by KB Winters
We’d driven about an hour outside the city, past all the Vegas chaos, and the residences surrounding the Strip, out to a remote patch of desert that was ours for the night, no reservations required.
“Come on,” I said, leading her around to the bed of the truck. “I came prepared.”
I dropped the tailgate to reveal it was packed full of pillows and a soft, fluffy blanket. Everlie covered her mouth but I could see the smile in her eyes. “Ryker, this is amazing!”
I jumped up and pulled a cooler out from the corner. I pulled out a bottle of champagne and held it up for her. “And some bubbly never hurt.” I went to her, grabbed for her hand, and helped her step up into the bed of the truck next to me. “What do you think? Should we crack this one open?”
She nodded and then sat down in the middle of the blankets. I poured her a glass and handed it to her before getting some for myself and sitting down beside her. She giggled when the bubbles hit her nose. “I don’t even remember the last time I had champagne,” I said. “But it seemed fitting for the occasion.”
Everlie gave me a sweetly seductive look over the rim of her glass as she sipped. “And why’s that?” She asked when she swallowed.
I wrapped an arm around her and leaned in close. “Because tonight, I’m going to sleep with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” I purred the words into her ear and smiled at her scandalized look of surprise.
Her bright blue eyes found mine and searched back and forth. I had no idea what was going through her mind, but I waited patiently for her to figure out what she wanted to say—or better yet, do—next. To my surprise, she didn’t pull out of my arms, but as she dropped her gaze, she whispered, “I don’t think I’m going to be very good at…it.”
I suppressed a laugh and stroked her cheek. “It would be impossible for you to not be. But let’s not worry about that now. Let’s just enjoy this view and take it one step at a time. We have all night.”
She relaxed against me, but I could feel her heart thumping fast under my fingertips when they came to rest on her chest, my fingers just above the hint of cleavage her t-shirt provided. I shifted the both of us so we could see up into the night sky, and we talked about the stars. Everlie told me a story her grandmother had told her when she was young. About how it was those who had passed on before made up all the lights in the night sky. When she’d finished the story, a lull of peaceful silence fell between us. The only sounds I could hear were the sounds of the night and our own breaths mingling together.
When we’d finished the bottle of champagne, I pushed the cooler out of the way and lay down on the blanket. I patted the place next to me and Everlie nestled into my side. I breathed her in, letting her scent and warmth fill my senses. Her skin was soft, and supple under my fingers as I casually stroked her arm. Her hand rested on my stomach and toyed with the buttons on my shirt. Eventually, our grazes and caresses ventured further and further over one another’s bodies. My hands got hungrier with every new inch of exploration, and I could tell Everlie’s were the same, running up and down my chest and stomach, always stopping short of my belt buckle, but getting closer each stroke.
“Everlie, I want to be with you tonight,” I said, rolling to my side so I could see her face without her straining to look up at me.
She sucked in a breath. “Ryker, I just don’t—”
My fingers ran down the length of her body, grazing the side of her breast, over her ribs, waist, and hip, before going back up again. She closed her eyes and let the sensations take over, and didn’t add another word of protest. I kissed her softly at first, but was unable to hold back for long—I was too far gone.
I needed to feel her skin against mine, to hear her moan and feel her squirm with pleasure at my touch. Our kiss deepened and her hands raked through my hair, pulling my head closer, our tongues tangled together in an erotic dance under the moonlight.
Her t-shirt was the first thing to go, followed quickly by her bra. I teased her breasts with my finger, tongue, and teeth, each gasp, sigh, and moan a treasure to my ears as I pleasured her. I kissed a hot trail down her firm stomach, marveling at the strength and tone of her muscles under my hands as she arched against me. I released the button on her jeans, and she watched me as I unzipped them, her eyes wide but seductive and wanting. I peeled the jeans away from her slowly, my eyes devouring her long legs as they were revealed. She pressed her thighs together, and bit her lip, a hint of uncertainty finally creeping in. I smiled, thinking how sweet it was going to be to push her past her limits, and ran my hands along her inner thighs, spreading them in slow motion.
