Chapter Nine
Ryder hated this. Irene couldn’t just take her cute little ass and put it on the chopper like he wanted. Of course, she had to do the most dangerous thing possible, stay with him.
Now, he was a giant dick. A giant dick who killed a man and then yelled at her because she couldn’t be as cold as him about it. They didn’t have time to think about this. Kert and Blitz were still out there, and he was damn sure that the two of them wouldn’t be so easy to kill.
They trudged on for hours up the mountain. It was different work from the cliff, but the effort was just as hard. The sun had hung low in the sky, already threatening to set, when the helicopter came to pick the others up, and the chill of night now touched them. Irene shifted her hands in his, and for the first time, he noticed how like ice they were.
He looked back. The moonlight barely filtered in through the dense forest, with the occasional flicker from the fire. The smoke might still be playing a factor. How much, he really couldn’t say.
Irene was trembling. She was cold and had been for some time.
“Damn it,” he said.
He stopped and pulled his coat from his bag. When he wrapped her in it, he could hear her teeth chatter.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were cold?” he asked. It came out a bit angrier than he intended, but she needed to tell him these sorts of things, especially now.
“We were running,” she said between chattering.
He cursed his asshole attitude. Maybe if he had been a little nicer, this wouldn’t have happened.
Ryder looked around for shelter. Up further he spotted a large tree. It wasn’t ideal, but really nothing here was going to be. It was not like a convenient cabin would just appear for them in middle of the forest. Kert and Blitz weren’t going to do much tracking of them in the middle of a dense forest at night. It was a good time to stop.
He eyed the tree again. Maybe there was something they could use.
“This way,” he said quietly.
Irene followed, her hand still in his. They made their way to the tree, and he was relieved to see that part of an evergreen had been hit by a storm and rested on the lower part of the large tree. Its giant fan-like branches created a sort of canvas for them to rest under.
Ryder crawled under the branch and waited for Irene to follow. When they were both under the branch, he pulled the piece closer to close the opening.
“It’s warm,” she said, the surprise clear in her voice.
Ryder nodded. “It’s kept in the heat from the day and made a sort of den.”
Irene looked up at the roof of green. “Is it safe?”
Ryder shrugged. “Safer than anything else is right now.”
He cringed when he realized the stupidity of his words.
She looked down.
“Hey,” he said. He took her hands in his. They were still cold as ice. “I’ll keep you safe.”
She gave a funny look and turned away. “What about you?”
Ryder frowned. “What about me?”
Irene looked back, and he could barely make out her eyes. “Are you going to keep yourself safe?”
His mouth went dry. She was worried. Not about herself but about him.
“I’ll keep both of us safe,” he said.
Quiet settled over them for some time as they just sat there. He rubbed her fingers a few times, but they still hadn’t warmed.
“Let me warm you up,” he said.
He shifted so his back was against the tree and his legs were stretched out. Irene moved over to him and stared at his lap. Ryder knew she wouldn’t have much choice how to sit. When she looked up to him, he knew it made her nervous. He placed a hand on her hip and guided her to straddle his lap.
“Perfect,” he whispered.
He slipped off the leather jacket and pulled out a blanket. It was large enough to cover them both and, with the jacket over, much warmer.
Irene sighed as she leaned in. He could feel her cold hands resting on his chest.
“Do you want to warm your hands?”
She nodded, and he licked his lips. It was risky. She was so flighty, anything with her could be a risk, but at this moment, he’d do just about anything to get her hands on him.
Ryder reached between them and felt her lean back a little. Taking advantage of this, he grabbed her hands and slipped them up his shirt.
She gasped at the contact.
“Warm?” he asked.
Irene nodded at him. “Yes,” she said. Her voice was soft and breathy.
“Try moving your hands,” he said.
Irene marveled at the amazing feel of his body and couldn’t believe the strength under her fingers.
She jumped when the crackle of the walkie-talkie sounded.
“Ryder,” Charlie called.
“Fuck.” Ryder pulled out the walkie-talkie. When she tried to get off, he brought a strong arm around her and stared at her as he spoke. “Yeah.”
“Victoria is stable,” he said.
Irene leaned down and placed her head on Ryder’s shoulder. Charlie had been silent for hours, or maybe Ryder just had the walkie-talkie off, and they had been on the run, so she was glad to know the others were safe.
“Seems that Blitz was spotted in town,” Charlie continued.
“Must not have seemed worth it,” Ryder said. “One left.”
“One?” Charlie said.
Ryder looked up to her. They still hadn’t talked about that. “Paco is dead,” he declared.
“Wolf is out for blood,” Charlie said. “This is personal for him. Keep your eyes out.”
“Roger that. And the fire?”
“Growing. Keep heading north when you can.”
“Thanks, Charlie,” Ryder said.
“Shut it. I’m just paying my debt.”
