by Jennah Scott
“Sweetheart, I’m just getting started. These shoes are torture on you. As hot as you look in them, I’m not sure I like the pain they must cause.”
“Ryke, these shoes are perfect with this outfit. Besides, as long as I’ve got you around, it won’t matter. Your hands are magic.”
He chuckled and moved to her right foot. First he took off her shoe, and then followed with the massage. Angel’s moans made his cock harden. At this rate, both of them would get off with nothing more than her shoes off.
Ryke concentrated on the instep of her foot until his libido calmed down. Once he finished with his massage, Ryke took in the sight of a relaxed Angel. With her eyes closed and the stress from her memories temporarily washed away, Ryke saw the true beauty of Angel. She was so soft and warm. On the outside Angel was tough, determined, a fighter. But looking at her then, Ryke knew she was made of so much more. He wondered if Ray saw the vulnerable side of Angel, or if only he had been privileged enough to see Angel let her guard down.
In that moment, he knew the woman spread out in his truck, asking him to make her worries disappear, was his. Her insecurities, her confidence, her stubbornness, and her weaknesses. All of it was his.
Slowly Ryke lowered her right leg back to the floor, spreading her open enough for him to lie between her legs. She reached for him, her fingers tangling in his hair as he ran his hands up her side. His thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts.
Ryke wanted to touch her skin, so he made quick work of the buttons on her sweater. Angel sat up and helped him take it off of her. The shirt she wore under the sweater came off next. Left with nothing but a cream lacy bra, Ryke didn’t wait a moment longer to taste his woman. He lowered his head to her chest. His tongue painted a path along the edge of the bra, while his fingers pushed the straps off her shoulders and unhooked the back. Without moving away, he tossed the bra to the vehicle floor.
Angel gasped when he took her nipple in his mouth and tightened his lips around the hard bud, flicking the barbell with his tongue. It was impossible to resist the jewelry, knowing how much it turned her on when he played with the metal. Her hands fisted in his hair and the shock of pain rippled from his head to his groin. Without meaning to, his hips jutted forward right into the warm core of Angel’s body.
“Please. Touch me … something. Please,” Angel begged.
Ryke knew what she needed and he wanted to give it to her. But not yet; he also knew the benefit of holding off until you couldn’t stand it anymore. Angel wanted to forget; well, he’d make sure she did, over and over by bringing her arousal to its peak more than once before allowing release.
“Hmm. I don’t think so.”
“Ryke.”
Her growl made his resolve falter, but Ryke stopped his hand from the path it was taking to her jeans. Instead he gripped her hips and pulled her flat beneath him.
“You want to forget. This is how it’ll happen. Trust me.”
“I’m trying. It would help if you’d move your hand down a few inches and to the right.”
Ryke leaned over her, his hands on either side of Angel’s head and chuckled. She rose off the seat and their lips met in a kiss that made his toes curl. Damn, she knew how to kiss; lush lips, incredible desire, everything Ryke could hope for from such a simple act. Angel’s lips opened just enough for him to push his tongue deep into her mouth. The same way he wanted to bury himself deep inside her hot pussy, but had to hold off.
He made a path along her jaw and down her neck, pausing to lick along the curve where her neck met her shoulder. Angel shivered beneath him and he rocked into her pelvis.
“Cold, sweetheart?”
“Not in the least. It would help if our jeans were off. Let me at least touch your skin, Ryke.”
“In a minute. Promise.”
He continued to trace a path down her chest, his tongue circling around the nipple he’d missed earlier. Her breathing increased, her hands gripped his shoulders. Angel was on edge, right where he wanted her. Ryke backed away once more. His control was on the brink of shattering; once she got her hands on him, he’d lose it.
Right then, seeing the desire in her eyes, hearing the need in her voice, Ryke moved lower on her belly, peppering her hips and belly button with kisses. A quick dash of his tongue across her belly button pulled a growl from her throat. She wiggled against him, lifting her ass off the bench seat. Ryke took the silent cue, dropping her jeans and panties on the truck floor with her top.
