Love Me Knot Read online

The blood in his veins pounded a fierce rhythm of need. So hard and fast he couldn’t think. Everything primal inside him rose and he reacted with pure male instinct.

  Ryan tore his mouth from hers. “I want you. Are you sure about this, Ciara?”

  She hesitated enough to have tension sliding through him.

  But then she gave a small nod. “I’m sure.”

  It was the only signal he needed.

  Chapter Five

  Ciara didn’t even have a second to reconsider her words before his mouth once again commandeered hers.

  Whatever demons he’d been fighting, he must’ve vanquished, because the intensity in the way he kissed her showed he had no hesitation.

  Crazy. Maybe she’d lost her mind, but at this moment it was a bit hard to care.

  His tongue teased into her mouth, scattering her thoughts like startled birds in a park.

  Heat, so potent and fierce, jetted through her veins. When Ryan’s hand covered her breast again she felt the answering ache between her thighs.

  He teased the sensitive peak through her dress, before his hands slid over her body, stroking over her until she trembled with need.

  “Bedroom,” he rasped.

  The world tilted as she found herself off the ground and in his arms. The corded muscles of his biceps pressed into her back as he carried her to the bedroom.

  A moment later he kicked the door closed and moved to set her down.

  She tilted in her heels, but he was there to steady her. He found the zipper on her dress and eased it down, while his mouth teased kisses over her collarbone and to the swell of her breasts.

  She’d only had a few sips of beer at the reception, but she’d swear she was drunk right now. Her thoughts were sluggish and her body so sensitized and heated.

  The dress fell from her body in a wisp of silk and she stood clad in only her heels and peach colored bra and panty set.

  “My god, Ciara. You are so sexy.” He traced his gaze over the length of her body.

  Ciara could feel the blush that heated her face and neck. Trying to hide her sudden shyness, she reached for the buttons on his shirt.

  He made no move to stop her as she diligently unfastened each one, and peeled back the white dress shirt to expose the hard, smooth male chest beneath.

  Wow.

  Her mouth dried at the sight of his large muscled shoulders and arms. She could see the results of a Coast Guard career, because he had the exquisitely toned, muscled upper body of a swimmer.

  Unable to stop herself, she reached out to trace his shoulders and arms.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  Ryan laughed softly. “I think that’s my line, darlin’.”

  “You don’t need to use lines on me, Ryan.” She traced a nail down his chest to circle a hard brown nipple. “I’m a sure thing tonight.”

  Something flashed in his eyes, and for a moment she thought it might have been guilt. But that wouldn’t make sense.

  “Come here.” He caught her wrist and tugged her toward him.

  His palm, large and rough, slid down the naked skin of her back, to find the scrap of fabric of her thong.

  He followed the fabric down. Lower and lower still, until his fingers grazed between her legs to brush against her cleft.

  Tingles of pleasure rocketed through her and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. She wanted him to pull the fabric aside and touch her. Sink his fingers into her.

  She could herself growing wetter and her inner muscles clenched in anticipation.

  “Ryan.” His name was a plea on her lips.

  His answer was to bury his face against the curve of her neck, before he slipped a finger into her.

  Ciara’s knees buckled, but his arm around her waist ensured she didn’t fall.

  Her world spun as he penetrated her. Bringing her closer and closer to a climax that she’d been heading toward since he’d first kissed her.

  He slipped another finger up to graze her clit and she went off like a firework. Her body trembled and her head spun as pleasure slammed through her body like a freight train.

  She didn’t realize he’d picked her up again until she felt the bed beneath her back.

  It only took a minute before Ryan had shed his clothing, grabbed a condom from his bedside drawer, and then joined her on the bed.

  His body covered hers a moment later and he claimed her mouth in another deep kiss that banished her ability to think.

  She felt him remove her bra and panties and toss them aside, before his mouth left hers to suckle one sensitized nipple.

  Her cry of pleasure was so sharp and needy, that she barely recognized it as having come from her.

  Ryan’s teeth grazed the peak, teasing and tormenting, driving her need to fever pitch.

  He used his knees to nudge her thighs apart, before the thick head of his erection pressed against her opening. There was no hesitation as he plunged deep into her body.

  Ciara gasped, her muscles clenching around his cock. She dug her nails into his shoulder as her body slowly adjusted to his sudden sensual invasion.

  He was larger than she was used to. Thicker. She closed her eyes, getting swept up into another wave of passion with each thrust he made inside her.

  Ryan rode her fast and hard, with such intensity she could’ve sworn there was anger mixed with the desire.

  But then his mouth found hers again, drawing a deep hunger and a need with every stroke of his tongue.

  She lifted her hips, meeting every thrust until she couldn’t keep up with his fierce drive. Her body moved on its on, moving on the mattress with each hard stroke he made into her.

  Taken.

  It was the only way to describe how she felt as he rode her, cradling her head and burying his face against her neck.

  It was so raw and primitive, that when he reached his climax with a hoarse cry, she was right there with him.

  Her body still trembled when he moved off her several minutes later. She bit her lip to keep from crying out at the loss of his weight on her.

