Chapter Eight
Austen
When the workday was over, I walked out of the building and headed toward 2nd Street. Madeline and I were meeting at our favorite bakery, The Muffin Girl. Anytime we had an excuse to go there, we seized it.
She already had a table outside on the small terrace. Two creamy Frappuccinos sat there with our favorite carrot cake cupcakes. “I got the last two. Made a little girl cry, but it was worth it.”
“When it comes to war, there will always be casualties.”
“I’m glad you understand.” She set a fork on my napkin, knowing I ate my cupcake the lame way. “How was work?”
“It was good. My eyes hurt from staring at a screen so long, but other than that, it was pretty normal.”
“Run into Jason?”
“Yeah, but I told him it wasn’t going to work.”
“How’d he take it?” She scooped a piece of the cake and popped it into her mouth.
“He understood. It wasn’t a big conversation.” Jason worked in the IT department, so he was pretty laid-back. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who had temper issues.
“What about Ryker? Anything happen with him?”
I told Madeline everything, but this was a secret I wanted to keep to myself. If other people knew about it, it would make the arrangement more serious. And she would give me shit for going back on my word. “No. We had amazing sex, but that’s over.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to walk away from that.”
I couldn’t either. When Ryker laid out the parameters of the relationship without a hint of emotion, I thought it could work. He didn’t object to any of my requests, and even if he did, I probably would have caved because he was that good in the sack. The second time we slept together, I thought it might be mediocre because the novelty had worn off. But nope, it was the exact opposite. “There are other fish in the sea, right?”
Madeline bowed her head and picked at her cupcake, not taking a bite but destroying the foundation of the baked treat. She avoided eye contact and suddenly seemed morose. The change was so sudden that it was jarring.
“Everything alright, girl?”
“Yeah…” She set down her fork and took a long drink of her coffee, slurping it down like something was stuck in her throat.
I knew she was full of shit. “Madeline, it’s me. You can tell me anything.” I set my fork down and watched her with concern, unsure what she wanted to say to me. She only acted like this when something bad happened.
“It’s one of those situations where you don’t know if you should tell the person… It might be helpful, or it might be hurtful…it could go either way. But if I don’t tell you, you’ll find out some other way, and that might be worse.”
“Okay…” Now I really was worried. “Just lay it on me.”
“Alright.” She wiped her fingers with a napkin and released a big sigh, the weight of the situation suffocating her.
I waited, my eyes glued to her face.
She sighed again.
“Just be straight with me, Maddie. You know I can take anything.”
“Okay, okay. Nathan and Lily just got divorced.” The sympathy crept into her expression as she watched me, waiting for whatever reaction I might have.
I heard the words, and they sank into my skin slowly, eventually seeping into my bones. My heart continued to beat at a normal pace, unaffected by this information. But everything else fired up. My temperature increased, and my lungs worked a little harder to give me the air I needed. The news wasn’t good or bad, but it was jarring all the same. “Do you know why?”
“No. Jenn heard this from Jasmine, who’s friends with—”
“I know who Jasmine is.” I knew all of Lily’s friends.
“Looks like the divorce happened pretty quickly. It may have been mutual. I don’t know…”
I tore off a piece of the cupcake and popped it into my mouth. I chewed it slowly, thinking of that horrific day when I walked into my apartment and saw the love of my life fucking my best friend. To this day, I wasn’t sure which betrayal hurt me more.
“Are you happy?”
“Not really,” I said honestly. “It would have made me feel better if they were meant to be. Then I wouldn’t take the betrayal so personally. But if they were only married less than two years…then what they had wasn’t real. So Nathan left me because she had nicer tits and a perkier ass. No other reason. And that’s what bothers me…”
Madeline nodded in understanding. “I get where you’re coming from. But I wanted to tell you so no one else would catch you off guard.”
“You did the right thing, Maddie.”
“And just in case he tries talking to you again…”
I scoffed because the suggestion was ludicrous. “He’d have to be really stupid to try that.”
“You never know. Men are thick.”
“True.” I ate more of my cupcake and inhaled my coffee like it was air.
