The sound of my cell phone going off had me opening my eyes and staring at it as it vibrated and skidded across my nightstand. I reached for it and saw my dad's number flash across the screen.

“Hello?” I said, my voice scratchy from sleep.

I hadn't done anything last night concerning Rye. I'd been too afraid of how he'd react if I showed him what I wanted, told him I desired him. So instead I'd gone to my room, shut the door, and lay in bed for the next three hours just listening to my heart thunder behind my ribs.

“Hey, sweetheart. I have to leave town for the night. I won't be home until tomorrow evening. I wanted to let you know before I go.”

For my father being such a dangerous badass, he took good care of me, making sure to let me know what was going on. It was because of those qualities that it was easy for me to overlook what he did for a living.

Once the call was disconnected, I lay back in bed and stared at the ceiling for long seconds. I had a full day of classes, but it was hard to focus on anything but Rye. He invaded my senses, my very thoughts.

Having him so close last night, his focus trained right on me, and the possessiveness and need coming off him in waves had made me wish I was braver.

I wished I’d told him how I felt, what I wanted. I wished I would've cleared the table off and let him take me right then and there. Just thinking about it now had my nipples becoming hard little rocks, and my pussy getting wetter.

I was tempted to touch myself, to go over the edge as I thought about him, imagined his hands on my inner thighs, his mouth right between my legs as he licked and sucked at my pussy.

A shiver worked its way through me, and I started breathing harder and faster.

But I wouldn't resort to doing that, simply because it would make matters worse. It would make my need escalate. I knew this because I'd done it before, and suffered the intense arousal that had simmered afterward.

I could control myself, at least for the time being.

* * *

I pulled my SUV to a stop in front of Kash's house. He’d asked me to swing by and check on Jessa since he had to head out of town for the gun trade.

I curled my hands hard on the steering wheel, the leather creaking under my powerful grip. I was worked up knowing she was inside the house.

I'd just been here last night, and although I'd been decent and hadn't touched Jessa or made my desire known, my arousal had slowly been building. I wanted her like a fiend, wanted to grab her thighs and spread them open, wanted to place my mouth on her pretty cunt and run my tongue up her slit.

I cut the engine and got out of the vehicle. I could've just called her or left the car running as I went to the front door and made sure she was okay. But I was a dirty bastard and wanted to see her, wanted to take in the sweet scent of her.

I might've overreacted when her little guy friend was at the house yesterday. But seeing him close to her, wondering if she was with him, if he touched her, kissed her, made this jealous rage fill me. He was a small guy compared to me, not even a threat in all reality, but just thinking about him with Jessa made me pissed.

I brought my knuckles down on the front door, and only a minute later she opened it. I could see the surprise on her face that I was here. I tried to keep my cool, my composure. But all I could do was stare at her.

She wore an oversize shirt, one part hanging over her shoulder and exposing her golden skin and delicate collarbone. And the shorts she wore, if she even had any on, had to be short as hell because they didn’t even go below the hem of the shirt.

“Rye.” She said my name and licked her lips.

My cock jerked like a hungry fucker for her.

“What are you doing here?”

I looked over her head to see if I could spot any little assholes that were here with her. “Your father asked me to come by and check on you since he's gone for the night.” I brought my attention back to her face and gazed her right in the eyes.

We stood there for several seconds, neither saying anything, but I kept my focus trained right on her. I found myself staring down at her chest, her breasts slightly swelling under the shirt, her nipples hard. Fuck, she was obviously not wearing a bra.

And then she moved to the side, as if silently asking if I wanted to come in. I didn't move, though.

She cleared her throat and looked at the ground and finally did speak. “Would you like to come in for a little bit?”

I should've said no, should've been stronger and turned around and went back to my vehicle. She was safe and fine at the house, and I had no business going inside. But because I was a weak fucking asshole who was hard up for this woman—and only this one—I found myself stepping inside.

The door shut behind me with a soft click, and a second later she was moving around until she was right in front of me.

