Rush Into You (3 page)

I heard a click and looked up to see Ryker holding his lighter before me. I leaned closer and let the flame ignite the tip of my cigarette. Ryker then lit his own, and we stared at each other in silence. I took a long drag as I watched him, letting the smoke fill my lungs before exhaling.

“I guess I’d better get going. Thanks for tonight, it was nice to have someone to talk to,” I slurred slightly.

I shuffled past Ryker, stumbling in the direction of my apartment, and away from the remaining cars in the lot.

“Where’s your car? You shouldn’t drive if you’ve been drinking.”

Ryker’s words stopped me, and I turned around. “I don’t have one.”

“You don’t drive?”

“Nope.” I started walking again and called over my shoulder, “Never will again.”

“Why’s that?”

“Ask any one of the heartless asshats in this city and you’ll get your answer,” I mumbled to myself.

“I don’t give a shit what they have to say. I asked you.” The proximity of Ryker’s voice startled me. I hadn’t realized he’d caught up with me.

He lightly grasped my elbow, bringing me to a full stop. “Come on, you’re coming with me.”

I liked his gentle touch, but I shook him off anyway. “I can walk, it’s no big deal.”

“Fuck that!” he yelled, sounding appalled by the idea.

“Excuse me?” I narrowed my eyes.

Ryker closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, he sounded calm. “Listen, it’s not smart for anyone to walk home alone at night, especially not a hot chick like you. You’ll end up getting raped out there.”

I opened my mouth to argue with him, but no sound came out. He was right. I squeezed my eyes shut to block the memories.

Raped.

I tried to focus on the rest of his sentence instead, and realized he’d called me hot. Excitement rose through me, but I forced it back down.

“You don’t have to go out of your way for me,” I told him quietly.

“It won’t be out of my way. I want to drive you. Come on.” He tugged my hand.

I reluctantly followed behind him, an internal war battling within me. I wanted to run in the other direction, away from the car I was expected to get it, but I also didn’t want to part ways with Ryker. I desperately wanted to keep my time with him alive and allow myself just this one night to feel normal.

We stopped walking when we reached a bad ass black and chrome Harley Davidson. Ryker unclipped two helmets from his bike and handed me one. I held it limply in my hands, undecided if I should get on it. I finally secured the helmet over my head. I wanted to take the chance with him, and I didn’t have anything to lose.

Ryker’s deft fingers buckled my helmet, and his smile spoke volumes. He hadn’t wanted the night with me to end yet. He swung his leg over the large bike in one fluid motion, settling gracefully on the leather seat. His large, slightly calloused hand extended towards me. “Get on.”

My eyes traveled back and forth between his hand and the back of his bike.

Hand, bike.

Hand, bike.

Hand, bike.

It was now or never. I slowly reached out and grabbed his hand. The instant our hands connected, I felt a zing of electricity rush through my hand, up my arm, and spread like wildfire throughout my entire body before finally landing in a simmering heat within my core. I couldn’t contain the audible gasp that slipped out of my lips. Even heroin couldn’t give me a rush like that. If I weren’t careful, I’d find myself addicted to Ryker Rosse.

His strong arm gently tugged mine, helping me climb onto his bike. My mount was far from graceful and embarrassingly clumsy. Even though Ryker didn’t say anything, the smile that took up residence on his sexy lips was impossible to miss.

I watched in fascination as Ryker kicked his motorcycle to life. I thought I’d be freaking out the second I sat on the leather seat, but this was nothing like a car. So far, so good—I could handle this.

“Ever ride before, babe?” He looked over his left shoulder, waiting for my answer.

I nodded. “Once. I was sixteen. I just went around the block, nothing serious.”

He smiled again. Oh hell, that gorgeous smile…as if he had a secret that he knew you wanted to know, but he wouldn’t tell. “Did you like it?”

His smile had me breathless, so I nodded in response.

He licked his lips and revved the engine. “You good?”

I could tell he was enjoying how flustered I’d become. I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice. “Yes.”

The engine growled louder this time. “You might want to hold on then.” He chuckled before shooting off into the night.

OTHER THAN HIS name and job, I didn't know much about Ryker, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was sitting on the back of his Harley with my arms around his trim waist. I wasn't scared about crashing or falling off, and I wasn’t feeling guilt or regret. My only focus was the hard muscles of Ryker’s abdominals underneath my fingertips, and the intense vibrations sparking pleasure between my thighs. I wanted to satisfy my growing desire for the man my body was wrapped around.

I wanted to feel the weight of his body on mine.

I wanted to be conquered by his strength.

I wanted to hear the sounds of his pleasure when he was inside me.

I wanted to be with Ryker.

None of the men I’d been with since the accident were for personal pleasure. It was business. If I couldn’t afford a bag of dope to feed my addiction, I paid with the only thing I could—sex.

No matter how many times I’d cried about my situation, it didn’t matter because somewhere deep inside me I considered it punishment. The life I lived was my purgatory, and I was only alive so that I could suffer for all my sins.

This was how it was supposed to be.

THE BRISK WIND beat against my face as we rode down the main drag in Breckston. I molded the front of my body to his back, holding tight as we rounded each street corner. I peeked over his shoulder, noticing we were in my neighborhood, and a sadness fell over me. I wasn’t ready for this ride to end.

I tightened my grip on Ryker’s trim waist and moved my mouth to his ear, raising my voice over the roar of the Harley pipes. “Take a left at these lights, then a sharp left down that one way. Third house on the right. Just pull in the driveway.” I sighed as I let my cheek rest against the leather covering his back. I always loved the rich smell of leather, and I knew from this moment forward it would remind me of Ryker.

