FULL NOVELXO Ryan Redemption: Chapter 21
The following morning, I check outside as soon as I wake up and I’m both relieved and disappointed to find that Conor’s car is not outside. I eat breakfast and make some coffee and wonder if he left for New York, or whether he’s still hanging around nearby. And if he has left, how the hell am I going to get to work today? I can’t even ask Cody for a ride as he’s on a late shift and he’ll sleep until at least noon. I should probably call a cab.
As I head to the bedroom to look for my cell phone, a knock at my front door stops me in my tracks.
I freeze. I never have visitors to my place, so this can only be one person. Turning on my heel, I walk over to answer it and see the unmistakable figure of Conor through the glass, and despite everything I said last night, my stomach flutters in excitement.
Opening the door, I am confronted by his six foot two frame dressed in jeans and a tightly fitted shirt, looking good enough to lick from head to toe. “I thought you were going home?”
He leans against my doorframe, his legs crossed at the ankle and his arms crossed over his chest. “I’ve been looking for you every minute of every day for two months, Jessie. I’m not going home until you agree to come with me.”
“Well, you’d better get used to this Arizona heat, big guy,” I smile.
He narrows his eyes at me. “You ready?”
“Sure,” I shrug, grabbing my purse from the table and closing the door behind me. “I hope you’re going to pay for my car to get fixed?” I say as we walk across the road to his car.
“Why would I do that?” he grins at me. “I had nothing to do with that old rust-bucket refusing to start last night.”
“She is not a rust-bucket!” I snap. “And yes you did!”
He shakes his head and unlocks the doors, allowing us both to climb inside. Once we’re buckled up, he pulls away from the curbside and I turn the radio to a country music station, because I’m aware he hates it, but he doesn’t change it back. I sing along — badly, as we drive along the highway.
The air con is on full, but despite that, a bead of sweat trickles down my spine. Being so close to him, confined in such a small space, is maddening. I glance sideways at him and remember how I almost jumped his bones last night. How good it felt to have his hard cock rubbing against my pussy as I straddled him. He clears his throat and I wonder if he’s thinking about it too. I glance down at his huge thighs encased in his jeans, almost busting out of the denim as his muscles stretch the fabric taut. Damn! No man has any right to be so freaking fine!
He shifts gear and his knuckles brush the skin of my outer thigh as he does, making my breath catch in my throat and goose-bumps prickle along my arms. He keeps his hand on the shift stick and I edge a tiny bit closer to the center console, as discreetly as I can. All the while I look down at his huge powerful forearm and that sexy Breitling watch he wears, and recall all the times I have held on to that arm while he finger fucked me. The thought sends a rush of wet heat flushing between my thighs. I swallow hard and turn my head to the window. I need to get out of this car before I ask him to pull over and fuck me in the back seat.
“I’ve missed you, Angel,” he says softly, and I turn my head back to him.
“Don’t, Conor,” I say with a sigh.
“Why?” he frowns at me before turning back to the road.
I want to tell him that it doesn’t matter if he missed me because he means nothing to me anymore. But I can’t because I promised him I would never lie to him again, and that would be the biggest whopper in the history of untruths. “Because it doesn’t change anything,” I say instead.
“Did you miss me?”
I turn back to the window and don’t answer. If I admit that I missed him, then it’s only a matter of time before something more happens between us. The tension in the car is so obvious I feel like I can actually see it. The air sizzles with electricity and desire. I’m hyper aware of everything. Our breathing and the way it’s steadily gotten heaver in the past few minutes. I can even hear him licking his lip and I can’t stop the memory of him running his tongue all over my body from overwhelming me. I close my eyes and will him to let this go.
“Jessie!” he snaps and I draw in a deep breath before I turn back to him.
“You know I did, Conor. But things are different now.”
His hand still rests on the shift-stick and he reaches out his finger and strokes it gently across the edge of my knee, sending tiny sparks of electricity shooting straight up my thigh and making me visibly shiver in my seat. “Not everything though?” he growls, and the sound vibrates through my body until it rolls through my abdomen and straight to my pussy.
“No. Not everything,” I breathe and the corners of his mouth pull into a smile before we drive the rest of the way in silence.
