Her finger pokes the center of my chest. “You should have told me what was happening with your business. You should have told me how much it worried you. And I wish you would have trusted me. Because—you know what? I could have handled it.”
I drop my head onto her shoulder. “I know and I’m sorry. I knew you had high hopes for that project. I did, too. That’s why I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t want you to be disappointed.” My chest restricts, and I gaze up, straight into her deep, dark eyes. “In me.”
Shaking her head slightly, she presses her lips to mine—softly, tenderly. “The only way you’ll disappoint me is if you keep things from me. If something’s bothering you, I want to know,” she whispers. “So promise me one thing.”
I breathe in her dizzying scent. “Anything, baby.”
“From now on, be open, be honest with me. Don’t hide stuff because you want to protect me. We’re in this together, you know?”
Grinning, I nod. “We are, huh?”
In a swift motion, I lift her up in my arms, and as she squeals, set her down in the middle of the bed. My hands on either side of her head, I hover above her, relishing the way her long brown hair fans around her face. Without any make-up, she looks even more gorgeous—with nothing between us, I see the real Elle.
“I promise you, beautiful, I’ll work it out. We’ll work it out. As long as we never stop talking.”
I lower my mouth, until only a breath separates us. “And kissing.” My lips graze hers.
“And loving.”
But before I start my feast on her sensuous mouth, I gaze deeply into her big, bottomless eyes, and my heart swells with love. I realize this is what is most important in life, not money, career, and possessions. I would still be happy with a whole lot less, as long as I have Elle.
And I see now that I will have to take it step by step. I have to accept that I can’t force her into moving into me, that I can’t always have my own way. But the stubborn bastard I am, I won’t be able to stop myself from asking her; I will do anything to make her say yes, even if that takes months or years. And later, much later, I’ll take the next step: forever. But for now, being here together is enough.
Elle’s gaze drops to my mouth, and I can’t hold back any longer—I cover her lips with mine. She tastes so good, so sweet, I need to have more. When I slide the tip of my tongue across the seam of her lips, she immediately responds by opening, letting me inside. And when I do, the first contact with her tongue sends a jolt of electricity through me. One hand tangled in her hair, I let the other travel, skimming her throat, across her collarbone, down to the swell of her breast. My fingers close around the soft flesh, and the kneading of my palm causes us both to moan. What starts as a slow, sensuous tangling of tongues turns into a fiery, frenzied dance of desire.
All of a sudden, Elle breaks our kiss, shoving at my chest. Before I can stop her, she slips away from me, sliding off the bed. Bewildered, I sit upright. What did I do wrong? Did I hurt her in any way?
But she is standing next to the bed, shooting me a mischievous grin. Bending over, she takes my hands and pulls me to the edge of the bed.
Her eyes are dark with need. “Now I want to taste you.”
She places my hands onto the top of her head and grins at me before she pushes down, causing her to drop down on her knees in front of me.
“But Elle—”
Shaking her head, she wags her finger. “No buts.”
Before I know it, her fingers are unbuttoning and unzipping my pants. They slip under my waistband, and after urging me to stand up momentarily, she yanks my pants and boxers down, exposing my erection to the cool air.
Licking her lips, she takes my erection into her hand. She strokes it languidly, using the pad of her thumb to rub pre-cum all over the swollen head.
Feelings of uncontrollable lust threatening to overwhelm me, I close my eyes for a moment, my fingers tightening in her hair. “Shit, Elle. What are you doing to me?”
Her big eyes look up at me, and she gives me a seductive smile. “This is just the beginning.”
Her head drops and her tongue darts out, teasing the head of my dick. She proceeds to lick down the shaft, around my balls, and back up again, lingering at the sensitive spot just beneath the head, causing my dick to twitch.
Her mouth forms an O, and she slowly, oh so slowly, slides it into her mouth. It feels amazing to have her wet, hot mouth tightly wrapped around me. Her hands curl around the base of my dick, and while she raises her head, she twists them. She pumps up and down, twisting and turning, the delicious sensations making me grab fistfuls of hair.
