The only noise in the room was the clinking of spoons against bowls. The fire in the makeshift heater that Brody had designed kept us warm as we ate. I had removed my jacket as my body grew warm from the fire and the hot soup.
Cash and Brody started talking about making a trip to town, wanting to find out if what the militia said was true; that the enemy was being forced out. Eva was all ears. Despite the danger she wanted to search for her parents. The last time she saw them, they were forcing her out the door, sending her to the country to escape any danger.
I was listening to them talk when Ryder leaned over the table, pouring his soup into my empty bowl. I stared at him with shock and astonishment.
He didn’t look at me, just picked up his glass of water and took a long sip.
My bowl was now full of steaming soup. A second helping. Something that wasn’t a big deal months ago. Now it was everything.
Ryder gave up his food for me. He would go hungry tonight for me.
“Thank you,” I whispered, picking up my spoon.
He finally looked at me. The sharpness in his eyes couldn’t hide what he just did for me.
He cared.
Gavin nudged my side, grabbing my attention. Leaning over, his head bent close to mine.
“Don’t stare it in the eyes. It makes it angry,” he whispered, dramatically. “Out in the wild like this, it has been known to attack innocent bystanders for looking at it directly. We must be careful not to wake the beast.”
“Gavin, what are you doing?” I hissed under my breath, sneaking a nervous peek at Ryder.
Ryder’s eyes narrowed in a glacial stare. His spoon was frozen in his hand, gripped firmly and going nowhere.
The sides of Gavin’s mouth shot up in a grin. He glanced at Ryder with a challenge in his eyes, smirking. I heard Ryder’s spoon hit the plate, sounding like a cannon going off in the quiet room.
Gavin leaned toward me again. “Someone has to make you smile. If Ryder…”
He never finished the sentence.
Ryder’s chair fell on the floor as he jumped to his feet. With one leap, he was across the table. Dishes, soup, and water went flying, covering everything in its path. Warm soup hit my chest, soaking my shirt and pants, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.
Ryder grabbed the front of Gavin’s shirt and hauled him up out of his seat. Before Gavin could fight back, Ryder threw him up against the wall.
Brody and Cash jumped to their feet, Eva and Janice following. Roger stayed seated, watching it all with calmness.
The mess, the broken dishes, the soup – they were all ignored.
“You still trying to take my place, brother?” Ryder spit, getting in Gavin’s face.
I jumped up from my chair, watching with horror as Ryder slammed Gavin against the wall again. The soup on me was forgotten. The liquid running down my clothes was not important.
“I asked you a question!” Ryder shouted, shaking Gavin. “DO YOU WANT TO TAKE MY PLACE?”
“No,” Gavin answered, thrusting his chin up obstinately. “Why? You want me to? Because if you do, I’ll be glad to take your place.”
Ryder’s fist landed in Gavin’s stomach, doubling him over. He recovered in seconds, landing a solid blow to Ryder’s side. But Ryder fought back, using his elbow to whack Gavin in the jaw. Once, twice. Again and again.
I scrambled forward to break them up, tired of all the fighting. Enough!
Then something happened. I stopped. The fog in my head cleared. Staring at them, beating each other up over me, seemed…ridiculous. They had been fighting like this since they were kids. As silly as it sounded, it was the way they were. They loved each other but they were both type As with too much testosterone. If they needed to do this, I’d let them. My daddy would have called it ‘blowing off a little steam.’
“Maddie! Control your boyfriend!” Brody shouted, watching as Ryder plowed his fists into Gavin.
“No. I don’t think so,” I said, calmly. Turning around, I walked out of the kitchen, leaving the men to do whatever they wanted to each other.
“Maddie? Where are you going?” Eva called out as I walked down the hallway.
Turning around, I walked backwards, answering her. “I’m changing clothes, Eva. Let them beat each other up. I’m done!”
“That’s my girl,” she said, smiling.
