The Librarian Principle (39 page)

Marissa came in as Liese was walking out the door the following morning.

“Have fun?” Liese tried to keep a lid on the snark.

“No, he’s so boring.” Marissa unzipped her coat to display a man’s shirt and too-big jogging pants. “And his penis is too small.”

“What? Yuck! Why would you tell me that?” Liese covered her eyes, as if that could prevent the image that sprang to mind.

“Oh, relax. I’m kidding, on both fronts. That man is amazingly cool, and his piece is fantastic.” She held up her hands and demonstrated his approximate size. “I wanted to ride it all night long.” She added an obscene thrusting motion with her hips.

“Great, thanks. That was more than I needed.”

“Oh, really? Kind of like I needed to know you’re into bondage?”

“I’m not into—”

“Whatever, Miss Spanks-a-lot.”

Liese sputtered an attempted denial, but Marissa waved her off. “I’m joking. Well, not really, but I don’t care if you’re into the kinky shit. I love you just the way you are.” She pulled Liese into a hug. “Blake said he’d drive you to work; he’s waiting out there for you.”

“Oh, wow, that’s uh . . . kind of weird.” She peered out her front door at Blake parked in her driveway.

“You think?” Marissa asked. “You were friends before I started boning him, and you still are, right? So why wouldn’t he give you a ride to work?”

“Did you just use the word
boning
?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you? A sixteen-year-old boy?”

“Not sophisticated enough for you since you’re being plundered by your principal?”

“Plundered? Okay, I need to go before this conversation degrades further.” Liese gave Marissa a quick kiss on the cheek. “Call me when you get home?”

“Of course, and thanks for the good times.” Marissa punctuated the statement with an eyebrow wag.

“I’m not taking the bait.”

“I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll see you on Christmas day for dinner?” Liese asked as Marissa helped her into her coat.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she replied and sent Liese out into the cold December morning.

Once settled in the car, Liese realized there were two distinct advantages to catching a ride to work with Blake: the vehicle was already toasty warm, and he stopped to buy her coffee. Surprisingly, the conversation between them flowed, even though he’d been
boning
her best friend the night before. Liese tried not to think about that.

They strolled into the building, neither in a particular hurry as half the school population had already left for the holidays. At FAHL, affluence was the norm, which meant students went on luxury vacations to beautiful destinations she could never hope to afford.

Liese occupied her time by organizing her already organized office and searching for gifts online, trying not to watch the clock. Before she left for home, Blake caught up to her and suggested they join the usual crew for a holiday drink at the local bar. Ryder wasn’t expected to arrive until five, so Liese decided it would be the perfect way to kill a couple of hours. Two glasses of wine later, Blake dropped her off at home, and she had just enough time to freshen up before the doorbell rang.

She sprinted down the stairs and threw open the door to find a very sexy Ryder standing on her front porch. The warm, languid feeling incited by the wine fueled her longing for him. Now that they were alone, she had no reason not to give in.

She grabbed his tie and yanked him inside, slamming the door behind him. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.” He embraced her and dropped his head into the crook of her neck, his lips pressed against her skin. “I missed you.”

Liese made a noise that came out sounding more like a moan than a word.

“Is that right?” Ryder teased as his lips moved across the edge of her jaw to her mouth. She nipped at him, hunger winning out over slow and sensual.

“Someone’s impatient.” He chuckled.

Liese took the opportunity to unbutton his thick wool coat.

“We have all night,” he pointed out. “All week, in fact, and the one after that. So what’s the rush?” He remained passive as she continued on her quest to rid him of clothing.

She pushed his coat over his shoulders. “Well, we have all night. But I believe my parents will be arriving sometime tomorrow. So why not get started now?”

“I thought it might be a good idea to talk first, before we get too carried away. As you’ve mentioned, there are important details to discuss—such as your parents coming to visit.”

“I’m already carried away.” Liese fisted his tie and pulled his mouth down to hers. She kissed him fiercely, parting his lips with her tongue. He met her stroke for stroke, taking control of the kiss until she was limp in his arms. She had no idea how he managed to turn things around so he was always the one holding the power.

Ryder forced her backward until she met the wall behind her. She used it to her advantage, holding him close and dragging her foot up his calf. Liese felt his erection, hard and straining beneath his dress pants. She helped him out of his suit jacket, letting it drop to the floor. She had no intention of doing anything that resembled talking, unless it included dirty words. Before Ryder could protest, she unclasped his belt buckle and pulled the leather through the loops. He snatched the belt from her hand, and it snapped out and hit her thigh with a heavy smack.

She sucked in a shocked breath. They both paused, eyes meeting as they gasped for air. Liese looked at the belt and filtered through the possibilities of what he might do with it. She looked up at Ryder, and he laughed.

With an arm around her waist, he spun her to face the wall. She splayed her hands, bracing herself as he pressed into her; she needed his hands on her, his body against hers. If he wanted to use the belt as foreplay, she could live with that. She might even like it. Just as long as he ended up naked.

Ryder’s palm moved down her side and came to rest on her hip. With his free hand, he twisted her hair up, exposing her neck. She felt the warmth of his breath on her skin, then the soft press of his lips as his tongue swept out to taste her. She arched into him, and he pressed back, his erection hard against the small of her back.