“You know, I am an adult and really don't need anybody checking up on me.”

She was staring me right in my eyes, her voice soft, slightly trembling. I could tell my presence made her nervous, and I'd be lying if I didn’t admit it turned me on more.

Truth was, I probably didn't need to check on her for safety reasons. Kash's house was wired up like it was the damn Pentagon. Cameras and alarms, all the bells and whistles, surrounded the outside of the house and would ensure that nobody even stepped foot on the property without him knowing.

“I know. But your old man is paranoid when it comes to your safety.”

She nodded, then glanced at the ground, as if she was too nervous to continue looking at me.

I was about to tell her I was heading out, because if I stayed, I knew I might do something that would be crossing the line. Before the words came out, she was watching me again, her eyes wide, her mouth partly open.

Her lips were red, and I wanted to lean down and run my tongue along the swells of them. I wanted to suck the bottom lip into my mouth, lightly biting it, hearing her moan for more. I imagined her on her knees in front of me, her mouth parted even wider as she guided my huge cock into her mouth.

I couldn't help the images that slammed into my head of her cheeks hollowing in and out, her head bobbing up and down as she took my entire length to the back of her throat.

“Do you want to stay and visit for a little while?”

God, her voice did things to my body, made me think of doing filthy fucking acts with her.

I nodded instead of saying anything verbally because I didn't trust my voice in that moment. She led us into the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab two beers. She looked a little hesitant as she handed me one and kept the other for herself. Did she think I'd scold her for underage drinking? I sold guns illegally, for fuck’s sake. What was her drinking one beer going to hurt?

She sat at the table, but I stayed standing and leaned against the kitchen counter. I was already having a hard time keeping myself in check, appearing like I had everything under control. In reality my body was on fire, my heart thundered, and all I wanted to do was pull her in close and feel her body against mine.

She wasn't looking at me as she popped the cap of her beer and brought the bottle to her mouth to take a long drink. I felt myself get hard, felt my cock become stiff and painful as I watched her mouth curve around the tip of the bottle.

And it was only when she glanced at me, her eyes wide, her cheeks pink that I realized I'd groaned out loud.

Everything in me became tighter, and I felt the air shift, going from warm to scorching hot. Beads of sweat covered my chest and back, and the longer she stared at me, the longer I wanted to say fuck it and take her in my arms.

As the seconds moved by, it became harder for me to breathe. I knew I wasn't going be able to get out of here without touching her. This was wrong on so many levels, and I should've been stronger and stayed away. But I had wanted Jessa for the last year. No other woman compared to her, no other female even interested me.

It had been years since I'd been with a woman sexually because I wanted to focus on working. But over the last year I hadn't been with any females because all I wanted was Jessa.

And then, as if I couldn't control myself any longer, as if my instinct was taking over, I set my beer on the counter and went to her. I took the bottle out of her hand and put it on the table and then lifted her up so she stood right in front of me. She was breathing harder, faster, and her pupils were fully dilated as she stared at me.

“Rye.” She said my name so gently it was almost inaudible.

I looked at her mouth, desperately wanting to claim it, mark her so she knew she was mine.

“Kiss me,” she said softly, and I groaned like a wild animal. I cupped the back of her head and slammed my mouth onto hers, sweeping my tongue between her parted lips and moving it along hers.

She made this sweet and sexual sound for me, and my cock jerked violently in my pants. I placed my other hand at the small of her back and pulled her impossibly closer to me.

Her breasts were pressed to the center of my chest, and I felt her hard nipples through the material of our clothes. I knew she could feel how hard my dick was as it dug into her belly. I was being a dirty bastard as I ground myself against her and continued to mouth fuck her.

I pulled back, surprised I even had the willpower to do that. I looked at her face and saw the drugged expression she wore. “Tell me to stop and I will. Although it will be the hardest fucking thing I've ever done in my life.”

She was silent for several seconds, and I heard the thunder of my heart in my ears.

“No, I don't want to stop.”

Thank fuck. Because in all honesty I didn't think I'd be able to.