Gigi didn’t stick around. She dropped me off at Ryder’s place and sped off. “Sorry Zoe,” she said cheerfully, “I promised Leo I’d be home for dinner. See you later!”

I gazed at the receding taillights of the Porsche before gathering my courage and heading up Ryder’s driveway. He didn’t live too far away from me, in the Beaches, right on the water. From the outside, his house was beautiful and inviting-looking.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t slam the door in my face.

I rang the doorbell, and Ryder answered. He was wearing a faded pair of jeans and a t-shirt that hugged his chest, and I couldn’t take my eyes away from him. “Zoe,” he said, looking at me with surprise. “Come on in.”

“Hello Ryder,” I said, my nerves making my voice uncertain. Coming here was an instinct, an impulsive one. But when Gigi had told me why Ryder had shut down yesterday, I’d realized that I didn’t know him. And I wanted to.

I followed him into a comfortable-looking living room, and he gestured to an oversized couch. “Please, sit,” he said. “You went shopping with Gigi today, didn’t you? Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” I assured him. “I had a great time with Gigi. She’s lovely.” I gulped. “I came to apologize.”

His expression turned guarded. “For what?”

I bit my lip, and his gaze followed the movement. For a second, his neutral expression wavered, to be replaced with heat, and it took me back to our kiss two days ago, to the way it had felt to be held against his hard body. My nipples stiffened in memory, and it took real effort to find my train of thought again. “I shouldn’t have assumed you’d want to…” I hesitated, before plunging forward. “... sleep around when we were married. I should have asked.”

“Gigi meddles far too much for her own good,” he remarked, sitting down next to me. He didn’t sound angry. Still acting on instinct, I inched closer to him and linked my fingers in his. I’d been trying to be sensible, to place the larger issues front and center. My grandmother was a priority. Getting laid wasn’t.

Now the wall cracked, and all that suppressed heat came rushing out. I wanted to kiss him. I leaned into him, looking into his dark eyes, sliding my palm over his forearm. “Ryder,” I muttered, my cheeks pinking at how bold I was being, “touch me?”

His fingers reached up and traced the side of my face. He moved his hand to the back of my head and urged me closer to him. “Where do you want me to touch you, Zoe?” The guarded expression washed away, and in its place was a heat that made me shiver. I was making assumptions again, but sex would be good with Ryder. Really good. I could feel it.

Maybe it was because the weight of my grandmother’s debt was finally lifting from my shoulders. Maybe it was because I had been in control for so long, and I wanted to let go, just for a few hours. And maybe because it was because of the lust that pulsed through my veins, but I wanted to be reckless. I had a hundred arguments about why sleeping with Ryder would be a bad idea, but the need was stronger… So much stronger.

“Everywhere,” I whispered, watching his eyes blaze like an inferno. “Touch me everywhere.”

I was still in my work clothes, a green shirt, and a black skirt. Before I could contemplate undressing, he pushed me down on the couch and loomed over me. His weight pressed down on me, and I whimpered in pleasure as his hips ground between my legs.

“I’ve been fantasizing about this moment since the party, Zoe,” he said.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the outline of his erection, hard and proud. “Me too,” I admitted, my fingers reaching out to touch him, to pull him closer.

He kissed me deep and hard, his fingers twined in my hair. His chest pressed against my breast, creating a delicious ache in me. “Too many clothes,” I gasped. “I want to feel you.”

“Gladly.” He pulled his t-shirt over his head, before focusing his attention on my shirt, unbuttoning me with seriously impressive speed. Pushing the fabric aside, he pulled the cups of my bra down to expose my nipples. “You are so beautiful,” he rasped, sucking a nipple between his lips.

My body tingled in response. “Harder,” I gasped as his mouth teased at my erect nubs, “please Ryder.”

He lifted his head up to look at me, a wicked grin covering his face. “Those words are music to my ears, Zoe.” The pressure on my nipples increased as he took them between his teeth, nipping lightly at each one, causing me to squirm and moan and wriggle under him.

His muscles flexed over me, and I ran my hands over his strong back, over his chest, investigating his perfect body. He let me explore until my fingers reached the waistband of his jeans. “Not yet, Zoe,” he grunted as he stopped me. “You’re in far too much of a hurry.”  

“I am,” I panted, unabashed. “It’s been a while for me, and I’m definitely in a hurry.” As his fingers pinched at my nipples, as his hips ground against my core, I wondered why on earth I had gone so long without this feeling. There was nothing like this, nothing to describe how incredible the weight of Ryder’s body felt against mine. “Fuck me.”

“Say that again.”

