What would happen when the clock struck midnight? Would Ryder turn back into a pumpkin?
I pushed those thoughts away and vowed to enjoy this night no matter what the future held. I’d already had more fun in a few hours with Ryder Richards than I’d ever had with another man. And I didn’t want it to end.
6
Ryder
I was giddy with hope. Seeing Colin let go and laugh made me feel invincible. If I could make him laugh and smile, maybe I had a chance to win his affection.
We kissed and teased and rolled around on the furry rug until both of us were gasping and hard. The laughter died down quickly as we reached for each other’s clothes again.
“I can’t decide which I like more,” I confessed against his ear. “You in my shirt or out of it.”
His quick breaths against my skin brought goose bumps up all over me as I plucked at the buttons on the shirt.
“Ryder?”
“Mmhm.” I pressed a kiss into his temple.
“I do want you to fuck me. Before… when I said…”
“Shh,” I said, “It’s okay.”
“No, I just wanted you to know I was scared. I didn’t want to be some quick fuck on a jobsite for you.”
I pulled back and met his eyes, sobering instantly. “You are not a quick fuck. I have real feelings for you. How can I convince y—”
Colin grinned easily, and all was right in my world again. “No, I know. I know that now. I just wanted to make it clear. I want you like that. Very much.”
The relief I felt was instant. “Thank God. I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.”
I stopped fussing with the buttons and pulled the shirt over his head until he was only sitting there in his boxer briefs. The bulge in the front was tempting as hell, especially since I still had the taste of him on my tongue.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” I murmured, leaning over to take one dark brown nipple between my front teeth and tug. My hands moved down the crisp chest hair to the trail that narrowed over his flat abs and led behind the elastic of his underwear.
Colin hissed when I snuck my fingers under the band and brushed the head of his cock. He was already hard, and I was torn between sucking him off again and moving straight to fucking.
That wasn’t even the right word for what I wanted to do to him. I’d always thought the phrase “making love” was something cheesy that only women used, but now, with this beautiful man in my arms, I started to wonder if that was something real, something the two of us could have together.
I wanted to love him with my whole body, use every single cell I possessed to show him how much I treasured him. He was smart and funny and endlessly patient with everyone but me. With me, he was stubborn and frustrating and so incredibly endearing.
I moved my hand back up to cup Colin’s cheek. “Thank you for being here with me, for letting me show you how I feel.”
His eyes widened, the bright whites stark against his warm brown pupils. “You aren’t kidding, are you?”
I leaned in to sip from his mouth. “Not one bit. I feel like I’m dreaming,” I admitted.
“Me too. I’m afraid this is some kind of joke.”
I searched his eyes. “I would never do that to you. Please tell me you know that, at least.”
His hand came up to cover mine on his face. “I do. I promise. You look so worried, like you think I’m going to bolt again. I don’t think anyone could fake that.”
He was right. Part of me was waiting for him to run away again. I sighed, but before I could admit the truth, he beat me to it.
“I’m here to stay, Ryder. If you’ll have me.”
My heart thundered and all I could do was nod. After that, I spent a long time worshipping his skin, running my lips everywhere in the warm amber glow from the fire. The light caught pink and silver sparkles on some of the decorations nearby and gave the room an otherworldly feel. The sounds of Colin’s gasps and groans filled the air, quickly drowning out the crackling pops from the fire.
For every sound he made, I wanted ten more. I stripped my own clothes off and then peeled his underwear down his slender legs, kissing every inch as I went. He squirmed and begged. His fingers reached into my messy hair and tugged. When I finally moved back up to kiss his mouth, he was frowning.
“You’re torturing me,” he said in a rough voice.
“Mmhm,” I said, nuzzling his neck again and sucking a particularly sensitive spot I’d discovered earlier.
“Ry, fuck. You’re making me… fuck, fuck.”
“Mm…” I reached down and jacked his hard cock before finally searching out my jeans for my wallet. “You sure, baby?”