It Started with a Bang by Piper James
Chapter Twenty-One
Annabelle
The ceremony was quick and simple. Elvis’s assistant acted as a witness as he curled his lip and gyrated in time with his words. The whole thing was ridiculous, but my smiles and chuckles were mostly forced caricatures of the real thing.
Because on the inside, I was a raging inferno of nerves, anticipation, and heat. I had big plans for my wedding night, and if everything went the way I hoped it would, Ryder would not be sleeping on the floor.
In fact, he wouldn’t be sleeping at all.
Last night had been amazing. I didn’t think I’d ever had so much fun before, and I knew for a fact that I’d never wanted to get someone naked as much as I did Ryder. The fact that he turned me down because he thought my decisions were being influenced by alcohol only made me want him more…and the speed-record-setting orgasm I’d rubbed out as soon as I got my clothes off proved how badly I needed it after only a few seconds of hot kissing.
Imagining what it would be like to reach those heights with him had me so keyed up, I barely registered the words as I repeated my vows.
When Elvis pronounced us husband and wife, giving Ryder permission to kiss his bride, my new husband bent me over his arm dramatically. His lips pressed firmly against mine, but before I could even think about opening my mouth to him, I was firmly back on my feet with Ryder’s arm around my waist.
We posed for a few pictures that would be emailed to us later, signed the marriage documents, and were in the back of a stretch limo before I could catch my breath. The ride back to the hotel was quiet, each of us staring out the window in silent introspection.
My mind whirred as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that I was married. I was Ryder’s wife. He was my husband. And even though, logically, I knew it was a sham, I felt…different. And I wondered if Ryder felt different, too.
When we got to the hotel, he climbed from the car and reached a hand back inside to help me out. I grasped his fingers and didn’t let go. Tangling my fingers through his, I followed as he led me to the elevator. We talked about the ceremony as the car rose, and Ryder had me belly-laughing at his impersonation of Elvis. My nervous energy faded, only to reappear as the car stopped at our floor and the doors dinged open.
Once we stood in front of my hotel room, Ryder squeezed my hand before releasing it. Scrubbing his palm across the back of his neck, he peered at me from beneath his dark eyebrows.
“So…do you want to change and grab some lunch?”
I shook my head. “Why don’t you grab your things and come over? We can order in and relax.”
He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly. I gave him a small smile and turned to enter my room. Ryder’s voice calling my name stopped me in my tracks, and I looked back over my shoulder at him.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked, pointing from his door to mine. “I mean, about me staying in your room?”
“Our room,” I said, nodding. “And yes, I’m sure. We’re married now, right?”
“Yeah,” he breathed, nodding. “We’re married now.”
“See you in a few,” I said, then quickly unlocked my door and slipped inside.
I rushed through the room, noting the changes that had occurred since I left this morning. The hotel staff had cleaned the place, leaving a bottle of champagne, a bouquet of red roses, and a scattering of rose petals on the white down comforter. A small card congratulating us on our nuptials was propped against the vase holding the flowers.
But I only gave the preparations a cursory glance as I rushed into the bathroom. I didn’t have a lot of time.
I used the toilet and washed my hands before carefully pulling my dress over my head. I studied my reflection, eyeing the white lace bra and panty set I’d bought to wear today. The molded cups of the bra made my boobs look amazing, and the boy-short-style underwear accentuated my ass. I never really minded my soft stomach and rounded hips, but there’d always been a kernel of doubt in my mind any time I got naked in front of a man. Would he be disappointed? Would the swell of flesh beneath my belly button turn him off?
But I didn’t feel any of that doubt today. Ryder had seen me in a swimsuit. His fingers had squeezed my hips as he pressed me against him and there’d been zero doubt that he’d found me attractive. That hardness I’d felt pushing against me had been all the proof I needed.
I had nothing to worry about. We wanted each other. And earlier at the ceremony, I’d been sure to only take a small sip of the champagne Elvis’s assistant had offered us. I was stone-cold sober and in complete control of my faculties.
