deep inside her, surrounded by her moist heat.
He stroked his palms over her calves and knees. She stirred, her legs parting as he forged a path up the inside of her thighs. “You’re so damn hot and wet.”
Bending down, he swiped his tongue over her clit. His cock flexed as if reaching for her. Her answering cry of pleasure made him swell even more. He’d never been so damn hard in his life, so full it bordered on pain.
Moving into position between her spread thighs, he fit the head of his shaft just inside her slit, squeezing past the swollen muscles. “So tight,” he gasped as his fingers dug into her hips, holding her captive.
“Ryland.” She writhed beneath him. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to get closer to him or get away. He would let her do neither.
“Don’t move.” He sucked in a breath and pressed deeper, moving slow to allow her body time to accept his. She was so much smaller than him. He didn’t want to rush penetration and risk hurting her.
It took a minute or two, but finally the broad head of his cock was all the way inside her. It felt better than anything he’d ever experienced in his life, far better than he could have imagined. Her inner muscles contracted around him, pulling him farther into her heated depths. The rippling motion pushed him close to the edge. He threw back his head and gritted his teeth to keep from coming.
He lost track of time as he fought his way back from the edge and regained some measure of control. His breathing was ragged and he sucked in a deep lungful of air. Rhiannon wasn’t in much better shape, her chest rising and falling rapidly, making her breasts sway with every breath.
A Touch of Magick: Spells, Seduction and Secrets, Book 1 Page 11
