by Jayne Rylon
With that, she leaned forward and took him into her mouth. Her lips slid entirely to the base of his shaft and her palm cupped his balls, squeezing ever so slightly. When she swallowed around him, her intent couldn’t be any clearer.
Still, she didn’t leave him to wonder if he’d pleased her. She drew off and said breathlessly, “Okay, Ryan. Close your eyes again. Show me, now. Show me how hard you’d come with us.”
Permission was the only thing he’d needed.
He roared and let the rapture he felt flood his system.
His fists pounded the mattress as jets of seed splattered across his chest. Ryan hoped she understood he was trying to show her with every drop that propelled from his balls how much he loved what she’d done for him. He hoped his release pleased her.
By the rocking of her hips, which ground her pussy on his face, he figured it did. He hoped her final climax was as powerful as his.
Because he was pretty sure he was never going to be the same again.
“Ryan! Oh, fuck. Ryan.” She screamed out something that might have been intended as a warning. He didn’t need the words. Her body prepared him for her impending explosion. He lifted her enough to wriggle two fingers inside her when the epic orgasm hit.
The clench and pulse of her muscles impressed him, and made him sure that not only did his body thrill her, so did his desires.
Thank fucking God.
He couldn’t have been happier. Unless Ben were with them. Fuck.
He refused to let rogue thoughts destroy the moment.
For a while he floated, until the dildo slipped from his ass and he felt the need to clean up. “Shari, can I open my eyes?”
“Oh shit!” She laughed. “Sorry, sorry. I suck. Yes.”
He blinked at the dazzling light that had more to do with her brilliant smile than the bedside lamp. “You did suck. So damn good. Never apologize for that.”
Shari melted off him into an adorable pile of well-fucked woman. Hair everywhere, skin flushed, breathing like she’d sprinted across the entire ranch.
So he gathered her up and settled her next to his body, holding her close. If she also acted like the world’s most amazing security blanket, protecting him from everything outside their little bubble of ecstasy, that worked for him too.
Carefully, he stole a kiss that wasn’t a fraction as long or involved as he wished. He wanted to show her how deeply she’d touched him…as soon as he’d fully finished his duties.
“I gotta take care of this.” He waved toward the mess he’d made of himself.
“Go ahead, you know where the bathroom is.” She flopped onto her back, one hand over her mound and the other cupping a breast idly. “I’ll just be here, completely dead, for a while. Ryan, it’s all true. You are spectacular and you brought me so much pleasure I’m not sure how I survived.”
“Thank you.” The gruff scratch of his voice surprised him. It was more than physical, this connection they had. He kept his head bowed in reverence as he gathered their supplies then headed down the hall.
She would never know how precious the gift she’d given him was.
But he would never forget it.
And every day for the rest of his life, he vowed to honor it.
Her.
10
A rattling from the hardwood floor beside the bed jolted Shari from her semi-slumber. The daze induced by the record-breaking levels of endorphins rushing through her veins had a strong hold on her. What the heck was that noise?
She hoped it wasn’t another lonely raccoon invading the cabin. The last one had nearly scarred her for life when it had popped its head through the ceiling before spotting her, hissing, then scurrying off to God knows where. For weeks after that, she’d carried a broom around in case she had to fend off a sneak attack. Living out in the middle of nowhere by yourself definitely had some disadvantages.
Except tonight she wasn’t alone.
Cautiously, she drew the quilt to her chest and leaned over the edge of the bed, prepared to scream her fool head off for Ryan…and not the way she had earlier, either. She peeked in the general direction of the racket. It wasn’t a rabid rodent causing the fuss. Nope, it was Ryan’s pants. Buzzing like mad against the planks.
Someone was texting him.
Repeatedly.
Before she could decide if she should fish his phone from his pocket and see what the hell was so urgent, her own cell started binging and lighting up like the slot machine that had dished out Ellie’s doomed jackpot that night they’d had wonderful, or awful—depending on how you looked at it—luck at the casino.
Shari lunged for the device and unlocked her screen.
She had twenty-seven messages waiting. Her mouth gaped open.
Uh oh.
Apparently they were fortunate there hadn’t been a psycho raccoon about to pounce on them and bite them in their very bare asses, because they wouldn’t have heard an entire family of the little bastards over the racket they’d caused.
Oopsy daisy.
Some of the texts were from her friends.
Lacey: Hey, we heard what happened today. You okay?
Ellie: If you and my brother want to crash here instead of driving all the way back to the ranch, you know you’re always welcome.
Lily: Call me if you want to talk. About anything. ;)
Izzy: Yo! Where are youuuuuu? The mother hens are starting to freak.
Jambrea: I wasn’t going to bug you tonight, but could you give a quick thumbs up before everyone loses their minds? We’re worried.
Mason (she imagined him texting her in his best unit leader voice): Check in. Please.
With that last part a nod at civility having been added at Lacey’s insistence.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the majority of her messages were actually in one long thread from Ben. A few hours ago, they’d started out rational enough.
“I get it if he’s pissed. If you are too.”
“Please just let me know you’re somewhere safe.”
An hour later: “None of the Men in Blue or their girls have heard from you. Even if you drove all the way home, you should have made it there a while ago. Everything good?”
