Kristen Ashley - Raid

We held each other’s eyes.

This went on a good, long while as my mind turned over what he said, everything he said, and a lot of things he didn’t say.

I had to admit, all of it made sense. It was his sense because Raiden had untwisted some scary, twisted stuff and forced it to make sense, but he did it in a way that it even made sense to me.

It was what he didn’t say that penetrated, dug deep and settled with the intention of staying awhile.

Maybe forever.

As I thought this he watched my face, and I knew he knew when he sat back and ordered quietly, “Now, Hanna, come here.”

I didn’t decide to do it. I couldn’t actually believe I was doing it even as I did it.

I let my legs go, curled them under me, put my hands to the empty seat between us and crawled his way.

The instant I got close he leaned toward me and his arms sliced around me so tight my breath constricted. He hauled me to him, his hand at the back of my head forcing my face in his neck and I felt him bury his in mine.

“Jesus, fuck,” he whispered, relief dripping heavy in those two words.

I closed my eyes, and again I didn’t decide to do it, but still my arms shoved into the cushions of the couch so they could round him.

He shoved his face further in my neck and squeezed tight.

I let this continue because he needed it, and maybe I needed it. Then I couldn’t let it continue because I didn’t need to pass out.

“Raiden, I’m finding it hard to breathe,” I rasped.

His arm loosened.

“Are you with me?” he asked my neck.

Oh boy.

Oh God.

Heck.

“Yes,” my mouth decided for me.

His hand in my hair fisted and he repeated, “Jesus, fuck.”

Grams was right. She always was.

Raiden was dangerous.

And I knew I shouldn’t. She warned me to be careful.

But for some reason I didn’t understand I couldn’t stop myself from being that woman who tried to withstand hellfire.

No.

I knew the reason.

It was because I wanted to know nothing for the rest of my life sweeter than the love Raiden could have for me.

It was also more.

I wanted him to know nothing for the rest of his sweeter than what I could give him.

“I think I’m in trouble,” I told his neck.

“That feeling will fade,” he told mine.

“I think I’m scared,” I kept going.

“That’ll fade too.”

“Just saying, you might be in a little bit of trouble, too.”

His head came up, his fist loosened in my hair so mine could go back and he caught my eyes.

His were still amazing.

The relief in them was not hidden.

He’d been worried.

Raiden Miller was so totally into me.

God.

Grams was so totally right.

How did this happen?

“How am I in trouble?” he asked.

I didn’t tell him what he knew, but obviously, from what he said, refused to do anything about.

That he was damaged and he needed fixing.

I also didn’t tell him I was going to do it.

I wasn’t going to do it because he was Raiden Ulysses Miller, a beautiful boy that turned into a gorgeous man I’d been crushing on for forever.

No, I was going to do it because he was Raiden, a gentleman, a hero. A man who, as a boy, went through terrible things and came out amazing because that was just who he was and he deserved someone who cared enough to put the effort in to fix him.

I didn’t want to change him. What he did was who he was and however that progressed I knew he was the kind of man that I would have to leave that alone.

That would be up to him.

But I was going to right the damage because I cared enough to put the effort in.

Instead, I told him, “I’m totally Peggy Sue, Raiden, and you do what you do and obviously you intend to keep doing it, but you should know I’m going to ignore that and keep right on being Peggy Sue.”

“Thank fuck,” he replied so immediately I blinked.

“Sorry?”

“You gotta know my work because you gotta know me,” he explained. “Now you know it. But from now on, it doesn’t touch you. So you keep bein’ you because that’s you but also because that’s exactly what drew me to you, baby.” He grinned. “That and your long-ass legs and that sweet ass, and, bein’ honest, your great tits and fantastic fuckin’ hair.” I rolled my eyes, his grin got bigger and he kept talking. “But, back on track, bottom line, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

I liked that. All of it, including the stuff about my legs, booty and the rest.

So I smiled.

Then I relaxed.

Raiden felt it.

And I felt him relax.

Then he wasted no further time and kissed me.

It was nice, but too short.

I would know why when he broke it, looked me in the eyes and stated, “Now that’s done, time for a tour of your house. A tour that’s gonna end in your bedroom.”

His words made me shiver.

I was about to have sex with an amazingly gorgeous, criminal underworld bounty hunter with questionable ethics that at least made sense to him, even if they didn’t entirely make sense to me. He was dangerous. He was damaged. He was into me. I instinctively knew this was not the end of my world shifting because Raiden Ulysses Miller entered it.

And still…

I could not wait.

The tour of my house didn’t last long, and as Raiden said, it ended in the bedroom.

It lasted long enough that by the time we got there my breasts had swelled and my legs were trembling so much I didn’t know how I stayed standing.

That didn’t mean I didn’t watch closely as he entered my room. I was unbelievably gratified when he took in my intricately scrolled white iron bed; the frills, the flowers, the pastel pinks, blues and greens, and I saw his face get soft. His lips quirked and I knew he liked it.

I definitely knew I liked Raiden in my room and this did have to do with the fact that I spent a fair amount of time imagining him right there.

And there he was.

Right there.

