Chapter 21 - Stryder

“Goodbye, Stryder…” Olivia says the words that cut through my chest as if she’d poked a dagger through my heart.

I watch her as she heads back to the dark-haired man without sparing one glance over her shoulder for me.

I could have sworn she’d melted into my arms when I kissed her. Yet, the words she spoke were the ones I’d dreaded the most.

She’d moved on, and she didn’t want me. As I stand outside the ladies’ bathroom and watch her slip her arm through the other man’s, I cannot even move. I can barely breathe, replaying her words over and over again in my mind. It’s bad enough that I just found out that she has someone else. It’s even worse knowing that it’s me she doesn’t want, and she finally said goodbye to me.

A goodbye I didn’t even get when I left her at her apartment. All I got was the door thrown in my face, leaving a space there between us that promised that the damage I caused could possibly be amended.

I didn’t think it was possible until I saw Olivia inside the restaurant. Though fuming at the sight of another man, I would have done anything for a second chance, a chance to explain why I kept a secret from her. Now, that chance has gone, even after I tried wooing her in the heat of the moment with my kiss.

I could have sworn that she felt the same way, our heartbeats aligning in that fleeting moment when our lips met again.

Stroking my bottom lip with the pad of my thumb, the remnants of the taste of her lips remain while I watch her leave the restaurant with the man she claims she’s moved on with. I can’t bring myself to accept this magnitude of defeat that has my heart shattering into a million tiny fragments.

This can’t be it. It can’t be the end of what would have been my greatest achievement in a long life in which I had no purpose except being a playboy of sorts. I found my life’s purpose and somehow messed it up because I was foolish.

I can’t accept watching that purpose walk out with another man. Clenching my fists and squaring my shoulders, I march through the restaurant just as the black SUV’s tires screech against tar as it speeds out into the night with Olivia inside it. I quickly dart into the nearest alley, shifting into dragon form and wielding invisibility to follow the SUV.

***

“It’s a pity we could not stay in Vegas tonight,” the dark-haired man laments as he pulls out his wallet and cell phone from his pockets.

Anger brims to the surface as Olivia steps in front of him, placing her arms around his neck. I have the sudden urge to step out of the shadows in which I hide and show myself, perhaps connecting my curled fist with the man’s perfect nose.

But as I watch Olivia hang onto his every word, I can’t imagine myself ruining this for her, even if I disagree. Even if my heart won’t accept that she’s moved on, I can’t leave her hating me even more than she already does.

Still, watching the man lean in and press his lips to hers pains me. Lips that were mine to kiss, the lips of my mate who would have been on the island for me to take liberties of if I didn’t mess things up the way I did.

I can barely stand to watch it, the urge to rush out growing stronger with every second their lips are locked. I should take this as a sign to walk away for good, take her last goodbye and keep it etched into my heart for eternity, and allow her to live the life she deserves.

If this man makes her happy, I should accept it, but I can’t. What I can do is avoid watching the rest of their show, stealing downstairs, where I find the man’s bar and make myself comfortable.

I groan when I find my bag of dragonclaw empty. The entire contents of the bag tonight has done little to ease my nerves. In fact, my brief encounter with Olivia has just turned my world upside-down again. I don’t even know why I’ve bothered following her out here, only to witness the final nail in my coffin being hammered into place when I saw them kiss.

Groaning frustratedly, I sip vodka from the bottle I found on the shelf. The strongest liquor in the man’s house does little to calm me, but I’ll do anything to get the picture of the two of them out of my head.

I mean, I could just return to the island and do my best to forget her entirely. Yet, after everything I saw and everything I heard, I can’t bring myself to leave. I don’t know what I hope to achieve, but what I desire the most is not on the island.

She’s here, on a private villa in Sedona, where I try getting shit-faced enough to forget her.

What irony… I think sardonically with a bemused chuckle under my breath. Suddenly, the fine hairs on my nape prickle, alerting me of something I can’t quite pinpoint. Leaving the empty bottle on the counter, I lurk in the shadows in search of the source of my intuition being ignited.

