A Little Bit Cupid: A Collection of Short Stories Read online

  “I need a shower.” I toed off my sneakers, my teeth chattered, and I hugged my arms around myself. A hot shower was all I could think of.

  “I’d like that too but I need to get back.” He glanced at the clock on the wall, which read a few minutes before three.

  “I’m going to run over to the Inn and see what’s going on with the boat.”

  I didn’t want him to leave, not after that kiss we shared. I’d hoped we’d have more time together. The thought of being alone seemed even worse than when I’d first arrived. But he was only here for the day and he needed to go back. “Of course. Should I come with you?” As realistic as I tried to be, I didn’t want to say goodbye to him. I didn’t want to watch him get on that boat.

  He rubbed my arms with regret in his eyes. “No, stay here and warm up.” He walked quickly to the bathroom, coming back out with two towels. He wrapped one large fluffy towel around me. Was it too much to hope that he’d stay and take a shower with me? My skin tingled as he rubbed me dry.

  “I don’t want to go.” His voice was strained.

  “I don’t want you to go either.” I bit my lip, wondering if I should have admitted that. I sounded so vulnerable and after what I went through with my ex, I wasn’t ready to be with anyone else. How could this one chance encounter stir up all of these emotions in me? Emotions I hadn’t felt in three years with Jon.

  Ryker sighed, dropping his hands from my shoulders. “I have to. I’m due back at work tomorrow and the boat is my ride home.”

  “I understand.” He was being practical and I needed to be too, but then he asked, “Can I call you?”

  I wanted to say yes so badly but something held me back. It was too soon. The pain of Jon’s betrayal should have been too raw … except it wasn’t.

  The more I thought about it, the more I realized what I had with Jon was nothing compared to how I felt about Ryker walking away after a few short hours together. I said I didn’t want to continue this when he left, but now I wasn’t so sure. Would it be a mistake to let this amazing man walk out of my life? He was sexy, but he was also sweet and kind. It might not work out, but shouldn’t I give it a chance—give him a chance? I licked my lips, tasting the raindrops. “Okay.”

  His face lit up with a smile so huge it was breathtaking.

  “That smile is dangerous.”

  “That’s good to know.” And he smiled even wider.

  I handed over my phone for him to input his name and number.

  He placed the phone on the table by the front door, put his hands on my hips, and pulled me against him. My mouth opened in a gasp at the feel of his hardening erection through our towels and clothes. My hands explored the ridges of his chest. I could barely feel the chill between the warmth of his hands, his body, and his gaze on me. I wanted to tear off all of his clothes and trace the raindrops down his chiseled chest to the defined abs with my tongue. My core clenched as I thought about where else I wanted to lick and suck.

  Ryker groaned, lowering his mouth to mine. This kiss was nothing like the one we’d shared by the creek. This one was hard and demanding. I could feel his desperation and his reluctance to leave. Was this why I wanted him so badly? Because I only had him for a few hours? Or was there something different about this man? Because I’d never reacted so strongly to anyone else.

  He ripped his mouth from mine, our breathing ragged. “I’m sorry. I have to go. I’ll check in with you when I’m home.”

  I glanced worriedly out the window. “Do you really think the boat would leave in this?” It seemed dangerous and the last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt. “Maybe you should stay and take the boat home tomorrow.”

  “I have a presentation at work tomorrow I can’t miss, otherwise I would stay. I have to find out what’s going on.”

  I went up on tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “Thanks for asking me to lunch.” It suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago he’d approached me in the restaurant.“I had the most amazing day with you.”

  “This isn’t over.” Then he kissed me again and was gone before I could respond.

  I leaned against the door. Was it too much to hope that when he returned home he’d call? Meeting on an island was like living in a bubble and when we returned to the mainland things might go back to how they were. I’d be living in my emptied-out apartment and reality would set in. I wasn’t lovable and relationships didn’t work. If you met a sexy stranger on vacation, you were supposed to have your one-night stand and move on, but we hadn’t even had that. We shared a wonderful day and amazing kisses but it wasn’t enough. I craved more.

