“Someday, somewhere, we will get revenge on those two for this.” He plucked the packets out of her hands and tossed them onto the couch.

She shifted and stared at the fire so as not to give in to the temptation to stare at him.

“Lots of people just stick their marshmallow into the flame and burn the shit out of it. Common rookie mistake. What you want to do for maximum crispy gooey goodness is roast it over the coals.” He demonstrated, holding his two inches off the coals he’d exposed on the right side of the fire. As she watched, the marshmallow turned a golden brown, helped along by rotating the hanger. “Like this.”

“Okay.” She followed his lead, a thrill of childlike excitement taking root as her marshmallow turned the same color as his. “I’m doing it.”

“You sure as hell are. I knew I had a professional s’mores creator on my hands the moment we met.”

Bri laughed. “Now you’re just being goofy.”

“This is the source of some of my favorite childhood memories. Makes me feel like a kid again.” He pulled his marshmallow out of the fire. “Okay, now you create your s’mores sandwich.”

She copied him, putting the chocolate on the graham cracker and then using the other half of the cracker to smoosh the marshmallow into place. A giggle slipped free as she held up sticky fingers. “Messy work.”

“All good things in life start or end with messes.” He motioned. “Take a bite.”

She did, and moaned. “Oh my God, this is amazing.” She took another bite, her eyes drifting closed as bliss spread through her. By the time she finished off the s’more, she was fighting to hold back a variety of sounds that could only be described as sexual. She opened her eyes to find Ryan watching her through hooded eyes. Even though she’d only seen that look a few times, her body responded to it, nipples pebbling and heat flaring through her. She cleared her throat. “Thank you. For all of this. For creating this memory with me.”

His slow grin made her stomach flip. “Trust me, honey, it was my pleasure.”

Before she could talk herself out of it, Bri leaned across the distance between them and kissed him.

Chapter Fourteen

Bri leaned into the kiss, half-shocked when he reached up to cup her chin. Though his lips tasted of the s’more they’d just eaten, that faded as he opened for her, his tongue swiping along hers. She practically threw her hanger away in favor of crawling into his lap.

“I need you, Ryan.” She kissed along his jaw, loving the way his whiskers rasped against her skin. “Please.”

He groaned and settled her knees on either side of his hips, his hands running up her thighs to squeeze her butt. “How is a man supposed to be rational with you sitting on top of him, smelling so damn good, and whispering ‘please’ in his ear?”

Was that a trick question? She ran her hands down his chest and up again. “He’s not?”

He leaned back and met her gaze. “We do this, we’re ending up in a bed tonight, Bri. No backing out, and no fighting. But first, I’m going to fuck you good and proper on this rug.”

Didn’t he know she couldn’t say no to him, even if she wanted to? And she most definitely did not want to. She wanted to wrap herself up in Ryan until she wasn’t sure where he ended and she began. Today, he’d made her feel free and strong and like her past didn’t have to be a deep, dark secret.

She wanted him with a desperation that made no sense. It didn’t matter. She’d take him up on whatever terms he set tonight, and Bri could admit to herself that the thought of ending up in a bed with him made her heart rate pick up. “That sounds wonderful.”

He grinned, as if he didn’t quite believe she’d agreed. “It does, doesn’t it?”

She peppered kisses over his lips and neck and collarbone. “Take me however you want me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He used his grip on her hips to rock her more firmly against him.

She slid along his length, and the friction had her biting her lip to keep back a moan. Emboldened by the desire spiraling through her with each movement, she reached for the bottom of her shirt, pulled it over her head, and tossed it behind her. His eyes dropped to her breasts, enclosed in a serviceable blue bra. Someday, she’d have a sexual encounter with him and not be wearing the unsexiest underclothing imaginable. It didn’t seem to matter to Ryan, though, because he ran his hands up her sides to cup her breasts with a rapturous look on his face. “I could spend hours on your breasts alone.”

“Not tonight.” She reached behind her to undo her bra and tossed it in the same direction as the shirt.

“You’re right. Not tonight.” He ducked down and took a nipple in his mouth. The drag of his teeth over sensitive flesh sent a bolt straight to the spot between her legs and she gasped.

