Authors: Connie Lafortune
The city is crazy this time of day. Commuters are trying to rush home to spend the weekend with their families. Others are rushing to grab the train so they can spend their time in the suburbs. Like I used to do when I worked in the city all those months ago. Before the man sitting next to me so drastically changed my life.
I’m confused when Ryker drives into the garage at the Lincoln Towers. I thought he was taking me to his apartment in the city. Does he have business here he needs to attend to? He catches me watching him when he shuts off the ignition. Ryker swallows hard, bobbing his Adam’s apple repeatedly. He looks nervous. Why? I grab his hand and ask, “Why are we here? I thought you were taking me to your place.”
“This is my place, precious. Would you like to go inside?”
“I’d love to.” Ryker suddenly looks so young and insecure, sitting behind the wheel. Could he be worried that I’m not going to like it? No. It’s something else. It has to be. “Are you ready?” When his smoldering gaze fixes on me, I melt in my seat. My confident man is back. His hand snakes around the nape of my neck and pulls me in. I feel lightheaded when his lips collide with mine. And when his tongue slips inside of my mouth with determination, my clit throbs for his attention as well. I swear if he keeps this up I will have an orgasm without him ever touching me.
“I’m ready now, precious.” Oh, so am I….
Ryker oozes sex when he saunters over to open my door. I’m trembling by the time he reaches for my hand to help me out. What a gentleman. Cody starts to bark when he opens up the trunk to grab our bags. Silly girl thinks we’re leaving her behind. “Stay,” Is the only command he gives before opening her door. Then the minute the leash is clipped to her collar, she jumps to the ground. I’m thinking they’ve done this a few times before. It makes me smile.
“What’s so funny, precious?” Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I’m starting to like it when he calls me that.
“Nothing, really. It’s just sweet the way the two of you can pick up where you left off after all this time.”
Although he insisted on carrying both of our bags, he still finds a way to pin me up against the car door with his body. I’m quickly learning that Ryker loves to use cars to incapacitate me. Nothing can stop him from getting what he wants. “Animals will never forget their master.” His breath is so warm against my neck that I can feel my nipples pebble beneath my shirt. “Humans might forget, but they can be trained to remember.” If you think my pussy was wet before, well now it’s soaked. His deep, gravelly voice beckons to all of my girlie parts. But when his tongue flicks across the pulse in my neck, yeah, stick a fork in me. I’m done. “Come, precious.” Oh, hell yeah!
My eyes flutter open the moment he turns away. And that’s when I’m acutely aware that he’s ready to go up to his apartment. Embarrassment causes my cheeks to heat, immediately. And I’d love to wipe that smirk off his face. But it’s soon forgotten when he hands me Cody’s leash so his hand is free to guide me into the building.
With his large hand on the small of my back, we enter the ginormous lobby and all heads turn in our direction. I feel his body tense and for the life of me I have no idea why. Then it begins. “Welcome back, Mr. Steel. Ms. Harper.” “Nice to see you again, Mr. Steel.” “Is there anything we can get you, Mr. Steel, Ms. Harper?” And so on and so forth. Ryker doesn’t speak, he just gives each and every one a nod in acknowledgement as he passes by. And I smile, wondering how the hell they know my name. He starts to relax the moment we reach the elevator doors. With his eyes straight ahead, he says, “I called to let them know you were coming.”
“Well, that would explain it then.” His lips quirk in a half-ass grin. I’m sure he can hear the pitter patter of my heart since we’re so close. I’m totally going to sleep with him this weekend. I just know it.
When the elevator door pings open, he gently grabs my elbow and ushers me inside. Several people move over to accommodate Cody. They’re afraid of her. If they only knew what a big baby she is. I watch as Ryker pushes the number twenty with his long fingers. Everything about this ‘apartment’ screams money. And I’m sad when I realize I don’t know a thing about this man. Intimately, perhaps, but not on a personal level.
