My heart squeezes. He’s nervous, too. Pulling him close in my arms, I kiss the crook of his neck and shoulder, rubbing his back, kneading his muscles. Ryder leans back enough to watch me again. He nudges my legs with his thighs and presses them wider, grinding his pelvis against mine. It rubs my clit, just how his tongue did before. Steady, soft circles as he swirls his hips.
His cock is thicker. His breathing is labored. Sweat beads his temple and a gust of air leaves him when I clench myself around his length. His rhythm falters when I do it again, but Ryder’s eyes never leave mine.
Tender, aching need grows inside me, a tightening knot about to snap. It’s harsh, urgent. Each time Ryder drifts out, then drives into me, I’m more desperate, more frantic. My toes curl, my hands groping the sheets. Anything to anchor myself.
Ryder dips his head and whispers in my ear, “Let go.”
My body tightens, release impossibly close. I don’t want this terrifying, beautiful bliss to end. Each stroke, my body coils harder, tension builds.
“Let go and fall, Willa.” He grabs my hands and locks our fingers. “I’ll catch you.” His voice stutters as his movement grows quicker.
Tears stream down my face. My whole body shakes. It’s the unsexiest thing and somehow I still feel so beautiful as Ryder’s eyes hold mine, as he dips and kisses me, never breaking eye contact. Seating himself inside my body, Ryder thrusts his hips into mine.
“I’m sorry,” he mouths against my lips.
His brow pinches, his mouth falls open as he spills, hot and long inside me. I watch his face tighten, his arms tremor, but his eyes never leave mine. I know he didn’t want to come before me, but it’s what I need. Once again, Ryder bravely goes ahead, showing me it’s safe so I know I can trust to follow him.
I cry his name as the first crushing wave hits me. I’m clawing at Ryder, gasping for air. The next wave crests, and I scream. His hips roll into mine, he thrusts deeper, giving me the still-powerful feel of his length inside me. Another wave, then another. I shake and sob, arching into him as I smash onto shore, obliterated.
It’s the most frightening, stunning, raw moment of my life. I wish it never had to end.
With one last tender roll of his hips, Ryder falls over me, then to the side, his arms scooping me to him and cradling me against his chest. Our breaths are ragged and loud, our bodies heave. My hands are everywhere. His hair, his cheeks, his jaw, his arms. I kiss him wherever I can, making him laugh quietly.
Soon Ryder’s hands caress my body, kneading and stroking until they find my thigh. With one swift motion, my leg’s thrown over his hip and I’m being poked in the stomach by—
“Already?” My eyes widen as he slides the hard tip of his length between my thighs.
Ryder laughs. “Yeah, Willa. Already.” Another shiver of happiness whispers through me, hearing him speak when he can’t hear it, no insecurity or embarrassment. Because, like he said, we’re safe with each other. “I just came in like three minutes. That was the prequel. Now it’s time for the main act.”
I snuggle closer to him but still show him my face so he can read my lips. “It was perfect. I came fast, too.”
Ryder grins as I kiss him. “True. But now I have to show off. Wow you with my stamina and lumberjacked moves.”
“Oh, yes, please.” Reaching past his waist, I cup his butt and squeeze it affectionately. Holy wonder buns. “I’ve wanted to do this for a lot of months.”
Ryder slips inside me and we both gasp. “Me, too, Sunshine.”
My lips find his good ear and press the faintest kiss before I whisper, “I love you.”
He sighs happily and nods. His hand tips his lips, a fist across his heart, to mine. I love you.
We don’t leave that bed for a very, very long time.
30
Ryder
Playlist: “Coloring Outside The Lines,” MisterWives
I’m on the roof, finally getting around to reattaching the gutter where it pulled away. I already finished patching the chimney, which is where the leak was coming from.
I’m mid-swing when I hear it.
A shriek. A bloodcurdling, terrifying scream. I have never been so grateful for the cochlear implants because there’s no way in hell I would have heard her otherwise.
“Willa!” I bellow back. “You okay?” I’m scrambling, throwing everything in the tool bag I carried up the ladder. I climb halfway down the ladder, then leap off the rest of the way and sprint into the house. Willa stands frozen in the entranceway, staring at the ground.
“Willa,” I call as I walk toward her. When she still doesn’t answer, I wrap my arms around her, checking for broken bones, a hemorrhage. Anything to explain why she screamed like she was dying.
“Th-there,” she whispers shakily.
I track her eye’s path and spot something small and dark scuttling across the floor.
“A spider,” I say matter-of-factly.
“Shh. Don’t. You’ll summon it.” She backs into me, and I can’t help but smile at how damn adorable she is when facing the few things in the world that frighten Willa Rose Sutter. Bears. Snakes. Spiders. That’s about it.
“It’s a daddy longlegs, Willa.”
“The hell, it is.” She turns and climbs me like I’m a tree until she’s wrapped around my waist. “Kill it.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not killing it. Spiders play an important role in the ecosystem—”
“Ryder. Stellan. Bergman.” Willa grabs my jaw and looks me dead in the eye. “If you want to get laid tonight, you will kill that fucking spider.”
“That’s not fair. We agreed sexual threats weren’t fair play.”
She sighs and drops her forehead to the crook of my neck. “Fine. Please, just pretty please, kill it. If it’s alive, I won’t be able to sleep. Or eat. Or think about anything else.”
“Willa.” I press a kiss to her temple as I walk toward the spider and feel her cling tighter to me. “I’m not killing a harmless—”
I stop, staring closely at it. Willa lifts her head enough to glance at the floor, too, and shudders. “Okay, never mind.” I hike her higher up. “That’s a black widow.”
Willa shrieks right as my boot lands on it.
Once my ear stops ringing, I deposit Willa on the floor and clean up the damage. When I straighten from that task, Willa’s staring at me. Her eyes are chocolate brown turning butterscotch. I know those eyes now. Horny eyes.
I hold her gaze and fight the very real impulse to throw her over my shoulder and take her to bed again, but I still have to do my part on the A-frame upkeep while I’m here and I didn’t finish repairing the gutters. “I’m going to wrap up on the roof now.”
Willa nods slowly. “Dinner’s underway. Should be ready in about an hour.”
“Perfect.” I kiss her once, hard, on the lips. “I’ll be done and cleaned up by then.” She pulls me back for one more kiss, and when I break away, I instinctively give her an affectionate smack on the ass.
Willa hiccups and stares up at me, wide-eyed.
I stare back, then clear my throat. “Sorry. Don’t exactly know where that came from.”