for me—because he knows I’d hate to have anyone see me cry. Even my own closest friends and family.
He knows me so well. He knows exactly what I need.
I remember what he said in Silver Run. I was so angry with him at the time. Now I wonder if he was right all along:
You’re happier here. This is where you belong: here, with me.
I’m afraid. But I want to choose Raylan over that fear.
28
Raylan
The wedding is the loveliest I’ve ever seen. I hope if I get married, it’s in a place like that, with only the people I love the most around me.
After the ceremony, we drink and dance and eat, until everyone is pleasantly exhausted, including Henry and the cantankerous baby Miles, who spits out his pacifier and begins to howl. Callum and Aida hustle him away at top speed, after blowing one last kiss to Dante and Simone.
Riona is quieter than usual. I don’t mind, ‘cause she still asks me to dance. We waltz around under the glass and the stars, the air full of oxygen from all the greenery. This time she doesn’t pull away from me—we dance in perfect tandem, our bodies pressed close together and her head against my chest.
After the ceremony we go back to the Intercontinental Hotel, where I’ve rented a suite for the night. I only hoped to sleep next to Riona—she just got out of the hospital, after all. But as soon as the door closes behind us, she jumps on me, kissing me with all her might.
I have to force myself to kiss her back with a reasonable degree of gentleness. I want to tear that dress right off of her. She’s been driving me insane all night, her skin looking as pale and bright as the moon, next to the rich darkness of the dress. Her hair is like a lava flow down her back, warm and smoky.
She’s never been more beautiful. It’s funny—we were in a room full of gorgeous women, but I only had eyes for her. Riona has a fierceness that grabs me and holds me fast. I want to know what she’s thinking and feeling, always. She’s both blunt, and a mystery. Strong and powerful, but also fragile.
And above all, she’s so goddamned sexy. She’s all over me with an intensity I’ve never seen before. Ripping my shirt open so the buttons pop off, tearing off my pants.
I lift her up and throw her down on the bed, equally desperate to have her.
When I kiss her mouth, she tastes of champagne.
“You weren’t supposed to drink!” I accuse her. “When did you get champagne?”
“I only had a sip,” she says. “While you were congratulating Dante and Simone.”
“You naughty little thing,” I growl, seizing her by the throat—though not too hard. “How should I punish you?”
I pull down the front of her dress and take her breast in my mouth. I suck her nipple hard, until she squeals.
“Stop that!” she cries, slapping me away.
I grab both her hands and pin them over her head. Then I return to her breasts, noting that both her nipples are standing up straight, tightening her breasts.
Lightly, I trail my tongue around her nipples, without taking them in my mouth. I tease them with my tongue until her arms are shaking in my grip.
“Stop?” I say. “Or keep going?”
“Keep going,” she gasps.
“Say, ‘Please, Daddy,’ ”
She scowls at me, and I could laugh out loud at the pleasure of teasing her. I knew she’d hate that. I flick her nipple with my tongue, making her moan in frustration.
“Please, Daddy!” she says, petulantly.
I close my mouth around her nipple again and I suck, gently. I caress her breast with my tongue, until she gives a long, groaning sigh of satisfaction.
Then I slide down her body and go to work between her legs, instead. I put her legs up on my shoulders and I eat her pussy until I feel her thighs clenching around my head, her hands thrust in my hair, and her clit grinding against my tongue. My mouth is full of the sweet and fiery taste of her, like cinnamon and sugar, like pure, raw arousal.
I’ve never tasted anything so good. I could spend hours down here.
I let her control the pace for a while, rolling her hips against my tongue. Then, when I can feel she’s close to the edge, I grab her hips in my hands and I increase the pressure of my tongue. I lick faster and harder until