Madeline watched every move I made, analyzing every little action. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I forced a fake smile to reassure her there was nothing to worry about. But inside, it did bother me. When it came to Nathan, I would always be bitter. Not only did he break my heart, but he made a fool out of me to the entire world. Everyone I knew saw me as the poor girl that he traded in for something better. And Lily betrayed me even more. We’d been best friends since sixth grade. But all those years of friendship didn’t mean as much to her as it did to me. “What do you want to do on Saturday? I was thinking we could go wine tasting in Connecticut along the coast. What do you say?”
“Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll text Jenn.” She pulled out her phone and sent the message. “I’m sure she’ll be down. Anyone else you want to invite?”
“I guess Jared, unless he has a date. He told me he was talking to some girl from the gym. Not sure if anything came from it.”
“It’s Jared.” She rolled her eyes. “Something always comes from it.”
I laughed because she was right. Not only was he good-looking, but he had serious moves. He could land chicks quicker than we could land guys. He had a very special talent.
“What about Liam and Ryker?”
“What about them?” I didn’t invite my brother to do everything, and I wasn’t going to start now. I enjoyed my brother’s company, but we weren’t attached at the hip.
“Should we invite them?”
“Do you want to invite them?” I asked. “Or more specifically, Liam?”
A smile crept into her features. “Yes, please. Unless that will be weird between you and Ryker.”
“Not at all.” I would just have to keep my hands to myself and not screw him in the bathroom while everyone was preoccupied. “Invite them.”
“Alright. I’m gonna do it.” She typed the message on her phone and set it on the table.
Instantly, Liam’s named popped up on the screen.
“He said they’ll be there.” She smiled as she texted back. “And Jared said he’ll come, but he’s bringing a hot piece of ass—his words, not mine.”
She didn’t need to tell me that. I figured that out on my own.
“And Jenn is down too. Looks like the whole crew is coming. This will be fun.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it will.” I was grateful I had something to get my mind off what she just told me. After Nathan hurt me like that, I stood tall and refused to show my pain. I never cried in front of anyone or even let people think I may have been wounded by what happened. In fact, I acted like I didn’t give a damn at all.
But in reality, what happened with Nathan and Lily destroyed me.
For good.
***
Stone Cold.
Ryker’s message lit up on my screen. The nickname had grown on me since he first called me that. I liked it because it was unusual. I was sure he never called any other woman by that name. Sexy.
I miss you.
Am I talking to you or your cock?
Sweetheart, we’re one and the same.
A shiver ran down my spine as I thought about the feel of his lips on my mouth. He was such a phenomenal kisser, the best I’d ever had. He used his hands with the same perfection as he did his mouth. Everything about him was perfect—the ideal man.
The more I thought about him, the more I burned for his touch. After the news Madeline gave me, I was eager to fall into something powerful so I would stop thinking about it. Sex with Ryker was the only thing good enough to mask all my other thoughts. I just thought about him and all the amazing things he did to me. I want you to fuck me. I didn’t think twice about what I said. I didn’t have any hesitance. With him, I felt like I could say anything without seeming desperate or clingy.
The feeling is mutual. Here or there?
I didn’t want him at my apartment. When I stayed at his, I had the freedom to leave whenever I wanted and go home. But if he was at my place, I was at his mercy until he decided to leave. I’ll be there in ten minutes.
We’ll be waiting.
I left my apartment and arrived ten minutes later. I walked inside and finally noticed the qualities of his apartment. It was a penthouse on the top floor of a beautiful skyscraper. Hardwood floors led to floor-to-ceiling windows. His furniture was black and made of leather. Everything reeked of masculinity. “You have a nice place. I never noticed before.”
He shut the door behind me then pressed his chest against my back. One arm folded over my chest and gripped my shoulder as he pressed his face into my neck. His lips brushed past my warm skin before he placed a wet kiss on it. My skin was so hot the moisture evaporated almost instantly. “Thank you.”
He guided me to the back of the couch and pressed my hips against the top cushion. His muscled forearm was covered with corded veins, and his long fingers dug into my shoulder with possessiveness. “You can keep admiring it while I fuck you right here.” He yanked my dress above my hips and pushed me down so I was bent over the couch.
I already wanted to come.