His lips pressed against the soft bunch of curls at the top of her mound while his fingers spread her labia apart, spreading her juices around. She was slick and ready for him. Ryke wanted to ease some of her tension so he worked his tongue down her opening, dancing around her clit and plunging into her wet core as his fingers spread her open for him. Angel’s head shot off the bench, she tried to lift her legs, but Ryke held them down with his free arm pressed against the top of her thighs. Not once did he pull away from her center, her taste addictive like he’d never experienced.
Faster than Ryke expected, Angel’s passion rose to the crest and flung over the side. She bucked beneath him, her body pushing into his face. Ryke sucked and licked, nibbled on her lips and swirled his fingers around her clit. Knowing if he put too much pressure on that singular spot, he’d overdo it. Experience taught him how to find the fine line between pain and pleasure. Angel teetered on the edge while she rode out her orgasm.
Watching her from above, Ryke brushed his fingers across the lines of her face. The curve of her cheekbone, her plump well-kissed lips, her soft eyebrows, every part of her deserved attention, and Ryke desperately wanted to be the man to do it.
She recovered from her ecstasy and reached for the bottom of his shirt. Quickly and not so gracefully, she yanked it off of him. Her fingers raked down his chest, making Ryke moan this time. Her hands were like heaven on his skin. Ryke sat back on the seat, shed his jeans and then returned to Angel.
Once again nestled between her legs, the head of his cock nudged her opening.
“Condom.”
“Shit.” Ryke reached behind him to pull a condom out of his fallen jeans pocket. Angel took it from him and opened it with her teeth. She reached for his cock to roll the protection down his length.
“Careful, sweetheart. You do too much and we won’t get to the good part.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be quick. I want you in me, Ryke. Now.”
A minute later, that’s exactly where he was. Settled deep in her warmth. Angel’s muscles quivered around him. She was so close. It wouldn’t take anything for him to send her careening over the edge.
He reached between them and found her pearl of passion. Her scream filled the cab of the truck and she arched her back, driving him deeper. Ryke sucked in a breath and focused on Angel. As the tremors slowed he began to move, slowly sliding out and thrusting in. His balls pulled up and his cock throbbed with a need for release. Another orgasm for Angel followed on the heels of the last one. Her inner muscles squeezed him, milking his seed as his own bliss took hold. Together, they rocketed over the precipice.
Ryke collapsed on Angel’s chest, feeling guilty for crushing her. But he couldn’t move yet. Not wanting to suffocate her, he rolled to the side and discarded the condom then turned back to her and wrapped his arms around her. The truck offered limited space for them to cuddle, but that didn’t stop her hands from finding his back. Angel rubbed circles all over his skin. He loved her silken skin beside him, loved listening to her breathing return to a normal rhythm, and loved how her heart beat slowed beneath his ear. Ryke loved everything about Angel.
Chapter 17
Morning light knocked Angel off kilter. She tied her thick pink cotton robe around her waist before heading into the kitchen. The silver gleam of the coffee maker revealed smudged black eyeliner beneath her bottom lid.
Sleep hadn’t evaded her the night before, but that didn’t mean she was rested this morning. Dreams of her past mingled with the night she’
d spent with Ryker. He pushed her beyond normal limits, and made her remember the past she preferred to run from. She woke during the night sweating and scared, her hands roaming around her in bed, praying he was there.
What she hadn’t told Ryke at the studio the night before was that she’d made the sculpture and let Eric put his name on the piece. That was the favor she owed him. Angel never wanted to do something like that, but she hadn’t had a choice. He had taken that from her.
Still it haunted her. She hated what she’d done. She could have spoken up and told everyone in the art community what he’d done, but she wouldn’t just be hurting herself. Still, if Ryke ever found out, Angel knew he’d leave. No way would he be willing to stick it out with someone as screwed up and weak as she was.