If Ryder turned me down, I’d know there would be nothing physical between us, and I’d move on. We’d have exactly what we agreed upon—a fake marriage between acquaintances.
But if he didn’t resist…
As a little thrill slithered through me, a knock sounded at the door. Taking a deep breath, I stared at my reflection and nodded. The risk was worth the reward.
I strode to the door, taking a moment to peer through the peephole before I opened it. Seeing that it was really Ryder standing there, scrubbing that hand against the back of his neck again in what I was quickly determining to be a nervous habit, I grabbed the door handle and opened the door a crack.
I took several quick steps backward and waited. There was a small pause, then the door slowly swung inward. Ryder stood in the opening, his jaw slack as his eyes roved over my body. Once his gaze burned a path back up to meet mine, he stepped inside and pushed the door closed behind him. His duffel bag hit the carpet with a soft thud, the sound barely registering in my ears before he lunged forward.
His hands fisted in my hair close to the scalp, tilting my head as his mouth descended. He kissed me like he was starved for it, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth and biting it lightly before his tongue slipped inside to brush against mine.
My hand found his hips, my fingertips slipping under the hem of his shirt to touch his warm skin. A breath hissed out of him as I slid my palms upward, taking the shirt with them. Breaking off our kiss and releasing my hair, he grabbed the material of his shirt and yanked, popping the buttons off in a move I’d always been sure was pure movie magic.
He shrugged out of it, revealing his hard, muscled torso. No words passed between us as he watched me watch him. My hands moved to his chest, and I felt his muscles ticking as my fingers explored all of the bumps and valleys that led to the waistband of his slacks.
My fingers plucked at his belt, trembling slightly as I unbuckled it. Ryder’s palms skimmed up my arms as I worked, his fingers gliding up over my shoulders and down my back. As I unbuttoned his pants and slid his zipper down, his fingers found the clasp of my strapless bra. With a flick of the wrist, he had it undone. Pulling it away, his brown eyes darkened even further as it hit the floor and his palms cupped my breasts.
“So beautiful,” he murmured just before he ducked his head.
Heat flared through me as his mouth closed around my nipple, sucking and licking in turns. My hands found his hair, holding him against me as his mouth worked its black magic on my other breast. His thumb flicked against the nipple of the first, and I gasped at the pleasure streaking through me to settle in my core.
Ryder’s mouth landed back on mine with a growl, his hands finding my ass and kneading it before lifting me up against him. My legs wrapped around his waist, squeezing tightly as he started to move. The next thing I knew, my back was on the mattress and Ryder’s hands were untangling my legs from his waist.
I released my grip on his hair, and he straightened, staring down at me with dark fire in his eyes. He pushed his pants down and stepped out of them, revealing a snug pair of black boxer briefs. My eyes widened as he pushed those down, too, then straightened and stilled, letting me look at him.
His cock jutted out proudly, making my mouth water. I wanted to wrap my lips around it and taste it, but before I could move, Ryder’s hands were on me, pulling off my own underwear. I lifted my hips to help him out, and he rolled them slowly down my thighs, his fingertips caressing my skin as he went.
My body was a mass of nerves by the time he finished, twitching with raw lust as his hands glided back up over my knees to my thighs. Pushing them apart, he spread me open before running a soft fingertip over my slit. I shuddered, a low moan vibrating from my chest.
“So pretty. So wet,” he murmured before sticking the tip of his finger in his mouth and sucking it with a hum. “So delicious.”
My eyes fell closed as he bent over, his lips trailing light kisses up my inner thigh. When his mouth skipped over the spot I really wanted it to kiss to move to the other thigh, I groaned.
“Ryder. Please.”
“Tell me what you want, Belle.”
My eyes popped open to find his gaze on my pussy. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and a shiver rushed through me. As if he noticed it, his eyes darted up to meet mine. He waited, unmoving, for me to speak. To tell him what would bring me the most pleasure.
