by Jewel, Bella
Half way up, Scar stopped mid-step, coughing and gasping, trying to catch his breath.
Instead of making a big deal out of it, Ryder scooped up the solid muscle and carried the killing machine up the final steps and into a room off the hall.
Once again, my heart tied itself up with string and swooned.
Stepping into Ryder’s bedroom, I slammed to a stop. “Oh my God, Ry.”
He looked over his shoulder as he carried the pooch to the window seat that could easily fit four people to watch the gardens below and the scattered cushions and towels littered in the horse-shoe shape.
It was a bed fit for royalty (man or beast) with a sheet propped up with two chairs to create a tent/den. A large water bowl, another bowl full of a second dinner, a fluffy rabbit toy, a long piece of jerky, and a brand new green tennis ball rounded off the boudoir.
Placing Scar down, the dog immediately wagged his tail so hard his body jiggled. He beelined straight to the doggy tent of heaven and plonked himself down in a cloud of cushions with the biggest grin on his face.
Ignoring his breathlessness, he scooped up the tennis ball and chewed.
I couldn’t stop myself. Coming up behind Ryder, I wrapped my arms around his waist. “What you just did makes you the best person I know.”
He swivelled in my arms. “The best, huh?”
I nodded, forcing myself to smile even though sadness sat heavy from the evening’s prognosis. “One hundred percent. The best. My favourite person to date.”
His hands came up, capturing my cheeks in a possessive hold. “That’s only because you’ve only known me a few days.”
I shook my head. “I’ve known you a few months and admittedly most of them were spent trying to avoid your high handed commands but now…now I truly see you.”
He gasped dramatically, pressing his forehead against mine. His hazel eyes captured me, full of seriousness even as he chuckled. “Oh, no. My secrets are out. How can I get into your pants now you know the real me? I thought all attractive men were supposed to bark orders and be so alpha they carried a riding crop in their back pocket to keep their harem in line.”
“I must admit a riding crop sounds interesting.” My lips tingled as he brushed his ever so lightly over mine. “However, I prefer a man who has a heart.”
“How do you know I have one?”
I laughed. “You’re right. I think you might have two with the generosity you give.”
He rolled his eyes. “Compliments make me nauseous.”
I laughed, pulling my face from his grip. Pressing my ear against this chest, I listened to the solid thump thump of his beating organ. “Ah, my mistake; you only have one. I take your generosity factor back.”
“Thank hell for that.” His fingers twined in my hair, tugging my head back and kissing me.
The kiss started simple and thoughtless—as if we’d kissed a million times before. But it swiftly turned deeper and hotter, reaching inside me and systematically melting my insides and heating my blood at the same time.
Walking me backward to the only piece of furniture in the room, he didn’t stop until I tumbled onto his bed. The soft puff of black sheets billowed as I fell. However, I wasn’t allowed to rest. Ryder continued to push me as I crawled backward, scooting my butt higher as he climbed over me on his hands and knees.
He never stopped kissing me.
I never stopped kissing him.
Bracing himself over me, he balanced enough to have the use of his fingers which found the buttons of my peach blouse and undid them one at a time. He didn’t break the hypnotic rhythm we’d wordlessly set.
There was no rush this time. No banter. No tease.
We’d touched something deeper tonight and in honour of that, jokes had been put on hold for now.
I didn’t even care Scar was in his little fort on the floor, most likely listening, if not watching. The audience factor wasn’t new. My damn cat loved to hang out in the bathroom when I took a shower and heaven forbid she ever left me alone when I peed.
She had to be near me at all times and having a feline watch me wash or a canine watch me sleep with Ryder for the first time…whatever.
“Holy fuck, you’re not wearing a bra.” Ryder captured my breasts the moment the last button was undone, teasing my nipples.
I arched into him, biting my lip as he kissed his way down my throat and sucked my left nipple into his mouth.
“Christ, I’ve wanted to do that forever.”
I moaned as he delivered the same treatment to the other breast.
While he kissed and licked my girls, his fingers continued their journey downward, undoing my jeans button and zipper, and silently pulling the tight denim down my legs.
Once they were off, I lay in just my pale pink knickers and blinked at this man who completely beguiled me.
“I don’t want to talk, okay?” he whispered as he grabbed his t-shirt behind his head and pulled it off, mussing his hair. “I don’t want to joke or turn this into something less than what it is.”
His naked torso with perfect shadows and ridges of muscles made my mouth water.
I trembled. I wanted to ask what this was. What this meant to him. But I wasn’t coy, and I knew.
This was more than what we found in our first kiss. More than we expected from kinky text messages.
This was more, so much more, and I didn’t know if I was ready.
Standing over me on his knees, Ryder never broke eye contact as he unbuckled his jeans. Watching him pull down his zipper was one of the most erotically charged things I’d ever seen.
Rolling off me to lie on his back, he tugged off the denim and pulled a foil packet from the back pocket. With the hottest glare, he removed his boxer-briefs and tucked the condom under the pillow then reached for me.
I went willingly into his arms.
His mouth once again found mine, and we kissed hard, fast, wet.
