“You want kids?”
“Yes. Don’t you?”
“How many?” I asked, avoiding her question.
“Four.”
I pulled a face. “That’s a lot of shit and vomit and screaming.”
“And fun, and joy, and something to bring meaning to life.” She giggled. “Have I freaked you out?”
“No,” I said. “It’s not something I’ve ever thought too deeply about, that’s all.”
“I think you’d make a wonderful father.”
An unfamiliar feeling stirred in my chest, one of excitement mingled with alarm. Excitement because I had a future with Athena, even if the idea of kids did scare the shit out of me. But with Athena by my side, we’d muddle through. The alarm part? Elliot. Who else? I wanted it all, but the outcome was out of my hands.
She rested a hand on my thigh. “Ryker, stop stressing. I’m talking years in the future.”
“I’m not stressing,” I said, unwilling to share the thoughts racing through my mind. I didn’t want to worry her. That was my job.
“Forget I said anything.” Her hand stroked my thigh, inching upward, an action my cock very much approved of. She cupped my erection through my jeans, extracting a deep groan from me.
“Let’s get back to having fun, shall we?”
18
Athena
As we left Manhattan, the traffic became a little lighter. I eased Ryker’s zipper down and slipped a finger inside his jeans, stroking his cock through his boxers. He gripped my wrist but didn’t remove my hand.
“Athena.”
His tone held a warning, but not enough to stop me. I closed my hand around his thick shaft, his strong fingers still restraining me, and as I moved, he moved with me.
“I want to taste it.” I slipped his boxers down an inch, revealing the swollen head.
“Jesus,” he groaned. “You’re killing me. I need to concentrate on the road.”
I had a counter argument ready, but his phone rang, interrupting me. I glanced at the display.
“Shit, it’s Elliot.” I immediately released my hold on him.
He held a finger to his lips. “Not a word.” Tapping a button on the steering wheel to answer the call, he said, “What’s up, Elliot? I’m driving.”
“Where to?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m going to see Mom. She’s heading off on a cruise in a couple days and won’t be around for Christmas.”
“Lucky thing. Say hi to her for me. I haven’t seen her in ages.”
“I will. So, why’re you calling?”
“I wondered where you slipped off to last night. I came looking for you, and you’d gone.”
“Yeah, I’d have said goodbye, but last I saw, you had your tongue down Brie’s throat.”
I screwed up my face. Urgh. Don’t need details like that about my brother, thanks very much.
“Athena disappeared without saying goodbye, too. Mom said she texted to say she was spending the night with a friend. You don’t think it’s that guy she came with last night, do you? The one from Finance? I mean, I heard what Oliver said about letting her live her life, but she’s still my sister and I’m not sure he’s right for her.”
My breath caught in my throat. I hit Ryker with a stare which he studiously ignored.
“How’s the Addison’s deal progressing?” Ryker asked, refusing to engage in conversation about me, although a tic in his jaw said he wasn’t comfortable with the deception.
“Good,” Elliot said, taking the bait. “I’m meeting with the lawyers today. We’re still on track to sign the contract on New Year’s Eve as planned.”
As they began to talk work, I resumed stroking Ryker’s cock. A risky move, but something had happened to me since last night. I felt as if I’d been released from a gilded cage, and for the first time in years, I could fly, breathe, fulfil my desires without an ounce of remorse on my shoulders. I loved this man and he loved me. Elliot would just have to deal.
Ryker’s posture stiffened, but he didn’t stop me. I kept my eyes on his face and circled the tip with my thumb, collecting the bead of moisture gathered there. His breath hitched, and his eyes flitted to mine, then back to the road.
I licked my lips then bent my head and lightly sucked on the head. He gasped, pushing me off.
“Gotta go, Elliot. Something’s come up.”
He cut the call, swerved into the right lane, and pulled off the highway, turning into the empty parking lot of a Starbucks.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he said sternly, although the twinkle in his eye gave the game away. Ryker wasn’t mad. He was turned on.