Light shone out across the horizon underneath the sun, warming the earth and bringing its occupants back to life. Angel settled onto the swing on the front porch. Ray would leave for work soon, carrying on with her normal day-to-day life and normal job. The monotony of an average life sounded more and more like something she wanted. It scared the hell out of her.
“Angel?” Ray’s mop of blonde hair stuck to the screen on the front door.
“Yeah, I’m out here.”
Angel watched Ray’s eyebrows pull together as she opened the door and stuck her head out. “Hey. How did last night go?”
“Fine. No it was better than fine.” She shook her sleepy head, “Except that it wasn’t. Ryke is too good for me.”
“What are you talking about? Either the date was good or bad. That comment about Ryke doesn’t deserve a response because if you truly believe that, then you’re dumber than I thought.”
“I don’t know. I always know. I always see what I want and go for it and right now … I just don’t know. This whole thing with Ryke, it’s kind of scary.”
Ray sighed as she leaned against the porch railing. “Welcome to my life. You’re always so confident. People watch you, Angel, and it’s not because of anything bad. It’s because of the power you exude, they’re drawn to you. You’re damn lucky, ya know?” Ray moved to the swing and sat down next to Angel.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with Ryke. He said we were dating and we were talking about where I lived and my parents … God, I talked to him about my parents.” Rubbing at her eyes with one hand, Angel willed the coffee mug in the other to be filled with something much stronger. She peered down into the cup to avoid Ray. Angel took a hopeful sip; no such luck, it was still just coffee.
Angel tried again, her tone quiet, defeated. “I wanted to talk to him, for him to have that part of me. I don’t know what it is, Ray. I want to know more about him, I want to be close to him. I don’t even mind myself when I’m with him.”
Taking a deep breath, Angel put a hand up just as Ray opened her mouth to protest. It was a downward spiral of self-pity and a slow building pain in her stomach that felt a little like hate and a lot like regret.
“Don’t, Ray. I know you’re going to say that it’s okay to be scared, even that it’s natural to doubt yourself—but I can’t, I don’t have an easy past. It’s too twisted, too disgusting. And now look at me. I’m wearing a freaking robe on the front porch. So much for all my time living in the big cities, I’m just a common hillbilly.” She snorted, the regret and hatred for her past swirling together and overpowering each other until her vision was narrowed to a point of singular darkness.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’ve got issues. You’ve got a daddy who loves you. You’re from the land of charm and innocence. I’ve been judged and found wanting my entire fucking life and with Ryke, I don’t feel like I have to measure up, I feel like I set the bar.”
Ray pushed the swing back with her toes. “Angel, look at me, please.”
Angel met her gaze, Ray continued. “Your past has shaped you—good and bad—and every failure has pushed you to try harder. Every success has given you a moment of happiness. You can’t outrun it. You can’t change it. Don’t let it ruin your future.”
Angel nodded; taking in Ray’s words and trying to keep them close instead of letting them run right out her ears. Good advice had a tendency to escape, just as quickly as she always escaped the situations they pertained to. Something had to give. She had too many things around her that she loved. Until she gave herself permission to admit that, Angel didn’t realize how true it was. Love was a new word to her. Running didn’t make her heart speed anymore. She nodded as a tear dropped down her cheek.
Ray lifted Angel’s chin with a feminine touch. “Now suck it the fuck up.”
Angel burst out in laughter, Ray only pretending to stay serious for another second before she, too, lost it in a fit of giggles. Angel stood and wrapped her arms around Ray’s neck, squeezing her tight. “Love you, Ray.”
“Love you too, Angel.”
Those words hadn’t come so easily or meant so much since the last time she’d said it to her mom. The last time she had felt secure and needed.
Chapter 18
“Important decisions to make now, James. The answer to this question is going to set a whole new tone for the truck.”
“Oh, Lord, here he goes.” Larry rolled his eyes and turned his stool to face James for his answer. Larry spent way too much time in the front of the shop, but he was a good friend. Ryke couldn’t turn him away.
“And what’s that, Ryker?”
Ryker grinned from across the counter. “What color is she gonna be?”
