She turned to face Ryder, noticing the rigid expression as he tried to hold on to his slipping control. She licked her lips and watched the ruddy color suffuse his face. “Tell me you have condoms,” she said.
One of his eyebrows lifted. “After all the planning you did to get in here, you didn’t remember condoms?”
“Ryder.” He had better have condoms or they were going to be in for some very torturous moments.
Ryder grinned when he saw the flash of concern on her face. “In the drawer.” He angled his head toward the bedside table.
Katie got off the bed and opened the drawer.“No toys?” she teased as she pulled a foil pouch from the box. “Not even a blindfold?”
“You have my blindfold,” he reminded her.
“I wish I had brought it here,” she said as she opened the foil and removed the condom.
He shook his head. “You would never have gotten it on me.”
“Oh, I’m sure I could have convinced you,” she said as she returned to the bed, giving a little naughty sway to her step.
“You couldn’t even bribe me to do it.”
Katie smiled as she straddled him again. She’d let him think that, but she knew differently. Ryder wouldn’t have thought he’d let her tie him to his bed, and look at where he was now. She was beginning to understand just how much power and influence she had over Ryder.
But as she rolled the condom on his cock with such agonizing slowness that Ryder bucked and thrust his lean hips, Katie realized she shouldn’t do anything to abuse her power. She wanted to test their boundaries, but she didn’t want to cause a rift in their relationship. She wanted this kind of closeness, and she wanted moments like these when he would demonstrate his trust in her—even if she only had a couple more days to do it.
She held his cock in her hands and guided it to her slick, hot entrance. Katie watched Ryder’s face as she gradually sank onto him. His hands were knotted into fists, his jaw clenched as desire blazed from his eyes.
Ryder bucked his hips to bury himself deep inside her, but this time Katie controlled the pace and she wasn’t going to surrender the power. She gritted her teeth and pressed her lips together as she took all of him.
Sweat glistened on her skin and her body shivered from the intrusion. She gave a tentative rock of her hips and moaned as the pleasure whipped through her.
“More,” Ryder whispered.
Katie knew she could tease him. Make him beg or even ask him to call her Mistress. She smiled at the idea, knowing it would not go over well. She knew what she wanted and that was to grant both their wishes.
Katie made small, gentle circles with her hips as she grabbed the hem of her short nightie. She looked directly into Ryder’s eyes as she removed the gown inch by inch.
“Come on, Katie,” Ryder said gruffly, as if restraining his primitive instincts was causing him pain. And maybe it was.
The nightie cleared her hips and she offered him a clear view of their intimate joining. Ryder reached for her and his arms snapped back. He muttered something raw and ferocious, prompting Katie to laugh.
“Not so easy, is it? Why don’t you just lie there and enjoy?” she asked as she pushed her nightie over her waist and rocked her hips a little faster.
“Ride me harder,” he said, his breath growing choppy.
“I will,” she said as she revealed her breasts and pulled the nightie over her head. “Soon.”
“Now.” His tone was harsh.
She increased the pace a little, moaning as his cock rubbed a sensitive spot inside her. Again and again and again. She wasn’t sure she was going to last much longer. Katie tossed her nightie to the floor and glided her hands over her body, secretly wishing it was Ryder touching her.
“Don’t you wish you could touch me?” she teased Ryder as she squeezed her breasts.
His eyes darkened and he swallowed audibly. “You are a brat.” He pulled at his cuffs and the headboard rattled against the wall.
She rolled her hips deeply and Ryder tensed. “You love my bratty ways,” Katie declared, thrusting her breasts out and pinching the nipples.
“I think the power is getting to your head.”
She rode him a little faster and slid her hands down her stomach to her hips. She brushed her hand over her clit and shuddered. “Ooh, that felt good.”
“Katie, I’m going to count to three,” he said in a low, dangerous growl, “and then I’m taking over.”
“We’ll see about that.” She couldn’t wait to see him try. She was sure the coup he would stage would be as successful as it was glorious. She leaned back, riding him hard as she started to rub her clit. Katie tilted her head back and moaned.
“One . . . ,” Ryder said.
She grabbed her breast, pushing it up high so she could dart her tongue along the puckered nipple. She didn’t look at Ryder but she heard his sharp intake of breath. She continued to rub her swollen clit with her other hand. She couldn’t get enough.
“Two . . .”
Katie rolled her hips, riding him as fast as she could. She couldn’t catch her breath. Every move sent a shower of sparks through her veins.
“Three!” Ryder announced and ripped his wrists from the Velcro cuffs. He sat up and grabbed Katie by the waist. Ryder ground her hips down on him and their cries mingled.
“Put your hands on my shoulders,” he told her.
