Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty-Nine

She sighed at his kiss as she pushed his jacket from his shoulders. He moved away just long enough to shrug it off and yank his tie from around his neck, then his mouth was seeking hers again. She quickly unbuttoned his shirt, and then reached for his pants. He rewarded her by quickly stripping his clothes off, and then he was back on the bed, his mouth greedy against hers.

Her eyes fluttered closed, and she arched toward him, giving a half moan, half sigh. His kiss was sweeter and hotter than the last one. She ran her fingers through his hair, and he groaned, deepening the kiss.

Madison moved her hands lower, caressing the nape of his neck and broad shoulders before slipping down his back, finally settling on his waist. For having such a hard body, he was all soft whispers and tender touches. How could she even think about letting him go? But how could she not? She couldn’t trap him here with her. He deserved better than that.

Ryder left her mouth and kissed his way down her body, stopping to tease her nipples until they were so hard they ached. “Mmm.”

Her breath hitched as she watched his head full of dark hair move lower and lower. She bit on her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Was he going to go down on her? Because she really wanted him to.

He placed a kiss to her belly button, and she swore all the tiny hairs on her body stood at attention. Her heart seemed to stop beating, too, waiting for his next move. Another kiss to her belly, lower this time. She sucked in a breath.

“Want me to stop?” He looked up at her.

“No,” she said breathlessly. She was positive she’d die if he stopped.

With a wicked grin that promised things she couldn’t even begin to imagine, he lowered his head again. His hands wrapped around her thighs, and he parted her legs. She mentally braced herself for the feel of his tongue, but there wasn’t a force on earth that could’ve prepared her. He flicked the tip of his tongue across her clit, and she cried out. It was like someone had set off fireworks between her legs, and one after another, they went off. Setting her on fire. Burning her alive. Blinding her with pleasure.

“Oh, God.” All the air rushed from her lungs, leaving her gasping and panting and fighting to breathe. “Ryder.”

He licked up her folds. “So good.” Then he plunged his tongue inside of her as his finger circled her clit.

She clutched the blankets so tight her knuckles were white and her fingers cramped, but the sting of pain was nothing compared to the sensations ricocheting through her core. Her head lolled from side to side, her brain total mush. “God, yes…”

His mouth closed around her clit, sucking it gently while that diabolical finger slid up into her. She screamed his name—a full blown, unashamed, didn’t-give-a-shit-who-heard scream. And he encouraged her by easing a second finger into her. She whimpered as her chest heaved with ragged pants, because breathing wasn’t even a possibility anymore. Her hips lifted of their own volition, and before she realized what she was doing, she was fucking his face.

Any other guy and she would’ve been mortified, but he didn’t seem to care. His moans of approval proved that. So did his renewed vigor. His hands moved to grip her ass, effectively holding her in place.

“You taste so fucking good.” His words were snarl-like, the sexual need dripping from his tone.

Easing her death-grip hold on the blankets, she threaded her fingers in his hair, loving the way he moved his head, like he wouldn’t survive if he didn’t feel her hands roaming, exploring, massaging his scalp. God, the things he was doing with his mouth and tongue…he could give the devil a run for his money with how sinful his actions were.

“I’m not stopping until you come for me, Madison.” His hot breath blew across her sensitive, swollen clit, and she almost lost it right then. She was already so damn close the tiniest move would send her spiraling over the edge.

“Ryder,” she gasped. “Please.”

“Please what?” He looked up at her, his eyes heavy with lust and wolfish with hunger.

“Don’t stop.” She forced his head back down and shifted her hips.

She barely heard his chuckle before his tongue was inside of her again. Her vision blurred, and the room started to spin. Her face went numb, her toes tingled, and her entire body stiffened as she braced for her orgasm. It was coming hard and fast, and Ryder was relentless, his tongue working her into a frenzy until she couldn’t hold on a second longer.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, but he didn’t release her. He held her tight, savoring her release between moans and whispers of encouragement. And then she collapsed, sweaty and drained. The feel of Ryder’s lips against her thigh then her stomach had another rollercoaster of emotion and sensations rising. Ryder kneeled between her legs, his massive erection jutting out proudly.

“That was the hottest fucking thing in the world.” He leaned down and gave her a deep kiss.

“No shit.” She laughed against his lips. “You can do that whenever you want.”

He smiled, then in the blink of an eye, he was pulling on her legs, positioning her so her ass was on his thighs and her legs were draped over his arms. And then he was entering her, the pleasurable burn of him stretching her radiated through her body, and she winced.

He froze. “You okay?” So much concern in his voice. It took her by surprise, and she had trouble remembering what she was supposed to say. “If it’s too much, just say the words.”

“You’re just…hard.” She scrunched up her face. That was the dumbest thing she could’ve said, but apparently, the part of her brain that regulated her speech had taken the night off. “Like, really hard.” She didn’t recall him being this hard any other time.

His soft laugh was followed by a gentle kiss. “That’s all you, honey. You make me this hard.” He eased forward, his movements slower and more careful.

But despite the initial pain, she didn’t want slow and careful. “I’m okay. It’s okay.” She nodded and attempted to meet his shallow thrust, which was impossible with the position he had her in.

“You sure?”

