The edge of life: Official cover - coming soon

by Rachael Tonks

  I knock lightly, hoping I haven’t interrupted something. I open the door slowly, peeking through the small gap.

  “Pip.” He calls me as a beautiful smile spreads across his face. I open the door a little more, sliding through and closing it quietly behind me. I look over at him on the bed. He’s wearing nothing but his underwear, his whole body on show. I stand with my back against the door, unable to move my gaze from the definition of his muscular body. I bite the corner of my lip, nervous to finally be alone with the guy who saved my life. The guy driving my body insane. Every hair on my body feels like it’s standing on end, and the heat and excitement pools in my stomach. I can feel the heat rush to my cheeks as they flush. I drop my head in an attempt to disguise it.

  “What did the medic say?” I ask, my eyes flitting to him for a second.

  “He cleaned and dressed the wound. Gave me some pretty strong painkillers,” he says, stepping from the bed and slowly making his way over to me. I’m frozen to the spot with no idea of what to do. He stops right in front of me, pressing a hand against the door on either side of my head.

  “I should really shower,” I say with a gulp.

  “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Glad to hear it,” I say, biting the corner of my lip.

  “Fuck,” he says with a low growl. “Do you have any idea how difficult the last few weeks have been for me? Wanting you so fucking bad, needing you like the motherfucking oxygen I breathe, but not being able to have you. I fought it every single day. Because of him. Because of my fucking brother. I can’t believe what he’s put you through. I’m so sorry, pip.”

  “This isn’t your fault,” I reassure him, resting my hand on his cheek. He leans into my touch, his eyes fluttering shut. “You warned me. You told me to stay away, but I didn’t listen.”

  “It wouldn’t have made any difference. They had this all mapped out from the start. Whether you had been with him or not.” He sighs heavily.

  “I fought my feelings for you too, you know. I wanted you, but I was scared because you were the hothead, and I fell for his lies. I chose the safe option, constantly trying to push you to the back of my mind and smoldering anything I felt for you. But I shouldn’t have fought what my heart and body was telling me. I listened to what I thought was the rational part of my mind, wanting to believe that Jax was the one. But it was never him, Ryder. Only you.”

  His mouth crashes down on mine, and my feet suddenly leave the floor. He kisses me passionately as I open my mouth, deepening the kiss between us. It’s messy and frantic, but it feels so good. Spinning, he walks us over to the bed, dropping me down. I let out a little shriek and feel saddened by the lack of contact. He crawls over me, his mouth on mine once again, but this time small kisses, each one soft and intimate.

  “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want this. To finally hear you say you want me as much as I want you.” He drops onto his side, no longer able to remain his position over me as the look of pain crosses his face. Lying next to me, I turn to face him; his forearm wraps around my waist pulling my small frame close to his body. His thumb caresses my back underneath the oversized jersey I’m wearing. Our eyes connect. His heavy, lust filled eyes are fixed on me. I look deeply into his bright green eyes as if I could get lost in them. The look of wanting and longing in his gaze sends a rush of wetness between my legs. The heat of his naked body radiates against mine, and I am lost in sensations of skin against skin. I had no idea he could have this effect on me, that my body would react with such burning desire. He drops his head, resting it in the crook of my neck as his hand wanders from the low of my back to my ass. His tender touch works under the seam of my pants, and I writhe, wanting him to touch me desperately where I long to feel him the most.

  “Do you really want this, pip? Do you really want me?” His voice is deep, smooth and causes every hair on my body to stand on end. “I don’t want to be your consolation prize. I only want this if you really want it too.”

  “Yes,” I cry out. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my whole life.”

  He hooks a finger into the waistband of my panties. Within seconds, they’re gone and replaced by his hand. My heart rate accelerates, and I’m pretty sure the only sound I can hear is the thudding of our hearts. My skin feels like it’s on fire, and every one of his touches is like silk against my skin. I reach for the hem of the jersey, pulling it over my head. I need him. I want him. I want the touch of his hands on every inch of my body.

  I hear him suck in a deep breath. Glancing at him, I see his eyes are narrowed and pinned on me.

