Chapter 3
NADINE
I'm a nervous talker.
Whenever I start to feel uncomfortable, my mouth just says the most random things. My brain isn't even part of the equation, which is why I make the stupidest comments when I'm anxious … like right now.
It's weird because I was always comfortable around River.
As I said, he has seen me at my worst. So why do I feel like crawling out of my skin now?
Is it because of the kiss? Because God, I never knew River kissed that way.
It was the kind of kiss that made my toes curl when I watched my favorite romance movies.
The kind I always wished would happen to me at least once in my life.
The kind that had me running away from the table to clear my head, regain my thoughts, reboot my brain.
I'm not even going to mention Derek because that guy kisses with the passion of a dried husk.
Now, I'm clear about what I want, who I want, and when I want it.
Okay, so, back to River. It did start out for show.
You know, basically, hard launching our relationship that nobody knew about because it didn't actually exist until last week.
But in three seconds flat, it evolved from a simple kiss to something that would definitely end with us naked and tangled in the sheets.
And I really, really need to stop thinking about River and the sheets on the bed we're about to share.
The suite door closes behind us with a click, and the oxygen is immediately sucked out of the room.
The air is so thick, almost suffocating, and all I can think about is how it's just the two of us—no audience, no Derek and Alice, not even Rachel.
A tense kind of vibe. But it's kinda sexy, too.
I feel a little nervous knot tightening.
God, Rachel. She'd kill me if she ever found out I had such sensual thoughts about her brother. I tried so hard to ignore it. When that didn't work, I tried to suppress it. Tried! Didn't fully succeed, though.
Yep, I guess all my efforts were in vain because here we are. I don't know if it's just the dim lighting, but has River's gaze darkened?
"We have to be at the chapel around 2:30. The wedding is actually at 3, but Derek's mom considers on-time late. You'll see tomorrow. She's very easy to spot. Just look for the woman who always scrunches her face as if everyone around her hasn't showered in weeks."
"Okay."
"The chapel is on the right side of the pavilion."
At this, River smiles. "I can always count on you to lead us in the wrong direction. The chapel is literally outside this building."
Focusing on these logistical arrangements certainly helps to relieve some of my tension. Untie my knots.
"Oh, huh. Anyway, that went well, right? You think Derek bought it?"
River massages the back of his neck, and why does that look sexy? Then, he unbuttons the top button of his shirt and rolls his sleeves, and why does that look even sexier?
God, what is happening to me? Is it the alcohol in my system? No way, I only had a little wine and a mocktail, and that was over two hours ago.
"If the constant glare he throws in my direction is any indication, I would say yes, he definitely bought it."
"Well, he did invite me to his wedding."
"The man brought it upon himself. He was a fool to do that to you, and I have zero sympathy for fools."
"Alice looked pretty, though. I hate to admit it, but she looked radiant."
River stares at me for a second or two, and that stare does something to my girly parts. I suddenly feel so hot all over. "I wouldn't know, Nadine. I never looked at her or any other woman. My eyes were glued to you."
This conversation is really throwing me off.
River isn't following the script. This is supposed to be the time when we laugh at whatever happened earlier, when we make jokes. But it’s like something exists in the space between us, and we're both just dancing around it.
"Y-yeah, well, you played your part perfectly. "
River doesn't answer. He just stands there, in the semi-darkness, his sleeves rolled to reveal his deliciously strong, veiny, tattooed forearms, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He's just looking. At me.
An odd, tingling heat pulses in the pit of my belly. "River—"
"I need to ask you something."
"W-what is it?"
"That kiss. Did it mean something other than a performance?"
My instinct is to lie and say yes, but River knows me too well.
He can always magically tell when I'm lying or giving him half-truths.
My senses are on high alert. I can hear the waves against the shore, the faint laughter, the ceiling fan above us, but it seems nothing is louder than the pounding of my heart, as if it's trying to beat its way out of my chest. "Rachel—"
"Rachel will always have an opinion. Answer the question, Nadine."
"River, you're my best friend's brother."
"Still not answering the question."
"Except for this fake relationship, you're off-limits."
"It's a yes or no."
It is, isn't it? So why is it so hard for me to answer? Is it because I love Rachel to death? That I would hate to disappoint her or make her angry? Would I be crossing an imaginary line, amounting to absolute disrespect, and breaking a girl code?
But…
What if her opinions have changed? What if the idea of River and me wouldn't be as bad anymore? What if…?
"You're overthinking things, Nadine. I can practically see the gears turning in your head."
River takes one, two, three steps, and suddenly, the only thing separating us is one foot ... and Rachel. "Say no, and we can move on, forget this conversation ever happened."
He makes it sound so damn easy.
"Nadine, listen, I—"
The words die on his tongue as I grab the back of his neck and pull him down to me.