James threw his hands up. “Whoa now, first things first. Why would it be a she?”
“Because she’s got all the mystery of her past, curves and straightaways in all the right places. You just have to treat her nice and she’ll be purring for you.”
Larry edged up on his stool closer to the desk. “Who are we talking about, Ryke? Angel, or that truck of James’s?”
“All right, all right, I’ve got a little on my mind.” Ryke settled his hands on the desk and laughed. Larry knew him better than anyone else. Memories of their date played through his thoughts on a constant cycle. He wanted to see her again, to check on her. The hurt she suffered shouldn’t have been buried the way it had. A primitive need to make it better took root in his chest that night and hadn’t let go.
“A little? Come on now.”
“Hey I doubt I’m alone here. Any word from Miss RayAnne, James?”
James’ face crinkled up and fell, like a bad taste in his mouth. “No word, don’t expect one neither.”
“I’m sure if you gave her a call she’d be excited to go out.” Ryke turned his back to James and Larry. There were shelves to organize and orders to be placed. Even though James had an appointment, Ryke had become efficient when it came to multi-tasking.
Ryke didn’t understand what would make James’ face drop the way it had. He never wanted to try anything with her, but it wasn’t because she wasn’t attractive or lacking anything at all. Ryker just never felt the spark between them that he knew to be chemistry and she was too good of a girl to screw around with—even if her daddy would have killed him, had he ever found out.
“From what she said the other night, she’d be excited for just about anyone’s call.”
“Hey, now, you can’t talk about Ray like that.” Ryke spun around. He’d had always been protective of those around him, Ray didn’t need a reputation being spread around about her and he sure as hell wasn’t going to listen to it in his shop.
“I don’t mean anything by it, Ryke, not spreading words either. She said it to the bartender that night. Said ‘I’ll rub my body on any man I want to and no one can stop me.’” James shook his head. “Sure is a pretty thing, seemed like a good southern girl, too. Tiny bit of wild to her mixed in with all the down-home goodness.”
The way she had danced with James that first night, the way she had dressed, Ryker wasn’t surprised she’d spoken up to the nosy barkeep. His Angel wasn’t just getting to him; she was getting to Ray, t
oo, making her see another way of life. It was a wilder side that was just right for him and Angel, but Ray … if she found out that James heard her, she’d be embarrassed out of her mind.
“James, I promise you, that’s not Ray. I’ve known her a long time, she’s not promiscuous, even in the slightest.”
James shrugged, “I guess everyone talks a big game from time to time.”
“All right you old biddies, if you’re done with your gossip, I’d like to know the decision at hand.” Larry slapped the desk and stood up.
“Matte-finish, black.”
“Classic. Now I’m going home to my own sweet ecstasy. Rhonda’s only working a half-day and she should be there when I get there.” Larry waved goodbye and headed for the door.
“Yeah, I better get going too, I think. Start on the paint soon?”
“Yes, sir.” Ryker opened the appointment book and sat down, glad for the day to be over.
He’d have been even gladder if Angel would have returned his call this morning. She had to quit this crap of seeing him and then not calling for days at a time. He pushed her past boundaries she’d hesitated to cross the last time they’d been together.
Just keeping her around seemed like a prize on some days; hopefully he hadn’t pushed too hard for too much. It wasn’t going to be easy, a relationship between two people who prized themselves on their grand one-nighters and wild rides, but the spark in her touch and sizzle of her skin on his told him it would be worth it.
Ryker kicked his thick black boots onto the desk and leaned back in the chair, staring at her number in his cell before he realized he’d pulled it out. Maybe she was asleep when he called in the morning, or painting, anything, any excuse that didn’t end with her avoiding him.
Just as he determined to hit send, Ryker thought about it again and switched contacts to Ray’s house number. Angel may have turned her phone off when she worked, but what if it was off and she was home? Four rings in, he’d about given up. His heart beat heavily with each passing second, loud, slow, thumps in his chest making him worry that he’d gotten too attached too fast.