  “That’s my fucking job,” he says with a smirk. “Let’s not rush this,” he breathes, his eyes suddenly full of uncertainty. We lie here skin to skin, our bodies flush, and I feel like I’m drunk off him. Everything about him is intoxicating. The look in his eyes, the touch of his hand on me, and the smell of him overwhelm my senses.

  “I don’t want to take it slow,” I say, almost breathlessly. “Touch me, Ryder. Dammit, make love to me,” I demand. His eyes widen, taken aback by my abruptness. It’s unlike me, but I need to feel his hands on me once more. My face heats with mild embarrassment, but he finally bends down, kissing me with everything he has. I feel it. It’s needier than before, with an edge of aggression. He works his tongue against mine, and the taste of him is so divine. I cling to his every touch, kissing him back with intensity, with everything I have. I want to get lost in him at this moment and forget the past twenty-four hours even happened. Within a second, the pace of our kiss quickens, and his hand moves back to caressing my bare ass. I need more. I want more. I feel around, trying to locate the band of his underwear. I manage to hook in a finger. But as forceful as ever, he takes over, sliding them down just enough to free his straining erection. He nuzzles my neck, and I can’t help but take in his size. I swallow down the lump in my throat, wondering if that’s going to fit. He parts from me, just enough to notice that I’m eyeing his cock. He takes hold of himself, wrapping his hand around it, working up and down.

  “Like what you see?” he says with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen.

  I chuckle, covering my hands with my face. I’m not as sexually experienced as he is.

  “Come on, don’t be shy,” he teases, grabbing my hand and positioning it on his huge cock. I shuffle forward until I’m sitting on the edge of the bed and he’s standing in front of me. I wrap my hand around his impressive girth. His hand is on mine and guiding me up and down the length of his cock. I watch as his head falls back. His eyes close tightly, and small groans leave him as I continue to work him, squeezing harder and working faster. He arches his back, before straightening up, leaning forward and pushing my back flat against the bed.

  “Hey,” I moan.

  “Pip, I ain’t coming all over you from a goddamn hand job. There’s only one fucking place I wanna be, and that’s buried deep inside that pretty fucking pussy of yours,” he growls. Reaching toward my face, he cups my cheek, before trailing a finger down and over my breast. He flicks his thumb over my erect nipple, my sex clenching in response to having him touch me again. He dips his head, sucking and licking my nipple repeatedly. My breathing quickens as the sensation of having him tease me intensifies. His fingers trail over my exposed stomach, making their way down to where I need to feel him the most. My breathing soon becomes panting, and my panting quickly turns to small moans.

  My whole body is on fire, and Ryder is to blame.

  His fingers slide between my legs, and I open them, needing to feel him there.

  “Oh god, Ryder, I need you so bad,” I cry out.

  “I can fucking tell, pip. You’re so fucking wet for me.”

  He slides his fingers between my folds, catching and teasing my clit. Over and over. I moan out loudly.

  “Shhhh,” he says, his lips crashing down on mine with aggression. Taking me, claiming me, as he continues to work over and over my clit, each touch sending me closer and cl
oser to the edge.

  “The only sound I want to hear is you screaming out my motherfucking name,” he breathes into my ear. He works me over and over, my sex pooling as my excitement grows, and I move closer to the edge.

  “Oh god,” I cry out. “Close. I’m so damn close,” I say breathlessly. I drop my gaze to meet his, his lip curling wickedly at the side. Beads of sweet line his forehead.

  “Tell me you want me. Tell me how badly you want me.”

  “Yes,” I breathe out, my breaths labored and my body tightening and clenching as I feel myself getting closer. I’m ready to feel him completely. For him to take me, to own me.

  “Tell me,” he growls. “I need to hear it fall from those beautiful lips of yours.” He lifts his finger to my lip, his hand shaking as he runs his thumb against my bottom lip. I let my eyes drift shut.

  “Ryder, I need you, Please…”

  But I don’t need to say another word. That was all that Ryder needed to hear, all that he wanted.

