Page 90 of Power of Shadow

My hands fall from his neck when, a second later, he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder. How on earth did I end up in this position?

I shriek in surprise, his butt right before my eyes. “What are you doing? I can walk, you know?”

“I’d rather kidnap you to my bedroom in case you change your mind. It’ll be faster that way.”

I giggle like a teenager. In revenge, I pinch his delicious ass, and he returns the favor with a smack. It’s not a hard hit, but I’m still surprised. For the first time in my life, a man has spanked me.

And I like it. A blush spreads across my cheeks.

My world turns upside down again when I land on his bed. I must have zoned out for a moment because I didn’t even notice when we got here.

Right now, it doesn’t even occur to me to look around the room. The only thing I notice is Ryker.

He stands tall, hands on his hips, with a smug look on his face. He’s breathing faster, eyes burning, shoulders tense. A man’s upper body, full of delicious muscles. Strong and seductive, the ultimate sin of female fantasies.

“Ash, I’m warning you. It’s not safe for you to look at me like that.” Ryker’s voice is lower than it was a moment ago.

I’ve never been a girl who takes warnings well. “And if I don’t stop, then what?”

Even with the dim light coming from the small lamp on the nightstand, I can see his eyes darken.

“I don’t know if you’re ready to accept me in my most primitive, raw, and unrestrained form.”

“Test the waters. I’m ready to take whatever you throw at me and meet you face to face, on equal terms,” I provoke him.

To be honest, I’m not as confident inside as my words suggest. But that’s how we are. We constantly challenge, provoke, and tease each other. It’s bound to explode in our faces eventually. I’m ready to see if he lives up to my fantasies.

Ryker closes his eyes and looks like my words hurt him. My gaze wander over his chest, stomach, and a little lower. The bulge in his suit pants is impossible to hide.

Jesus Christ.

What a sight. I understand how gray sweatpants work on women. But this is a hundred times more exciting. No red-blooded woman would be disappointed.

I lick my lips, and a growl rumbles in his throat.

“Ash, you’re fucking killing me here.”

“Just admiring what God’s finger has done.” I shrug as if it’s no big deal.

Quite the contrary.

Ryker’s knee lands on the bed, then the other. Like a predator, he watches me, his prey, creeping closer until we’re face to face.

My breath hitches when I see his eyes up close. He consumes my vision. I crave the feel of his body pressing down on me, yet he remains suspended above.

“You’re mine, Ash. I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, because otherwise it’s too late for you.”

With these words, his lips sink into mine. There’s no trace of the gentle kiss from a few moments ago. This kiss is like living fire, like lava that cannot be stopped. Passionately, our lips open to each other, and our tongues begin their dance.

We pant. Biting each other, licking and sucking. I don’t know where he begins and I end. I lose myself completely in the way his lips caress me. This has never happened to me before. No man has ever kissed me like I was his next breath.

I don’t even know when our hands begin to frantically wander over each other’s bodies. As I pull off his shirt, he unzips my dress. As he unhooks my bra, I’m already taking off his pants. After a moment, Ryker is completely naked, and I’m in just a thong and stockings.

His hand lands between my breasts and pushes me gently down. Piece by piece, he examines my body, biting his lip.

When his gaze reaches the spot between my thighs that is throbbing unbearably, I moan. He traces the skin on my stomach with one finger. “Jesus, Ash. I’ve waited so fucking long for this. You have no idea. You’re like a wet dream. Like the fulfillment of my perverted fantasies. You’re not leaving this bed until I’ve had my fill of you and you’re completely fucked out.”

His dirty words give me goosebumps. The moisture between my thighs is hot, and my panties are completely soaked.