The sound of flesh slapping on rock brought her eyes open. A gigantic arm curled over the edge of the boulder, and without a single thought, she bolted toward it and slammed her heel on his fingers. “Go away! I have a gun!”
“Fuck!” The arm flew backward and Jake’s head rose into view, his face twisted in pain.
“Fuck! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” She stumbled back as he hoisted himself onto the boulder, rose to his feet, and glared at his injured hand. Her panic-driven words flew like bullets. “What are you doing here? You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were a bear. Or a killer.” She hated her anger, hated every word she said, but she was shaking like a leaf and too scared to stop yelling. “Don’t you ever listen? I told you I don’t need you here.”
“Gabby thought you were lost,” he shouted, stalking toward her. “Damn it, Addy. I need that hand to touch you!”
“I’m not lost. What the hell is wrong with you people? Can’t a girl be left alone?” She didn’t want to say the hurtful words, but her mind was spinning with fear, and relief, and confusion so thick she could barely breathe. Tears burned her eyes.
He stepped closer, and she stumbled back, too upset to be touched, stopping inches from the edge of the boulder.
“What the hell, Addy? She couldn’t reach you,” he seethed. “I couldn’t reach you for two days. Two days.”
“So you traipsed up here to drag me home?” God I love you, played in the recesses of her mind, fighting through the panic, through the anger, but it was trapped. Why am I arguing? Her knees were so shaky she crossed her arms around her middle and held on tight, hoping to remain erect and struggling to keep her tears from falling.
“No,” he shouted. “I traipsed up the mountain to make sure the woman I love is okay.”
“I’m not cutting my trip short. I’m fin—wait? What?” She couldn’t have heard him right.
He wrapped his arms around her, inciting a flood of tears.
“You’re scared, maybe a little in shock,” he said firmly, holding her tight. “I’m not here to take you home. We were worried about you, and this is what you do when you love someone: You make sure they’re safe, and you don’t drag them away from the thing that means the most to them. I’m so in love with you, Addy, and you’re too damn stubborn to see that I don’t want to change you, or take away your independence or your search for who you are, or proving yourself, or whatever this is. I want to help you fill all those gaps, even if that means doing it from the other side of the state. But I can’t make it through a single fucking day not knowing if you’re okay.”
He ground his teeth together, but nothing could hide the adoration in his eyes. Tears tumbled down her cheeks. She was unable to think, unable to speak. He pressed one hand to the back of her head, the other to her lower back, and held her, calming the panic inside her.
“Breathe, baby, nice and slow. Let all that fear out and let me in, sexy girl. Let me love you and experience life with you. I don’t want to make all your decisions. I just want to make sure you’re safe. And mine. Definitely mine.” The last two words came with a smile that cracked her heart wide open.
She buried her face in his chest, trying to steal his courage, his strength, his ability to say the three words that seemed to come so easily for him—and carried a lifetime of anxiety for her.
“What took you so long?” slipped out.
He lowered his face beside hers. “What, baby?”
Smiling despite the nervousness whirling inside her, she said, “What took you so long?”
“What took me…?” He pulled back, annoyance simmering beneath his loving gaze. “Jesus you drive me crazy.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“No you’re not. You’re not goddamn sorry, but you’re my Addy, and I wouldn’t want you any other way.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Except maybe naked.”
He kissed her softly, a feathery tease of a kiss, rousing more than passion, more than pure lust. He roused her very soul.
“Do you love me, Addison?” he whispered. “Really, truly love me? Because I’m pretty sure all this hollering is us, and I’m not sure that’s ever going to change.”
“I don’t want it to.” A laugh bubbled up with more tears. “You’re the key to my Pandora’s box. You unchained my heart.” Their connection sparked hotter, burned deeper. A forever burn. “You’re my stormy night, and I am truly, deeply, and definitely madly in love with you.”
“Then shut up and kiss me, stubborn girl, before I read you the riot act for scaring the shit out of me.”
