Ryker stopped just before the lapping waves met his bare toes. “You expect me to follow you in there? Are you crazy, woman? That water is freezing!” And it very nearly was. It was mid-year and winter was fast-approaching. The water on the South Coast of Australia at that time of year was wickedly cold.
“Freezing?” Max shrugged, feminine smile playing around her mouth. “It feels fine to me.”
Ryker frowned and walked the final couple of steps to the ocean’s edge. Bending down, he placed a hand in the salty water only to find it almost as warm as bath water. Shaking his head, he looked up to see his woman eyeing him smugly – and expectantly. It was obvious she was using her power over the element of fire to heat the water. Although his own coat of arms was not writhing with power, there was a low-level hum running through it. He knew that Axel’s brand, on the other hand, would be another story as his liege tapped into the fire paladin’s element. He wanted to join his woman for a frolic in the warm waters – he really did. But peeling off wet cargo pants was never fun, and no way was he getting buck-arse naked in what amounted to his backyard. He wasn’t a prude, he assured himself. He just didn’t feel the need to flash more than his chest. Especially when he knew there were a bunch of incredibly pervy women with no appreciation for personal boundaries living in the house.
“But … water is wet,” he tried valiantly not to sound like he was whining.
Max rolled her eyes, “Trust me, babe. You’re not made of sugar; you won’t melt. And neither will your pants. But if it makes you feel better …” She waved a hand. Once. Just once.
Ryker felt his jaw open as he watched the ocean part, creating two walls of water on either side of Max and a sandy alleyway in the middle. Max was now standing literally on the bottom of the ocean and was completely dry, as if she hadn’t been standing waist-deep in water just seconds before.
“Are you coming?” Max challenged.
Ryker took a hesitant step forward. He wouldn’t put it past the wily woman to bring the ocean crashing down over his ears. But his steps became more certain as he made his way to her. His feet sunk into the sand, the golden grains not feeling damp in the slightest, as if they hadn’t been covered by metres of ocean just moments before. It was devoid of critters, coral, and shells, and felt soft as silk between his toes. When he was within arm’s reach of Max, he simply stopped, making no move to touch her nor her him. Another wave of Max’s hand, had the water answering her command and the space behind him filled with another wall of water. He was now officially in a cocoon of water, in the middle of the ocean with a goddess.
“Well? Is this private enough for you?” Max asked, gesturing around her.
Ryker looked around, seeing the winter sun beaming down on them from above, the four walls of water, glinting like living glass around them. Max had used her powers on him before – both to play and when she was pissed off. But never to such a degree as this. His woman was powerful as fuck and could crush him with a thought. The knowledge had him hardening in seconds – her strength was a major turn-on.
“They’ll still know what we’re doing,” he pointed out, even as he snagged her waist between his hands.
“Do you care?” Max asked, arms winding around his neck.
He pulled her up to her tippy toes and felt their breath mingle. “Not in the slightest,” he answered her, before slamming his mouth down on hers.
The female moan of pleasure that met his ears was like a miracle. She tasted like chocolate – of course. But also a heady combination of lust and love that had his head swirling with pleasure. His hands mapped the generous curves of her body – her breasts, hips, and her delectable butt. She promptly lifted a leg, wrapping it around his when she felt his palms on her thighs. The action had his stiff cock pushing into the cradle of her thighs, her heat scorching him even through the layers of their clothes. Wanting to feel skin against skin, he pulled his mouth from hers and yanked their shirts off, dropping them carelessly to the ocean floor. He really wanted to appreciate the pretty lacy contraption that cupped her breasts so well, but he was too impatient. He had her bra unhooked and jeans and underwear off in the next breath.
Despite his frenzied arousal, he stood stunned for a moment, taking in the beauty of the woman before him. The sun was beaming down on her, setting her hair to flame and causing her eyes to glitter even more fiercely. Her short frame looked even more petite with the massive walls of water dwarfing her, but he knew she was anything but vulnerable, even as she stood naked in the middle of the ocean. Her tongue peeking out and licking her lips as she literally eye-fucked him, had him hastily shedding his own pants until he stood facing her just as naked as she.
Max’s smile turned positively sinful, “Oh, my man … I have so many answers to that question, I don’t know where to start.”
Ryker felt himself shiver and then flush from head to toe. Swallowing loudly, he gripped his aching shaft, “How about you start here?” he suggested.
He was thrilled when Max didn’t hesitate, dropping to her knees and taking him down her throat. He let his head fall back, releasing a guttural groan. He loved how diverse their sex life was. Sometimes it was hot and heavy and filled with need, sometimes playful and fun because they were both just plain horny. And then there were the times when they made love and it was like nothing existed but the two of them. Before he met Max, Ryker was the first person to roll his eyes when people extolled the virtues of ‘lovemaking’ rather than just sex. He hadn’t understood. Sex was sex, right? It was fun and felt damn good when done right but he had never experienced the intimacy of the act with anyone prior to Max. And to be honest? He was glad he hadn’t until now. He couldn’t imagine having such closeness with anyone else but the goddess at his feet.
Panting now, thighs shaking, he forced himself to pull Max’s talented mouth off, fearing their time would be cut short otherwise. He muffled her protest with his mouth against hers, filling his hands with her breasts. Her nipples were beaded, hard pebbles against his palms, and he lowered his head so he could take one of them into his mouth. Max gasped, arching her back to grant him more access. He sucked and nibbled, loving the rosy flush brought to the surface by his tongue. Pulling back a little, he blew on the plum-coloured peak, watching it become impossibly harder.
“Ryker!”