  There was silence. And not really the good kind. Her gut clenched with sudden anxiety, and regret threatened to knock on the door to conscience.

  But then he reached for her and drew her into his arms, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

  The tension that had been building slipped away with a shuddering sigh.

  Never, ever, had she experienced sex so intense and primal that it left not only her body, but her soul trembling.

  Ryan was dangerous. Addictive. Part of her wanted to climb on top of him and beg for more.

  And the other part of her, the sensible side, told her to run like hell.

  Why wasn’t he trying to find an excuse to push her away and climb out of bed? The thought slid through his head as Ryan stroked a hand down her back.

  Usually by now he started to get the itch to get up and get out. But not with Ciara. He almost craved feeling her in her arms as much as he did having her in his bed. She affected him on a level he didn’t want to begin to acknowledge.

  “Do you have to go home tonight?”

  “No, I don’t really have anywhere to be tonight. I’m meeting someone for lunch tomorrow... but that’s not until one.”

  Her tone had turned heavy when she mentioned meeting someone. Who was it? Family? Her brother? Another guy?

  The last thought made something dark rise inside him, but he pushed it aside.

  This was a one-time deal, he reminded himself. One night. And since she was staying, he planned to make use of every minute of it.

  Maybe he’d just taken her, but already he wanted her again. Even now, with her nails drawing lazy circles over his chest, his cock stirred. If he kept lying in bed with her, he’d take her again before she’d even recovered from the last time.

  Guilt pricked. He’d taken her too hard. Too fast. Damn it, what was going on with him? Usually he went slow, made sure a girl came at least twice before he got off.

  But when he
’d slid his finger into her hot, tight pussy he’d lost all ability to go slow. Especially when she’d climaxed so quickly.

  Jesus. He’d acted like a teenager doing it for the first time. Well he’d make amends. Several times before the sun rose.

  “I want dessert.”

  She laughed softly. “You can’t possibly be hungry. We just ate those massive burgers not even an hour ago.”

  “I don’t intend to eat more food, darlin’.” He gently nudged her shoulder and urged her onto her back, before moving down to lie between her thighs.

  “Ryan.” His name was a breathless combination of plea and protest.

  But Ciara made no move to push him away when he lowered his head to nuzzle the silkiness of her inner thigh.

  Her pussy was still swollen and flushed from sex. The scent of her arousal so potent and enticing.

  Ryan smoothed his thumb over her slit, parting her, before he lowered his tongue in for a taste.

  Pure sex and candy. And the whimper of pleasure she made only spurred him on.

  He maneuvered his shoulders between her thighs, bringing her closer as he licked her hot, wet flesh.

  Ciara’s hips rose and fell against his mouth, her cries growing louder and higher with each flick of tongue over her clit.

  He couldn’t get enough of the taste and feel of her on his tongue. The sounds she made under his ministrations. His cock was rock hard again, as if he hadn’t just come twenty minutes ago.

  Needing to be inside her again, he pushed his tongue deep into her pussy and she came apart.

  He moved up her trembling body, grabbed the back of her head, and claimed her mouth in a hard kiss.

  She clung to him, her legs wrapping around his waist and giving him the access his dick wanted.

  Condom.

  Barely, just barely, did he have the presence of mind to reach over and grab one out of the bedside table drawer.

  A moment later it was on and he was inside her. He slowed it down this time, letting himself revel in the hot suction of her body around his cock. They created their rhythm together, so it wasn’t just him taking this time.

  And when he came, the climax was almost more powerful than it had been their first time. By the way Ciara screamed, and gripped her pussy around him, he guessed hers was too.

  Exhaustion clawed at him and he fell heavily on her body. Too tired to move off her, and knowing damn well that she should.

  But the soft kisses she pressed against his shoulder, and the way she traced her hands over his back indicated she didn’t mind his weight.

  At some point he must’ve moved, pulled her into his arms again, because the next thing he knew he opened his eyes and the room was dark.

  He lifted his head and glanced over at the digital clock on the bedside table.

  Almost midnight.

  Ryan tried to untangle himself from Ciara, sliding out from beneath her and letting her head slide from his chest.

  She stirred, but didn’t open her eyes.

  He moved silently to the bathroom and shut the door, congratulating himself on his stealth. But when he emerged a few minutes later, Ciara was sitting up in bed.

  “Damn. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Ryan hit the light switch and picked up a pair of boxer shorts off the floor and put them on.

  She squinted, and covered a yawn with her palm. “I think my stomach woke me. I’m hungry now.”

  Ryan arched a brow, ready to tease her about their earlier conversation.

  “For food I mean,” she clarified quickly, a pretty blush filling her cheeks.

  He laughed softly and took her hand, pulling her naked body out of bed.

  “Come on, we’ll cook something.”

  “Let me put my dress back on first. I’m a little too self-conscious to do the strutting around naked bit.”

  “Use this instead.” He paused at his dresser to pull out a t-shirt and hand it to her. “More comfortable.”

  She slipped it over her head and it fell to just above her knees. His lips twitched at the image her slender body in his black shirt.

  Ciara picked up on his amusement pretty quick, because she glanced down at the shirt and grimaced.

