Breaking The Bro Code (Hawthorne Brothers 3)

He replies with a fierce kiss. Then he enters me with one thrust. His lips muffle my cry.

He swallows my moans as his cock moves in and out of me, the exquisite friction igniting flames of pleasure that consume me from the inside out. Then he pulls away.

He picks up the pace of his thrusts and I lift my arm over my face. I suck on my own skin to suppress the sounds spilling from my mouth, but I can’t keep myself from trembling as I feel myself drowning deeper and deeper in ecstasy.

In the distance, I can hear the waves rolling, crashing on the shore, but the waves beneath my skin are stronger. They grow larger and larger, racing to the finish line, and when they reach it, I bite my trembling arm to hold back the cry that erupts in my throat. I throw my head back. My body trembles all over.

Ryker pulls my arm away. I open my eyes and see his face right above me, his gaze glossed with lust and yet still tender.

“Claire.”

He whispers my name before he kisses me. It caresses me like a soft breeze.

He keeps his mouth on mine as he manages a few more thrusts. Then he grunts against my neck as he buries himself deep inside me. I stroke his hair as he shudders.

I continue to stroke his hair after he goes still. I plant a kiss on the top of his head.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I whisper.

Ryker lifts his head. “Why wouldn’t I be here? I’m Joel’s best man, remember? Though maybe not for long.”

“I mean here with me,” I tell him. “I still can’t believe you talked to Ethan.”

“Me either, but I’m glad I did. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. And it’s all because of you.”

He kisses my forehead. I smile.

He touches my cheek. “You know, every minute of the flight here, I kept wishing the plane would go faster so I could tell you about the future.”

“I’m glad it didn’t. You would have crashed.”

“I just couldn’t wait to take you back.”

“Well, you’ve done that now,” I tell him.

He kisses me on the lips. After he pulls away, he stays silent as he gazes into my eyes.

I wonder what he’s searching for in them. Courage?

I brush his hair off of his forehead. “Are you sure you want to tell Joel about us tonight? The wedding is only two days away.”

He gives me a puzzled look. “I thought you wanted him to know.”

I nod. “But the wedding’s almost here. It’s too close.”

If he gets devastated, and I’m sure he will, he may not recover in time.

“You don’t want me to tell him?” Ryker asks.

“Not yet,” I say. “I’m happy now. I don’t want to ruin their happiness. Yes, I know a person’s happiness is up to them, but I do think it’s hard to be happy when the people you care about are missing or you think they’ve hurt you. I want Natalie and Joel to be happy, not just trying to be happy.”

They deserve that on their wedding day. And I want it for them. In spite of everything, Joel is still my brother. He’s the only family I have. And Natalie’s been so very kind to me these past few days that I want it for her, too. I want them both to be happy.

I put up two fingers. “Two days. Please?”

I know. I know. I was the one who didn’t want to wait until after the wedding, but now that it’s so close, I do. Or maybe I was just searching for some guarantee that Ryker and I would stay together, and now that I’m more confident we will, I no longer need that. At any rate, I think Ryker should wait.

Ryker nods. “Okay. If that’s what you want, I’ll wait.”

I touch his cheek. “Thank you.”

We kiss one more time before Ryker lifts himself off me and pulls his cock out from between my legs. I sit up and grab my panties from the other bed.

I’ve barely put them on when I hear a plop on the roof of the tent. I look up. A second later, I hear another plop. Then another. The next thing I know, large drops of rain are splattering on the roof.

Uh-oh.

Ryker puts his pants on. “I think we should go to one of the cottages. Is yours closer?”

I wrap my dress around me. “I think so.”

We open the flaps of the tent. Outside, the rain is pouring. Lightning streaks the horizon.

“Shouldn’t we stay here?” I ask Ryker.

He must not have heard me, because he pulls my arm and we run across the beach. The wet sand squishes beneath my feet.

By the time we reach my cottage, I’m dripping wet. I stand on the porch and try to squeeze as much water as I can out of my hair and my dress. When I see Ryker getting rid of his shirt, though, I decide to just take my dress off. At least I have my swimsuit underneath.