~~~~
Before heading to the bathroom, I grabbed some clean clothes. Using a crank flashlight that I had to crank a minute or two to get eight minutes out of, I stripped out of my pants and shirt in the chilly bathroom.
I tried turning the faucet, hoping Brody’s makeshift rigging of pipes could produce some water. Nothing. The water must be frozen. A big plastic container set outside collected rainwater and operated on pressure and gravity alone; but it was not protected from the freezing temperatures. Today the system was not working.
So I used the clean water someone had brought in instead. Wetting a wash cloth, I started rubbing my chest, wiping the soup away. I hurried as goose bumps popped up across my skin. I smelled like chicken but that was okay; I was clean. I put on a new shirt, one of Ryder’s that hit me at the knees.
I was bending down for my pants when the door opened behind me. Squealing, I whirled around.
Ryder stood in the doorway, his eyes blazing down at me. His hair was a mess, his face cut and bruised. His five o-clock shadow made him look rugged. Unruly. Amazing didn’t begin to describe him. Snap out of it, Maddie. The man is cold one minute, hot the next. Who needs that?
Without taking his eyes off of me, he shut the door. The click of the lock verified that he wasn’t letting me go anywhere. Great, imprisoned with a mad man. Literally. Mad at me.
I turned away, clutching my jeans tightly so I wouldn’t be tempted to hit him.
“I don’t want to talk to you. Leave me alone,” I said over my shoulder.
He didn’t say anything, just moved to stand behind me.
My heart started hammering but I chose to ignore it. Leaning down, I started to pull on my jeans. I stuffed one leg in the jeans angrily. Lifting my other leg, my bottom brushed against his pelvis, sending a jolt of electricity through me. Ignore him, I told myself. Let him know you’re not going to put up with any more of his bull crap.
But ignoring Ryder was hard to do.
His hand glided under my shirt, moving up my back. I halted, the sensation of his fingers roaming over my ribcage, breathtaking. Heating me like no fire could.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, outraged.
Without answering, his hands wandered further up my body, touching me everywhere.
Straightening, I forgot about the jeans in my hands. Forgot about the chill in the air. Forgot about everything except the two of us.
Pulling me to his chest, my back against him, he pushed my bra out of the way. Once I was free, he cupped my breasts, taking possession of what he wanted. When his fingers flicked over my nipples, I sucked in my breath.
Oh, sweet mother of all that is holy, the man was going to make me explode just by doing that.
I held onto his wrists as his fingers teased my nipple. His lips found the back of my neck, nipping and biting my skin.
The light of the crank flashlight started to fade, leaving us in the dark. It didn’t matter. I only cared about what he was doing to me.
Both of his hands squeezed my breasts, tugging at my nipples.
“Maddie, do you want this?” his deep voice rumbled from behind me, his breath hot against my skin.
“Mmmm,” was all I could say.
One hand clasped my breast while the other moved down, running along the lacy edge of my panties.
My lips parted on a sigh as his hand dipped lower, disappearing inside the silky material. Before he got where I wanted him to be, he withdrew his hand, leaving me wanting more.
Suddenly he dropped down to his knees, surprising me. I looked over my shoulder, a little bit shocked to find him kneeling behind me. H
is lips were inches from my hips. Looking up, he met my eyes, the desire in them intense. Eager. Hell, exquisite.
His hands ran up my legs, kneading my skin with just the right amount of pressure. His eyes followed the movement with forced restraint. I started to turn around, wanting to touch him. Wanting my arms around him. But he had other plans.
His hands tightened on my legs, holding me still.
“I didn’t tell you to move,” he said in a low tone. God, even his voice could make me shatter.
Feeling like I was going to go crazy with need, I turned back around, facing away from him.
“Ryder, I don’t know what you’re doing…”
“Don’t talk,” he instructed, his hands running up my legs, his thumbs on the inside of my thighs.
What? If there was one thing that made me mad, it was Ryder telling me to be quiet. I opened my mouth, planning on giving him a piece of my mind. I swear I’m tired of him pushing me around. This is the last time…ohhhhh!
