by Ruby Raine
“Your wish is my command.”
She swam backwards; he kept pace until she slowed down, granite sweeping across the bottom of her feet. She stopped when cool granite caressed her back. The water reached her chest, hiding most of her from the shoulders down.
Riley grabbed the top of the granite wall, drawing his body closer to hers. His lips trailed down her cheek, her neck, nibbling on her ear. It was heavenly as she thought it would be.
“I’ve never met anyone like you, Melinda.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“There haven’t been that many,” he returned. “But they were just that. Girls.” The way he said the word was like describing her as the epitome of womankind.
Heavenly puffs of white steam enclosed around them.
His mouth lowered, nuzzling the curve of her breasts.
Her reaction pleased him. She thought so at least, by the groan that came out of him.
He lifted his head, finding her mouth again. It wasn’t a full invasion. He seemed to be holding back. Or maybe he wasn’t, Melinda had no idea. She only knew she was falling hard. And fast. Too fast, she was certain most any sane person would say.
Shit. Shit. Shit. A surge of doubt swept through her. What am I doing?
He pulled away gently, almost as if he sensed her tension. He was far too perceptive.
“I feel like I’ve known you forever, Melinda. Like we were destined to meet. Wow, um, sorry,” he said with a hint of disbelief. “Even to me that sounded like a lame-ass pick up line.” He let out a frustrated chuckle.
She recalled feeling the same way when she’d run into him the evening before. Like destiny had knocked on her door. “Well, since we’re being lame and cliché, you should know I don’t normally do this sort of thing. It’s so not me.”
“And not to meet, or beat, your cliché, but I usually do like to date, first,” he said. “If you want to stop, Melinda, we can. The truth is,” he let out a timid breath. “The truth is, from the moment I ran into you last night I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I don’t understand it exactly, but when I looked into your eyes they begged me to love you. To wrap you up in my arms and protect you. To please you in every way possible. I’ve had an urge to do just that ever since and that’s not going to change if you want to slow down.” He looked directly into her eyes to be sure there was no doubt.
She glanced down into the water and smirked.
“I didn’t say it would be easy to stop.”
Riley was a stranger and yet she looked into his eyes and all doubt swept away.
“I won’t ever do anything you don’t want me to,” he whispered, a slight tremble in his voice. “I want you to know you can trust me, Melinda. However long that takes.”
Could he be anything but perfect? Could he say anything that wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear? Warning bells should have sounded in her mind. Instead, they were drowned out by the pulsing of her heart, and belief in what he was saying even if it was naïve, and replaced by a need she had to have satisfied before she lost her mind.
She was done not living her life anymore. Finished wasting away the days without taking a chance. A risk. Everything required risk. It was time she took one without worrying about the consequences.
She reached in front of her and grabbed hold of Riley’s boxer shorts, pulling them down over his ass. He kicked them off, needing no further encouragement. They popped up somewhere behind him, floating away into the steamy plumes. Riley’s hands ran down her sides, eagerly sliding her pink undies down over her hips. She wriggled out of them and lost them in the swirling water.
His hands wrapped around her backside, bringing her body up against his.
Her arms slid around him.
The hardness rubbing in between them sent a jolt of current through her.
“I want to take you out of the water, Melinda.”
And didn’t that cool things off. A lot.
She didn’t answer him right away and cast her gaze downward, shyness instant and unwelcome. Seemed she didn’t really leave old Melinda back up on top of the cliff after all.
There would still be steam hiding them from any potential onlookers, but there would be nothing hiding her from Riley. He’d see every part of her. There would be no way to hide anything.
His fingers caught her chin and gently pulled it up so he could see her eyes.
“If you’ve changed your mind...”
She shook her head.
“It’s not that. It’s just, I may have given you the impression I’m a confident person, Riley, but I’m not.” It was painful to admit. “I don’t... it’s very... exposed.” As in, you will see all of me and I don’t know if I can do that.
He pressed into her, the thick bulge between them reminding her of what she was doing to him. “Will you let me prove to you why you should be confident?”
She let out an uneven breath.
“Have you ever looked at yourself, Melinda? For real?”
She didn’t respond.
“I don’t think you have the right view of yourself at all,” he whispered softly.
“Um...” She let out another shaky exhale.
“If you still don’t believe me,” he grinned, grabbed her hand, and brought it into the water and held her palm against the length of him. “Your hot little body is driving me insane.”
“There you go again,” it came out riding a sigh. “Saying every right thing. How do you do that?” She almost felt tears welling up. Seriously? Tears?
He did call me hot.
Screw the Jerkwad!
He can take his adorable and shove it up his ass.
Riley shook his head. “It’s all you, Melinda. You make me say things, think things, I’ve never thought before. Never imagined saying to anyone before. You make me understand the meaning of every lame pickup line, love song I’ve ever heard, or romantic movie I’ve ever been suckered into watching.”
She laughed, biting her lip.
He groaned like that was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
“Okay,” she told him with as much boldness as she could muster. “Take me out of,” he didn’t give her a chance to finish. He picked her up and carried her until they’d reached a granite surface he could sit her down on. Her feet dangled in the water, her legs straddling the sides of his legs.
