Promise Me Light (22 page)

“On your knees,” he commanded, his hands around my ribcage.

I obeyed, rising to my knees on either side of him. That put my
breasts right in line with his mouth.
Clever
man.

His hands held me captive as his eyes dropped to my stomach. “I
don’t want to hurt you,” he said in a raspy voice full of worry.

“You won’t.”

That was all he needed to hear.

His mouth swooped in, hungry to taste me again. A small cry escaped
me when his tongue slashed across my nipple again and again. At the same
time, his erection nudged me, seeking entry. Keeping his hands planted
on my ribcage, he lowered me, inch by inch. Filling me, stretching me
beyond my limit. I shuddered, lifting up only to sink further down on
him.

“Christ, Maddie,” he rasped, his fingers biting into my skin.
“You feel so fuckin’ good.”

His hands went to my hair, grabbing fistfuls of it and leaving it one
jumbled mess. Leaning over, his teeth nipped at my neck as he slid
deeper into me.

My pulse leaped as he pulled out, leaving only a fraction of himself
inside of me. I tried to ease back down but he held my hips, taking
control.

As he slid back into me his voice vibrated against my neck, “I’ll
try to go slow but…hell, I may not be able to.”

“Just don’t stop,” I said, forcing the words out as he moved
deeper inside of me, sending vibrations rocking through my body. As soon
as he was buried to the hilt, I rose up then slowly lowered myself back
down on him.

He hissed, the breath hitting my skin, leaving heat and moisture
behind. His fingers dug into me as his hips surged up to meet mine.

I whimpered as he flicked one of my nipples. Pulling out, he plunged
into me again. I bit my lip, almost bringing blood, when he slid out
then drove back into me.

From somewhere deep inside, something started building. Something
intense. Something that could set my skin on fire, turning it to
flames.

“Ryyyyder,” I said, arching my back as I met his thrust again and
again.

“Talk to me, baby,” his deep voice rumbled, his mouth moving to
my ear.

“Please,” I whimpered, needing more but afraid I wouldn’t
survive it.

“This is what I wanted. To feel you around me.” He slid out
slowly then plunged back into me. “To hear you beg. To watch you come
apart as I filled you. Again and again.”

I gasped as he bit my earlobe and thrust into me harder.

“I want to hear you shout. I want to hear you scream my name. Wake
the fucking house up, Maddie.”

I lost it. As his thumb tweaked my nipple and he slid deep inside of
me, I lost all control. Arching my back, I granted his wish. I cried
out, not caring who I woke up.

Ryder grabbed my head, yanking my lips to his. Swallowing my cries,
he continued taking my body, plunging in and out of me with frenzy.
Moving faster, his stomach muscles clenched as his hips jerked into
mine. His fingers tightened in my hair, holding me steady as he
increased the speed of his hips. With each demanding thrust, I let out a
gasp.

“Again,” he insisted, reaching between us to touch me as I moved
up and down on him.

I cried out, needing no encouragement.

He pumped into me. Harder. Faster. Squeezing his eyes shut, he dug
his fingers into my hips, slamming me back down on him. I cried out as
he exploded in me.

Burying his face in my neck, he stilled, pulsating deep inside me. A
shudder ran over his body, traveling to mine. Breathing hard, his chest
rose and fell. I could feel his rapid heartbeat. It matched the tempo of
mine.

His lips returned to mine, kissing me first with urgency then with
gentleness.

“God, Maddie, I’ve never…” He cleared his throat and tried
again. “Shit, I can’t think around you.” He touched my lower lip
with the pad of his thumb. “You okay?”

I smiled.
He was the one with a bullet hole in his
side and he was worried about me? Typical Ryder.

“I’m okay. Are you?” I asked, my fingers brushing the top of
his bandage.

He sucked in a breath. “I’m more than okay. I’m home, inside of
you where I belong.”

I blushed, suddenly feeling shy.

“Hell, Maddie, stop blushing or I might take you again.”

“Promise?” I asked, leaning over to touch my lips to his smooth
jaw.

His fingers tightened in my hair, yanking my mouth back to his.

“I’ll promise anything if I can stay buried in you,” he
whispered, his lips brushing across mine.

