Claimed by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders, Book 2): Duke Ryder

by Melissa Foster

  She drew back and licked her lips. “Close your eyes.” Her voice was a little shaky.

  Duke closed his eyes and gripped her hips as she dragged her teeth along his jaw, then kissed her way to his ear and dipped her tongue inside as she palmed his erection over his slacks. His hips rose, and she moaned into his ear. With his eyes closed, the sensations intensified. Her sweet scent surrounded him. He felt each one of her shallow breaths as if they were his own. She kissed his pecs, down the middle of his stomach, still working him with her hand, and when her lips reached the sensitive skin below his belly button, he couldn’t stifle the greedy groan that escaped from his lungs. She ran her tongue around his belly button, then dipped inside. His hips bucked with the feel of her hot, wet mouth.

  He gripped the sides of her hair, sucking in air between gritted teeth as she ran her mouth over his slacks, along his rigid length, pressing with her teeth just hard enough to make him want to explode.

  “Baby—” He rocked his hips, and she pushed them back down, as he’d done to her countless times.

  “I’m in control this time.” Gone was the tentative shakiness in her voice, replaced with confidence and seduction.

  Christ Almighty, I’ve died and gone to heaven.

  She unbuttoned his slacks and unzipped them painfully slowly. He fought the urge to rip them off and gave in to her sensual fantasy. With his slacks open and his cock still covered with his briefs, she dragged her tongue along his hard length. The heat of her tongue worked its magic through the fabric, and he groaned again, needing so much more. He curled his fingers around the edge of the lounge chair to keep from taking control. She cupped his balls over his briefs, sending shocks of lust searing into his core. He ground his teeth together as she licked and sucked his belly, just above the head of his cock.

  “Fuck. Fuck, Gabriella. You’re torturing me.”

  “You haven’t seen torture yet.” She moved off of the chair, and he opened his eyes. The moon shone behind her, illuminating her sexy-as-hell curves, as she swayed her hips and began unbuttoning her blouse.

  Duke pushed up from the chair, and she set her foot on his chest, shoving him onto his back, and shook her head.

  “Just enjoy. Next time you strip for me.”

  “Baby, I’ll fulfill your every fantasy.”

  One by one those buttons opened, and flashes of lace and skin stole his brain cells a handful at a time. When her blouse was completely unbuttoned, she grabbed the two sides and gyrated her hips as she pulled the shirt free from her skirt, then stripped it off and tossed it away. Her foot was still on Duke’s chest, and he gripped her calf, stroking, squeezing, needing the connection as she unhooked the front clasp of her lace bra and it sprang open, hitching against her nipples. She left it like that as she removed her foot from his chest, leaving Duke panting for more, and she turned around. With her back to him, she gazed over her shoulder. Her hair fell in front of one eye as she dropped one bra strap, then the other, and shook it off. It floated to the ground and landed at her feet. She unzipped her skirt, giving him another seductive dance. Duke palmed his cock, unable to wait any longer for relief. Her eyes widened, spurring him on. She was so sexy as she wiggled out of her little black skirt and it puddled at her feet, leaving her in only a pair of black panties. He pushed his pants and briefs down his thighs and licked his palm, then gave himself one long stroke after another.

  She crossed her arms over her breasts and turned to face him. Her hair hung loose over her shoulders, covering the swell of her breasts. Her panties rode high on her hips, and the way her arms were crossed against her full breasts made them plump out to the sides. He licked his lips, wanting to run his tongue over that creamy skin and get his mouth on the hidden rosy buds he loved so much.

  She eyed his hand, now stroking his cock faster, and she stripped him from his slacks. Then she shimmied from her panties, swirled them around on her finger, and tossed them aside.

  “So fucking sexy.” Lust pooled at the base of his spine. He was close to coming.