Suddenly she felt the sharp sting of his teeth as he bit down hard enough to make her gasp. With quiet suction he released her skin and stepped away.

Rough hands found the hem of her skirt, hiking up the fabric until it bunched around her waist. Ryder popped her hips out, much like he had the first time they’d been together, except there was no desk for her to lean on.

“Is this what you were waiting for?” Ryder asked. A seductive taunt.

“It sure is.” Liese craned her neck to get a glimpse of him.

A loud smack ricocheted around the hallway as his hand connected with her ass. Ryder followed the spank with the press of his palm. He repeated the action several times, until she was trembling. She heard the rustle of his shirt, followed by the clink of buttons as it hit the floor. All her senses felt magnified, her breath loud in her ears.

She jumped at the sound of leather snapping against leather, but before she could voice her uncertainty, it bit her skin. A pleasurable sting remained in its wake, particularly as Ryder pressed his hand against the tender flesh, the hot burn tempered by his touch. He issued several more quick flicks across her ass, each one eliciting a quiet moan from her.

“Fuck it,” Ryder ground out, his voice thick with want.

He turned her to face him and fumbled with her skirt, cursing under his breath as he tore the button free. The zipper snagged on the way down, and in his impatience Ryder ripped it from the seam, leaving a gaping hole behind.

He issued a not-so-sincere apology as he dragged the fabric over the swell of her hips. It fell to the floor and pooled around her ankles. His palms flattened on the back of her thighs, below the curve of her ass. Liese braced her hands on his shoulders and jumped as he lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist.

She remained sandwiched between Ryder and the wall, the thick length of his erection hidden in his pants, but their current position did not make further clothing removal easy. Liese looked to her right, and Ryder followed
to see the side table a mere three feet away.

Understanding lit his features, and he tightened his grip on her thighs. Liese took the silent directive and hooked her feet at the ankles, squeezing her legs more firmly together. A few steps over and her bottom met the table. She leaned to the side and shoved her keys and mail out from under her, sending them clattering to the floor. The table creaked with her weight.

“I’ll buy a new one if we break it,” Ryder said as he shoved his pants and boxers down his thighs.

“I’ll hold you to that; I like this table.” Liese ran her hands down his chest, her eyes following the path until they rested on the erection jutting toward her.

Ryder braced one hand on either side of her, kicking his foot until his pant leg came free. He stepped on it, pulling his other foot loose.

Liese traced a line down the length of his shaft. “Is someone a little impatient?” she teased. She closed her fist around his cock and gave it a long, slow stroke.

“And it’s entirely your fault.”

His hands went to her thighs, inching inward to graze the juncture with his thumbs. Liese bit her lip, eyes fluttering closed as he swept a knuckle over her. It wasn’t enough, though. With more aggression than she’d intended, Liese slapped his hand away. “Fuck your fingers, I want you.” She stroked roughly, drawing him closer.

Ryder groaned and watched as she pressed the tip of his cock against her clit in firm, deliberate circles. He covered her hand with his own and guided his erection lower. He hooked his arms under her knees, setting Liese off balance so her head and shoulders thudded softly against the wall, then pushed inside.

The tension in his body and the dark expression on his face guaranteed she was in for one hell of a ride. She laced her fingers around the back of his neck. Ryder had her spread and opened for him, his eyes trained on where they were joined. He reared back, leaving her empty for a suspended moment only to surge forward again.

He pulled Liese closer, her ass perched at the edge of the small table. Buried deep inside her, he stilled, his breath leaving him in heavy, measured bursts, as if he were trying to regain control. On the next retreat he released one of her legs to wrap an arm around her waist, leaning into her until they were chest to chest.

He kissed her jaw and nuzzled into her throat. “God, I love you.”

Liese froze as Ryder’s head jerked up, his panic trumping her shock.

“I—I didn’t...” he stammered, his arm tightening around her waist. “Damn it. This wasn’t the way I had envisioned that particular revelation.”

“You mean you didn’t anticipate dropping the L-bomb while we have sex in my hallway?”

“Sort of sucks the romance out of the sentiment.”

Liese shifted her hips, a reminder he was still inside her. “I think it’s perfectly romantic.”

“I should point out that I believe your idea of romanticism is likely skewed.”

Liese squeezed her thighs around his waist. “I would’ve thought that was evident when you discovered my folder of porn.”

Ryder’s lips parted, eyes glazing, and in a particularly volatile burst of lust, he retreated only to push back into her with such force that the table knocked against the wall. She held onto his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin as he fucked her senseless.

Soon the onslaught of an orgasm threatened, and she gasped his name in warning.

He grunted out an acknowledgement but didn’t slow his quest to reach his own end, his focus singular and driven by a need she knew well.

“I love—” Liese didn’t have a chance to finish her own admission. The wave of sensation overtook her, erasing all thought as she succumbed to it. She heard a loud crack and felt herself being lifted up as the legs of the table finally gave out. In one swift motion, Ryder had her braced against the wall.

She looked at him, his eyes brimming with emotion so intense she thought she might drown. With trembling fingers she touched his face. “Ryder, I l—”

The sound of the front door opening stopped her midsentence. “Lee-lee, we’re here early!”