  He pulls me closer to him, positioning my ass right on the edge of the bed. Reaching down, he takes himself in his hand, positioning his cock at my entrance. Working it up and down my slit, a small moan escapes me. I need so desperately to feel him inside me. With one swift thrust, he plunges into me deeply, causing me to cry out, the pleasurable pain of him filling me completely. He starts slowly, the thrust deep, and so fucking good. The burning sensation of him causes me to arch my back, wanting him to drive deeper and give me everything he has. The way the head of his cock feels as he pulls out and thrusts back in causes my head to drop back, and a haze washes over me. Every single damn time he thrusts, he hits that sweet spot inside, the one that makes me feel like I’m seeing stars.

  “Fuck, yes,” he groans as he pushes deep inside me. My moans become louder and more frequent, and I couldn’t care less who heard me. This is everything. The connection between us, the euphoria of this moment. I press against him, working in time to his thrusts, needing more. He increases the rhythm until he’s pounding relentlessly. My whole body trembles, my stomach tightening in response. The frenzy builds, and our lips crash together as we kiss deeply. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on. Every one of his thrusts hits the right spot. My desire begins to build. I close my eyes, trying to hold on, wanting us to fall over the edge together, but it doesn’t work. I can’t help the sudden orgasm that spreads through me. The heat. The erratic pounding of my heart as I clench around his cock, still working inside me. I moan louder, my back arching away from the mattress, my legs tightening around his waist as I ride it out. Dizziness takes over me, the orgasm weakening my muscles. Ryder’s thrusts become angry, consuming, and possessive as he tries to find his own release.

  “Mine.” He moans. “You belong to me. This fucking pussy, it’s all mine, you hear me?” His dark lust-filled eyes meet mine.

  “Always,” I choke out through my labored breaths.

  “Fuck,” he roars, his head falls against my shoulder, and his cock pulsates inside me. He pants loudly, his rhythm coming to an eventual stop. He slowly lifts his head, his eyes glazed as he leans in to kiss me on the lips, his body crashing down on the bed beside me. I start to tremble. A mixture of nerves and feeling cold. Ryder reaches over me to grab the edge of the blanket. He pulls it over me, rolling me closer toward him. I’m swaddled in the blanket, being held by the man who saved my life.

  “I dreamed of having you in my arms so many fucking times. Now, it’s actually happening, and I can’t believe it’s true.”

  “Was I, uh… okay?” I ask, my voice trembling.

  “Pip, you were more than okay.” He sighs loudly. “I’ve been with a lot of women,” he murmurs, “but none of them ever meant anything to me. You, you mean fucking everything, and that, for me, was the best experience of my life. Better than I could have ever fucking imagined.” His voice shakes, and I sense his nervousness.

  “Really?” I ask, propping myself up on my hand.

  “Every word, pip. You’ll only ever get the truth from me; you have my fucking word.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper, pressing my lips against his. “I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life. Like I was teetering on the edge, and you brought me back.”

  “You have always been mine, even before tonight. Since the minute you arrived in that goddamn trailer park, your heart was mine to own. You just didn’t know it,” he says, kissing me deeply and rolling me onto my back. “You were so worth the wait.”

  “I think I did know, deep down,” I reply shyly, “I just didn’t want to admit it.” I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him, pouring in every ounce of emotion I have to give. His body is soon pressing into me, his hardness resting against my stomach. I pull back a little, widening my eyes, letting them drift down and then back up to meet his.

  “Again?” I ask with a giggle.

  “I don’t think I will ever have a limp dick again around you. You know, now that you’re mine and all.”

  We laugh together, my head falling back as he kisses my neck softly.

  I have a feeling this will be a long, tiring night.

  A loud knock on the door startles me from my deep sleep. My hand fists the sheets, holding them over my naked body. Ryder’s large frame sleeps soundly beside me, something I didn’t think he’d ever do.

  “Hello,” I call out cautiously.

  “Kailee, it’s me, Layla.” She taps gently on the adjoining door.

