Ryder's Storm, page 17
“Just as I can’t control my cocks when I’m around you. No matter how exhausted we both are.”
“Sleep’s overrated.”
“I agree,” Ryder murmured before he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her hungrily.
Scarlet barely noticed that he turned with her in his arms so the tiles of the shower were at her back now. Ryder ground his cocks against her stomach while he explored her with his tongue, kissing her as if they’d been separated for too long. She tasted his need in his kiss, her entire body prickling with excitement, her clit throbbing in anticipation of what was to come. His hands roamed her body, caressing her with such urgency that her own arousal spiraled higher with every second.
She ripped her lips from his. “I need you inside now.”
Something flickered in his eyes, almost as if a flame of desire ignited there. “I’ve got you.”
He lifted her off her feet, and kept her pressed against the wall, as if she was light as a feather. She spread her legs, and an instant later, Ryder thrust his lower cock into her, while his upper one slid against her clit. She gasped at the erotic sensation and held on to Ryder’s shoulders, her legs crossed behind his back, while he pumped into her. He dipped his head to her neck and kissed her there. She felt her vein pulse against his lips as if calling out to him, while her clit throbbed in the same rhythm.
“Oh yes!” she cried out. She loved the way Ryder plowed into her, the way he took her without reservations, without holding back.
“You make me so fucking hot,” he rasped into her ear, his breath hot, making her skin flush in response.
She felt his teeth brush against the sensitive skin below her ear, and shuddered at the touch.
“Fuck, baby!”
Ryder’s cock spasmed, and her inner muscles contracted around him, her orgasm catching her by surprise. Warmth and wetness spread inside her pussy, and a corresponding stream of semen rained against her stomach, as his second cock exploded from the tip.
Ryder buried his face in the crook of her neck, shaking from the force of his orgasm, yet surprisingly still able to keep her suspended, pressed against the tiles.
“Oh God.” She exhaled, her heart beating uncontrollably. “This keeps getting better with each time… I never knew I could feel this way…”
Ryder pressed open-mouthed kisses to her neck, his breath just as ragged as hers. “Scarlet?”
“Yes?”
“You have a devastating effect on me. I can’t control myself when I’m with you. Your pussy must be raw by now.”
“It’s not. It feels better than ever.” She rocked against him, making his cock sink deeper into her.
He moaned, his face still buried in the crook of her neck. “Baby, you do that again, and you’ll find yourself facing the walls with my cocks inside you, fucking you again.”
“If you need a break to recover your strength, I can wait,” Scarlet said softly.
Ryder lifted his head and looked at her. His eyes shimmered golden under the bathroom lights. “You little vixen! You barely know me, and already you’re pushing my buttons.”
“What buttons would that be?”
“Implying that I might need a break to recover, when we both know that I can do this all night.”
His words sent a thrill through her core. “Prove it.”
30
Ryder stirred and felt Scarlet snuggling against him. They’d finally fallen asleep shortly after his parents had returned home. Vanessa had returned shortly after them, but he hadn’t heard Ethan coming home.
Making love to Scarlet half the night had been the most satisfying thing he’d ever done in his life. To know that his future mate enjoyed sex with him, and couldn’t get enough of it, was more than just thrilling. The way she’d tempted him to take her again and again, had nearly made him lose complete control. In the shower, his fangs had extended, and he’d been close to biting her, and drinking her blood. It had taken all his remaining willpower, not to give in to the urge.
But next time, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. It made one thing crystal clear: he had to confess to her that he was a vampire. Before they had sex again—which meant it had to happen within the next twenty-four hours, most likely much sooner. Because one thing he couldn’t allow to happen: him biting her without her permission. It would scare her off and destroy all the trust they’d started building between them.
Ryder pressed a kiss in Scarlet’s hair. “How did you sleep?”
She sighed, exhaling deeply. “Like a log. What time is it?”
Ryder glanced to the clock on the nightstand on his side of the bed. “Just after five in the afternoon. Sun’s still up.”