Of course, Ben didn’t realize they’d made a pretty lengthy pit stop to stock up on supplies before heading up here. Ryan shopped for ingredients like some women shopped for shoes. It had been interesting to push the cart and observe him inspecting things, smelling them, picking them up to examine them from every angle. Hell, he must have prodded each mango in the place before he found an acceptable specimen.
Then sometime after they’d finished eating and moved on to the after-dinner entertainment: “Fuck. I’m so sorry. Please be all right.”
And finally the ones she’d just received: “It was stupid to let you drive when everyone was upset and shit was happening so fast.”
“I shouldn’t have let you leave.”
“Biggest mistake of my life.”
Buzz.
Another: “I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to you. Either of you. Both of you.”
Shit! Shari punched the reply button and started to type furiously.
Right then, Ryan came back in the room. His smile died when he caught sight of her frantic expression. “What the—?”
“Your phone. Check it.” While glancing up, she lost her grip. Her sweaty, shaking palms caused her to fumble her cell. In the process, she sent Ben some gobbledygook instead of a well-crafted response including a sincere apology.
It was cruel to have ignored him—intentionally or not—given the losses he’d suffered. His sister’s death had rocked him and bred a justified paranoia for the safety of his loved ones.
“Oh, fuck.” Ryan must have a screen full of notifications similar to the ones she’d been tardy reading. He grimaced. Before he could cancel the hunt, his phone started ringing. “I’ve got to answer this or he’s likely to haul Julie out of bed, pile her into the car, and drive up here, stopping to
check every ditch along the way.”
“I know. Go ahead.” She flashed what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “If you want some privacy…”
“No.” He plopped onto the bed, oblivious to his nudity. Then he took her hand and used it to drag her closer. “I don’t want any secrets between us.”
With that, he connected the call.
“Sorry,” he said without so much as a hello. “Call off the search party. We’re fine.”
“Ryan? Fuck!” Exasperation, yep. Relief was evident in Ben’s curse as well, even from what residual shouting trickled through the speaker, past Ryan’s skull, and to Shari’s ears.
“How much of that stuff you wrote did you really mean, now that you know we weren’t hurt and were too busy getting it on to read your texts?”
“Ryan!” Shari slapped his shoulder. Why antagonize the man after they’d already tormented him? Gloating wasn’t necessary, even if it had been the best not-quite-but-sort-of-sex of her life.
“You’re such a fucking dickhead.” To Shari’s surprise, Ben didn’t rage. He burst out laughing. She would never understand how guys operated. “I hope the fact that it apparently took five hours for you to blow your wad doesn’t mean you had too much trouble getting it up without me.”
“You wish.” Ryan scrunched his eyes closed and swallowed hard enough to make his Adam’s apple bob. He gripped Shari’s fingers tight.
Their sparring might be effortless, but the conversation wasn’t easy for him. Had he been acting this well since they’d regained their freedom? If she hadn’t witnessed his pain, she wouldn’t have been able to detect it in his voice. Ben surely couldn’t either.
Ryan was entirely too good at hiding his hurt, taking a beating—physical or otherwise—for her liking. He would gladly sacrifice himself for the happiness of those he cared about. And had, repeatedly. Damn it.
She’d have to be more careful to make sure he wasn’t ever doing that around her. That was not what she wanted for him.
He deserved better.
“So…uh…” Ben seemed reluctant to hang up now that he’d gotten relief from the fears that had been stalking him.
Ryan didn’t cut him any slack or fill the awkwardly growing gap.
Neither did he end the call.
This was why they’d been locked in a stalemate for months, she figured. So much left unsaid between them. Bullshit. Too bad tonight wasn’t the time to solve that problem. She was tired and, honestly, feeling a little self-centered. It was her turn. She didn’t plan to waste it like Ben had.
After listening to each other breathe for a solid twenty seconds, Ben said, “It was a chaotic day…”
Shari expected him to say something like “…so I should let you go.”
Instead, he said, “After you left, we found out that the roller-skating rink is double booked for next weekend. They bumped us and don’t have another opening for two months.”
“Oh damn.” Ryan shook his head.
Even Shari knew how badly Julie had been looking forward to the outing. She’d talked about it every time they’d seen each other for the past couple of months.
“Yeah. Julie had a major meltdown. On top of everything else today, she couldn’t handle it.” Ben sighed, and she could picture him scrubbing his broad hands over his stubbled face. “I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad. It’s just that… Look, she’s had her heart set on the pony cake you were going to make for her.”
“I’ll still do it,” he promised before Ben had even finished.
“But we had to move the party up to tomorrow. At ten.”
“In the morning?” Shari’s eyes went wide. It was damn near midnight now. Factor in the drive and…
They were in trouble.
No one wanted to disappoint that little girl again.
“Well, that’s one hell of an effective cock-block there, Ben.” Ryan huffed out a chuckle while Shari wondered if he was being serious. Could he have gone another round? Damn. “I guess I better get my ass in gear. Is the plan still to go back to the house to open presents and stuff after skating? It would buy us some time if we could meet you there.”