“I’m the one giving the orders here,” she replied, tossing her long black hair away from her face.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, you’ve been overthrown.” He reached for her hands and guided them onto his shoulders. “Hold on tight.”
She did as he requested. Her fingers dug into his strong shoulders as she rode him hard and fast. Ryder held on to her hips, driving his cock deeper.
Katie felt the sweet ache tightening inside her pelvis. It coiled tighter and tighter, gathering power at lightning speed. She tried to hold it off. She knew she was being greedy, but she wanted this to last.
Katie looked into Ryder’s eyes, determined to hold on to this moment when they were joined as equals. She lowered her mouth against his, their lips clinging as she climaxed. The coil of need unleashed something wild inside her. She arched back and rode Ryder so fast that everything else was a blur. The sensations lashed at her and she cried out. It felt like she was splintering into shards and falling.
Katie grappled for Ryder as he tossed her onto her back. Her head dipped past the mattress as Ryder knelt between her legs. He buried his cock deep inside her, each harsh thrust wringing the climax from her body.
Ryder burrowed his face in the curve of her throat as he drove into her one last time. His hoarse shout was muffled, but Katie knew it was a cry of victory. Of relief and deep satisfaction. It was exactly how she felt.
When she could catch her breath, Katie reached down and tousled his hair. “You cheated,” she felt obliged to point out.
“I gave you fair warning,” he replied without an ounce of apology. “I counted to three.”
She smiled down at him and was rewarded with a devilish grin in return. Katie wanted to stay like this, lying together skin against skin. She wanted to curl against Ryder and have his arms around her.
She wasn’t sure what her own eyes revealed, but she saw the guarded expression creep back into Ryder’s features. He cleared his throat and looked out the window.
She knew he was about to come up with a lame excuse and find a reason to get out of bed and get her out of his home. Her heart couldn’t handle that. She needed to beat him to the punch.
“Well, this has been fun,” Katie said in the breeziest tone she could manage, “but I’ll have to go soon.”
Something dark glittered in his eyes. She couldn’t define it, but it made her very wary. “Is this some sort of hit-and-run?” he asked as he rolled off her and got out of bed quickly.
“I wasn’t planning to spend the night,” she lied. “Unless you need help packing.”
That seemed to anger him even more. “No, thanks. Jake has offered to help.”
“You sure you don’t need an extra pair of hands?”
“I’m sure. We should get you home before he comes back.” He strode out of the bedroom like a conquering warrior. A gloriously buck-naked one.
Well, she beat him to the punch, Katie thought as she watched him close the bedroom door, leaving her alone. She should be proud. So why did she feel like she had ruined a beautiful moment?
Ryder stood under the showerhead, the cold water like stinging needles against his head and shoulders. He stared at the white tiles of the shower stall as the hot anger swirled inside him. He hoped Katie was already dressed and leaving because he didn’t trust this mood he was in. He would probably say something he would regret.
She didn’t want to spend the night with him. Ryder couldn’t understand it. Katie had gone through a great deal to sneak into his apartment and tie herself to his bed. He thought she was going to be there for good, but she wasn’t looking for anything more than a couple of hours of sex. His cock was practically still inside her and she was ready to leave.
That hurt, and the reason scared him. He wanted more than sex with Katie. He enjoyed the intimacy they shared. Didn’t she realize that when he let her tie him to the bed? He didn’t do that for just any woman.
It hadn’t been easy for him, but he had loved watching Katie take control. She was bold and naughty, and he didn’t last long before he had to get his hands on her. Afterward, he wanted to hold her close and stay in bed with her all day. For a moment that need spooked him. He was getting too close, too fast. His desire for Katie overruled his caution. But before he could gather her in his arms, she was ready to hop out of bed.
It didn’t matter that he had left her in the Seattle hotel. That was different. When he had sex with Katie that night he had broken the one rule he had sworn he would always uphold. He needed to distance himself. But Katie was ready to leave now because she’d gotten what she came for.
If she wanted a guy simply for sex, she could have had her pick of men in Crystal Bend. She managed to do just fine all year long. Why him? And why now?
Well, he knew the answer to that. Ryder turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He was leaving and she hadn’t been able to check him off her “Men to Do” list. If Katie thought she could get away with that, then he had better set her straight.
He reached for a towel, wrapped it around his waist and strode out of the bathroom. “Katie?” he called out as he entered the bedroom. He came to an abrupt stop when he saw the empty bed.
She had already left. Just like he thought—had hoped—she would. So why did that make him feel worse?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
December 29
The Crystal Bend Café was busy, as it was every morning. The scent of sizzling bacon, maple syrup and fresh pastries wafted from the old brick building and into the streets. It was one of the few places in town to hang out, and the café brewed a coffee that would instantly jolt you awake. Katie passed on the coffee—her nerves were already jittery.