I glanced down at myself and giggled.
I’d pushed his buttons, and he reacted exactly as I hoped. His body collided with mine, my spine bumping against the wall. He took my mouth, curving his big hand around my throat and applying light pressure, but still enough to prevent my lungs from filling to capacity. My head swam as Ryker’s lips moved over mine with a raw intensity that sent fire racing through my veins. My stomach twisted, pleasure surging through me.
I fisted his suit jacket, my hands trembling, my knees on the verge of collapse.
Ryker stumbled away and pressed his fingers to his parted lips then shook his head. A cold blast hit me.
No way. He doesn’t get a third pass.
“Go on, Ryker, leave,” I taunted. “That’s what you do best, isn’t it?” I snorted a laugh. “And you call Peter a sap.”
This time, I didn’t get time to prepare for Ryker’s onslaught. His body crowded me. I found my hands trapped in his, unable to move, while his mouth ravaged mine. His hand snaked underneath my dress, burrowing inside my underwear. He groaned loudly into my mouth.
“Fuck, you’re so wet.”
He kissed me again, his tongue wrapping around mine. He applied pressure to the inside of my thighs, forcing my legs apart, and then he pushed a single digit inside me.
Oh God. Yes. A thousand times yes.
The pad of his thumb circled my clit, and he added a second finger. I barely had time to revel in the sensations screaming through me when I came to a shuddering climax, my body crumbling like a sandcastle in the face of a storm. If I hadn’t been trapped between him and the wall, I’d have sunk to the floor.
Ryker removed his fingers, leaving me with a feeling of emptiness. It wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I wanted everything he had to give.
He shoved his fingers into my mouth. “Suck.”
The sweet taste of… me… flooded my tongue. I licked him clean, our eyes rooted on each other. He withdrew, dried his fingers on a towel, then lifted them to his nose.
“Good. I can still smell you.” He gave me a wolfish grin. “I’ll be seeing you. Soon.”
He walked out of the bathroom, leaving me floundering, trying to form a coherent thought at the wicked debauchery I’d been party to, the kind I wanted to repeat over and over and over.
I refixed my dress then checked my reflection in the mirror. My lips were swollen. My eyes had the heavy look of post-orgasm satisfaction. My chest heaved, forcing my breasts upward. I couldn’t go out there yet. It was too obvious I’d been thoroughly ravaged.
I turned on the faucet and dabbed a cold cloth to my chest. A few tendrils of hair framed my face. I tucked them back into the bobby pins holding my updo in place. Better.
My watch buzzed with a message. I glanced down. A message from Ryker. I tapped the screen.
Dump Peter the Prick. I don’t share.
My head spun, and hope spiked within me. Could this mean he’d decided to stop fighting the inevitable? Was it finally game on?
By the time I returned to the event room, the party was in full swing. I couldn’t see Ryker anywhere. I sidled through the crowds looking for Peter. I finally spotted him sitting alone at a table with two refilled glasses of champagne.
Urgh. I felt terrible. But this needed to be done, especially after what had happened with Ryker in the restroom—not to mention his follow-up text. If we had a sliver of a hope at a relationship, I wanted to grab it with both hands and never let go.
I touched Peter’s shoulder, my heart twisting at the broad smile he greeted me with.
“Can I talk to you, in the lobby?”
Without waiting for a response, I retraced my steps. Passing the restroom in question brought a flush of heat to my face. I found a quiet spot where we wouldn’t be bothered and gestured for Peter to sit.
“Is everything all right, Athena? You look a little flushed.”
I sat beside him and took a deep breath. “Peter, I’m so sorry, but this isn’t going to work. I shouldn’t have agreed to come with you tonight.”
“Is there someone else?” he asked, his voice so kind, so understanding that tears pricked the back of my eyes.
I nodded. “I’ve been hung up on someone for a while. I honestly don’t know whether we have a future or not, but regardless of the outcome, it isn’t fair