by E. L. Todd
We both cleaned off in the bathroom before I pulled up my panties and straightened out my dress until it was no longer wrinkled. Something about screwing without even taking off my clothes was innately arousing. He couldn’t have me quick enough, so he just did the bare minimum to get inside me.
Geez, he was hot.
He walked into the kitchen with just his sweatpants hanging on his lean hips. His chiseled physique gleamed under the low lighting of the kitchen, his mounds of muscle looking defined and sleek.
I could stare at him all day.
“How does shrimp linguini sound?” He pulled out everything he needed from the refrigerator and the cabinets before he began cooking.
“For what?”
“Dinner. You’re hungry, right?” He stared me down with his gorgeous green eyes, a distinct shadow over his irises.
We agreed this was strictly about fucking, not dinners and romance. But we did agree to be friends on top of that. I didn’t need to keep up my guard with Ryker all the time. He was clearly a player who never wanted a serious relationship. If there was anything I could count on, it was that. I was safe. “Yeah, sure. Can I help?”
“Get the pasta going, and I’ll take care of the shrimp.”
In perfect harmony, we worked together in the kitchen and prepared dinner like it wasn’t our first rodeo. He had a big kitchen with lots of space, so we didn’t need to fight each other to get things done. I paid a lot of money in rent for my place, but it was a fraction of the size of his penthouse.
“How was your day?” He worked the pan and cooked the shrimp, sizzling the seafood in the white wine and cheese.
I kept an eye on the boiling water, watching the linguini soften. “Good. I worked then got coffee with Madeline.” I skipped over the conversation I had with her, not seeing the point in mentioning anything about Nathan to him. Ryker and I never talked about anything real. It was just sex and meaningless conversation.
“Liam mentioned something about wine tasting this Saturday?”
“Yeah, there’s a few wineries along the coast of Connecticut. Should be fun. Madeline and Jenn are coming. Jared is bringing a date. So it should be a good time.”
“Jared is bringing a date, huh?” He shifted the pan and made the shrimp fly into the air before they returned to the pan.
“Some woman he met at the gym.”
“Good for him.” His tone noticeably brightened. “Are we taking separate cars?”
“I guess we’ll have to.”
“Want to ride up with me?”
“Since I don’t have a car, that would be nice.”
He let the shrimp simmer in the pan, the sauce thickening into a glaze. “It’s a two-seater, just so you know.”
“Is it a fancy sports car?”
“Yep. A Vanquish.”
“An Aston Martin?” I wouldn’t call myself a car aficionado, but I did have a serious appreciation for luxury vehicles that I’ll never be able to afford. “Wow. Those are such beautiful cars. And you hardly ever see them.”
He turned off the burner while wearing a charming smile. “A chick who’s into cars…that’s hot.” His arm circled my waist, and he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It was a quick kiss, the kind couples might share.
But I liked it so I kissed him back.
He drained the pasta in the strainer then mixed it together with the shrimp he’d just prepared. “I’d love to take you for a ride then fuck you in the passenger seat.” He made the two plates and set them on the dining table.
“You have no idea how much I would love that.” I took the glass of wine he poured for me and took a sip. “But that car is too nice, you know? You don’t want it to reek of sex.”
“But then I would think about you every time I was in it.” He gave me a smoldering look before he took a bite of his dinner. “So that works for me. But if you’re trying to protect my car, you could always give me a nice blow job instead.” He winked.
“Look how that worked out…”
“Or I could give you head. That works for me.”
The idea of him going down on me brought me back to life. I thought I was satisfied and hungry, but now I realized I wanted another round. I’d never been addicted to sex like this. Most of the dates I went on led to nothing. And the ones that did lead to sex weren’t groundbreaking. The scarce times I did have good sex, I wasn’t this obsessed with getting more of it. Ryker was a rare breed, a gift to women from the universe. “How was your day?”
“Good. I went to the gym then played Call of Duty.”
I didn’t know anyone this young who was retired. Seemed kinda boring. “I don’t mean this in an offensive way, but do you get bored staying home all day?”
He shrugged before he took another bite. “Sometimes. I’ll probably get a job eventually, but for now, I’m just trying to relax. I’m kinda going through a hard time, so I’m not ready to do anything else at the moment.”
We never talked about anything too personal, so I didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’m sorry to hear that.” I didn’t ask him what suffering he was referring to because it was none of my business. I wouldn’t want him to ask me the same question in return, so I gave him that respect.
He sipped his wine as he watched me across the table. “My father passed away about a year ago. Cancer.” He went back to eating like he hadn’t just said the most heartbreaking thing I’d ever heard.
“Ryker…I’m so sorry.” The heartbreak thudded in my chest, his pain somehow transferring into my body like I’d lost someone too. Losing a family member was never easy, especially to a merciless murderer like cancer.
“It’s okay.” He looked up from his plate and gave me a look of encouragement. “It’s something that will get easier in time.”
“Is that why you moved here? To start over?”
He took a bite and slowly chewed his food like he pondered his answer long before he gave it. “Exactly.”