  I stripped off my wet clothes, leaving them on the floor as I walked to the shower, turning it on to the highest setting, waiting until steam was filling the bathroom before I stepped in, sighing at the warmth.

  Ryker wasn’t some stranger I’d met. We’d gone to high school together. I’d protected him from a bully. When he told me about the incident with the bullies, I could tell my actions that day touched him. He admired me. I shivered when I remembered when he said—he’d had a crush on me since that day and if he ever had a chance with me wouldn’t screw it up. The intensity of his eyes and his kisses told me that today meant something to him.

  I thought what we’d shared today was special too, but how could I trust my instincts? How could I jump into something so soon after being dumped? Wasn’t I supposed to wait a few months before meeting someone who had the potential to be the one? He’d come into my life at the wrong time—at a time when I was down and hurting. I knew shouldn’t start a relationship with the baggage I carried.

  When the water cooled slightly, I stepped out of the shower and heard loud pounding on the front door. I quickly toweled off, running to my suitcase to throw on a T-shirt and shorts. I peeked out the window and seeing Ryker, I opened the door. “What are you—”

  Ryker stepped inside shutting the door with his foot as he pulled me into his arms, kissing me like he’d never left.

  When we finally pulled apart, I looked down at my clothes. “You got me all wet again.”

  “Sorry.” He smirked.

  He wasn’t sorry at all.

  “Why are you here? What happened with the boat?”

  “It left early because of the storm.” He looked down at me, his eyes dark with lust. “Looks like I’m stuck here.”

  I smiled. “You don’t seem sorry about that.”

  “I’m not.” His fingers caressed my cheek. “The Inn and cottages are all booked.” He was stuck on an island in a storm with no place to stay. He should have been upset but there was a naughty gleam in his eyes.

  Was it a good idea to invite him to stay here? He had nowhere else to go. “You could stay here.” I gestured around at the one-room studio cottage. “It’s tiny, but you could sleep on the couch.”

  The cottage held only a king bed, a couch, and a small fridge and coffee maker. The best part of the cottage was the view of the Pine Sound from the front windows, which was barely visible with the sheets of rain coming down sideways.

  “Do you really want me to sleep on the couch?” He took a step closer to me again so that our bodies touched from chest to knees.

  My core clenched with need. “No.” I wanted to be with this man. I wanted to explore what we were. For once in my life I wanted to be impulsive. I wanted to jump in without thought—without any cares. “I want to feel.” His hands on my bare skin. His warm mouth on my nipples. “Please, Ryker.”

  “I need a hot shower.” He leaned down kissing me, slowly, seductively, before pulling back slightly. “Join me?”

  His eyes were pleading and I couldn’t deny him. “Yes.”

  Then my hand was in his and he was tugging me down the short hallway to the bathroom. He pushed open the door where steam still filled the room from my shower. “This is better than I expected.” He gestured at the updated bathroom and the large tub.

  “It’s the honeymoon suite.”

  He shut the door behind me crow
ding me against it as he lifted the hem of my shirt. “Want to take a bath instead?”

  I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Yes.”

  My admission caused his shoulders to relax and his eyes to heat as he lifted my damp T-shirt over my head, sucking in a breath at the sight of my breasts spilling over the cups, my nipples chafing against the purple lace. He reached around me to unhook the clasp. I lowered my shoulders so it dropped to the floor as he bent his knees to suck a nipple into his mouth as he toyed with the other one. My head fell back against the door with a small thud. I welcomed the twinge of pain which shot through my head. I was tired of being numb. Numb to my last relationship, numb to what Jon did to me. I wanted to feel alive again. I wanted to want something so badly I’d do something reckless and completely out of my comfort zone. I wanted to live in this moment—in this bathroom with Ryker—and never emerge. I wanted this moment to last forever.