I tugged his zipper all the way down and freed his cock from the confines of his boxers. “I feel wild, Ryker. I feel alive.”
This time I took him all the way in.
“Jesus,” he muttered. “I fucking feel alive with my dick in your mouth.”
If I could, I’d have grinned. I had no clue what I was doing, but if Ryker’s sharp intake of breath and his soft groans were any indication, my performance wasn’t too bad.
It didn’t taste as I’d expected. Whenever I’d thought about going down on Ryker, I assumed it’d be slightly gross, maybe a little sweaty, but he tasted clean and fresh—like summer rain.
He threaded his hands through my hair, applying light pressure to the back of my head. I took this to mean he wanted me to swallow more of him. The head hit the back of my throat. He emitted a noise, a sound of deep satisfaction. I hadn’t expected to get so turned on myself by giving him pleasure. My clit throbbed, and I wriggled my legs, desperate for contact.
“Undo your jeans,” Ryker uttered hoarsely.
I followed his instruction, anticipating his strong fingers slipping inside the soft denim, snaking beneath my lacy underwear, touching me right where I needed it the most.
“Touch yourself,” he rasped.
I hesitated, not because I hadn’t masturbated before—of course I had—but I’d always been alone.
“Don’t think, just do,” Ryker demanded. “I want to watch you make yourself come.”
I moaned, although it sounded strange with Ryker’s cock in my mouth. He returned the pressure to the back of my head, encouraging me to take him deep once more. I glided my fingers over my folds. I wasn’t just wet—I was soaking. A jolt of electricity shot through me when the pad of my thumb made contact with my clit.
“That’s it,” Ryker said. “Just like that. Now finger yourself.”
I obeyed, feeling wanton and sexy. The risk of getting caught added to the thrill. The faster I strummed my clit, the deeper I sucked on Ryker.
“I’m coming, Thea. Fuck. Oh shit.”
Warm, salty liquid flooded my tongue at the same time I exploded into an orgasm so strong, it felt as if my entire skeleton had been removed. My body jerked and shook, while Ryker fisted my hair, tugging hard on the roots as he rode out his own release. I waited for the pulses in my core to abate, then slowly sat up. I cut my gaze to Ryker to find him looking at me with something akin to adoration. If that was the kind of look a blow job got me, I’d be giving him a lot more.
Ryker captured my hand, the one I’d had inside myself, and sucked my fingers into his mouth, laving them clean with his tongue. Holy hell. Talk about hot.
“You are all my dreams come true and then some, Athena Bancroft.”
My heart bloomed and swelled with love for this man I’d yearned for but never truly believed would ever be mine. I scrabbled around for a reply that attained the same level of beauty as his words. Instead, what came out of my mouth was, “I hope we don’t smell of sex when we turn up at your mom’s house.”
He threw back his head and laughed loudly with his arms wrapped around his middle. “I didn’t expect that response.”
I flashed him a cheeky grin. “Expect the unexpected. That’s my advice.”
He moved in for a kiss, and his lips lazily explored mine. “I look forward to it.”
>
Before setting off on the remainder of our journey, we decided to grab coffee from the Starbucks. While waiting in line, I checked out the view from the counter over to Ryker’s car and only then noticed he’d parked in such a way that we were completely invisible. The only chance of being seen was if someone had walked directly up to the car and, even then, the Bugatti’s windows were so tinted they’d have struggled to see very much.
“So considerate,” I murmured.
He bent down, his lips touching the shell of my ear, which sent a tremor rushing through me. “You can always rely on me to protect your honor.” He drew back and winked.
We returned to the car with our coffees and rejoined the highway. The roads were beginning to fill up with city dwellers heading north for the weekend, keen to escape the tourists enjoying New York at Christmastime.
“Do you think Elliot was suspicious?” I asked.
Ryker chuckled. “Not about you, but he would have almost certainly come to the conclusion I had a woman with me, considering the sound I made before I cut the call so abruptly.”
“He’ll be mad, won’t he? When we tell him, I mean.”
