“What’s so funny?” I ask as Milton pulls away from the curb.
“The fact that I told Becca I wouldn’t come to this with you,” she states, laughing even harder.
I arch a brow. “So she did have to talk you into it?”
She nods. I reach over and cup her face, her laughter dying instantly. “I’m glad you came.”
“Me too,” she whispers.
“I want another chance, Ashlyn,” I say without giving her any time to think about what is happening.
She closes her eyes for a brief second. “Ryder, we both know where this will lead.”
“A happily ever after?” I question with a charming smile.
She chuckles. “There’s no such thing.”
I frown. “How come you believe in Romeo and Juliet so much, but you can’t believe someone could love you like that?”
She stares at me unblinkingly. “What does that mean?”
“It means that you believe two people can die for one another, but not live.”
She starts shaking her head. “They would never be happy. Not with the way their families hated one another. Death was inevitable. In peace, they are one.”
I snort. “That’s bullshit!”
She gives me a half-smile. “Can you think of a better love story?”
“I can, as a matter of fact.”
“And what’s that?” she asks.
“Ours,” I say simply, and I see the pain flash across her face. I take her hand in mine. “You once told me that you want that soul-crushing, all-consuming love. You said that you don’t know who you are until you lose yourself.” I lick my lips. “And Ashlyn, this past week, I lost myself. And it did exactly what you said it would; it drove me crazy.” Her eyes search mine, but she remains quiet. “Can you honestly say that you didn’t feel a difference? That you didn’t feel a piece of you missing?”
She looks away from me. “You know I did.”
Hope makes my heart speed up. I release her hands and dig my right hand into my pocket. The last surprise I have for her tonight. “Please?” I beg, holding it up in front of her. “Take me and this back. I promise I won’t let you down again.”
She looks at the bracelet she had returned to me earlier this week and gives me a small smile. “You know what they say…”
“What do they say?” I ask with a frown, confused where she is going with this.
She gives me a slow and sexy smile. “A king is nothing without his queen.”
I laugh at her statement and nod. “You are correct. I’m nothing without you.” Smiling, I add, “You are my queen.”
“You know all the right things to say,” she says, but it wasn’t meant as a compliment.
“We both know that’s not true, or I would have never lost you.”
She hangs her head, and I lower my hand that holds the bracelet. My free hand goes to her chin, and I lift it to make her look me in the eyes.
My eyes drop to her dark red lips, and I love the way they look on her. She licks them, and my eyes land back on hers. “I can’t live without you,” I say. “Please don’t make me,” I beg.
Her eyes search mine, and I feel her lean closer to me. I hold my breath, afraid of what she may say. “You said you love me?” she asks.
“More than anything.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “Love is a very dangerous game.”
Her words catch me off guard, but I return the smile. “I don’t expect you to play fair.”
“Nothing about love is fair,” she says, bringing her hands up to my chest. Her eyes drop to her hands as she starts undoing the buttons on my tuxedo.
When they meet mine, I arch my brow. “Plan on teasing me, do you?” I question, not choosing to comment on the fact that she just said love. I know Jaycent told me she said it, thinking I heard it, but she hasn’t said it any other time. And I’m not going to rush it. She’ll tell me again when she’s ready.
“Who said I was gonna tease you?” She chuckles as her hands slide up my chest and over my shoulders, pushing my jacket off on the seat.
“Well, baby. I’m all yours,” I say, making her laugh.
“Then don’t keep me waiting,” she says, batting her eyelashes and puckering her red lips.
A growl forms deep in my throat as I feel my cock start to harden. I reach over with my free hand and press the button to put up the divider, blocking Milton’s view of us.
I lean forward, pressing my face in her neck, and kiss her soft skin while my hand takes hers and places it on my achingly hard cock. “You do that to me.”
She whimpers as her hand massages it over my black slacks. “Please,” she begs as she arches her back, lifting her ass up off the leather seat.
