Page 21 of Ryder’s Storm

As quickly as she could, Scarlet made two steps forward then three more to her right, bringing her to the top of the stairs, when the electric cord from the hairdryer unfurled and hit the banister. The sound reverberated in the empty hallway, and her heart stopped. Before she could set a foot on the first step, somebody rushed toward her, grabbed her from behind and jerked her back with such force, that all air rushed from her lungs. The assailant’s grip was like an iron vice around her midsection. She gasped for air to scream, but didn’t even get that far.

“What the—?” He loosened the grip around her waist somewhat. “Scarlet?”

Stunned at recognizing Ryder’s voice, she kicked her foot back to hit him in the shin. Her arms were imprisoned by him, preventing her from using the hairdryer.

“Ouch!” he let out before he set her back down on her feet and turned her to face him. “What are you kicking me for?”

“What the fuck are you doing up here?” she yelled.

A moment later, the lights came on. Ryder had flipped the switch.

She glared at him. “You scared the living daylights out of me.” She lifted her hand with the hairdryer, which was still shaking from the fright he’d caused her.

“You thought I was a burglar?” He shook his head. “Nobody gets in here without either me or Benjamin knowing about it.”

“Well, Benjamin is gone. And you left earlier. How the fuck was I to know that you would come back?”

“I texted you! But no, you ignored me like a spoilt little brat! When I said that you can pretend that I’m not even here, I didn’t mean that to include that you can ignore messages pertaining to your safety!”

“My phone was in the damn kitchen, charging!” she yelled back. “And don’t take that tone with me.”

“What tone?”

“That self-righteous I’m-the-boss-and-you-listen-to-me-tone! You’re not even supposed to be on this floor! Only the bedrooms are up here. And there’s no way I’m letting you come into mine. So you might as well get your ass downstairs.” She clenched her jaw, furious.

“You think I was trying to sneak into your bedroom?” Ryder huffed. “Trust me, I don’t need to force myself on a woman who doesn’t want my attention.” He pointed his hand toward the other end of the corridor. “I was heading for the guest room.”

“To do what?”

“To sleep.”

Her mouth gaped open. For a long second, she was speechless. But then she found her voice again. “You can’t sleep here. I can’t allow that. My father would never condone it.”

“I’ve already cleared it with him.”

She hadn’t expected that. But there was no way she would admit it. “He would never!”

“Yeah, and why wouldn’t he?” Ryder moved closer, bringing them almost nose to nose. “Is it because he knows that his precious daughter can’t keep her hands off strangers?” He looked down at her for a moment. “And do you have to run around the house half naked?”

Only now she realized that the belt of her robe had loosened and the garment had fallen open in the front, revealing that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. At the same time she noticed that Ryder’s breathing had changed, and that her own heart was racing.

“Christ, Scarlet, please, cover up, or…”

Before he could turn away, she dropped the hairdryer to the floor and grabbed Ryder by his shirt, pulling him even closer. “Or what?”

“Or this,” he rasped.

His hungry lips were on hers an instant later, and she welcomed his kiss like a person lost in the desert welcomed a glass of water.

12

Ryder was losing his mind. One minute they’d argued like cats and dogs, the next Scarlet had pulled him to her in an unmistakable way, and he’d been unable to keep his animal lust leashed. He should have turned the other way the moment he’d noticed that she wore nothing underneath her gaping robe. But he hadn’t listened to his rational side. No, once again, the satyr and vampire in him had taken over. Scarlet had provoked him, and he’d swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker.

The moment Scarlet parted her lips to invite him to explore her, Ryder realized that all resistance was futile. All rational thought went out the window, and he was reduced to his animal urges. He’d always believed himself to be more in control than some of his fellow vampires, but clearly, he was only fooling himself. He was no different from Benjamin, or Grayson, or his own brother. He just hid his desires better. Even from himself.

He intensified the kiss. Scarlet’s hands were on his chest, touching him through his shirt, while Ryder slid his hand underneath her robe and touched her naked skin. The previous night, she hadn’t been naked, but now he reveled in the softness and warmth of her skin. With his hands, he explored her, mapped every curve and every valley, while he pressed her against the wall behind her, imprisoning her with his lips on hers. She moaned into his mouth and pressed her breasts into his hands, demanding a firmer touch. He complied with her unspoken request and kneaded the supple flesh until her nipples turned into stiff peaks.

Her breathing was ragged, their kiss only interrupted by their moans and muttered exclamations of words professing the pleasure they were giving each other. Scarlet’s hands were on his naked chest now. He had no idea how and when she’d managed to strip him of his shirt, too engrossed in exploring her body, finding out what he’d missed the night before. He slid one hand down to her pussy, through the thatch of hair at the apex of her thighs.