“Baby, relax,” I said. Everlie nodded, but still had a hint of panic in her eyes, when I nudged them apart entirely. “You’re wet for me already.” I slipped a finger along the center of her panties, my cock going rock hard at the evidence of her arousal.
She shivered at my light touch and closed her eyes. “Ryker.” The way she breathed my name was almost more than I could handle. I wanted to tear her panties from her body and bury myself inside her, but I sucked in a deep breath, combating the urge to rush things. Everlie was special and she deserved more than that, and I wanted to be the one who gave her more. She was mine for the night, and would be treated accordingly.
I lowered my face between her thighs, breathing in her aroma. God, she was sweet. Just like I’d known she would be. She arched back as my mouth pressed to her pussy, my tongue teasing her juicy center through the thin fabric of her panties. Her eyes went wide and locked with mine, watching me devour her sweetness.
“Oh…oh, God, Ryker! That’s so good!” She gasped as I slipped a finger under the soft fabric and stroked at her pussy. I ringed her opening with my fingertip and she shuddered. I could barely contain myself, knowing instantly how tight she would be around my cock. I slipped the panties from her thighs and spread her legs wider. I stared at her pussy, exploring every bit with my eyes, then my fingers, then my tongue and lips.
Everlie rocked back and forth so passionately, I had to grip her hips hard to hold her steady. She shivered, moaned, and when I knew she was getting close to a release, I thrust two fingers deep inside her tight pussy and fingered her g-spot with skilled fingers, pressing and stroking until her juices squirted from her, all over my hand and into my mouth. She shuddered and screamed as she bolted up, her hands and nails working into my back, digging at my skin through my shirt.
“Ryker! Ryker…oh…my…” she melted back again, her body still shuddering. I smiled at a job well done, and hovered above her body, my hard cock straining and fighting to be released from my jeans that were incredibly too tight. I dragged a finger across her lips and she opened her eyes. “I didn’t know it could…be that way.” Her confession didn’t surprise me. Her reaction to every move had been timid and unsure, enough to tell me while she wasn’t a virgin—she hadn’t had many lovers—not any good ones, anyway.
All of a sudden, she became very impatient, and began tearing away at my shirt. “Ryker, I want to feel you…on me, with me, inside of me.”
I let her pull off my shirt and then helped her as she fumbled with the large buckle on my belt and the fly on my jeans. When I was down to my boxer briefs—that weren’t concealing much of anything—she hesitated, but then, tugged the waistband down, low on my hips, and then freed me from the cage, with an appreciative gasp. She stroked me, and while her hands were unsteady and gave away her lack of experience, her touch was ecstasy and per-come was dribbling down my shaft within minutes as she found a rhythm. She smiled up at me and played with the droplets.
Her devious smile snapped something inside me, and the time had run out. I was tired of waiting.
I grabbed her by the hips and dragged her to the end of the truck bed. I spun her around and spread her ass cheeks so I could see her wet pussy, glistening in the moonlight. She arched and pressed her hips back, begging for me. “Put your arms out, above your head,” I told her. She stretched out, and I watched the play of her feminine muscle
s as she moved, like a graceful jungle cat. I ran my hand from the back of her neck, all the way down her spine, over the curve of her ass, and then put two fingers inside her, stretching and warming her again. She squirmed and wriggled, and I pulled my fingers out of her to anchor her hips with a hand on each side.
Everlie sucked in a sharp breath, at the sound of the condom wrapper, and bracing herself when the tip of my cock teased her opening. I slid inside her slowly, letting her tight pussy stretch around me, until I was buried inside her. Only then, did she release the breath in a long, satisfied moan. “Ryker,” she whispered, and then gasped as I pulled out and thrust back inside her. She said my name again, but it was louder and had a desperate edge that made me plow into her harder, still.
She was so tight it took every ounce of control to keep from filling her up on the third pump, but she was too sweet not to savor and enjoy. I thrust into her over and over, lavishing in every tight contraction, as her walls pulled at me, begging for more. She was still saying my name and I leaned forward further, and grabbed her nipples, pinching them hard between my finger and thumb. She let out a squeal and arched her back against me.
