Bound by Steel (25 page)

I slip one hand behind Ryker’s neck and pull him down to me. Capturing his lips with mine. The saltiness of my tears mingle with his sweet breath and it’s intoxicating. I can feel his hardness beneath the thick fabric of his jeans. “I want to dance again, Ry. But right now all I want is for my husband to make love to me…”

Chapter Thirty-One

Ryker

I straddle her hips and slip my hands beneath her shirt. Her skin is so soft and smooth. It’s everything I remember and everything I’d forgotten. I slowly glide my knuckles over her taut stomach and watch goosebumps spread across the smooth surface. Revealing she’s still addicted to my touch. Mine.

I have a sudden need to have her hands all over me, so I take off my shirt and throw it on the floor. Leaning on my elbows, I kiss the base of her throat and my cock thickens at the moan she makes. So damn sexy. “Ryker, take your clothes off. Please.” I smile when her slippers tumble to the floor.

“Not until I strip you bare first, Bella. Then I’m going to take my time so I can worship every inch of your gorgeous body. First with my hands and then with my mouth. And once you’re screaming my name, I will give you what you need. Tell me what that is, Bella. I want to hear you say it.”

“I want your cock filling me until all I can feel is you moving inside of me.” Good answer!

Her eyes flutter closed when I slide her shirt over her head. And she sucks in a breath as I place it over her eyes. “Don’t peek, Bell. I want you to feel me. Every touch, every kiss until I can smell how much you want me. Understood?”

“Yes. God, yes.”

“That’s my girl.” She arches her back when I reach around to unfasten her bra. So eager to please. Instantly, her nipples pebble and ache for my attention. I am only too happy to oblige. My mouth seeks one hardened bud while I pinch the other between my thumb and forefinger. Which elicits a sexy moan from my wife. God, I can’t say it enough. My wife. I flick my tongue, bite and suck until she’s squirming beneath me.

“Ryker, please! I need you…”

“I’m not done with you yet, Bella. In fact, I’ve only just begun. Tonight, I’m going to make you come for every year we’ve been apart. And when I slip inside of you we will come together. I’ve waited so long for this night, precious. Nothing will stand in my way.”

Since her shirt is covering her eyes, it’s hard for me to see what she’s thinking. Until I notice unrelenting tears gliding down her temples only to vanish inside her thick blonde locks. I know she’s biting her bottom lip to stifle back a sob and it tugs at my heart. I want her to be happy, not sad. “Bell, don’t cry. I…”

I’m torn when she throws her shirt on the floor and locks eyes with mine. “You knew, didn’t you?” I must look confused because her next words hit me right in the face. “You knew it was me when I was at the cabin. Didn’t you? You knew and I didn’t. Oh god, Ryker. Oh god, oh god, oh god!” She’s becoming hysterical and for once I don’t know what to do.

“Shh, baby. Come here.” I lie down beside her and pull her into me. Her heart’s racing against my chest and I just want to hold her. Comfort her. Try and convince her that everything’s fine. “I suspected it was you, Bella. But I hate to admit in the very beginning I wasn’t sure. All of your identification stated that you were Lyra. So how the hell was I supposed to refute all the evidence? I thought clearly you would have recognized me, even with my contacts and beard. And when you didn’t, I figured fate was just a cruel bitch because you looked exactly like my dead wife.”

Her breath catches in her throat before she asks the question I’ve dreaded. “So when did you know for sure it was me?”

How do I answer this question without sounding too flippant? I lift her chin with my two fingers so I can see her reaction. When I have her undivided attention, I proceed. “Remember the first time I parted your thighs?” She nods but clearly doesn’t know where I’m heading with this. “Well, that’s when I noticed the heart-shaped birthmark on your…”

She clamps her hand over her mouth when she realizes what I’m about to say. “And I told you not to stop because it felt so good. You knew it was me… And, oh god that was the time I called you Ry and you left right before…”

“Yeah, but the best part was the next day when I threw you over my shoulder, carried you upstairs and had my way with you. I can’t believe you thought it was because I wasn’t ‘feeling it’.” She smiles and when she does, I don’t want to talk anymore. I want to make love to my wife, over and over again until the day I die. Or I’m too exhausted to think. Whichever comes first. She must see the hunger in my eyes because when her hand touches my cheek, her mouth covers mine. Long and slow until I feel her tongue curl around mine and I’m on fire.