Ryder laughed. Irene stared at him.
“Got it.”
Ryder put the walkie-talkie to the side and looked back at her. He stared at her for such a long time she wondered what he was seeking.
“I’m not a good man sometimes. I know I’m not the man you deserve, but God help me if I don’t want you.”
Irene sat still, slightly shocked. She’d be lying if she said seeing a man get shot wasn’t more than a little traumatic, but after this weekend, it was only one of many things. It wasn’t like she wasn’t well aware of the man Ryder was.
She placed a hand on his face and traced the scar the she had wanted to so many times before. He tried to turn from her, but she pulled him back with her other hand.
“A good man goes to save his brother no matter what,” she said. Her thumb came to rest on his bottom lip. She kept her eyes on his as she slid it across. “A good man goes through hell to make sure the person he cares for is safe.”
She pulled her thumb away and leaned down for a tender kiss. She had to resist the urge to deepen it.
Irene placed her forehead on his. “And a good man keeps trying even if that person is hard to figure out.”
“Irene…” he said
His mouth came hard against hers, and this time she didn’t resist the urge to deepen the kiss. After the hell she’d been through, all she wanted was the comfort of his arms. To feel him.
She ran her hands up his chiseled chest, reveling in every muscle she encountered. When he shifted, they danced under her fingers, and she almost gasped at how erotic it was.
Ryder moved his hands to her waist. He moved her hips in a circular motion over him. Her center pressed to his rigid cock, and she moaned at the flutter it created.
“Fuck,” he hissed when her hips started to move on their own.
She moaned when his hands moved up her body and under her shirt. He teased the outside of her bra, trailing his fingers along the lacy edges. When he slipped a finger in, he stopped just shy of her aching nipple.
“Take your shirt off,” he said and pulled his hand out.
Irene blinked. She wasn’t expecting him to pull away like that.
“Maybe we could just—” she fumbled.
Ryder shook his head. “I want them in my mouth.”
A shiver shot down her body at his words. She’d never heard anyone be so blunt.
“Irene.”
“I’m a baker,” she said, as if that answered some question he has asked.
Ryder frowned. “Okay.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t work out eighty million hours a week or have a six pack or anything.”
She blushed. This was stupid. He knew what she had. It wasn’t like the man was blind. He could see her ass. It wasn’t like he could miss it.
Ryder sat up a little. “I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. I don’t want someone like me. I want you.” He reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. “I want all of you.”
His eyes roamed hungrily over her nearly naked top.
She jumped when he reached behind and unsnapped her bra. When it fell away, his hands cupped her breasts.
“Amazing,” he said with awe.
Not stopping, he leaned forward and placed his mouth on one of her hardened peaks. He nibbled and licked the rosy tip until she had bowed herself back so far he had to wrap his arm around her back to keep her in place. When he moved to the other side, Irene bumped her hips hard against his throbbing erection.
Ryder pulled back with a pop.
“Shit.” He groaned against her, but she was lost in the motion. When his hand came to the snap on her pants, she jumped at the contact.
“Just relax,” he soothed. “I got you.”
Her heart raced as his hand slipped into her pants and past the barrier of her panties.
“Oh,” she moaned as he rubbed hard against her wet clit.
“God, you’re so fucking ready,” he said.
She ground her clit hard against him and moaned when a gentle finger began to slip into her.
His fingers were larger than her own fingers, and when he pushed into her she shuddered.
“Jesus, you’re tight.” He panted in her ear as he pumped his finger into her. With each stroke she got closer and closer to the edge.
His thumb rubbed her clit hard. She moaned loudly.
“Ryder,” she whispered.
“Fuck.”
Irene yelped when she found herself flying through the air. Without even knowing how, he’d whipped her pants off in one quick move, her shoes still stuck in her pants.
When he sat her back down, she moaned at the feel of being mostly naked on top of him. She reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled. Her hard nipples brushed against his naked chest as she pulled the shirt off, and she felt her heart pick up.
“God, Irene.”
His large hands ran up and down her back, and she loved how special he made her feel.
She slid her hands down his chest, letting her nails gently scrape over his well-formed abs. When she reached the button on his pants, she dipped her finger just below the line. The top popped open, and she slid down the zipper. He strained to be free inside his underwear. Irene took a breath and pushed down the last barrier. The thick head sprang into her hands.
She’d never seen someone so large. It wasn’t that she wasn’t expecting it, but having it right there in front of her, she wasn’t really sure if she could even fit him in. His massive fingers has seemed almost too much.
Irene wrapped her hand around as much as she could. When she couldn’t make a fist around his hard cock, she swallowed hard. They were going to have to take this slow. She gripped him with two hands and worked them up and down over his hard shaft. She watched as he leaned back and let her take the lead. She found a rhythm that worked, and the more she worked, the better the reaction was from him.
