Somehow I manage to pick her up and place her on the bed. She pulls me down to her, kissing me deeply as her legs wrap around my waist. I may know how to make her body respond to me, but it’s been years and I think it’s time to refresh my memory.
Pulling away, I lean back on knees and stare down at the woman I love. I rub my hand over my erection to ease some of the ache, but her eyes follow my hand and when
she sees what I’m doing she licks her lips. I groan at the thought of what she’s offering me.
“Ryley Clarke, I have to know. Do you love me?”
“Yes,” her voice is sweet, yet husky.
“Do you want to be with me?”
“Yes.”
“Only me, now and forever?”
She nods and reaches for me. “Evan Archer, I want you to make love to me.”
I pull her hand into mine and realize for the first time that she’s not wearing a ring. Her finger is bare and that, to me, means everything. Standing up, I pull my shirt over my head and toss it onto the floor. I flick the buttons on my shorts and pull down the zipper, letting them drop to the floor next. Her nimble fingers tug at my boxers, yanking them down until I’m free of the fabric confines. When she licks her lips, I’m done for.
Pushing her back on the bed, I pull down her stupid little shorts only to find she’s naked underneath. “Ry,” my voice breaks as she pulls me to her. Flesh on flesh, the warmth of our skin is our only cover. I kiss her deeply as she wraps her legs around me. Our hands intertwine as our hearts beat loudly over the music.
I groan when I feel her wetness coat me and hate myself for what I’m about to say to her. “Never in my life will this happen again, but it’s going to take me seconds before I blow. I promise you, I’ll make it up to you all night long.”
If I didn’t love her so much I’d be angry with her for laughing at me, but I’m not. I close my eyes and enter her and just like that night on her bedroom floor years ago, her back arches and her nails dig into my skin. I don’t kiss her because I need to hear her whimper, I need to hear the intake of breath that she takes from the pressure between her legs.
Before I can open my eyes, I’m done and embarrassed as hell. After six years of no sex, and two months of blue balls, I’m the master of a quickie. I roll over and cover my face, trying to laugh it off but to no avail.
Ryley tries to sit up, but I’m on the side where her casted arm is. I move to help her, but only proceed in helping her straddle me again. “I heard guys can last longer if the woman is on top,” she says as she starts rocking back and forth. That’s all it takes for me to be at attention again, that and her glorious breasts bouncing around.
Bringing my knees up to give her some support, I slip into her and use my hands to guide her hips. As much as I love having her on top, I want to feel her body against mine. I want to hold her, kiss her and see her face when I make her feel like a woman again, like the one I fell in love with so many years ago. I want her to see my face when I let go because right now I feel like a new man...
A man who finally has everything he’s dreamed of.
“I DON’T WANT THIS to be awkward,” Evan says, gesturing between us before he hands me a cup of coffee. We’re meeting this morning, away from the house and Ryley. What I have to show him, he needs to see without her being in the room. I’ve hidden a lot of my work from her over the years and while it pains me to hide this, it’s for her own protection.
“I agree and I know that things between us are rocky, I can respect that.” I take a deep breath and ready myself for what I’m about to say. “I don’t know where things are going, if anywhere, with Cara. Seeing her brought back so many memories and made me realize that the love I have for Ryley doesn’t even scratch the surface of what I feel for Cara. One look and I was taken back to the day I met her and all the time we took falling in love with each other. I know that’s what you feel for Ryley and I should’ve stepped aside. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” he says, but I hold my hand up.
“I’m not done,” I say with a shake of my head. “I love EJ. But I also love Cara and I know in order to have a future with her, if she’ll even consider it, I’m going to have to let that part of EJ go. As much as it’ll kill me to leave, I need to find some happiness.”
“Leave?” he questions.
“Cara has a life away from here. I can’t ask her to move but I’m willing to move for her. She came here for me one time in her life, so I would do the same for her. I thought you and I could go to the Clarke’s and just spend some time with EJ and let him see that we’re brothers and not two men vying for his love.”
“All right,” he agrees, but I feel as if he’s skeptical. I guess I would be, too.
“But before we go, the other reason I wanted to meet you here is because I have some stuff to show you. Yesterday, Cara and I met with Carole’s contact at the NCIS.” I hold the file folder in my hand. “This shit,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s deep and it hurts. As your brother, I’m furious this even happened. Someone we know knew you were alive.”
Evan’s face deadpans as he reaches for the file. I hesitate, but only briefly, before handing it over. “Special Agent Blaine will be making an arrest later this afternoon. Carole asked that you be given the opportunity to confront the people concerned and he’s allowing it as a favor to her.”
He nods as he opens the folder and visibly stiffens. Cara arranged the documents as such that everything he needs to know is on top. He looks up at me with a mixture of anger and sadness. The realization that someone we trusted took away six years of his life is written all over his face. For the first time since I buried a body I thought was my brother, I’m angry. His pain is mine. We share it. Not only has he lost something, but so has EJ, Ryley, our sister and mother, even the Clarke’s. What these people have done is unthinkable and they need to pay.
“Um…” he clears his throat and grips the side of the table.
“This is why I want you to see EJ first. Let him calm you down and remind you of what’s at stake. You’re just like me and your first thought is that you want to kill them, but not today. I won’t let you. You’ve suffered enough, we all have, and Ryley and EJ need you. They’re…” I jab at the folder with my index finger, “not worth it. They’ll get theirs in the end. I can promise you that.”
Evan rubs his hands over his face and yells at the top of his lungs. Bystanders stop and look, but I ignore them. They’re lucky that’s all he’s doing. His leg bounces, a clear sign of agitation and my cue to get him out of here and to a place where I know he’s welcomed.