His fingers trailed over my skin and cupped between my legs, teasing me through the lace. He groaned, finding how wet I was and gently removed the final piece of clothing keeping us chaste.
His touch found me once again and my mouth shot wide as he ever so slowly inserted a finger inside me. His chest rose and fell as he hugged me close, giving me nowhere to run as he claimed me.
“You feel so good.” His finger hooked inside me. “So hot and wet and…” He didn’t finish, seeking my lips with his and falling into another kiss.
I moaned, my back arching as he inserted another finger, rubbing my clit with his thumb. Everything he did was unhurried with no flashy comments or cheeky smirks. The seriousness of what we did made our body’s slick with sweat and our hearts buck a mile a minute.
As he drew every nerve ending into my pussy with his magical touch, I weaved my right hand between his legs and fisted his throbbing length.
He bit my throat, grunting with such deep-seated need my stomach flipped. I’d never been so wrapped up in another person before. Never had their breath on my cheek so sensitive it almost hurt. Never kissed someone to the point where my lips bruised and all I could think about was them.
My fingers lassoed around him, jerking up and down while my thumb swirled the wet crown.
“Jesus, Ves.” He bowed into me, wedging his face into the crook of my neck. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I never want you to stop.”
I cried out as his fingers worked faster, matching the tempo as I jerked him off. Our legs squirmed as intensity reached a fever. Our skin slick and breathing manic.
As our lips found each other again, we gave up being human and forgot everything but pleasure.
“I need you,” he panted. “Can I have you?”
“I need you, too. Please, I need you inside me.”
His fingers massaged me again, dragging another wave of wetness and a coil of muscles to band in preparation for a release.
“Now, Ryder.”
Our thoughts were scattered and sex-drunk as he pulled his han
d free, opened the condom, and passed it to me.
His eyes locked on mine as I accepted the slippery devil and ever so slowly rolled it over him. Feeling the latex slickness encase the hot hard rod that soon would be inside me made me shiver uncontrollably.
“Hey…” he murmured, rubbing away my sudden goosebumps. “Are you okay?” His face was tight and etched in shadow—the desire to climb inside me overriding most of his control. But he still looked at me gently, sweetly, and I knew if I said to stop, no matter how painful, he would.
But I didn’t want to stop.
I wanted this too damn much.
I wanted him.
Not just now but for so much longer than that.
I spread my legs, giving him wordless assurance I was more than all right. “I’m going out of my mind to feel you inside me.”
The moment stretched on. Instead of taking up my offer, Ryder held himself up with his elbow and cupped my cheek. His eyes ensured mine as he kissed me.
We kissed while watching each other.
Our tongues met.
Our tastes merged.
And through it all, we never looked away.
When he pulled back, he whispered, “I really like you, Vesper Fairfax.”
I sucked in a breath. “I really like you, Ryder Carson.”
Slowly positioning himself over me, he settled between my legs. “I think I might like you more than I should.” He groaned as the tip of his cock found my entrance. “And I don’t know how to deal with that.”
I couldn’t look away from his body joining with mine, hovering at the boundary from taking me. “You’re not alone. I’m scared.”
His eyes flared. “Don’t be scared.” His body trembled, his hips already thrusting a little, bypassing his command to stay stiff. “I’m not scared. And you’re the one making me fall.”
I had to close my eyes. The intensity grabbed all my internal organs and smashed them into one painful mess.
He slipped inside me a little, yanking me back to him. “Is this okay?”
I licked my lips, focusing on the physical rather than emotional sensations. “A thousand times yes.”
A smirk teased his lips. “I know missionary isn’t exactly what we spoke about, but we have plenty of time for other exciting positions.”
“Missionary is exactly what I need tonight.”
And it was true.
The thought of close contact, of hugging with our arms and eyes locked as he filled me for the first time, was exactly how it should be.
I needed that depth, mainly due to the awful news about Scar, and partly due to the sudden connection I felt to him after tonight.
Missionary was a craving I had to fulfil, and I was glad he felt the same way.
I gasped as he slid inch by inch inside me, pushing firm but gentle past my body’s first denial and sliding deep and big.
I shivered at the fullness, the rightness.
And when he moved for the first time.
Wow.
I lost coherent thought and let him cast me away.
Our bodies joined perfectly. There was no quip about touching it or riding it. No laughter. But there was connection and desire and that was so damn powerful, I ached to come and he’d only just entered me.
His mouth descended on mine again.
We kissed and fucked to a steady beat, slowly increasing in tempo the higher we climbed.
My legs tightened around his hips as I encouraged him deeper, faster, harder.
“Christ, Ves.” He buried his face in my hair. “I need to come. The past two days have been too fucking much.”
My head tossed back as I welcomed tingly sparks of a building orgasm. My inner muscles popped and fizzed, gathering a storm. “Come. I’ll come with you. Just…don’t stop.”
“I can’t stop. I doubt I’ll ever be able to stop.”
The bed rocked as we fought together, against each other, for each other, driving each other higher and higher.
The mattress bounced. The bedframe creaked. I lost connection with the outside world as Ryder shoved me up the pinnacle of pleasure and I leapt.