“I want you Ryker. Please, don’t make me beg.”

I quiet her by nipping on her bottom lip and then tug on it with my teeth until she’s moaning beneath me. My lips and hands have a mind of their own as they explore every inch of her exquisite body. By the time I’ve tugged off her jeans, panties and all, I can smell her intoxicating scent waiting for my pleasure. My desire is uncontrollable, but I need to take it slow because this will be a night we will remember for the rest of our lives. A reunion that’s been years in the making.

I quickly undress and place myself between her silky thighs. Missionary. It’s the only position I was afraid to implement back at the cabin for fear she would recognize me. Bella moans and opens wider for me to slip inside. But I don’t. Instead, I just stare into her lustful eyes and get lost. Not only do I want to remember this moment, I want to absorb it. Soak up every second, every minute until it’s permanently ingrained into my memory. Forever. Because this was never supposed to be, yet she’s right here with me and she remembers. Everything…

“I love you so much, Isabella. And I am going to spend every day of my life proving to you just how much.”

Bella

My heart feels like it’s going to burst at the seams. Words just aren’t enough to convey how much I love this man. My husband. “Make love to me, Ryker. Please. I’ve waited so long for you and I don’t want to wait another second.” When I stare into his beautiful blue eyes, a feeling of peace mends my soul. What once was broken is now whole because of Lyra. My twin. I will explain everything to Ryker and I hope he will forgive me, but for now I just want to feel him. To love him. And, most importantly, to give myself completely to him.

“I wanted to savor you, Bella. Like a fine wine. But I understand your need because it matches my own. So we’ll make love and tomorrow I will fuck you until you’ve forgotten your own name.”

Yes, oh god yes. His dirty mouth sets me on fire. Right now all I want is for him to fill me up so I can’t think or breathe. I’m panting by the time his hands twine with mine as he brings them over my head. Stretching me to the max as I feel the tip of his cock teasing my slick entrance. I want to slide down his length but I can’t because he’s taking control. His gaze never wavers as he slowly and wickedly inches his way inside of me. He hisses out a sexy moan when he’s filled me to the hilt. And I whimper every time he pulls out completely and then fills me up again with his thick, hard cock. Over and over again until my legs tremble and my back arches and I want more, more, more, more! “Ry, I need to come. Pleasssseee…” When his mouth latches onto my nipple and he sucks hard, I’m just about there. The flicking of his tongue and the tightening in my core sends ripples directly to my clit.

“Not yet. I want to come with you, precious.” I’m mesmerized as I watch his back flex and his hips piston with every long thrust. And I have the sudden urge to lick the fine sheen of sweat that suddenly appears. My breasts are now heavy and tender from all of his sucking. God, I want to come. Desperately. Ryker suddenly lets go of my left hand and lifts my leg so he can go deeper. Oh, fuck!

“I want to hear you scream my name, Bella. Now!”

Our bodies are in such sync that I obey his every command. I clench around his steel cock and scream, “Rykeeerrrr, I’m coming…” When his mouth crashes into mine, I feel his seed spill inside of me. Spurt after spurt of hot cum filling me, sending us both spiraling out of control. Our moans are now lost in a sea of swirling and tangled tongues. His hands are possessing, controlling, dominating. I’m finally home where I belong…

My heart skips a beat when he pulls away and glides his thumbs along my swollen lips. Ryker looks so damn sexy and sated that I want to curl myself around him and never let him go. I can’t stop staring at him. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on. The silence is comfortable as we just take each other in. Both of us thankful that we’ve somehow found our way back to one another. “Do you know how much I love you, Ryker?” I love the way his lips curl into a sexy grin before he kisses the corner of my mouth. Ah, hell’s bells. Now I’ve just turned into a puddle of mush…

“I think I might, Bell. But if you want to tell me, I’d love to hear it.” His gorgeous blue eyes are caught up with mine, waiting.

“I loved you back at the cabin when you saved my life. When I thought I was Lyra. Apparently my heart and soul knew long before I did that you were already mine. I felt a familiarity. A connection. It pulled me in and wouldn’t let go no matter how hard I tried to fight it. You felt it too. I know you did. Long before you had proof that it was really me. It’s true, we are two bodies with one soul and that’s how much I love you.”