She loved to watch his face. It excited her to know she was making him feel good. Irene leaned over and placed the head in her mouth.
“Shit!” He grabbed her head and pulled her up quickly.
Irene frowned. “I didn’t mean…” she started.
“I can’t take it anymore.”
Again, she found herself being lifted up. This time when she came down, her pussy was directly over his hard cock.
“Please tell me you’re on something,” he said.
Irene moaned when he slid the cock between her slick folds.
“I’m on the pill for periods,” she said.
He bumped her clit a few times with his hard head.
“Good,” he growled.
Irene hadn’t quite registered what was going on until he ripped her panties away.
“Ryder,” she said. His head slipped just inside. “You need to go slow.”
“Baby,” he said. “You have me so worked up I don’t know if I can.”
He pushed in a little further before she gripped his face with her hands.
“You need to go slow.” She bit her lip. “I’m a virgin.”
He froze. No fucking way.
“A what?”
“I’m a virgin,” she whispered.
His heart hammered. He’d never even thought she might be a virgin. If it had even crossed his mind, he would not have tried to have sex in the middle of the fucking woods.
“Shit,” he said and leaned his head on her chest.
“It’s okay, right? We’ll just go slow.”
He could hear the worry in her voice. It killed him inside. He shifted and placed his hands on her hips.
“What are you doing?” she said. “I want this.”
Ryder shook his head and brushed her beautiful blond hair out of the way.
“Not like this,” he whispered. “You deserve more. I want to give you more.”
“No,” she groaned and pushed down further on him.
Ryder dug his fingers into her hips. “Damn it, Irene.”
Slowly, she pushed until she was fully seated on him. He pulled his hands off her hips and gritted through the clenching tightness. If she was going to push for this, he was going to make it the best he could. He placed his hand on her chest and felt the labored breathing. Her heart thundered beneath his palm, and he wondered how much pain she was actually in versus it just being something new.
His eyes found hers, and he moved down her chest. When he reached her rounded stomach, she blushed. He followed even lower. Her lids lowered and her mouth opened slightly when he reached where they were joined. Irene moaned at the first swipe over her clit. His thumb rolled her clit slowly over and over.
Ryder moaned when her hands slid over her breasts and pinched her own nipples. So many times he’d pictured it in his head, but it was nothing close to the real thing.
He grunted loudly when she rolled her hips. She froze.
“Did I hurt you?” She leaned into him, only increasing the discomfort.
“Baby, I’m about as far as you get from hurt, but it’s about to kill me just sitting here with my dick being squeezed by you,” he ground out.
Irene moved up a little and slid back down slowly.
“Is that good?” she whispered.
“Fuck.” Keeping his cool was proving to be the hardest thing he’d ever done. “How does it feel?” he asked.
Irene lifted up again and came back down a little faster. This time he increased the pressure as she moved.
“Oh God,” she moaned.
Ryder grinned. “That’s about how it should feel.”
Irene moved over him, taking all of him in from head to base. As she picked up speed, Ryder increased the pressure on her clit. He could feel the small flutters in her cervix as she started to work faster and faster on him.
Irene came down hard on him and rotated her hips. She grunted in annoyance.
“I got you, baby,” Ryder said in her ear.
Without pulling out, he leaned forward and tossed their clothes on the ground as a bed. He placed Irene down and leaned over her. She was beautiful there. Waiting for him. Open and ready.
Ryder leaned forward and kissed her hard. There was no stopping him now. He had to see that face. The one she would make when coming with him deep inside her. Ryder pulled back and placed her legs on his shoulders. He glanced down and watched as his cock pumped into her. His thumb worked hard at her tender clit.
Irene tossed her head back as her climax squeezed him hard. Ryder exploded deep within her as she continued climaxing around him.
Irene breathed in heavily. “Is it always like that?”
Ryder grinned. “With me it will be.”
He pulled out and spread out some of the clothes to lay next to her.
“You know what I mean.” She sucked in some air. “I thought it was supposed to suck.”
Ryder shrugged. “Maybe because you’re older.”
“I did try to use some toys once, but it didn’t go so well,” she said. “So I always just used my fingers.”
“Irene,” he said. “You should stop unless you’re ready for round two.”
He chuckled at her gasp.
“You can’t go so soon. All the books said so.”
Ryder laughed. “Babe, I’ve been thinking about you for the last six months. I could keep making love to you all night, but I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”
“That’s not what the books said,” she grumbled.
Ryder rolled to his side and pulled her backside to his hard on.
“Is that a challenge?” he growled.
Irene gasped, but he was surprised to find her responsive to him.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered. “Let me get us off this fucking mountain, and I’ll lock you in the bedroom for weeks.”
He liked that her breath hitched at the idea of spending weeks with him off the mountain. Lord help him if she shut him out again.