  Once my nipples were hard pebbles, he kissed down my stomach pulling my shorts and panties over my hips and off until he knelt before me. I was bare physically and emotionally. I knew every single thing I was feeling was broadcast to him through my eyes, the way my body arched for more, and my hand touching his shoulder to steady myself. I should have been embarrassed but I wasn’t. I wanted him and I wasn’t ashamed of it. “More, Ryker.” My voice was low, soft, and husky to my own ears. “Please.”

  “Patience. We have all night and I intend to use every minute.” The rain pounded harder against the small roof of the cottage, and the wind rattled the windows, but the room was warm, steamy, and the air was heavy with anticipation. He used his shoulders to widen my stance, never breaking eye contact as he licked me from entrance to clit, once, twice, over and over again until I couldn’t stop the groan from escaping my lips. I closed my eyes, reveling in the sensation of his fingers gripping the skin of my inner thigh holding me in place while his tongue kept up the relentless pace he’d set, licking in long strokes then circling my clit. I rolled my hips encouraging him as my mind chanted more, more, more. “Don’t stop.”

  He removed his mouth, leaning back on his haunches. “Don’t worry. I have no intentions of stopping.”

  Then his mouth was back on me, devouring me, his fingers parting my folds, as first one then two fingers stretched me, pumping inside me. My legs trembled with the effort to stay upright, my fingers tried to find purchase on the wooden door behind me, and my head rolled back as the orgasm steadily built. When the dam of need broke inside me, I cried out, collapsing against the wall, Ryker’s arms holding me up.

  Oh my God. What was that? Had I ever felt something so intense? Was it because I’d let myself go, allowed myself to feel whatever I was feeling, gave myself over to the sensations of his fingers, his tongue, his warm mouth?

  When I recovered, he was pulling his shirt over his head as he stalked toward the tub turning on the water and checking the temperature with his fingers. Then he glanced back at me, his eyes heated, his erection straining against the zipper of his shorts, which hung low on his hips. I immediately moved closer, pulling his zipper down and his shorts and cotton boxer briefs off to free his impressive cock. I gasped as it bobbed out of its confines.

  He tugged me against him, and my nipples grazed the hairs of his chest, my soft thighs meeting his firm muscles, his hard cock against my stomach. His mouth claimed mine again as I shifted to create room to grip his cock, the sound of the water filling the tub drowning out the sounds of the storm. It was just us inside this bathroom—our own secluded world. Nothing could get to us. I couldn’t allow thoughts of the past, my ex, and what he did to me, to penetrate. I’d have this one perfect night with Ryker to hold onto forever.

  I gripped his cock harder, stroking him as wetness formed at the tip, and he groaned into my mouth. He pulled away, checking the water in the tub before lifting me inside. I sank down as he got in behind me, turned off the water, and pulled me back against his hard chest. He nibbled my neck and chills erupted down my spine, his teeth tugging my earlobe and sending a hot ball of sensation to my core. I widened my legs, silently asking for his fingers. He squeezed body wash onto his hands from the bottle on a nearby shelf, and cupped my breasts rubbing my nibbles, spreading bubbles and soap as his mouth continued his exploration of my neck.

  “Ryker.” I wanted to turn and straddle his lap but his arms kept me trapped against his chest unable to move. His large hand drifted down my stomach to my pussy which he cupped, squeezing lightly. I arched my hips into him, urging his fingers to enter me. When he finally inserted one finger my head fell back against his chest.

  I’d never been this far gone for any man. What was it about him? Why was he different? Or was it me? Was I more open to this? Whether it was the location, the circumstances, or my recent betrayal, I was raw and desperately seeking a connection with him. I didn’t want to think. I just wanted him.

  “Ryker, please.” I shifted, trying to give him the hint that I wanted more—something larger than his fingers. He finally loosened his arms around me and I immediately straddled him settling over his cock as a groan ripped from both of us. “You feel so good.” His eyes were hot on mine. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

  “Yes, yes, yes.” More words, more heat, more sensation. “I need you now.” Inside me. Filling me up. Never stopping. “Inside me.”

