by Mari Carr
“We’re late. I know,” Ryder said, waving his hand in apology as they got out of the car. “Overtime. Sorry.”
Clint and Vince were a lot less sorry. Probably because it had been one hell of a game, the Ravens winning after a Hail Mary pass that would probably be repeated on the Internet for the next decade as one of the greatest plays of all time.
Darcy was just as giddy. She and Clint had jumped up and down, screamed and hugged when the receiver caught the ball in the Ravens’ end zone, winning the game and getting their team that much closer to a playoff berth.
While Ryder was thrilled as well, extending the season always meant a shit-ton more work for him.
“It’s fine. We were watching the game on TV,” Leo said. “There was no way I would have left that game, either. Freaking awesome. That throw.” Leo and Vince high-fived.
“I don’t think your mom is going to be as understanding. She hates football,” Yvonne said, walking to their minivan. “Vince, Clint, do you guys need anything from the house? Because if not, we have to hit the road now, or we’re all going to be in the doghouse. You know Grandma Watson serves Sunday dinner at six thirty sharp.”
Vince and Clint said they had everything they needed and, within five minutes, Yvonne had the baby in her car seat, the boys in the back, Leo behind the steering wheel, and all of them waving as they backed the minivan out of the driveway. He and Darcy waved from the porch.
“They’re never going to make it on time,” she said, her voice a bit hoarse from all the cheering.
“I know.”
“So…you going to invite me in?” Darcy had met them here earlier, the four of them going to the football game together in one car.
Ryder’s choice for a date had been box seats at the Ravens game with the boys. He’d wanted her to see that while, yes, he was a workaholic, there were some perks to putting in all those long hours. He also wanted her to see him with the boys. He knew she was great with them, but she hadn’t had many opportunities to see him in dad mode for more than a few minutes at a time.
It had been the most fun he’d had at a game in years as the four of them ate their way through everything the snack bar offered and drank enough hot chocolate to float a yacht. It also helped that their team won.
Despite all that, Ryder realized he was standing at a crossroads. He’d already let things with Darcy go way further than he’d intended. Her suggestions that they just go with the flow, test the waters as far as dating each other, had seemed good in theory because he’d expected the experiment to flop.
It hadn’t.
And now when he combined the “official dates” with all the work and family events, happy hours, and lunch breaks, he realized they weren’t trying anything on for size anymore.
They were dating.
He’d had ten long days since Thanksgiving to wrap his head around that. He wasn’t sure he’d managed. And today was only going to muddy the waters more because he wasn’t going to be smart, wasn’t going to slow down the train.
Nope. Instead, he was testing one more thing, something dangerous that had the potential to seal his fate once and for all.
“I’m going to leave coming inside up to you,” he said.
She grinned with delight. “Okay, then, I’m com—”
“Wait,” Ryder said, turning to look at her. “If you come inside, Darcy, the kid gloves come off. You’re still relatively inexperienced sexually, but the things I—”
“I’m coming in,” she said.
He studied her face, read the determination there, and sighed. He wanted her so badly, he could taste it. Even if she’d said she wasn’t ready to advance their play, he didn’t doubt for a second, he still would have invited her in, cuddled with her on the couch, and given her all the missionary she could handle.
Maybe if he hadn’t gone head to head with her since Halloween and lost every single battle, he’d fight a little harder now. But the truth was, he loved losing to her.
He and Darcy had had sex three times, all of them far from his wildest encounters. Yet it was the best sex he’d ever had.
“As you wish,” he said, dropping a line from The Princess Bride on her, loving the way it made her laugh.
He opened the door to his house and gestured for Darcy to enter before him.
Boomer was there, greeting them in true goofy, loving-dog fashion. The damn dog—his damn dog—barely spared him a glance as he jumped up on Darcy, his tail wagging a million miles a minute as the big mutt tried to tackle hug her. Darcy laughed as she bent down to pet him, giggling as Boomer licked her face. “Aw, I’ve missed you too, big guy.”
“Boomer. Down,” Ryder said. And because they’d done a shitty job training the dog and a great one spoiling him, it took Ryder three more times to get the dog away from Darcy.
Darcy turned toward him, laughing, but he shook his head, his expression stern as he pointed down the hallway. “My room.”
He’d warned her what was coming, but Darcy—being Darcy—had viewed his words less as a threat and more as a challenge.
Unlike the dog, she took to his command like a fish in water, leading the way to his bedroom, her steps sure, even quick. They hadn’t had sex since Thanksgiving. They’d both agreed what they’d done on the floor of his office couldn’t happen again, professionalism too important to them, and with the Ravens certain to clench a playoff bid, his work hours would increase greatly, despite his desire to pull back as she’d suggested.
As for Darcy, she’d put in some long hours at work too then spent a great deal of time helping her family prepare for the Boob Voyage party for her godmother, Bubbles. The fact that they both lived in houses full of people didn’t increase their chances for alone time, either.
Well, they had hours ahead of them now—and he intended to put them to good use.
Darcy still didn’t understand how much he’d held back his own desires, determined to make her initiation into sex special and painless.
