Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Riley
The party’s finally over, and I’m exhausted.
My face hurts from wearing a fake smile for the past twelve hours.
All I want to do is crawl under the sheets and sleep for days, but I told Hunter I would text him.
I’m thinking it’s too late to meet him at the beach, so I’ll just knock on his door, and if he doesn’t answer, I’ll leave.
Changing into a pair of yoga pants, I throw on my USC shirt before heading out. Peeking up and down the hall, I make sure no one’s there before sneaking out the side door. As I climb the stairs, I think about the way his mouth tasted my tongue earlier, and my body begins to tremble.
I knock on his door once, then twice. I’m about to leave when suddenly the door swings open.
Oh, sweet baby Jesus.
He’s standing in the doorway, shirtless, wearing old pajama bottoms that sit low on his hips. When he runs his fingers through his hair and licks his lips, I see those blue eyes ignite with passion. Hunter is so incredibly handsome that he takes my breath away.
He scoops me up into his arms as he uses his foot to slam the door shut. He walks over to the couch, sits down, and pulls me into his lap. “I thought you were going to text me so I could meet you at the beach?” he whispers in my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
“It was late, and I thought it would be easier to come to you.” I gaze into his eyes, and he looks upset. “If you don’t want me, I’ll leave.”
“Oh, I want you.” He wraps his arms around me, trapping me so I can’t escape. “I’ve never wanted anyone this badly in all my life. But it won’t happen tonight, Riley. As much as I want to throw you on my bed and taste every inch of you, it’s too soon.” He brushes a kiss across my cheek.
He wants to taste every inch of me? Oh, hell yeah, sign me up. “Are you worried what my father would do?” I have to ask.
“I’m not worried about Scott, but I have a lot of respect for both of you. I would never treat you like just a hookup or a one-night stand. You mean so much more to me, and I want to get to know you better first.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip.
I want to pinch myself because I must be dreaming. This man says he wants me, and I know it’s true. I see it in his eyes. I’m the happiest girl in the world right now—until I remember the date my dad set me up with—Parker.
“I want to tell you more about the guy you saw me with today.” I sense his body stiffen beneath me, so I bury my face in his neck, planting gentle kisses there.
“If you keep doing that, we won’t get a chance to talk about Parker.” He groans as I nip at his earlobe.
“He’s only here until the end of July, and my dad’s determined that we go out on a few dates while he’s around. I also told my dad that I want to spend time with you and that I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
“I must admit, when I saw his arm around you today, I wanted to break his fingers. I’m not crazy about the idea, but I can’t stop you from seeing him.
” He traces my jaw with his fingertips. When I look into his eyes, I see his desire before he crushes his mouth to mine.
This time, my tongue dances over his as I graze my teeth against his bottom lip.
He growls and, in one swift motion, he flips me onto the couch, his body pressing hard against mine. The heat between us is palpable.
Then—he pulls back. He quickly stands up and drags his hands down his pajama pants, fighting for control.
“Cold shower,” he mutters, flashing that crooked grin.
Standing up, I wrap my arms around his waist. “We don’t need to have sex,” I murmur, my eyes flicking down just for a moment. “But I can take care of that for you.” I’ve never been this bold before, but I need him to know how much I want him.
“This is why I asked you to meet me at the beach; it’s too dangerous for us to be alone at my place.
” Leaning his forehead against mine, he takes a deep breath.
“I want to lock you in my room and keep you naked for days, exploring every inch of you with my hands, fingers, mouth, and tongue.” Every time he mentions a part of his anatomy, he licks my neck. What a tease!
“We could always shower together.” I wiggle my eyebrows as he shakes his head, chuckling.
“Not happening tonight, Riley.” He leaves me breathless with a kiss as he disappears into the bathroom. Can’t hurt a girl for trying.
After he’s showered — and yes, my curiosity got the best of me — I really want to know what happened in there.
We relax on the couch, all cuddled up. I must admit this is nice because we’re talking and spending time getting to know each other.
He was right and I was wrong. I’m glad he put the brakes on tonight, but I would never admit it to him.
