Ride Hard (Raven Riders 1)

“I did,” Dare said. “But I more than anyone know that trying ain’t worth shit. Doing is what counts, and by that score I fucked up pretty much every way I could.”

Hugging herself, Haven forced a long, deep breath, trying to figure out what all of this should mean to her. And then something occurred to her—Dare knew what was on the list. He knew and said he wanted to make it come true for her—make everything come true for her. Which meant . . . the hard part of maybe telling him what she wanted had already happened. And Dare wanted to experience with her all the things she’d dreamt of experiencing with him. “You wanted it to be you?”

His eyes narrowed, and the look he gave her was so hungry it made her wet. “I still want it to be me.”

Haven’s pulse was suddenly a runaway freight train pounding through her veins. She could feel it beating against her skin everywhere—against her breasts, her nipples, the slick place between her legs. She felt like the two of them stood on a cliff’s edge and she didn’t know whether to move or hold absolutely still.

And then Dare made the decision for her.

He was on her in an instant, his hands in her hair, his tongue in her mouth, his body trapping hers hard and insistent against the bathroom wall. Haven moaned at the contact and surrendered to him, her mouth sucking hard on his tongue, her hands pulling his still-wet hair in return, her hips thrusting against his. Willingly. Eagerly. Wantonly.

“Tell me you want this,” he rasped around the edge of the kiss.

“I do,” she said, plowing her hands underneath the damp fabric of his cut.

“Tell me you want me,” he growled, his mouth sucking at her jaw, her ear, her throat.

“Want you, Dare,” she whispered loudly, the sound morphing into a moan when he bit along the tendon sloping down toward her shoulder.

“How?” he asked, his hands going roughly to the hem of her shirt. A million competing answers rushed forth, leaving Haven momentarily unable to answer. He jerked his face back into her line of vision. “How do you want me?”

Breathing hard, Haven spoke the only words she could. “Every way I can have you.” She could barely believe she’d said it, but Dare didn’t give her even a moment to worry about it. He had her shirt off and then her bra, and her nakedness made Haven need his. “Off,” she said as she tugged at the denim vest he wore over a black shirt, her voice almost embarrassingly breathy.

He leaned back enough to remove the cut, which he tossed onto the closed toilet seat, and then he tugged off his shirt for good measure.

Haven’s eyes went wide, because Dare . . . Dare was the sexiest man she’d ever seen in her life. Tattoos covered his chest, his neck, his biceps, his ribs. She didn’t have time to take them in before his tongue was in her mouth again, demanding and intoxicating. His chest hair was ticklish against her hands but was thrilling, too. Masculine and rough. His palms were calloused against her breasts, and the sensation made her gasp and moan and writhe against him, especially as his fingers plucked and twisted at her nipples.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, gasping for a breath. Her brain could barely keep up with her body, and part of her hardly believed this was real. But then Dare reminded her touch by touch. His teeth tugging her bottom lip. His rough callouses dragging against all her sensitive softness. His hard erection grinding so deliciously into her lower belly that she wanted to wrap her legs around his hips and ride him. Hard.

Dare’s hands settled on the button of her shorts. Breathing hard, he rested his forehead heavily against hers, his dark brown eyes piercingly clear. “You want to stop, just say the word.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to want you to stop.”

“I’m just sayin’—”

Eyes still open, she kissed him. And the look he gave her back was almost ferocious. “Don’t stop,” she said when she released his lips.

And then he was tugging down her shorts and she was stepping out of her shoes and he was pulling down her panties so hard she thought she heard them rip. It was exciting and breath-stealing and made her heart pound so fast she was a little dizzy. Naked against the wall, Haven held on to Dare’s shoulders as he pushed his thigh between her knees and his fingers between her thighs, right where she was wet and hungry and almost desperate to have him.

“Aw, feel that fucking pussy,” he rasped, his face right up against hers. He kissed her hard, his tongue mimicking the act they were barreling toward, his fingers circling and stroking and pushing inside her one at a time. “So ready for me.”