I moaned as he licked the corner of my mouth, sending a shiver over
me.

“You’re cold,” he said, running an arm over the goose bumps on
my arm. Withdrawing from me, he reached for my shirt, thrown at the end
of the bed. He held it as I stuffed my arms through the holes, wrapping
myself in the soft cotton that smelled like him.

He watched me, never taking his eyes off of my body. I started
buttoning the shirt, glancing up to find his gaze on my stomach. Within
seconds he was next to me again, pulling me into his lap in the middle
of the bed.

His hand went to my abdomen, the soft flannel the only thing between
us. His fingers spread wide, covering me completely. I saw him swallow
hard as the candlelight flickered over him.

“God, a baby,” he said, his voice hushed in the silence of the
room. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just tell me that you love me.”

“I love you, Maddie, and I sure as hell know how to show it,” he
said, grabbing the back of my head and bringing my lips to his.

And he did. Without pretty words and long confessions of love, he
showed me how much he loved me.

~~~~

A few hours later, I lay awake, unable to sleep. My daddy always
teased me that when I had something on my mind, I never let it go.
Guess that was what was wrong with me now.

“You awake?” I whispered, watching as Ryder’s chest moved up
and down slowly.

“Yeah,” he said, keeping his eyes closed.

I fidgeted with the edge of the sheet. “About the baby…”

There was just enough moonlight in the room for me to see him open
his eyes and look over at me, waiting for me to go on.

I took a deep breath. Exhaling, I let the words rush out that I had
been holding onto for so long. “You really okay with this? I mean
being a dad? I know this baby is a surprise and after everything else
you’ve been through…”

Ryder was suddenly leaning over me, one of his hands on either side
of my body. I sucked in a breath, seeing his lips so close to mine,
remembering what they could do to me. One of his hands moved under the
covers, running down my side. My heart quickened, feeling his fingers on
me. They ran under my shirt, finding the small curve of my stomach.

“Maddie, listen to me. I’m not perfect, I’ve done some shitty
things in my lifetime, but I’ll be the best damn father I can be,”
he said, his hand brushing against my skin.

“My real mom may not have wanted me but I’m glad she gave me up.
Otherwise, I may not have met you when I was that little boy, needing a
friend.” He glanced down, watching his hand move beneath the covers.
“I’ve always said that Fate is a nasty bitch but this time she did
something right. She gave me you and this baby. I owe her big
time.”

I smiled, happy. Surprised to hear Ryder Delaney sound so…sweet. I
just wished the feeling could have lasted longer.

Thunder boomed outside, waking me. The chill in the room made me
shiver and curl further under the covers. I pulled the cotton sheet over
my head, falling back to sleep.

Thump.
The noise woke me, making me open my
eyes. I listened.
Thump.
This time it wasn’t
thunder. It was something in the room making the sound. Ryder moved
beside me in bed, tossing the covers back. I turned over, wondering
where he was going in the middle of the night.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to me. I could see
the healing marks of the whip, some of them red, others swollen. I heard
something low, almost a whisper.

“Fucking assholes.”

“Ryder?” I sat up quickly. My eyes tried to adjust in the
darkness.
Was someone else in the room with us? Someone
I couldn’t see?
I expected to see an attacker, someone coming
at us with a knife, but there was no one.

Something wasn’t right. Ryder’s shoulders were rigid, tight. The
muscles in his arms flexed as he clenched his fists.

“Ryder, what’s wrong?” I asked, frightened.

In answer, he stood up. His feet spread wide on the floor, his
muscles bunching with power. The moonlight bounced off of him,
highlighting each muscle on his chest.

I flung the blankets off of my legs, following him out of the bed.
He’s having another dream. Another
nightmare.

I stopped in front of him, a foot away.

“Ryder, wake up,” I said. I didn’t notice the coldness in the
room. I only saw the furious snarl on his face as he stared over my
head, seeing things that weren’t there.

The fingers of his right hand gathered into a fist, ready to pound
someone. He looked ready to attack and I was in his line of fire.

“They’re killing me,” he muttered, staring over my shoulder.