Ryker sighed. “In all likelihood, yes. And he’ll probably feel betrayed and hurt, too.” He picked up my hand and brought it to his lips. “But none of that will be aimed at you. The heat will all be on me, and deservedly so.”
I shook my head. “I disagree. We’re in this together, and when we decide the time is right, we’ll tell him. Together. I’d rather not leave it too long, though. I don’t like lying to my brother, or my parents.”
“Me neither. I suggest we tell him once the Addison’s deal is complete. He’s under a lot of pressure to get it over the line, and I don’t think it’s fair to add to his worries. In two weeks or so, it’ll be done, and then we’ll speak with him.”
“Agreed.” I nibbled on the skin around my thumbnail. “I hope I’m worth it.”
He kissed my hand again. “You’re everything and more.”
A couple of hours after we left the city, Ryker turned left onto a narrow road, then immediately right through a set of black wrought-iron gates. A Georgian-style Colonial house in an ‘L’ shape appeared before us. It was large and spacious, but not over the top. A lawn was laid to the front with borders that in the summer months were probably filled with an explosion of color, but were now empty, a dusting of snow hiding the earth beneath.
Ryker stopped the car and cut the engine. “Ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be.” I pushed down on the door handle then paused. “Wait. Do you have any hand sanitizer?”
Ryker frowned. “No, why?”
“I can’t exactly shake hands with your mother knowing where these have been.” I waggled my fingers in his face.
He burst out laughing and reached across me into the glove compartment. “Here,” he said, handing me a packet of wipes. “Not that I care.”
“But I care.” I plucked one out and wiped my hands, paying special attention to my forefinger and middle finger.
“Happy?” he asked when I’d finished.
“Yes.”
He rounded the hood of the car and took my hand, then we walked up the stone steps nestled between four white pillars—two on either side. Opening the door, he gestured for me to go first. I entered.
“Wow,” I said, greeted by a contemporary glass staircase that traversed to the upper level with a chrome handrail and what appeared to be black onyx treads. “Talk about a statement entrance.”
The floors had been laid with dark oak in a chevron pattern, and modern art adorned the walls.
“You like it?”
“I love it.”
“I’ve been searching for property in this neck of the woods,” Ryker said. “Although haven’t found the right thing just yet.”
“It’s a beautiful part of the world.”
“It is. Come on, let’s go find Mom.”
My heart fluttered, and butterflies swarmed my stomach. Ryker’s mother wasn’t exactly a stranger, but I hadn’t seen her in quite a few years. Besides, coming here as Ryker’s… something… versus my prior role as his best friend’s younger sister felt a lot different.
“Mom,” Ryker called out, striding through the house, towing me behind him.
The house was bigger than it appeared from the outside. We passed through about six rooms, ending up in a luxurious marble kitchen with a twelve-foot center island, an enormous dining table that seated ten, and four sumptuous couches. The room overlooked a huge yard surrounded by tall trees and a rectangular swimming pool which had been covered over for the winter.
“There you are,” Ryker said.
His mom rose from one of the couches, beaming. “Sweetheart.” She held out her arms and he embraced her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
“Mom, you remember Athena, Elliot’s sister.”
I tried not to glower at the uncalled-for statement at the end of his introduction.
“Mrs. Stone, it’s lovely to see you again. It’s been a long time.”
“Of course I remember. Be gone with you, girl, with the Mrs. Stone business. It’s Jessie as you well know. Now come give me a hug.”
She wrapped me in her arms, then drew back and clutched my hands, squeezing my fingers. I caught Ryker’s grin from the corner of my eye. Asshole.
“You’ve grown up even more beautiful than I dared imagine, Athena my darling. You always were a stunning child, but now…” She clasped her chest. “Breathtaking.”
I blushed and ducked my head. “Thank you, Mrs… I mean Jessie.”
“Mom, leave her alone,” Ryker said, moving to stand next to me. He curved his arm around my waist.