When I step around the fridge, I’m immediately hit with the same floral scent I’d become addicted to while she stayed on the island. I close my eyes for a second, breathing in deeply and filling my lungs with that familiar scent.

“Olivia…” I breathe out, opening my eyes to see her face illuminated by the gentle light of the moon as it filters through the kitchen windows. She’s breathtaking in the natural silver glow, and I’m almost convinced she’s just a figment of my imagination until I reach out and feel the heat of her surrounding the air in front of me.

“Olivia…” I call out with more certainty this time, stepping out from the shadows and reaching out toward her.

When she doesn’t recoil from my touch and stands in place, her eyes growing wide when I step out into the light, I feel relief wash over me. What I witnessed upstairs between her and the other man doesn’t even matter anymore. All that matters is that she’s standing in front of me now, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

“Stryder…?” she whispers, almost in awe, her eyes glossing over with tears. She throws whatever she has in her hands behind her and rushes forward, flinging her arms around my neck.

I never thought I’d feel this amount of relief to feel her in my arms again. The feeling is so profound, that it moves me to the brink of tears. Not even when I thought that she was in danger, did I feel so relieved to have her in my arms where I could protect her, or where I could love her.

I pull away only because I need to be sure that she’s real and that the liquor I’d been consuming all night isn’t causing me to hallucinate. I cradle her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin in the palm of my hand while she nuzzles her face closer to my touch.

My eyes inspect her face, flitting to her lips when I’m reminded of the sinful kiss she shared with another man. It makes me feel unsettled, and again, the jealous rage I felt before returns in the secrecy of this hushed rendezvous.

“What are you doing here?” she asks softly, saddened blue eyes staring at me.

I take a step closer, staring into her eyes with a fire burning in my chest. “I’m here to claim what is mine.”

A gasp escapes her lips then, her chest heaving forcefully as I slide my hand from her cheek and down to her shoulder. Her skin is so soft and warm, igniting arousal as soon as I slip my hand beneath the thin strap of her nightdress. The strap falls away, leaving her skin exposed in all its perfection.

“I see he doesn’t paint your flesh the way I did…” I lament hoarsely, stroking her skin with my knuckles, biting my bottom lip as pride swells my chest.

“Stryder, he’s not–”

“I don’t care what he does or doesn’t do for you,” I grate dryly, stepping closer and forcing her to the wall. She breathes heavily, staring at me with wide eyes as she presses her lips into a firm line and gulps.

“All that matters is what I can do for you…” I drawl in a low tone, watching as I let the other strap slip off her shoulder.

The silk nightdress whispers off her chest, pooling at the tips of the mounds of her full breasts. She shudders when I brush my fingertips across the neckline, the pale flesh of her breasts pebbling with goosebumps.

I smirked with self-satisfaction, having her exactly where I wanted. Needy and breathless, batting her eyelids at me with a wanton need softening her eyes.

I lean in then, tapering her resolve on the tip of my fingers, leaving her wanting for more but teasing her with my barely-there touch.

“Will you deny me, Olivia?” I whisper, the tips of our noses only barely brushing. She breathes so heavily that I can practically taste her on my lips. “Will you deny me what's rightfully mine while your boyfriend waits for you upstairs?”

“He--he's asleep,” she hesitates, maintaining our intense eye contact even as she gulps.

“Even better,” I breathe, allowing my lips to ghost over hers.

“You’ve been drinking, Stryder,” she observes keenly. It's not something that puts her off, since she doesn't flinch when I place my hands loosely on her hips. It's just a simple observation, a way of making sure I'm in my senses and not wanting her based on intoxication.

“I'm not nearly as drunk as I'd like to be,” I admit, lifting a hand and stroking her full bottom lip with the pad of my thumb. “Not as drunk as I can get on you, baby doll.”

