“Yep,” he replies cheerily, jumping up on the counter and sitting. “I told her you were upset and turning to the bottle so I couldn’t just leave you there. I was being a good friend.”
“Does Jo know you went there?” Faye asks, glancing between the two of us. “You two are hilarious by the way, like an old married couple.”
“So, like you and Sin,” I fire back, moving out of the way of her swatting hand.
“Sin and I are not old. We’re a hot, young married couple.”
“Uh-huh,” Talon says, grinning. “We’re going to Rift and you’re coming.”
“So I’ve heard,” I say, saying ’bye to Faye and following Talon to the front.
I’ll help Arrow with whatever he needs, then go to Jo’s house.
I miss her.
And I hope my telling Elizabeth makes Jo feel better about being with me.
THIRTY
Johanna
“SO how did she take it?” I ask Ranger.
“She was upset, but she’ll be fine,” he says, squeezing his arms around me when I try to move off his lap. “There is no avoiding upsetting her, Jo. I’m never going to be with her, no matter the circumstances, whether you’re in the picture or not. I don’t feel that way about her. Yes, I care about her; no, I don’t want to be with her. We’ve been through this. It will all get better in time, we just have to hold on, all right?”
I let his words penetrate, but it still doesn’t take away the pain and guilt that I’m contributing to my own cousin’s unhappiness right now.
“All right,” I reply, burying my face in his chest. “Why does everything have to be so complicated?”
With Travis’s words still in my head, and the fact that he’s pretty much giving me the silent treatment, everything is really starting to pile on my shoulders. I can feel Travis’s disappointment in me every time I’m near him, and although I don’t think his judgment is fair, it still hurts to get the cold shoulder from him. Where’s the support? Or at least “You’re an idiot, but I’ll have your back anyway because it’s you who has to live with your decisions.” Anything other than what I’m getting from him.
“Everyone has their little bumps in the road,” Ranger says, then mutters, “At least that’s what I’ve heard. But at least ours has nothing to do with our relationship with each other; it’s just outside things that are giving us hell.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier,” I groan, lifting my face up and placing my hands on his stubbled cheeks. “When are we going to tell her that it’s me?”
“I don’t know, Jo. It’s your call. I’ll listen to you on this,” he says, resting his forehead against mine. “I love you. I don’t care what else happens, but I don’t want to lose you.”
My eyes widen as I hear him say those three words for the first time. It’s the first time a man other than my father has said them to me. I swallow hard and look him right in the eye.
“I love you too, Ranger,” I say, smiling, bending forward to kiss his lips. I close my eyes, just enjoying the moment, feeling it.
He loves me.
And it feels good to say those words out loud to him; no matter how crazy they may seem, they’re the truth.
“You better,” he says as he ends the kiss, smiling against my lips.
I pull out his hair from the ponytail and run my fingers through it. “You love me?”
“I do,” he says, slamming his lips down on mine, kissing me with a passion that matches his words. He stands with me in his arms and carries me to my room. I love the way he lifts me as if I weigh nothing, how big and strong he is. He makes me feel so feminine, which is a difficult feat in my career. He puts me down, my feet hitting the carpet in my bedroom, then helps me undress until I’m completely naked. I help him do the same, then get down on my knees and take his hard cock into my hands. He looks down at me, eyes dark and heavy-lidded, watching my every move as I stroke him a few times and then take the head of his cock into my mouth. I suck it, then take it out and lick it with my tongue, teasing him a little before sliding as much as I can of him into my mouth and then back out again. I hold the base of him in my left hand, even though my hand doesn’t close around him, and suck up and down, hollowing my cheeks.
“Fuck, Jo,” he whispers, tangling his hands in my hair and gently tugging on the short strands. “Yes, just like that.”
I keep at it, sliding my mouth up and down, until my jaw starts to hurt, so I use my hand for a few pumps, giving my mouth a little break. I lick the underneath of him, from base to tip, then slide him back inside and suck. He makes a sound in the back of his throat that has me sucking him in deeper, until my gag reflex kicks in and I pull him out. I’m about to suck him into my mouth once more when he lifts me up by my arms and pushes me back onto the bed. He spreads my thighs and then his mouth is on me. I’m already wet, I know it, being turned on from giving him head, and when he licks my clit I lift my hips up to him, eager for more. He grips my thighs with his hands and pins me to the mattress, his talented tongue making me moan and make noises I’d never make if I was in control of my own body right now.
“Ranger,” I beg, wanting to come so badly. He sucks on my clit, which sends me over the edge, my hands gripping the sheets, my nails digging into them as the orgasm consumes everything in me. I’m still lost in pleasure when he slides into me, bracing himself on top of me, his lips now on mine, his body bringing me more pleasure than I’ve ever known. I run my hands down his back, feeling his muscles work with each thrust, raising my hips to meet his. In a quick move he pulls out of me and turns me over onto my stomach, sliding into me from behind. I push up on my knees and groan as he reaches his hand over to play with one nipple, then the other, cupping and squeezing my breasts with delicious pressure. His hand then moves to my clit, where he starts to rub in a gentle circular motion that has me biting down on the pillow in front of me.
“You are so fuckin’ perfect for me,” he grits out, kissing the middle of my spine. “You’re mine, Jo.”
I’m unable to speak at this point, and I hear his deep chuckle when he realizes as much.
“Tell me when you’re going to come,” he says, kissing my neck. His lips move to my ear as he whispers, “I want to come with you.”
He’s kissing down my jawline when I tell him, “Now, I’m going to come now.”
“Thank fuck,” he groans, placing his hand on my nape and squeezing gently as he finishes. I bite down on the pillow, the pleasure more intense than before. When I come back to myself and Ranger slides out of me, I sink onto the mattress, every last bit of energy wrung out of me. I feel happy, sated, and well loved.
He kisses my spine again.
I smile and close my eyes.
? ? ?
When Elizabeth calls me, sounding on the verge of tears, I feel like the worst person on the face of the earth. I’ve been so happy today. Ranger slept over, and we spent the whole night talking and making love. It was a perfect night. And if it’s possible, I’m crazier about him now than I was yesterday.