Page 58 of Clashing
But now?
I watched him, and it wasn’t only because he was unbelievably sexy, his muscles flexing as he worked, his eyes a striking blue, and body exhibit worthy. It was that he was also funny and ridiculously sweet and loyal and dependable. I didn’t want only sex anymore. People showed their true colors in a crisis, and he certainly had. He was everything I needed and more last night. And this? Installing that for Dan?
Shit.
I was in trouble.
Chapter seventeen
Too Close
Ryker
Withthehelpofmy guys and Scarlett, I installed the wheelchair lift before Danny got out of the hospital. Scarlett stepped up to any challenge and impressed me with how fast she learned. She did as much work as anyone else, if not more, because on top of helping with the construction, she made sandwiches, tea, and lemonade for lunch. Pizza for dinner.Madepizza. Didn’t order. It pissed me off because it tasted delicious. I didn’t need another reason to be attached.
The more time I spent with her without fucking, the more I realized my attachment had never only been physical. Yes, she caught my eye immediately because she was fucking stunning, but that’s not what did it. The fiery attitude. Her ability to keep up with my banter. Her soft side that only showed around Dan.
I had it bad. After this, I’d distance myself because my growing affection sounded alarms. It drove me nuts how many times she caught me staring at her.
As if it couldn’t get worse, she had my guys eating out of the palm of her hand. She snapped back at every remark with a better one, had them laughing their asses off so much it interfered with our progress, and on top of that, she had them coming to her with their problems.Ridiculous.Yet it heightened my attraction. She could handle my friends.Shewas becoming friends with them too.
Scarlett was the complete, whole, beautiful package and it was bad news. I couldn’t be in a relationship. It was insane enough she spent the night half the week. I considered myself lucky I hadn’t had a nightmare with her in bed with me, but I was kidding myself to think it wouldn’t happen. What if my brain confused her for an enemy I was supposed to leave overseas? I couldn’t be with anyone. Not after I served and became the version of myself I had to protect people against.
Scarlett would never look at me the same if she learned those secrets. What I’d done as a Marine. I couldn’t be with her and hide all that shit. Anything more than sex would mean more time with her and a stronger likelihood that she’d discover that part of me and run.
Not to mention I wasn’t boyfriend material and didn’t want to be. Spending time with her outside of sex put me on edge. That had to be the reason I thought about what it would be like to be with her. I needed to get back to normal. Hook up with her and get rid of some of this fucking tension.
Unfortunately, that had to wait. The lift took priority, and she spent all her time either working on it or going to the hospital.
I helped her bring Danny home when they finally released him. Although his face was a mask of emotions when he saw what we did, he appreciated it. He’d had a shitty few days, so we left them alone not too long after he arrived and thankfully, Scarlett stayed in the house that night.
I told Dan to call me if he needed anything and stayed away from the bar. I tried a different one on the weekend and hated it. I liked being at Danny’s. Some truly beautiful girls approached me, but they weren’t Scarlett.
I just need to get things back to normal between us.No more cuddling or holding or any of that shit. Fucking only. And God help me, I wanted her again. It was the longest we’d gone without having sex and I craved her. I craved the way she looked while she came undone. I craved the way her nails dug into my back, the way her skin felt against mine, the way she uttered my name as I sank into her. I craved all of it so much I was losing my fucking mind.
I gave up on distancing myself after a few days and called her. Asked her to meet me outside. Her quick response had an unusual effect on the beat of my heart. I picked her up from the bar and took her to my place. Even my damn dogs had gotten attached. They loved it when I brought her home because she fawned all over them.
Add another thing to the list of reasons she was perfect for me. Problem was, I wasn’t good for her. I never would be.
I pushed out all the confusing thoughts, all the frustration. I took it out on her in the bedroom with relentless fucking. She egged me on, told me she wanted more. Harder.My perfect match.
I had her under me, her cheek pressed into the bed as I fucked her from behind. I hoped it would help to not be face to face with her. One hand pinned her wrists to her back. The other wrapped around her throat.
“Ryker,” she moaned. “That’s s-so good.”
I grunted and tightened my hand on her throat, my skin slapping hers in a satisfying sound I chased after. I knew her body. Her eager responsiveness told me when I did something she really liked. It’s how I knew her orgasm wasn’t far. It’s also how I knew she liked it when I yanked on her hair.
“Come for me, Scarlett.”
Her cry of release was an addictive melody bound to get stuck in my head. I pounded her through my own release and shuddered as I emptied inside her. I couldn’t seem to get tired of the way it felt to come inside her, to know I filled her with a raw declaration of possessiveness. As soon as I finished, I let her arms go and released her hair. She moaned and sank into the bed. I lay over her, kissing her shoulder and neck, exploring the body I thirsted for no matter how often I enjoyed it.
“Not too much?” I asked. I always expected it to be.
We had an arrangement in place, of course. She had a safe word. We communicated hard nos. What hung me up could’ve been an unrelated issue. A part of me that worried I’d be too much in other ways, so why wouldn’t I be here?
“No.” Her eyes fluttered. “It was amazing.”
I ran my hand down her side, and she shivered. I smirked against her skin and nipped her neck. “You tired yet?”