“You’ll come? We can buy a cake somewhere and you can do some quick decorations. Maybe the kind you’ve made before when you print the edible ink on that flat white stuff or something…”
“Shut your fucking face.” Ryan seemed really insulted now. “I have the materials and equipment I need. I already ordered it all and I packed it. I spent way too much time designing this thing to crap out now. It’ll be close, but I’ll be there. With the cake. Done the right way.”
He looked over at Shari then with a questioning glance.
“I’d be happy to drive you. It’s no problem. And I’d like to at least drop off my gift for Julie, if that’s okay with Ben.”
“Did I hear her fucking right?” Ben growled.
“Now you did it.” One corner of Ryan’s mouth kicked up.
“You tell Shari that her pretty little ass is welcome here any time. Even if she did spend the whole evening too busy to answer her goddamn phone while making you a very happy man. Which I hope she did. I mean, I hope you had a good time. Both of you.” He seemed genuine, if a little wistful. “I have to say this, okay? I about lost my mind there for a while. I couldn’t stand it if the last things I ever said to you were shitty and angry. Even though rooming together, or whatever, didn’t pan out and today was a disaster, I’m so glad you’re okay. And together.”
“Not to mention about to save your ass with a gigantic, glittery pony cake made with enough sugar to kill a real horse.”
“Yeah, that too,” he grunted. “Julie’s all I’ve got left. If I can’t even make her happy—”
Shari’s heart ached. She wished she could give Ben a hug right then. Except she didn’t know if he’d accept it. You know, if she’d been within a hundred miles of him to offer.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be there. Dessert, gifts, and all.”
“Thank you,” Ben said softly enough that Shari almost couldn’t hear it despite the nearness of her head—which now rested on Ryan’s shoulder—to the phone.
“You’re welcome. And Ben?” Ryan looked down at her and grinned. Something about him had changed tonight. He was…determined. Less cautious. More confident.
“Yes?”
“I love you too.” Instead of waiting for a response, Ryan hung up.
Tears stung Shari’s eyes. She knelt on the bed and smothered Ryan in a hug. He laid his head on her boobs for a few seconds before reaching up to guide her face to his for a searing yet tender kiss.
Before they could get too carried away, he sighed and rolled gracefully from the bed to his feet. Tall and lithe, he awed her. No question, his body was as fine as he wished it to be. She could ogle him longer than she had the statues in the city’s museum, which she’d visited with Lacey, Izzy, Ellie, Jambrea, and Lily on one of their recent girls’ nights.
His classic good looks surpassed the famous pieces in her estimation.
“Hold that thought, Shari.” He winced as he tucked his half-hard cock into his jeans and zipped them up. “We’ve got a spectacular confetti-filled, rainbow-sparkly pony cake to bake. I’m going to need an assistant. Unless you’d rather sleep. It has been a long one.”
“I’m not going to bed without you. That doesn’t seem very appealing anymore.” With a last longing gaze at the rumpled covers and her soft pillows, she accepted the hand he held out to her. Without straining, he helped her up, then handed her his T-shirt. Shari dove into the soft cotton that smelled like vanilla and spice. Like him. Given his height, it covered the essentials. Plus, it kept his chest bare. Win-win.
“Let’s go.” She offered her hand, and he took it.
If she worried about what tomorrow would bring, or if Ryan would be able to leave Ben again so soon, she tried not to let those doubts spoil their fun as they mixed, baked, constructed, decorated, and had a sprinkle war in the early hours of the morn
ing.
Even though he’d only been there for a single night, she couldn’t imagine how empty her cabin would be if she came home tomorrow without him. She rubbed her chest at the thought.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind then licked a dab of purple icing from her cheek.
“Couldn’t be better.” Or could it? She sighed as she settled against him, her exhausted mind wandering again to Ben. Together they stood there for a minute, admiring the watercolor sky as dawn painted it an array of colors.
“It’s a new day, Shari. Anything is possible.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ve got a hunch that with you by my side, it’s only up from here.”
“Technically, I’m in front of you.” She squealed when he tickled her. Out of breath, she held her hands up, palms out. “But I know what you meant.”
If only she could shake the sense of dread she had about returning him to the city so soon. Up here, things seemed easier. Simple. Down there, he was right—anything could happen. That’s exactly what she was afraid of. Ben had said it himself—he’d fucked up. Letting Ryan go had been a mistake. Maybe he was smart enough to try and fix it before it really was too late.
She wouldn’t blame him.
“How about we sneak in a nap before we have to pack this up and head out?” He rubbed her shoulders, lulling her. “I don’t want you to drive sleepy. I’ll clean up this disaster when we get back.”
When, not if. At least that’s what he said now.
“Promise?” Did he realize she didn’t give a damn about the kitchen? Really, she only prayed he would be with her when she returned.
“Yes.”
11
By the time Shari carefully approached the glob of vehicles choking Ben’s street and found a spot long enough to parallel park her truck in, she had chewed off a solid portion of her nail polish. A cigarette sounded so good right now. If she hadn’t kicked the habit a couple months ago and tossed out her stash, she’d have been lighting up no matter how much shit Ryan gave her for it. Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, mostly to delay the inevitable.