“And they’re going to kill her.” His words felt like ice as they
washed over me, making my heart pound harder.

“Ryder,” I said, looking up at him. “Wake up.
Please
.”

Ignoring me, he took a step closer. “Bastards,” he growled,
rolling his shoulders again. “You can’t keep me here.”

The back of my legs hit the chair behind me as he took a quick step
forward. I sidestepped around it, holding out my hand to stop him. My
fingers landed on his abdomen. The muscles of his stomach felt rigid
beneath my hand, reminding me of his strength. I started to get
scared.

“Wake up, Ryder. Please,” I said, my voice shaky. I knew Ryder
would never hurt me but this wasn’t Ryder. This was a man lost in a
nightmare.

My palm pushed against him, needing him to back off.
Bad move.

He became enraged, grabbing my wrist and jerking me toward him.

“Don’t touch me again,” he snarled, sounding like a rabid
animal.

“Ryder, please,” I cried out as my fingers became numb from his
tight hold. For someone who spent the last few weeks in bed, his
strength was formidable.

He seemed not to hear me. With his hand around my wrist, he yanked me
forward. I fell against his chest, my small protruding stomach pressing
into him.

“It’s me. Maddie. You’re safe,” I said, talking to him in a
soothing voice. Anything to get through to him. I put my free hand on
his chest, hoping my touch would wake him up. But it didn’t.

A terrible sound erupted from deep in his chest. He thrust me away
from him, letting go of my wrist. Never graceful, I lost my momentum and
fell back against the closet doors. My head smacked against the wood,
making me cry out and stars appear behind my eyelids. I peered up just
as Ryder came at me, a ferocious look on his face.

“Stay away from her!” he shouted.

I screamed at him to stop. I didn’t know what else to do to wake
him up.

Ryder was towering a few feet above me when the bedroom door flew
open, banging against the wall. I glanced over as Gavin and Cash barged
inside, followed by Roger. When they saw Ryder standing over me, they
rushed him like two linebackers tackling the big, muscular
quarterback.

That’s the moment when Ryder woke up. I saw recognition in his eyes
a second before Cash smacked into him. He let out a whoosh of air as
Cash’s shoulder connected with his solid stomach, making him grunt
with pain.

I cried out, watching as Ryder was knocked a few feet back, taken by
surprise. But the surprise only lasted a few seconds before chaos broke
out.

Ryder regained his footing and went after Cash, hell bent on taking
him down. His fist swung forward, nailing Cash in the jaw. Cash’s head
snapped back, the sound of knuckles hitting skin making me flinch.

I rushed forward, planning to jump in the middle of them, but Gavin
grabbed my arm, holding me back.

“Let me go, Gavin!” I yelled, watching as Cash grabbed Ryder
around the middle in a big bear hug, hauling him back a few steps. Ryder
landed a jab to Cash’s ribs but Cash held on.

“He’s awake! Leave him alone!” I yelled, struggling against
Gavin’s hold.

Ryder’s head swung around to look at me. Anger blazed from his
eyes, seeing Gavin’s arm around my middle, but I also saw confusion.
He doesn’t know what is happening!

Seeing an opportunity, Cash rushed Ryder but forgot who he was
dealing with. Ryder was an expert fighter, a deadly match that rarely
lost. Someone that left broken bones and bruised prides.

Ryder glanced away from me seconds before Cash tackled him. Raising
his fist, Ryder put power behind his punch, connecting with Cash’s
face as Cash came at him. But Cash was a bulldog after a bone; he
wasn’t giving up. Recovering from the blow, his arm wrapped around
Ryder’s middle, throwing him back against the nightstand.

Ryder let out a hiss of pain as his healing back crashed into a
useless lamp. It tilted then fell to the floor, forgotten as the fight
continued. Ryder roared and brought his fists up to pound Cash in the
side of the head, ignoring Brody and Eva as they rushed into the
room.

Cash ducked, trying to avoid Ryder’s punches. Ryder swung again,
not giving up. His fist grazed the side of Cash’s head, barely missing
an ear. But Cash stayed on him like a bad rash that wouldn’t go
away.

“Let me the fuck loose!” Ryder shouted, trying to push Cash off
when he wrapped his arms around Ryder, squeezing tight like a python
squeezing his dinner.

“Calm down, Ryder!” Cash yelled, ducking when Ryder got loose and
tried throwing another punch.