My Favorite Rogue: 8 Wicked, Witty, and Swoon-worthy Heroes

by Courtney Milan, Lauren Royal, Grace Burrowes, Christi Caldwell, Jess Michaels, Erica Ridley, Delilah Marvelle

  He jerked towards her, and his hands wove into her hair, pulling her face closer. Pleased she could make him feel so intensely, she drew as much of his length as she could into her mouth.

  “Oh God, Kathryn,” he hissed. “Christ, yes.”

  It took her a moment, but she began a rhythm, her hand on the lower part of his shaft and her mouth sliding up and down. She sucked at the tip, loving the feel of its velvety strength. He shuddered, his legs shaking as he clearly fought to keep control.

  He began to thrust, shallow little thrusts into her mouth, and she had to keep her lips wide so she could take him. She matched his movements, licking his length and swirling her tongue around his head.

  His head dropped back, and he cupped her cheeks, guiding her rhythm. When she gently tongued the slit at the head again, moist with his salty taste, he groaned and stopped her. He grabbed her arms and tugged her back up to him. He cupped her face in his palms then lowered his mouth over hers.

  “On your knees, sweetheart.” And he easily guided her up onto the mattress.

  Kate glanced back over her shoulder as he pulled her hips up towards him. He mounted the bed and parted her thighs with a knee. He rubbed the tip of his cock against her nub and she cried out. The movement spread her own moisture over her folds and she wiggled back, needing. “Please. Now.”

  “Yes. Now.” He grabbed her hips and slammed his hard length inside her.

  Kate almost came at the hard intrusion, but her body was completely ready for him. And as he pounded against her, his strong grip keeping her in place, she glanced back at him. It was so thrilling the sight of him taking her body. His face was locked in concentration.

  Bracing herself on her elbows, Kate lowered herself to the mattress so only her hips were up in the air. Instantly, she cried out. The angle sent his cock rubbing at her most sensitive spot. Her mouth opened as she gasped at each powerful thrust.

  And then his finger circled and pressed against her nub. She let out a shocked moan, burying her face into the bed as she came over and over again, her body speeding towards unstoppable pleasure.

  He jerked against her, his breath harsh and his voice rough as he called out her name. His thrust came faster and faster till she felt his hot seed spill inside her.

  After a moment, he leaned forward, resting his broad chest against her back. To her shock, he was still hard inside her. Biting her lower lip, Kate tightened her muscles around his cock, and he shook.

  “God woman, you’re amazing.”

  She smiled, her body completely liquid under him. He slid his cock out of her, and she moaned in protest.

  “Still, hungry?”

  In truth, she wasn’t sure she could take anymore, but he felt so marvelous.

  When he gently turned her, she eyed his hard cock, slick with their mixed pleasure. “You’re still. . .?”

  Ryder smiled down at her, his body less tense. “I’ve been hard since I met you, and I don’t think that will change any time soon.”

  Kate reached up and cupped the side of his face. Ryder kissed her palm then lowered her hand to his slick shaft. “You don’t think we’re done yet, do you?”

  “We aren’t?”

  “Oh no, darling. That was just the beginning.” As if to prove his point, Ryder laid down beside her and palmed her breasts.

  She arched into his hand, her body awake and immediately heating for him.

  “See, my love, you’re not ready to be done.”

  Kate swallowed at the words my love. They were just a term of endearment, no different than darling, but they tugged at her heart nonetheless. She couldn’t let herself think anything more of them, even if she ached to. She’d been down that road, and she was not going to go down it again.

  “Kiss me,” she said, urgency deepening her voice.

  Instead of taking her mouth, he bent his dark head and took her nipple into his mouth.

  She grabbed his head, his hair sliding against her fingers. Her nipples tightened into hard, needy points. And in answer, her core throbbed.