His mouth was on me, traveling slowly up my right leg. He licked and tasted my skin, sending a shiver through me. Needing something to hold onto, I reached for the counter, grasping the edge tightly.
“Spread your legs,” he said, his fingers running along my upper thighs while his mouth moved to my hip.
I hesitated, a blush running up my body. We’ve never…I’ve never…
“I said to spread your legs,” he said in a harder voice.
“No,” I snapped, hating to say it but needing to keep at least some control. My body screamed at me to do as he instructed. My head told me not to give in.
“Fine.” Grabbing my underwear in one fist, he yanked, sweeping my panties down my legs and leaving me bare.
Pushing my shirt further up my back, his hand moved up my spine as his mouth went to my hip, savoring and sucking every inch of me. The stubble on his jaw stroked against my sensitive skin, making me burn. Branding me.
I gasped when his fingers slid between my legs, touching me. Hinting at what they would do if I let them.
“You want to spread your legs now?” he asked, huskily.
“God, yes,” I answered in a throaty voice.
As soon as I did, his fingers were there, filling me. I threw my head back, a moan escaping.
“Don’t make any noise,” he ordered, running a finger over me.
Did he know how impossible that was?
I grasped the counter harder when his fingers delved inside. With one hand holding my hip and his other hand driving me insane, his mouth tasted my hip. My bottom. Everywhere. His fingers pulled out before pushing back into me. It was too much.
I started wiggling, pushing into his hand. He held my hip tightly as I whimpered, soft mewling sounds escaping me.
I never heard him rise to his feet. I was too busy riding the orgasm rolling through my body. But I did hear him lower his zipper.
“Lean over.”
I did, feeling like I was spiraling out of control.
“More,” he said, his fingers spread across the middle of my back, pressing down.
I obeyed, leaning more. With a hand on my spine, he guided himself into me, inch by inch. Halfway in he stopped, waiting for me to adjust to the length of him. I moaned and pushed back with my hips, desperate for more.
“Damn,” he hissed, his hands going to my hips to hold me tight as he buried himself deep inside.
I gasped, arching my spine.
One of his hands left my hip to run over my back, holding me steady as he throbbed within me.
“God, you feel amazing. Tell me if it hurts.”
Closing my eyes, I nodded.
He started thrusting, his hips rolling against mine. Each time he withdrew only to slide back into me, I felt ecstasy ripple through me. The feeling was so intense, building to such insurmountable levels, that I felt like I was going to come apart.
His fingers bit into my skin with each thrust. I held onto the counter, my fingers grasping the marble. Biting my lip, I kept from crying out as he moved in and out of me, driving me closer to another orgasm.
Grabbing a handful of my hair, he tugged my head up. Opening my eyes, I could see him behind me in the mirror, his body moving against mine. His eyes were closed, his jaw clenched hard.
Opening his eyes, he stared at our reflection, sliding deep inside of me. Holding himself still, he waited a second before pulling halfway out. His eyes burned into mine as he drove back into me, deeper this time. I gasped but kept my eyes opened. We watched each other, the sensations building and vibrating between us. His hand ran down my back, his touch gentle while his hips moved against me roughly, over and over.
I closed my eyes when the feelings became too much. Something was building in me, begging to be released. The moment when I would lose all control.
Suddenly, Ryder stopped and pulled out.
“Ryder, don’t stop,” I whispered, meeting his eyes in the mirror.
“Turn around,” he instructed, taking a step back.
I turned, the counter at my back. My gaze landed on Ryder. His jeans were down around his hips, his hardness wanting attention.
And I wanted to give it to him but before I could, he was in front of me, his hands lifting me to sit on the counter. My arms went around his neck, holding on tight while I balanced on the edge.
In one fluid movement, he slid into me, making me gasp. His hands went under my thighs, hiking my legs up and keeping me from falling. I sucked in a breath when he pulled out then thrust back, picking up speed.
I arched my back, leaving my neck exposed. His lips dropped down to taste me, one moment kissing me, the next nipping at my sensitive skin.