Conor insists on helping me to open up once we get to Ray’s bar, and I can’t decide whether I’m annoyed or delighted by this.
“Are you here on your own?” he frowns at me once we’re inside.
“Yeah. Ray will be here at one. We hardly get any customers before then, anyway. And we had a delivery this morning. Ray comes in to take it in but he won’t put it away on account of his bad back,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
“So, he leaves it all for you to put away?” he frowns at the huge stack of boxes near the basement door.
“I’m perfectly capable of hauling some boxes down to the basement.”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean he should just leave it all for you.”
“Well, it’s kind of my job.” I arch an eyebrow at him as I walk to the basement and open the door, propping it ajar with one of the boxes.
Conor puts his keys and his cell on the bar and walks over to me. “Let me help.”
“I’m fine,” I snap.
“For fuck’s sake, Jessie!” he snaps back.
I stand and stare at him with my hands on my hips. His help would let me get the job done in less than half the time. “Fine. Start with that pile over there,” I point to the stack of Bud Light near the jukebox.
I walk down the basement stairs with the first box before leaving it at the bottom. I’m about to head up for the next one when Conor walks down, carrying two at once. Showoff!
“You stay down here and put them away and I’ll bring them down to you?” he suggests.
“Fine,” I roll my eyes. “But once we’ve finished this, you need to leave. Ray won’t be happy if he thinks you’re distracting me.”
“You assume I give a shit what Ray thinks?” he says as he walks up the steps.
“I know that you’re don’t, but I do, Conor. This is my job, and as much as Ray is an asshole, I kind of like it here. So, I need you to leave before he gets in.”
He turns and stops at the top of the stairs. “Dammit, Jessie!” he scowls at me as he bends to pick up a box. “Can you please just-‘
“Conor! Don’t …” I shout, but he’s already headed back down the steps and the door is closing behind him. It slams shut with a loud bang, plunging the basement into darkness.
“Shit!” I hiss as I hear Conor’s footsteps reaching the bottom. He puts the box down by my feet and breathes heavily near my ear.
“Where is the light?” he whispers.
“There isn’t one!”
“What? Why?” panic makes his voice crack.
“Because it shorted a week ago along with the air-con and Ray is too cheap to get someone in to fix it.”
“What the fuck? Then let’s get out of here.” He turns, as if to walk back up the steps but he doesn’t move.
“The door doesn’t open from the inside,” I sigh.
“What?” he breathes and I hear the panic setting into his voice. “That’s fucking illegal or something. It’s a fire hazard.”
“Yeah? Well, Ray’s not really big on health and safety. That’s why I had the box holding open the door, asshole.” I nudge him in the ribs, or at least I assume it’s his ribs, because I can’t see a thing.
“Jessie! We can’t stay in here. There must be a way out,” he says and the fear in his voice is clearly audible now, as well as the labored sound of his breathing, which grows heavier and faster with each passing second.
Shit! I forgot he’s claustrophobic. He hates the dark and confined spaces, and has done ever since he was kidnapped by the Russians almost two years ago and they kept him locked up in a basement.
“Hey,” I reach out, searching for his face and place my hand on his cheek. “Ray will be here in an hour or so. This room is huge. There’s plenty of air down here. We’re going to be fine.”
“We need to get the fuck out of here,” he snarls as he runs up the steps and pushes against the door. Then I hear him trying to kick it open as his breathing becomes increasingly labored.
“Conor. That’s a fire door. It’s not going to open. Please come back down here and sit with me.”
He ignores me and continues pummeling the door. “Conor!” I shout and he stops. The sound of his footsteps signal him coming back down the wooden stairs. I reach for him as soon as I sense him close to me. Running my hands over his chest, his heart hammers beneath my fingertips as his breathing grows faster and heavier. My own heart races too, but for an entirely different reason.
“Conor. Listen to me. We’re going to be fine. Ray will be here soon. Or a customer will come in. And then we can shout for help. Okay?” I say as softly and calmly as I can.
“What if no-one comes?” he gasps for breath.