“Scream my name. Wake up this desert, Ev. Tell me what you want.”
She hesitated and I twisted her nipple until she gasped. “Ryker,” she pleaded.
“Louder, Ev.”
“Ryker!” This time she screamed and I rewarded her with a thrust, deep inside her. She screamed my name again, louder this time, the echo fading off into the distance.
“Tell me what you want, Ev,” I said, stilling inside her again.
“I want more, Ryker, more! Please…” she begged, arching again.
“Tell me you want me to fuck you, say it like that. I want you to talk dirty.”
“Ryker…I want you to fuck me.”
The words sounded foreign from her lips, but the effect was exactly as I’d expected. My cock pulsed inside her and she repeated it, louder, and I went back to thrusting into her, this time not holding anything back.
“Fuck me, Ryker!” She hollered, and I drove into her, and exploded.
Everlie shuddered around me and then we collapsed together against the tailgate. “God, Ev, that was incredible,” I panted against her sweat coated back. She nodded and gave a satisfied, “Hmmm.”
I waited a minute, letting her relax completely and stop shaking and shuddering, before pulling out of her. I helped her back into the bed of the truck, and after disposing the condom in a trash bag I’d brought along, I settled in beside her. She nestled against me instantly, our warm, slick skin melting together naturally. We caught our breaths and took our time basking in the moonlight for what felt like hours, before getting dressed and getting back in the truck and heading back towards the city. On the way, we decided Everlie would go back to my hotel, and the last fifteen minutes of the ride back into the heart of the city was a flirtatious dance, touching and feeling each other, and by the time we crashed through my hotel room door, we were both just as riled up as we’d been hours before, in the back of the truck.
That night, Everlie fell asleep on my chest—the lights from the Strip below bathed the room in a muted neon glow, highlighting her perfect skin. I was exhausted, but couldn’t sleep, so I watched as her face relaxed, into a tiny, contented smile. She was beautiful in every way, but as I brushed a strand of her long golden hair away, I decided she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. The night had been perfect, everything I’d been craving. Prior to picking her up, I’d been wondering what would happen—how I’d feel—once I finally got her in my bed and fucked her just the way I’d imagined after meeting her for the first time. There had been an edge of worry that I’d lose interest—that my desire for Everlie would fade away, as it had with so many women before.
Somehow, I didn’t think it would.
My eyes were finally feeling heavy enough to drop me off into sleep, when a loud buzzing sound cut into my drowsy, pre-dream state. I opened my eyes and it dawned on me what the noise was. It was my cell phone, which was still in the front pocket of the jeans we’d discarded somewhere at the door. I gingerly slipped away from Everlie, cringing when she began to stir, but she rolled over and continued to sleep, as I raced for the phone.
It was Bennett. I thought about ignoring it, but it was on the last ring, and I knew he would keep calling until I picked up. I slipped from the bedroom, clicked onto the call but didn’t say anything until I was in the living room of the suite and the bedroom door was closed.
“This had better be fucking important…”
Chapter Nine
Everlie
Before my eyes even fluttered open the next morning, my body was flooded with memories of the night before, and a warm smile spread across my face. When I did open my eyes, I remembered I was in Ryker’s bed, at the hotel he was staying at. I propped up and realized I was alone in the huge king size sea of twisted blankets and sheets. I perked an ear towards the attached bathroom, wondering if he was inside, but as I tugged at the sheet to wrap around myself, a piece of paper floated to the ground. I swiped it up and smiled again at the little message scrawled across the page bearing the hotel logo at the top:
Last night was better than anything I could have imagined. I went to get coffee for us. Didn’t want to wake you. Be back soon.
—Ryker
A look at the clock showed it was nearing nine o’clock. I was surprised I’d slept in so late, as even on my days off I normally found it hard to sleep in, thanks to the other six days of the week that required an early morning alarm. I stretched and lay back down, wondering when Ryker had left. The note obviously didn’t have a time on it, and there was no way of knowing how long he’d already been gone.
