“No, we’re just friends.” Ryder’s tone is genuine, honest, unquestioning.
A beat passes before Daxdyn replies.
“You seriously haven’t had sex with her? You guys have been alone for days. What the hell have you been doing?”
The image of Ryder’s hand wrapped around his cock flickers through my mind before I push it aside.
“We’ve been worried about your stupid ass. About finding you and Darrio, while you guys have been traveling the realm without a care in the bloody world about her. Or how worried I’ve been about her. About how terrified she’s been thinking about you two.” He’s shouting. He’s seething with anger, I can feel it shaking into Dax and pouring out into my heart.
Me?
Ryder’s been worried about me?
Heavy strides shake through the room and the door slams behind Ryder, startling me in my hiding spot. Before I can even move he’s there, pinning me to the wall with his fuming aggression.
The line between his brows softens as he stares down at me. He takes a step closer, his fingertips skimming mine as he seems to think quietly.
I can almost see his tumbling thoughts.
His gaze trails from our interlocked fingers to the rising and falling of my chest, then slowly to my lips, and finally to my eyes. Reckless emotions spiral through me, my heart striking hard against my ribs.
Step by step, he moves closer, his body crowding mine in a deliciously dominant way.
“Fuck it,” he says just as his mouth crashes down on mine. It’s demanding and bruising. Strong hands grip my hips, holding me against the wall.
My mind doesn’t refute any part of him. For weeks, I’ve strived for friendship and now, with his hands on my body, his lips against mine, I want every part of him. It’s like the two of us have played a balancing act for so long, and now we’re begging for the crashing collision we both knew was coming.
His tongue slips against my lips, parting them anxiously. The coarse, shaved sides of his hair meet my fingertips as I delve deeper into his mouth. He pulls me to his chest as he takes a step back just to slam me hard against the metal once more. A gasp shakes through me, but his lips never leave mine.
His hand fumbles at my side. The door squeaks open long enough for us to stumble in and for Ryder to kick it closed. Soft cotton pushes beneath my palms as I shove at his shirt, pulling it from his body. His mouth leaves mine, my breaths heaving, my lips feeling puffy and swollen. In the darkness, I hear his shirt hit the floor and, without a word, his steady fingertips meet my abdomen. Slowly he pushes his palms up my stomach, my nerves tensing beneath his touch.
Everything feels rushed but slow all at once.
His fingers skim the underside of my breasts and I arch into him, wanting his hands on my body. Warm hands cover my breasts, feeling the weight of them, covering them entirely. His thumbs stroke slowly across my nipples and a quiet sigh slips from my lips.
The pleasure is so short-lived that my chest aches when his palms leave my skin. He pulls at my shirt and my arms raise for him. The room is filled with only panting breaths. Not a word is spoken as we quietly show each other the feelings we’ve carefully hidden away since the moment we first met.
Cold air meets my flesh, pebbling my nipples and sweeping a shiver across my skin. For a moment, I wonder if we’d be so bold in the light. I wonder if this would all come crashing down if we had to look each other in the eye as two friends.
It doesn’t matter.
I can pretend all I want, but I can’t ignore the building feeling in my chest.
And now I won’t.
The hard lines etching his abs guide my fingertips up his smooth chest. Strong shoulders meet my palms and I slide them down the length of his corded arms. His fingers tangle with mine for a moment while our breaths fan against each other.
I’ve waited so long to touch him like this.
My back arches once more, my nipples pushing against the smooth panes of his chest as my fingers trail quietly over to the front of his jeans.
The hardness there presses against my lower stomach, making my thighs shift just thinking about it.
Warm palms gently hold my hips as my steady fingers begin unclasping his jeans. My palm pushes down the veering lines of his hips and my fingers wrap around the thick length beneath his boxers.
A heavy exhale shakes from his lips, fanning across my cheek before his mouth is on mine again. My feet barely touch the floor as he guides me quickly to the bed. The springs bounce only once before his body covers mine.
His weight settles in between my thighs and my palm makes slow work of stroking up the length of his shaft. The heel of my palm skims over the head of his cock, and he growls against my lips as he kisses me deeper.