She was bare ass naked and out of the water. Steam rose from the heat of the sun and the watery mist hitting the granite.
“How about a partial compromise?” he said with a naughty grin. “I’ll let you keep your toes in the water if you really want to.”
She lifted her legs and wrapped them around him in reply. He leaned her back, moving out of the water with her, gently pulling her across the sun-warmed granite.
He stared intently into her eyes.
“Will you tell me if I do something wrong? Or if you don’t like it, will you tell me to stop?”
She nodded, unable to vocalize a yes.
“I may come across as confident as well, Melinda, but if I’m to be completely honest, I haven’t done this a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean only once. I mean one girlfriend. We dated for over a year. Broke up. Months ago. And I can’t believe I’m talking about this.” Okay, you can shut the hell up now if you haven’t already ruined the moment.
However, Melinda melted into him. As if his admittance calmed her, was exactly what she needed to hear. Knowing Riley was inexperienced as she was, changed everything.
He was probably more experienced, but still, she’d expected he’d been with way more than one girl. And maybe he was lying, she didn’t care. His show of vulnerability broke down any barriers of doubt she might have had.
He kissed her, lips getting greedier with each pass. Tongues tasting. Bodies grinding against each other. Heat. So much heat. Bolts of it igniting between them. His eyes met hers, a brief respite of movement, just taking each other in right up close and personal. There was so much written in that molasses gaz
e. Melinda got the impression that every single word he’d uttered had been one hundred percent honest and true. Maybe it wasn’t all lines and BS. For a fleeting second, it overwhelmed her because if that were the case she was falling head over heels crazy for a total stranger. And even more insane, he was falling just as fast, for her.
There was no way in hell this was real life.
She lifted her head, ending the intimate gaze. Greedy to have his lips on hers again. His body consuming hers. Outside underneath the summer sun. What sun? What outside? Just the two of them, some warm mist, and nothing else in the entire world.
His head lowered, tongue caressing the dainty nub on her right breast. The way he twirled his tongue lit fire down straight down between her thighs. Her legs squeezed together. His mouth, lips, and tongue moved over to the other breast, the attack less gentle. It still wasn’t enough.
“More...” wait, had that come out of her. It must have because Riley moaned and gave her just that.
His legs nudged hers apart. The hard length of him landed on her stomach, not where she wanted it. She arched up into him, everything screaming she needed him. Now. Or she might implode.
Air. Cool mist against her skin.
Her eyes fixed on Riley, who’d sat up on his knees gazing down at her with a hungry reverence. And she wasn’t afraid to be displayed like this in front of him. Her legs were hanging open, she had no urge to close them and hide herself.
It awakened something in Melinda. A desire to act out every lust filled dream she’d ever had. Every fantasy she’d ever spent hours in the bathtub, dreaming up.
“Wh-what are you thinking?” it came out of her kind of like when she’d begged for more. She just needed to say it. Needed to know.
“I just fell down a rabbit hole. I am lost. Forever I think.” His hands slid up her calves, her thighs. She trembled as he came back down in a rush, covering her body with his, kissing her. One hand finding her hair, getting lost in it. The other lining himself up.
Melinda wrapped her legs around him, body begging him to get inside her.
“Your wish, my command,” he said in a whisper.
He kissed her again and slid inside in a single swift push. Right to the end of her. Melinda’s entire body gasped at the invasion. So wanted, but so filling.
She must have frightened him because he stopped moving, panting heavily over her. She let the tension relax, and lifted her head to kiss him. He understood the silent all’s good.
He withdrew and thrust in again. Another gasp, this one because of the sparks igniting between her legs. His hands found hers and next thing she knew, her arms were under his hands over her head, imprisoned there. And holy shit, didn’t that ignite a whole new level of heat so hot she swore her blood was simmering. He rocked in and out of her, picking up speed. She moaned with each attack, her breaths growing more frantic.
“Riley!” She gasped out his name, a blood burning vibration ricocheting through her core. “I think I’m... Oh my God.” She let out a frenzied exhale. Followed by a few more.
He freed her arms grabbing her thigh, pulling her taut body to meet his final thrusts.
Her legs quivered. Her pulse soared, her skin set ablaze as her blood boiled over.
Melinda wrapped her arms and legs around him, letting the explosion consume her. Needing to feel all of him against her, grounding her, or she might float away with the mists.
Riley grunted through his teeth, shooting his release with a series of uncontrollable spasms. They stayed locked together. She wondered if he needed to feel anchored too.
This.
This was the sex she always dreamed of. It really did exist.
It wasn’t just the thing of books, or movies, or daydreams.
Their eyes met and locked.
Melinda had no words.
Why couldn’t this have been her first time? This should have been it. Why couldn’t she have met Riley months ago? Why had she been so impatient and let Jerkwad have her? She decided whatever he’d done to her, it did not count as sex. And if Jerkwad was still trying to pass himself off as God’s gift to women, she imagined he’d be living some very lonely nights, very soon.