On a raise of her head, she suddenly releases me from her mouth with a popping sound, gazing up at me with darkened eyes. “Do you like seeing my mouth on your dick?”
“Oh yeah,” I breathe, unable to string a sentence together.
“Then why don’t you fuck my mouth?”
Without waiting for a reply, her soft, moist lips are around me again, continuing her relentless up-down rhythm. She takes me in deeper until I feel I’m hitting the back of her throat. I look down, worried she will gag, and start to pull back. But she won’t let up, sucking on me with force.
My whole body jerks, and I throw my head back.
I’m losing control—I’m losing myself to her.
Unable to withstand any longer, I start pumping into her, and it causes her to moan deep in her throat. She slips her hand underneath to cup my balls, to massage them with her fingers. I pull in the air between my teeth—it feels so damn good.
As I thrust into her hot mouth, she sucks harder, and I feel the beginnings of a climax gathering at the base of my spine.
Mustering the few shreds of control I have left, I pull back completely.
“Stop.”
Elle looks up at me, her eyebrows raised.
She has no idea what she does to me—how much she means to me. And that’s why I’ve never let her finish, for fear it reminds me too much of the blowjobs escorts and other nameless women have given me. It satisfies me much more to concentrate on her pleasure.
But this time, she doesn’t take no for an answer. She forces her head down, and when I try to push her away, she grips my wrists. “Let me, please.”
“Elle, I—aaahh.”
Her mouth around me, she is sucking me up and down, one hand massaging my balls, the other twisting the base of my dick.
I’m completely at her mercy.
As she relentlessly continues her thrusts, I can’t help but relinquish control. I pump into her, faster and faster.
“Stop. I can’t hold on any longer.” My voice is strangled.
But she ignores me, swirling her tongue around my shaft, then up across my head. A wave of fire rips down my spine into my balls, making them contract. I growl, feeling my dick thickening inside the hot wetness of her mouth. Then a jolt shoots through me, and I slam in deep. “Fuck!”
I shoot my seed deep into her throat, and a rush of intense pleasure hits me so hard my vision blurs.
My heart pounding against my chest, I withdraw from her mouth and pull her onto my lap. I press my lips to hers, and swirl my tongue to taste myself in her. She kisses me back hungrily, voraciously.
When we finally pull away from one another, we are both breathless.
I stroke her cheek with the back of my hand. “Thank you. That was absolutely amazing.”
“I’m glad to be of service. I thought it was pretty damn delicious myself.”
Her self-satisfied smile makes my heart swell. I should have known it would be different with Elle because, unlike my any of my past encounters, she matters to me—more than she’ll ever know. Only with her, I can let myself go, I can lose control.
Slipping my hand under her knees, I wink at her. “To think this was just the beginning.”
She frowns in confusion, and I take immediate advantage by lifting her in my arms.
“Let me show you what’s next.”
Elle
I can’t stop grinning.
Especially when Ryder carries me into the bathroom and sets me down on the edge of the bathtub. His gaze is fixed on me, filled with reverence as if he is my servant to fulfill all my wishes.
This is the first time he has ever come in my mouth—Ryder always pulls out before he reaches his climax, no matter how far he is. It’s not as if I haven’t tried—he has iron self-control. And I know it is not because he is a stranger to it. I’m sure he has had a lot of sluts and hookers service him before he met me, even though he never wants to talk about it.
It makes me angry sometimes, how precious he is around me—always wanting to please me, focus on my pleasure, never his own. I don’t know what made him change my mind, but I am not complaining. It was so hot to see him lose control like that when he climaxed—not only did it make me drenching wet, but it also filled me with a deep sense of pride to know that I finally broke his control.
