Take the Bride (The Knight Brothers 1.5)

He’d hurt her once, walked away without warning. What was to prevent him from doing the same thing again? She couldn’t ever let herself forget that.

But she’d thought she’d moved on from him enough to marry another man. Clearly, she’d been wrong. Closure was important and she needed to know if her memories were just that or if he was going to forever ruin her for another man and a real future.

If that was the case, God help her.

She might not know what she wanted from life right now, but it had become crystal clear that it wasn’t Jason. But she also knew that just because Ryder had stopped her from being with another man didn’t mean he automatically fit into the space Jason had left behind.

With that warning firmly in mind, she contemplated exploring this thing between them and putting it to rest once and for all.

Chapter Three

Lifting the covers off her body, Sierra stood and unhooked her bra, dropping it to the floor, followed by her underwear. Then she drew her courage around her and headed for the bathroom, pushing the door open and stepping into the steam-filled room, her heart racing wildly in her chest at what she was about to do.

Ryder’s face was upturned to the water, and she took a second to admire the width of his chest, the hard muscles in his arms, and the way he braced his strong legs, his cock hard and standing upright. He obviously wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Desire didn’t scare her. It was the notion of falling hard for him all over again that frightened her. But she’d made her decision. She’d be brave and see where things stood, and right here, right now, she wanted Ryder.

Needed him.

Without waiting for him to notice her, she opened the shower door and stepped in. His eyes opened and flared but he didn’t hesitate. He pulled her against him, the hard ridge of his erection nudging against her belly.

She gasped at the feel of him, at the desire that spread through her and lit up her body, as his mouth descended on hers.

Water slid over her but she didn’t care, not when he was devouring her, his tongue delving deep into the back of her mouth, tasting her everywhere as it tangled with hers. With a moan, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave in to the yearning that was consuming her.

In the past, their time together was often rushed, hidden from adults, stolen moments when they could be together. Today they had all the time in the world or at least as long as the water remained hot, she thought, holding back a laugh.

He gripped her head and tilted her neck, giving him deeper access to her mouth, his lips gliding over hers, back and forth, and she pushed against him, rubbing her aching breasts over his chest.

“God, I missed this. I missed you.” His huskily spoken words sent a shiver through her along with a hint of hope that she ruthlessly squashed.

“Tell me,” he said, nipping on her bottom lip.

“What?”

“That this isn’t just revenge sex. Angry sex. Tell me you want me, too.”

Dammit, he was going to dig into her emotions and there was no way to stop it. Because she couldn’t deny the truth, and maybe she didn’t want to anyway. She’d been denying her feelings for Ryder for way too long, and it was time that she was honest with herself, as well as with him.

“I’m not here because I’m angry or pissed or because I want to get back at Jason for walking away from me. I missed you, too,” she admitted.

And she had.

So much it hurt.

“Then take off the bracelet,” he said on a growl.

She blinked, looking down at her right wrist, which held a bracelet that Jason had bought her with their initials intertwined. He’d given it to her when their relationship had gotten serious, and she’d been wearing it for so long it had become a part of her. She’d forgotten she still had it on, and she said a silent prayer of thanks Jason’s best man had been holding on to her engagement ring along with the wedding band. Ryder’s reaction to that wouldn’t have been good.

Although she’d made no decisions about her life, she knew things were over with Jason or she wouldn’t be here now, with Ryder. She unhooked the bracelet, stepped out of the shower, and put it on the counter, returning to Ryder.

“Done,” she said.

With a groan, he slid his hands down her neck and over her breasts, cupping the mounds. She closed her eyes as he plumped her flesh, then pinched her nipples as he pulled, the mix of pain and pleasure shooting straight to her core.

She’d been young when they were together last, and sex had been hot and frenzied so as not to get caught by an adult or so she could rush home for curfew.