But I hardly know him, I argued with myself.
You’re being a coward, and if you continue with this behavior, you can no longer claim badass status!
I’m trying to be careful. There’s a difference.
You’ve never felt this way before in your life. Why are you fighting it? Don’t you think it’s time to face your fears?
He could hurt me—which was the real root of the problem, I realized.
But what if he doesn’t? What if he’s not going to? What if he really cares about you, and you’re just dragging your feet because you’re afraid?
But I should give us time.
Why? So you can talk yourself out of it? You know you want this. Grow up, be a woman and put your big-girl panties on. Or a thong. He’d probably dig your ass in a thong.
“Taste okay?”
I looked up from my plate to find his narrowed green eyes were watching me closely. Only half of my sandwich was eaten, but I was full.
“This was great.”
“You aren’t eating much.” He reached across the table and gently swept his thumb across my lower lip, wiping crumbs off and lingering. My lips parted as I inhaled, feeling his touch all the way into my womb. Moist heat pulsed at the core of my sex, and I just barely stopped myself from moaning.
“It’s been an eventful week,” I said a little breathlessly.
“How are you feeling?”
Turned on like nobody’s business. Like I want to climb up in your lap and devour your sexy man lips.
I mumbled quietly, “Pretty good, actually.”
“Good.” There was a heated, knowing look in his eyes, and I had the sudden realization he was getting a sense of my arousal. He was looking at me like I was his next meal, his pale eyes blazing into mine.
Pinpricks of warmth were stabbing at me again, right on point where I was sitting. Even my breathing was becoming a bit trembly, catching as I exhaled. This was so new to me, it was almost embarrassing! I wiggled in my seat to try and ease the discomfort from the growing ache.
Holy shit. What was happening to me? Who was I?
Ryder sat back and let his eyes drop to my breasts, looking as though he could see through the shirt, but here was the kicker. His wall dropped. He suddenly let me into his mind, and his need hit me like a giant wave.
Pure lust, like a sucker punch, overpowered me, burned over and through me, heating me from the inside as my sex throbbed, making me want to pant with the force of it. I suddenly had a mental preview of the path he wanted to take down the center of my body with his lips and tongue, and I wanted that so badly, I could almost feel it.
Oh, my God. My lips parted silently as I took air in sharply. My nipples swelled in reaction and were so sensitized that even the T-shirt material rubbing against them felt stimulating.
The sex kitten overpowered my sanity and dropped my guard in reaction. There were a few breadcrumbs on his abs, and I let him see I was dying to kneel between his legs and lick them off. Tracing the sculpted muscles of his abs with my tongue was consuming me, as was the idea of seeing what lay at the end of the trail of dark hair under his pants. Was he wearing anything under there, or would I have free access?
I heard his sharp intake of air. My eyes jerked up. He was breathing shallowly and a new look of determination came over his face. A hot blush rode up to my hairline, radiating off me. In this moment, I was painfully aware that I didn’t know anything about men, flirting and what was cool and what was not. I was playing with fire, and I knew it.
One last, very small, sane voice in my head questioned if this was a good idea and suggested giving myself space to think about whether or not I was ready for the next step in this scenario.
“I’ll take our plates to the sink.” I quickly broke eye contact.
Standing quickly, wholly nervous, unsure and quivery, I grabbed plates and spun around. I already knew this was going to happen between us, and I knew that I wanted it. I’d just set the plates down by the sink when I heard the deliberate scrape of his chair on the stone floor.
Ryder’s body came up behind me; his arms caged me against the counter so his full length, large and muscular, surrounded me with luscious heat. His lips and teeth found my neck with savage sensuality, and powerful tingling sensations chased down my spine, making me shiver. My head fell back on his shoulder helplessly in surrender, giving him permission.
“You’re so beautiful, Taylor, so soft,” he rumbled, scooping my hair out of the way. Against my neck he said thickly, “Tell me to stop if you don’t want this, but do it fast.” His teeth bit at my soft skin, and I couldn’t stop the low moan that quivered through my lips.
“I don’t think I’m good at this. I haven’t done this much.” I felt the need to warn him, though my hands reached up of their own accord, over my head, to dive into his thick, soft hair, keeping his lips in place.
“Maybe I’m not either,” he replied, as he continued his assault on my neck and rasped, “Fuck, you taste so good.” Wet, suctioning kisses mixed with rough, scraping whiskers had me crying out softly. Sensation hit my groin like it was a target, and I couldn’t help bucking my hips involuntarily against him.
“Oh, God, Ryder.”
Flames licked at my veins, spreading like a wildfire through my body. My hands fisted in his hair in reaction. He groaned, pulling my hips firmly against his front, grinding his thick erection into my ass.
Oh, yes. I reveled in the feel of his heat pressed against me, wanting to see it and feel it.
“You feel so damn good,” he murmured.
His large hands, strong and powerful, slid up my slim rib cage possessively and cupped and kneaded my breasts through the softness of the T-shirt, rolling my nipples between thumb and second finger. Instantly, a cry escaped my lips as arrows of sizzling sensation flew from my nipples to my sex, making it clench. My legs quivered from the impact.
Ryder yanked my T-shirt above my breasts. Excited, we both watched his large, bronzed hands cup them again. The round, pale globes topped by pink pebbled nipples thrust out against his palms, demanding his attention. He rolled them between his fingers again.
“Ah.” My cry was sharp, and I writhed, feeling like a cat in heat, unable to get enough of his touch. He could make me come like this. Oh, my God. My moans of pleasure were nearly perpetual. Liquid heat seeped between my legs. It was coating my swollen lips. The feelings were so powerful, so all consuming. There was nothing civilized about this.
“Damn Taylor...so fucking pretty.” There was reverence in his rough tone.
I felt the heat of his stiff erection pressing against my ass and reached back to hook my hands around him, pulling him into me, rubbing against him, causing him to suck air through his teeth with a guttural sound of need from deep in his belly.
“Not yet,” he growled. “I don’t want this over too soon.”
“Oh, Ryder,” I breathed, wanting it all.
In a matter of seconds, my T-shirt was pulled off. His hands found the tie at my waist, and the sweatpants pooled at my feet, leaving me completely naked, but I didn’t have time for self-consciousness. His hands were on my breasts again, causing me to melt in place, moaning with helpless need.
He shoved his thigh between my legs, separating them, opening me up, widening my stance. I could feel the cool air kissing me intimately and shivered with the new sensation. Then his hand was sliding down my stomach slowly, torturously, and I found I was holding my breath, my nails curling into my palms on the stone counter. I exhaled in a rush when he reached his goal, moving over my mound of soft brown curls, sliding through the cream, rubbing expertly, deliciously.