“I will never take one more day for granted, precious. Never. I am beyond thankful that you remember me and I will spend eternity trying to be the best husband I can possibly be. I love you, Bella Steel. You have saved me in more ways than you can imagine.” He leaves a tender kiss on my lips before getting out of bed. Leaving me cold and empty. But I don’t have time to miss him too much when he returns with a warm cloth to clean me up. Once he’s finished he crawls into bed, pulls the covers over us, and holds me close. There’s no place else I’d rather be.

I long to tell him the truth but I’m scared. What will he think when he finds out Lyra was my twin and I let her assume my identity? And that one time cost her her life. Now I have to tell Ryker the truth and Mr. and Mrs. Harper that their daughter’s dead and I’m very much alive. I can’t even begin to imagine the repercussions that all of this will have on everyone’s lives. As happy as I am, I can’t forget that there’s a dark cloud hanging over me. The sooner I get it over with, the better it will be.

“Would you like to talk now, precious, or save it for tomorrow?”

God, I swear he can read my thoughts. I don’t ever remember being as nervous as I am right now. Not even when I was up on stage, dancing to a sold-out crowd. Or a standing ovation. My sister’s dead because of me and I need to get it off my chest before it eats away at me. So taking a deep breath I begin to tell Ryker everything from the beginning. Hopefully, he’ll understand. “I’m sure you probably have put two and two together by now and figured out that Lyra was my twin. Both of us were put in foster care at the age of two. Unfortunately, a lot of couples didn’t want to take on the responsibility of two children, so we were separated. I had already been chosen by the Bennets when Mr. and Mrs. Harper chose Lyra a few months later. And they legally adopted her when she was six. Apparently, neither family knew their daughter had a twin.

“You already know my story so I won’t bore you with the details. Anyway, one night after a show I was in the restroom and Lyra appeared in the mirror beside me. Both of us were shocked. Obviously, we were too young to remember one another. It was so surreal to look at someone and see yourself staring back. We went for coffee and talked until the sun came up that morning. After that, there was no doubt in our minds that we were sisters. So we agreed to go for a blood test just to have proof. I’m sorry I never told you about her, Ryker. I don’t know why I was afraid to tell you, but I was.

“Not long after we found out we were twins, Mrs. Harper called and wanted to interview me after a show. Lyra and I thought it would be fun to play a trick on her and pretend to be me. So I coached her on every question I thought her mom would ask me. And when the night finally arrived, we changed into each other’s clothes, swapped purses and off she went. All I can remember is watching her cross the street with a cat-ate-the-canary-grin, like she pulled it off. Then a car came barreling out of nowhere and that’s the last thing I remembered until today…”

Chapter Thirty-Two

August

Ryker

I was hoping when Bella and I returned from New York that everything would be different. Unfortunately, my source turned out to be a dead end and I’ve had several conversations with Mrs. Harper to no avail. So, it’s time for me to pull out the big guns. She won’t like it but I really don’t give a shit. I’m meeting with her tomorrow morning at ten. It’s time for me to show my hand and time for her to fold.

Sadly, Bella’s been pretending like nothing’s changed. She continues to go to work every day and comes home to me at night. And more often than not, we skip dinner and feast on one another. We have a lot of years to make up for and I’m only too happy to oblige. But it’s taking a toll on her whether she wants to admit it or not. And I know after seeing her ballet shoes, she’s desperate to start dancing again. Not professionally, but for her own peace of mind. It might be impossible for us to let the world know she’s still alive, but the Harpers have a right to know their daughter’s dead.

Cody’s so used to our comings and goings by now, she doesn’t even stir when Bella comes crashing through the door. “This has been the day from hell and it just keeps getting worse!” I’m motionless as she storms into the living room and throws her phone on the couch.

“Bad day, precious?” Had she still been clutching her phone, I would have never asked her that question. But seeing it tits up on the sofa, I have no fear. Unfortunately, I forget about her purse as it comes sailing through the air. Aimed straight for my face. Hey, I know firsthand how much shit she carries in there, so I duck. Phew, just in the nick of time. Until I foolishly stand up only to be hit in the chest by one of her three-inch heels. “What the fuck has you all riled up, woman?”