When his lips met hers, warm and soft but gloriously firm and demanding, she surrendered to the love that had been building for months. Heat scorched through her, exploding like fireworks in her chest and setting free a world of deeper emotions, greedier desires. She tore at his shirt, covered his chest with kisses, touching every bit of flesh she was able. The next few minutes were a blur of clothing flying through the air and desperate kisses as they stumbled to the sleeping bag in a tangle of limbs, laughing and kissing and touching like they’d never get enough of each other. Jake came down over her, his thick thighs parting hers, his strong arms gathering her as close as he possibly could. He gazed into her eyes and she knew. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was her destiny.
“I need you, Jake,” she confessed. “I need you. Not a conquest, not a good fuck, but the heart and soul of my stubborn, gruff caveman who knows exactly how to love me. I love you, and I don’t want to explore without you anymore.”
“You have me, baby, every minute of every day.”
“Even when I get scared and ornery?” She clung to his arms, a little fearful of the answer.
“When you’re scared, ornery, flirty, and even when you need a smack on that incredible ass of yours. I get you, Addy, and I always will.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
JAKE STOOD IN the center of the stream, water swirling around his hips, sunlight reflecting off the gentle ripples as he soaped up his chest. The muscles in his back flexed and bunched even with the slightest of efforts. Addy licked her lips, hungry for him even though it had been three days since he’d arrived on the mountain and they’d made love so many times she’d lost count. He got her. Really, truly understood her. All those months of flirtation and friendship came tumbling forward on Pirate’s Peak. They loved like they needed each other to breathe, and after three incredible, sexy, loving, truth-telling days, she was even more in love with him.
He glanced over his shoulder, flashing his cockiest grin yet, and like metal to magnet, her core flamed.
“Are you going to bring that hot little body over here, or just stare at my ass?”
“I’d rather stare at your front, but you’re selfishly keeping that to yourself.” She motioned for him to turn around, which he did, blessing her with an even more glorious view. Water slid like a river down his impossibly broad chest, over beautifully sculpted abs to that tempting vee that disappeared beneath the surface.
He stalked toward her with a predatory look in his eyes, reminding her of the way he’d approached her the night of Gabriella’s wedding. Her pulse spiked, and she glided backward through the water, teasing her man and taking great pleasure in the growing hunger in his gaze.
“Afraid?” he asked.
“Never,” she said, and this time, unlike at Gabriella’s wedding, she was being honest. She was no longer afraid of the emotions he stirred in her. She craved them, reveled in them, and she let him know every second she could.
“Then why are you running from me?” He moved swiftly through the water, and she continued walking backward.
“Running? I like to think of it as whetting your appetite.”
He lunged, catching her and lifting her into his arms. She shrieked with delight, winding her legs around his waist.
“You can’t escape us, sexy girl.” He nuzzled against her neck and nipped at her earlobe, sending shivers down her spine. “You’re mine.”
&n
bsp; “Prove it,” she challenged.
He lifted her up and drove her down on his eager shaft, filling her so completely, she could barely breathe. The forgiving water slid over her heated flesh, bringing rise to goose bumps.
Staring into her eyes with a look of pure possession as he masterfully lifted and lowered her onto his cock to a slow, torturous rhythm, he said, “We’re playing by my rules now, sweet thing, and I see our future in your eyes.”
She pushed her fingers into his hair and took hold of his thick locks. “Are you telling me what to do, Mr. Ryder?”
“Yes.”
The single word hit her in the center of her chest. His face was a mask of anticipation and worry, but no longer did her past own her. It was no match for her incredibly full heart.
“Then you better make it worth my while, or my Neanderthal boyfriend will kick your ass.”
With a groan and a toe-curling kiss, he carried her to the muddy banks, laid her on her back, and amid the mud and muck, he pushed into her.
“I love you so damn much, Addy.”
“Not nearly as much as I love you.”