  He had just used her thoroughly, but she knew without a doubt, she could take him again. His mouth worked wonders over her sensitive breasts. He pressed them together and flicked his tongue over one nipple then the next. Then as if to torture the oversensitized flesh, he nibbled gently on the hard peaks and then applied slightly harder pressure until she cried out. She dug her hand into his hair, pulling him closer.

  “I think it’s time for me to kiss other places.” And true to his word, he kissed his way down to the mound between her thighs.

  Kate stared at him, trying not to let her heart take over. She could control herself. It didn’t matter that he made her feel like she was the most loved person in the entire world. She would remember he offered her the best thing he could, happiness free of complications. And she would seize every last little bit she could.

  Chapter 22

  Damn, but having sex with Kathryn set fire to his soul. And he knew why, though he didn’t want to admit it. He wasn’t just having sex with her. He was making love to her body.

  He wanted to give her pleasure until she could take no more. Ryder kissed the soft curls just above her pussy and drank in the salty feminine scent. It was erotic, the scent of their love making. He gently parted her thighs and crawled back so he was resting on the steps leading up to the bed. Impatiently, he tugged her towards him so her hips were just on the edge.

  With one hand, he hooked her legs around his shoulders. With the other, he pressed her hips down, keeping her in place. She was so beautiful. The silky folds of her sex were wet with hunger.

  Hunger for him.

  For a moment, he just stared down at her, savoring the knowledge that he gave her pleasure and that no other man was going to give her pleasure again.

  Gently, his slicked his fingers over her folds, and she shimmied against him. Ryder smiled then bent his head. Ever so slightly, he lingered above her then flicked his tongue out over her nub. She gasped for breath and bucked against his face. A low laugh rumbled from his chest.

  “That pleases you?”

  She wove a hand in his hair and urged him down.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” And then he ran his lips back and forth over her, building the pressure and the friction. Her muscles tightened, and her hips lifted off the bed as she reached towards him.

  He sucked her into his mouth, loving the salty taste of her. God, he loved the fact she was marked by their lovemaking. He could spend all day taking that in. Licking her like sweet summer ice, he pressed then retreated.

  Her head tossed back and forth on the bed. Closing his eyes, he focused on the feel of her against his lips and tongue, hot and sweet, ready for him. He wanted her wet. Intensely wet.

  He drove his tongue into her entry, and she shuddered, her thighs tightening about his head. God, he loved how passionate she was. Finally, he couldn’t take the thundering of his blood and the growing hardness of his cock, and he climbed up her body and pulled her back up the bed.

  “Tell me what you want.” His voice was barely more than a rough whisper.

  Pink stained her cheeks, and her mouth was half open. She slid her hands to his shoulders and down his back. “I want you.”

  The words might have meant something else coming from a different woman, but he wouldn’t allow himself to think about that. Instead, he gave her exactly what she asked. Ryder slid his cock along the wet flesh and then he paused at her back entry and probed ever so slightly.

  Her eyes widened, and her body tensed. “What are you—” She gasped and bit down on her lower lip.

  As he slid his cock in ever so slightly, he flicked his fingers over her pussy, and she grabbed hold of him. “It’s too much.” She moaned. “Too much.”

  “You don’t like it?” Though he could tell from the color of her cheeks and the way she moaned she did.

  “I don’t know,” she breathed.

  “For later, then,” he said gently. He slid his coc
k with aching slowness back into her core.

  She sighed and folded her legs and arms around him. Ryder’s heart slammed in his chest. It was as if she was wrapping her body around him and offering him safety

  He gave himself blindly over to the feeling.

  He propped himself on his elbows and took her in slow thrusts, until she was rising to meet him. He glanced down and managed to catch her gaze. Pure wonder lit her face.

  “I-I didn’t know it could be like this,” she whispered.

  Ryder wrapped her in his arms. “Oh, Kathryn. Neither did I.” And he meant it. Nothing had ever felt like this.

  And then they were coming together their bodies liquid heat as they moved in one rhythm.

  Her thighs tightened about his waist, pulling him even closer to her core. And he rested his head against the pillow, his face buried against her curling hair.

