by Lisa Cardiff
His deep voice wrapped around my body like the softest blanket, and a cry of happiness escaped my mouth. He lifted my left hand and twirled the ring in front of me. His dark hair shone in the lamplight. His gray eyes glowed, drinking in every detail of my reaction.
“Can I put it on you?” he asked.
My breath snagged in my throat. “Yes. Oh my God. Yes.” He guided the ring up my finger and I held it up, wiggling my fingers. “It fits,” I whispered, feeling like Cinderella with the glass slipper.
“I love you, Hattie,” he answered simply as he pressed a kiss to my parted lips. “Somehow we’re going to make a life together. I don’t know what it’ll look like when everything unravels, but I do know it will be you, me, and our baby.” He rested his hand on my lower belly, and his eyes reminded me of a lake at twilight—deep and endless, just like our love. “Every time you look at this ring remember that no matter how bad things get, we have each other.”
My heart swelled. He promised to make all my dreams come true. I ached to kiss him and touch him. I didn’t have to wait long. Strong arms circled around me, his fiery heat engulfing me. I swayed into him, molding our bodies together. He smelled like soap and him. Perfection.
He brushed his lips across mine with a quiet but steady hunger. When my tongue slipped between his lips, he released a strangled moan and my mind blanked. Lust surged through my veins, hot and languid. Desire crackled in the air. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his.
“I love you too,” I whispered against his mouth, my voice thick and husky.
He leaned back, his eyes simmering with heat as his gaze trailed down my body and back up again.
“I’m so lucky you’re mine,” he said, his voice low and gruff. He gripped the back of my neck, crushing his lips against mine. Within seconds, the kiss exploded. His mouth was urgent, hot and persistent against mine. He tasted like earthy tequila, salt, and raw need. We only kissed for a brief moment, but it felt like forever as my worries slipped away and impatience to have him again squeezed around my chest. Breaking off the kiss, Ryker yanked my t-shirt over my head. His heavy-lidded eyes and slightly crooked smile set me on fire.
“Ryker,” I whispered, my voice feather soft.
His fingers traced a line from my collarbone down the middle of my chest, painting my skin with tiny goosebumps. He paused when he reached the top edge of my panties, and I blew out a shuddering breath. His thumb slid beneath my panties, teasing me with every swipe. One perfectly timed movement would set me off. He brushed a kiss below my belly button. Aching with need, a moan spilled from my mouth.
“I need you,” I said, latching onto his belt. I unbuckled it and shoved his pants down his hips as he pulled his shirt over his head. I wanted to touch every inch of him, mark him so he wouldn’t forget what we meant to each other. “You really think it’ll take a month?” I asked, thinking out loud as I nipped, bit, and licked his salty skin.
“God, I hope not,” he hummed into my neck as he pushed me back on the bed. He licked the column of my throat, twisting his hands into my hair. I arched my head, giving him better access. My chest heaved, heavy breaths flowing like water from my mouth.
“Wait,” I said, pushing him off me and sitting up again.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh,” I said, sliding down onto my knees in front of him. I wrapped my hand around his thick erection. “I’ve never done this for you before and I want to. I need to taste you.” I didn’t know why I felt that way. I never felt that way before. Certainly not with Evan, but Ryker made me feel all kinds of new things. Things I didn’t understand. Things I hadn’t known. Things I hadn’t even suspected.
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t stop me.
“Fuck,” he groaned as I licked the tip, drinking his salty taste. An answering heat rippled between my legs. “You don’t have to do this.”
I licked from the base to the tip. It was like warm velvet over steel on my tongue. “You don’t like it?” I asked, looking at him through the fringe of my lashes. He looked down at me, and a lock of pitch-black hair fell in front of one of his eyes. I leaned forward and guided him inside of my mouth one inch at a time, my gaze never wavering from his face.
His nostrils flared, and his eyes fluttered closed. Harsh pants streamed from his mouth. The pulsing tension in his neck and the faint smile on his lips made my heart swell. I liked that I could bring him to the edge with my mouth.