I slide my hand into her dress and cup her bare breast. “Fuck.” I sigh.
“Ryder,” she moans as I massage it.
“I wanna taste you so badly, baby,” I admit.
She places her hands on my chest and pushes me backward. I place my hands up in surrender, not wanting to rush her. If she’s not ready, I won’t push her. But fuck, my cock is so hard for her it’s painful.
She surprises me when she drops to her knees before me. With my hands still in the air, I ask, “What are you doing?”
Her hands go to my waist, and she pushes up my cummerbund and unbuttons my pants all while staring up at me with a mischievous look in her eyes.
I grab her hands. “Stop.”
“What? Change your mind already?” She cocks her brow at me in challenge.
“I wanna please you.” I want my head between her legs. I wanna taste her while she comes on my tongue.
“You have. Now, I wanna please you.” Her voice drops to a whisper as her eyes fall to the outline of my hard cock inside my pants. “Please,” she begs, and it’s my undoing.
I let go of her hands and reach out, sliding mine into her hair. I pull her head back, and she sucks in a breath; my cock twitches as I watch her lips part while she breathes heavily. My other hand reaches out and cups her cheek while my thumb runs over her parted lips. “What do you want, baby? Tonight is all about you.” The rest of my life is gonna be about you.
“I want to taste you,” she moans, and I smile.
I pull away, and she looks up at me through heavy eyes. “Lie on the floor,” I order.
She doesn’t argue as she lies down in my limo in an expensive evening gown. My smile widens, glad I chose the Escalade limo over any other. The cut out of the mini bar to the right where the back door is gives me just the right amount of room to do what I have planned.
I undo my seat belt and slide off my seat to the floor at her feet. She pulls her knees up, and I grab the hem of her dress. I slowly raise it up and over her legs allowing my knuckles to graze her smooth legs. I moan when she lifts her hips for me to raise it higher. She has on a pair of black lace panties. Her legs fall open when I place my hand on her inner thigh and run it up along her flesh to the black lace.
“Ryder,” she breathes as she runs her hands through her curled blond hair.
“Shh,” I whisper. “I know, baby.”
I very slowly place my hands on either side of her hips and lift one leg over hers to straddle her. This limo isn’t ideal for sex, but it’s doable. I just gotta keep in mind that Milton is driving, and this is New York. He can fling me face first into the floor at any moment.
I place her arms above her head. I come to a stop when my legs are on either side of her upper chest.
I let go of her arms, and she leaves them above her head, unable to move them with my body pinning her chest and shoulders.
I reach down and unzip my pants. She licks her lips as she watches me pull my hard cock out of my zipper. I wrap my hand around the base and start to stroke it. Fuck, it hurts; I’m so hard.
She whimpers, and her body shakes as a tremor runs through it. I position myself up on my knees and lean forward. “Open those pretty red lips,” I order. She opens for me, and I guide the head
of my cock between them.
I moan as her tongue licks around the tip of it before she wraps her lips around the head. She pulls back and licks up the shaft while her eyes stay on mine.
I growl as if I’m an animal about to attack its prey. I press forward, pushing more of my cock into her mouth. I grind my teeth when she lifts her arms awkwardly and places them on my upper chest.
I grab them and pin them down to the floor at her forearms. I readjust my knees, squeezing her chest between them, and press forward. It forces her to take more of me without being able to pull away.
Her body lies incapacitated on the floor of the limo. All she can do is take what I’m giving her. She tries to tilt her head side to side to free her mouth of my cock to get a breath, but she can’t. “You feel so good,” I tell her, closing my eyes. “Your mouth. Your tongue. Fuck, baby, I can’t go easy,” I admit.
She moans around my cock, and I start to move—faster and harder. Her body thrashes under mine, and every now and then when I push it to the back of her throat, she closes her eyes and makes a choking noise, and I find it hot as hell. Her at my mercy. Her serving me.
My legs are starting to go numb from my cramped spot, and I know her hands must be going numb.