  “I’ll be right there,” I whisper-shout, gently removing the bulky arm strewn over me. I reach down, retrieving the jersey from the floor, and slip it over my head. I dash into the small bathroom, rifling through the bag of clothes Marco had arranged to have here for us. I find a set of fresh panties still in the package at the bottom of the bag. I take them out, pulling them on as I hop out of the bedroom and over to the adjoining door. I glance over my shoulder, checking that Ryder is still sleeping. I feel like I’m running on pure adrenaline because we got very little sleep last night. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s dead to the world.

  I open the door cautiously, spotting Layla perched on the edge of the bed. My eyes are drawn to her knee, which bounces vigorously; her hands clenched together as they rest on her shaking legs.

  “Hey,” I greet her with a smile. “You okay?”

  She shakes her head freely from side to side. “I really just want to go home,” she chokes out, tears stinging her eyes as I can see her fighting back the tears. “I didn’t sleep at all, and every noise made me jump.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I say, dashing over to her, sitting down on the bed beside her. I cover her hand with mine, squeezing her hand gently. “I thought we were doing the right thing by bringing you here and keeping you safe,” I try to explain.

  “I’m thankful, really I am, more than you will ever know. I’m alive, and that’s thanks to you and your boyfriend.” Shuddering, her eyes clamp shut, her head dropping forward. “I can’t even imagine where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for you.”

  “You didn’t deserve this, Layla. None of us did. But believe me when I say we were the lucky ones. We got out. We get to live the rest of our lives in freedom.”

  As soon as the words leave my mouth, the stark reality hits me like a ton of bricks. If it wasn’t for Ryder, I could have been in some psycho’s house having God knows what done to me.

  I shake my head to clear my thoughts. “I’ll make sure you get home safe, but staying here was the only way we could ensure your safety last night. You do understand, don’t you,” I ask, leaning forward to place my face in her line of sight.

  “I understand,” she answers with a small flick of her head. I hear her stomach rumbling, and her hand flies down to press against it.

  “I can’t remember the last time I ate.” She throws me an apologetic look.

  “Well, let’s do something about that,” I say, slapping my hand against my thigh and jumping up enthusiastically from the bed. “I’ll just go get some more clothes on
.” I smile, heading back over to the door between the rooms. I race back through, grabbing a comfy looking pair of leggings. I slide them on, along with the Chucks I found in the bag of clothes. Stopping for a second, I glance at myself in the reflection in the mottled mirror. My long red hair dried into a natural wave after our shower last night. I bite my lip of at the memory of Ryder taking me in the shower and right here, on the counter. Last night wasn’t just about sex; it was the exchange of love, physically, between two people. Two people who have saved each other. Or at least, that’s how I see it. Last night was memorable, all right. The most memorable birthday I think I’ll ever have.

  I tiptoe through the bedroom, making my way back to Layla. I take a fleeting glance at him lying in bed. Just as I reach for the door, his loud voice booms, causing me to jump.

  “Where the fuck are you going?” he quizzes, throwing back the sheets and exposing every inch of his naked body.

  “Uh, I’m taking Layla to get breakfast. Poor girl is hungry. She can’t even remember the last time she had something to eat.” My voice wavers, and by the look on Ryder's face, I’m not sure whether he’s genuinely angry with me or not. “Why are you doing that?” I ask, looking him up and down as he stands stretching beside the bed.

  “Doing what?” He yawns.

  “You were scowling at me; you look mad?” I tilt my head, resting my hand on my chin, waiting for him to answer me.

  “You two were just going to go wandering out there by yourselves? Really?” He emphasizes the word.

  I grimace a little, realizing we may not be as safe as I first thought.

  “I didn’t think…” I let my words trail off, and before I know it, he’s standing in front of me, finger hooked under my chin. He lifts it, causing our eyes to meet.

  “I won’t fucking lose you,” he murmurs, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “I only just found you,” he says with a cheeky grin, the kind that highlights those hidden dimples he has. “I wish we could hide out here all day and forget about the rest of the shit happening right now.” He sighs a little. “I want to make this a birthday you’ll never forget.”