Just a Little Crush (Crush #1) (9 page)

He chuckled. “Touché.”

“Can I see your tattoos?”

He cocked his eyebrow and made an adorable face. “I feel like you’re taking advantage of me drunk.”

I bit back a smile. “If you have to shed all your clothes to show them to me, then I don’t need to see them. I figured you could just roll up your sleeve or something.”

“Sure,” he said in a long, drawn-out way. “You want me naked.”

Yeah, I did, but more like in a fantasy way. The thought of him really taking off his clothes made me a bit panicky. “Never mind. Forget I asked.”

With two fingers he pushed open the top button of his shirt, then the next.

My heart went all sorts of crazy, beating erratically as I tried to keep my cool.

With the top buttons undone, he pulled his shirt over his head. His right shoulder was covered in thick, black bands with thin lines intertwined, perfectly aligned with the definition of his deltoid muscle.

With my finger, I traced the line as it swirled in and out, weaving over his smooth skin. I raised my other hand to his perfect chest and ran my fingers across two small blackbirds flying away from a black jagged line on his chest. Like it had been ripped open and they escaped.

His chest rose and fell in a deep breath.

I ran my nail softly over the break in skin.

I stilled my hand and glanced up. My thin pants left no question. I’d turned him on.

He slipped his fingers behind my neck and pressed his lips against mine. I opened my mouth as he pushed his tongue in and swept it over mine. He tilted his head and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth then drove his tongue back inside. His hands slid down my body then back up, pushing my shirt up along the way. He broke the kiss only long enough to tug my shirt over my head and discard it.

“Where’s your roommate?” he asked between kisses.

“With friends. Won’t be back tonight.”

He groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

He dropped his kisses to my neck, licking and nipping his way up my jaw. “I needed a reason to stop.”

“Oh.”

He cupped my breast, traced the edge of my bra with his tongue. “Tell me to stop.” He pulled the fabric down and sucked my nipple into his mouth. My head spun and heat blasted through me.

“Don’t stop,” I murmured.

He flipped me onto the bed and settled over me. My bra was removed and he stared down at me for a second. I’d never had a guy look at me like that, but the urge to cover up disappeared as his appreciative gaze made its way up.

“Beautiful.” He brushed his lips over mine in a move that was so tender it pulled at something deep inside me.

I threaded my fingers through his hair and slipped my tongue into his mouth, wanting to taste him more than I’d ever wanted anything.

He wrapped my leg around him and pushed against me as his tongue explored my mouth. He broke the heated kiss. “Stop?”

I shook my head and kissed him deeper. My hips arched and he groaned as our bodies rubbed together. My head tilted back and he licked my neck.

His fingers drifted along my side as he moved his hand down my stomach. He cupped me between my thighs and rubbed his hand over me. “Now?”

“No, definitely not now.”

He chuckled and brought his mouth to my chest. His tongue flicked over me and I tried not to moan, but it was pretty much a lost cause. He pushed his leg between mine, spreading them farther apart. “There is one thing I want for my birthday.”

Oh God. He
did
want sex. My stomach flopped a little. What had I gotten myself into? I mustered courage and asked, “What?”

He must have felt me stiffen. “Not sex, Brinley.” He brought his mouth to my ear and whispered, “No more teasers.”

I froze.

“If you don’t plan to stop me now, then let me finish this.”

The thought of having an orgasm for him mortified me. Like I was on show. I couldn’t do it. “But—but what do you get out of that?”

“You mean, besides a really big fucking hard-on? The satisfaction of knowing you want me as bad as I want you.” He sucked my earlobe and pressed his teeth gently into it. “The pleasure of watching you co—”

“I don’t know,” I blurted before he could finish that statement.

“Wait.” He pulled back and looked at me. “Have you ever had an—”

“Seriously.” I covered my face. “We don’t need to talk about this.”

“Never?” His complete shock was evident in his tone.

I didn’t know how to tell him it didn’t seem right to do it alone and I had no plans of returning the favor with any of the other guys I’d dated. Sure, we’d made out and we’d done a lot of stuff besides kissing, but I could never let my guard down enough to have a full-out orgasm just from a make-out session.