“Fuck me,” I whispered, the fire in my body a match for the inferno in his eyes. “Fuck me hard.”

“So demanding.” He grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head, before his mouth lowered over mine. He nipped my lower lip between his teeth, and I moaned and arched my entire body into his. The way he held me down was such a turn-on - I was going to spontaneously combust at any moment.

“Keep your hands there,” he instructed me. “Don’t move them. Do you understand? If your hands move, I stop.”

“Yes Ryder.” Touch me.

He rose to his feet. “You’re burning up, Zoe,” he said, his eyes glinting with amusement. “We should do something about that.”

“Yes,” I retorted. “You should grab a condom and fuck me.”

“You’ve said that before,” he grinned. He turned and walked away, and I almost launched myself in his direction. What the absolute bleep bleep bleep, Ryder?

“Fine,” I huffed. “If you aren't going to take care of me, I’m just going to have to take care of myself.”

He gave me a stern look from the doorway. “Remember your instructions, Zoe,” he warned. “Keep your hands where they are.” I gave him a look of stark disbelief, and he relented with a smile. “I’ll be right back,” he promised.

“You better.” My voice was definitely sullen. I lay on my back, burning up with desire, my nipples hard, my pussy aching. True to his word, Ryder came back in less than a minute, holding a crystal glass in his hand. Scotch. I gaped at him. “You went for a drink in the middle of sex?” My voice rose. “Seriously?”

“Zoe.” He gave me a rebuking look. “You really need to learn patience.” He straddled me again and took a sip of his drink, and then he lowered his head over my nipple.

I felt an icy sting on my skin, and my eyes flew open.

Oh. My. God.

He held an ice cube in his hand, and he was laughing at my reaction.

And the only thing I could think of was, I am going to die of lust.

“Ryder,” I cried out. The shock of the cold was a sharp contrast to the warmth of his tongue, and my desire heightened and peaked. “Oh God.”  

His lips lifted into a smile. “I’m flattered, Zoe.” He trailed that ice cube slowly down my chest, circling each nipple. I pressed into him, trembling, squirting, rocking my hips against his body. “Ryder,” I panted. “Now. Please.”

He set his glass aside, before sliding down to his knees on the floor. My skirt was pushed up, and my panties yanked down. He pushed a finger into me, groaning as my greedy pussy gripped him. “So tight,” he marveled, burying his face between my legs, his tongue licking a broad swath up my slit before circling my clitoris.

My fingers curled into a fist as pleasure enveloped me. He pressed his finger inside me, then added another one. “I can’t wait to be in you, Zoe,” he said, his voice muffled against my inner thigh.

“Why wait?” I asked him, my voice rising to a pitch as his fingers twisted and pushed on my g-spot. My body grew rigid with tension, arousal coiling tight in my core. With each stroke of his fingers, I climbed higher and higher toward release. He worked my clitoris with his tongue and his teeth until I was a panting, mindless mess.

My nails dug into the leather, so hard that I was afraid I’d tear his couch. Pressure built in me, and I couldn’t hold on, not even if I wanted to, and let’s be honest, I didn't want to. An orgasm with a vibrator was one thing but my rabbit, beloved as it was, couldn’t match the feeling of his fingers and his mouth.

“Oh God Ryder, I’m going to come,” I panted. I shrieked as the dam broke, my release washing over me in powerful, shuddering waves. My muscles clenched around Ryder’s fingers, and my thighs pressed against his head. I’d never come so hard in my life.

He didn’t let up, his tongue skillfully extending my pleasure, keeping the waves from subsiding, until I finally groaned and pushed him away. ‘Stop,’ I begged him. “No more.”

He grinned and slid up next to me. “Did you just move your hands, Zoe?” he asked.

Shit. “I did.”

“Disobedient girls get punished, Zoe.”

Okay. I was torn between two choices. One, I could get the spanking Ryder was clearly promising me, and I couldn’t lie - that sounded really hot. Then again, he still had jeans on, and I wanted him in me, damn it. I couldn’t wait anymore.  “You could punish me,” I purred, running my hands over his bulging erection, stroking his thick length. “Or, you could get a condom on and put your cock inside me.”

He considered that, and I stroked him hard. “Come on, Ryder,” I wheedled, squeezing his cock. “Lose the jeans. You know you want to.”

His face scrunched with pleasure. “You little minx, I’m absolutely punishing you later.” He got to his feet and disappeared for a second, before returning with a condom. I watched greedily as he shed his jeans and briefs, and his hard length finally came into view. Oh God, he was huge. So large that I had concerns about whether he was going to fit.

I was going to be feeling this tomorrow.