I’d never been much into talking during sex. I had a one-night stand once who’d tried talking dirty to me, and it made me feel weird, so I’d ended up kissing him the whole time just to shut him up. It wasn’t a great experience, and I’d quickly shut him down when he tried to meet up with me again.
But this…this was different. This was Ryder giving me all the control, letting me set the pace and asking me to teach him what I liked. A fresh wave of heat rushed through me at that thought, making my inner walls clench with need.
Ryder’s back arched, bringing his mouth so close to me, I could feel his warm breath on my folds. I shivered, my hands clenching into fists around the material of the comforter at my sides.
“What do you want me to do?” Ryder whispered, blowing a stream of air against me that made my clit throb. “Talk to me, Belle.”
The grit in his voice told me he was on the edge, which only excited me further. That he’d be so hot for me, so wound up with anticipation, made me feel beautiful. And powerful.
“Let me feel your mouth on me,” I breathed, the last word coming out on a groan as his tongue followed the same path his finger did a few moments ago.
He hummed with pleasure as his tongue brushed over my clit, swirling circles around it before moving back down toward my opening. The tip dipped inside, making me pant with need before he retraced the path back up to flick against my clit again.
He worked tirelessly, licking and sucking until I was writhing with need. My muscles were clenching up, my legs shaking as my orgasm remained just out of reach.
“Ryder, please,” I begged.
The pressure of his mouth increased, his tongue moving faster as his finger slipped inside me. A low whine slipped out of me, my head thrashing back and forth as he pumped that finger in and out in time with the rhythm of his tongue against my clit.
Then his finger curled upward, brushing against a spot inside me that made the world explode. I screamed something unintelligible to even my own ears as I came, Ryder’s tongue and finger wringing every drop of pleasure from me before I slumped into the soft mattress, a boneless pile of goo.
Ryder kissed a path over my abdomen, pausing to dip his tongue into my navel before trailing it upward. He swept the pad of his tongue over my nipples, sucking each one into his mouth gently. The bed dipped under the weight of his knees as he moved over me, kissing his way across my collarbone to my neck.
I could feel his hard cock against my thigh as his mouth worshipped the column of my throat. My lust reignited at the feel of it, and I wanted nothing more than to feel him buried deep inside me. A fresh wave of heat poured out of me as my pussy clenched with need, and my hips bucked in response.
Without waiting for him to ask me what I wanted again, I wrapped my legs around his thighs and pulled him closer. The hard ridge of his cock brushed against me, and I shivered. Ryder groaned, rotating his hips to repeat the action. I yipped as his hardness brushed against the still-sensitive bundle of nerves.
Ryder’s mouth found mine, his tongue brushing over mine as his cock slid against my slick folds. I tilted my hips, bringing the head of his cock to my opening. Ryder froze before lifting his head to gaze down at me. The fire in his eyes nearly incinerated me on the spot.
“I don’t have a condom,” he whispered with a curse, pressing his forehead against mine. But I was already lifting my hips, pushing him in further.
“I’m clean, and I have an IUD,” I breathed.
“I’m clean, too,” he said, raising up to stare at me again. “I’ve never had sex without protection, and I get tested every year.”
“I haven’t either,” I whispered, feeling like I might die if he didn’t move soon.
Ryder moaned, allowing his cock to slip in another inch before stopping again. He was panting roughly, his muscles rock hard as he fought for control.
“Are you sure, Belle?” he asked between breaths. “I don’t want to do anything you’ll regret later.”
“I’m sure,” I said. “Please, Ryder. I want to feel you.”
He plunged all the way into me, and I was pretty sure I blacked out for a moment. He groaned as my inner walls clenched around him, squeezing his cock as they adjusted to his size. I’d never been filled so completely, like he was made just for me.
And just when I thought this couldn’t possibly feel any better, he started to move.