This kiss is different from the dinner kiss. That one started as just performance, then became something else. This one starts as my decision, then stays there. River reads the difference in half a second, and with a groan, his hands find my waist and pull me flush against him.
My brain stops working because not only does he deepen the kiss by sliding his tongue into my mouth, but because I can feel a hard ridge pressing against my stomach. Hard, thick, and long.
Oh, dear God.
I break the kiss to whisper, "We do this, River, and we stop being just friends."
River chuckles darkly and nips my earlobe. "I never wanted you as just a friend, Nadine."
Whoosh! That's the air escaping from my punctured body. Figuratively, not literally.
But literally, I'm sure some kind of magnetic current is now slithering and swirling through my system, making my core clench.
God, I need him so much. Breathe, girl. A slow breath leaves me, and it comes out different than it went in—heavier, uneven, carrying something I have been keeping in a locked drawer.
Somewhere inside, where I dare not visit.
We crash again into each other, tongues tangling, hands everywhere. He tugs on my silk sleeveless blouse, and I lift it over my head to throw to the floor. The skirt is easier. I shimmy out of it and kick it away, leaving me in nothing but a pair of new black lace underwear.
I bought it on a whim the day before we had to leave. I did not expect to end up like this with River, but I guess a part of me desperately hoped.
"Fucking beautiful."
River's words and tone do something to me. I have never heard him curse, never heard this particular timbre in his voice. Somehow, that emboldens me.
"Off," I tell him, unbuttoning his shirt and unbuckling his pants until they pool around the ankles.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. He really is big and thick. There's still one layer of clothing preventing me from seeing him completely, but I can tell just how gifted he is in the penis department.
Before he can even move, I drop to my knees until his bulge is at my eye level.
"Nadine…"
I ignore him. Instead, I tug his boxers down, freeing him; his cock juts proudly against his stomach. Veiny. He's veiny, too. I look up at him from under my lashes and wrap a hand around his thick length, earning me a hiss and a groan.
"Fuck, Nad."
With slow strokes, I pump him twice before I stick out my tongue and lick the head. River tosses his head back and scrubs both hands across his face.
I take that as a sign that I'm doing a good job. Both hands wrap around him, stroking him, while I take the rest in my mouth, sucking and licking the pre-cum beading at the tip. God, he tastes good.
I've barely gotten into a rhythm when he pulls me up and tosses me to the bed. Before I can ask him what he's doing, River kneels on the floor and jerks my legs to the edge, and peels my underwear away with his teeth.
"River, what—"
He presses my panties to his face, "Mmmm. Sweet." He inhales deeply. "Now, to taste your pussy."
One second, I'm lying on the soft mattress, and the next, I feel his warm tongue along my slit as he drags it from my entrance to my clit.
"Oh God, River."
He uses his thumbs to part my folds as he presses open-mouthed kisses between them, sliding up and down, then lightly sucks on my clit. My back bows off the bed, and I clutch the sheets in both hands, my toes curl.
"Your fucking pussy tastes so good."
Words I never thought I'd hear from River, but it's effective at setting my body on fire. He stretches me open further, his hands on my thighs, as he devours me like a starving man on a buffet. Slurping greedily, even.
He alternates between sucking on my clit and flattening his tongue on it and dragging his tongue repeatedly along the slit.
I'm getting closer and closer to the edge, but when he shoves his tongue into my pussy, my whole world screeches to a halt.
In and out, in and out, exactly how I want his cock right now.
It feels so sinfully good.
"River, please don't stop. Please, I-I'm—"
My orgasm hits me like a freight train, gushes of molten heat wash over me. My vision whites out, and a sound gets ripped out from my throat—something between a whimper and a loud moan.
But River isn't done. He laps up my juices until I'm nothing more than a quivering mess. By the time I look down, half his face is glistening, and a smirk tugs on his lips.
"O-okay. My turn."
I have no idea where I got my second wind so quickly, but this time, I kneel again and waste no time taking him into my mouth. My hands work on the other half while I tighten my mouth around him, sucking and licking him like my favorite ice cream.
My pussy continues to clench, and without breaking eye contact, I drop one hand and slide it between my thighs. My clit is still sensitive, so I push a finger inside me instead. River's eyes widen.
"Fuck, Nad. You're killing me."
I don't stop or change my rhythm, not even as River digs his fingers into my scalp, guiding my mouth. His thighs tighten, and his breath becomes harsher. He's close.
"Nad, fuck. I—"
River doesn't finish because the first spurt of his come shoots into my mouth, then another and another, his hips move, trying to push deeper. With him still looking at me, I swallow every drop and make a show of wiping my chin with my thumb and sucking on it.
We know we've crossed a line. That we're off-limits to each other. That whatever this is might be wrong.
But in this moment, everything feels so right.
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