“I didn’t mean to push you further than you want,” he said.

“You didn’t. Just—just quit talking.” I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. “You’re running out of birthday.” I pulled his mouth back to mine.

Our kisses picked up again and his hand ran down my side and rested on my hip, yet he didn’t push for more. But I wanted him to. I wanted to finish this too. No more teasers.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Okay?” He pulled away and stared into my eyes. “You’re sure?”

I nodded.

Brushing his lips over mine, he said, “Say the word and I stop.” He ran his finger along the top of my pants then slipped past the waistband. The heat of his hand blazed down my stomach, glided over my panties, then settled between my thighs. He slid his fingers over me. My hips arched and I pressed into where he cupped me.

I lowered myself back on the bed, acutely aware of his eyes on me. The pressure of putting on a show for him was bound to kill the moment but then he repeated the process, this time adding slight pressure. My eyelids drifted shut and he sprinkled kisses over my collarbone before settling his mouth at the nape of my neck. The pleasure overcame the fear and I ran my fingers over his head, threading them through his hair.

His mouth worked in harmony with his hand. When he teased with a light touch, his lips would brush against my neck, but when he applied concentrated pressure, he’d suck and nip on my neck and ear.

The buildup, which had become a familiar sensation when it came to kissing him, began in my stomach. An intense tingling spread from my core into my toes. My breathing became ragged and my hips bucked slightly. The heat under his hand seemed unbearable. I never wanted the ecstatic feeling to end, but it was so intense I’d burn up if it didn’t.

Ryder brought his mouth back to mine and drove his tongue inside. His kisses seemed hungrier, like he fed on my pleasure. He pulled my lower lip between his teeth with enough pressure that it should have hurt but instead it triggered a moan that built in my chest. I did my best to suppress the sound, but when his lips dropped to my breast and he sucked my nipple into his mouth, it tore free.

In an almost frantic motion, he fumbled into my panties and slid his finger into me with ease. He froze and took several controlled breaths. He slid his finger almost all the way out then inched his way back in.

I shifted my leg and his hardness pressed against my thigh. It didn’t seem right to let him finish me off while he got nothing. Maybe he did expect some reciprocation, regardless of what he’d said. I ran my fingers down the ridges of his abs, but before I reached his jeans he captured my hand, interlaced our fingers and pressed it into the mattress, near my head.

His mouth returned to mine and his tongue mimicked his finger, delving in and out of me. My hips bucked with the motion, and figuring out what was on the other side of this building pressure controlled each move. The sound of our intermingling breathing, combined with the heat of his body pressed against mine sent my senses into overdrive. Focusing on just one sensation was impossible, as they all joined in a symphony of pleasure.

He pulled his mouth away, depriving me of his taste. I looked at him and found him watching me. Self-consciousness took hold and I attempted to steady my breathing.

He adjusted his hand so that the heel of his palm rubbed against me, synced with the motion of his finger, and I lost the fight. My eyes wouldn’t stay open. My lips parted, releasing ragged breaths. He licked my top lip and pulled back again, except this time I didn’t care. I knew he watched, but pleasure replaced logic.

I gripped the blanket in one fist and tightened my hold on his hand with the other. A tingling pulled at my body like a taut string running from my belly button to my thighs. My hips rocked in a steady motion perfectly timed with his hand. The pleasure reached an unbearable high then shattered like a piece of candied sugar. Delightful shards of ecstasy scattered over my body with the aftershocks. For a moment I couldn’t move. My erratic breathing needed taming but my muscles had gone weak.

Ryder pressed his lips against mine in a tender kiss that made me acutely aware of him and what had just happened. He brushed several more kisses onto my lips. When he pulled away, I finally opened my eyes.

He tucked my hair behind my ear and traced my jaw with his thumb. His eyes were locked on mine.

I looked away.

With his thumb he forced me to face him. “Look at me.”

I attempted to make eye contact but couldn’t and dropped my gaze.

“Please.”

I glanced up then covered my eyes with my hands, feeling like an idiot for letting him watch me get off.