He pulled my thong down to my knees then dropped his sweatpants and boxers. He rolled on a condom then violently shoved himself inside me, giving me all of his length in one swift motion. He used to go easy on me, but now that my pussy was used to his cock, he didn’t show me an ounce of gentleness.
Not that I wanted him to.
His hand wrapped around the front of my neck, and he slammed into me from behind, fucking me over the back of the couch. His cock pierced me over and over, sliding through the slickness that continued to grow just for him.
I loved the carnal aggression that seeped from every inch of his skin. He grunted from behind me as he worked his body to please me. Within minutes, he was covered in sweat and his fingers tightened around my throat.
I didn’t prefer to be grabbed that way, but I liked it when he did it.
“This pussy is fucking perfect.” He moaned between words as he fucked me into the back of the couch, taking me like he owned me.
He could own me all he wanted if he made me feel this good.
He leaned over me, his chest rubbing against my back. His lips moved to my ear as his breaths filled my canal.
I watched our figures move in the reflection of the black TV, two animals fucking in heat.
My hand cupped his neck as I listened to him breathe next to my ear, hearing all his desire for me in his pants. My fingers felt his strands of hair that were coated with sweat. I fell into the moment with him, forgetting about everything that happened before I walked through that front door.
“Come, sweetheart.” He rammed his cock into me harder, pressing me into the couch. “You’re getting so tight.”
The fact that he knew when I was about to come just turned me on more. He could feel me intimately with his girth, feeling everything that my pussy felt from the connection between us. My channel tightened again, suffocating his cock with the reaction of my pleasure. Then I released a scream of joy, a shout of ecstasy.
“There you go.”
I gripped the back of his head as I rode the waves of my high. He continued to give it to me good and hard, making the experience last longer than any other. The rush drained me, making me immensely satisfied. “Oh god…”
He kissed my hairline. “I’d love to be your god.” He pumped into me a few more times before he released into the condom, filling the pouch with loads of his seed. He stayed buried inside me when he was finished, his cock slowly softening. “Fuck, that was good.” He straightened and pulled out of me, making me feel empty once he was gone.
We both cleaned off in the bathroom before I pulled up my panties and straightened out my dress until it was no longer wrinkled. Something about screwing without even taking off my clothes was innately arousing. He couldn’t have me quick enough, so he just did the bare minimum to get inside me.
Geez, he was hot.
He walked into the kitchen with just his sweatpants hanging on his lean hips. His chiseled physique gleamed under the low lighting of the kitchen, his mounds of muscle looking defined and sleek.
I could stare at him all day.
“How does shrimp linguini sound?” He pulled out everything he needed from the refrigerator and the cabinets before he began cooking.
“For what?”
“Dinner. You’re hungry, right?” He stared me down with his gorgeous green eyes, a distinct shadow over his irises.
We agreed this was strictly about fucking, not dinners and romance. But we did agree to be friends on top of that. I didn’t need to keep up my guard with Ryker all the time. He was clearly a player who never wanted a serious relationship. If there was anything I could count on, it was that. I was safe. “Yeah, sure. Can I help?”
“Get the pasta going, and I’ll take care of the shrimp.”
In perfect harmony, we worked together in the kitchen and prepared dinner like it wasn’t our first rodeo. He had a big kitchen with lots of space, so we didn’t need to fight each other to get things done. I paid a lot of money in rent for my place, but it was a fraction of the size of his penthouse.
“How was your day?” He worked the pan and cooked the shrimp, sizzling the seafood in the white wine and cheese.
I kept an eye on the boiling water, watching the linguini soften. “Good. I worked then got coffee with Madeline.” I skipped over the conversation I had with her, not seeing the point in mentioning anything about Nathan to him. Ryker and I never talked about anything real. It was just sex and meaningless conversation.
“Liam mentioned something about wine tasting this Saturday?”
“Yeah, there’s a few wineries along the coast of Connecticut. Should be fun. Madeline and Jenn are coming. Jared is bringing a date. So it should be a good time.”
“Jared is bringing a date, huh?” He shifted the pan and made the shrimp fly into the air before they returned to the pan.
“Some woman he met at the gym.”