  She made a come-hither motion with her finger. As Duke sat up, she positioned herself between his legs. He shrugged off his shirt so they were both naked, and he ran his hands up her thighs. She moved his hands around to her ass and pressed her hips forward. Her damp curls brushed over his chin.

  “Kiss me,” she said in the commanding voice she’d used earlier.

  There was no command necessary. He was ready to eat her, fuck her, love her, whatever she wanted. He kissed her silky skin above her curls, then moved lower, pressing his lips into those damp, sexy curls, and kissed her there. He slid his hand over one hip and between her legs, and she gripped his wrist and forcefully moved it back to her ass.

  He glanced up at her, smiling as he kissed her where she’d told him to, loving this new side of her. She fisted her hands in his hair and guided his mouth to her inner thigh, to the crease beside her sex, over her damp curls, and then to her other thigh. He groaned with the tease. Her scent was driving him crazy. He pressed his fingers into her flesh, holding her still as he kissed, licked, and sucked the areas she allowed.

  “That’s it,” she purred. “Oh, so good. Touch yourself with one hand.”

  “Baby, you’re killing me.” He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d last before he’d give in to his need and sweep her beneath him.

  “I never…” She tugged him up to his feet by the hair, stopping him at her breast, and steered his mouth to her ripe, swollen nipple. “Oh yes. Oh God. That’s so good. I’ve never done this, but watching those movies…”

  He sucked her nipple against the roof of his mouth and released his cock, gripping her hips again. He needed the friction, needed to feel her soft curves surrounding him. She yanked his head back and crashed her mouth over his, kissing him deep and wild. Their tongues battled as she clung to his hair. She suddenly tugged his mouth away and steered him to her other breast.

  “Fuck, baby,” he said around her nipple. Then he sucked and licked, unable to resist nipping the tip. She cried out, but continued holding his head in place.

  “I like you watching those movies.” He narrowed his eyes. “Next time you watch with me.”

  **

  WHAT STARTED OUT as a let me see if I can be bold moment, turned into a full-on exploration of Gabriella’s sexual confidence—and she loved it. The more she guided Duke, the more turned on she became, and now having him in her control was like a drug. She wanted more. More control, more time to figure out what she liked. But she was fighting the urge to straddle him and quell the aching need between her legs during every second of this incredibly pleasurable exploration.

  “I will watch them with you. Back…back on the chair.” She heard her strength failing with every flick of his tongue on her tender nipple.

  He sank back down on the chair, and she motioned for him to lie down as she feasted on all those planes of hard flesh on display just for her. His long, thick shaft reached beyond his belly button, and his sac lay atop the junction of his powerful thighs. Teeth and tug. “God, Duke, those porn guys have nothing on you.”

  A cocky grin spread across his handsome face. “Good to know, baby.”

  Her nerves felt like they were on the outside of her skin. She set a hand by his hip, closed her eyes—If my eyes are closed I won’t be embarrassed—and straddled his chest. She couldn’t overthink this or she’d chicken out. As she wrapped her fingers around his shaft, she inched her legs back and lowered her swollen sex over his mouth.

  “Lick me.” She said it so quietly she wasn’t sure he’d heard her, but seconds later his hands gripped her hips and he devoured her with his talented mouth.

  It took all her focus to remember that she was supposed to be pleasuring him, and she lowered her mouth and licked the glistening bead at the tip of his cock. She loved the taste of his arousal, knowing he was hers. She felt empowered and sexier than she ever had as she worked him with her hand and swallowed him deep, relaxing her throat as Addy had told he
r to. She grazed her teeth along his shaft, and his hips shot up.

  “Did I hurt you?” she asked quickly.

  “No. You’re driving me out of my mind.”

  With a satisfied smirk, she did it again, earning another strong shift of his hips. She fondled his sac, squeezing a little, and when he spread her thighs further and sucked her clit into his mouth, she moaned around his rigid length. His shaft swelled impossibly larger against the vibration, and she did it again, pleased with the same erotic response.