“You know I do,” he gritted out.
“So I shouldn’t stop?”
His hands tangled in my hair, and he shook his head. “God, no,” he said, his voice lowering an octave.
My hands skated up his thighs as I bobbed his length in and out of my mouth, gradually increasing my suction with every pass.
He tipped his head to the ceiling and groaned. His eyes were dark. “So close, Hattie. I’m so close.”
“Mm,” I hummed around his shaft, encouraging him to let go. I wanted to taste him. I moved faster.
In.
Out.
In.
“Stop,” he growled. “This is so damn tempting, and don’t get me wrong, I love your mouth on me, but I don’t want to come like that tonight. Not if it’s our last night.”
He grabbed my arms, guided me onto the bed. Before I could utter a single word of protest, he spread my thighs and plunged deep inside of me. He was weighty, thick and hard. The air whooshed out of my lungs in one giant, involuntarily exhalation, almost as if my body wanted to exorcise everything from inside of me except him.
Then, he began to move in earnest and pleasure vibrated through my body with every thrust, drag, and circle. My nails dug into the ropes of muscle lining his shoulders. One of his hands tangled in my hair, and the other cupped my breast, pinning me to the mattress as though I’d leave if he didn’t keep me tethered to the bed. Both primal and tender, his eyes devoured me. My insides contorted with love, and right then, I handed my heart to him and tossed the key in a bottomless abyss.
I countered every visceral flex of his hips with one of my own. Heated kisses showered my mouth and neck, turning me into ash. His sweaty chest licked mine in a choreographed erotic dance, and I never wanted it to end. If I could press the pause button and live in that moment forever, I would be tempted to do it.
My entire body shook as indescribable sensations spread through me multiplying with alarming speed, leaving no corner untouched or unmoved. My release turned and twisted, every muscle, ligament, and cell in my body tightening right down to my toes until I exploded. My vision blurred like I was drifting through a cloud and time fell away. A cry tore from my lips, and I arched into him, momentarily disrupting his rhythm.
His lips curled upward, and a chuckle mixed with a groan slipped from his parted lips. I dug my heels into the back of his thighs, pleading without words for him to keep going. Keep milking every ounce of pleasure from my body. Keep riding our connection until we’re both boneless and satiated.
Ryker’s shoulders tensed, and I whispered that I loved him, that I trusted him to keep me safe, and that I’d never stop fighting for us.
“I won’t stop either,” he promised, his voice guttural, his facial features fierce, resembling an ancient warrior. His hips jerked up, down, in and out with brutal force, possessing me, claiming me. Each jarring thrust of his pelvis against mine echoed through the room, sealing our promises. I loved it. I loved him. I would do whatever, fight whomever to keep him.
Moments later, a deep shudder ran through his body and then he collapsed on top of me. My limbs felt like liquid. Our chests pounded against each other almost as if our bodies were whispering silent promises to each other.
He started to roll off me, but I curled my hands around his upper arms. “No. Not yet,” I muttered next to his ear. “I want to feel you next to me and inside of me as long as possible.” I chuckled, recognizing the silliness in my words, but that didn’t make them any less true. “Maybe we could sleep like this.”
&nbs
p; He nodded. “That sounds perfect to me,” he admitted, his voice a soft rumble next to my ear. I let the words flow through my body like a rich glass of wine, savoring them, loving them.
Then, he bent his head, capturing my lips in a kiss that made me want to start all over again and celebrate our last hours together until neither of us could move. Without asking, he understood what I wanted. His hands roamed my body, grazing every inch as his tongue curled around mine. The twin rhythms of our breaths echoed in the room. Within a few minutes, his cock stirred to life inside of me, and we were right back where I wanted to be…forever.
Chapter Eighteen
Ryker
I pushed Hattie’s hair away from her face and pressed a kiss to her trembling lips. “Are you ready to do this?”
