39. OF FLESH AND FIRE

39

OF FLESH AND FIRE

YARA

I couldn’t stop staring at Logan Jones. There was something about him that made me feel like a cornered animal, and I didn’t like that feeling.

He might not even be The Strangler, but something was odd about the way he talked about masks, the way his eyes were cold even when he was smiling. I could see the darkness lingering just behind that trained grin.

“Excuse me, I need to talk with someone else,” Logan said politely before he walked away, leaving me with Ryden and Daphne.

“Ryden?” A woman waved from the crowd. With an excuse me , Ryden went to where she stood with a man. She hugged him and gave him an excited smile.

After writing a check for Trish’s painting, Daphne Morgan and I met with Trish. Trish’s eyes were shining when she saw the check, and Enzo looked just as excited, or even more so.

“You’re a good woman, Doctor Death,” he said with a smile, his blue eyes warm. “You’d be good for him. He needs someone like you.”

I stared at him, not knowing how to reply to that. Ryden and I… were not going to be good together. We were a disaster waiting to happen, and I had been anticipating it the moment we started, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop until that disaster.

“I’ll send it as soon as the exhibit is over,” Daphne said with a smile, and I nodded, thanking her.

I looked at Ryden, and he was still talking with the same beautiful woman. When he saw me staring, he motioned me to go to him.

“Yara, this is Vanessa, a friend…”

“Who wasn’t a friend,” I said. I knew this was the woman who wasn’t a girlfriend but the one he fucked. I wasn’t a jealous woman, but if I was, I’d surely be insecure about how gorgeous she looked in the champagne-colored dress that hugged all her curves. She was perfect.

“And you’re the reason he couldn’t kiss me that night. He flinched away like…” She shook her head with a fond smile. “I broke up with him because I knew. And I’m glad we broke up because I met…” She turned to the man next to him. “This is Edmund. My boyfriend.”

After saying goodbye to her, Ryden and I went back to staring and talking about the art. When the people began to thin, we said goodbye to Enzo.

“Enzo looks like fun,” I said with a smile, entering into the car, and Ryden nodded, his eyes softer, kinder. He truly loved Enzo.

“He’s amazing.”

The curious part of me wanted to ask how he roped Enzo into helping him with the bodies, but of course, that wasn’t the kind of thing one talked about during the date, was it?!

He parked the car in my driveway and was about to get out when his phone pinged. He stared at his phone with a grunt, looking frustrated.

“Is everything alright, Ryden?”

He sighed. “It was about another case. I asked Reah to check out something for me.”

“Reah?”

“She’s a friend. She does things… I don’t want a medical examiner who works with cops to know.”

Chuckling, I nodded. “Go on.”

“She has some news. I don’t want to go.” He sighed, rubbing his face. “But I have to.”

“It’s okay,” I said, leaning closer, pressing a kiss to his waiting lips. “We have time for this. A lot of time, Mr. Sinclair. I’ll use my vibrator again for tonight.”

He shuddered with a groan. “Fuck, Red, I want to bury my cock inside you. Now.”

“Don’t tell me about the things you’re not going to do tonight, Ryden. That’s… selfish, to get me all aroused and not give me that.” I traced his stubble with a frown.

He gave me an impertinent smile and winked. “Sorry. But I’ll make it up to you. I’ll even use your little remote app. And dinner, tomorrow?”

“I’ll send you a message when I’m ready for you to use the app. Bye, Ryden.”

His eyes were smoldering as he ran his fingers through my hair before he let me go. I walked to my door with a sigh—I was planning to have him in my bed tonight, but of course, I understood.

I yelped when Ryden grabbed me by my hips and whirled me to face him, pressing me against the door before his lips came crashing down on me.

“I don’t want to go. It can wait,” he whispered when he pulled away, giving me time to breathe while he kept kissing the side of my mouth, the skin under my ear. “I want to do things to you, Yara West, things you haven’t even dreamed of,” he whispered in my ear, his voice a soft rasp.

“Are you sure about that? I’ve already imagined every dirty thing you could do to me,” I breathed out. He pulled my door and guided me inside my house, still holding me to his chest. When we were finally inside, he pulled out his phone and typed something before he put it back inside.

“I can’t… I can’t leave. I want you so fucking bad, Yara. K.Y. Wolff can wait.”

I stilled, my breath freezing. “What? What do you mean? Who is K.Y. Wolff?” I hoped my voice didn’t give me away.

“Later. I just want to feel you now,” he breathed out, running his fingers down the side of my hips, groaning as he did. “That first moment I saw you in this suit, I wanted you out of it.”

I wanted to ask more about it, but I couldn’t. He was getting closer than I thought, and it made me nervous and sad. I wanted him for myself a few more weeks before all of this came crashing down on me.

Be careful, Yara.

Moaning, he quickly unbuttoned the jacket and pulled it off my body, and I was once again focused on him. “I can’t get you out of my head. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. You’re in my fucking mind every second of every day, and it’s killing me.”

“You’re saying all the right things, Ryden. It will get you exactly where you want to be,” I whispered as I tugged him by his shirt collar and pressed my lips to his.

