He caught my wrists, pinning them above my head with one hand while the other worked at his clothing with practiced efficiency.
“Says the man who just devoured me like a starving beast.” I smirked.
“And I’m not nearly finished with you.”
He whispered the words against my lips, only making me more desperate for him. When he freed himself, Ryker released his hold, and I reached for him, wrapping my fingers around his girth. He groaned into my mouth as I moved my hand up and down his cock, his length hot and heavy in my palm.
I guided him to my entrance, and when he pushed inside with one hard, deliberate thrust, my eyes rolled to the back of my head as the sensation of him filling me so completely overwhelmed me.
His breathing hitched, and a tremor ran through his powerful frame. We moved together in perfect rhythm, a dance we’d long since perfected in moments just like this.
His forehead pressed against mine, our breaths ragged. The scent of wildflowers surrounded us, but all I could focus on was him: the salt on his skin, the way his muscles bunched beneath my hands, the raw need in his storm-grey eyes.
“Cadence.”
My name fell from his lips, the sound half pleasure and half pain. I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him deeper, my nails digging into the hard muscle of his shoulders. Each thrust sent waves of desire crashing through me, building higher and higher until I could barely breathe.
“Look at me,” Ryker said, his voice strained. “I want to watch as you come for me.”
His pace quickened, becoming almost punishing in its severity, but I met him stroke for stroke, not giving him an inch.
“Mine.” He pressed his mouth against my throat, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. “Tell me you’re mine.”
The possessiveness in his tone sent a fresh wave of heat through me, and I didn’t hesitate. “Yours,” I said on a gasp, as he hit a spot inside me that made my vision blur. “I’m yours, Ryker.” The pressure built within me, a tightening coil of ecstasy that threatened to snap.
“Let go.” His voice was rough as gravel. “I want to feel your surrender as you shatter around my cock.”
My second orgasm struck with devastating force. I cried out, my body arching against his as waves of pleasure crashed through me. Ryker’s pace became erratic, each thrust more urgent than the last, before he found his release, emptying himself inside me.
We lay tangled together on the blanket, our skin cooling as we regained our senses. My fingers traced lazy patterns across Ryker’s sweat-slicked back, memorizing the ridges of muscle and the subtle imperfections that marked his body.
“You’ll be the death of me, Temptress,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my collarbone.
I laughed, running my free hand through his damp hair. “What a way to go, though.”
Ryker lifted himself onto his elbows, looking down at me with an expression that made my heart beat faster. There was something raw and unguarded in his eyes, and it terrified me as much as it thrilled me.
“When we return, promise me we will stay like this. Exactly as we are now.”
My eyes darted between his, seeing how desperately he needed to hear the words.
“I promise,” I said, before he claimed my lips with his.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cadence
The second we reappeared inside Ryker’s chambers, his shadows peeled away, releasing us from the darkness. The shift was always disorienting. One moment, the world was nothingbut cold, ink-black silence, and the next, we were standing within the familiar walls of the palace.
As the last tendrils of shadow recoiled, my gaze lifted to find Callum and Riordan already waiting.
“Finally!” my brother said as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Everyone told me you’d be all right, but I couldn’t relax until I saw it for myself.”
Guilt knotted my stomach. “I’m so sorry, Callum, I should have sent word.” Closing the distance between us, I threw my arms around his neck, and his familiar scent surrounded me.
“It’s all right, Cadence, it wasn’t your fault.” His narrowed gaze shifted to the man behind me, and I could feel the vibration of Ryker’s body as he fought to contain his laughter.
When I released him, he returned to the armchair he’d been occupying. The same one where Riordan sat perched on the armrest. Callum didn’t seem to mind the close proximity, which was… interesting.