I look down at her, and tears slowly fall down the sides of her face as her mouth is open to me. It’s my undoing. I come in her mouth with a grunt as my balls tighten, and I bite my lip to keep from screaming out her name.
ASHLYN
I walk on shaky legs to the elevator in the Q’s. The doors close, and I look at myself in the mirrored walls. When this evening started, I must say I looked pretty damn good, but now that it’s over, I look like a woman he picked up on the side of the road for a couple of hundred bucks. It’s sad how soft I am for him. But the bad part is that I’m not even embarrassed about it.
My long blond hair has lost its curl, and the part where I had teased it looks like it was in a windstorm. The bobby pins long gone. My black eyeliner is running. But instead of running down my cheeks, it ran down the side of my eyes to my ears from lying flat on my back in the limo. Ryder placed his jacket over my shoulders before we got out of the limo, thank God, or you’d be able to see red marks on my upper arms from his hands.
The elevator dings, and the glass doors slide open. We stay silent as he places his hand on my lower back and guides me to the door. Good thing, too, because I’m not sure I could talk if I wanted to. My throat is sore, and my cheeks still burn. I like it. I liked the way he was in the limo. Unable to control himself. How he controlled me. I’m wetter now than I was earlier. Pleasing him makes me feel powerful because he loses all control.
I’m not sure why he chose my apartment to stay in tonight, but that’s where we are. I dig into my purse and hand him my key since I know Becca took his from him.
He walks past me into the living room. He sits down on the white leather chair and starts to undo his bow tie.
“What are you doing?” I ask then clear my throat.
He smiles at me and tosses his tie to the floor. “You’re my queen,” he states proudly. “And every queen needs a throne.”
I blink. My mind still fuzzy from alcohol, and my body still humming with need. “I don’t …”
He leans forward in the chair placing his elbows on his knees. “Come here, my queen. Your throne awaits.” He licks his lips, and I smile at him as realization dawns.
I drop my clutch on the floor and make my way over to him. His dark green eyes look me up and down with heat in them. When I come to a stop before him, he places his hands on my hips and runs them up and down. He leans his head forward, and the chair he sits in along with the height of my heels puts my sex right in front of him.
He inhales sharply. “I can smell how wet you are,” he whispers proudly.
I place my hands in his hair and wrap my fingers around the brown strands. I yank his head back, and he hisses in a breath as he looks up at me. “What are you gonna do about that?” I ask.
He smiles, making his eyes light up with mischief. He leans back in the chair pulling me with him. He reaches up and pulls my hands free of his hair. Then he scoots down, positioning his head by my lower belly as I straddle him. He pushes me up the chair, and I spread my legs for him, placing them on the armrests.
He shoves my dress up and around my stomach, and then I feel his hand on my hip. He grips the thin black lace of my panties and yanks on them. I yelp in surprise as the fabric burns my skin from the force of his hand tearing it apart. My head falls back to look up at the ceiling, and I pant as I feel his breath on my sex.
“I’m been craving you all week,” he states, placing both of his hands on my hips.
I cry out when I feel his lips on my pussy. He’s not gentle. His tongue makes long strokes, and my body tightens as his tongue enters me. My dress falls over his head, and I place my hand on the back of the high back chair, gripping it tightly.
“Ryder.” I gasp as I feel his teeth nip here and there. “Oh God …” I suck in a deep breath as my hips rock back and forth as I ride his face.
He growls against my sex, and his fingers dig into my hips. I lose track of time. I close my eyes and lose my sight and hearing. All I can do is feel. I feel every stroke of his tongue. I feel the power in his fingers holding me in place. And most of all, I feel his desire to please me.
I come on his tongue, screaming out his name and panting as I open my eyes. Colors look faded and objects come in and out of focus as I come down from the highest orgasm I’ve ever had.
When he releases me, I fall against the chair. He sits back up, wraps his arms around my waist, and stands from the chair, carrying me down the hallway.