Shit! He’s about to have a panic attack. “Someone will come. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise,” I say as I slide my hands up to his face. I lean up onto my tiptoes and press my lips softly against his. “We’ll be okay,” I whisper as I keep peppering butterfly kisses over his lips and jaw. I need to distract him, and this is the surest way I know how.
He wraps his arms around my waist, and I press my body close to his. The electricity crackles between us. His heart is still pounding, but his breathing is becoming less erratic. I seal my mouth over his and kiss him softly as my hands move up to his hair and I tug it gently, just the way he likes it, making him groan softly.
I slide one hand to the back of his neck and press his face closer to mine. He seems hesitant at first, still panicking about being trapped in this room. As I slide my tongue into his mouth, I feel the change in him and the growl in his throat vibrates through his whole chest. His hands drop to my ass and he slips his tongue against mine as he walks me backwards. We stumble in the darkness until we come up against the cold concrete wall and as our bodies press together, the heat floods my core.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer to me as he pushes his hard body against mine, pinning me to the wall as he deepens our kiss. I claw at his neck. His kisses are always full of fire and passion, but this is like a raging inferno between us. He devours my mouth like he might never get the chance to taste me again and I melt into him, taking every single thing he has to give as he claims me for his own once more.
Every nerve ending in my body comes alive with electricity and fire as the wet heat sears between my thighs and my body sizzles with the need for him. I reach for his belt, tugging it open before I unzip his fly. Sliding my hand into his jeans, I take hold of his hot, stiff cock and squeeze him.
“Jessie,” he groans. “Don’t start something you can’t finish. Because I need to feel you so bad, Angel, and I won’t be able to stop if we go any further.”
“I need you too, Conor.” I breathe as my heartbeat starts to pound in my ears. “I want to feel you inside me. There’s been no-one else,” I assure him, because we have no condoms down here, and I hope that he can say the same.
“Good, because I’d have no choice but to kill anyone who put his hands on you,” he growls as his hands slide to my sides and he lifts my denim mini up over my hips until it’s bunched around my waist. Then his hand slips between my thighs, and my legs almost buckle as he roughly tugs my panties to the side and slides two fingers through my folds. The warmth floods my core and I experience an intense rush of wetness. I push my hips against his hand and moan loudly. My body remembers his touch so well, and every part of me aches for him. My pussy throbs with need as he glides over my entrance.
“Please, Conor!” I beg and he smiles against my skin.
“I’ve missed this hot, wet pussy, Angel,” he breathes as he slides two fingers deep inside me and the rush of slick heat almost makes me pass out. I cling to him and whimper shamelessly as he fucks me with his skilled fingers. He reaches deep inside, curling the tip of them against my G-spot and causing tremors to vibrate through my stomach and thighs. The wet sound of my arousal echoes around the basement and it makes everything seem even hotter than it already is.
“You hear how wet you are for me, Jessie?” he growls. “I’m going to have to make you come with my fingers first because I am so fucking hard for you, I’m not going to last more than five minutes once I get my cock in you.”
“God, I’ve missed your filthy mouth,” I pant.
“You’re going to get my mouth later. But I might embarrass myself if I taste your pussy right now. I haven’t even jerked off this morning,” he chuckles softly and my insides melt like warm butter at the sound. Not being able to see seems to heighten my other senses. Even the smell of him is driving me crazy. I had forgotten how deliciously intoxicating he was.
“Conor,” I pant as my orgasm builds, pulsing through my thighs and my core. He rubs the pad of his thumb over my clit as he nuzzles my neck and my climax crashes over me like a tsunami. My walls clench around his fingers and my entire body trembles with the intensity of my release.
He sucks gently on my neck as he slides his fingers out, and then he lifts me so I can wrap my shaking legs around his waist. His cock nudges at my opening and I suck the air through my teeth as the tip pushes into my wet heat.
“You want this, Angel?” he growls.
“Yes,” I pant as I claw at his neck and push my hips against him.
With a roll of his hips, he pushes deep inside me and I moan so loudly that it echoes around the basement. He fills me so completely and I’m overwhelmed by the feelings of relief and euphoria that course around my body as the tears roll down my cheeks.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I breathe as he starts to nail me against the wall. I no longer have any defenses against him and realize I was only fooling myself thinking that I had any to begin with. He owns me completely.