“I know. I told you, I see our future in your eyes.”
She drew him to her, kissing him deeply. Their lovemaking was raw and rough, sensual and sweet. And when he rolled onto his back, squishing into the mud as she straddled his hips, muddy handprints on his chest, covering her thighs, her breasts, their entire bodies, she’d never experienced anything as beautiful. How was it possible that every time they made love was more intense than the last? Emotions she once feared grew deeper, stronger, more consuming with every breath she took.
She gazed down at the sexual beast beneath her and froze. Still as a tree.
“Move, baby,” he pleaded. “I need to feel you move.”
A slow grin spread across her lips. “What do you see in my eyes now, Mr. Ryder?”
TORTURE DIDN’T BEGIN to describe the way it felt when Addy held Jake at bay. Her tight heat enveloped him. Her delicate hands played over his pecs. She knew her touch drove him crazy. She owned every ounce of him, and he knew by the look in her eyes that she didn’t doubt it anymore. Her tangled, muddy hair clung to her shoulders and breasts, making her look even sexier than moments earlier. His muddy handprints were all over her, and like a beacon of their love, her tattoo remained clear of dirt. She was his fierce, passionate, smart, no-boundaries girl. His friend, his lover.
My soul mate.
He gazed into her eyes, loving the challenge she posed, but he wasn’t giving in. He did see their future in her eyes. The night on Pirate’s Peak had changed everything. All her walls had crumbled down, and she’d finally let him in.
“What do you see in my eyes now, Mr. Ryder?” she repeated.
He wasn’t about to lie and say he didn’t see their future, but he knew better than to push his girl. “The need to come,” he finally answered in the low voice that he knew made her sex twitch. And man, did he like that tight little squeeze.
She pressed her lips together, obviously annoyed that he’d sparked a reaction she couldn’t control. He clutched her hips, lifting her easily along the length of his cock. She dug her nails into his forearms, trying to put all her strength into remaining still, but he knew just how to torture the woman he loved, and love her he did. They’d spent the last three days hiking, talking, and making love. She told him about her parents’ and her grandmother’s stifling, loveless marriages, and how all she wanted was to be loved for who she was. I don’t want to wake up one day and find you looking at me differently. She was so tough, but so vulnerable, with insecurities that were well founded, but not with him. He’d told her just that. When you’re old and gray, with wrinkles and boobs that hang to your waist, you’ll still be my sexy girl with a sassy mouth that’s spent fifty years giving me shit. And I’ll love you fifty zillion times as much as I do now.
Pushing aside the talks that strengthened their bond, he focused on pleasuring his gorgeous, stubborn girl. He brought one hand between them, teasing over her most sensitive nerves.
“You can do that all you want,” she said. Her eyelids fluttered, belying her challenging tone.
He continued slow, rhythmic thrusts, moving in time to every stroke of his thumb. “Come for me, baby.”
“I’m not going…Oh, God…” She bit her lower lip, and he thrust harder. “Not going to…come until I’m good and ready.”
“Fuck me, baby,” he said as sweetly as he could manage. “You know you want to.” Their lovemaking, like the rest of their relationship, was a wild storm. A beautiful, powerful typhoon.
She moaned through gritted teeth, her slick heat tightening around his cock.
Forcing her eyes open, she glared at him. “What do you see now?”
He swept her beneath him again and drove into her hard. The air whooshed from her lungs, and he claimed her in a punishingly intense kiss. She returned the kiss with fervor, taking him higher with every stroke of her tongue, every sweet, needy moan.
He tore away long enough to say, “I love you so fucking much. Come for me, beautiful,” before taking her in another electric kiss.
She broke their connection, gasping for air. “Say I make the rules so I can come,” she begged. “I need to come, Jake. Please?”
“Not a chance.” He slapped the side of her ass, earning another sexy moan and a sinfully hot glare that sent a bolt of lightning to his cock. “Come for me, Addy.”