Max gripped his hair – hard – and he revelled in her loss of control. “Now what, baby?” he asked, nuzzling the softness of her neck.
“I want to ride you,” she whispered, pulling his earlobe into her mouth and nibbling.
This time, it was he who groaned and shivered and he could tell by Max’s wicked chuckle that she exulted in her power over her man. Like he gave a shit. She could exult all she wanted, he thought, as he lowered himself to the ground. He gave a fleeting thought to sand ending up in uncomfortable places but promptly decided the pleasure he was about to experience would easily trump a bit of sand. But it turned out he didn’t need to worry, because Max worked some magic, compacting the sand beneath him so not a single grain remained loose.
He had assumed Max would simply climb on and begin rocking his world, but his lover clearly had other plans. She kissed him, gently pushing against his chest until he lay flat against the surprisingly comfy sand at his back. She then surprised him by straddling his waist backward, affording him a perfect view of that amazing arse of hers – and the incredible ink gracing her back. As Max ran warm, soothing hands over his legs and thighs, he traced the black and white tattoo covering her entire back. The artwork was truly remarkable – Max’s very own rendering of the main character in her graphic novel series – The Reluctant Royals.
The female assassin was as beautiful as she was fierce-looking, and Ryker knew Max had created her – Sabre – as a means of catharsis. He had now read everything Max had ever written and he knew Sabre was everything Max wished she could have been when she was younger and on her own; strong, honourable, loyal, and invulnerable. Max had once told him that Sabre was there to watch her back. It still brought a twinge to his gut when he thought of that lonely, lost girl Max had been before she had stumbled across him and their Order. So alone and afraid that she believed her characters would be her only proof that she ever existed. The thought was almost laughable now. Max’s true legacy was unfathomable.
Intelligent thought fled after that as Max proceeded to reduce him to a writhing mass of need on the ocean bed. How she maintained enough presence of mind to keep the elements stable and under her command while she was engrossed with making love to him, he had no idea. And he couldn’t say he really cared as she finally began to lower herself onto his rigid shaft. Despite the fiery inferno of desire raging through his body, he forced himself to stay still as she lowered herself excruciatingly slowly.
“Fuck, oh fuck. Yes!” Max cried, head thrown back in abandon.
Max’s foul mouth had Ryker releasing a strangled laugh. It had taken him and the Order a good few months to finally give up on trying to clean up her somewhat profane mouth and decidedly dirty vocabulary. Max swore a lot and he knew to most it probably wasn’t the most attractive trait for a female to have, but it was just part of who she was. She loved words – was damn good with them. She was an author, after all. Besides, his mouth was just as bad and sometimes situations just needed a good fucking swear word.
Max began to rock, taking him in and out of her body at a leisurely pace. Her breasts bounced with every movement, turquoise eyes glittering with lust and challenge and enough heat to flay him alive. He placed his hands on her hips – but didn’t grip them – content to let Max do her worst. Or best, rather. But it turned out, his tenuous control was pathetically easy to snap. A simple clench of tight inner muscles was all it took to have Max flat on her back in the blink of an eye. Ryker lifted her legs high in the air so her ankles rested on his shoulders, as he pushed back into her, pounding fast and furious. He chased after his own orgasm relentlessly, but he wasn’t selfish about it. No way would he leave his woman behind.
Reaching between their sweaty, labouring bodies, he sought out the source of her pleasure. He swore when she clamped around him, stronger this time, before arching her back as her orgasm barrelled through her. Max didn’t hold her pleasure back – those days were long past – and she screamed out her desire, her breath catching in her throat. Ryker let out his own roar as he came inside her, his pumping hips and continued hardness pushing the limits of her orgasm so it bordered on painful. He knew because he was feeling the same thing. Breath coming in harsh gasps, Ryker barely had the presence of mind to roll to the side so he wouldn’t squash his love.
Despite his exhausted and satiated state, Ryker laughed, raising his hand high enough to give her a companionable slap before grinning at her.
“What?” Max asked.
Ryker shook his head, “Nothing. It’s just you. You are so awesome.”
Max snorted, stretching languidly and causing his idiotic body to stir once more, “I could have told you that.”
“I know you could. But it loses a little something when you say it yourself,” he informed her.
Max rolled her head to look at him once more, “I’ve never found that to be true.”
Her words caused him to snort out another laugh, “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Max simply shrugged. “What can I say? I have a healthy self-esteem.”
Ryker smiled, managing to move enough to peck her swollen, well-kissed lips. “I love you,” he informed her, as he did at every possible opportunity.
He saw her melt a little, oceanic eyes becoming misty. “I believe you,” Max answered. “And I love you too,” she then whispered.
And wasn’t that a special kind of miracle? Ryker thought. To not only have someone to say those three little words to, but to also have that someone believe them? It may have taken Max a while to say those words back to him, but it was now a daily occurrence. Ryker knew she had felt hesitant to say it even when he could feel her love for him pulsing brightly through the bond. It hadn’t bothered him – well, not too much, he admitted. Just knowing that Max had felt them had been more than enough. The idea of making herself vulnerable and opening herself up to rejection had been particularly terrifying for her. Luckily, he’d had her largely figured out by then and had let the initial big moment pass with nothing more than an ‘okay’. The smile he’d received had told him he’d nailed it. It had been a perfect moment in time for both of them.
He saw her dark eyebrows rise in surprise before she rolled her head to the side, “It’s just Bruce.”
Ryker’s sigh sounded long-suffering even to his own ears, “Just Bruce,” he repeated. “My life was so boring until I met you.”
Max grinned at him, “You’re welcome.”