She licked her lips. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I lifted her hand, slid the ring I gave her last night from her finger and placed it in her open palm. “Put this somewhere safe until you’re on the airplane.”
She slipped it in her pocket and closed her eyes. Her lashes cast shadows on her cheekbones. “Are you sure we have to do this?” A quiet desperation colored her words, turning my stomach inside out.
“Look at me,” I whispered as I curled my hand around the side of her face. “It’s just for show. Everything I say once we walk out this door doesn’t mean anything.”
Last night, we agreed to stage a fight so everyone believed we were no longer together. I didn’t like the idea of the last words we’d share for weeks or longer being filled with hatred, but I needed to do everything possible to keep her safe. That meant explicitly showing everyone I didn’t want her any longer.
“I know, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt,” she said, her voice cracking.
“They’re just words. Don’t give them the power to hurt you. You know how I feel about you. What I say out there won’t change anything.”
I leaned in and kissed her one more time—maybe the last time if things exploded in my face. Her lips were soft and inviting. She tasted like mint and Hattie, the elixir of love and life. My tongue teased as it slid inside of her mouth, stoking my flame of never-ending desire for her. I tunneled my hands into her hair, deepening our kiss. A low moan slipped from her lips, and I swallowed it, burying it inside of me for later. I wanted to pull her into me. I wanted more time, but it wasn’t possible. At least not today.
“Better?”
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“I love you.”
She smiled. “I love you, too.”
I nodded and flung the door open.
“Get the fuck out of this house,” I yelled as I stalked down the hall.
“Why are you doing this?” Hattie said, her voice small.
“Because we’re over. You need to leave.”
Her suitcase rumbled over the tile floor behind her as she followed me down the hall. “So that’s it. After everything you put me through, don’t you think you owe me a better explanation?”
I halted in the foyer by the front door. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Noah, Ignacio, and Emanuel sitting in the living room just as Noah and I agreed.
“Fuck, Hattie.” I jerked my hand through the strands of my disheveled hair. “Do you want me to spell it out for you?”
She angled her chin to the side. “Yes.”
“We had fun together. You were a good diversion, but I’m just not interested in you anymore. Being with you feels more like work than fun, and I don’t want to work that hard.”
She flinched, then her shoulders slouched. She looked so fucking defeated. I hated hurting her even if it wasn’t real. I hated Ignacio. I hated the Vargas Cartel. I wished I could wrap her up in my arms and carry her away from this place. Instead, I dug my fingernails into my palms to stop myself from folding her into my arms.
“You said you loved me,” she said, her voice trembling.
“I lied.”
The color drained from her face. “What about the baby?”
I snorted as I whipped the front door open. “Oh please, Hattie. You don’t even know if it’s mine. It could be Evan’s.”
She stared at me for a long second, and my heart thudded wildly in my chest.
I love you. I love you. I love you. I willed her to see the truth in my eyes and stay strong.
“I guess you’ll never know,” she said softly.
“I guess not.” I pulled her plane ticket from my pocket and held it out in front of me. “Here.”
“What’s that?”
“A plane ticket. Noah is going to accompany you home to make sure I don’t have to waste any more time or resources rescuing you again.”
“Wow.” A bitter laugh tumbled from her lips as she shook her head. “You really can’t wait to get rid of me.”
Noah crossed the room and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He whispered something in her ear as he steered her toward the open door. I wanted to rip his lips off his face.
I folded my arms across my chest. “Go home, Hattie. Go back to Evan or whoever.”
She whipped her head around, pinning me with her glassy eyes. “I fucking hate you. I wish I never met you. You ruined my life.”
“Yeah, well, the feeling’s mutual. Get her out of here, Noah.”
She shrugged his arm off her shoulder. “I’m going. I don’t need your lapdog to escort me out the door.”
Then the door slammed shut, and she was gone.
“Ryker,” Ignacio said as he walked across the room.
“I don’t want to talk right now.”
He patted me on the arm. “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but you did the right thing. Juan will go after her again. Sending her away is the only way she’ll be safe.”