My grin becomes even wider when Ryder takes off his shirt and leans into the shower cubicle. As he turns on the water and adjusts the temperature, his muscles deliciously flex with the movement. I am almost salivating when he turns his attention back to me—pulling my T-shirt over my head, unclasping my bra, taking off my jeans, peeling off my panties, until I am naked in front of him.
“Look at how damn beautiful you are.” His hands on my shoulders, he turns me around to face the mirror.
I look at myself—my breasts hanging heavy, my nipples erect, my pale skin flushed with desire—with Ryder’s broad chest forming a protective shield behind me. But the intense way he looks at me—that’s what makes me feel beautiful.
I watch as his head dips down to my neck, his breath leaving a hot trail on my skin, until it reaches my ear. Tilting my head to give him better access, I feel his warm lips caressing the sensitive spot behind my ear, causing shivers to trail down my spine.
The hand that is resting on my hip slides slowly up my side, skims over my stomach, and curves around my breast, his thumb circling my nipple, but not quite touching it. But then he changes tack, moving it in a forward-backward motion across my nipple, and a jolt of desire courses through me, sparks flying down to between my legs.
His other hand drops down, and he dips his finger into my folds. “And how wet you are.”
He massages my inner walls before he pulls out and lifts his finger, showing me its slickness in the mirror. “See?”
With a devious grin, he brings it to his mouth, and I watch him suck his finger as he gazes straight into my eyes. After he withdraws it, he doesn’t waste time in plunging it inside me again, pulling out, and on the next inward push, adding another finger.
He flicks my nipple, and I can’t help but cry out, “Oh God, Ryder, just take me.”
Grinning, he shakes his head. “Not yet.”
He drops his head again, his tongue hot on my throat. His fingers have found that perfect spot inside, rubbing it deliciously with every rhythmic thrust.
I look into our reflection: Ryder’s tongue worshiping my neck, his hand around my breast, his fingers between my legs. It looks so hot, so arousing, that I feel moisture dripping down my thighs. The image becomes blurry as the steam from the shower is rising up around us, clouding the mirror. Then a sudden burst of pleasure rushes through me—his thumb is on my clit. A loud moan tears from my lips, and I close my eyes. It feels so, so good.
His thumb rubs in circles as his other hand kneads my breast, pinching at my nipple, then smoothing it. Faster and faster he rubs at my swollen flesh, and a hot flush surges through my body—I am about to come. My breathing erratic, I can’t control the moans escaping my throat. And when he whispers in my ear, “I want to see you come, baby. Now,” the built-up pressure erupts, and I explode around his fingers, waves and waves of bliss overtaking my trembling body.
As he pulls his fingers out of me, I spin around to hold onto his shoulders before my liquefied bones cause me to collapse in a heap. His arms encircle me, holding me close until the last intermittent tremors die down.
My body feels so loose and relaxed that I hardly notice when he leads me into the shower. The warm water cascading around me, I let my head fall against Ryder’s hard chest with a sigh. This is what total and complete bliss feels like.
His hands are in my hair, carefully massaging shampoo into it. I close my eyes when he rinses it off under the spray, the heavy tropical scent of gardenias surrounding us.
I open my eyes, and my gaze instantly drops, for he sports an enormous erection.
“Mmm… Let me wash you now.” I reach out to the bottle of body wash and squirt some into my hand. With my other hand I make it into a lather, and my soapy fingers massage it around his shoulders, his biceps, his chest, and down to his washboard abs, taking care to attend to every bump, every ridge, every corner. But before my hand lowers to give him the relief he so desperately needs, I say, “Turn around,” wanting to draw out his torture as long as possible.
When he does, I lift my hand to lather his back, and my eye falls on his right shoulder blade. What I see makes my breath catch in my throat. Where the dotted triangle tattoo used to be is now a swirling letter: an L. I touch it carefully with my finger.
“Ryder? You have a tattoo.”
He chuckles. “Yep.”
I arch my brow. “When did you have it done?”
“While you were asleep back in the suite.” A mysterious grin plays around his sculpted lips.
