Page 5 of Hell's Storm

Ryker pulls away from me, straightening. “Who?”

“Your mother…” I almost hesitate. He obviously knew who we were talking about, but why would he bring it up if he didn’t want to talk about her?

His eyes find me as they fill with sadness. “She was killed. Much in the same fashion your family was…”

Ice runs through my veins. Somehow for those few minutes, I forgot about it. Now, knowing Ryker has gone through the same thing I did, felt… oddly comforting.

“Swim with me,” he whispers into the shell of my ear, earning a glare. “It’ll cool your skin. Fae waters have healing properties.” He moves away, unbuckling his black tactical vest and belt, setting them to the side. My eyes follow the threads of short muscles that line his broad shoulder and biceps. His ivory hands slide under his shirt and pull it over his head, ruffling his pink hair. With his black tank top and arm sleeves removed, I can clearly see his naked upper body, all creamy skin and muscles, with a long lean torso that has my eyes dropping straight to his stomach. He has several various pink scars covering most of his body, even some lining the ab muscles on his stomach. “Are you going to drool or join me?”

My eyes snap to him.I can join and drool over him.I slip the hospital gown over my head, not caring that I'm now stark naked in front of Ryker. I am very comfortable in my skin and have come to love myself over the years. My skin is abnormally hot with the Flame stirring around. “How can you touch me?”

Ryker entirely turns, and his eyes lock onto my body. I watch as they roam over me, taking in every swirling amber line and every curve. I wonder if he notices the scars that Khazon gave me from beating me, or the ones Inarian caused me. “Magic. Elves have spells and almost endless amounts of magic. I make my body cold when I touch you.” He steps to me, hand cupping my hip and pulling me into him. My breast touches his chest, nipples pebbling at his cold body.

His other hand cups my ribs and runs up. His rough, scarred hand runs over my breast. I arch into his palm, but his hand keeps climbing higher and higher until his fingers wrap around my throat and tilt my head up to him.

My eyes drop to his lips, but when he doesn’t make a move to kiss me, I whimper, “Please.”

His pink lips part.

Does he not want me in the way I want him? Of course, he did. He flirts with me all the time. We kissed once, but maybe that was all he needed. Am I mistaken?

“You’re fragile right now… I can’t take advantage of you like this. I brought you here to help your Flame, not—”

“I amnotfragile.” I snap.

“You can’t even control yourself.”

I feel my skin get a few degrees hotter, and that’s when I realize, after a moment, he is right. He is distracting me, and his touch is cooling me down, even if he doesn’t notice. With a sigh, I speak. “Ryker… I like you.”

He lifts a brow.

“You… helped me when I needed it at the palace with the intruders.”

He shakes his head. “If I was there, I—”

“Couldn’t do much more becauseIcouldn’t. This is far from our fault. But right now, I need you again. I need you to kiss me like you did before and take my breath away. When you touch me, I can't think. A-And when you look at me, I feel like nothing else matters, and when your arms are around me—”

He crashes his lips onto mine, obviously telling me to shut up. A moan escapes my lips as I feel his softness, lips of pure velvet. His hand moves from my throat to my cheek as his other hand pulls me closer by placing his hand on the square of my back. I’ve barely done anything, but I can already feel his bulge pressing into me. Maybe it’s selfish of me. Perhaps I shouldn’t even be thinking like this right now, but my body and mind have been in survival mode, and right now, all I can think about is Ryker. I just need a moment; even if he lasts five minutes, I just need to feel something else besides this anger. It is going to consume me, even if it’s only been a few hours of having the Flame.

He deepens the kiss as I try to pull him closer to me. My eyes close as I let my mouth explore his.

Ryker lets out a heavy sigh, providing an opportunity to slip my tongue into his mouth. I feel his sharp teeth scrape my tongue and I shudder. Then his wet tongue begins to wrestle with mine. Heat pools between my legs, hotter than the Flame.

His hands roam my body, cooling my skin to the touch. Then he grabs the back of my thighs and pulls me flush against him. My legs wrap around his hips, and my arms grab a fistful of his messy hair. One hand leaves my ass, and before I question it, I feel him pick up his feet before moving to the water. Glancing back, I see his pants are entirely off.

The moment the water hits my skin, it bubbles, and steam hisses into the air.Maybe I was hotter than I thought I was.

Ryker sinks us into the water, pulling back for me to have a moment to breathe. “Are you okay with…”

“Having sex with you?”

He nods.

“Yes.” I wasn’t lying. My thoughts are only on how his hands caress my sore muscles or my hot swirls. My core aches to be filled with him, to feel close to him.

Ryker lifts me slightly, and then I feel his huge mushroom tip at my slick entrance. His pink eyes stare at me, waiting for me to stop him, but I stare right back at him. Then he lowers me a bit but picks me up again. His tip makes me close my eyes with a sigh. “No. Look at me.”

Look at him?

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