Chapter 50

Ellery

I sighedwhen our tongues connected, and the fire turned to molten lava inside me, but instead of being destructive, this heat was amazing as it spread through me. Kissing Ryker was like coming home; it felt right as it calmed the ragged pieces of me.

My guilt and apprehension over being discovered faded, which was strange, considering I was kissing the man who was my main concern. I felt safer than I had since we said goodbye to my father and watched him ride away to war.

I belonged somewhere, and it was with him.

I'd never tasted anything as delicious as him. He was a mix of peppermint and the air before a storm, of lightning building in the clouds, of power, and something wild… something inherent to the man himself.

He was thelightning, and while I'd felt it against my fingertips countless times throughout my life, I now held it in a way I never had before. And both of us sought more as my body arched against his while his hands entangled in my hair.

I hadn't known what to expect from this, but it certainly wasn't for him to kiss me like it was the last one either of us would experience. It certainly wasn't for him to replace everything else as all sounds faded, and the sensation of leaves and earth against my back vanished. Ryker became the center of everything.

His hands settled on my hips and moved up to pull my shirt from where I'd tucked it into my pants. When his fingers settled against my skin, I thought I'd been on fire before, but his touch ignited a raging inferno.

He shifted, and when he did, his erection prodding my belly caused my sanity to return; I was in way over my head with this man who had far more experience than me and who wouldn't have kissed me if he'd known the truth.

I have to stop this!

Even if I wasn't the Hooded Robber, he was the son of a duke and an aristocrat. While my family had some position in this realm, it was nowhere near the same as his, and we certainly didn't have a title, wealth, or the power Ryker's family possessed.

I tried to tell myself this was only a kiss, to relax and enjoy it, but it was more than that. He wasn't Callan or the other boys I'd fumbled around with; a kiss would lead to something more with him, and as his hands skimmed my side and my skin prickled with awareness, I yearned to give him more.

When his hand brushed the bottom of my bra and he pushed it up to caress the curve of my breasts, I told sanity to fuck off and arched toward his large, calloused palm. No one had ever swept me away before, and while it was amazing, it was also a little scary. However, I'd always enjoyed the thrill of fear from living on the edge.

When he broke the kiss, I knew it was time to stop this… just as soon as words returned. My ridiculous impulse vanished when his mouth found my skin again, and he left a trail of kisses from my jaw to my neck. Unable to resist, I lifted my hips a little and rocked against his thigh.

My head tipped back as his hand settled fully over my breast, and his thumb stroked my nipple before rolling it between his fingers. I bit my lip against crying out as my eyes cracked open to take in the leaves above us and the sun filtering through them.

Except… something wasn't right. I was reluctant to pull myself from the blissful bubble Ryker had created, but my eyes opened further as I tried to figure out what was so wrong with the day. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

A pink sky peeked through the thick canopy of green leaves. At first, I assumed the sun was setting, but that wasn't right.

We'd just eaten lunch, and while I had completely lost myself to him, it hadn't been for hours. Then the pink deepened and started shifting toward a red that cast an ominous hue around the clearing as the woods became oddly still.

I had shut everything out when Ryker kissed me, but I was aware again. There should be some sound; animals should run through the trees, and ghosts should float past. Nothing moved.

Ryker lifted himself off me a little, and his hand rested against the button on my pants. Oh, how I wanted to know how that would feel, but as I started softening again, I rested my palms against his shoulders to hold him back.

"Ryker." His focus remained on my clothes. I gave him a little shake, which was meant to be more, but moving him was like moving a mountain. "Ryker."

The sharp tone of my voice finally pierced through to him as his eyes shot back to mine. Confusion marred his brow as I pointed toward the sky.

"Something's wrong."