It Started with a Bang by Piper James

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ryder

When I pulled into the driveway, the garage was open, and Belle’s car was there. She’d parked to the side to leave room for the Jeep, so I pulled inside and cut the engine. I hopped out and rushed into the house, anxious to know why she was home. I’d come home early to make her a surprise dinner before she ended work at five, and it was only three-fifteen.

“Belle?” I called out as I strode through the kitchen.

“In here.”

I found her sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of wine with Thanos sprawled at her feet. I grabbed an empty glass she’d left sitting beside the bottle of red on the coffee table, filled it halfway, and slid onto the couch beside her. I held out my free arm, and she immediately curled into my side.

Wrapping my arm around her, I said, “I take it things didn’t go well with your dad.”

“You could say that,” she replied, setting her wine glass aside so she could curl her fingers into the material of my shirt.

I was sure I smelled like sweat and sawdust, but Belle didn’t seem to mind as she rubbed her cheek against my chest. I took a long swig of my drink before setting my glass on the table beside hers. Placing a finger under her chin, I lifted her face so I could give her a soft kiss.

When I pulled back, I said, “Tell me what happened.”

She took a few moments to tell me everything that was said, some of which made me see red. I was trying to talk myself out of hunting him down and beating his ass on Belle’s behalf when a little hitch in her voice made me pause.

“What is it?” I asked, knowing there was something else she hadn’t told me yet.

“He wants to meet with you,” she said, her voice small and uncertain.

I hated that Jaxson made her feel that way. Fathers were supposed to build up their children. Support and encourage them and push them toward success. Belle’s father did nothing but try to break his children so he could prove himself the stronger person.

“So, I’ll meet with him,” I said, giving her a firm nod.

“You don’t know what you’re saying yes to, Ryder. He wants to grill you, poke holes in our story, and prove you’re not good enough to be my husband. He’ll try to find a way to end our marriage so he can make me marry a man of his choosing.”

“And if he doesn’t? If I convince him I’m the perfect man for you?” I asked, tilting my head to study her.

“He said he’ll give me the company within the next seven weeks, before the next quarter.”

“Well, that settles it, then,” I said, not even taking a moment to debate the decision. “Did you schedule the meeting?”

“You don’t have to do this,” she said, her voice filled with desperation.

“Of course, I do,” I argued. “This was the reason you came up with this whole fake marriage scam in the first place, wasn’t it? Did you think your dad was going to just hand over the company without taking my measure first? I knew it would come to this when I signed that contract. Have a little faith in me, Belle. I can handle Jaxson Parker.”

“I do have faith in you,” she insisted. “It’s not your ability to handle him I’m doubting. It’s my right to ask you to do so in the first place that I’m questioning. I wouldn’t wish that man on my worst enemy.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I said, giving her a warm smile. “I’ll impress the socks off him and get you that company. I’ve got your back.”

She returned my smile, and the relief in her expression warmed me from the inside out. Her lips brushed against mine in a soft kiss. She pulled back an inch and looked into my eyes.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied, but the words came out garbled because her mouth was already pressing against mine again.

She parted her lips, inviting me in, and I didn’t waste a second before slipping my tongue inside. She tasted like wine and chocolate, and I hummed with appreciation. She echoed the sound back to me as she braced her hands on my shoulders and climbed onto my lap.

As her knees landed on either side of my hips, her hands pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a black lace bra. She quickly stripped that off, too, before gripping my hands and pulling them up to cover her bare breasts.

“I need you, Ryder,” she sighed, rolling her hips as my hands massaged her breasts.

“Do you want me to shower first?” I offered, praying she’d say no.

I knew I stank, but my hips were bucking beneath her, rubbing my already-hard dick against her warm center. She shook her head before leaning forward and licking a path up my neck to my ear.

“I like you dirty,” she whispered, then sucked my earlobe into her mouth and bit it.

Without another word, I stood. She yelped, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around me as I carefully sidestepped a still-sleeping Thanos. I squeezed her ass with both hands as I hurried toward the bedroom. Kicking the door closed behind me, I strode toward the bed and tossed her down onto the mattress.

I made short work of stripping out of my clothes while watching her shimmy out of the shorts she was wearing. Before I could join her on the bed, she scrambled forward, landing on her feet in front of me. My arms went around her as I kissed her, but she broke away from me before I was ready. She stared into my eyes for a moment, then, without a word, she dropped to her knees.

My dick was in her mouth before I could take my next breath. She sucked at it greedily, running her tongue up and down the shaft before flicking it against the tip. My eyes fell closed, and I let sensation take over for a moment. It felt amazing, but I wanted more.

I bent over and gently grasped her arms before pulling her to her feet. Before she could protest, I kissed her, hard.

“That feels amazing, and I don’t want you to stop, but I need to taste you, too,” I murmured, pulling her back toward the bed.

I climbed onto the mattress and stretched out on my back. When Belle just looked at me with a confused expression, I motioned her forward.

“Come sit on my face so I can fuck you with my tongue while you suck me.”

Her eyes widened, and she swallowed thickly before shaking her head. “I’ve never…”

“It’s okay. I’ll show you,” I said softly, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction at her admission that I couldn’t explain.

“What if I’m too heavy? I don’t want to hurt you or suffocate you—”

“Belle. Come here,” I said firmly, cutting off her wild suppositions.

She climbed onto the bed beside me. I sat up and kissed her until she relaxed a little, then pulled back to look into her eyes.

“If you don’t want to try it, then we won’t. But I don’t want you to turn it down because you think you’ll somehow do it wrong or make me uncomfortable. I assure you that could never happen. I love everything we do together, and I especially love it when you come on my mouth.”

Her pupils dilated as I spoke, and her breathing turned erratic. Pressing my mouth against hers one last time, I leaned back to resume my prone position on the bed. With only a second’s hesitation, Belle scooted forward on her knees. Planting them above my shoulders, she slowly lowered herself, and I licked my lips in anticipation.

Wrapping my hands over her thighs, I jerked her down and pushed my tongue into her tight pussy. She groaned, rocking her hips in time with my movements. I licked along her slit, flicking my tongue against her clit before tracing a path back to her center and slipping inside her once more.

She fell forward, and her fingers wrapped around my cock, stroking it a few times before sucking it into her mouth. She bobbed her head, taking me all the way to the back of her throat before licking her way back to the tip. Then she did it again. And again, until I was sure I was going to explode.

Then she froze, her thighs tensing around my head as a long moan slipped between her lips. A rush of moisture hit my tongue as she came, and I lapped it up greedily as she rocked against my face. Within seconds, my dick was back in her mouth. I fought the urge to pump my hips, determined to let her keep her own pace as she sucked and licked, bringing me to the edge of ecstasy.

Then she pushed me over that edge as her hand cupped my balls, squeezing gently. My own muscles locked up as I shouted my release. Belle continued to stroke me with her mouth, swallowing down every drop I gave her until I was a boneless mass beneath her.

She rolled off me, twisting around so she could lay her cheek on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her, and she snuggled closer, a quiet sigh slipping between her lips. A few moments later, her breathing slowed and evened out as she drifted to sleep.

I lay there awake for a while, images from the last couple of weeks running through my mind on a loop. I knew the ice was thinning beneath my feet as I grew closer and closer to Belle. Eventually it would break, and I would plunge into the icy waters of heartache and disappointment when this whole situation ended.

I didn’t want to think about going back to my previous life without her in it, so I focused on my upcoming meeting with Jaxson Parker. I would impress him. I would make sure Annabelle got everything she wanted.

And I’d worry about what came after later. Right now, I just wanted to enjoy what we had while it lasted.