“I want you so much.” I didn’t take my eyes off his dick, the thought of tomorrow’s soreness ramping up my arousal. “You’re so big.” My fingers worked at the waistband of my skirt as I spoke, and I pushed it down my hips. “Take me, Ryder,” I whispered, spreading my legs for him.  

His eyes glittered with heat. “You are fucking perfect, Zoe.” He rolled the condom on and tugged me to the edge of the couch, positioning me so that one of my legs was braced on the floor and the other flat against the back of the couch. His fingers gripped my hips, and the tip of his cock just barely entered me. “Fuck,” he groaned, his fingers clenched shut, his face distorted with desire. “Fuck.”

But I wanted more than just the tip of him. I wanted his whole length in me. “Stop teasing me,” I growled.

His lips quirked into an amused smile at my tone. “Yes, Zoe,” he said obligingly, then he slid into me, excruciatingly slowly. I felt every inch of that unhurried, leisurely, thorough penetration. “You are so fucking tight,” he groaned.

He pulled out and thrust back in again, faster this time. Sparks ignited in me. “Harder,” I begged. “Oh god Ryder, that feels so good. You feel so good.”

He tightened his grip on my hips and increased his pace. Each stroke, each thrust was deep, hard, powerful. Mewling noises escaped from me as his cock pounded into my pussy. This wasn’t just good. This was amazing and glorious and fantastic and the best sex ever.  

His muscles rippled as he fucked me. Sweat beaded on his skin, and I wanted to lick off each drop. The leather created a delicious friction against my back each time he thrust. His fingers reached down to tease at my clitoris, and my muscles stiffened. A cyclone of desire built within me, rising, threatening to break loose and overflow. I couldn’t believe it - I was going to orgasm again. “I’m coming,” I gasped out as I shattered.

My pussy contracted around his cock, and he moaned. His hands were at my waist, and he quickly flipped me onto my stomach, lifting me up so that I was on my hands and knees on the couch, my shoulders resting on the arm rest. “I’m not going to last long, Zoe,” he rasped as he mounted me from behind.

He was so deep. Each stroke was hard and a little painful, but it was the kind of pain my body craved. I found myself pushing back against him, A different sort of heat was building at my core, deep within me, one I’d never felt before.

Then his thumb grazed my ass.

I gasped out, and he chuckled at my reaction. “How naughty are you, Zoe?” he asked me, his finger continuing to rub a slow circle around that tight passage.

Very naughty. This was so wicked, so wanton. As his finger pushed into that forbidden hole, my body quivered and my breath caught in my throat. “Do it,” I panted, overwhelmed with longing and desire, mindless with lust. “I want everything.”

“Fuck,” he swore, his body stiffening. “Oh fuck Zoe, you have no idea what you do to me.” His pounding picked up speed, and my own pleasure intensified, my orgasm taking me by surprise.

“Ryder,” I cried out, gripping at the cushions. My body slumped in release, leaving me limp and sated. Ryder wasn’t far behind. As I came, he ground his dick into me with a shout of release.

* * *

For some reason, I’d thought the aftermath would be uncomfortable. That we’d share moments of awkward silence, then I’d leave his place, feeling embarrassed by my loss of control.

It was nothing like that.

“I didn’t pout, you know,” Ryder said easily. We were both slumped on the couch, catching our breath from the incredible sex. I was trying to summon up the energy to get up and put my clothes on. “About your assumption that I was going to stray.”

“You totally pouted,” I teased.

“For under a minute,” he shot back, a smile in his voice. “Then I got over it. It wasn’t an unreasonable train of thought.”

“You really would have gone six months without sex?” I looked at him curiously. “I’m making assumptions about you again, but you don’t seem like the kind of guy that goes through dry spells that last that long.”

“I don’t.” He shrugged. “I’m not saying it would have been easy, but I’m a grown man. I can keep my dick in check.” He chuckled. “Though I’d have been at city hall every day, to try to shorten the approval process.”

I ignored the pang that shot through me. This marriage was a business transaction, nothing else. Yes, the sex had been incredible, but Ryder’s words made it clear that there was an expiration date. As we both had agreed. Ryder Drake wasn’t part of my future.

There were many reasons why I shouldn’t have said the next few words. Yet I plunged ahead. “So, sex,” I asked, turning toward him and burrowing my face in his shoulder. “We’re both adults, right? Do you want to keep having it?”

He chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who blushes as much as you, Zoe.” His voice turned thoughtful. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to do anything you don’t want to.”

“Ryder, I don’t know if you noticed, but I had a pretty good time.”

“Pretty good time, thrice,” he corrected smugly. “But you know what I mean. I don’t want to cross any emotional lines, Zoe. I can be a single-minded bastard sometimes, but I don’t want to hurt you deliberately.”