“Your pussy feels so fucking good, Jessie,” he groans as he continues pounding me. “It was made for my cock. I am never letting you go again. Do you understand me?”
I don’t answer him. I can’t because I am completely lost in him.
Conor sits on the floor with his back to the wall and his legs outstretched. I’m curled on his lap with his huge arms wrapped around me and I smile in contentment. My hand is on his chest and his heart hammers beneath my fingertips.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
“Better than okay, Angel.”
“Your heart is still pounding.”
“Yeah? But now it’s fuck all to do with being stuck in this basement,” he laughs softly.
“Hmm. That was pretty amazing,” I smile as I snuggle closer against his chest.
“Tell me that wasn’t a goodbye fuck?” he says, his lips pressed against my ear.
“Of course it wasn’t.”
“Come home, Jessie,” he breathes against my hair.
“I can’t,” I whisper.
“Why?”
“Because it’s not the same. I don’t think I could ever feel the same living there. Not after everything that happened. Everything that’s been said.”
He brushes my hair back from my face and presses a kiss against my temple. “He wants you back too.”
A sob catches in my throat. “He doesn’t, Conor. He hates me for what I did to you all.”
“No, he doesn’t. Come home and talk to him.”
“I’m not sure I can face him,” I murmur.
“Then fuck Shane! I need you back home. And aren’t I enough for you Angel?”
I press my face against his neck. “You know that you are.”
“So, come back with me?”
“Stay with me?” I counter.
We’re both saved from answering by the door swinging open, flooding the basement with light once more. “Ryan! What the hell is going on down there?” Ray shouts.
I stand up, brushing the dust from my skirt, and Conor jumps up beside me. “That stupid door closed on me,” I shout back.
Ray peers inside and then his face wrinkles in disgust. “You think you can use my bar as a motel to screw your boyfriends?” he snarls, and Conor rushes past me, running up the stairs in two seconds flat.
“Don’t you ever fucking speak to her like that,” he snarls and Ray steps back as Conor advances on him. I run up the stairs and put my hand on Conor’s shoulder. “Please, don’t,” I whisper against his ear.
“You’re not getting paid for the time you’ve spent down there,” Ray snaps.
I push past Conor and square up to my boss myself. “I have put up with you being cheap, and crass, and condescending for the past six weeks, because I liked this town and this job. But we were just trapped down there for over an hour because of your cheap ass ways, and I will not have you putting your shit on me, Ray. You can take your job and shove it up your fat ass!”
Conor chuckles behind me, but Ray stands there staring at me. His mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. “Okay,” he holds up his hands. “I won’t take it out of your pay.”
“Too late,” I snap as I start to make my way towards the door.
“But, Ryan. Who’ll cover the lunch shift?” he wails, but I am already halfway out the door and Conor is on my heels.
I walk out into the parking lot and blink in the glare of the midday sun. I glance over at my old green mustang with its windows that will only roll part way down, and then at Conor’s shiny SUV, with working air-con and luxury leather seats.
He holds out his hand. “Come home, Angel? Everybody wants you back. They sent me to get you because we couldn’t all take two months off work to find you.”
I look at his outstretched hand.
“Please?” he says.
As I think about the stuff in my apartment, I realize there is nothing there that I need. My cell isn’t even a smartphone. I always travel light — a few clothes and toiletries. Turning away from Conor, I walk over to my Mustang and pop the trunk.
“Jessie!” Conor shouts after me, his dark brown eyes imploring me.
I take the backpack from inside. I’m always ready to move on at a moment’s notice and this bag contains everything I need for a two and a half thousand mile road trip. Hoisting it over my shoulder, I close the trunk.
Conor narrows his eyes as I walk back towards him, as if he’s not quite sure whether I’m about to run. “Come on then, big guy,” I say, nodding towards his car, and his handsome face breaks into a huge grin. He steps closer to me, picks me up in his arms and spins me around, making me giggle. “I love you, Jessie Ryan,” he says before he seals my mouth with a kiss.