  As her fingers dug into his back and her muscles tightened around him, he couldn’t hold back and he pulled out to the tip then thrust in deep one last time before he spilt his seed. Pleasure erupted inside him, hurtling through his body, and he held her tight, gasping for air.

  The wave faded and he thrust as deep as he could, letting his head rest against her womb. He felt completely drained. Somehow Kathryn had taken him into her and made him feel something he never had. He felt as if maybe, just maybe, there was a place for him in this world and that Hell was a place he could turn his back on.

  * * *

  Kate nestled closer to Ryder, amazement leaving her completely at ease. In fact, the house could fall down around her and she probably wouldn’t notice. He tucked them into the covers. Now, she was pressed against his hard body, her cheek resting against his shoulder and one arm draped over his chest.

  She traced her hand up and down his strong arm, avoiding the thought that he wasn’t wearing the pale ribbon. That he always removed it when they made love. The very idea of it seemed forbidden, and she had no wish to touch darkness tonight, not when so much happiness surrounded them.

  In turn, he wrapped one arm about her, keeping her close to him. Kate glanced up, only getting a view of his black stubbled chin. “I do believe this is the first time we’ve succeeded in finding a bed.”

  He paused for a moment then laughed. “We certainly haven’t done things by rule. Rule is rather boring, don’t you think?

  “Rules are for people without imaginations or a sense of determination.”

  He tapped his finger to the tip of her nose. “And you have quite the determination.”

  She tilted her head back and kissed his fingers. “Thank you?” she asked, not entirely sure it was a compliment.

  “Kathryn,” he said, cuddling her closer. “Your determination is one of your most winning traits. Without it you’d still be in Shropshire.” He paused. “In truth, how did you determine to come to London?”

  “Truthfully?” She wasn’t sure how he’d react. Most people would think it rather pathetic, even if she had to be bold to achieve her desires.

  “I long to hear the tale. After all, the ending though surprising, has turned out rather well.”

  She kissed his chest, loving the feel of his warm skin. It wasn’t going to be easy to relay this, but it was probably best he understood her relationship with Percy and why she refused to let herself be weak. She drew in a long breath preparing for the story.

  “You know,” he said gently, “if it causes you pain, I don’t need to hear it now.” He cupped her cheek. “I would never want to cause you pain.”

  Kate blinked half afraid she was about to feel tears sting her eyes. “No. I’d like to tell you.” She shifted closer to him, if that was possible. “I was lonely, is all. Very. And I had no companions except for a very old and proper lady. And Percy came to call. My father hated Percy almost on sight and disapproved of the match. He made it clear I was being a fool. After all, I had a massive fortune and such a young, romantic man as Percy could never want me, someone rather plain, for anything but my money.”

  “Kathryn, you are anything but plain,” Ryder said, his voice rough. “Your father should be shot. You are valuable in your own right.”

  “No,” she whispered. “He was right. Percy, with his boyish good looks and charm, convinced me he loved me, quite thoroughly.” She smiled in the darkness, though she felt no amusement at her own stupidity. “I allowed myself to be carried away with thoughts of love. I married Percy. And let us just say he thought a wife should be pure and find no pleasure in the act.” She swallowed recalling his grunting over her and the blessed quickness of his pawing. Though she tried not to, she could recall a few rough squeezes and searing pain as he’d stuck himself unceremoniously into her tight body.

  “I’d like to kill him.” Ryder’s voice cut through the air with surprising intensity.

  Kate couldn’t help it. She laughed lightly against his chest. He was being so kind listening to her. “Luckily, he’s already dead.”

  “Skewering wasn’t painful enough for him.”

  Her heart warmed at Ryder’s obvious displeasure on her account. “True. In any case, after a week he made it clear he found my intelligence appalling, my face to be plain and that the only appealing thing about me was my fortune. Sadly, and luckily for me, Percy was not aware how savvy my father was.”