  He reached out of the tub, causing water to spill over the tub onto the fluffy mat and his clothes. He pulled his wallet out of a pocket, opening it to find a condom. He ripped it with his teeth and I shifted back so he could slide it down his cock. He gripped my hips, lifting me over him. The feel of the tip of his cock at my entrance was amazing. He held me there, allowing me to adjust but I pushed against his grip, wanting to slide down his cock. He loosened his grip and allowed me to do what came naturally, sinking down, savoring the feeling of him filling me up.

  “So good.”

  Then his fingers gripped my hips tightly as he lifted me and slammed me back down until my butt rested on his thighs. I tried to gain purchase on the slippery tub floor but couldn’t get a good grip, so he kept up the frantic rhythm he’d set. My breasts bounced from the force and I whimpered with need. He pulled me tighter against him, so my weight was leaning against him and I was finally able to lift up and down on my own. His hands immediately cupped my breasts. “You’re so perfect.”

  His beautiful words washed over me, settling so deep inside, I didn’t think they’d ever escape and I didn’t want them to. I wanted his cock, his hands, his mouth, his words. I wanted all of him and it should have scared me but it didn’t.

  “You are too.” I leaned down to catch his mouth with mine as I teetered ever closer to the brink. My clit ground against his pelvis with each pass. “Oh my God, Ryker. I’m going to—”

  Then I was crying out his name over and over again as the orgasm crashed into me. I was still spasming with aftershocks when he thrust into me harder before groaning his release into my neck. I allowed myself to revel in the feel of that moment. The utter perfection, the cocoon we’d created for ourselves in the steamy bathroom. I should have been panicking that I’d let myself go with a man I’d only just met. Even if he knew me in high school I hadn’t known him—not really. I sank down against his chest trying to get as close as I could, his hands stroking my back, his lips placing light kisses on my forehead, the word perfect repeating in my head. I shifted my head so I could kiss his neck.

  “Christ, Ally. That was beautiful.”

  It was. It didn’t have the shame of a one-night stand. It had the beauty of the beginning of forever. I didn’t know what I was going to do about it, but I didn’t have to think about it. We had all night. We stayed in that position, hands touching, lips exploring until the water was cold.

  When we stepped out, Ryker wrapping me in a large fluffy towel and patted me dry. When had I ever felt so taken care of? So cherished? I shivered at the word, remembering how he’d said he’d cherish me if he was my boyfriend.

  Chapter Sixr />
  RYKER

  “Are you cold?” I asked, seeing her tremble.

  “No. Not at all.”

  A small smile played on her lips and I wanted to keep it there. I pulled her into my arms realizing that I didn’t have anything to wear but a towel.

  “Do you have a washer and dryer? ”I’d only planned to stay for the day and hadn’t brought spare clothes. The cottage appeared to be newly renovated but other than the tub it was fairly rustic.

  “No, I don’t.”

  I let her go to hang my T-shirt, shorts, and briefs on the shower rod before I opened the bathroom door to the cooler air. “I don’t have any clothes.”

  She stepped into the hallway ahead of me, shooting a saucy look over my shoulders. “I love the sound of that.”

  I pulled her back into me, nibbling on her neck, which was a sweet spot for her.She sighed each time I did it and arched to give me more room. “I bet you do.”

  A satisfied smile curled over her lips. This woman owned me. She’d owned me the day she rescued me from those bullies in high school, and I was man enough to admit it. I hoped I’d convince her she was the one for me before the night was over.

  I pulled her onto the bed, which took up most of the room, so that I rested on the pillows and she tucked into my side. Her head rested on my shoulder and her fingers explored my chest with a feather-light touch.

  We watched out the windows as the sky continued to darken, the palm trees leaning from the force of the wind, and the rain continued to come down relentlessly. The weather was nasty and missing the boat would delay my meeting at work tomorrow, but I couldn’t be sorry, not when I had this warm woman cuddled up to me.

  “Isn’t this so cozy?” She’d tilted her head to see my face.

  “That’s what I was just thinking.” I felt satisfied and content.

  “I never want to move from this spot.” It seemed like she held her breath after she’d spoken.