He hummed his approval, easing his finger almost out, then back in, mimicking what her body was already screaming for him to do with other parts. Damned PMS-fueled hormones. When he withdrew this time, he replaced his fingers with his mouth, his tongue, and she lifted against him, feeling his erection notched against her belly.
She knew some of this was her out-of-control hormones. But not all of it, and knowing that scared her.
“Touch me, Mena,” he breathed into her mouth, his hand cupping her breast through her blouse.
She obliged them both by tugging his shirt up and sliding her hands over his chest, feeling his breathing hitch when she found his tight little nipples and pinched them.
“Damn.” He released her hair to catch her ass, lifting her against him, grinding his hips into hers so her breath caught, too. “I keep thinking I’m going to get to take my time with you, and you keep rushing me,” he complained as he turned to the bed, planting one knee on the blanket, then carrying her down beneath him.
Philomena smiled, rocking her hips against his and enjoying the friction of his body over hers. “I’m not rushing you, Ryder.”
He barked out a short laugh, and bent to nip at the side of her neck. “I’ll never last long enough to try body oils or new toys at this rate.”
She slid her hands around him, feeling his muscles flex and relax beneath her touch. “We have all night,” she whispered, her lips grazing his forehead.
Ryder reared back, onto his knees, and he dragged his shirt off, then undid his jeans, shoving them down to release his straining erection.
She lifted one hand to stroke over the smooth head, feeling how damp it was already.
He shot her a glance that scorched the blood in her veins and the air in her lungs still more, then eased away, wrestling with his boots so he could kick off his jeans. “You need to be naked, Mena mine.”
She eased to a seated position, reaching for the buttons on her blouse and trying not to think about what he’d just said. His. She’d gotten halfway down the front when he tugged impatiently, and several buttons went flying.
“I’ll get you a new one,” he muttered, catching her breast, then apparently decided her bra was in his way, too, because he yanked it down and rubbed his thumb over the tight, dark peak.
She leaned into the caress, eyes sliding shut. Then his mouth sucked in the same bit of flesh, and she had to brace herself on the mattress to stay upright.
Ryder teased her mercilessly, lips, tongue, teeth, and just when she thought she might explode just from his mouth on her breast, his fingers slid into the front of her jeans. She hadn’t even noticed him unzipping them. She’d been too busy with all the other sensations rushing through her, making the desire coil tighter in her middle.
His fingers slid easily into her slick folds, higher.
Her hips came off the bed to meet them.
“Damn.” He released his breath, his fingers slowly stroking in and out of her, his gaze slipping down to watch.
Philomena forced her eyes to stay open, watching the dark flush that bloomed on his face, the way his eyes looked nearly black now, the pupils so big. “Come inside me, Ryder,” she whispered.
His gaze shot up to hers, and his fingers paused in their caressing.
“Please.”
He nodded once, then eased his fingers from her body to shove her jeans and underwear the rest of the way off. When he’d finished, she undid her bra and slipped it off, tossing it aside and holding out her arms.
He didn’t require another invitation, sliding her toward the pillows before he forced her thighs apart with his own, the crisp hair on his legs erotic against her smooth skin. Then the wide tip of his cock wedged into her, and her breathing faltered.
“You’re wet enough for me,” he rasped, bracing himself on his elbows so he could stroke her face, her breast.
“Yes.” She knew it. He’d made sure of it.
He pressed deeper, his body stretching hers as he inched his way inside. “Gods, so hot and tight.” His eyes shut for a second. “I love the feel of you around me, Mena.” He opened his eyes again, his gaze fixed on hers.
“You feel pretty good, too,” she said with a shaky smile, wrapping her arms around his neck. That was a serious understatement.
Another shimmy of his narrow hips and he was fully inside her, throbbing and hot. Thick. Hard.
Her breath caught as she felt the mini-explosions deep inside her already.
Then, just as slowly, Ryder began to withdraw, rubbing against sensitive tissues along the way so her trembling spread. To her fingers, her thighs.