His mom’s eyes widened, and she flicked her gaze between Ryker and me. And then her smile built into a broad grin. She touched her neck, plucking softly at the skin. Her attention alighted on Ryker.
“Are you… are you together?”
He nodded. She squealed and pulled us into a group hug. “Oh, I’m thrilled, thrilled for you both. This is so wonderful.” She drew back and narrowed her eyes at Ryker. “You’d better treat this girl like the queen she is, otherwise I’ll tan your hide. You’re not too big or too old to be put over my knee.”
Ryker raised his eyes heavenward. “Put the coffee on, woman. Make yourself useful.”
His mother virtually skipped over to the kitchen area as Ryker led me to the seating area. He nestled beside me and clasped my hand. “I like the idea of putting you over my knee,” he murmured, nibbling on my earlobe.
“Stop it,” I hissed beneath my breath while casting a furtive glance at his mom busying about grinding coffee beans.
He winked. “She can’t hear a thing over that noise.”
“You are a very bad man.”
“Darling, you have a lot to discover if you think a good old-fashioned spanking is bad.”
“Maybe I’ll spank you.”
He fake-shivered and tongued the underside of his top teeth. “Yes, please.”
I punched his arm. “Quit teasing me.”
“Who said I was teasing?”
“I guess we’ll find out tonight.”
He licked his lips and gave me a full body eye-scan. “Nipple clamps and spanking. We’re in for a good night.”
“You—”
“Here we are.” Jessie set down a tray with a pot of coffee and three cups on top.
“Saved by the java,” Ryker said.
I gave him a sidelong glance, catching his wicked grin. He was enjoying this far too much. I’d have to find a suitable way to pay him back. I had to admit, though, that after years of suffering Ryker barely tolerating my existence—all an act as I’d now discovered—I found myself basking in this lighter side he’d chosen to share with me.
“What’s that, sweetheart?” Jessie asked.
“Nothing of concern, Mom. Just sharing a private joke with Athena.”
“You two are so cute already,” she said, sitting oppos
ite.
“Athena doesn’t think I’m cute. She thinks I’m… what was it you said, darling? Oh, that’s right. Deliciously hot.”
Mortified, I felt heat fill my face. I prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. Either that, or for Ryker to choke on his drink.
“Ryker, stop,” Jessie said. “You’re embarrassing the poor girl.”
“It’s okay, Jessie,” I said, willing my face to cool down. “I’ll come up with a fitting idea for revenge.”
“I can’t wait,” Ryker said.
“Tell me, Jessie, was your son always this annoying?”
Ryker chuckled while Jessie nodded sagely. “He tested my patience to the limit as a child.” She glanced over at him lovingly. “But he’s worth it.”
“We’ll see,” I muttered.
“Mom, you can’t mention anything to anyone about Athena and me. Elliot doesn’t know yet, and neither do her parents. It’s all happened rather fast, and we’re waiting until we find the right moment to break the news.”
“My lips are sealed.” She made a zipping motion across her lips to accentuate her point. “Apart from Portia, of course. I can’t not tell her something as big as this. She’ll be discreet.”
Ryker snorted. “Portia is the least discreet person I know. That’s why you never talk to her about ROGUES.”
“That’s true.” Jessie giggled. “But I can hardly go on a ten-day Caribbean cruise with my best friend and not share the news that my son has finally settled down.” She clapped her hands. “Such an exciting future ahead. Weddings, grandchildren. Portia will be equally thrilled. You know what an eye for design she has.”
“Whoa, back up,” Ryker said. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself, Mother. Athena and I haven’t been together long.”
Poor Ryker. Twice in the same day he’d been hit over the head with the whole future thing.
“I agree,” I said, backing him up. “That’s all a while off, Jessie. Sorry to disappoint you.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I know my son. It won’t be as long as you think.”
I shot Ryker a look. He’d gone a little green. I, on the other hand, was desperately trying to keep the grin off my face. If I had Jessie on my side, Ryker didn’t stand a chance.
Entranced (The ROGUES Billionaire Series Book 1) Page 15