A couple in the back start talking to Cody and I can see Ryker’s brows furrow. Not in anger but in agitation. I suddenly realize he might be uncomfortable in confined spaces. Hell, I’d never thought about it. But all those years as a recluse must have taken a toll on him. I loop my arm in his and squeeze his bicep. Then I’m met with a smoldering glance before the elevator comes to a stop. When the door opens, everyone gets off. Just the two of us remain. And as soon as the door closes his hands fist in my hair and his mouth devours mine. Rough and hard. Ryker’s staking his claim and I’m letting him…
We come up for air at the exact same time the elevator stops. Almost as if he knew how long the ride would last. He has just enough time to adjust his pants before it abruptly opens. I’m trying so hard not to laugh at his predicament, but it’s not working. A girlish giggle escapes the second the elevator doors open and he quickly pulls me in front of him. Oh, the man has skills! No doubt about it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ryker
My heart’s beating so fast when I open the door. Not only because this is the first time I’ve been here in years, but I’m also anticipating her reaction. I can’t help wondering if I’ll be leaving with Lyra or with my beautiful Bella. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’m a very fortunate man to have a second chance.
A wave of nostalgia hits me when I see the familiar doormat. Without giving it much thought, I automatically take off my shoes and leave them on the tattered rug. Cody’s so excited that she tugs on Lyra as she races through the door. “Cody. Sit.” She just doesn’t realize her own strength sometimes. Lyra quickly unclips the leash but Cody won’t budge. Not until I give her a command. With her tongue lolling out of her mouth she peeks up at me. “Go.” And she does. Sniffing every nook and cranny she can find. I’m so lost in my own thoughts that I stand barefoot and motionless in the middle of the room. Memories both good and bad assault me all at once…
“Ry, could you come in here? I need help zipping up this damn dress.” Oh, Bella, Bella, Bella. Now we’re going to be late for the opening. I will have that dress bunched up around your waist, pulled down over your breasts and be inside of you quicker than wet on water.
“Please remember to read the note, Ryker. The quote was given to me in a dream last night.”
“You danced beautifully tonight, Isabella. Perfection. I’m so damn proud of you,” I whisper against her soft lips. And when her arms snake around my neck, I know I’m the luckiest man alive.
“Mr. Steel. I’m sorry to inform you that your wife was killed in a hit and run tonight on the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 62
nd
Street. We’ll give you a few minutes and then we need you to come down to identify the body.”
“Ryker, are you all right?” I’m brought back to reality when a gentle hand lands on my forearm. It’s Bella. Your wife! No. She’s no longer my wife but a woman who resembles her. Whether it’s because Mrs. Harper made her that way or not. She truly believes she’s Lyra Harper. So that’s who I need her to be. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I fell in love with Lyra in the very beginning. Not Bell.
“Yes. I’m fine, precious. Come. I’ll show you where you can freshen up.” I smile when Cody follows us down the hall.
Taking a deep breath, I open up the bedroom door. And I’m both sad and relieved that her scent is no longer present. I throw our bags on the bed while precious stands in the doorway. “Lyra?”
Her hand’s pressed tightly against her throat and she looks absolutely terrified. My heart quickens as she glances about the room. When her gaze finally lands on mine, she swallows. She speaks so softly that I can barely hear her. “Did she live here?”
I need a minute. I wish I could answer her question right away but I need a damn minute. This situation is so very confusing to me because my wife is here and yet she doesn’t even remember. “Yes. Is that going to be a problem for you, Lyra?”
“I-I don’t know. It’s just that…”
“What is it, precious? Tell me.”
“Are you replacing me with her because we look alike?”
Goddamn, motherfucker, prick and whore!!!
“Is that what you really think, Lyra? That I would stoop so low as to bring you here just to play house? If you believe that, then you don’t know me very well at all, do you?”
“No, Ryker. I don’t! We had amazing sex at the cabin but I know nothing about your personal life. You wouldn’t tell me. Remember? So excuse me if I’m upset. I won’t be her replacement just because I look like her, Ryker. I can’t.”
We’ve only been here for less than ten minutes and I’m already spent. Defeated. This was a mistake. A grave mistake.
I sit on the edge of the bed and comb my fingers through my hair. I feel misplaced. Like no matter where I go, I don’t belong. When will it ever fucking end? “I loved her. She was my whole life. I saw her beauty in every sunrise and every sunset. Bella was in a league of her own. A bright and shining star. She would have made prima ballerina and it was all taken away in an instant. The reason I became a recluse is a simple one. I saw her killer in every damn face that I came across. Men, women, even children for fuck’s sake. I became the monster that I spent years trying to take down. Then out of the blue, this dainty girl with sad hazel eyes needed rescuing. And she just so happened to look like the one I was trying desperately to forget.” I want to look at her, so badly, but I’m a coward. I’m afraid my love won’t be reciprocated and it will destroy me. So I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. Hesitating, until I can find the right words.
