chapter twenty-five
RILES
Awave of ecstasy, belonging, and yearning rushes through my blood as I capture Riley’s mouth with mine, desperate for more.
He pushes off the wall and carries me to his bed, gently placing me down as his eyes devour my body, anticipation peppering my skin as I squirm.
Climbing onto the mattress, he hovers over me, his perfect lips kissing and nipping a trail down my neck to my breast, the soft stubble of his beard a delightful tickle. I draw in a ragged breath as he sucks my nipple into his mouth before flicking it with his tongue.
“Oh, God!” I cry out, my voice breathy as I grip his hair, clenching it tight, my hand gentle as it uncontrollably pushes him lower.
He chuckles and inches back toward the foot of the bed, his fingers slipping beneath my panties as he collects them and slides the cotton down my legs. Parting my knees, he clears his throat and rubs his beard, his devilish eyes the shade of midnight.
I swallow.
He looks up at me again, and just as I think he’s going to say something, he clenches his jaw instead, slips his hands beneath my ass, and wrenches me toward his mouth, breathing in deeply when his lips touch my skin.
I gasp at the feel of him, my back bowing and lifting from the bed, my fingers gripping the sheets as he licks, sucks, nips, and kisses.
My core tightens, and I cry out his name.
My name.
Our name.
Huh. That’s weird.
Standing up, his lips glistening, a sinister yet sexy gleam blaring from his eyes, I don’t give our name a second thought when he wrenches down his underwear and leisurely fists his length.
Oh, dear Lord! I push up to my elbows and lick my lips as he opens his bedside drawer, pulls out a condom, rips open the foil packaging with his teeth like an animal, and then rolls it on so seductively that I almost incinerate.
Following the hard edges of his collarbone, down his arms, to the rigid lines of his stomach, my body shudders with heat.
It’s been so long since I’ve been with a man, a decent man, one so deliciously impeccable.
And for quite possibly the first time in my life, nerves over what we’re about to do tangle my stomach.
“Don’t look so scared, Riles,” he says, a grin twisting his lips.
“I’m… I’m not.”
He climbs onto the bed and positions himself between my legs. “I’ll be gentle.”
As he slowly pushes into me, I relax around him while he rocks his hips, the feel of him glorious and strong, his movements heightening as I pant and moan into his mouth.
Lips seek lips, tongues lapping, our hands feverish as they caress, squeeze, and claw at each other’s skin.
“You feel so good,” I murmur.
“The feeling is mutual, sweetheart.”
Heat blooms in my core, so I clench his hips with my thighs, scrape my nails along his back, and hold him tight as he pistons my body, over and over until my orgasm rockets through me, stars, lights, angels—I’m not sure what—bursting behind my eyelids, my muscles tightening around him, underneath him, and with him.
“Yes! Peanut butter. Yes!” I cry out.
Riley spears me deeply, long and sharp, his body stiff as a guttural groan rips from his throat. I capture his mouth, our tongues once again frenzied until they lose the ability to move, our breathing heavy, our limbs limp.
Panting, he drags his lips to my cheek, forehead, nose, and then my mouth again, peppering me with soft kisses, his eyes arduous but alight, the corners crinkling. “Did you just say ‘peanut butter’ while I made you come?”
I blink all the blinks. “What?”
“You screamed ‘peanut butter.’”
“I did?”
“Yeah.”
I burst into laughter and cover my face with my hands. “Oh my God! I did, didn’t I?”
“Not gonna lie, I’ve never heard that before.”
Peeking through my spread fingers, I push through my embarrassment and explain. “I’m not allowed to say mothereffer.”
“Motherfucker?”
“Yeah. Peanut butter.”
He stares at me.
I scrunch my face. “Mom hated it.”
Dropping his head, his shoulders quake as he laughs. “I think I’m speechless.”
“You?” I giggle. “Speechless?”
“Yes. It doesn’t happen often, but that… this… you, you’ve stripped me of words.”
I trail my hands up and down his arms. “I’m good at stripping words.”
Muttering, “Peanut butter,” he rolls off me and onto the bed before tucking me into his side, both of us sated and soothed with the gentle rocking of the ship, my arm over his sweat-dampened chest, his finger drawing lazy circles on my shoulder.
“That’s actually quite cute, Riles.”
“It’s not. It’s habit.”
“A cute habit.”
“Shut up. I thought you were speechless.”
“I was. Not anymore.”
“Shh.”
He chuckles. “I thought maybe you were hungry.”
“After that,” I say, looking up at him, “I am.”
“What do you want for dinner?”
I’m tempted to say, “You,” but my tummy has other ideas. “Pasta. A big, fat bowl of pasta.”