  “He protected your money.”

  “Mmmm. We were only allowed an allowance of ten thousand a year.”

  “Still a substantial sum.”

  “Percy was furious.” She could still feel the crack of his hand when he returned from his lawyers. “He went to London, and I never saw him again.”

  “And you were all alone.”

  “Yes.”

  Ryder was silent for several moments, then he said quietly, “The country can be quite dreary.”

  It had very nearly conquered her usually joyful spirits, what with the silence and rain for days on end. “Oh, yes. And I had days to contemplate the fact I condemned myself to my situation. I did have one luxury though.

  “My father, though he was still furious with me and would not see me for going against his wishes, loved my sense of learning. He arranged for all the London papers to be delivered to my home. It was a godsend.”

  “You must be very well-versed on the nation’s affairs,” Ryder quipped.

  Kate smiled at his attempt at humor and gently slapped his shoulder. “I am and of those abroad. But you know the parts I read with most relish?”

  He let out a long suffering sigh. “I’m almost afraid.”

  “And you should be. I read the gossip columns with a great deal of satisfaction. I lived life through them, imagining myself to be one of the scandalous people who did as they saw fit. And may I say, you were quite an inspiration.”

  “Oh god,” he groaned.

  “I read of your escapades with the ladies and dashing doings with the men and thought how I’d like to meet you.”

  “And from that you arrived on my door?”

  “Not entirely.” This was the bit she was most uncertain about confessing. Kate drew in a quick breath, then rushed out, “Two ladies came down from London. One of them, quite a titter, relayed a bit of sport you’d given her.”

  Ryder flung an arm up over his head, tucking it beneath his neck. “Oh, Kathryn, I’m not sure I want to hear this.”

  She eyed him the dark, only making out his strong profile. “I don’t need to continue.”

  He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder. “Go on.”

  “She said you’d been quite handy when she’d been accosted in the park and you’d joined her in her carriage. Heaven, she’d said. Utter heaven.”

  Ryder drew in a big breath then let it out in a whistle. “This has to be the strangest conversation a husband and wife have ever had. You wanted me due to reports from another woman.”

  She frowned. “You must understand, I’d only had unpleasant experiences and with one man. And it. . .” She tried to think of words to describe how horribl
e it had been without revealing how little control she had.

  “I think I should dig Darrell up and cut his guts out.”

  “There’s no need.” Though she couldn’t hide her own happiness at his care of her. “The worms have done it for you. At any rate, I couldn’t imagine heaven with a man. But the lady was quite adamant that was what you’d given her. It became very important to me that I also experience it. All I wanted was one night with a man who could make me feel pleasure. I wanted to know life was wonderful and not the depressing never ending stretch of loneliness I had known.”

  Ryder leaned in towards her. “You’re very surprising, Kathryn.”

  She blinked against the darkness, not sure what that meant. “I don’t understand.”

  “You never complain. For the most part, you always seem happy and yet you’ve had a sad life.”

  Kate bit her lower lip. She’d fought so hard to not let the pain of her life with Percy overtake her happiness. “One can either laugh or cry. I choose laughter. It’s much better for one’s soul, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, his voice a little deeper than before.

  “I made a decision when Percy died that I would live my life without looking back. And I haven’t.” But it hadn’t been easy leaving that girl behind, the one who had done as her father ordered and who accepted her husband’s dislike with pained resignation.

  “You’re truly a wonder, darling.”

  “Thank you.” She glanced up at him. Given all the trouble she put him through, she asked, “Is that a compliment?”

  “Yes, Kathryn. More women should be like you.”

  “More women should learn from my mistakes,” she said gravely. “I certainly have.”

  “And what have you learned?”

  She hesitated. Could she tell him? Could she tell him that even on her father’s death bed, he called her a fool and that he made it clear he felt no sympathy for her since she’d been foolish enough to believe in love? “It doesn’t really matter. All that matters is I’m here now.”