“But—but I thought you didn’t want anything burned in your skin. Weren’t you going to have the dots removed?”
“I thought about it. But I changed my mind.”
My finger follows the contours of the L. “Why?”
He turns around, his determined gaze meeting mine. “This way I can always have you with me. You, and love—that’s what the L stands for.” Leaning forward, he lets our foreheads touch. “And this way, I know you’ll always have my back.”
I wrap my hand around to where his tattoo is located. “You know I do—always.”
A fuzzy warmth blooming inside my chest, I press my lips to his. He wastes no time in kissing me back, brushing and sliding his lips to mine. But what starts out as a soft, tender kiss soon turns into one that’s deeper, more passionate. As our tongues tangle, desire courses through me.
Ryder’s raging erection presses against my stomach, and my hand shoots out to grasp it tight. In response, he drops his head and closes his mouth around my nipple, sucking it while his fingers find the sensitive nub between my legs.
My hand still slick with soap, I pump his erection, slow and fast, fast and slow. I add my other hand and use both to stroke him in a twisting-turning motion, eliciting a reverberating growl from his throat.
“God, you’re so perfect.” His voice breaks, and with a groan, he dips his finger into my folds. “And so tight.” He pulls out his finger and circles my clit, eliciting throaty moans from me. His hot breath is on my ear. “And I want you to come again.”
My internal muscles clench, and those words almost make me spontaneously orgasm right there and then. I barely have the strength to tell him, “But this time I want you inside me. Take me—take me from behind.”
In a flash, he spins me around and grabs my hands to splay them against the tiled wall. His raging hard-on presses against my lower back, and I automatically bend over, pushing my ass out to open myself up to him. The next moment, his steel arousal is poised at my entrance.
“Is this what you want?”
I push my ass out further, desperate for him to enter me. “Come on, slide it into me.”
But he ignores my plea, instead circling his swollen head around my folds, teasing my clit, making me go crazy with lust.
“Ryder. Please.”
That one word is all he wants to hear, for he instantly slams himself deep inside me until he is buried to the hilt.
“Aaahhh.” It’s all I can say to express that delicious feeling, of pleasure-pain and fullness as my folds adju
st to his considerable size.
“You like that, huh?” he breathes in my ear.
I nod, unable to utter a word.
“You know what you’re going to like even more?”
I shake my head.
“Me fucking you hard till you come around my dick.”
I can’t help the loud moan that escapes my lips; and I’d climax if he didn’t pull out until only the tip of him remained inside me.
His hands curve around my hips, and my fingers press down on the tiles to brace myself for what is to come. But he doesn’t thrust in as I expect; instead he enters me slowly, and teases me with long, deep strokes.
“Faster,” I cry in a shrill, needy voice.
He complies, speeding up his strokes, until he is driving into me hard, fast, his hand between my legs to circle my clit. My lower back tightens with a familiar heat rising to signal my imminent climax. Ryder’s hand squeezes around my hip—he is also close.
“Now come with me.”
He pounds even harder, faster, hitting me in just the right spot as he flicks my clit. Then he thrusts in deep, so deep, and stills.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I cry out as I fall apart, my inner muscles convulsing around him while he squirts hot jets inside my walls.
Still buried inside, Ryder wraps himself around me, pressing kisses in the nape of my neck as aftershocks quake both our bodies. I feel boneless, utterly spent. It is the most incredible, earth-shattering orgasm I have ever had.
I reach around to skim my fingers on his shoulder blade, resting on the L tattoo. The waves of ecstasy have died down, but they are replaced by something else—something enormous that overflows my heart, fills my chest, and leaks to all parts of my body, touching and altering each and every nerve, every cell, every atom.
Pure, unadulterated love for Ryder—my Ryder.
And that is when I make the most important decision of my life.
Chapter 20
Elle
“This isn’t half as bad as you made it out to be.”
Burn for You Page 27