“Just to take the edge off,” he muttered.
“Okay, Ryder.” She braced her feet and lifted into his next thrust, arching hard as the first orgasm bloomed.
He repeated the slow movements forever, his arms shaking on either side of her, while she moaned and thrashed beneath him. He caught her mouth with his, not to stop the sounds of her pleasure, but to absorb them.
He muffled his own shout of triumph against her shoulder a little while later, his hips jerking one last time into hers. He collapsed over her, feeling her fingers slipping in the sweat along his spine. His breath came rough, unsteady. And her body still quivered all around his.
He grinned into the spot where her shoulder joined her neck, also slick with sweat, and realized when her hormones went wild, they really went wild.
Good thing he’d been waiting such a long time for her.
“What’s so funny, Ryder?” she asked, still breathless.
“Not laughing. Just enjoying.” He nipped at her throat, felt her inner muscles clutch around him again. “Mm.”
He was far too old to be so easily aroused, but his body twitched in anticipation.
“Are you all right, baby?” He licked the spot he’d just bitten, felt her shiver.
“Hm.” Her fingers slid higher, into the wet hair at his nape.
He groaned, then took a slow breath, levering himself up onto his elbows. “Are you dying of thirst?”
She shook her head, green eyes fluttering open. “Not yet.” Her fingers slipped along his shoulders, lower, to his biceps.
His cock was back at full attention already, so when he eased his hips away a little, he had to stifle a wince. Her body was so wet and hot around him, he really did think he might want to stay there forever.
So he shoved inside, hard, making her gasp. He let his gaze drop to her breasts, still flushed from her last few orgasms, the tips tight and dark.
“Shoulda got the nipple clamps, too,” he teased, bending to pull one of the taut buds into his mouth and sucked, hard.
Her shoulder came up off the bed so he could have more of her pliant flesh.
He smiled as he released it, loving her whimper of protest. “I’ll be right back.” He groaned as he withdrew, fully this time. He eased away, until his foot hit the floor, then pushed himself upright. He found the items he wanted in the first bag, then turned back to the bed, where Mena lay as he’d left her, sprawled over the dark green comforter, her inky curls spread around her head, glinting in the light, wet around her face. Her thighs remained parted, her sex exposed to his gaze. Wet folds flushed with her release, slick with it. His mouth watered.
He’d get there eventually.
“Roll over, Mena.” He brushed the arch of her foot with one fingertip.
She opened her eyes, then they opened wider when she saw what was in his hand.
He waited.
She licked her lower lip, her gaze shifting from his hand to his face. And she rolled, slowly, until she lay face down.
He smiled. Even her back was slick with perspiration where she’d been sandwiched between him and the blanket.
He stroked the back of her leg, noting the tiny shift of her hips. His cock stuck straight out, knowing where it wanted to be.
He ignored it for now. Instead, he clambered onto the bed at her side. He set down his toys and used both hands to scoop her hair away fr
om her shoulders, her nape. Perhaps he should have let her deal with it already.
That would have meant waiting for this. Not happening.
When he had it situated so it wasn’t too much in his way, he flipped the top on the tube of massage oil and squirted some into his palm. It smelled of cinnamon. Spicy. And warm on his skin. He grinned as he rubbed his hands together and set them on her shoulders.
“Oh.” She jolted as the oil heated her skin.
“Okay?”
“Mm-hm.” She settled again.
He stroked over the soft skin of her shoulders, her back, her upper arms, leaving a warm trail everywhere he touched. His hands tingled with it. He squirted more directly onto her skin and heard her gasp. He watched it pool in the shallow dip at the small of her back, then slid his hands into it, spreading it over her skin, along her sides so his fingers grazed her swollen breasts, down over the curves of her ass. Everywhere he touched, her skin turned pink after a few moments as the heat warmed her. He kneaded gently, feeling the few tense muscles in her shoulders relax under his massage. Her hips shifted against the blanket, and he slid his fingers lower on the next pass, over her ass, between her thighs. She parted them for him, then sucked in a sharp breath when his slick fingers skimmed over sensitive flesh.