  His fingers plunged inside her, and she arched back, holding tightly to his erection as he brought her right up to the edge. She wanted to give him the same pleasure and tried to push past the haze of desire that was making her head spin. She licked the length of his shaft, tickling his sac, as she focused on the swollen head, sucking, stroking, and licking until he was moaning into her. She had learned something else in those videos, and she wanted to try it all, but… When his finger teased her other hole, she groaned and licked her fingers, then gave him a little ass play, too. On the advice of Addy, she didn’t venture too far, just teased and touched.

  “So fucking good, baby.” His husky voice was all the approval she needed.

  “Make me come.” Her words came without thought as she took him in deep, moving one hand between his ass and his sac.

  Just as she felt her insides quiver and burn, he plunged his fingers inside her, sending her spiraling over the edge. She tugged gently on his sac, and hot jets of come filled her throat. Their bodies shook and thrust. She’d never felt anything as intense as she shattered against his hand and mouth as he was coming in hers. She swallowed his salty seed, circled the head, licking off every sweet drop. Her thoughts blurred together as she collapsed on top of him. Her whole body was numb as he gathered her in his arms and cradled her on his lap.

  “I love you so much, baby.” He brushed her hair from her face and kissed her softly. “You okay?”

  “That was…intense,” she said against his neck. “I never knew it could be such a whole-body experience. I feel like I can’t move.”

  “You don’t have to.” He sat with her in his arms, his legs trembling beneath her, until his body settled from his own release. Then he rose with her in his arms and carried her inside. “I’ll get our things after I run you a warm bath.”

  “I learned other stuff, too.” She nuzzled against his chest, marveling at what they’d just done and the fact that he was carrying her, buck naked, through his house. It occurred to her that she hadn’t worried about being naked on his patio. There were no neighbors to worry about, and it was pitch-dark outside. The house was light, and Duke could see every curve, every ripple caused by the chocolates she kept on her desk. But she wasn’t self-conscious. Duke made her feel desirable, and the way he’d reacted to her outside gave her even more confidence.

  He stopped at the foot of the stairs and gazed into her eyes. “Do you know how much it means to me that you wanted to do more for me? For us?” He paused, and his eyes went serious and his lips pressed together, as if he were trying to gain control of his emotions.

  “You only need to be yourself to make me feel good, baby. I don’t want you to feel pressure when it comes to our intimacy. It’s who you’re with, not what you do, that makes it special.” He kissed her again, and then his lips curved up in a devilish grin. “But I do love this aggressive side of you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  DUKE AND GABRIELLA spent the rest of the week sleeping at Duke’s house, driving to and from work together, and making love into the wee hours of the morning. When the weekend came, they spent most of Saturday in bed, exploring each other’s bodies, trying out all of the positions Gabriella had seen in the videos she’d watched with Addy. Watching Gabriella explore her sensual side was like watching a flower bloom. She moved from tentative and shy to in control in the blink of an eye, and it made her all the more alluring.

  Sunday morning promised to be sunny and warm, and after showering together, which had become their habit, they had breakfast on the patio, and then Gabriella settled in with her case files to prepare for her impending court case.

  Duke had purposely been shielding her from his work on the island deal, but he’d received an email from his team, and they’d put together a final briefing to go over details before preparing the proposal. Duke had to leave town tomorrow, and he wasn’t looking forward to going away without Gabriella. But with her case being tried on Tuesday, he knew there was no way she could get away.

  He watched her now, lying on the lounge chair with her documents in her lap. Her pencil moved quickly across the paper, and a serious look lingered in her eyes. He imagined her with a rounded belly carrying their child. He took that thought even further, to a child in her arms, another one in her belly, and him by her side, holding the hands of their other two children. He pictured them on the island with her parents and relatives, dancing up by the lighthouse. His mind skipped ahead further, as their bodies aged and their hair became streaked with silver. When wrinkles would define her gorgeous eyes and those lovely children of theirs would have children of their own. Duke knew with his entire being, he wanted all of that with her.