“Buried inside your pussy? Deep inside?”

“Yes.”

He groaned, pulling me closer, fighting with me for pleasure, giving me a hint of pain as his fingers dug into my ass, pulling me flush against his erection.

Moonlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting a silver glow around us. His lips became soft after a while, his hands wandering down my body, and then with another growl, he deepened the kiss, his eyes hungry for more, his heart pounding closer to mine.

Hot and fast, he kissed me like he would explode if he didn’t, if he couldn’t.

“I love the way you feel.” I groaned when he grazed his finger over my tightened nipple. “Do you like this pantsuit?”

“I love it.”

“Get out of it now, then,” he ordered, and my fingers almost trembled.

“Too slow, Red, too fucking slow,” he whispered, and before I could blink, I saw him slashing my beautiful, costly pantsuit in two with a small knife he pulled out of his pocket. The suit came apart in the middle, and my protest died down when he pressed his lips against my throat. “I’ll buy you a new one, Red,” he said, ripping the rest of the fabric off my body. “Mm… Oh God.” His voice was a soft, electric moan as he kneaded my breasts, his lips tasting me everywhere.

Stars floated behind my eyes, and my head spun from the pleasure slowly building inside me.

His eyes gleamed in hunger and lust. He looked wild, unrestrained, ready to claim his prey. Me. I was his prey, and I wanted nothing but to be his prey for tonight.

I wanted to submit to him. For once in my life, I wanted to do what he wanted me to do and not be in control. It was hard for me to let go, to allow someone to take the reins, but not with this man.

“Ryden, I want you to use me, mark me, ravage me.”

Groaning softly, he slammed me against the wall and lowered his head to the butterfly just above my right breast. I felt his teeth sinking into my skin, leaving his mark on me, over the tattoo.

A hand came to my breast, thumb grazing against my nipple before he bent down and took it between his lips.

“I need you out of your suit, as well,” I said, tugging at the tie. “I need to feel you.”

He pulled his shirt off, and even though I had seen him naked before, it still felt like a hit in my stomach when I saw him, when I saw how beautiful he was, how breathtakingly delicious.

I ran my hand up his chest, learning the curves of his muscles, pulling out a soft, broken growl from him. He was velvet and steel; he felt like a vice a woman couldn’t give up…

“I love those tattoos,” I whispered, running my nails along his spine.

“Oh, you love everything on my body,” he said, his voice gravelly and smug, as his fingers traced the inside of my thighs. “Where’s your room?”

“You already know it, Ryden.”

He chuckled darkly as we climbed the stairs, and I didn’t go into the master bedroom. I chose the one next to it. He kicked it open and pulled me in by my waist.

His eyes widened when he saw the room. There was a massive mirror opposite the bed, and there were some sex toys neatly arranged on top of the counter.

“Did he use these on you? The one we met at the club? Did he touch you like this?” Ryden’s voice came out in a low, threatening growl as he twisted my nipple between his fingers, his hold becoming a tightening grip.

I nodded, and Ryden’s eyes went dark. His animal was screaming. It was tangible, the anger. I licked my lips.

“Don’t let him touch you again, Yara,” he growled out in warning. “This body is mine until I say so. Your pussy is mine.” He grabbed the metal cuffs from the long table, twisting them between his fingers, his eyes a mask of threatening storm. “Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?” he asked as he pulled me toward the bed and pushed me down on it.

“Yes, my body is yours.”

“I love it when you’re being so compliant,” he whispered as his eyes met mine in a dark, dangerous challenge as he swiped the handcuffs from the table. “What do you want me to do now?”

“Everything.” My breath came out in a sharp, soft gasp when he gripped my arm and pulled it up over my head, quickly cuffing me to the headboard. The cold metal made the heat in my body a million times brighter, stronger. I felt like a supernova, exploding at the seams. “Make me your whore for tonight, Ryden. I’ve wanted this for so fucking long.”

“That was a mistake, you know, running away from you that night. I knew I couldn’t run for long.”

“I’m glad you came back.”

“You made me come back,” he said, pressing his erection into my flesh.

“The moment you want to stop, you’ll tell me. Safe word?” he whispered when he finally stopped tasting every inch of my skin.

This was too tame for me, and we both knew it, but I loved how he was always making sure I was okay, even when he wanted to claim my body as his own, even when he was going mad with need and wanted to lose control.

“Autopsy,” I said with a smirk, and he laughed. “But I don’t want you to stop. Don’t ever stop.”

“Spread your legs and show me everything, Yara Everly West. Everything that fucking belongs to me. ONLY ME.”

“How did you know my middle name?”

He smirked, pulling my thighs apart. When he pulled my panties down, my pussy clenched in anticipation. I lifted myself to meet his fingers, but he was quick to take them away from me.

“Slow. I want it slow this time. I want to learn everything about you. I want to know your pleasure points and learn your body in ways…”

“Oh, fuck, Ryden. Yo-you can do that later. Now I just want you inside me,” I said, tugging at the handcuffs. He trailed his finger down my stomach, softly rubbing my clit. The pleasure was blinding. His touch made me crazy… and the look in his eyes, crazier. “You need to remove those pants, Ryden.”