Olivia moans then, the sweet sound acting as the consent I needed to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Unlike the kiss in the corridor earlier tonight, this one is hungrier as I devour the sweet essence of her mouth. She doesn't push me away this time, instead grabs fistfuls of my sweater as she pushes her body against mine.

Gods! She feels extraordinary, the supple curves of her body the perfect contrast to my hard frame. If I thought I missed her before, I had no idea how much I missed feeling her gentle, feminine body against mine.

I break the kiss only to give her time to catch her breath. To give her one last chance to deny me the pleasure of giving her pleasure. But when she stares at me through the luscious veil of her lashes and bites her bottom lip, I know she can't deny our extreme passion.

As if to claim my territory, knowing that she'll have to do her best to hide it from the man upstairs, I dip my head and clamp my teeth on the soft flesh above her collarbone. I lift my head to inspect my artistry, chuckling as if to gloat as I smooth my finger across the hickey.

“Mine…” I rasp, capturing her lips again when her intake of breath is staggered. I kiss her lips, and her chin, gnawing on the flesh of her neck while deftly slipping the nightdress all the way down. Peppering more kisses with tiny nicks and bites along the way, I latch onto one exposed breast. Her hushed moan is like music to my ears, coercing me to fully explore the expertise of my tongue as I flick it over her nipple. The bud erects from the ministrations of my tongue, while the one in my hand grows sturdy from the flicks of my forefinger.

Olivia is the picture of perfection when I step back to admire the canvas of her milky white skin. With flushed cheeks and blushed marks painting her chest, her lips swollen from my kisses, she is a wanton Goddess.

“Beautiful…” I murmur in praise, dropping to my knees to worship the woman before me. With my hands caressing her thighs, I lean my forehead on her pelvis and take a deep breath in, drinking in the scent of her sweet essence.

Heavenly.

That word comes to mind as I soak up her delicious scent while she slides her fingers through my hair. I look up at her through the headiness of my vision, witnessing the way she stares at me with her own wanton desire flashing in the blue depths of her eyes.

“Gods… I’ve missed you…” I murmur, immediately pulling down her panties to the throb of my cock when she becomes exposed to me. The copious amount of slick that gushes from her core sticks to the crotch of her panties, a long strand of her arousal only breaking off when I’ve slipped the flimsy thong down her thighs. My mouth waters in anticipation, and I bite my bottom lip as I stare deeply into her eyes.

“I bet he doesn’t make you this wet…” I chide as I slide a finger across her drenched folds.

Olivia gasps, throwing her head back as a pleasured moan escapes her beautiful lips. When she lifts her head again, she shakes her head timidly.

“I–I’m only wet like this for you, Stryder…” she simpers, her voice soft in the discreetness of the night.

“Of course, baby doll…” I chuckle lowly, slipping my finger into her depths and watching her burn for me when her face contorts with inexplicable pleasure. She mewls when I go as deep as I can with the single digit, curling my finger to tap once on the soft, spongy spot only I can find.

Pride fills my chest when she moans, her fingers growing tighter in my hair. Only I can make her feel this way. And more. That’s when I remove my finger, knowing she’ll protest from the loss of my touch.

“Please… Stryder…” she pleads as I expected, and my lips curl into an almost sadistic smirk.

“Please?” I taunt with a chuckle, puckering my lips and breathing out sharp, hot air over her slit that has her squirming. Between my sweatpants, I’ve become painfully hard, my cock straining against the usually breathable material. I should free my erection from the confines of its prison, but watching the way I bring Olivia close to tears gives me too much pleasure.

I’m a man on a mission now, inducing the most exquisite reaction from the woman I love as a way to taunt her. A way to prove to her that no other man could have this kind of impact on her body, only I do.

“Please…” she whimpers, her eyes glossed over with tears. As much as I want to tease her, and make her suffer for ever believing that she could move on from me, I can’t stand to see her in her current temperament.