She nodded again, more adamantly this time. And he didn’t ask again. He pushed all the way into her in one smooth thrust. Her body arched, and she cried out. Not in pain, but in ultimate satisfaction, a feeling she’d never had before then. But it was a feeling she wanted to bottle up and cherish forever, because holy fucking hell. It was like all of her favorite things rolled up into a perfect package.

“My God, Madison.” He grunted the words as he rocked forward. “I swear.” He kissed her hard, nipping at her lips. “It’s like your body was made for me.”

Before she could agree, his mouth was on hers again, his tongue skillfully exploring her mouth. Each time he’d plunge forward, she swore his cock was rubbing her clit, hitting her sweet spot with each thrust. At this rate, she wasn’t going to last long.

“Ryder…” She gasped and grabbed at his arms, which were tense, the muscles bulging from the exertion of holding himself up. That was so damn sexy.

“Fuck,” he groaned, letting her legs fall from his arms. He shifted, placing one hand on her hip and resting the other above her head. His movements slowed, and she realized he was doing exactly what she’d asked him to do—he was making love to her. Slow. Sweet. Tender. Loving.

She moved with him, meeting him thrust for thrust. “I love you,” she whispered, clutching his face for a moment before bringing his lips down on hers. Her orgasm seized her, taking hold of every nerve ending in her body, electrifying her seconds before zapping every ounce of energy she had. She screamed his name and dug her fingernails into his back.

Ryder growled a string of words she couldn’t decipher, and then he swelled inside of her. His cock was twice as hard as it was before, and she clung to him tighter until he came and then collapsed. His short puffs of breath tickled her neck, but she didn’t say anything. This moment was too perfect to ruin with words.

****

Almost an hour later, and Ryder was still having trouble wrapping his mind around what had happened between them. Their lovemaking was part promise, part goodbye, and he couldn’t decide which part would ultimately win.

He stroked her arm, and she snuggled closer to his side. Her head rested on his chest, right over his heart, and her fingers were splayed across his stomach. The position had quickly become familiar, and he could easily picture them in bed like this all the time.

Madison sighed and eased herself up onto her elbow. Her gaze was locked on her hand, on the ring she was now fidgeting with. “I guess it’s time to give this back to you, huh?” She glanced up at him with a sad smile before returning her attention to the diamond and sighing again.

“What if you don’t?” he said, his heart an unruly, thundering beast in his chest.

“What?”

He sat up, causing her to do the same. He took her hand in his, studied the ring for a moment, then held her gaze. “You should keep the ring.”

“Ryder,” she said, equal parts excitement and confusion. “I can’t keep this. It’s way too expensive, and it’s an engagement ring.”

“I know what it is and how much it costs,” he said with a soft chuckle. “I bought it, remember?”

“Exactly. The agreement was I’d give it back after this was all over, and you’d return it.” She shifted to sit so her back was against the headboard, blankets tucked around her body.

“Is it over?” he whispered, heart ready to bust free. Blood pounded in his ears, and his skin tingled with the knowledge that this could go very badly for him. He slid his hand along the side of her face and peered into her big, hazel eyes. “Because I don’t want it to be.” He shook his head. “I want you to keep this ring.”

“Why?” she asked quietly, eyes shimmering with the threat of tears.

“Because I love you, Madison, and I know that for me, there will never be anyone else but you. I realize that probably sounds insane considering we barely know each other, and trust me, I don’t get it, either.” He laughed. “But you can’t deny we have something amazing here. I know you feel it, too.”

She nodded but remained silent.

It was now or never… “You’ve turned my world upside down, and I have loved every second of it. I want to spend my life trying to figure you out while you keep me guessing. You drive me so fucking crazy in all the best ways possible.” He lifted her left hand and fingered the ring. “Please don’t give this back to me. Keep it. Marry me, Madison.”

Time seemed to stand still as Ryder waited for her to answer. Even a nod would suffice at this point, but the prolonged silence was too much.

“Madison?” His voice was strangled. He should’ve known better than to propose. They hadn’t known each other long enough, hadn’t had enough time to know if what they had was real or a result of their situation.

“I want to say yes to you, Ryder,” she finally said. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Then say it,” he said a little more forcefully than he’d intended.

“I can’t.”

Ryder’s entire body slouched. Those two small words had effectively shattered his heart beyond repair, and he couldn’t move let alone fully process that she’d just said no to his proposal.

The mattress shook as Madison scrambled out of bed. He watched as she crossed the room, yanked clothes from her bag, and hastily put them on. Was she planning to leave? His breaths were razor sharp, and he forced himself out of bed.

“Why?” He scooped his boxers from the floor and jerked them on. Then a thought slammed into his head, and his eyes widened. Mark’s words echoed in his thoughts. If she chooses you, I’ll give you my blessing. “This is because of whatever offer your father made, isn’t it?”

She spun around, eyes wide with fear. “How do you know about that?”

Ryder retrieved a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt and put them on before answering. “He mentioned it at the wedding, though he didn’t tell me what the offer was.” Ryder crossed his arms. “Do you want to tell me?”

Madison’s body sagged, and she hung her head. “He’s dying, Ryder. My father’s dying. A rare, aggressive form of cancer. He only has a few months left.”

Well, shit. That hadn’t been what he’d expected to hear. He closed the distance between them and wrapped Madison in his arms. She buried her face against his chest and cried.