“Gods, it’s hot.”
Exactly the idea. He found her swollen clit and rubbed over and over and around it with his oiled fingers, until she was trembling beneath him again, her hips rocking.
“Not without me, honey,” he murmured, nipping at her ass.
She tasted good.
So he bent back to the same spot and licked her. Warm cinnamon spice on his tongue made him imagine how other parts of her were going to taste now.
Just thinking about it made his dick harder.
He took a deep breath, trying to push that thought out of his head for a while longer, then returned to massaging her, occasionally slipping his hands beneath her to cup her breasts.
When he rolled her to her back finally, her breath came quickly, and the scent of her arousal mingled with the spice. Ryder put some more oil on her belly, then swept it higher with his hands, all over her breasts. The tips were tight, oh, so tight. He had to taste one after teasing it with the oil, to suckle it, hard. Mena cried out then, her hips lifting off the bed. Her skin flushed even more, with a release that had tiny shivers rushing over her.
Ryder had to take several steadying breaths to resist the need coursing through him now. “Soon, baby,” he rasped. “Soon.” He counted to ten. Twenty. Thirty. Finally, at forty, he felt like he had a better grip on his control.
He dipped his fingers in the tiny pool of oil left in her navel, then slid them down, down, through the crisp black curls, lower, into her wetness. Her hips lifted into his touch, pushing his fingers inside her.
“Oh, Gods,” she whispered, her head shifting on the blanket as her hips rocked into his thrusts. “Ryder.”
“Right here, Mena. You should see how pretty you are.” His gaze was fixed on the flushed wet folds he’d slid his fingers into. Her swollen clit gleamed with the oil he’d rubbed on it, tempting him. Teasing.
He bent nearer, needing just one taste. He licked her clit as he curled his fingers inside her, stroking over a spot that made her cry out again, body arching hard.
She tasted so good. He sucked on the tender bit of flesh, feeling her pussy clamp on his fingers.
His cock ached with the need.
Ryder licked his way all around her clit, his breath coming faster.
“Please, Ryder,” she whimpered, her thighs trembling on either side of him. “Oh Gods, please.”
He shut his eyes. He couldn’t resist her begging, not when his body already demanded the same thing.
He took a shaky breath and slid his fingers free of her enticing heat, replacing them with the head of his cock.
Spasms still shook her, making her sheath tight, oh, Christ, so tight, as he tried to ease inside her.
“Ryder!” She lifted toward him, her hips slick when he tried to grasp them to slow her down. The movement forced him into resistant muscles another few inches.
“Easy, baby.” He gritted his teeth.
“It’s so hot.”
“I know.” He bent to kiss her, lightly, knowing the cinnamon oil was on his lips.
“Mm.” She licked her lower lip when he lifted his head.
“That’s how you taste.” He smiled when she opened her eyes. “Spicy and hot.”
A tiny smile curved her lips. “Your fault.”
He eased a little farther into her heat now that she’d relaxed a bit. His cock was ready to go off, his balls tight up against his body. “I won’t last,” he warned her, sliding further. Almost there.
“I didn’t wait,” she pointed out with another smile, the tip of her tongue sliding along her lower lip again.
He groaned, closing his eyes for a second. “I know. I didn’t mean for you to wait, honey.” He finally settled all the way to the root. At last. “Gods.” He leaned down to kiss her, bracing himself on his hands beside her shoulders. “You are amazing.”
“So are you.” She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he gained another fraction of an inch. “Oh Gods, it’s hot.” Her eyes shut and her head dropped back, exposing the pale column of her throat.
He set his mouth on it, sliding, open over damp skin, tasting salt and woman. Cinnamon.
He smiled, hungry for more.