“Damn!” She sat up.
“Something wrong?”
“Yes and no. I really need to do some work on the notes my professor gave me the other day. He’s expecting an update.”
“No problem. I can occupy myself while you study.” It would help him keep his paws off Scarlet until he’d worked out an approach about how to tell her what he really was.
“But there’s a problem. My computer is still in my room at home.”
“That’s not a problem. You can use mine, and just download your work from the cloud.”
Scarlet frowned. “That’s very sweet of you, but my stuff isn’t in the cloud.”
“You don’t back up your computer?”
“I do, but I’m old-school. I back up on a physical drive.” She shrugged. “I don’t trust the cloud. With all the hacking, ransomware, and stuff, I’d rather have it where I can access it without having to go online.”
“Well, then let’s get your computer from home. I’ll drive us.”
Scarlet shook her head. “I don’t wanna go home.”
“You won’t be staying. We’ll just get your computer and a few clothes, and we’ll be outta there.”
“But what if Claudia is there?”
Ryder shrugged. “So?”
“I don’t want to face her right now. She’s probably annoyed that I told Dad what her nephew did.”
“Okay then.” He thought about it for a moment. “How about I go there on my own, get your computer and some clothes, and you’ll just wait here?” As long as his parents and Vanessa were home, Scarlet would be safe here.
“But what if she sees you? I mean you punched Derek.”
“I don’t care. He’s lucky he got away that easily. Besides, I can get in and out of your house without anybody noticing me. She won’t even know that I’m there. Okay?”
Scarlet put her arms around him and kissed him. “Thank you. You’re the best.”
He freed himself from her embrace and grinned. “You can thank me later.”
“How?”
“Oh, I leave that up to you.” He winked, and jumped out of bed. “When I’m back, we can have dinner if you want.”
“Do you mind if I cook something for us?”
“You don’t have to, but if you insist, just check the fridge and the pantry. There should be plenty of options. Just promise not to leave the house. If there’s any ingredient you can’t find, text me, and I’ll swing by the store before I come back.”
“I will.”
Fifteen minutes later, a list of things Scarlet needed from her home in his hand, Ryder left the house and walked to his car. He noticed that Vanessa’s car was parked in the driveway, and Ethan’s right behind her on the street, blocking her. Ethan was home after all.
It didn’t take long to reach the King residence, but all parking spots on the block were taken, and Ryder had to park two blocks away. As he walked up to the residence, he couldn’t tell if anybody was home. He listened before he put the key into the lock. Inside the house it was quiet. He opened the door and entered the foyer. His sneakers barely made a sound on the wood floor as he walked up the stairs and turned toward Scarlet’s room that overlooked the street. He entered it.
The bed was unmade, and the rest of the room looked exactly like he’d left it the morning Scarlet’s father had arrived unexpectedly. Ryder went to the walk-in closet, and stepped inside. On an upper shelf he found a leather travel bag, just like Scarlet had mentioned. He took it down and filled it with several items on Scarlet’s list: panties and bras, socks, a pair of pants, several T-shirts, a cardigan, a casual dress, and two pairs of shoes. Satisfied, he stepped out of the closet and looked for Scarlet’s laptop. He found it on the desk near the window and placed it in the bag on top of the clothes.
Then he looked around for the charger, but it wasn’t on the desk. Where had she left it? He glanced around, wondering if she’d plugged the cable into an outlet somewhere else in the house. He walked into the ensuite bathroom, and looked around. When his eyes fell on an electric toothbrush, he took it together with a few other toiletries, even though they weren’t on Scarlet’s list. She’d probably forgotten them in her haste.
Back in the bedroom, his gaze fell on the bedside table. Between it and the bed, he saw the computer cable he’d been looking for. It was plugged into an outlet on the wall. Ryder crouched down and pulled it out, when he suddenly heard a loud sound. He froze. It sounded like somebody had hit the wall with a shoe or a fist.