“More.” She clung to him as he used his tongue to flick her, alternating between quick strokes and slow licks. Just when Bri started to feel light-headed and whimpers escaped her mouth, he rolled them so he was on top. The soft rug felt luxurious against her bare skin, and she could suddenly see why this particular scene had been used again and again for seduction in fiction.

With Ryan backlit by the fire and rising over her, she could barely think. He didn’t give her a chance to, drawing off her sweats in a quick movement. “Flip over.”

She obeyed, rolling onto her stomach and then rising onto her hands and knees at his urging. The position felt strangely vulnerable, but then he was touching her, chasing away any worry she might have had. He stroked her between her legs, teasing her until she had to bite back a cry of frustration.

The sound of him ripping open a condom seemed unnaturally loud in her ears. “I know, honey, I know.”

How could he? She hadn’t said a single thing. And yet there he was, guiding her knees farther part and moving until he pressed against her entrance. He braced his hands on her hips and pushed into her, so slowly that this time she really did cry out.

Instantly, he froze. “Are you okay?”

Okay? How was she supposed to be okay? The ache in her center had only increased with every touch, and now her entire body was begging to be taken by him. All the while, he was busy torturing her with soft touches. No, she wasn’t okay. “I need—”

He tightened his grip and slammed into her, the force of the motion driving her forward until her face rested against the rug. Ryan withdrew and shoved into her again, even harder this time. “This is what you need.”

“Yes.” Bri tried to move, to take in more of him, but his grip was punishing, holding her in place, her hips up and legs spread wide, while he fucked her just like she’d begged for. Because that was the only word that described the rough animalistic way he moved in her, so intense it bordered on pain.

When he changed his angle, words erupted from her mouth, strung together as if she were speaking in tongues. “Please, Ryan, oh God, I need…I need… Please. Something. Anything. Everything.” She dug her fingers into the fur of the rug, as if that would help center her in the midst of the storm building inside her. It was too much. He had to stop, or she was going to lose everything.

As if he could sense her thoughts—and how in God’s name did he keep doing that?—he pushed down on the small of her back and did something with his hips that brought a scream to her lips. Her orgasm sucked her into the abyss, rolling over her in a giant black wave that took every ounce of energy from her body. She went limp, though she couldn’t quite make herself let go of the rug. Maybe if she held on tightly enough, the room would stop spinning. He pressed her into the rug and shuddered above her, following her over the edge.

After a long moment, Bri finally opened her eyes and frowned at the smoke curling through the room. “Did you leave corn bread in the oven again?”

His creative curse gave her the motivation to roll onto her back. The sight of fire crawling out of the fireplace did a whole lot more. She scrambled to her knees. “The cabin’s burning down!”

To his credit, Ryan didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the massive blanket from the couch and threw it on top of the fire, using his hands to pat it out and smother it. When he lifted the blanket, she saw the cause—her shirt. “Oh my God, I threw my clothes into the fire.” She’d been so concerned with getting skin to skin with him that she hadn’t stopped to consider where she was tossing those discarded clothes. “Spending so much time with you is turning me into a firebug.”

“I’m glad I have that effect on you.”

She met his gaze and promptly burst out laughing. “Oh, I bet. The sight of you makes me want to strip naked and burn down buildings.”

“I’m choosing to take it as a compliment.” He raised one massive shoulder. “That wasn’t exactly the explosive ending I’d anticipated.”

She sat there, her heart still beating too fast and body tingling from the orgasm, and he sounded so put out. It made her laugh again, which was such a novel concept. They’d come together in anger and in passion, but there’d never been laughter. Until now. Bri patted his arm. “You get an A-plus, okay?”

“I can do better.”

“No one can do better than A-plus. That’s kind of the point.”

He climbed to his feet and offered a hand. “Now that we’ve saved the cabin from burning down, let’s go take a shower.”

…

They took a long, lazy shower and managed to make it out before the hot water turned cold, and then Ryan dragged her to the kitchen for a snack. Bri wrapped the blanket more firmly around her shoulders and watched him make…something. “I still can’t quite believe you cook.”