I understood the need to start over better than anyone. To live in a place where everyone knew everything about your past was suffocating. I could never grow into someone else when everyone knew my best friend screwed me over and my fiancé left me for someone else. I permanently carried an invisible scar that everyone could see. “I get that. I hope you find exactly what you’re looking for.”
“Me too.” He sipped his wine then stared out the window of his living room. The couch I was just fucked on sat there, the cushion dented in from my weight. His chin was dark from the five o’clock shadow that came in. I wondered how he would look if he didn’t shave, letting his hair grow.
He’d probably look just as sexy. “The food is good. Thanks for dinner.”
“Thanks for helping me with it.”
“I boiled pasta—a monkey could do it.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I always thought you kinda looked like a monkey.”
I smacked his forearm playfully across the table. “I’m not a beauty queen, but I’m much cuter than a monkey.”
“That’s debatable…”
“Didn’t seem that way on the couch.”
He dropped his smile as his eyes darkened. “Felt like animal sex to me.”
He got that right. I finished my plate then rinsed it in the sink. He joined me a moment later, putting his plate beside mine. As we stood side by side at the counter, I felt the electricity that I’d become used to. My hair stood on end, and I pictured that naked body on top of mine. Whenever his cock wasn’t inside me, I was grouchy. This man was made to fuck me, to make me feel good.
He turned off the water then crowded me into the counter, my back pressed against the cabinets as he smothered me with his presence. His hands rested on the counter on either side of me, blocking me in like a cornered animal.
My nipples immediately hardened when he drew near, feeling hot under the collar. I swallowed the lump in my throat because my mouth suddenly felt dry. I tried to control my breathing so he wouldn’t understand ju
st how much his proximity affected me. But then again, he’d made me come enough times to understand just how much power he had over me.
“I want to fuck your mouth.” He eyed my lips, making the command without hesitation. If any guy tried to tell me what to do, I’d tell him off. But in this case, I loved his authority. I liked being told what to do, not having to think about what needed to happen next. “On your knees.”
I’d never wanted to be on my knees more in my life. I didn’t care about getting my own pleasure because I knew he wasn’t the kind of guy to leave me hanging. I kept my eyes on him as I lowered myself to my knees on the hardwood floor. I didn’t care that it wasn’t comfortable. I just wanted his cock in my mouth.
He yanked his sweatpants and boxers off until his enormous cock popped out. He held it against my face, the head swollen and engorged with blood. He gripped his shaft and ran his thumb over the head of his cock, smearing the pre-come that drizzled. Then he held his thumb to my lip, silently commanding me to suck it.
I opened my mouth and closed it around his thumb, immediately tasting him once my tongue swiped across the skin. It was salty and masculine, the best-tasting man I’d ever had. I sucked his skin until my taste buds couldn’t detect anything else. I pulled my mouth away from his thumb, ready for the real thing.
He dug one hand into my hair and grabbed the back of my neck. Then he pointed his long dick into my mouth, pressing his shaft against my tongue as he slid inside. His eyes watched my mouth as he inserted half of his length inside me, touching the back of my throat. “You have no fucking idea how sexy you look right now.”
I gripped the edge of his sweats and pulled them down to his knees as I craned my neck to take his length little by little. I’d never sucked a cock this large before, so I took my time getting used to him. Having a woman gag wasn’t sexy.
Ryker rocked his hips into me, rubbing his cock against my flattened tongue. His fingers tightened on the back of my neck as his rocks turned into thrusts. His eyes darkened in color and his jaw clenched.
Saliva dripped over my mouth and down my chin. It slid to my chin then dripped onto the floor. I took advantage of the moments when he pulled out to take a deep breath, to get air into my lungs before his enormous length returned to the deep part of my throat and blocked my access to air.
Tears burned in my eyes until they bubbled to drops and slid down my cheeks. I wasn’t crying, but feeling the expansion of my throat fired off nerve endings. I took him into my mouth repeatedly and it hurt, but it felt so good at the same time.
Ryker brushed his thumb across my cheek, absorbing a tear from my skin.
My fingers dug into his muscled thighs as I took more of him, wanting to make him feel as good as he’d made me feel over the past week.
“Damn, you’re a pro.”
I looked up and made eye contact with him, my jaw practically unhinged to take all of him. There were several inches I couldn’t fit, but that didn’t stop me from trying.
He brushed away the other tear with his thumb. “As much as I enjoy this, I need to come. You gonna take that, sweetheart?”
I grabbed his balls and gently massaged them with my fingertips. I gave him a nod, telling him I wanted every drop.
“You’re a vision right now.” He grasped my hair in his hand and watched me take his cock harder, crumbling into an orgasmic mess that was a pleasure to watch. He closed his eyes as he hit his threshold, thickening inside my mouth right before release. “Fuck yeah…” His seed shot into the back of my throat, spraying with mounds of heavy come. When I thought it was over, it kept coming, landing on my tongue so I could taste his pleasure.
I swallowed everything I received, wanting to keep my airway clear so my gag reflex wouldn’t be initiated. My determination to give him a great experience kept my body in control. After all the amazing things he did for me, I wanted to return the favor in kind.