It was a warning that I should have heeded. “I’m a big girl,” I said instead. “I can take care of myself.”

“You absolutely can,” he agreed. “I have no doubt of that.” He pulled me on top, so I straddled his hips, and he looked at me with a wicked glint in his eyes. “Once again?”

“I can’t.” There was real regret in my voice. My insides were going to be sore tomorrow morning, but wow, it was so worth it. “My grandmother will be expecting me back home. I don’t want her to worry.”

“Okay.” Give him credit; he didn’t sulk. He lifted me off him. “You better get dressed,” he said, getting to his feet with a wry smile on his face. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.”

Brad would have never given you a ride back. He would have left you to fend for yourself.

Where had that thought come from? This wasn’t about Brad. “I can catch the streetcar,” I said. “It’s late.”

“Of course not, Zoe.” He dragged his jeans on, and I shamelessly watched his abs ripple as he wore his t-shirt. Drool-worthy. “Also, I have something for you downstairs.”

I forced my mind away from carnal thoughts as I followed him to his living room, where he handed me an envelope. “There are a couple of credit cards in your name,” he explained. “Oh, and a questionnaire.”

“A questionnaire?”

“Likes, dislikes, that kind of thing. I filled one out today; it’s in there. The more we know about each other, the more convincing we’ll be.”

Again, I ignored the pang I felt. What Ryder was saying made sense. I hardly dated, and I certainly didn't spend a lot of time daydreaming about it, but I assumed I'd fall in love and get married one day. When I thought about the ways I’d get to know my future husband, a questionnaire hadn’t ever been on my mind. This was just so different.

“That's a good idea.” I was proud at how calm my tone was.

“Three more things,” he said. “First, this.” He handed me a large rectangular box.

“What’s this?”

“A present for you.” There was a smile in his voice. “Open it.”

“Ryder, you don’t need to get me things,” I started to protest, then my voice trailed off. The box had a laptop in it. A brand-new, gleaming, silver laptop.

“You’ll need it for college,” he said. “You can’t keep trudging to the library to use their computer.”

“Thank you.” I bit my lip. “This is very thoughtful of you.” Tears were welling up in my eyes, and I ducked my head so he wouldn’t see me cry. No one other than my grandmother had ever bought me a present before. I needed a few minutes to gather my composure.

“You’re welcome.” His voice softened as he noticed my expression. “Hey, hey, Zoe,” he soothed, drawing me into his arms, “what’s this about? It’s just a laptop.”

“You listened,” I sniffed, resting my cheek against his chest. “When I said I was at the library yesterday. You didn’t have to be nice to me…”

His hands stroked my hair. “I promise not to do it again,” he quipped, trying to lighten the mood. Ryder Drake probably didn’t have women dissolving into tears in his arms every day. No doubt he thought I was a whack job.

“I’m sorry.” I pulled away and dabbed at my eyes with a tissue. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional.”

“It’s a lot to process,” he said gently. “You don’t have to do it by yourself. I know you don’t have anyone to talk to about the circumstances of our marriage, but please, don’t be a stranger. I want to help.”

He was being so nice, and I was at risk of crying again. “You said three things,” I prompted him. “What are the other two?”

“You need a car.” He handed me a sheet of paper with several car dealerships listed. “My assistant Paige can make appointments for you. Will you go test drive a few models this week and pick something?”

“Ryder, you can’t buy me a car.”

His expression hardened. “It would set off a firestorm of gossip if my wife took the subway everywhere,” he said. “Please be reasonable, Zoe.”

Of course. What was I thinking? He was a billionaire, after all. The rules were different in his world. “Sorry,” I said stiffly, trying not to feel like I was drowning. Think about grandma, I reminded myself. You’re saving her house. “You’re right. I’ll make the appointments.”

“Thank you.” He turned away to open a drawer, and he pulled a small box out. A small, ring-sized box. My heart started beating in my chest. This was it. The moment of no-return. “Zoe,” he said, a trace of hesitation in his voice, “will you marry me?”

I gazed down at my engagement ring. It was beautiful, a massive yellow diamond, surrounded by a ring of smaller clear gems. It was obviously expensive. And when he slid it on my finger, it fit perfectly.

I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t speak. The blood pounded in my head, and I felt faint. So far, I’d avoided thinking about what I was doing. I’d distracted myself by thinking about how good life would feel without the property tax debt hanging over our head.

Now, with the gem on my finger, I couldn’t hide from the fact that I was about to enter a marriage of convenience with Ryder Drake.

And I was terrified.