  She looked up and caught him daydreaming. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He set down his files and went to sit beside her. He spread his hand out over her belly, swallowing what he really wanted to say. I was just thinking about how beautiful you’d look carrying our babies. They had a giant hurdle to get through before they were ready for that. The first step was owning up to his meeting, regardless of whether it broke the spell they’d been under while ignoring the looming proposal.

  “I was just thinking about how I don’t want to leave you, but I have to go out of town tomorrow.”

  “You’re going out of town?” She set down her papers, and he noticed she hadn’t been taking notes. She’d been drawing.

  “What’s this?” He picked up the paper and recognized his backyard, the stone wall around the patio, the water at the edge of the picture. She’d drawn gardens down by the water, around the patio, and throughout his yard in free-formed clusters.

  “Nothing.” She reached for the paper.

  “You don’t want to share that with me?” He hoped she would.

  “Not yet. I’m just messing around. Where are you going?”

  “Pierce and I have a meeting with our team in Reno, where he lives. I shouldn’t be gone more than a day or two, I hope.”

  “Oh, for the Elpitha proposal?” She dropped her eyes.

  He leaned in for a kiss. “Yes. Would you like to talk about it?”

  “No.” She picked up her papers and flipped over the design she’d been working on, turning her attention to the files below.

  “Gabriella, I’ll share anything you’d like to know.”

  “It’s just…” She met his gaze. “We’ve gotten so close, and—”

  “Why don’t you come with me, so you can be in on it? Then you won’t worry.”

  “No. I can’t. I have court, and besides, this is your business, not mine.” She smiled, but it never reached her eyes, and Duke’s chest constricted.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. “Baby, I’ve got nothing to hide. I promised that you’d be happy with the outcome, and I intend to keep that promise.”

  **

  THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON Gabriella did her best to hide her mounting anxiety about the island. She’d kept it under control all week, and bam! Just like that the mention of it sent her mind into a flurry of worry. Her mother used to tell her that worrying made no sense unless she could control the outcome, and since she couldn’t in this case, worrying truly made no sense. But that didn’t stop her mind from playing tricks on her well into the evening. She imagined Duke telling her one evening that the deal was done and then finding out that he was moving ahead with everything she didn’t want to happen: sky-high hotels, casinos, massive roads, big cruise ships. Could she really blame h
im? This was his business, after all. It wasn’t even her island to worry about. She was holding on to childhood memories and dreams of an island that, if something wasn’t done to bring in tourism, would surely be nearly vacant in the next decade.

  She packed her bags that evening in preparation of staying at her own place Monday night while he was out of town. She couldn’t stop thinking about how close she and Duke had become and how their lives had blended together so seamlessly.

  “Hey, babe? Let’s take a walk.” Duke reached for her hand and pulled her in close.

  He did that every time they were in the same room, kept her close, like he needed the contact as much as she did. How had she become so attached? The thought of a night without him made her feel lonely, and he wasn’t even gone yet.

  “Come on. We’ll walk off all that angst brewing inside you. Besides, I want to show you something.”

  “Is this a ploy to have kinky sex on the lawn, or…?” She felt playful despite her newly returned worries.

  “Somehow I doubt I need a ploy with you, but no. This is me wanting to take a moonlight stroll with my girl.” He kissed her, and her entire body lit up inside.

  Especially her heart.

  They walked hand in hand down by the water. The moon cut through the clouds like a beacon, casting a gray-blue haze over the dark water.

  “I know you’ve been stressing over this meeting, and I’m sure it’s bringing up all your childhood dreams that you felt were torn apart when you moved to New York. And how you were worried about trusting me because you felt your grandfather had broken your trust by not believing what you’d told him.” Duke draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close.

  He remembered what she’d shared that night at the lighthouse? He really was paying attention to everything she said.