Black Ice (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (17 page)

Lisa replied before Blake could. “They’ve been dating for a while now. Who knows? Maybe I’ll become a grandmother before we know it. That would mean you’d be an aunt.”

“Kill me now,” Blake said to Lilly.

Her sister smiled and brushed her hair from her cheek. “At least she’s stopped talking about me and Mike.”

Amid the commotion and discussion about babies and marriage, Ryder entered the room with Grayson and an elderly couple. He hugged Lyssa, keeping his arm around her as he introduced his parents to Blake and her family. Blake soon discovered Henry and Birdie James were actually charming people, fitting in with the craziness of the room. Blake laughed at the irony of it.

“Blake saved my life,” Ryder said, meeting her eyes. “Our suspect planted a bomb inside the condo, and she warned me before it exploded so I could protect myself.”

Birdie gasped, glancing between Ryder and Blake before finally meeting Blake’s eyes. “Thank you, Blake. I’ve very grateful that you protected him.”

Blake smiled. “He saved me in the end. Ryder’s the real hero, not me.”

Ryder woke the next day with a crick in his neck, a pain shooting through his arm, and his back throbbing like crazy. He smiled, realizing his fingers tangled with Blake’s. He needed a shower, and desperately wanted to brush his teeth. His family left and allowed Blake to finally get some rest. Her sister and mother stayed in the room with them, one snatching the empty hospital bed and the other snagging the recliner. He moved slightly, trying not to wake Blake though it didn’t work. The woman slept like the dead until a noise or movement stirred, and her eyes popped open. He smiled at her sleepy face.

“I need to move before I’m fixed this way.” He brushed her hand with his thumb.

“You can lie down with me.”

He grinned. “Do you not remember the last time I tried to sleep in a twin-size bed?”

“I won’t let you fall.”

He stood, and she scooted over, giving him barely enough room to lie on his side.
At least this bed has rails.
He wrapped his good arm around her, happy to have her close again. He kissed the top of her head.

“Are you going to let me sign your cast?” She brushed a finger along his hurt arm.

“If you want. Write something dirty.”

She leaned back to snag a permanent marker off the bedside table. Darkness filled the room, but he supposed she could see enough to write her name. He closed his eyes and waited.

“Done.” She capped the smelly marker and put it on the table. “Can you read it?”

He glanced down to see his arm in shadow. He lifted it, angling it so the light shined on her message.

I love you, Blake.

His heart swelled. “I love you, too. But that’s not dirty.”

“You and your perverted mind.” She snuggled closer to him, sliding her hand beneath his shirt. “How long do we get off from the department for our brush with death?”

“I don’t know. I think mandatory leave from the field is three weeks.”

“Then that gives us time to go to your parents’ cabin, right?” She looked up at him.

He brushed her hair out of her face. “If you want to go, we can.”

“I do. Just me and you, alone.” Her hand moved lower until her fingers brushed his backside. “I love you, Ryder James. It’s a crazy and unexplainable feeling, but glorious and intoxicating at the same time.”

Ryder watched as tears filled and spilled from her eyes. He brushed them away. He knew exactly how she felt. He leaned down to kiss her and whispered against her mouth, “I love you too, baby.”

* * * *

After a week of resting at home, Blake finally convinced Ryder to plan a hunting and fishing trip at his family’s remote cabin. It wasn’t easy persuading him to leave the comforts of his house, but he did. For her he did.

She enjoyed the five hour drive. The cabin sat in a remote location in the far northern part of the state where Ryder, his brothers, and his father went ice fishing. But he liked hunting and claimed he had to persuade them to take a break from the fishing routine to go with him. She could only imagine what he’d been like at that age, wielding a gun and showing the world how big of a badass he really was.

They talked and sang along with the radio, laughing at each other when they didn’t know the lyrics. She couldn’t stop staring at Ryder in his sexy, laid back state.. He dressed in a long-sleeve, black shirt with jeans, minus the down parka he took off before he got into the car. He had one sleeve pulled high up above his cast, with several drawings and signatures marking it.

“Who put that drawing on your cast?” She pointed to the vulgar scene she hadn’t noticed before.

He grinned, unwilling to answer.

“Ryder.”

“McKenna.” He avoided her eyes. “It’s part of a step by step illustration, but I woke up half-way through his drawing and punched him. I didn’t know, honest.”

“I’ll bet.” She glanced out the window.

He wore his hair spiked, something she learned he only did when he wasn’t working. Most of the time, he left it however it dried after his shower.

Just being with him kept a smile on her face.

“What is your pretty mind thinking about?” He brought her hand to his lips.

“How delicious you look.” She laid her head against his arm. “I think it’s the spiked hair. It’s making me hot.”

“You want me to pull over now? We could try out McKenna’s diagram.”

“Not funny.” She pulled his hand onto her lap. “The cabin has a hot tub, right?”

“Yeah. Why?” He narrowed his eyes, glancing at her. “What do you have in mind?”

She chuckled. “I’ll never tell.”

After they entered the cabin, Ryder built a fire and pulled her into his arms. She loved being surrounded by him. He gave her a sense of comfort she didn’t know she needed or even liked for that matter. He kissed her cheek.

When she moved away from him, Ryder asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back.” She went into the cold bedroom and dug through her bag to find what she needed. Afterward, she grabbed a few blankets and large fluffy pillows and carried it all back to the living area. When she returned, she saw Ryder lying on his back in front of the fire, eyes closed. “Why don’t we make a pallet?” She threw what she held onto his stomach before she turned to undo the blankets.

“What’s this?”