I lounged around in the bed for awhile, compulsively checking the clock every five minutes. Eventually, I pushed out of bed and went to take a shower, figuring the least I could do was make myself presentable for when Ryker got back. I took my time, enjoying the luxury of two shower heads, unlimited hot water, and the array of fancy hotel soaps were lined up on the shelf. When I was pink skinned, fresh, and relaxed, I stepped out, wrapped up in a fluffy, white towel and dried my hair with another towel until it wasn’t a dripping mess.
Ryker still wasn’t back, and I checked my phone to find a text message and a missed call from him.
Sorry, something came up. If you need to leave, I understand. I’ll call when I’m free.
My heart sank as I typed back a quick reply. I tossed my phone in my bag, and quickly dressed in the same outfit I’d worn the night before. It was odd to be in the hotel room alone, knowing Ryker wasn’t coming back. I took a final look around for any stray belongings before leaving, and it struck me that there was hardly any sign that a person even occupied the room. Other than a small carry-on sized suitcase, propped on a luggage rack, unopened, there were no hints about the guest who had stayed in the suite for over a month. I thought back to the bathroom and in my mental image, there was only items provided by the hotel. Not so much as a toothbrush.
Questions nagged at me as I left the room, letting the heavy door close behind me. I gave one more glance at the door, shook my head and started down the hall, my ballet gym bag hung over my shoulder.
A hotel employee held the front door open for me as I exited, and as I turned back to thank them as they wished me a good day, I ran smack into a very solid body. I righted myself just to stumble backward as I found myself looking up at a very scraggly, unkempt—but familiar—face.
“Bennett?” I cocked my head, trying to match the bearded man with the clean shaven man I’d come to know. “Is that you?”
The man looked side to side, grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me halfway down the sidewalk. Fear gripped my stomach at his rough treatment. I looked over at his clenched jaw, and the tension point pulsing at his temple. When we were several yards away from the entrance to the hotel, he jerked me around to face him. “Where is he?”
“Ryker?”
&n
bsp; “Yes.”
“I—I don’t know.”
“He’s not in his room. He’s not answering his phone. Where is he?”
I stalled, silently wondering how he’d known with such certainty that he wasn’t in his hotel room. I’d been there all morning, and no one had knocked on the door to ask for Ryker.
“Everlie, I don’t have time for games. Just tell me where he is and we’re cool.”
I stared up into his tight features. His eyes skitted away from mine, continually checking the sidewalk behind me, as though expecting someone to pop out from behind me. “Bennett, I swear, I don’t know anything. I stayed with him last night—” my cheeks warmed at the confession, “—but when I woke up this morning, he was gone. He left me a note, saying he was getting breakfast. Does that help?”
Bennett’s gaze jerked back to mine. “No. It doesn’t. Fuck…” He growled the curse under his breath, as though it weren’t meant for me. “Call him.”
“Okay…” I dug through my bag, produced my phone, and clicked on Ryker’s number. With shaky hands, I lifted the phone to my ear, and waited as it rang.
Bennett stared at me expectantly. When Ryker’s automatic voice mail message played, I cringed. “Voice mail,” I said, my voice quiet, pro-actively trying to calm the seething man hulking above me.
“Shit!” Bennett boomed. A few people behind him jolted and whipped around to stare. I ducked my head, not wanting to be caught up in whatever was going on. He released my arm and stalked off without another word, muttering to himself. For a moment, I considered following, chasing after him to get answers to the million questions racing through my mind, but shook my head half a heartbeat later, deciding against it. Somehow, I knew he wasn’t going to be very helpful.
When Bennett’s retreating form had blended in with the crowd, I called Tori to have her come pick me up. She was frosty on the phone, but agreed to come get me. I waited for her a few doors away from the hotel, my back against the front of a shop, hopefully out of Bennett’s sight if he circled back around. I didn’t know what he was tied up in, but if it involved hookers, unpaid pimps, and danger—I didn’t really need to know the details. All I could do was hope Ryker wasn’t too tangled up in whatever was going on. I was starting to let myself feel things for Ryker—things that had been there all along, but I hadn’t entertained before last night. I didn’t want to lose him to the seedy side of the city.