He couldn’t offer her the same today. He wanted her with a need that overpowered every single voice in his head screaming that being with her was a mistake, something that would end in heartbreak.
As they entered his room, he closed and locked the door. No one else would be home for hours, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He didn’t want Yvonne or Leo or—God forbid—the boys to return unexpectedly and catch them in the act.
She walked directly to the bed and ran her hand along his thick, soft duvet. Yvonne had helped him pick it out a few months ago after declaring his old one too threadbare to even be considered a quilt anymore.
“Take off your clothes,” he demanded.
Darcy twisted toward him slowly, and he waited for her to either balk or perhaps give him that seductive smile of hers that tied his insides into knots.
She did neither. Instead, she pulled her Ravens jersey over her head and dropped it to the floor. The rest of her clothing fell away just as easily and without comment. Once she was completely naked, she faced him, chin held high, haughty as a queen.
She wasn’t going to make this easy on herself. Or him.
Then he grinned. He liked a challenge too.
His wolfish expression finally triggered at least a smidge of self-preservation in her, as her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t question him. She merely waited for his next command.
Ryder walked over to his closet and grabbed a handful of neckties. Joining her by the bed, he tossed all but one to the mattress.
“Turn around,” he said.
Darcy complied, peering at him over her shoulder.
“Eyes forward,” he barked.
She followed his directive, their eyes meeting briefly through their reflections when she discovered the mirror to his dresser was in front of her.
He stepped closer, his chest brushing her bare back. He reached for her hands and drew them behind her, securing them with his tie. Darcy tested the knot, but it held.
One of his favorite things about Darcy
was the way she wore her hair down. The first couple of years of their acquaintance, ponytails and braids were the norm for her. Lately, she let it fall in long dark waves over her shoulders.
He swept the soft mass over one shoulder, capturing her eyes once more in the mirror.
“Watch me,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to the side of her neck. Her head tilted to grant him better access. From his vantage point, he could see her tight nipples, begging for his fingers, his mouth.
Darcy must have noticed where his gaze had landed because, she thrust them forward the tiniest bit, a silent plea. He reached around her, taking a breast in each hand, squeezing the generous globes before pinching her nipples. Ryder listened to her slight gasp as he increased the pressure. His cock thickened when she groaned, the pinch of pain turning to pleasure.
She wasn’t an inactive observer. With her wrists secured behind her back, he’d placed them in the perfect position for her to take matters—well, one matter—into her own hands. Darcy stroked his erection through his pants, and while he knew he should shift back or admonish her for it, he couldn’t. Instead, he leaned into the pressure, loving the way she touched him.
Their play continued for several minutes, each of them taking their time to explore, to learn. Though hampered by his pants, Darcy still managed to drive him out of his mind with need. When she started to unfasten his belt, he knew it was time to regain control.
Ryder took a step away from her, placing his hand against the nape of her neck, using it to drive her forward. “Knees on the edge of the bed.” He helped her kneel on the bed, continuing to push until her face was pressed against the mattress, her ass in the air.
“Stay like that,” he said, when she tried to lower her rear end. Her stilted breathing was the only sound in the room. Despite the fact he’d put her in a vulnerable position, on display, she was obviously excited, ready. She wiggled her ass to entice him, and he worked hard to school his features.
Ryder stroked her ass, Darcy jerking slightly at the first caress. She’d clearly expected something harder.
He was in no hurry.
“Open your legs more.”
She complied without hesitation. He had her exactly where he wanted her. Ryder ran his finger along her slit, from clit to anus. Darcy shuddered, gasped, then whispered, “More. Please.”
“If you keep giving me orders, I’m going to gag you.”
Darcy shuddered with arousal. “Okay,” she whispered, and Ryder struggled to figure out if she was agreeing to his command or the gag.
“I don’t want to do that. If I do anything that you don’t like, say stop and I will.”
She nodded. “I know that. I trust you.”
Ryder was in over his head with her.
Trust was something he’d always struggled with, starting with his absent parents who’d let him down with every single missed baseball game and forgotten birthday. He’d learned at an early age the only person he could trust, could count on, was himself. He assumed that was why it was so difficult for him to form solid friendships. Why he struggled with commitment.
And Denise drove the lesson home when she’d cheated on him, left him.
“Darcy,” he said, suddenly determined to call a halt, to get them out of this before it was too late.
“Don’t hold back, Ryder. I know what you need. I need it too. Please.”
Every time he thought he’d gained the upper hand, believed he’d gotten control of himself, she stripped him of it, until he felt as if he was standing before her completely bared—no walls, no secrets, no power to resist.
He swallowed heavily as he lifted his hand and brought it down roughly.
Darcy had jerked at his gentle touch, but now, as he spanked her, she actually sighed, groaned with pleasure, moved closer, tried to capture more.
Ryder spanked her a dozen times, her ass growing pinker with each blow. He pressed his fingers to her pussy, overwhelmed by how wet she was.
Darcy forcefully pushed back, trying to draw his fingers inside her. He pulled them away as she cursed.
“Dammit, Ryder!”