  “That’s What She Said. Nice.”

  He didn’t bother hiding his grin as he led her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

  They scavenged his fridge and came up with the ingredients for omelets. Together they cut tomatoes and mushrooms, shredded cheese and left over chicken.

  Conversation never dwindled, and there was a level of comfortableness with Ciara that he realized he liked. Could get used to.

  The voice in the back of Ryan’s head warned him not to though.

  One night.

  It became his mantra when he started to have thoughts about just how cool Ciara really was.

  They ate their late night snack on the sofa while watching The Hangover. She enjoyed the same type of flicks he did, which should’ve surprised him. But it didn’t. They were clicking and connecting on too many levels.

  One night.

  To burn off the snack, they took a three a.m. stroll down the beach and talked for at least an hour under the crescent moon.

  But Ryan avoided the topic of family—diligent in his denial of who she really was.

  And when they finally ended up back in bed, shortly before dawn, they made love again.

  The sun had just started to sneak its rays through the gap in his curtains when his eyes grew heavy. But even still he fought falling asleep.

  Ciara had passed out in his arms over an hour ago and he’d enjoyed holding her. Tried to ignore the prick of familiarity and rightness of it all.

  One night.

  How the hell had he let himself get so close to a woman in one night?

  Ryan let his eyes drift shut and tried not to think that with the dawn came the reminder that tomorrow he would let her go.

  Chapter Six

  “Was this lunch really necessary?”

  Ciara tried not to flinch at her brother’s question and glanced away as he took another sip of wine.

  Actually, there were probably a hundred other places she’d rather be. The top of the list being back at Ryan’s house.

  Her heart fluttered as she remembered their goodbye kiss this morning. He hadn’t seemed to want to let her go. She’d felt the self-restraint in him, as if he were trying to stop himself from dragging her off to the bedroom again.

  Heck, she almost wished he had. But then she would’ve skipped the lunch with Lance, and she couldn’t do it. She needed to at least try one more time to reach out to her half-brother.

  So she’d kissed Ryan goodbye and left her number, making it clear lunch was the only thing on her agenda for the next few days.

  His response had been another hard kiss, before he’d walked her out the door and saw her off. Her pulse fluttered again.

  Oh yeah. She got the feeling Ryan was a guy she’d be seeing quite a bit the rest of her time in Oregon. And maybe even after...

  But for now she needed to focus.

  “I just think we should try to get to know each other a little better. Maybe I could meet your kids,” she finally said quietly. “With our dad gone, and now my mother’s passed away, you’re the only family I have left.”

  Lance laughed and lifted his hands in the air. “Whoa. Easy with the F word. This is like the third time we’ve seen each other since you were in diapers.”

  A flush filled her face and suddenly she felt like a complete idiot. Maybe he was right. Why was she trying so hard? She should’ve taken the hint after the first lunch they’d had.

  Actually, she probably shouldn’t have bothered coming to Oregon at all. She didn’t even remember the years when her mother had been married to her and Lance’s dad. And the couple of times she’d seen Lance or her father after the divorce, it had always felt a little awkward. Forced.

  But when her mom had passed away from cancer last year she’d just felt so damn lonely. Foolishly she’
d thought maybe reconnecting with Lance could help fill the void. But it was becoming pretty damn clear Lance wasn’t going to be welcoming her into his life.

  Boy had her instincts been off.

  Ciara swallowed the lump in her throat and glanced out the window of the restaurant.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Ciara, you seem like a nice girl. But my family and I got a lot going on, and we keep things private.”

  “I can understand that.” Or not really, but at this moment she just wanted to get the hell out of here. “You know, maybe you’re right. Let’s not draw out this lunch anymore than I already have.”

  She pushed back her chair and stood, somewhat convinced he’d stop her. But he just looked relieved as he nodded.

  “No problem, kid. I’ll pick up the tab. Good luck in life.”

  What a freaking jerk.

  “Yeah. You too.” She couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  Tonight this would all be a bad memory, she told herself as she strode out to her car.

  Five minutes with Ryan and she’d be closer to forgetting this painful little luncheon. Forget she had a brother who mocked her entire existence.

  Now she just needed to head back to the rental house and wait for Ryan to call.

  “Thanks for meeting us for drinks.” Trevor Wyatt tapped his beer bottle against Ryan’s and grinned. “Don’t get to see you much, cuz. And Megan and I are heading back to Washington tonight.”

  “Oh, hell, there’s no place I’d rather be.” Except with Ciara—who’d probably written him off as a first rate asshole by now.

  Tyson Wyatt laughed and shook his head. “I find that hard to believe. No chick you’d rather be spending your evening with?”

  Ah, shit. He should’ve seen this coming. His cousins were always up in his business if they felt they needed to be. And vice versa. And something told him Todd had given his brothers a message to check up on his ass.

  “I’m not seeing anyone,” he murmured ambiguously.

  “Not even that Ciara chick?”

  His hands tightened around his beer. “Especially not her.”

  Though God knew he wanted to. It’d been ridiculously hard not to call the number on the slip of paper she’d left him. But he’d managed for the past two days. Just barely.