“Keep talking like that,” he says, kissing my head, “and Mom is definitely going to love you.”
I smile, but the uncertainty of what will happen after our trip of a lifetime ends tightens my chest. We were supposed to take this slow and steady for that exact reason, but I screwed that up, unable to restrain myself any longer.
“About that, Riley. We dock in Le Havre three days from now. Our cruise will be over. What… What happens next?”
“We fly back to the States.”
I roll my eyes at him. “You know what I mean.”
“We’ll fly back to the States and then take each day as it comes. Easy. It’s only a two-hour drive from Buxtonville to Manhattan.”
I nod and snuggle into his warmth, even though I’m unconvinced it will be as “easy” as he says. Long-distance relationships are hard, or so I’ve heard. They require commitment, effort, and travel. Lots and lots of travel.
“This isn’t it, Riles. I told you I don’t do one-night stands, and I don’t plan to start now. I want to see you again. And again, and again, and again.” He tips my chin up and places a soft kiss on my lips. “We’ll make it work. Whatever it takes.”
Sighing at the promise in his eyes, I tether myself to his sincerity and roll on top of him. “I like the sound of that.”
“I should hope so.” He combs his fingers through my hair. “When are you flying home?”
“Midnight. The day we disembark.”
“JFK or LaGuardia?”
“LaGuardia.”
“My flight to Philly is an hour before yours.”
Pouting, I can already feel his absence, my heartbeat an irregular rhythm.
“We could always change our flights, stay in Paris for a few days, and fly back together?”
“I wish I could,” I say, smoothing out his chest hair. “But I can’t. I have to get back to work.”
“Ah, yes. You mustn’t upset Georgia the Torturer.”
Playfully glaring at him, I pluck one solitary hair.
“Ow! That wasn’t very nic—”
“Speaking of work, I have to put in a couple of hours tonight. I’m behind on the manuscript.”
He draws in a deep breath, lifts his arms, links his hands behind his head, and exhales while staring at the ceiling.
I sit upright, straddling his lap. “What was that for?”
His eyes flick to my chest. “What was what for?”
“That frustrated puff thing you did.”
“Puff thing?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t puff, sweetheart. I’m not the big, bad wolf.”
Slapping his chest, I grumble and climb off him. “I’m gonna take a shower.”
“You need more shampoo.”
“What?”
“There’s not much left.”
“Riley!”
“It’s good shit.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I buy it.”
He rolls onto his side and props his head on his hand, his greedy eyes raking my body. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay in Paris with me? I’ll make it worth your while.”
“I’m sure you would, but I can’t. I’ve been away too long already, and I have no doubt I’ll have to pay for that in one way or another.”
His eyes narrow before he falls onto his back again.
Sighing, I step into the bathroom, close the door behind me, and lean against it, my head and heart at war. I’d give anything to stay with him in the city of love, wrapped in sheets with the Eiffel Tower beyond our hotel room window. I’ve never wanted anything more… besides having Mom back.
But like resurrection and winding back time, what he’s asking for is out of my hands.
My job is my life, and if I don’t return when I said I would, I won’t have a job to go back to.
I’ve learned so much as Georgia’s slave, and I need to keep saving my pennies so I can eventually free myself of her entrapment and accomplish what I’ve worked so damn hard for.
Until that happens, I’m chained to her every whim, and as much as I want to throw caution to the wind with Riley, those chains are stronger than my heartstrings.
Much to Riley’s annoyance, I worked most of the evening while he channel-surfed and seduced me, his seduction eventually winning over.
We had sex again, and I was most pleased with his victory, even though I still had more work to do, which was now going to have to wait, because today, we travel to London after docking at Southampton in the early hours of the morning.
“How exciting! We’re in Winchester,” I say as the train passes underneath a brick, arched bridge.
“This place is rich in history.” I drag my eyes from the lush green bushland and glance at Riley.
“Did you know it was once the ancient capital of England, known as the Kingdom of Wessex? It’s also where Jane Austen is buried.
” Scooting forward on my seat, I press my forehead to the window as we slow to a stop.
“Parts of Harry Potter were filmed here too.”
“Do you want to get off and take a look?” Riley asks as the doors slide open, commuters embarking and disembarking in a flurry to get to their destination.
I do want to see Winchester, but I also don’t. I’m not fond of the idea of rushing our time in London. There’s so much to see and do there. Perhaps, one day in my distant, distant future, I’ll get the chance to return.
I sigh. “I’d love to meander about, but we won’t have time.”
“There are trains leaving Waterloo Station and returning to Southampton as late as eleven thirty tonight.”