Page 132 of Praying for Thunder

In order to give her that, I had to be honest. I had to tell her about… “Rya, there’s a wom—”

But she didn’t want to hear it. “In one of my dreams, I was riding Sable. Not in an arena, caged up. She and I were free, in the sun, running through a pasture I’d never seen before.”

“That’s beautiful, baby, but—”

“Next to the pasture was a vast road. There were no cars. No one in sight, just you, on ya Harley, riding, on the other side of the fence.” She touched my face again. “You were smiling at me. Side by side, you and me, ridin’.”

“Rya, you need to know—”

“Don’t ya see?” She was so gentle, telling me, “We were on different paths, but still side by side, racin’ to where we needed to be so we could be together.”

So simple, so complicated, yet so true. Life takes you to where you need to go. You must forgive yourself for the journey that you can’t control.

Rya watched me as her lips brushed mine.

Is it wild that I thought of Ani and Dio at that very moment? Every childhood memory of their kisses floated through me. That was their journey, their kisses leading to more. It was as if their love, for me and each other, had been a road map for me to find… mine.

Dio had told me about kisses… Again, he was right.

Rya’s gentle kiss was telling me she wanted what only I could give her.

Everything I had.

So, I let my kiss tell her that I was, once again, surrendering my soul to her.

I know she heard me because her eyes drifted shut and her mouth opened.

So soft. I forgot how soft her mouth was.

She tasted like nature at its finest. Her taste was as free as her wild spirit.

There was something so solidifying in this moment. I understood my cravings for her were to be on every level. Soul to soul. Body to body. Heart to heart…

Yes, I had loved Rya since the day I met her, but tonight was when I fell in love with her.

There’s a difference.

Affection, innocent kisses, survival, all of it was wonderous, but they were so different from the shift into passion. Our kiss deepened, blissfully becoming more desperate.

Hungrily, my hand slipped up her back and through her hair to press—to pull—her mouth even closer to mine.

Her responding moan was the match to my fire. Oh, fuck. I never knew church could be so much fun.

My kisses moved to her neck, and she obliged, leaning her head back. The candlelight shone on her flawless skin. A few freckles dared me a lick.

She sighed as my tongue wetted her flesh. Then she said, “Don’t let me go, Thunder.”

As she moved her hands to lift her shirt over her head, I vowed, “Never.”

The bra covering her impeccable small breasts stretched as she gently reached over her head to release the shirt. Before they returned, they ran down her neck, her chest, and found me.

While sitting back up, her hands caressed my pecs, rising until touching my neck. They held me there as we became face to face again. I almost lost my shit when this seductive young woman licked my lips. Then she whispered, “Open for me.”

My mouth needed no instructions. It opened, un-bashfully, willing to devour anything Rya wanted to offer.

It was her tongue.

My eyes rolled back in my head when, without lips touching, she licked and tasted me.