“I think I will,” he said, walking away from me, leaving me completely naked on the bed, completely helpless. His eyes never left mine as he pulled his belt off and threw it down. He took his sweet fucking time to get out of his pants, and I growled.

After another few seconds, he tugged his boxers down, and his cock slid out, hard and long, perfect. He grabbed his pants and turned around and my breath hitched.

“That tattoos, they are art, and I can’t stop looking.”

He smiled. “Be a good fucking girl for me, and I’ll let you touch me, touch them.”

I licked my lips. The thirst to taste him was… so severe I almost wanted to rip myself away from the bonds and attack him.

I watched as he put on a condom before circling his arousal with his big hand. That was all it took for me to come. My body shuddered as waves of pleasure washed over me. My heels dug into the mattress, needing more, yearning for more. The ache spread into a violent flame, but there was no relief. He chuckled, enjoying my desperation.

“Ryden Whatever Sinclair, you are a sadist,” I grunted as he groaned, touching himself as I watched him helplessly, wanting that cock between my thighs.

His laughter was low, but he didn’t stop touching himself as he continued to stalk me with his eyes. After what felt like an eternity, he moved over my body, and my breath came in a hitching gasp.

I wanted to burn and burn him alive. The need was dark, dangerous, threatening to rip my world apart, but for now, I didn’t care. He felt perfect on top of me.

“Listen to me carefully, Red. Now, I’m going to put my tongue inside you, eat you out until you want to climax, but you won’t. You’ll wait, you’ll beg, but you will not come until I tell you to come. You hear me?”

I nodded and gulped, knowing it was going to be hard to obey him. “Yes.”

“Good girl,” he whispered as he slid down my body until his face was between my thighs. He opened me gently, rubbing his fingers against my pussy lips, sending shivers up and down my spine. He teased me for a while, licking and sucking everywhere, his fingers working along with his tongue. He was patient. He took his time until I wanted to break myself open.

The need was becoming a steady ache. After a while, I had had enough. “Now. I want you now,” I whimpered.

“Not yet,” he said as he took in a deep breath, pressing his nose against my clit. “Delicious. I want to bottle your cum…” He groaned before he thrust his tongue inside again. My body spasmed in response.

“You want to bottle my cum?” I groaned, relaxing in the bed as he licked a long, languorous path along my pussy, his fingers gently pressing against my swollen clit.

“Yes. You taste and smell like heaven.” His voice was a low rumble. “I want to eat you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and every fucking meal in between, Yara,” he said, pulling me up by my ass before thrusting his tongue deeper.

My body coiled, ready to explode under his ministrations, ready to come undone.

He pulled out. “Did I not warn you? Do not come, Red.”

“Fuckkk, Ryden, I think I’m past these games. I’ll go crazy if you don’t put your cock inside me. NOW.”

“Are you ordering me, Red? You’ll go crazy, but you will not order me. You are mine to do with as I please tonight, and you’ll do only what I please.”

I almost wanted to scream autopsy so that this pain and pleasure would stop. I might die at the end of it, but I didn’t fucking care anymore. This truly was the only fucking way to die. With Ryden’s tongue inside me, with my body begging for more.

“If I die without having your cock inside me, without a proper orgasm from all this torture, I’ll haunt you for eternity, Ryden. I’m warning you.”

His teeth grazed along my thighs, and then I felt his teeth sinking into my flesh.

When he looked up, I could see my blood glistening on his lips. Groaning, he licked the drop of blood, his eyes half closed. He came up and pressed his lips stained with my blood and cum against mine.

“Do you understand why it’s so hard for me to stop, Red? Can you taste how delicious you are?” he whispered as he moved over me, his cock rubbing against my pussy.

“Can’t wait. I can’t.” Begging, I moved up, searching for more.

His hand came around my neck. “Obey. Don’t make me angry.”

I licked my lips when the pressure against my pulse increased. Broken prisms danced behind my eyes. This was too much and too little. Before I completely succumbed to the darkness, he let go and quickly slammed his cock inside, and I shattered.

My pussy tightened around him, and he groaned, trembling, and not moving as I greedily rode the wave of pleasure until I was done.

“You impatient creature.” He smiled. After I was fully done, he started moving in and out, taking his time. His growl was loud, and his movement was filled with a primal need that was hard to resist. Cutting and clawing. I bit and he clawed. I clawed and he rammed deeper inside me.

I met him thrust for a thrust, a pull for a push, my body moving together with his in a perfect symphony. It was a dance, a waltz. Timeless. It was the beginning and the end. My body was the canvas, and he was the brush. Soft and violent, slow and fast, he marked every inch of me until I felt pleasantly violated.

“Yara…”

“Let go, Ryden.”

I felt him shudder. We exploded together, a collision of stars burning together until we were nothing but ashes.

And I knew becoming the stars again from the ashes would take us a long, long time.