Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Gracie

I 'm combing over everything known about Hector Contreras, but another man keeps butting into my mind and ruining my research.

I sigh as I close my laptop and stare at the door.

"Don't even think about it," I whisper as the tempting image of me sneaking down the hall and tapping on Ryker's door slides into my head.

I can't help but wonder what would happen if I did that. This man is insanely hot. Those arms, those eyes, mmmm . I'm getting all worked up just thinking about them.

He said I was his mate. He was so sure about it. I'm not entirely convinced, but I can't deny the fierce attraction burning through my body for this man. I can't deny the way his protective eyes sparked something primal in me. Maybe he's on to something…

"Ugh," I say as I jump out of the seat and head to the minibar in the corner of my room. I have work to do before my big meeting and this frustrating man has got me all distracted.

I open the mini fridge and sigh when I see that it's broken like so much of the rest of the country. This is such a shame. El Nicanduras is a spectacular country, but tourists avoid it like the plague because the psychotic members of Los Lobos de la Muerte also dabble in kidnapping and extortion in addition to drugs. I think we're one of the only ones in the hotel right now.

I'm really hoping I can make a difference with my interview tomorrow. The international community has to help these poor people get out from under the heel of Hector Contreras' oppressive boot. I would love it if my interview is the start of something new and positive for the citizens here.

I grab a tiny bottle of Rhum and a can of Coke, but they're both hot. Everything in this country is hot. Including my new bodyguard…

"Ugh. Stop."

Anyway, he's not my bodyguard anymore. I fired him, so he's probably boarding a plane and heading back to the US at this very moment.

Is there a more frustrating man on the planet? We hired him to keep me safe and all he did was boss me around and tell me not to do my job. The nerve of this guy! I'm pacing around the room, getting all worked up just thinking about it. He was so demanding. So frustrating. I wanted to shut him up by sitting on his face.

I spot the ice bucket on top of the minibar and remember passing an ice machine beside the stairwell. I grab the bucket and head to the door. I'm in my pyjamas—tiny shorts and a tank top with no underwear on, but the hotel is pretty much empty, so I'm not really worried about running into anyone. Like I said, El Nicanduras is void of tourists and I assume I'm under the protection of Hector Contreras, which means there won't be any criminals hanging around. Besides, it's only a few feet away. I'll run there and back before anyone knows I'm gone.

I open the door and gasp when I see Ryker standing there, arms folded in front of his big chest like he's on guard.

"What are you doing?" I ask as I hide my body with the door.

"Protecting you."

God, his voice… It's so deep and buttery. I hate how it turns my whole body to jelly.

"There's a lock on the door," I tell him.

He shrugs those big shoulders. "It's not safe enough."

"Didn't I fire you?" I ask, giving him a stern look.

"You don't have to pay me," he says like he couldn't care less about the money. "But you can't fire a protective mate."

"It's so nice that I get to have a say in the matter," I say, rolling my eyes. "I never agreed to be your mate."

"You don't have to," he says. "It was set before you were born. It's written in the stars. It's fate."

"Is that so?" I ask, leaning on the door as I look up at his big chiseled jaw. I'm showing a bit of cleavage and he notices, but I don't hide behind the door anymore. I like having his eyes on me. I love the possessive way he looks at me. He looks at me like I'm all his. Like I was made for him. Even though he's frustrating as all hell, he's intriguing and sexy and I have a bit of a crush developing even though I'm trying really hard not to.

"Are you going to stand out here all night?" I ask as I look up and down the empty hall.

"Yes."

I laugh. "Seriously?"

"I'm not leaving your side."

"On this trip or ever?"

"Ever."

I'm laughing, but he's not. Wait, is he serious?

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he says, looking at me like I'm the most precious thing in the world.

"You don't have to stand outside my door, Ryker. I'll be fine."

He just shrugs. "It's my pleasure, Gracie. I've been waiting to find you for a long time."

I lean against the door as I look up at his calm handsome face. Maybe he's not so bad. No one has ever been so concerned with my safety before, besides my parents, but they don't really count. It's kind of sweet. In its own frustrating way.

I think about inviting him in, maybe even sharing a room, but I wipe that thought out of my head as quickly as it comes in. This is a work trip. I have to keep things professional. I have to stay focused on the interview tomorrow. And if I let him in, I'll probably be up all night.

"Can I get you a chair at least? A magazine?"

He shakes his head. "I want to stay alert."

