AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He chuckled. “Don’t tell me you’re nervous.”
“Nervous? Who said I was nervous?” she tried to joke. The fact was, she felt as if she was playing way out of her league.
He shook his head. “Unfucking-believable.” He looked her up and down, smiling that ever-so-sexy smile and, she suspected, not really listening to a word she said.
“Do you like what you see?” Lori said, trying to summon a bravery she didn’t feel. Well, they always said, fake it until you make it. Perhaps bravado would serve in this instance, just for tonight. She glanced at the growing bulge behind his trousers.
“Very much. And based on the look on your beautiful face, I’d say you like what you see, too.” He pointed his index and middle fingers at her face. “Eyes up here.”
Lori blushed, realizing she’d been looking at his lap, where the very noticeable bump had pretty much stopped her in her tracks. But worse than that, he’d caught her doing it.
“Come here,” he said, crooking his finger. “We need to have the safe sex talk.”
She groaned, but realized he was right. She was an adult. This time she was going to be open and up front about things. “Well, I haven’t been with anyone since my last physical and I did have them run tests for any STD’s. One of the reasons I broke up with my last boyfriend was I found out he was cheating on me. You should also know I’ve been on birth control for years.”
“Good to know; ditto about being free of any STD’s and I don’t sleep around. It’s been a while for me too. Now, I thought I told you to come here.”
What the hell is wrong with my legs? Why do they feel like they’re made out of concrete all of a sudden? Maybe it was the hint of bare chest he’d revealed. Maybe it was the rolled-up sleeves showing his muscular forearms. Maybe it was his gorgeous face.
“Is there a particular reason you aren’t moving? Do you want me to come get you and sweep you off your feet again?”
“No. I think I’ve done enough damage to your back.” He growled and she held up her hand. “Sorry. It was meant as a joke.”
“Take the dress off,” he ordered. His tone might have been soft, but there was no denying the command in his voice. “Now.”
Summoning her courage, she began to fumble with the back of the dress. He was in front of her in the blink of an eye, gently turning her around and making short work of the dress’s fastenings. He kissed her shoulder as he peeled down the bodice and then let it pool on the floor. Ryker reached up her torso, cupping her breasts and pulling her back against his body, nuzzling her neck.
Lori relaxed against him, enjoying the strength with which he held her. With one hand, he stroked the front of her body, his touch leaving goosebumps in its wake. With the other, he reached up and pulled the pins from her hair until it tumbled down. Once it was free, he turned her head so that she could see the two of them in the mirror. Arousal surged through her body, leaving her wet and throbbing.
“Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?”
“Um, no?” She wasn’t sure if it was a question or an answer.
He turned her around so that she was facing him, but still held her close.
Looking her directly in the eye, he said simply, “You’re beautiful.”
Lori could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks. She wanted to believe him, but it was hard. She’d heard a lot of lies over the years, but she really wanted to trust that he was telling her the truth. She giggled, thinking believing wasn’t the only thing that was hard, as was evidenced by the solid length she could now feel pressed between them. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend that what he was saying was true. What if I am as beautiful as he says I am? What if he really does like the way I look and feel?
He crooked his index finger beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. “You with me?”
Opening her eyes, she nodded.
“You don’t believe me yet, but you will. Let’s get you comfortable.”
He grasped her by the waist and lightly tossed her onto the bed, removing her kitten heels and placing them and the dress on the chair in which he’d been sitting. He kicked off his own shoes and peeled off his shirt, revealing the most perfectly sculpted chest she’d ever seen and a set of chiseled abs that looked like they had to have been airbrushed.
He stretched out on the bed beside her, staring down at her.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said.
Thoughts? He expects me to think when I’m having trouble with the concept of breathing?
“I’m not sure you want to know,” she said lightly, trying to pass it off as a joke.
Placing a hand on her bare thigh, he squeezed it just hard enough to make her flinch.
“Get out of your head. Stay here with me. When you’re all but naked lying next to me, I want you focused on us. Nothing else exists. Nobody was murdered, Middleton is a competent detective dedicated to his community—no wait, that might be a bridge too far.”
