Untethered: The Steamy Bits

Epilogue | A New Legacy

A Year Later

Emma groaned in protest as she felt familiar stubble rasp over the soft skin of her shoulder. The flesh there was still tender from the night before, as he'd moved over her, loving her body, inch by torturous inch.

"Go away, Cameron," she moaned, as she rolled over, burying her face in the pillows.

Ryan nipped at her shoulder hard enough to make her yelp, and then moan, as he kissed and suckled at the mark, easing the sharpness of the love-bite.

"You promised you'd come with me this morning," he murmured against her skin. His warm, supple lips found her earlobe, toying with it and sending warm tingles of pleasure straight to the center of her body.

"It's not even light out, yet!" she whined petulantly. His calloused hands drifted down her bare side, making her shiver. "You don't play fair," she grumbled.

He bit her earlobe, tugging it into his mouth, and twirling his tongue around the sensitive flesh, grinned, when he elicited a needy whine. His voice dropped to a low, sexy timbre that made her quiver as the vibrations awakened all of her nerves, over-sensitizing them.

"You promised, and this is important." The hand that had drifted down to the curve of her ass, squeezed, palming the firm globe roughly, before landing a sharp smack on it. He chuckled as she yelped again.

"Damn you, Ryan! I'm tired. Besides, you're the one who kept me up half the night," she grumbled, shoving her body into an upright position, making him fall back.

"It's been over a year, Em. It's time."

"I know," she exhaled softly.

Reclining against the pillows, he eyed her hungrily, his green eyes growing hazy with desire. Her hair was a riot of curls and waves that looked even more thoroughly mussed than usual, and his fingers itched to tangle into them, dragging her body against his. Instead, he reached to the side, producing a cup of coffee out of, what seemed like, thin air, and she latched onto it gratefully.

"Besides, I didn't hear you complaining last night," he murmured, stroking his hand down her exposed back. "In fact, I seem to remember some serious begging coming from those dirty, little lips, in very colorful language..."

She shot him a glare. "Well, you started it, and you didn't tell me 'morning' meant before the sun's up. And you better stop giving me that look if you actually want to get out of here," she muttered, the sexual frustration clear in her voice and expression.

He grinned and leaned over, sliding his fingers into her chaotic mass of curls, cradling her head, and drawing her closer. He captured her still-swollen mouth in a soft, lingering kiss, letting his tongue tickle along the seam of her lips, before releasing them, and standing up.

"Finish your coffee, sleepy head." He ignored the grouchy glare she sent him, and strode across the room, tugging an old t-shirt over the tanned muscles of his naked torso.

Sighing, she sipped her coffee, gazing after him appreciatively.

That man is far too persuasive for his own good.

She yawned and took another drink of the hot liquid, wrinkling her nose at the taste and setting it aside, before rising and rummaging through the closet for appropriate attire.

~*~*~

Sucking in a cleansing breath, Emma reveled in the cool, summer morning. Dew sparkled off the ends of the pine needles and beaded on the leaves of the birches, oaks, and maples that densely lined the well-worn deer track. Her muscles warmed with the brisk pace Ryan set in front of her, loosening and relaxing as they moved further and further from the cabin.