Somebody was home after all. Ryder tossed the cable in the bag, and zipped it up. He took it, and went to the door. Quietly, he turned the doorknob and pulled the door open a couple of inches so he could peer down the hallway. He couldn’t see anything, but more sounds were coming from somewhere in the back of the house now.
Ryder left Scarlet’s room, intent on sneaking down the stairs as quickly as possible. When he reached the top of the stairs, a loud moan reached his ears. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Something wasn’t right. Was Claudia at home and had hurt herself? No matter his feelings about her nephew, he couldn’t ignore his instinct, and had to check out if she was all right.
Ryder placed Scarlet’s travel bag at the top of the stairs, and pivoted. Treading lightly, he walked to the end of the corridor, where the King’s master bedroom was located. The door wasn’t closed properly. As he reached it, there was another moan, this time accompanied by a second one, which definitely came from a second person.
Now more curious than worried, Ryder bent closer to peer through the gap between door and frame. His gaze fell on a mirror. In its reflection he saw the bed. On it, two people were having sex. He was about to retreat, wanting to give the couple their privacy, when he saw the faces of the couple. One was clearly Claudia, like he’d expected. But the man she was having rather wild and passionate sex with wasn’t her husband. It was her nephew. Derek.
Ryder suppressed a stunned gasp and froze. He blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing a trick on him, but when he spied into the room again and saw the couple in the mirror, he couldn’t deny it any longer. Claudia was fucking Derek.
“Fuck, I missed fucking you,” he heard Derek grunt now as he flipped Claudia on her stomach and plowed into her from behind.
“I need this so bad, baby,” she replied, “Brandon never fucks me like you do.”
“I hate knowing that you still let him fuck you.”
“Please, you know I have to. It won’t be for much longer. You’re the only one who fucks me like a real man. I only want you.”
Ryder turned away. He’d seen enough. As quietly as he could, he hurried back to the stairs, grabbed Scarlet’s bag and walked downstairs. Next to the bench that held several pairs of shoes, he spotted his own bag that he’d dropped there before he’d raced after Scarlet. He snatched it and made his way out the door, careful not to let it slam so as not to alert Claudia and Derek. Not that he believed that they would be able to hear the door close. Claudia was too busy cheating on her husband and committing incest with her nephew.
Back at his car, Ryder put the two bags on the back seat and got in. But he didn’t speed away immediately. Instead, he let the entire scene play out in his mind once more. He wasn’t a voyeur, no, that wasn’t the reason. But something about Claudia and Derek having sex didn’t sit right with him. Why would a woman sleep with her own nephew to cheat on her husband? A woman wanting a sexual affair behind her husband’s back would choose someone who had no connection to her or her family. She wouldn’t pick her nephew, because their interactions at family get-togethers could eventually betray them. She would pick a stranger, somebody she would never have to see again once it was over.
That’s when the answer stared him right in the face. Derek wasn’t Claudia’s nephew. Ryder didn’t know yet how to confirm it, but in his gut, he knew he was right. However, another thing made no sense, whether Derek was her nephew or not. Claudia had clearly tried to set Scarlet up with Derek, even facilitated it for Derek to make a pass at Scarlet—an unwelcome one—by leaving the house that night. Ryder had to assume that all this had happened at Claudia’s direction. The question was, why? Why have her lover attempt to seduce Scarlet? What was the end game?
Something was afoot. And he was determined to get to the bottom of it. Another thing was clear too: he couldn’t keep this information from Scarlet. She had to know about it. Perhaps she could fill in some of the blanks about Derek and Claudia.
He felt dread in his gut. This discovery wasn’t something he could withhold from Brandon King. Ultimately, he was Scanguards’ client, and an illicit affair represented a security issue, which made it Ryder’s responsibility to alert him. However, he had to discuss it with Scarlet first. Together they would decide how to proceed.