"Suit yourself," I say as I step into the hall. He makes a sexy little groaning sound when he sees what I'm wearing.

"Where are you going?"

"Ice machine," I say, holding up the bucket.

I can feel his heated eyes roaming up and down my back as I head for the stairwell. Of course, he follows me. Apparently, I'm mated to a golden retriever-like man who won't leave my side. Just my luck.

"I'm going to try one more time," he says as we walk. "Please cancel the interview."

I stop short in the hallway, turn, and face him with a steely glare. "Stop asking me that."

"This man is a killer!" he says, throwing his big arms in the air. "Who cares what he has to say?"

"I do!"

"Enough to risk your life over?"

"I want to expose what he's doing to this innocent country and get to the truth."

"You're going to get yourself killed," he says, taking a step forward and getting into my face.

I step forward and get into his face right back. "That's what you're here for! Remember? To stop that from happening."

He's breathing so heavily as we stare each other down.

Lady Fate must have a real sense of humor if she put two stubborn people like us together.

"You're my mate ," he says in a forceful tone. "I don't want to see you in danger."

"Then send your grizzly bear instead," I say, glancing at his chest. "I'll probably get along better with him than I do with you."

"He's even more protective than I am."

"Of course he is," I say, rolling my eyes. "I need that drink."

I walk away from him and head to the ice machine with my heart pounding. This would be so much easier if he wasn't so hot. If I didn't want to shut him up by grabbing the back of his head and pulling his mouth to mine.

I storm over to the ice machine and of course he follows me and of course I like it.

He hovers beside me as I yank the cover open and shove the bucket into the ice.

I'm trying not to look at his big chest and those sexy muscular arms practically ripping out of his T-shirt, but my traitorous eyes keep betraying me.

"We're going to have to figure this out," he says as he leans on the machine and crosses his arms. "We're mates whether you like it or not."

"If you're going to be my mate, you're going to have to be okay with me doing things like this. I have a career that will put me in danger from time to time."

"I'll never be okay with having you in danger."

"Well, you're going to have to get okay with it," I say. "Because I'm not stopping."

He steps forward, towering over me. I suck in a breath and swallow as I look up at his gorgeous face. He's so big. So imposing. So fucking hot.

Stay strong, Gracie. Don't give in.

"I don't want you to go."

"I'm going."

" Gracie… "

He says my name like he's been saying it for years. It feels so natural. So right…

We're arguing, but all I can think about is kissing him. My eyes keep darting down to his mouth. My body wants to submit to him while my mouth is going toe-to-toe with this frustrating man.

"You can't stop me," I tell him as I raise my chin, staring him down.

"Oh, yes I can."

He steps right up to me and my whole body shivers. Why does he have such a strong effect on me? It's like I don't have a handle on my body anymore. He's taken over the controls.

I stare him dead in the eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"How about I tie you to the bed?" he says, staring back at me.

Of course my mind immediately goes there . I can feel my cheeks flushing. Heat blooms in my core and swirls between my legs.

"I can keep you busy for two days until your flight."

Busy doing what? Why am I so tempted to find out?

I fight back a moan as I look at his mouth.

"You wouldn't," I say, but I'm not so sure that's the truth.

"Test me and find out."

"I can just slip out when you're not looking," I tell him defiantly. "I'll go to the interview by myself."

I gasp when I feel those strong hands grabbing my waist. He lifts me easily and plops me right on top of the ice machine. He steps between my open legs while staring me down with such intensity it makes me shudder.

My body combusts with his powerful hands on me. I've never been so turned on in my life. I'm breathing heavily, pussy aching , every thought consumed with lust as he moves closer. I feel his big body pressing my inner thighs open. Our eyes are finally level. Our mouths so close…

I slide my hands onto his rock hard arms. I don't want to, but I can't seem to stop myself.

I'm so wet. I'm on fire .

I'm sitting on the freezer, but the cold is doing nothing to stop the burning between my legs. If he keeps me up here much longer I'll melt all of the ice.

He gets so close that I can smell his warm minty breath. It makes my mouth water and my lips part.

"I'm not going to let my mate be in danger," he whispers on my lips.

"Then you picked the wrong mate, Mr. Ryker," I whisper back.

"Maybe," he says as he looks at my mouth. "But I still want you."

I don't know who's the first to initiate it, but our mouths come together and we kiss each other hard. My ice bucket falls to the ground and ice cubes spill across the floor. I moan as I slide my hands into his hair, holding his sexy lips to mine.