I shrugged. “I was ready to move on.”
Ignacio’s brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
My hands shook, and I shoved them into my pockets, hiding them. “I thought I loved her, but I don’t. We’re too different. We’d never work.”
“What’s going to happen with the baby?” Ignacio asked.
I rolled my shoulders, and I sucked in a breath through my nose. “I don’t give a fuck,” I hissed.
I didn’t wait for his response. I needed to get away from him. I was going to be sick.
Chapter Nineteen
Hattie
I clutched the handle of my suitcase in one hand, dragging it behind me out of the automatic airport doors. It had been a long twenty-four hours, but now I was back in D.C. It didn’t feel like home. It felt foreign. In fact, without Ryker I felt like a drifter clasping onto meaningless things that used to be the center of my world.
Taxis zipped in out of the parking lanes. Cars honked. Police officers directed traffic. Tourists and businessmen fumbled with their phones. Nothing about this felt right. I sucked in a deep breath, drawing the muggy air into my body. I’d spent so many years of my life being practical and making socially acceptable decisions, but every cell in my body begged me to turn around and run right back to Ryker. Frozen with indecision, I tapped my fingers on the hard plastic handle of my suitcase. I backtracked a few steps.
With his ear pressed to his cell phone, Noah glanced over his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing?” he mouthed.
My body sagged and I shook my head. “Nothing,” I said. I had to stick with Ryker’s plan. We needed to put all our ghosts to bed if we wanted to be together, and that meant eliminating the Deverons from my life permanently.
Frowning, he popped the trunk and loaded my luggage into the car. He didn’t have anything except a small black bag. Then, he opened the back door of a black sedan and gestured for me to get in. He climbed in next to me, and the car pulled away from the curb.
“Do you have the papers?” he asked.
“Why?”
His heavily fringed eyes narrowed. “I need to review them before we walk into the meeting.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “You’re not coming in with me. I’
m going to do this alone.”
He angled his head to the side, and one side of his mouth curved up into a grin. “Yes. I am. Ryker wanted my help. I don’t do things half-assed. I’m either all the way in or I won’t bother.”
“He wanted your help keeping me safe. Nothing else,” I countered.
He squeezed my leg, and I scooted across the seat out of his reach. “He wanted my help with everything.”
I drummed my fingers on the soft leather seat. “He didn’t mention that to me. If he wanted you to see everything, he would’ve given you a copy or showed them to you last night.”
“His mind was focused on other things.”
“Like what?”
He stared at me wordlessly for a few seconds, his face inscrutable. “Warning me to keep my distance from you.”
“What? Why the hell did he do that?” My mind swirled. Didn’t he trust me?
Noah shrugged. “Who knows? I’m not privy to his inner thoughts, but you can call Ryker and talk to him about it.” His lips twitched. “But he probably won’t answer his phone. He can’t risk anyone listening to his calls. For his plan to work, we need everyone to believe he severed all contact with you.”
“I don’t know if I should trust you.” It wasn’t entirely true. Since the moment he dragged me to the helicopter, he treated me with respect. He treated me like a friend, but being back in D.C. and knowing what we needed to accomplish, made me feel on edge. Part of me wanted to run to my dad with the evidence and beg him to help me, and wash my hands of the whole thing.
His eyebrows lifted in question. “Look, Hattie, Ryker asked for my help. He’s paying me to help. In order to make this work, I need to know everything. I won’t go into a mission blind.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, debating what to do. “Fine,” I conceded. “Tell me what you know and I’ll fill in the blanks.”
“Hattie,” he said, drawing out my name, a mysterious smile toying with the corners of his lips. “Do you really think Ryker would send me here expecting you to keep me in the dark?” He glanced at his watch. “But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll tell you what I know. We’re meeting with the D.C. Times in less than an hour. I know we will hand over evidence concerning Senator Deveron’s ties to the Vargas Cartel if they agree to write the story.”