“Ryker, you don’t need to…”
“Yes, Lyra. I do.” I take one breath. And then another before I have the courage to continue. “She was a feisty little thing. So demanding. And so fucking irresistible. She tugged at my heart and yet pushed me far away at the same time. In the beginning it was a love-hate relationship, but by the time I set her free I had fallen deeply and madly in love with her.” I hadn’t realized Lyra had inched her way into the room, until her arms, so small and strong wrap around my neck. Instinctively, mine wind around her and pull her close. So my face is burrowed in the curve of her breasts. There’s no place else I’d rather be.
“I want to hear you say it, Ry. I need to hear those words from your lips.” Aw, she’s fucking killing me.
I quickly stand up and bring her along with me. And gaze into those beautiful eyes that I’ve come to love. “I was a cold, heartless bastard until you came into my life, precious. You singlehandedly chipped away at the block of ice I’d formed around my heart. Something I never thought possible. Your tenacious, fiery, and candid spirit made my blood boil. Reminding me that I was very much alive. That’s why I fell irrevocably in love with you, Lyra. I will love you until I take my last breath.”
Her eyes glass over as she frames my face with her graceful hands. “You, Ryker Steel, have owned me body and soul since the first time I laid eyes on you.
Love is a single soul composed of two
bodies.
We share one soul and therefore I am bound by you
.
For eternity.” Those are the words I’ve been longing to hear. Mrs. Harper be damned, because I’m taking back what’s mine. My mouth seeks hers in a tender, erotic kiss. The kind that sends the blood pumping straight to my cock. I want to spend the weekend so deep inside of her that she won’t remember her name.
Spinning around, I lay her on the bed. And when I do, she wraps her legs around me and pulls me on top of her. She giggles when I land on my forearms to break the fall. Fuck, I could have easily crushed her. Lyra arches her back and grinds herself against me. My, my, my. She’s eager to play. Well, so am I.
Lyra
With nimble fingers, Ryker begins unbuttoning my blouse. Slowly. His confidence and self-assuredness is so damn sexy. By the time he opens it to expose my breasts I’m wet and needy. I’ve waited so long to be with him that I don’t think I can wait a minute longer. “Please, I want you inside me.”
“All good things come to those who wait, precious. Mmm, you smell divine and you taste like fucking sin.” He’s pulled down my bra and tugging on my nipple with his teeth. Sending shock waves of ecstasy to my very core. My hands fist in his hair when his warm, wet mouth devours my breast. Oh God! And I have to bite my lip when his tongue flicks the aching bud. This all-consuming lust and fiery passion is what I’ve been waiting for, for months. Ryker Steel can do whatever he wants to my body and I would love every pleasurable minute of it.
As he begins licking his way down to the place where I want him the most, a noise draws his attention away. “It has to be Cody,” I whisper.
“She’s smart, Lyra, but I haven’t taught her how to open the door.” His index finger presses to my lips, he wants me to be quiet. Now he’s scaring me. In a flash he’s off the bed and reaching for his bag. When he pulls out his gun, my heart begins to race.
“Ryker…”
Infuriated, he glances back at me and makes a cutting motion across his throat. I shut up immediately. But it’s that little flicker of fear in his eyes that has me worried. I’ve only seen it once before. The night he came home and found out Hawk had tied me up at the cabin. Although the fear had been brief, it had been there nonetheless.
When he mouths “Stay,” I do what he asks. But my heart beats wildly in my chest when Cody begins to growl. Ryker’s out the door in a flash. Screaming, crashing and barking ensue and I desperately want to run out there.
But he told you to stay, Lyra.
Yeah well, since when did I start listening to him? I quickly fix my bra and button my blouse and go see what all the commotion’s about.
The first thing I witness is a middle-aged woman pressing her hands to her heart. Poor thing looks like she’s ready to have a heart attack. Then I see what all the noise was about. By the looks of it she went grocery shopping and now they’re all scattered about the floor. A loaf of Italian bread’s soaking up the milk that’s leaked out of the carton. Fresh vegetables are precariously tossed around the room like overturned trees. And when her eyes suddenly meet mine, she screams.