“I told you I wanted to fuck you on the bathroom counter. How does it feel?” he asked, his voice low in my ear as he buried himself deep within me.
“Hmmm,” was my only answer as his hands roamed further up my body, cupping my breasts. Locking my legs around his hips, I tightened my muscles around him, making him groan as his thumbs skimmed over my nipples.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Out of nowhere, someone banged on the bathroom door.
“Maddie?” a deep voice said from the other side.
Ryder stilled, his face buried in my neck, his hardness buried in me.
I didn’t say anything, frozen in shock. Gavin?
“Maddie?” he asked again.
“Answer him,” Ryder whispered low in my ear.
“Yes?” I said, my voice too high-pitched to sound normal.
There was a pause.
“You okay?” Gavin asked sounding concerned.
I cleared my throat. Holy cow, I could feel Ryder pulse inside me. “I’m fine,” I managed to say.
“Good. Listen, Ryder’s a first-class asshole and doesn’t deserve you. Him losing control tonight proves it. But he’s gone now. You can come out.”
Ryder stiffened. He started to pull away but I grabbed him, refusing to let him leave.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I said, trying not to moan when Ryder started to slide out of me. I tightened my legs around his waist, driving him back into me. Ahhh!
“Okay. Well, I just wanted to check on you,” Gavin said.
Ryder and I didn’t move, listening as he walked away. When he was gone, Ryder started moving again. Slowly, like each stroke was a punishment. It drove me crazy. I grabbed his hair, turning his face to mine.
“Kiss me, Ryder,” I begged in a whisper, tightening my fingers in his hair as he thrust harder into me.
“No,” he said, his lips traveling down my neck.
I moaned as his fingers toyed with my nipples.
“Dammit, Ryder,” I hissed, feeling something building in me.
He placed his lips near my ear, brushing his mouth across my earlobe. “Come for me, baby.”
And I did. When he started sliding into me harder and harder, I exploded.
My whole body vibrated as the orgasm rocked me. A scream erupted from my throat but Ryder slapped his hand over my
mouth, stifling it. I moaned behind his hand, squeezing my eyes shut as my world exploded. Desperate to taste him, needing to have him in my mouth, I parted my lips beneath his hand. My tongue darted out, luring his index finger into my mouth. I ran my tongue over the tip of it then started sucking, bringing him deeper into my mouth. Saltiness and the rough texture of his finger met the softness of my mouth.
“Holy fuck, Maddie,” Ryder rasped, driving into me with more urgency.
My tongue swirled around his finger as his hips started pumping faster. With a growl, he pulled his hand from my mouth, letting the wet tip of his finger run across my lower lip. A second later, his mouth took over, ravaging mine as his hard length plunged in and out of my body.
I coaxed his tongue into my mouth and gave it the same treatment as his finger, licking and sucking. As soon as I did, Ryder’s body jerked. An orgasm rolled through him. He buried himself as deeply in me as he could go. A growl interrupted from his throat as he rode out his release. His mouth became more demanding as he pulsated inside me, emptying in me.
When we both floated back down, his hold on me softened. He ran one of his hands up my body, curving around to cradle the back of my head. His other arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me connected to him.
His mouth became gentle on mine, achingly soft kisses as if he was afraid I would break.
“You okay?”
I nodded, still trying to catch my breath.
We stayed like that for a minute, maybe two. My body hummed, every nerve ending alive and screaming. He was kissing the corner of my mouth when we heard talking. A man’s voice.
“He’s a ticking time bomb. I just hope he doesn’t hurt Maddie. He’s come so damn close before. One small slipup and he could kill her or their baby.”
That’s when the moment between Ryder and I ended like it had never existed.
Abruptly, he withdrew from me, leaving my mouth and my body. Taking a step back, he didn’t glance at me once as he zipped up his jeans.
Still feeling the sensations vibrate through me, I stood on shaky legs. Bending down, I grabbed my underwear and pulled them back on.