“Good for him.” His tone noticeably brightened. “Are we taking separate cars?”
“I guess we’ll have to.”
“Want to ride up with me?”
“Since I don’t have a car, that would be nice.”
He let the shrimp simmer in the pan, the sauce thickening into a glaze. “It’s a two-seater, just so you know.”
“Is it a fancy sports car?”
“Yep. A Vanquish.”
“An Aston Martin?” I wouldn’t call myself a car aficionado, but I did have a serious appreciation for luxury vehicles that I’ll never be able to afford. “Wow. Those are such beautiful cars. And you hardly ever see them.”
He turned off the burner while wearing a charming smile. “A chick who’s into cars…that’s hot.” His arm circled my waist, and he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It was a quick kiss, the kind couples might share.
But I liked it so I kissed him back.
He drained the pasta in the strainer then mixed it together with the shrimp he’d just prepared. “I’d love to take you for a ride then fuck you in the passenger seat.” He made the two plates and set them on the dining table.
“You have no idea how much I would love that.” I took the glass of wine he poured for me and took a sip. “But that car is too nice, you know? You don’t want it to reek of sex.”
“But then I would think about you every time I was in it.” He gave me a smoldering look before he took a bite of his dinner. “So that works for me. But if you’re trying to protect my car, you could always give me a nice blow job instead.” He winked.
“Look how that worked out…”
“Or I could give you head. That works for me.”
The idea of him going down on me brought me back to life. I thought I was satisfied and hungry, but now I realized I wanted another round. I’d never been addicted to sex like this. Most of the dates I went on led to nothing. And the ones that did lead to sex weren’t groundbreaking. The scarce times I did have good sex, I wasn’t this obsessed with getting more of it. Ryker was a rare breed, a gift to women from the universe. “How was your day?”
“Good. I went to the gym then played Call of Duty.”
I didn’t know anyone this young who was retired. Seemed kinda boring. “I don’t mean this in an offensive way, but do you get bored staying home all day?”
He shrugged before he took another bite. “Sometimes. I’ll probably get a job eventually, but for now, I’m just trying to relax. I’m kinda going through a hard time, so I’m not ready to do anything else at the moment.”
We never talked about anything too personal, so I didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’m sorry to hear that.” I didn’t ask him what suffering he was referring to because it was none of my business. I wouldn’t want him to ask me the same question in return, so I gave him that respect.
He sipped his wine as he watched me across the table. “My father passed away about a year ago. Cancer.” He went back to eating like he hadn’t just said the most heartbreaking thing I’d ever heard.
“Ryker…I’m so sorry.” The heartbreak thudded in my chest, his pain somehow transferring into my body like I’d lost someone too. Losing a family member was never easy, especially to a merciless murderer like cancer.
“It’s okay.” He looked up from his plate and gave me a look of encouragement. “It’s something that will get easier in time.”
“Is that why you moved here? To start over?”
He took a bite and slowly chewed his food like he pondered his answer long before he gave it. “Exactly.”
I understood the need to start over better than anyone. To live in a place where everyone knew everything about your past was suffocating. I could never grow into someone else when everyone knew my best friend screwed me over and my fiancé left me for someone else. I permanently carried an invisible scar that everyone could see. “I get that. I hope you find exactly what you’re looking for.”
“Me too.” He sipped his wine then stared out the window of his living room. The couch I was just fucked on sat there, the cushion dented in from my weight. His chin was dark from the five o’clock shadow that came in. I wondered how he would look if he didn’t shave, letting his hair grow.
He’d probably look just as sexy. “The food is good. Thanks for dinner.”
“Thanks for helping me with it.”
“I boiled pasta—a monkey could do it.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I always thought you kinda looked like a monkey.”
I smacked his forearm playfully across the table. “I’m not a beauty queen, but I’m much cuter than a monkey.”
“That’s debatable…”
“Didn’t seem that way on the couch.”
He dropped his smile as his eyes darkened. “Felt like animal sex to me.”
He got that right. I finished my plate then rinsed it in the sink. He joined me a moment later, putting his plate beside mine. As we stood side by side at the counter, I felt the electricity that I’d become used to. My hair stood on end, and I pictured that naked body on top of mine. Whenever his cock wasn’t inside me, I was grouchy. This man was made to fuck me, to make me feel good.