“Well,” she motioned for him to move so she could lay the blanket out, “since you’re the one more experienced in this department I would have figured you’d know what that is.”

He grabbed her wrist in one hand, holding the condom in the other. “I know what it is. What is this about?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I trust you more than anyone else I’ve ever met. I love you and…”

When she didn’t say any more he pulled her to him. “Are you ready for this?”

“Yes.”

Ryder ran his fingers through her hair. “You’re beautiful, you know that? I think when I said it before you didn’t believe me.”

He fused his mouth with hers, ending their conversation. She ran her hands up his back, feeling the contours of his hard muscles beneath his shirt. His good hand held her hip while his tongue tangled with hers.

She stepped away, keeping her eyes on his and lifted the hem of her shirt. She chose a black lace panty and bra set. From the look in his eyes, he liked what he saw. Her jeans went next. It wasn’t the sexiest striptease, but it did have a certain effect on Ryder. She smiled to herself as she stepped out of her jeans.

“I never pinned you for a lacy thong wearer.” Ryder moved toward her. “And I’ve thought about it a lot.”

She chuckled. “What did you picture me wearing?”

“Those cute little cheeky panties.” His finger started at the bottom of her cheeks and traced an invisible line of how the underwear he described should be. “They show enough to tease but keep enough hidden to wonder.”

His lips pressed an open-mouthed kiss against her neck. Ryder cupped her behind and lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and fisted her fingers in his hair. He knelt with her in his arms, laying her on the blanket she spread on the floor. Ryder pulled his mouth away long enough to rid himself of his shirt before he resumed to kiss her.

His lips traveled down her body to the swell of her breasts accented by the lacy pushup bra. He cupped one breast in his hand and lifted it, flicking his tongue over the lace covering her nipple. He switched, treating the other with the same thorough attention, heightening her arousal from a simple spark to a bonfire. His mouth finally came back to hers as his fingers skimmed along her bare stomach. He stopped at the top of her panties, spreading his fingers out. He pulled back and stared down into her eyes.

“I love you, Blake.” His fingers traced the edge of her panties. “Just being in your presence makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world.” He slipped a finger beneath the hemline and touched her for the first time. “If I do anything to hurt you or remind you—”

She pressed a finger against his lips. “Take your pants off, Ryder. You’re not going to do anything I don’t want. I need you inside me now.”

She pulled his mouth against hers, giving him no chance for a rebuttal. He worked his hand between their bodies and undid his zipper. She pushed his pants and boxers over his hips and reached for him, holding him in her hand for the first time. He tore his mouth from hers and glanced down as she started to stroke him.

Her lips pressed against his cheek. “Now, Ryder. I love you, and I want you now.”

He slipped her panties off and grabbed the condom. He pushed her legs apart and leaned over her. He pressed forward inch by inch, until he filled her completely. She clutched at his shoulders, gasping.

He stopped. “You okay?”

She nodded, unable to speak. He studied her face for a moment before pulling out and thrusting in again. Tiny ripples of sensation shot through her body as he moved. She wanted it to be perfect for their first time.

Ryder reached down to fondle her. She came with a cry of satisfaction, arching her back as he filled her, her body shuddering with each contraction.

His mouth found hers when he took his own pleasure. She clung to him, wrapped her arms around him and simply held him. He was everything she wanted in a man, everything she didn’t think existed.

Ryder rolled to his back, taking her with him. “That was amazing.”

She closed her eyes as she lay on top of his body. “Yes, it was.”

He rubbed her back as she started to drift to sleep. When she woke sometime later, Ryder wasn’t near. He’d taken off her bra and covered her with the soft blanket. She stared at the fire. Being with him couldn’t have possibly been more perfect. She sat up, looking around while the fire crackled beside her in the hearth. It felt like a dream.
It couldn’t have been a dream.

“Ryder?” She brushed her hair from her face.

The small cabin had three rooms. A bathroom, a bedroom, and an everything-else-thrown-into-one room. She glanced around at the silent room and wondered if he went outside for firewood.

“I’m right here.” He stepped in the main room from the bathroom. “The rest of the house is freezing.” He came to her and lifted the pile of blankets, sliding in beside her. He wrapped his arm around her. “Will you keep me warm?”

She closed her eyes and breathed him in. “Yes.”

He was perfect for her. She loved the feelings he provoked inside her, something she’d never experienced before. He was warm and understanding, caring and passionate. She’d grown to love his protectiveness even when his arrogance still annoyed her.

He pressed his face against her neck and he smiled. “We’re going fishing later, right?”

“I don’t know.” Her fingers traced circles along his skin. “I kind of like it right here, the way we are.”

He kissed her bare shoulder. “We can’t stay naked the whole time. It’s too cold, and I’m eventually going to have to carry in more firewood.”

She smiled. “I’ll let you get dressed long enough to keep the fire going.”

He tried to complain with futile effort. “We said we’d go hunting and fishing up here. Otherwise, what would be the point in coming to the cabin? We could have stayed at home in our warm, cozy bed, sharing body heat there, instead of traveling five hours to the middle of nowhere.”

She smiled and rolled him to his back, straddling his hips. “We came here to get away from everyone. For me to tell you I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “And if we need to get naked and share a little body heat to stay warm, so be it.”

His fingers traced her spine. “I love you, you know that. But I’m getting old and have taken a beating down in Minneapolis. My back is killing me on this floor.” He kissed her, cupping her cheek with one hand. “And when we move to the bedroom, we’re going to have to share
a lot
of body heat to stay warm. It’s freezing in there.” He kissed her again, adding, “Then we’ll go fishing. If you’re nice, I’ll even bait your hook.”