I glanced worriedly out the window. “Do you really think the boat would leave in this?” It seemed dangerous and the last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt. “Maybe you should stay and take the boat home tomorrow.”
“I have a presentation at work tomorrow I can’t miss, otherwise I would stay. I have to find out what’s going on.”
I went up on tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “Thanks for asking me to lunch.” It suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago he’d approached me in the restaurant.“I had the most amazing day with you.”
“This isn’t over.” Then he kissed me again and was gone before I could respond.
I leaned against the door. Was it too much to hope that when he returned home he’d call? Meeting on an island was like living in a bubble and when we returned to the mainland things might go back to how they were. I’d be living in my emptied-out apartment and reality would set in. I wasn’t lovable and relationships didn’t work. If you met a sexy stranger on vacation, you were supposed to have your one-night stand and move on, but we hadn’t even had that. We shared a wonderful day and amazing kisses but it wasn’t enough. I craved more.
I stripped off my wet clothes, leaving them on the floor as I walked to the shower, turning it on to the highest setting, waiting until steam was filling the bathroom before I stepped in, sighing at the warmth.
Ryker wasn’t some stranger I’d met. We’d gone to high school together. I’d protected him from a bully. When he told me about the incident with the bullies, I could tell my actions that day touched him. He admired me. I shivered when I remembered when he said—he’d had a crush on me since that day and if he ever had a chance with me wouldn’t screw it up. The intensity of his eyes and his kisses told me that today meant something to him.
I thought what we’d shared today was special too, but how could I trust my instincts? How could I jump into something so soon after being dumped? Wasn’t I supposed to wait a few months before meeting someone who had the potential to be the one? He’d come into my life at the wrong time—at a time when I was down and hurting. I knew shouldn’t start a relationship with the baggage I carried.
When the water cooled slightly, I stepped out of the shower and heard loud pounding on the front door. I quickly toweled off, running to my suitcase to throw on a T-shirt and shorts. I peeked out the window and seeing Ryker, I opened the door. “What are you—”
Ryker stepped inside shutting the door with his foot as he pulled me into his arms, kissing me like he’d never left.
When we finally pulled apart, I looked down at my clothes. “You got me all wet again.”
“Sorry.” He smirked.
He wasn’t sorry at all.
“Why are you here? What happened with the boat?”
“It left early because of the storm.” He looked down at me, his eyes dark with lust. “Looks like I’m stuck here.”
I smiled. “You don’t seem sorry about that.”
“I’m not.” His fingers caressed my cheek. “The Inn and cottages are all booked.” He was stuck on an island in a storm with no place to stay. He should have been upset but there was a naughty gleam in his eyes.
Was it a good idea to invite him to stay here? He had nowhere else to go. “You could stay here.” I gestured around at the one-room studio cottage. “It’s tiny, but you could sleep on the couch.”
The cottage held only a king bed, a couch, and a small fridge and coffee maker. The best part of the cottage was the view of the Pine Sound from the front windows, which was barely visible with the sheets of rain coming down sideways.
“Do you really want me to sleep on the couch?” He took a step closer to me again so that our bodies touched from chest to knees.
My core clenched with need. “No.” I wanted to be with this man. I wanted to explore what we were. For once in my life I wanted to be impulsive. I wanted to jump in without thought—without any cares. “I want to feel.” His hands on my bare skin. His warm mouth on my nipples. “Please, Ryker.”
“I need a hot shower.” He leaned down kissing me, slowly, seductively, before pulling back slightly. “Join me?”
His eyes were pleading and I couldn’t deny him. “Yes.”
Then my hand was in his and he was tugging me down the short hallway to the bathroom. He pushed open the door where steam still filled the room from my shower. “This is better than I expected.” He gestured at the updated bathroom and the large tub.
“It’s the honeymoon suite.”
He shut the door behind me crowding me against it as he lifted the hem of my shirt. “Want to take a bath instead?”
I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Yes.”
My admission caused his shoulders to relax and his eyes to heat as he lifted my damp T-shirt over my head, sucking in a breath at the sight of my breasts spilling over the cups, my nipples chafing against the purple lace. He reached around me to unhook the clasp. I lowered my shoulders so it dropped to the floor as he bent his knees to suck a nipple into his mouth as he toyed with the other one. My head fell back against the door with a small thud. I welcomed the twinge of pain which shot through my head. I was tired of being numb. Numb to my last relationship, numb to what Jon did to me. I wanted to feel alive again. I wanted to want something so badly I’d do something reckless and completely out of my comfort zone. I wanted to live in this moment—in this bathroom with Ryker—and never emerge. I wanted this moment to last forever.
Once my nipples were hard pebbles, he kissed down my stomach pulling my shorts and panties over my hips and off until he knelt before me. I was bare physically and emotionally. I knew every single thing I was feeling was broadcast to him through my eyes, the way my body arched for more, and my hand touching his shoulder to steady myself. I should have been embarrassed but I wasn’t. I wanted him and I wasn’t ashamed of it. “More, Ryker.” My voice was low, soft, and husky to my own ears. “Please.”
“Patience. We have all night and I intend to use every minute.” The rain pounded harder against the small roof of the cottage, and the wind rattled the windows, but the room was warm, steamy, and the air was heavy with anticipation. He used his shoulders to widen my stance, never breaking eye contact as he licked me from entrance to clit, once, twice, over and over again until I couldn’t stop the groan from escaping my lips. I closed my eyes, reveling in the sensation of his fingers gripping the skin of my inner thigh holding me in place while his tongue kept up the relentless pace he’d set, licking in long strokes then circling my clit. I rolled my hips encouraging him as my mind chanted more, more, more. “Don’t stop.”
He removed his mouth, leaning back on his haunches. “Don’t worry. I have no intentions of stopping.”
Then his mouth was back on me, devouring me, his fingers parting my folds, as first one then two fingers stretched me, pumping inside me. My legs trembled with the effort to stay upright, my fingers tried to find purchase on the wooden door behind me, and my head rolled back as the orgasm steadily built. When the dam of need broke inside me, I cried out, collapsing against the wall, Ryker’s arms holding me up.
Oh my God. What was that? Had I ever felt something so intense? Was it because I’d let myself go, allowed myself to feel whatever I was feeling, gave myself over to the sensations of his fingers, his tongue, his warm mouth?