I lay, floating on the silk of Ryan’s comforter. I felt…good. Really good. This was the second time he’d taken me pretty forcefully, and I found that I liked it.

That scared me a little bit.

I’d never been one to give up without a fight. It wasn’t in my nature. I’d been fighting my whole life to get ahead, get away from my past, to bring my father to justice.

Submitting wasn’t me. So why did I submit to Ryan Steel?

He was gentler with me now as he spread my legs, kissing my thighs. Shivers ran through me at the touch of his fingers, his lips. How had I gone my entire life up until the past few weeks without any of this? How had I ever thought I could live without it?

Now, a life without this very essence of existence seemed empty.

And it hit me.

I could never go back.

I was in love with Ryan Steel. If he didn’t return my love? I’d stay anyway. I’d stay until he no longer wanted me because I couldn’t live without his touch.

“So beautiful,” he said gruffly. “Such a pretty pussy.”

He stroked his tongue over my slit and then licked and tugged on my labia. My nerves sizzled under my skin. He swirled his tongue over my clit, making me crazy, and then he played with my swollen labia once more. Finally, before I nearly cried out for penetration, he thrust two fingers inside my channel.

That along with his hot tongue on my hard clit was enough to shoot me over the edge and into oblivion.

“That’s right. Come for me, baby. Come all over me.” The deep timbre of his voice vibrated against my slick thighs.

When I finally stopped quaking, I opened my eyes. He was smiling between my legs, his stubbled chin glistening.

“Get ready to roll, baby. We’re not even close to done.”

He flipped me over onto my hands and knees. A second later, his warm tongue slithered in my crease, touching my…

I went rigid.

“Relax, baby.” He kissed one cheek of my ass. “I’m not going in there. Just kissing you.” He slid his tongue over my anus once more. “Just let it feel good. Let it take you away.”

Take you away… Ryan was the one who needed to be taken away right now, with all that he was dealing with. Then again, I wouldn’t mind a pilgrimage to another place either, a few minutes not to think about my father and the horrible things he’d done, was still doing. I’d never in my life considered that a rim job might take me away, but with Ryan, I was willing to try anything.

So I closed my eyes, melted into the covers, and let him do what he wanted to do.

The sensation was warm, slippery. A little jabby. And…kind of improper. I couldn’t help wriggling a bit.

He grabbed my hips, steadying me. “Hold still.” His tone was commanding.

Something in his voice made me obey.

He continued to tongue me, and again, I sank into the comforter, determined to find the pleasure in what he clearly was enjoying himself.

Still warm, still slippery, and then…

I sighed, moaning softly. Dirty. Taboo. Kink.

And I was enjoying it.

His tongue snaked below, and he massaged my perineum, streaked across my pussy folds, and then he was back at my ass, circling, probing.

Goose bumps erupted all over my body, and again I wriggled, but he kept me in place. I clutched at the covers, moaning, sighing.

So bad. So good. The ultimate contradiction.

Such a fucking turn-on.

I had no idea how sensitive that area was, and I was on the verge of another climax. When he pushed his fingers inside my pussy, I imploded.

I sank into the bed, pleasure surrounding me, my body quivering as he still worked me with his tongue. The covers muffled my cries, and a foggy haze took over my mind.

All I wanted was more of Ryan’s tongue on me. Every part of me. Especially that part.

He flipped me over and sank his cock into my pussy.

“You’re so hot, Ruby,” he said. “Such a hot little ass.”

The warmth of embarrassment flushed through me, but his dick inside me felt so amazing I didn’t care. I wanted to get lost in Ryan Steel, become part of him. As he thrust into me again and again, I imagined us joined forever, our bodies one, our souls united.

In love.

Our souls united in love.

I was so in love with this man, and he didn’t even know it.

Might never know it.

But I’d relish this time, this joining…and another climax took me higher.

“That’s right. Come. God, Ruby. I’m going to—” He plunged into me harder and farther than he ever had, taking me with him into yet one more orgasm.

I looked deep into his smoking dark eyes, and for a moment, I thought I glimpsed his soul.

He collapsed atop me, brushing his lips against mine.

“Thank you,” was all he said.

---

When I got to the office the next morning, I already had a message from Jade to call right away.

“Hey,” I said when she answered. “It’s Ruby.”

“You’ll never guess what I found.”

“The death certificate.”

“Yup. And my hunch was right. It’s the same certificate except instead of John Cunningham it says Bradford Steel. The birth date and social have been changed to Brad’s too, but everything else is the same, right down to the number. No record of John Cunningham. He was probably an indigent that no one missed.”

“You’re good,” I said.

“No better than you. I think the two of us together might be able to solve this thing.”

“I sure hope so. I’ve got to get my father put away.”

“You will. We will. We’re all in this together now, and we’ve got some serious brainpower among all of us. The four Steels, you, me, and Melanie—we’ll figure this out.”

I let out a sigh. “We will.” I said it more to convince myself than Jade.

“So…there’s another thing.”

“What?”

“The quitclaim deed for the Shane ranch. We all looked it over quickly, and none of us noticed the date.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. It’s several weeks after Brad Steel’s death.”

“Wow. I didn’t actually look at the deed.”

“Yeah, and there’s the fact that the Shanes didn’t actually leave until a couple of years ago.”

“Ryan said he and Anna broke up two years ago.”

“Exactly.”

“So the Steels owned the ranch before the Shanes left?”

“Apparently.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know. The Shanes were paid off somehow, and if Brad was dead, who would have paid them off?”

“Wendy.”

“That’s my guess as well,” Jade agreed.

“But where would Wendy get that kind of money?” My mind was barreling through every possible scenario. “From Brad. Which means…” I shivered.

“Which means,” Jade continued, “it’s possible that Brad’s not dead. It’s all adding up. Wendy identified the body. The death certificate of a guy matching Brad’s description. The quitclaim deed.”

“So Brad could have called Ryan.” My mind churned. “He could have found out that Ryan now knows he’s Wendy’s son, and he wanted to talk to him.”

“Probably.”

“God, Jade. What does this all mean? Why would Brad have faked his own death? What if he’s into all this horrid stuff with my father? What’s that going to do to Ryan and his brothers and sister?” I didn’t even want to go there.

She sighed across the phone line. “I don’t know. But they’ll deal. They’ve dealt with worse.”

“I guess they’ll have to.”

“They’ll want to know these findings. Do you want to come over tonight? We can tell them together.”

“I’m not sure I should be there. The rest of you are all…family.”

“You’re Ryan’s girlfriend, and this involves you as much as it does us.”

The thrill of being referred to as “Ryan’s girlfriend” was superseded by the knowledge that this did indeed involve me. How I didn’t want to be reminded of all that. My esteemed father was the reason they were all in this mess. “I’m not sure,” I said. “My father—”

“None of us hold you responsible for your father.”

“I know that.” And I did. Objectively. “All right. If you want me there, I’ll be there.”

“I do. Come at dinnertime. I’ll phone Marj and have her cook up something good. Seven, okay?”