I love her too much. That’s why I cave and, without warning, latch my lips over her folds. When I taste her sweet essence, I know I have only been denying myself by dragging this out. Immersed in the taste of her, I devour every drop of slick her body gives up to me, worshipping her clit as it swells on my lapping tongue.

She rides my tongue, her back arching off the wall as she strains to get as much pleasurable friction as she needs to get to her climax. I feel how close she is each time my tongue reaches her depths, her walls contracting tighter and closer with every lick.

The way her sweet, slick drips at the back of my throat only fuels the fire that burns for her, and I can’t drag this out any longer. The intense need to feel her walls hug my cock has me quickly getting to my feet and crushing my lips to hers. She moans when she tastes her sweet perfection on my tongue, pulling me closer and hastily removing my pants. She’s as hungry for me as I am for her, and that only means I succeeded in proving that I’m the only man for her.

“Are you this greedy when it comes to him?” I chuckle when she breaks the kiss to take my cock in one hand.

“No,” she quickly shakes her head. “Don’t talk about him.” She hops into my hands, straddling my hips with her thighs. “I want you inside me. Now.”

“With pleasure, baby doll,” I grunt, capturing her lips while simultaneously entering her. With one, purposeful thrust, her walls embrace the entire length of my cock, a mixture of pleasure and relief washing over me.

Sinking inside her has me feeling whole again, our bodies united while our hearts take on the same beating pattern. Our reunion is beautiful, even if it’s hurried. I’m too hungry for her, needing to reach the pinnacle of my existence with my cock buried deep between her folds.

“Yes, Stryder!” she moans, an octave too loud. Not that I care if we’re caught, but the danger imposed by another man being close by is thrilling.

“Shhh…” I warn, cocking a steady brow at her. “You’re too loud.”

Olivia rolls her eyes at me as her fingernails bite into the flesh of my shoulders. “Don’t act like you don’t like it.”

“Of course I do,” I groan, powerfully thrusting into her. “But we don’t wanna wake your boyfriend, do we?”

She shakes her head vigorously, her silence allowing me to seize her lips to drink her moans in. While adrenaline pulses through me and the rush of what we’re doing in secret brings me closer to climax, I flatten a palm on the wall beside her head and thrust more firmly.

Olivia is close, the climax I denied her on my tongue surfacing now with even greater force as her walls tighten over my shaft. I keep my lips on hers, devouring her moans through an everlasting kiss, not wanting her to scream when I know she’s about to come.

When her orgasm comes, her walls tighten so perfectly around my cock, it milks me for my own orgasm. Her body convulses in my arms, the sounds she makes echoing on my tongue. Reaching our heights as one only drives in the force of my feelings for her. I hold her close as we ride out the high together. Time seems to stand still as we catch our breaths, and I realize I never want to let this woman go.

“Did you hear that?” Olivia abruptly lifts her head from my shoulder and pushes at my chest. I gently release her to her feet, frowning when she lifts her nightdress from the kitchen floor.

Only when she slips the nightdress over her head do I hear movement upstairs. I’d been so lost in her, that I wasn’t paying attention to anything outside of us.

“You have to go,” she pleads as she pulls up her panties.

“Olivia–”

“Stryder, please,” she pleads again, reaching out a hand to cup my cheek as she stares solemnly into my eyes. “I don’t have time to explain, but you have to leave for now.”

“Are you in trouble?” I frown.

“N-no,” she hesitates with a sigh. “I can handle this. I promise.”

“Come back with me,” I offer, but she shakes her head.

“Not until I’ve done what I came here to do.” She stands on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my lips. “Now, please, just go. You’ll know where to find me when the time is right.”

I nod unwillingly, gathering my clothes and preparing to leave only because of her insistence. But even when I hover invisibly above the lavish villa, my dragon scales prickle with heightened senses, alerting me that Olivia needs me again. Whatever is going on between her and the other man, she’s in some kind of trouble.

I need to stick around to protect her.