He turned off the water then crowded me into the counter, my back pressed against the cabinets as he smothered me with his presence. His hands rested on the counter on either side of me, blocking me in like a cornered animal.
My nipples immediately hardened when he drew near, feeling hot under the collar. I swallowed the lump in my throat because my mouth suddenly felt dry. I tried to control my breathing so he wouldn’t understand just how much his proximity affected me. But then again, he’d made me come enough times to understand just how much power he had over me.
“I want to fuck your mouth.” He eyed my lips, making the command without hesitation. If any guy tried to tell me what to do, I’d tell him off. But in this case, I loved his authority. I liked being told what to do, not having to think about what needed to happen next. “On your knees.”
I’d never wanted to be on my knees more in my life. I didn’t care about getting my own pleasure because I knew he wasn’t the kind of guy to leave me hanging. I kept my eyes on him as I lowered myself to my knees on the hardwood floor. I didn’t care that it wasn’t comfortable. I just wanted his cock in my mouth.
He yanked his sweatpants and boxers off until his enormous cock popped out. He held it against my face, the head swollen and engorged with blood. He gripped his shaft and ran his thumb over the head of his cock, smearing the pre-come that drizzled. Then he held his thumb to my lip, silently commanding me to suck it.
I opened my mouth and closed it around his thumb, immediately tasting him once my tongue swiped across the skin. It was salty and masculine, the best-tasting man I’d ever had. I sucked his skin until my taste buds couldn’t detect anything else. I pulled my mouth away from his thumb, ready for the real thing.
He dug one hand into my hair and grabbed the back of my neck. Then he pointed his long dick into my mouth, pressing his shaft against my tongue as he slid inside. His eyes watched my mouth as he inserted half of his length inside me, touching the back of my throat. “You have no fucking idea how sexy you look right now.”
I gripped the edge of his sweats and pulled them down to his knees as I craned my neck to take his length little by little. I’d never sucked a cock this large before, so I took my time getting used to him. Having a woman gag wasn’t sexy.
Ryker rocked his hips into me, rubbing his cock against my flattened tongue. His fingers tightened on the back of my neck as his rocks turned into thrusts. His eyes darkened in color and his jaw clenched.
Saliva dripped over my mouth and down my chin. It slid to my chin then dripped onto the floor. I took advantage of the moments when he pulled out to take a deep breath, to get air into my lungs before his enormous length returned to the deep part of my throat and blocked my access to air.
Tears burned in my eyes until they bubbled to drops and slid down my cheeks. I wasn’t crying, but feeling the expansion of my throat fired off nerve endings. I took him into my mouth repeatedly and it hurt, but it felt so good at the same time.
Ryker brushed his thumb across my cheek, absorbing a tear from my skin.
My fingers dug into his muscled thighs as I took more of him, wanting to make him feel as good as he’d made me feel over the past week.
“Damn, you’re a pro.”
I looked up and made eye contact with him, my jaw practically unhinged to take all of him. There were several inches I couldn’t fit, but that didn’t stop me from trying.
He brushed away the other tear with his thumb. “As much as I enjoy this, I need to come. You gonna take that, sweetheart?”
I grabbed his balls and gently massaged them with my fingertips. I gave him a nod, telling him I wanted every drop.
“You’re a vision right now.” He grasped my hair in his hand and watched me take his cock harder, crumbling into an orgasmic mess that was a pleasure to watch. He closed his eyes as he hit his threshold, thickening inside my mouth right before release. “Fuck yeah…” His seed shot into the back of my throat, spraying with mounds of heavy come. When I thought it was over, it kept coming, landing on my tongue so I could taste his pleasure.
I swallowed everything I received, wanting to keep my airway clear so my gag reflex wouldn’t be initiated. My determination to give him a great experience kept my body in control. After all the amazing things he did for me, I wanted to return the favor in kind.
Ryker pulled his cock out of my mouth, soaked in my saliva. It was slowly hardening, the blood returning to his body and his brain. “Up.” He pulled his boxers and sweatpants back on and yanked me by the hair. “It’s your turn.”