She shook her head. She was at the edge, her body trembling, her inner muscles tightening despite her resistance. She was as stubborn as stubborn could be, and she was everything he needed.
“Fuck me, baby,” he urged, needing to come but not willing to let go until she did.
“Who’s the boss?” Her cheeks were flushed, her words breathless.
She was so adorably sexy he could barely stand it. She wound her legs around his waist and pressed a muddy palm lightly to his cheek, stroking her thumb over his jaw. Her touch was his Achilles’ heel. Her gaze softened, the love swimming in her eyes drowning the last of his resistance.
“Fuck, baby,” he whispered, and touched his forehead to hers. “Why do I love you so much?”
“Because I’m the thunder to your lightning. Stop talking and make love to me.”
“So bossy,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.
“You love me bossy.”
“Stop talking,” he said, trying to kiss her.
“Are you telling me what to do?”
He glared at her.
She wrapped her hand around the back of his head, drawing his face closer. “Okay, you win. I’ll come for you.”
“Why do I feel like you won again?”
With a tender hand on his cheek, she said, “Don’t dwell on it,” and as they gave in to their passion, dwelling on it was the last thing on his mind. He had a heart full of pleasure to dole out—and a lifetime of paybacks to look forward to.
Epilogue
ADDY TRACED THE new tattoo on the inside of her wrist. Taken. It had hurt like hell, but the pretty script font and the pain were true symbols of her and Jake’s five months together. Not that their relationship was painful in a hurtful way, but they’d endured the type of pain that comes with the cleansing of one’s soul. She and Jake had no secrets, and the more she opened up to him, the more she learned about herself.
Jake squeezed her hand beneath the dinner table, furtively glancing at her wrist. They’d met his family and Gabriella for dinner after getting their Taken tattoos. His tattoo was bigger, bolder, but she knew it caused the same weighty emotions in him. He knew her so well that when he’d gotten down on one knee last week, she’d been shocked. And when he’d said, “Sexy girl, you are my sun, my moon, and my ever after, will you get a tattoo with me?” she’d burst into tears. Actual. Tears. She’d come a long way, thinking before she spoke, not arguing every time he made a suggestion, and moving into his incredible rooftop apartment. Their life was beautiful and passionate, but she wasn
’t ready to jump into the institution that had scared her for so long. But he’d been one step ahead of her on that, too.
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “You about ready to blow this joint so I can show you how taken you are?”
Was she ever. It was through his patience and insistence that she’d learned to let him in, and the scattered elements of her past had begun to piece together. While she had enjoyed a happy, sheltered childhood, she’d come to realize how deeply she’d feared falling in love. Her parents’ marriage of…comfort? Convenience? Circumstance? She didn’t know how to classify it, but it hadn’t provided the same strong role model of endless love that Jake had grown up with. She’d never acknowledged the fear that had sparked to herself, much less anyone else. But Jake made her feel safe and genuinely, deeply loved. She never believed she needed anyone, but Jake had become her rock, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit she needed him as much as she wanted him. She’d even deleted her Tumblr page and told her parents about Jake. They seemed genuinely pleased for her, and she and Jake were planning a trip to visit them as soon as her parents returned from her father’s latest fashion show in Italy.
“Hey, you two,” Gabriella said. “You are not blowing out of our baby announcement celebration dinner early to go have wild monkey sex.”
“How did you even hear that, Miss Bionic Ears?” Addy teased. She was thrilled for Gabriella and Duke. They’d conceived on their honeymoon, and although she’d shared the news with Addy right away, they’d waited to share the news with the rest of the family until they’d passed their first trimester. Gabriella was cutting back her office hours as soon as the baby was born, and tonight Jake and Addy would reveal their plans, too.
“She didn’t have to hear it,” Andrea said, and mouthed, It’s all in the eyes, as she pointed to her eyes, then winked.
Rescued by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders): Jake Ryder Page 23