Oh.
My.
God.
“Yes!” My pussy fisted him, setting off his own release which in turn made mine so much stronger. On and on. Wave after wave.
I’d never come so damn hard or so absolute.
By the time the last bliss stopped torturing us, I was a noodle.
We were both breathless as we slowly returned from heaven, floating back to earth.
We stared into each other’s eyes and there was so much to say, so much to ask.
But it was late.
We were emotionally spent.
It had been both a travesty of an evening and a triumph.
It was time to go sleep, to let what we’d just done settle, and face a new day together.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ryder
VESPER SLEPT ON WHILE I woke early.
At first, I didn’t know where I was, panicking at the foreign arm thrown over my chest and the leg entwined with mine.
Then…I remembered.
Scar.
Sex.
Her.
My heart rate instantly calmed as I gathered Vesper’s sleeping form closer. She was so warm and sleep tangled, so fucking special to me.
Normally, I didn’t like to cuddle or even be touched, but with Vesper, my normal had been torn up in order for a new chaos. I wished I could stay in bed with her forever, but nature called and there were seventeen (sorry, eighteen now) dogs waiting on me for breakfast.
Swallowing my regret at leaving her, I kissed her lips as I removed her limbs from mine then climbed out of bed.
I was used to getting up early (even if my foreman sometimes had to be the alarm clock), and I had a shit ton of stuff to do before the work team arrived on site.
First things first.
Scar.
Moving toward the large brute of a dog, I crawled into his makeshift tent and gave him a good morning kiss. “Hey, killer, how did you sleep? Enjoy the show?”
He panted with doggy breath as if giving me the thumbs up on my performance. “Don’t judge me on last night’s endurance, buddy. You have no idea how hard it’s been not coming for two days when dating that woman.”
Vesper mumbled something and rolled over, slipping back into sleep.
The bags under her eyes hinted that she didn’t rest often with her work and if I could give her a few extra winks, I would.
I could do my chores before she was coherent and then spend the day together…if she wanted to.
Backing out of Scar’s fort, I stood and patted my thigh. “Come on, boy, time for a squirt and then your palace is moving outside for the day. It’s sunny and warm and it’s about time you felt some relaxation with no fight club on the horizon.”
The dog struggled to get up. His muscles had seized in the night and I made a mental note to ask Vesper to give him more painkillers when she woke. In a valiant, breathless effort, Scar followed me down the stairs and patiently waited until I’d set up another cushion and towel bed on the front porch with the option of sunshine or shade and gave him breakfast.
He curled up utterly content with a heavy sigh and gratefulness in his gaze.
I grinned. “You’re welcome, buddy.”
Leaving him to chill, I couldn’t shake the sadness I felt knowing his time was limited but thankfulness too that we were able to give him a last few days of bliss before passing on.
My fists curled.
If I ever found out who ran that fighting pit, I’d probably kill them myself. Good job the police had already picked them up or I’d be in jail with no bail.
Striding to the kennel, I was greeted by a bay of happy barks and wriggling butts. A mismatch of Teranoodles and Cockerpoodles.
As I acknowledged each pooch and accepted my morning allotment of dog kisses, one special resident bumbled into the barn to earn her fair share of attentio
n.
Hippo Pigglesworth nudged my knee, shoving aside an eager Pugtzu to say hello.
Dropping to my knee, I scrunched up the snout of my rescue pigmy pot belly pig with her pink and black spotted hide and soft snuffles. “Hello, Ms. Hippo.”
She huffed, shoving her large nose into my hair as if searching for truffles. “Did you sleep well, too?”
Normally, Hippo slept in the house. She preferred the guest bedroom because it was the only one with a working oil heater and pigs felt the cold. When I first rescued her, I’d been called out because of a neighbour’s distress call saying a dog had lost its fur coat and was rolling in mud.
When I arrived at Hippo’s house to visit her owner (a rebelling fourteen-year-old), he admitted he’d been given Ms. Pigglesworth for his birthday two years ago but didn’t want her anymore. The parents were due to take her to the shelter later that week as they didn’t want her digging up the rose garden anymore.
Even though my charity was for dogs, I couldn’t leave her there.
So, she became mine.
The dogs were transient and stayed with me until finding their forever families. Hippo was my baby.
Shit, wonder what Vesper will say when she meets her.
Satisfied with her cuddles, the little pig snorted and waddled off with her personal favourite pooch—a teacup Bichon Frise who often curled up together and had a nap.
I let them go and focused on getting my chores out of the way.
* * *
I was half-way through cleaning the pens and giving each dog fresh food and water before letting them free in the fenced off acre attached to the kennel, that I didn’t hear Vesper arrive.
The only sign I had company was the swarm of mongrels as they gravitated toward new company.
I laughed as she went from standing to kneeling thanks to a few well-placed nips on her legs to come down to their level. She burst out laughing as Gremlin—a terribly grumpy Pomeranian—growled and attacked her shoe lace.
“Hey, Grem, stop that!” I pushed my way through the crowd and scooped the terror under my arm like a rugby ball. “You know not to use your teeth, you damn thing.”