Page 42 of Between the Flames

The words were lost as he crashed his lips into mine. His hand moved quickly to cradle the nape of my neck as he leaned into me and stole my breath. I parted my lips and his tongue found mine, dancing together feverishly as my eyes sealed shut, praying this wasn’t a dream.

“Elle…” he groaned, his hand skimming down the side of my body.

The sound of my name on his lips set me off. My body ignited, burning only for him. I had never felt this level of need, so hypersensitive to his every touch. His rough hands gripped my waist, pulling me on top of him and positioning me so that I was straddling his lap. Though fully clothed, I could feel everything as my center rubbed against his hard length. A soft moan escaped past my lips and he broke our kiss, pulling back to look at me, his eyes darkening. His grasp on my hips intensified as he pulled me lower, moving my body against his. My eyes slammed shut as the friction became almost too much. It was driving me wild.

“Ryder,” I panted, “are you…”

I believed his words, but I needed one last ounce of reassurance.

His hands flew up to my face, knowing what I was asking without me saying the words. He kissed me roughly, owning my mouth before tearing his lips away and looking into my eyes.

“It’s done, Elle. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding. He pressed his lips to mine again in a soft kiss. I sighed into him, and my hands wandered across his chest, admiring the muscles hidden beneath his soft cotton tee shirt. My gaze traveled down his body to the area of skin where his shirt had ridden up, granting me a view of his lower abs, v-cut on his waistline, and the tattoos he kept hidden beneath. A smile pulled at my lips as I tilted my head, kissing him again while his fingertips trailed a path up my back, fisting my hair. Our kiss began tender and slow, and it felt like we were exchanging small pieces of our hearts through each touch. It was clear how much this meant to both of us.

Ryder’s mouth began its descent toward my neck, sucking and nipping at the soft skin, the feeling making me squirm with anticipation. My head fell back as he swirled his tongue on my flesh, pulling a moan. My whole body felt alive and needy for his touch.

I wanted more.

I craved it.

“Ryder, please…” I begged, leaning forward to run my tongue up his neck as my hand wandered toward the bulge in his pants.

Catching my arm, he lifted it to his mouth and kissed the inside of my wrist.

“Don’t start something you aren’t ready to finish, Elle. Once you give me the green light, I won’t hold back. I’ve fantasized about this moment for the last ten years. There will be no holding back.”

I pushed my legs further into the couch to lower myself, rubbing my center along the ridge in his pants. “I want this, Ryder, so bad.”

In one swift movement, we were standing, and he was moving us toward my bed. With my legs wrapped securely around him, I resumed licking and teasing his neck as he carried me. He groaned as he tossed me onto the mattress. I shifted to adjust myself on to my arms, leaning back as I watched him under hooded eyes. My breath caught as he hoisted the hem of his shirt over his head, exposing his chiseled body and exceeding every mental image I had ever had of him. I felt my core clench, alight with anticipation, as he tossed his shirt aside. A coy smile spread across my lips, and I openly stared at his body with appreciation.

Years of manual labor looked good on him.

He crawled toward me on the bed, his hand reaching for my shirt. “Off,” Ryder told me, and I quickly pulled the shirt over my head. “Bra too.”

I did as I was told, my eyes never leaving his. Reaching over the bed, I dropped it to the floor and smiled up at him from under my lashes.

“Good girl,” he said as he leaned forward, pulling my nipple into his mouth. Struck with sensitivity, he was awarded with a moan while my hand flew to the back of his neck to hold him in place. He nipped and teased my nipple before releasing it from his mouth and blowing a cool breath of air on it. As he continued to tease it with the pad of his thumb, his mouth found my other nipple and continued the delicious torture.

“Ryder… please… I… need more…” I panted, my head flew back to the pillows. He began kissing his way down my body, alternating between sucking on my flesh and blowing cool breaths of air onto the sensitive spots.

Grabbing the blankets to brace myself, the fiery need for friction pulsated through my veins. My center was throbbing, begging for attention. Ryder slowly undid the button of my jeans and pulled everything off in one movement.

Lying bare before him, I instinctively bent my legs at the knees, creating a wall that obstructed his view.

“Now is not the time to get shy, sweetheart.” He pried my legs apart, and they fell to the side, leaving me wide open for his viewing pleasure. He wasted no time dipping a finger into my desire before pulling it out and examining the shine that coated his finger.

“So fucking wet for me,” he groaned before licking his finger clean. “And so fucking sweet.”

Whimpering, my back arched as he inserted two fingers into me. The hunger burned in his eyes while he watched his fingers pump into me.

“I could watch my fingers disappear into this sweet pussy all day, but I’ve been fantasizing about my mouth on you for years. I’m going to devour you now, and I want you to stay still. If you’re still, I’ll let you come quickly. If you move, you’ll be forced to wait. Understand?”

I tilted my head further into the pillow, my body quivering with white hot need. With my senses on overdrive, there was no room for overthinking his words. All I could process was the fact that this man was about to make me lose my mind. I had never been so turned on.

His mouth hovered above my center, and the feeling of his breath caused me to shiver as I bucked my hips, desperate to fill the space that was between me and his lips.

“You do understand that you’re being told to stay still, right Elle?” He chuckled darkly.

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