He walks into my bedroom, slamming the door shut with his foot, and lays me on the bed. I lie there, still breathing heavy, and my sex swollen as he rips his shirt open, buttons hitting the hardwood floor. He kicks off his shoes and strips out of his pants.
Then he’s on top of me. His hands in my hair. His hard cock pressing against my throbbing sex. I go to speak, but his lips are on mine moments later. He kisses me desperately, and I kiss him back, tasting myself on his lips.
“Taste that?” he asks, running a hand down my cheek. “That’s the taste that drives me wild,” he states.
I go to speak, but he removes the back of his hand from my face and wraps it around my throat. I arch my back and suck in a ragged breath before he takes it away. He lowers his face to mine and whispers, “I’m just getting started, beautiful.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
RYDER
She’s lying next to me in bed naked as I run my hand up and down her bare arm. Silence fills the room as we lie in darkness. Not sure what time it is, but I’m not tired. I’m afraid if I close my eyes that I’ll wake up and she’ll be gone. Like this night was just a dream.
“Are you awake?” I ask.
A long silence follows as I continue to rub her arm softly. I think she has fallen asleep when she finally whispers, “Yes.”
I shift so I’m facing her. Even though I can’t see her, I still want her body against mine. My hand covers the small of her back, and I pull her to me. Her right leg slides over my hip as she gets closer.
“There’s so much we need to discuss,” she says softly.
“It can wait,” I tell her, just wanting to enjoy this moment with her.
“It can’t,” she insists.
I let out a long breath. “Okay. You go first.”
“Bradley proposed to me.”
My hand comes to a stop, and my heart beats wildly in my chest. “What did you say?” I must have heard her wrong.
“What do you think I said?” she asks.
I pull away from her and sit up. Reaching over, I flip on the light on her nightstand and turn to face her. She blinks a few times and slowly rises to a sitting position. “I’m serious, Ashlyn,” I growl.
“So am I.”
I run a hand through my hair and throw the covers off me. My body heat rising a
ll of a sudden. “Fuck, Ashlyn,” I snap, getting out of bed and pacing; I need the movement. The thought of them together makes my skin crawl.
She gets out of bed as well, and I look over at her. She’s naked, of course. Red marks cover her upper arms. A hickey on her chest from where I couldn’t stop kissing her and another one on her hip and inner thigh. My mouth waters at the thought of leaving more.
Focus! “Why would you tell me that?”
“Because this time if you choose to walk away, it’s gonna be because you know the truth,” she growls.
“I’m sorry!” I shout. “How many times am I gonna have to apologize?” I growl.
“I don’t know,” she snaps. “Until I feel you’re truly sorry.”
I snort. “You think this is just some big elaborate show? You may not forgive me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t truly forgive you.”
Her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open. “Forgive me?” she says slowly, and it makes me think I might have said the wrong thing. “I understand that not telling you Bradley was coming was a big mistake on my part. But you walked out. You wouldn’t even give me two seconds to explain.” I open my mouth, but she continues. “And then I called you. I even told you that I loved you and nothing!” She’s shouting again. “And then a week later, you find out I’m on a date, and all of a sudden, you care again.”
“That’s not true!” I snap, mad at myself all over again.
“Then what is, Ryder?” she demands, crossing her arms over her chest. “Please tell me what I’m missing here.”
“I didn’t know you called me.”
“Bullshit!” she snaps.
“I swear on everything,” I say, holding my hands up. “I didn’t know you called me until Monday night when you had your date.”
She snorts. “Unbelievable. You think I’m going to believe you …?”
“Jaycent answered my phone when you called me. I was too drunk due to the fact that I thought I had lost you to Bradley. He was the one you told I love you to. But he never told me.” She stands, staring at me with confusion in her eyes. “You came to my office throwing your fit and made me see the truth. I had called Jaycent later that evening to bitch about you and how you ignored my flowers and my calls. That’s when he told me that you had called and said I love you.”
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