I enjoyed this feeling for a second before he took my hand and led me to the bed, then I was back to concentrating on my breasts swelling and my legs trembling so badly I found it hard to stay upright.

Once we got to the bed, though, he did something strange.

He sat on the side, opened his legs and pulled me between them, but then he let my hand go and both of his spanned my hips in a firm way that said without words I was to stay right there.

I stayed right there.

He tipped his head back to look at me.

“Downstairs, you made a decision,” he stated quietly, and my breath started to quicken.

He was very right. I did.

I nodded.

“I know it freaked you, baby, but I hope you come to understand what I gave you downstairs was a gift that, in giving, means a fuckuva lot to me.”

I could see that already so I nodded again.

He took in my nod, nodded back once and the pads of his fingers dug into my hips.

“I trusted you with that, Hanna. No one but the people I work with knows that shit about me. Not my Mom, my sister, not anybody.”

“I won’t say anything,” I assured hm.

“I gotta trust that, honey.”

This was big. I understood why, so to make my point my hands covered his at my hips and I whispered, “You can.”

Raiden studied me.

Then he said, “Okay.”

I let out a deep breath.

His hands slid up to my waist and his eyes held mine. “Now, you’ve had a lot happen. You’re learnin’ some serious shit and this is goin’ fast for you, but even so I’m gonna ask you to take more.”

Oh boy.

“Okay,” I replied but it was hesitant.

“Last night, you got off on what we did. I get who you are, where you come from, but you let yourself go with me and I loved that, every second. I’m gonna trust you with what I gave you downstairs and take it from you that since I’m sittin’ on your bed, you took that from me and still trust me. But I need you to trust it all to me.”

I was again confused. “Trust all what to you?”

“This,” his hands slid up to my ribs and tightened. “You. All of you. I want you to trust it all to me.”

I was right.

Oh boy.

“Raiden—”

“I like to play.”

I shut my mouth.

“You got a hint of that last night,” he went on.

A hint?

Oh God.

“Yeah?” he prompted.

Oh yeah, I got it, but I didn’t know it was a hint.

Still, I nodded.

“And you got off on it,” he noted.

I so did.

I nodded again.

“I wanna give you more.”

Oh my God.

My legs again got weak, and my hands that had dropped from his when his moved lifted to hold onto his shoulders.

“Which means you’re gonna take more,” he continued.

Oh my God.

“And you’re gonna give more to me,” he kept going.

I started breathing heavily.

“But anything I do, anything I ask you to do, it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t turn you on, no matter how deep we are in it, Hanna, you say the word ‘solitaire’ and we switch it up, find somethin’ we both enjoy that gets us both off.”

I knew what he was saying. I’d heard about it.

He was talking about a safe word.

Which meant when he said he liked to play, he meant he liked to play.

Even as my breath came faster and my stomach clutched I still felt my nipples tingle and heat start to pound between my legs.

“You with me?” he asked.

I never expected this. I never even thought about it. It didn’t occur to me I’d have to make this decision, much less make it with Raiden Miller.

Still, I didn’t hesitate before I breathed, “Yes.”

His fingers at my ribs dug in again and his voice got rough and commanding when he said, “Hear me, Hanna, you don’t like what we’re doin’, you stop it. I got what I got from you last night, honey, and I did not lie. It was fuckin’ phenomenal, so I push you to an edge you don’t wanna go over, you put a stop to things. I know what’s standin’ in front of me and I want it just like it is, however that comes. We explore, I’ll be happy. But if I get nothin’ beyond what you gave me last night, this will make me far from unhappy. Right?”

I nodded but it was tentative.

Raiden didn’t miss it. “Baby—”

“I’m Peggy Sue,” I whispered and his lips turned up.

“No down-to-her-bones-Peggy Sue gets her freak on like you did last night, honey.”

I had to admit, this was true.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, and my fingers tensed into the muscles at his shoulders.

“Yes.”

“Then trust it all to me.”

I swallowed before I licked my lips, rubbed them together and stared at him.

A handsome man.

A dangerous man.

A damaged man I intended to fix.

On those thoughts, determination stole up my spine and I again nodded.

His fingers dug deep as his eyes started burning and he growled, “Fuck.”

Raiden was pleased.

Oh God.

His hand slid back down to my hips and his voice was deeper when he said, “Right. Now, Hanna, take off your clothes.”

Oh.

God.

Suddenly that determination in my spine didn’t feel so determined.

I sucked it up, started to take a step back but his fingers flexed and I stopped.

“Right there, honey,” he instructed, and I was a bit confused.

I was standing between his spread legs. There wasn’t a lot of room to move.

Still, I went for it. I put my hands in the hem of my t-shirt, whipped it off and threw it to the floor.

“Slow,” Raiden ordered and I bit my lip.

Okay, I could do that.

Or maybe I could.

Even as my fingers went to the button on my shorts his hands didn’t move from my hips, so when I slid down the zipper and, holding his heated eyes, very slowly glided them over my hips, I pulled them out from under his hands, but they stayed right where they were.

My shorts fell to my feet. I shifted from one foot to the other, getting them off and kicking them behind me.

His eyes never leaving mine, Raiden demanded, “Your bra now, baby.”

Okay. Oh boy.

Um…