“Don’t wait, Ryder,” she breathed, her fingers digging into his shoulders. Already, her sheath clenched on his cock, and he hadn’t even started to move.
Ryder let her have her way, withdrawing just a little before pushing back in, hard. Over and over, until her startled scream hit his ears, and his own release exploded.
This time when he collapsed, he rolled to his side, pulling her with him.
“I love you, Mena,” he breathed against the top of her head when he could speak.
Good thing she was asleep, he mused, stroking his hand down her damp spine. If he’d said it when she could hear, she’d likely run right out the door, forgetting about the danger waiting.
No, that was one thing he couldn’t say to her. Not yet. Probably not for a long time.
He kissed her cheek. But one day...
One day, he was going to tell her exactly how he felt.
Maybe he should have bought the fur-lined handcuffs, too, to make sure she stayed put when he did tell her.
Chapter Eight
Philomena leaned against the shower wall, exhausted. Panting. Aroused.
Having Ryder around to keep her safe was quite possibly more dangerous to her health than the Harvesters. He was going to kill her with pleasure.
His big body pressed tight to hers from behind this time, the hot water beating on them, though he shielded her from most of it. His erection throbbed inside her, and he showed no sign of giving up the iron grip he held on his self-control.
They’d had to shower twice to get all the edible oil off of themselves, laughing and teasing the first time, and then not so teasing the second. His strong hands left soapy trails all over her, slowly, purposefully.
Now the oil was long gone, but Ryder had taken her against the wall again, after setting his mouth on her sex, his wicked tongue leaving her breathless and shaking just before he rose and slid deep.
On the other hand, her hormones hadn’t stopped doing a happy dance, ever-more-heated desire racing through her veins every time he looked at her with his melted-chocolate gaze. Or when one of his long fingers skimmed over her skin.
She’d much rather die like this than at the hands of the Harvesters.
Ryder began moving, his breathing raspy and irregular now as he withdrew, then shoved deep.
Philomena braced herself on the cool, wet tiles, her tight nipples drawing tighter when the tip of his cock rasped over a spot deep inside her to set off a mini-climax.
“Come again, Mena,” he ordered roughly.
&nbs
p; To help her obey his order, he wedged one hand between her belly and the wall and set his thumb over her clit, pressing hard.
Stars exploded behind her closed eyelids, and her breathing stopped for an eon.
He moved faster, harder, grunting with his own explosive release moments later.
“Jesus,” he breathed, the word puffing out against the side of her face.
Philomena managed to lift one hand to touch his cheek, patting it gently.
“You’re going to kill me,” he teased, nipping at her earlobe.
Another rush of heat slid along her veins.
“That’s another reason I keep a collection of toys.”
“No need for toys when I’m able and more than willing,” he growled, scraping the edge of his teeth along the sensitive skin just below her ear.
She huffed out a laugh and turned her face far enough to kiss him. It was the gentlest kiss they’d shared in hours, she realized.
Ryder winced as he eased his hips backward, slipping his semi-hard cock out of her.
She turned to face him fully, putting her face on his shoulder when he gathered her close.
“Tired, baby?”
She nodded. “But I need to deal with my hair before I sleep.” If she didn’t, he wouldn’t be safe in the morning. Pleasure wasn’t the only thing in her belly now. The first painful twinges signaled the onset of her period in a few more hours.
He hummed his understanding and reached out to shut the water off.
Philomena watched him grab two towels, wrapping one low around his lean waist, and her gaze dropped to the tight muscles just above the towel.
He held out the second towel to her, and she stepped into it, letting him dry her off. He even toweled her hair so it no longer dripped down her torso.
“Thank you, Ryder.” She touched his forearm when he would have turned away with the towel.
His smile was gentle. “No problem.” He tossed the towel onto the hook. “Let’s get you combed out.” He caught her hand and tugged her out of the steamy bathroom.
Her chest ached, watching him rummage through the things on the dresser to find her comb and the elastic bands he’d made her forget about earlier. He was being awfully understanding.
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