31
Scarlet flipped on the broiler of the humongous gas stove in the Giles’s kitchen, and turned back to the slices of bread on the kitchen island which she’d topped with garlic butter. Now she arranged slices of cheese on it, until the entire cookie sheet was covered. She checked the oven, but the broiler had still not turned on. She studied the controls again, and realized that she’d turned the dial to Broil but hadn’t pressed Start. She corrected her error, then shoved the cookie sheet with the garlic bread onto the top rung of the oven and closed the door.
The Bolognese sauce she’d prepared was boiling happily on low heat. The water for the pasta was still not quite boiling. Scarlet looked at the large clock that hung on the wall next to the window that overlooked a narrow side yard with colorful flowers. The sun hung low on the horizon now and shone directly onto the island and the hallway beyond, though it seemed muted as if the window was tinted.
When she turned back to the stove, she noticed that the water was finally boiling. She pivoted to reach for the pasta. It wasn’t where she’d thought she’d left it. She glanced around. What had she done with it?
“Come on,” she murmured to herself.
But the pasta was nowhere to be found. She left the kitchen and turned to her left, where a door led into the small pantry. She flipped the light switch and saw the bag of pasta on the first shelf, right next to the canned tomatoes.
“Ah, there.” She took the bag, then stopped for a second, before she reached for a second one. Maybe Ryder’s parents and siblings wanted to have some food too, even if they didn’t want to eat it right away. Leftovers were always good.
Scarlet returned to the stove, where the boiling water was already steaming up the kitchen. She hit the switch for the exhaust fan, then quickly emptied the two bags of pasta into the large pot of water.
The pasta sauce was bubbling up, and she realized that she’d forgotten to put the lid back on when she’d last stirred the sauce with a wooden spoon. She reared back so the hot sauce didn’t splatter on the T-shirt she’d borrowed from Ryder, and promptly slipped on a wet spot on the marble floor. She managed to keep her balance by gripping the side of the sink for support, inadvertently knocking against the pile of dirty dishes she’d accumulated there during her prep work. The dishes shifted in the sink and made a noise so loud is sounded like a construction crew was doing demolition work.
It was lucky the dishes didn’t break. She decided it was best to quickly wash and dry them before she could cause any more disasters. Maya Giles would probably not like it one bit if Scarlet made a mess out of her kitchen and damaged her good dishes. Scarlet knew that there was a dishwasher next to the sink, but she couldn’t figure out how to open it. The door appeared to be stuck.
Careful not to break anything, Scarlet lifted the dirty dishes out of the sink, then looked for dishwashing liquid and a sponge. She found both underneath the sink, and began washing the utensils, bowls, and cutting boards she’d used earlier.
She was only halfway through washing the dishes, when something behind her hissed. She pivoted and realized that the pasta pot was boiling over and extinguishing the gas flame beneath it. She looked for a potholder, but couldn’t find any. Smelling the gas escaping from the burner beneath the pot, Scarlet turned the dial to the off position.
“Fuck!” Maybe cooking hadn’t been such a great idea after all.
She tried to calm herself, and opened the drawers next to the stove, and finally found a potholder. She moved the pot with the boiling pasta to a different burner, and was about to switch it on, when smoke rose to her nose. Her gaze drifted lower.
“Oh shit!”
Thick smoke was coming out of the oven. She turned the broiler off as quickly as she could, and opened the oven door. The smoke coming from the charred garlic bread knocked her backward, and she realized immediately that opening the oven door had been a mistake. The exhaust over the stove was already on its highest setting, and did nothing to clear the smoke from the kitchen.
The fire alarm suddenly went off, its high-pitched beeping sound nearly piercing her eardrums and sending her into a panic.
Scarlet charged to the kitchen window and opened it as wide as she could. She ran to the other side of the island into the living area, and opened the large window there too, hoping to get some cross-breeze going.
The sound of several pairs of feet running down the wooden staircase suddenly drifted to Scarlet’s ears. Oh no! She’d woken the entire house! What a disaster! Ryder’s parents would be so mad once they saw the mess she’d made of their beautiful kitchen. She wanted to sink into a hole in the ground to hide, but there was no escaping this. She was responsible for this.