“Bad girl,” he said with a grin as he peppered her ass with a half dozen more spanks.
“You have to fuck me. Now!”
He untied the knot around her wrists, dragging the silk away, and tossing it to the floor. Then in one quick motion, he flipped her to her back and climbed over her. He was still fully dressed, that fact lost on neither of them.
“I don’t have to do anything.”
She blinked several times. “Don’t stop.”
“I don’t plan to. Unless you keep trying to take control. At which point, I will dress you, put you in your car, and send you home alone.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
He lowered his face to hers, kissing his way along her cheek until he reached her ear. “Try me,” he whispered.
Darcy started to raise her hands—clearly worried about his threat, one he feared was definitely empty—intent on holding him.
He dragged her to the center of the bed, reaching for two more ties. He used them to bind her to his headboard before lowering his head and taking her nipple into his mouth with a suction he knew was painful. He repeated the action on her other nipple, letting himself imagine putting her in nipple clamps.
“God,” she breathed. Her eyelids slowly drifted closed, almost dreamily. Darcy liked bondage. And pain. And being spanked.
He’d brought her here, determined to prove to his sweet little innocent that she was in over her head. Instead, he was the one getting schooled. Again.
Time to slow this down, to try one more time to grasp the reins.
Ryder rose from the bed, reaching over to open Darcy’s legs even more. “Don’t move. Don’t speak.”
Her body was flushed with arousal, the insides of her upper thighs slick, betraying how ready she was for him. He stood there, soaking her nakedness in. Memorizing every curve of her body. His gaze traveled the entire length of her, slowly, leisurely. Then he made the return trip.
She was completely naked, while he was fully dressed. He’d placed her in a vulnerable, submissive position, standing over her, asserting his authority, making sure she understood they were working on his timeline, with his game plan.
Her breasts rose and fell as she struggled to catch her breath. She licked her lips, then opened her mouth. He narrowed his eyes for a split second, warning her not to say anything, not even to plead, which was obviously her intent.
She closed her mouth, biting her lower lip in a way that was as endearing as it was seductive. Everything about Darcy called to him. He wanted to mark her, claim her, make her swear that she’d always be his.
Only his.
But he knew that possession was a two-way street. He couldn’t take her without offering himself.
Mine.
Yours.
He didn’t allow himself to say either word.
Instead, he offered what he could. Darcy watched as he slowly stripped away his clothes.
“Did you take your pill this morning?”
She frowned as she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “But if you—”
“No. Nothing between us. Ever.”
Her legs parted even farther when he moved to join her on the bed.
Reaching into the nightstand drawer, he withdrew a tube of lubrication.
She gave him a shy, slightly embarrassed grin. “I don’t think we need—”
“Shh,” he admonished. “No talking unless it’s too much and you need to say stop.”
Darcy tilted her head curiously, and he knew she wanted to ask questions. He’d accused her once of asking too many. However, the wise woman held her tongue and waited patiently. The word trust floated through his brain again. She trusted him. And with every single action in his bed, she was proving it.
He lifted her legs, bending them until her ankles rested on the mattress near her ass, then he pushed her knees outward. Uncapping the lube, he squirt
ed some on his finger. When he pressed against her anus, her eyes widened, her mouth parted. He waited for her to tell him no, but she said nothing, just fought to suck in as much air as she could.
“Will you give me this virginity too?” he asked.
She licked her lips, taking her time to respond. He was glad. It meant she was thinking about it, not just giving him the answer he wanted to hear.
Finally, she nodded slowly.
“Not tonight,” he said. “You’re not ready.”
A smile crept onto her face, and he realized what he’d done the moment he saw her genuine happiness. He’d just committed to another night with her. He didn’t even pretend to be pissed off at himself. Another night with her was inevitable at this point. He couldn’t fucking stay away.
“Tonight, we’re just going to play.” He pressed the tip of his finger in her tight ass, moving slowly, giving her time to adjust. “I’m going to buy you a butt plug,” he murmured as he began to thrust his finger in and out, moving deeper with each return trip. “I’ll bend you over my desk at work to slip it in, then send you back to your desk. You’ll sit there, squirming, your ass filled with my toy, knowing that when I take it out, I’m going to replace it with my cock.”
Darcy’s breathing had grown louder with each word.
“Tomorrow,” she whispered. “Do that tomorrow.”
He chuckled. He’d teased her in his office about being a shitty sub, but that wasn’t what he wanted from her at all. While he loved giving commands and having her obey, he also wanted her just like this, joking, fun, an equal partner.
Ryder’s finger was completely lodged in her ass. The way she was lifting her hips, trying to draw it even deeper, told him she was all in on anal play.
Bending his head, he ran his tongue over her clit before sucking it into his mouth. Throughout, he continued to finger-fuck her ass. Darcy cried out, writhing beneath him, and he had to place a firm hand on her stomach to hold her still.
“God. Ohmigod,” she gasped when he pressed his tongue inside her. Darcy came hard. And loudly. And he realized he was going to have to get a hotel room before they did this again.
He lifted his head as she started to come down from her orgasm, pulling his finger free.
