Page 59 of Redemption

Ryder ran his hands under her hair, and Victoria let her palms travel to his shoulders, the space between them gone and the soft skin of her stomach smoothing against his shaft. He ground his teeth, focusing on what she might need, praying that it might get him near what he most craved, but scared as fuck to come anywhere near hurting her. His hand wrapped into her hair, damp and dripping. “You had something to say?”

With a bite to her lip, she nodded. “Yes.”

Ryder tilted toward her ear and whispered, “What?”

“I was wrong earlier.”

Trepidation warred with anticipation. “About?”

“I do…” She squeezed his shoulders, leaning closer. “Want to have sex.” She paused, her beauty and truth overwhelming him. “With you.”

“Victoria.” He almost choked on her name, not sure how fucked in the head she was or if this was a good idea. His earlier anticipation celebrated and exploded into lust. Carnal yearning nearly blinded him. A throbbing in his cock screamed to shut up, that he’d regret any word that shut down her invitation. Ryder swallowed away the uncertainty, nearly in pain with wanting to feel the slide of her sweet pussy.

“I was sitting there, drinking coffee, thinking that we’d erased something ugly, and one day, I’d be able to erase the rest.”

He dragged a steamy breath in, trying to remain lucid as she swayed against his dick. “You have reservations.”

She froze. “I did—but I don’t know what I’m waiting on.”

“Don’t rush it.” Doing the right thing sucked. Doing the right thing hurt. God, it sucked and hurt, and he didn’t want to hurt her. He wanted to erase her pain, make her come again and again. Ryder wanted to be inside her body more than he could ever remember wanting to be with a woman.

“Why?” Beautiful, inquisitive eyes pushed him to answer a question he wasn’t sure he could voice. “I’m not supposed to want it? I’m not supposed to want you? Because of an unwritten rule about how I should feel?”

His breathing was too heavy to go unnoticed. Water dripped down his face, but he didn’t want to move. “I don’t know.”

“Where’s the rule book?” she asked, dead serious.

He hated she’d had this happen to her.Damn it. So much hate for Ivan Mikhailov. “There isn’t one.”

“Am I supposed to wait a year? Two years? Then assume someone I trust to stop the second I breathe the word—the way I trust you—would just be there?” She shook her hair, letting more of it get wet. “I didn’t do anything wrong, and my assaults haven’t screwed me up in that way. Other ways, I’m sure.”

Even when Ryder thought he couldn’t hateIvan Mikhailov with any deeper of a vengeful disgust, he learned it was possible.

“I want you.” Her voice dropped low as if laying that truth on the line was harder than everything else she’d said. “I think you’re attracted to me?”

This girl was killing him. “Yes, love. You got me there.”

She dropped her hands, wrapping her fingers around the erection that couldn’t get any harder if his life depended on it. Ryder tried not to come like a uni boy with his first girlfriend.

“There’s a condom in the back pocket of my pj pants.”

“Premeditated.” He raised an eyebrow, working his jaw to the side as her grip stroked carefully.

“I’m a planner.”

Hell, so was he, and everything he was going to jerk off to would happen in the shower.

He ducked his head and rested his lips on her perked tit. The tip of his tongue ran circles around the tight bud, and Victoria’s back arched. Her hands sifted into his wet hair as she propped against the wall.

He kissed his way to the other breast, this time pulling her nipple between his teeth gently while his fingers began to stroke her slippery slit. She was wet, naturally lubricated, and his fingers parted her folds. Ryder teased her entrance, sucked her tit, and listened to her gasp as hot water rained over them. He slid his two fingers inside her, making her hips writhe.

Her inner muscles gripped him, and he kissed up her neck, nibbling her ear. “You good?”

“Yes,” she gasped, rocking her hips as if she wanted more.

“Good girl.”

He wanted more too. Gently, his fingers plunged, a pattern developing of taking her to the edge, circling her clit, entering her again, and bringing her to a high point. Making her come was fun. He smiled and decided to deliver on the torture he was creating. This time, he didn’t stop and move to her clitoris. Ryder kept the pace, watching Victoria lose control and let her head thrash to the side.

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