* * *
Hunter
I’m still groggy when I hear someone banging on the door.
Trying to sit up, I see Riley with her head pressed against my chest. I get up very quietly, so I don’t wake her, gently place her head on the pillow, and then walk to the door.
When I open it, Scott storms past me. He sees a very tousled Riley curled up on the couch and immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion.
“It’s not what you think, Scott.” He looks at me, takes in my appearance, then steps over and punches me.
Fuck that hurt!
I run my tongue over my teeth to check if they're all intact. “That’s the only shot you get, because I didn’t see it coming. If you try again, you’ll be picking yourself up off the floor.” Riley leaps off the couch.
“Dad, what are you doing?” she asks as she walks over to me, lightly touching my jaw. She then turns to glare at her father.
“You have no right coming into his apartment and assuming that we slept together! Believe me, I did everything I could think of to seduce him, but he turned me down. You know why? Because he respects you too much to take advantage of me! Now you owe him an apology.” She walks over, kissing me lightly on the jaw.
She mouths “I’m sorry” before storming out the door.
Walking over to the freezer, I grab a bag of frozen corn and press it against my jaw. I also pull out a beer and chug half of it.
“I knocked on her bedroom door this morning. When she didn’t answer, I realized she hadn’t slept in her bed. I knew she had to be here. She was furious with me because I hadn’t invited you to the party.”
“What do you want me to say, Scott? We have this connection that even I can’t explain. I know it’s too soon and that’s why I didn’t let it go any further last night, but I can’t keep denying what I feel for her.” I might have just signed my ticket out of here, but I’m not going to lie to him.
“It’s not that I don’t think you’re a good man; you’ve proven that to me many times.
It’s just that I was eighteen when Riley was born.
That’s too young to make that kind of commitment, believe me, I know.
I want her to experience life, go to college, and have fun before deciding to settle down.
” He’s worried I’ll break her heart, just like he did.
“I’m sorry I punched you, and if you want to press charges, I know an excellent lawyer.” He grins at me as he walks toward the door.
“Scott, I know you want her to date Parker, so I won’t stand in her way. But she’ll be back, and when she is, I might not be able to say no next time.” I shrug my shoulders.
He stops suddenly, turns around, and says, “I know how she feels about you; she’s made that clear several times. All I ask is that you both are cautious, use protection, and get tested if you think it’s necessary.” Yeah, I know exactly what he means, and with that, he leaves.
Damn, I had to hurry if I was going to get to work on time.
This week was going to be a pain, with the holiday — everyone taking it as their vacation week.
The beach was going to be packed with all the families coming down.
I was ready to head out the door when I realized I drank a beer this morning. Fuck.
I grabbed my phone and texted Connor to see if he could cover for me.
Me: Can you cover for me? I had a beer this morning.
Connor: You owe me big time, asshole. Why did you do that?
Me: Long story tell ya later. Thanks.
Connor: I could use the extra money anyway. I'll call you later.
I desperately need some coffee, so I go downstairs to see Rosie. When I open the kitchen door, the smell of coffee makes my mouth water. “Morning, Rosie, mind if I steal a cup of coffee?” I saunter over, giving her a peck on the cheek.
She smiles at me as she hands me a cup. “Morning, Hunter; help yourself to the French toast in the warming dish by the stove. What happened to your face?” She lightly touches my jaw.
“A soccer ball attacked me—no big deal. I’ll take some to go, if that’s all right. I’m going to do my laps before I eat, so Paul won’t have to clean the pool.” Winking at her, I head out the door.
I’m relaxing in the chair while finishing my coffee when my mind drifts back to the first day I saw Riley sitting there.
One of the first things I remember was her breasts spilling out over the top of her bikini.
Then my eyes traced down her body, taking in her taut stomach and her long, shapely legs, ending with her pink toes.
When my gaze rose back up over every tempting inch of her, I met her eyes and was captivated.
Heading to the pool, I dive in while thinking of a song that’s been stuck in my head for days— “Demons” by Imagine Dragons. I focus on the lyrics as I glide through the water and realize that Riley might be the only one who can save me from myself.