This was her do-over. Riley had officially taken her virginity, she decided. It was the first time she’d had an orgasm that wasn’t at her own hands. That had to count in a pretty major way.
“I had no idea it could be like this.” Riley beamed, out of breath. “You’re so beautiful, Melinda. The way you move your body is so... it’s so fucking hot it makes me crazy.”
A strange feeling grew in the pit of her stomach, drowning the perfect bliss she’d been bathed in. What was it?
Shame? Fear? Was it too much, too fast?
Was she feeling guilty because part of what had drawn her into a stranger’s arms, was William? The off limit vampire. And now this stranger was suddenly claiming every part of her for his own. For a moment, she had completely forgotten they were naked in a quarry. The rest of the world washed away. All her problems and concerns just vamoose. She’d never given herself over to someone so completely. Ever.
So why did this pit suddenly open, threatening to swallow her whole.
“I...” she didn’t know how to express her feelings.
Riley got to his knees, bringing her up with him. He adjusted himself so they sat facing each other.
“What just happened?” He tapped her head gently. He wasn’t angry or harsh, but curious.
“Far too perceptive,” she said, lowering her head. “I’m letting old issues get into my brain, that’s all.”
“So, it was good for you too then?” he grinned confidently, already knowing her answer. But she wanted to give him the affirmation he so very much deserved. Melinda grabbed his lips, bringing their bodies together. No shame. No guilt.
He grabbed her and slid across the granite, leaning against a wall and tucked her onto his lap. Sun shined down, warming them. Mist and steam still hid them from view. She placed her head on his chest, running circles with her fingers across his skin.
“You’d better be careful,” he warned.
She chuckled, but stopped. Her breaths anxious.
“Thank you.” He didn’t respond. She looked up to a confused look on his face. “For caring about what I wanted. And listening. For not just leaving me right after.” Like you were doing me some kind of huge favor. She tore her gaze away.
She shouldn’t have said it. It was needy. Too serious.
“I love knowing what you want, Melinda. It’s a big turn on actually. But why would I just leave you?”
She shrugged. Old inhibitions returning.
It took him a second, but he finally heard what she didn’t say. Thanks for not making me feel cheap. Thanks for not making it all about you.
“Hey,” he picked up her chin. “Any guy who would treat you like that is a jackass who doesn’t deserve a minute of your thoughts. Especially thoughts that make you feel bad about yourself.” Which had happened, he expected. “You’re perfect, Melinda. No. Strike that. Perfect hardly cuts it. You are a queen.”
“There you go again, saying all the right things.”
“And there you go again making me say things I’ve never said to anyone, ever.”
She let out a timid exhale and rested her head against him. “Riley.” She said it so softly she wasn’t even sure he’d heard her.
“Yeah.”
She raised her head to face him. “I, um,” she lost her nerve.
“What?” he asked.
She scrunched her nose, biting her lip.
“Now you got me curious,” he said, nipping at her nose. “And seriously, watch the biting of that lip or I might have to do a little biting of my own.”
Her skin got hot and she had to look away from him. He gave her a minute, and when she looked back, she still could not utter the words she was trying to say.
“Okay, now I’m intrigued. You’re going to have to tell me.”
“God, why is th
is so hard?”
“Now, you’re just killing me. Do I have to force it out of you?” he teased.
She sucked on her bottom lip and forced herself to stop before he took over and did the biting for her.
This is stupid. Just say it.
Why do you even need to?
I don’t know, it just feels... right.
Then spit it out.
“That was the first time a guy’s ever... gotten me there.” For whatever reason she was unable to utter the words, gave me an orgasm.
Riley didn’t care what words she used. He grinned in complete delight over this fact.
“I find that very hard to believe though.”
“Believe it.”
His grin dropped a little. “Melinda, I wasn’t your first, was I?” The thought suddenly thrilled and freaked him out. Her being a virgin hadn’t even crossed his mind as a possibility, and he hadn’t taken enough care to make sure he didn’t hurt her, if that was true.
“Oh, um, not exactly.”
He waited for her to explain.
“Ugh. This is super weird.”
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I was just afraid I might have hurt you. For most women the first time is a little painful, so I’ve heard.”
“Oh. No. You didn’t hurt me. Not at all, and quite the opposite. It’s just, I think what I’m really wishing is, that you had been my first.”
Riley almost pushed the subject, asking why. Not that he disliked the thought of being her first, it wasn’t that at all. But some asshat had clearly done a number on her and God help him if he ever figured out who.
He stroked her cheek, giving her a soft kiss.
“It would have been a much more pleasant memory,” Melinda told him. It was easier now that she’d started and yet part of her was in shock she was admitting all this. “I’ve only slept with one other guy, one time, and we might as well have actually slept. To call what we did sex, is sort of an injustice to the word. And I only know that now because of you.”
“Damn. You sure know how to stroke a guy’s ego.” His beam returned, and to her amusement, a hint of a blush. “Maybe, considering our disastrous starts, we could just pretend our previous relationships didn’t happen? I know I’d like to forget about mine. You’re a much more pleasurable memory for me too.”
