Page 44 of Tempest

He pulled out and then slid back in, and that’s when things got interesting. He set a driving rhythm that had her wanting more. Moving her hips back made him bottom out as he created the perfect friction and thrust mercilessly. Never before had someone taken her like this. His big hand wound around her body, and he slipped his finger against her clit and pressed. She went off like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The sound she made joined Ryan’s shout as they rode out the waves of pleasure. His body covered hers as he held her tightly. As the tidal wave of pleasure rolled over her body, she knew that it was only his arms holding her together. Tiny shivers coursed through her body as she collapsed onto the bed.

Ryan fell down next to her, and his heavy arm fell across her back. Ryan Cordell was her addiction and there wasn’t a thing she could do. And really…why would she?

***

The jarring sound of a phone ringing was trying to drag Ivy out of the lovely dream she was having. Ryan leaned over, and she gave up on falling back into dreamland. The phone blessedly stopped ringing, and she rolled over and opened one eye. “I’m not taking calls,” she muttered.

“Someone from the Austin Police Department called. You may want to see what they need,” he said as he sat up.

Pushing herself over, she took the phone and hit redial. “My brain isn’t working because you keep giving me screaming orgasms, which makes me incapable of rational thought.”

Before he could reply, the call was answered. She pushed his hand away and held onto it. “Yes, this is Ivy Bellows. Yes, he’s passed. What?” Her eyes flew up to Ryan’s and she shook her head. “No one was hurt? Okay. That’s all that matters. Yes, we’ll come tomorrow. Thank you.”

The phone slid out of her hand and she started to shake. “Someone tried to break into Daddy’s house in Austin and started a fire. The fire department got there before any real damage was done. Apparently, the alarm Daddy had got everyone there in time.”

“How’d they know to call you?” Ryan asked as he scooped her into his lap.

“Daddy had Colin and me on the emergency contact list. If that doesn’t beat all, then I don’t know what does.”

“You and your brother are all the family he had, so it makes sense,” he responded as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.

“He never treated us much like family.” Burying her face in his neck, she took a couple of deep breaths and felt her nerves settle. “What in the word is going on?”

“Your daddy’s money is going to make you and Colin targets. There’s no pretending otherwise.”

“I guess it’s lucky for us that I happen to work for one of the best security companies in the world. I’ll call Max tomorrow and tell him what’s going on. I’m going to need to hire SAI for more than intelligence analysis.”

“Max isn’t going to want to be paid,” Ryan said firmly.

“I am the co-owner of a multimillion-dollar company and potentially a very big client of SAI, so he doesn’t have much choice. If he doesn’t agree, then I’m going over his head and talk to Rory.”

“Is that a steel rod I see in your spine?”

“Yep.” She snuggled closer. “Are you hungry?”

He lifted his hand and looked at his watch. “It’s ten and we missed dinner, so yeah…I’m hungry. I guess we’ll start with food.”

Her head flew up, and she assessed his look. “Oh, my God, you have the sex look in your eyes.”

“Get used to it, honey. It’s pretty much permanent.”

She scrambled off his lap and ran into the bathroom. “I’m going to get cleaned up and then I’ll fix us something to eat.”

“I already know what I’m hungry for,” he said to the closed door.

***

Ryan watched Ivy in the kitchen and counted himself a lucky man as he watched Ivy’s hips swaying while she stirred a pot on the stove. Apparently, whipping up pasta at ten at night wasn’t a big deal for his girl. A lot of things seemed that way; at least, that’s how she made it look. He had a feeling that underneath all that effortless competency lay a well of hard work and tenacity.

“Can you cut up the bread and pour us something to drink? This is just almost done.”

“Sure, honey.” He heaved himself off the stool and got to work. “When do you want to leave in the morning?”

“I figured we could leave around nine. That will let us avoid most of the morning traffic.”

“Are we picking up Phoebe or is she renting a car?”

“She’s renting a car. Her plane arrives in Austin around ten, so maybe I’ll have her meet us at Daddy’s house.” She dumped the pasta into the pot that held the sauce. She stirred it for a moment and then filled two plates. After she placed them on the island, she grabbed the bread and sat down. “Tell me a story about your family, Ryan. I’m tired of thinking about mine.”

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