It's a rough, demanding kiss, fuelled by the pent-up frustration that's been building all evening. His hands tighten on my hips as he slides his tongue into my mouth.

I hook my ankles behind his back and pull him into me. I moan when I feel his hard torso pressing against my throbbing pussy.

"Oh my god," I whisper when he pulls away and starts kissing my neck. I hold him against me as he drags the tip of his tongue down the curve of my neck and kisses a trail along my collarbone. I'm so wet. I'm dying for him.

What is happening? This is all so fast, but it doesn't seem fast enough. I've been a good girl for twenty-seven years. I've never had sex. Never even been kissed. But I can't seem to get enough of this man. I want him inside me. I want him to own me.

His lips touch the spot under my left ear and my whole body melts. I'm craving more there. I need to feel his teeth on the spot. I need him to mark me. But his hot sexy mouth keeps moving, leaving me confused and wanting more.

My hips are rolling. I'm rubbing my pussy on his hard body, making a wet mess of my pyjamas. I can't stop. I've lost all control. Lust and need have taken over my brain. I'm desperate for a release. I'll never be able to sleep again until I get one.

" Oh fuck ," I moan, dropping my head back when he slides his big strong hands up my ribs and onto my breasts. My pyjama material is so thin. My nipples are so hard. It feels so good…

I grab the back of his hands and hold them against my chest, moaning uncontrollably as he kisses me again while massaging my breasts with his powerful hands.

"We're… in… public…" I say between moans.

"I'll hear if someone comes," he says between kisses.

I groan as heated lust surges through my veins. He's going to hear me cum if he keeps it up…

" Yes ," I whisper as he kisses his way down my body. I'm gripping his shoulders as he kisses my breasts over my shirt and continues down. I want to feel his mouth on my pussy so badly. The thought is taking me over. It consumes me until I can't think of anything else.

He drops down until his face is between my legs. I cry out as he pulls my pyjama bottoms to the side, revealing my aching pussy.

I've never been exposed like this before. It's the hottest thing I've ever experienced by far. I'm filled with unquenchable arousal as I watch him looking at my most intimate area like he's about to devour it whole.

" Oh damn ," I moan when he puts his hot mouth on me, licking me from bottom to top. I shiver all over when that slick tongue slides over my engorged clit.

I'm soaked. I'm gushing .

I'm gripping his shirt and rolling my hips, grinding my pussy against his mouth. He licks and sucks me while these deep sexy groans and moans rumble out of his throat.

It's so hot. He's so fucking hot.

I can't take my eyes off him, his sexy face planted between my thighs, his mouth working non-stop, drawing out every ounce of pleasure I have hidden deep inside me.

I never knew my body could do this. That I could feel such euphoria and bliss from just a touch. He's a magician. He's a god. I know I'm meant for him now. How else could you explain him already knowing my body so well?

"I'm in love with your pussy," he growls between licks. "You taste so good."

I lean back as he wraps his arms around my thighs and pulls me forward, thrusting his tongue into my hole. I cry out too loudly. I'm being way too loud.

"Your pussy is burning hot," he says as he grabs an ice cube from the machine and pops it into his mouth. "Maybe this will cool you down."

I cry out as he holds the ice cube between his teeth and drags it up my burning slit. It's so intense. It's so good. A shiver ripples down to my toes. He rubs it all over my pussy, making me crazy as the pressure inside builds and builds…

It must melt from my heat because it's just his hot tongue again, sliding and twisting, and it's more than enough.

I grab onto his hair as he sucks on my clit, his heavy masculine groans pulling an orgasm up from the depths of my body.

I grit my teeth and swallow a scream as I erupt all over his mouth, cumming so hard my whole body shakes. The fiery orgasm tears through me like a wildfire. It's all-consuming. It's the most pleasure I've ever felt in my life.

My body is writhing on top of the machine as he continues licking me like he can't bear to stop. My thighs clamp shut around his head and I shiver from the aftershocks of the orgasm.

"Oh my god," I whisper when the shocks become softer. Less intense.

I loosen my legs from his head and he stands up, wiping his glistening mouth as he looks at me like I'm the only thing that matters.

I'm breathing so heavily. I'm so entranced.

That spot on my neck is tingling more than ever, demanding something I can't give it.

Ryker swallows me in his arms and kisses my temple. "You're mine," he whispers in my ear in his deep throaty voice.

And for the first time, I know that it's unequivocally true.