Ryker pulled his cock out of my mouth, soaked in my saliva. It was slowly hardening, the blood returning to his body and his brain. “Up.” He pulled his boxers and sweatpants back on and yanked me by the hair. “It’s your turn.”
Chapter Nine
Ryker
She hopped in the car and fastened her safety belt. “Wow…”
Cars were honking behind me, so I pulled back onto the road and headed out of the city. “Me or the car?” I grinned like the arrogant son of a bitch that I was.
She moved her hand to my thigh and gave it a squeeze. “Both.”
“Good answer, sweetheart.” I grabbed her hand and pulled it to my mouth, giving her a kiss on the back of the hand. My eyes remained glued to the road as I returned her hand to my lap. I purposely placed her hand in a spot where she could feel my hard-on through my jeans. It only popped up when she got in the car.
She moved her fingers around the definition of my length. “Hello to you too.”
“He’s very happy to see you.” She gave great head last night. It was phenomenal, really. It definitely wasn’t her first rodeo because taking in a cock that size was a challenge for any experienced woman.
“That’s funny. My entire body is happy to see him.”
After we’d slept together a few times, she relaxed around me, turning into the woman I first met. She was playful, witty, and funny. Her guard wasn’t up anymore, assuming I was going to flip on her and ask her to be something serious.
Never met a woman like her before.
Every woman I slept with wanted to be serious—or at least be monogamous. Austen was so determined to remain detached that it was a breath of fresh air. I didn’t have to be an asshole like I usually did because she understood completely.
She was perfect.
“What are you thinking about?” Her voice shattered my thoughts as she spoke over the radio.
I didn’t even realize I drifted away. “That you’re perfect.”
She rolled her eyes. “You were not.”
“I’m serious.” I grabbed her thigh and gave it a squeeze. “You’re beautiful, sexy, a fireball in bed, and you want what I want. I don’t have to be an asshole and break your heart. It’s perfect.”
She finally took me seriously, a smile spreading over her lips. “Meant to be.”
I turned my gaze back to the road and drove with one hand. “Your brother tells me you’re a bit of a heartbreaker.”
“He did?” Alarm seeped into her voice. “You talked to him about me?”
“In a way.”
“Did you tell him about us?”
“Of course not,” I said calmly. “You can calm down.”
“Then what happened?”
I shrugged. “I told him you were cute, and he asked if I had a thing for you.”
She hung on to every word, leaning forward.
“I said no, and then he warned me you were a bit of a heartbreaker. He’s never seen you with the same guy twice. He told me I should stay away from you if I didn’t want to get my heart trampled on.” I watched her in my peripheral vision, seeing her stoic expression. “Didn’t seem to care if I wanted to date you or not. Pretty chill.”
“And that was it?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
She leaned back into the leather chair and relaxed, my hand still on her thigh.
“So, you’re a bit of a heartbreaker, huh?” I kept my voice playful so she would know I wasn’t interrogating her. “I better be careful.”
“My brother doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Don’t listen to him.”
“So, you’re saying he’s incorrect?” Because it seemed like he was right on the money.
“He knows I don’t do relationships and I’m never going to again.”
Again. So she must have been in one before. Maybe it ended in a nasty breakup, maybe even a divorce. “Any particular reason why?”
She pulled her gaze from the window and looked at me, her blue eyes hypnotic with their beauty. “Why don’t you do relationships?”
“I never said I didn’t.�
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“So that’s incorrect?”
I smiled because she had me. “Okay…you’re right. I don’t do relationships.”
“And why not?”
I didn’t want to answer her question, and she clearly didn’t want to answer mine. We both had pasts that needed to stay in the past. “I guess we’ll make a truce. That topic is off-limits.”
“Works for me.” She turned back to the window, clearly relaxed that we were steering away from an uncomfortable conversation. “I just wish people didn’t think I was a freak for living my life this way. I know people judge me for it. It’s okay for a man to play the field, but when a woman does it, she’s a whore.”
I ran my fingers over the bare skin of her thigh. “I don’t think that at all.”
“Really?” Her hand moved over mine on her thigh, her fingers warm from sitting in the sun.
“Of course not. I’m a big feminist. In fact, I think men everywhere wish women were more like you. Sex doesn’t have to be a big deal. It could be an enjoyable event that doesn’t necessarily need to mean anything. It’s just an experience.”
“That’s nice to hear, for a change.”
“So you never want to get married?”
“Hell no. Do you?”
I shook my head. “What about having kids?”
“I think I’ll adopt a few when I’m older.”
I wasn’t expecting her to say that. “That’s cool.”
“I don’t think you need two parents to raise kids that need homes. I can handle it on my own.”
“I agree.”
“What about you?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I have no interest in having children.” The only time I did was when I realized just how madly in love I was with Rae. I pictured us getting married and having a family. It was the moment I realized I needed to get her back. “I have a brother, so he’ll make my mother happy with grandchildren.”
“Thank god for siblings, right?” she said with a chuckle. “That way the attention is not on you all the time.”
“Amen.”
I drove out of the city and finally reached the highway. We hugged the coast as we headed to Connecticut, enjoying the bright summer day and the sparkle of the ocean outside the window. Austen kept in touch with everyone via text so we would all arrive at the same time.