He killed the engine as soon as he parked in my driveway, but my body still tingled from the strong vibrations. I hoped that Ryker planned on coming upstairs with me because I needed him to ease the steady throbbing at the apex of my thighs brought on by his motorcycle.

The high I felt after leaving my dealer’s apartment was gone, and the buzz I’d built up at Max’s was fading. I knew what I wanted to do, and I knew who I wanted to do it with.

Ryker toed the kickstand down, our bodies tilting to the left with the weight of the bike. With renewed purpose, I loosened my grip around his waist and let my hands fall into his lap. My fingertips brushed the worn denim, and I was surprised by how soft they felt against my skin. I trailed my hands down his muscled thighs, but, Ryker slid free from my arms and got off his bike.

I waited for him to help me down. I knew I’d fall flat on my ass if I tried by myself, and I wanted his hands on me.

“Swing your right leg over here.” He pointed to the left side of the bike and smiled. “I’ll help you down.”

I did as he said and was rewarded with his large hands on either side of my waist. The pressure of his hands gripping my middle made my insides warm and fluttery. He lifted me effortlessly, but as soon as my feet touched the cracked pavement of the driveway, he pulled away.

I wished he’d keep them there forever.

I reached for his hands and placed them right back on my sides. “I liked those right where they were.”

“Is that so?” He smiled, squeezing me.

“Mm hmm,” I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck. “And I like mine right here.”

I pulled myself into him, my chest pressed against his stomach. I liked that he towered over my five feet two inches, standing a foot taller than me easily. I stood on my tiptoes, wanting to kiss his lips, but I couldn’t reach without him angling his face down. I pressed a soft peck onto his strong, slightly stubbled jawline instead.

“What do you say, Ryker? You want to come upstairs with me?”

“Not tonight, Gabby,” he whispered.

My mouth popped open with shock. Tears burned the corners of my eyes, and I blinked fast to keep them contained. I dropped my arms from around his neck, suddenly feeling awkward. I felt embarrassed that I’d been so forward with him, and I looked away, trying to fight the blush creeping up my neck into my cheeks.

Ryker obviously saw how humiliated I felt and shook his head, quickly trying to explain himself. “You’ve been drinking, I haven’t. I know you’re feeling nice right now, and I’m not gonna take advantage of you. I don’t want you regretting that shit in the morning.”

“I wouldn’t regret you.”

“You regretted the other guys.”

My eyes shot back to him. “How do you…”

“You told me that you always regret the guys you sleep with when your drunk.”

“Oh, God…” I groaned. I vaguely recalled sharing a few stories with Ryker tonight. I’d basically emptied my tarnished soul to him.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“What? It’s not a big deal that I just threw myself at you, and you don’t want to fuck me because you think that I’m a dirty slut?” I yelled harshly.

Ryker’s stare narrowed, and blue flames replaced the soft blue of his eyes. I stepped back, but he advanced towards me with a long stride. His hands were on me before I could react, his fingers digging into my hips. He jerked me forward, pulling me flush against his solid body. His arousal was hard against my belly, and I felt its solid length straining against his jeans.

“Does that feel like I don’t want to fuck you?” he hissed through clenched teeth. He thrust against me for added emphasis and growled. “Is that what it feels like?”

“Why?” I managed to squeak out.

His face softened, and the electric blue of his eyes faded back to normal. “Babe, it’s called respect.”

“How is not sleeping with me respect?” I frowned, genuinely confused.

“I liked talking to you tonight, Gabby. I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more, but if we slept together we both know we’d never end up seeing each other again.”

“I’m not the kind of girl you get into a relationship with,” I told him honestly.

“Probably because you’ve never tried. You don’t bother getting to know anyone.”

“What is this, Psych 101?” I was offended. It didn’t matter if what he said was the truth; it bothered me that he saw through me.

“Don’t you get tired of it?” Ryker huffed. “I’m sick of pointless one night stands. It’s not as exciting as it used to be, and I’m getting too old for that shit.”

Something about his words made me want to cry. I turned away from him and dropped down onto the steps leading into my apartment. My head fell into my hands, and I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. What could I even say to that? Of course, I was tired of it. Of course, it gets lonely. But what choice did I have?

Ryker sat down beside me, a freshly lit cigarette between the lips I tried kissing just minutes earlier. I took my phone out of my pocket to distract myself from him, and checked the time. 2:37am. I put it down on the step next to me and looked at him.

“I see something more in you. You deserve better.” He blew out a cloud of smoke, his voice just above a whisper.

We were sitting so close together, our bodies barely touching. Even though I was embarrassed by his rejection, it made me respect him. “I feel weird right now, like I don’t know what to do. I haven’t just “talked” to a guy since high school,” I admitted. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, feeling vulnerable.

“We talked just fine all night. It’s late now, so get some sleep. We’ll talk again soon.” He bumped his shoulder playfully into mine and smiled, “I’m not done with you.”

A surge of warmth flooded my body. I wanted to believe him.

Ryker stood, then helped me to my feet. He looked up at the tall apartment building. “What floor is yours?”

“Third.”

“Want me to walk you up?”

I shook my head and smiled. “No, it’s fine.”

“All right.” He gently squeezed my hand.

I was surprised when my body was encased by his much larger one, but sometimes a hug was all you needed, and this one felt perfect. He gently raised my chin so that my eyes met his, and pressed his warm, full lips upon mine. It was tender, and I tasted the promise behind it. I never wanted it to end, but all too soon his lips released mine and he ran the back of his finger down the length of my cheek.

“I’ll talk to you soon, Gabby.” He turned and walked back to his Harley.

“Bye, Ryker,” I breathed, impressed by his effortless swagger. Once again, he gracefully mounted his bike and let it roar to life. He turned back to me and met my eyes, gifting me with his perfect grin and a wink before pulling his helmet over his head and speeding off.