“Are you mad at me?”

I yanked my hands away. “No, of course not.”

“Then what?”

I shook my head. “I just…I don’t know. I’m embarrassed.” I pulled my hands back to cover my face.

“Don’t hide from me.” He uncovered my face. “If you had any idea how fucking amazing that was, you wouldn’t be.” He kissed my nose and reached for my shirt, helped me slide it on then lay on his back and tucked me into him. He turned off my lamp and pulled the blanket over us.

My back pressed against his body and I could still feel how turned on he was, which for some reason only turned me on more. I tried to lie still to avoid rubbing my ass against his pants. It seemed torture to lie like this but he didn’t complain. Instead he ran his fingers up and down my arm and occasionally planted light kisses on my neck. Everything about his gentle touch contradicted with the guy I, at one time, believed him to be. His hand slowed and his arousal waned.

“Happy birthday,” I whispered as sleepiness took hold and my eyelids drifted shut.

“You make me happy,” he said, his words almost inaudible. His clutch around my waist tightened as he pulled me closer. “I hate to think some other guy will get the other half of that.”

“Other half of what?” I stifled a yawn.

“That.” The word slipped out on a drowsy sigh and the arm draped over me grew heavier. “You. Everything.”

What was he talking about? Maybe he was drunker than I’d realized.

“What just happened was only a piece of it, but I want it all…” His words drifted off and his breathing slowed to a steady rhythm.

“Ryder?”

There was no response. I flipped to face him and his hand moved with me, pulling me closer. With his head resting against mine, he curled around me. His scent filled me as I buried my face into his chest. It hadn’t occurred to me he even had a scent, but now surrounded by it, I realized it was something I’d come to associate with him. A mixture of soap, aftershave and a hint of something else. Something unique to him. Something that always made me want to run my tongue up his neck, to his mouth, ending with the cool metal of his lip ring.

On my nightstand, his phone chimed. I glanced behind me and could just make out the screen.

Paige:
Where are you?

Considering he was in my bed, I shouldn’t be jealous but I was. Who was Paige? Did he have plans with her after me? Was he not supposed to fall asleep? Or what if I hadn’t practically thrown myself at him, would he be with her right now? His phone rang and the screen lit up. Paige flashed across the screen along with a picture. One of a smiling girl…and Ryder. They were sitting next to each other as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Ryder stirred. The phone rang once more before growing quiet, then alerted him of another message.

Paige:
I’m going to bed. Wake me when you get here.

Ryder rubbed his eyes. “Is that mine?”

I answered in a forced drowsy tone. “Huh? Um, yeah, I guess. Not mine.”

He reached over me and plucked his phone from the small table. “Fuck,” he muttered. He shoved it in his pocket. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

Something shattered inside my chest. “Oh, no problem.”

Ryder stared at me. The room was dark and it was difficult to make out his expression. He ran his finger along my cheek then pressed his lips to my forehead.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

He nodded and sat upright.

I stood to allow him to get up without crawling over me.

He opened my door. “I’ll call you.”

I followed and placed my hand on the knob.

He glanced back and studied me.

I tried to mask the emotions raging through me. “Okay.” My stomach was twisted with jealousy and anger. He was leaving me to be with another girl. I shouldn’t be surprised but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

He reached out and, with his hand behind my neck, pulled me to him and planted his mouth against mine. He kissed my bottom lip. Once. Twice. Then ran his tongue along my mouth, urging my lips to part. He tilted his head and swept his tongue along mine.

Heat radiated down my body and the passionate kiss stole my breath. But Paige’s image popped to mind. What was I doing? Dammit, it was like a kiss from him shut down some critical part of my brain.

He shifted, fitting my body to his. The kiss had awoken his needs again, his hardness pressed into my lower abdomen. His free hand dropped to my waist and slid over my ass, but I placed my hand on his chest and stepped back.

If he wanted to kiss me, he needed to choose me tonight.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, he broke free and yanked his hands from my body. “See ya.”

He turned, leaving me standing in the doorway, acutely aware that he was going to find relief with some other girl.