Chapter 37
“Whenever you’re done staring we can start, darlin,” Mikey yells to her, drawing her attention.
Liz can feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she rushes to the treadmills and tosses her water bottle on the floor.
The next hour is spent running and trying to stop herself from looking in the mirror to wherever Riley is currently working out, failing miserably.
When the hour is finally up, she gets off and takes a long drink of water, feeling Riley’s eyes on her.
She makes sure to turn away from him, knowing she won’t be able to control herself while Mikey leads her through their light yoga stretches before they can move on to weights.
She barely gets into her downward dog pose when she hears Mikey yell.
“Oh my god! Will you two just fuck already?”
Liz slowly raises herself back up, turning to him confused.
Mikey just shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, he motions for her to go over the weight rack and get started.
She looks over her shoulder to Riley, who is finished and leaving.
He shoots her a wink before disappearing out the door.
Blushing, Liz turns back to Mikey who’s rolling his eyes at them.
She picks up the weights and does her sets, wondering what Riley could have been doing to get such a reaction.
By the time they are done, her whole body aches.
When they finish their workout, Liz and Mikey head back upstairs to find Riley cooking breakfast for everyone.
Tyler and Alex are setting up boxes upon boxes of equipment, quickly taking over the dining table.
Liz greets them, unsure how to feel about two strangers joining them, quickly reminding herself that this is more their home than hers.
She skips to the island, jumping into her usual seat.
Riley turns, setting a plate full of food in front of Liz who smiles up at him.
“Thank you,” she says, gently peering up though her long lashes at him.
He fills his own plate and they all eat in silence, listening to the sound of machines being built.
Tyler and Alex are quietly arguing over where everything goes.
The three of them hang out in the kitchen for a while, watching the men like an exhibit at the zoo, trying to figure out just what Alex and Tyler are actually doing.
Eventually, Mikey and Liz head back to the gym and over to the mats, waiting for Riley to join them in hand-to-hand training.
“Why isn’t Riley doing this anymore?” she asks, breathless, throwing another punch at Mikey.
“Have you seen how two guys look at each other? The man was about to rip a hole in your pants and take you on the gym floor earlier,” he says, effortlessly dodging every move she makes. “If you two train together, Riley will be hitting something, but it won’t be the pads.” Mikey laughs to himself.
Liz goes quiet, embarrassed by his observations.
She stays quiet and focused on the task at hand, trying to retain as much information as she can.
Liz didn’t expect training to get so much more intense than what they used to do.
By the end of the two hours, Liz is on the floor, dripping sweat, fighting to catch her breath.
“This is it for me Mikey, this is how I go, just kill me quick and end this suffering,” she pleads dramatically, rolling onto her stomach and resting her face on the dirty mat.
“Riley’s waiting for you in the gun range, darlin. I’m sure you can stay alive for that.” Mikey nudges her in the ribs with his foot.
“It’s not going to be easy, but I guess I can try,” Liz slowly inches her way back up, standing on wobbly legs.
She walks out of the gym and crosses the hall, knocking on the door to the gun range.
The door doesn’t open, glancing down at the small pad on the door, Liz lifts her hand and presses her thumb onto it.
The pad beeps and turns green, a soft click coming from the door.
Liz squeals with excitement, turns the handle and rushes into the room.
She looks around to see Riley standing over a table lined with various guns.
He looks up to see her walking over and wastes no time starting.
They spend the next hour going over each gun.
He shows her how to load and unload them, how to clean them, and how to hold each one.
She watches him closely, absorbing every word he says, knowing this is some of the most important training she will have.
When he is done explaining, he hands her one of the small handguns and walks her to the targets.
She does what he’s explained to her, trying her best to remember everything and not miss.
When her clip is empty, he hands her another one and has her go again, doing it as many times as it takes for him to be satisfied with her shots.
Unsure of how much time goes by, she fires her last round into a fresh target at the end of the long room.
“I thought you would take longer to catch on,” he says, impressed with her progress. “Go get ready for lunch, I’ll meet you in an hour.” Riley grabs the gun from her and walks it back to the table. She takes her earmuffs off and sets them down, before turning and walking out the door.
Liz runs to her room, stopping to grab her freshly cleaned clothes.
She ties her hair up before jumping into the shower, trying to hurry so she’s not late.
Stepping out, she quickly grabs one of her new matching bra and panty sets and puts them on, putting pink floral sundress on over.
Liz lets her hair down and fixes it the best she can in the short time she has.
When she’s happy with the way the curls cascade down her back, she slips into a pair of sandals and heads out to meet Riley.
Riley walks into the room and stops in his tracks at the sight of Liz standing there, waiting for him. She blushes, looking away when she sees the way he looks at her, his eyes roaming her body.
“Ready for our date?” she asks nervously.
Riley nods, unable to form words with her looking like that. He stalks over to the fridge and pulls out a small bag before walking to the elevator where Liz patiently waits for him.
They step into the elevator and he waits for the door to close before stepping closer to Liz.
“So, is this our second date?” he asks, nudging her with his arm.
“What?” Liz asks, eyes snapping to him, brows knit in confusion.
“You called it a date and said yesterday was a date,” he says, teasing her for her poor choice of words.
“I didn’t know what else to call it,” Liz says, blushing and looking away.
“Date’s good,” he says as the elevator opens.
Riley picks up her hand and walks her to the truck. When they make it to the dirt road, Liz throws her arm over her chest, preparing for the bumps that never come. Riley catches her doing it and laughs to himself.
“I asked Alex to fill in some holes when he was out yesterday, dude loves busy work.” Riley tells her.
She smiles over at him, grateful he got the road fixed.
They pull up to the opening of the grove and Riley tells her to stay in the truck.
He hops out and walks around for a second, looking for something.
When he doesn’t find what he’s looking for, he walks back over and opens the door, helping her out before grabbing the food and a folded blanket.
They walk over to their grassy spot and Riley lays the blanket out before plopping himself onto it.
He unpacks the food and hands Liz a bowl.
Starving, she thanks him and quickly starts eating the salad, watching the waterfall crash into the lake.
When they finish their food, they both lay back on the blanket, close but not touching.
Neither one is willing to make the first move while everything is so serene.
Liz rolls to her side, propping herself up on an elbow.
Riley smiles and rolls to face her. He reaches over and starts playing with one of the long black curls pooling around her elbow.
“We should start coming out later,” he says, seemingly from nowhere.
“Why?” Liz asks.
“Darks better for an ambush. If we come out at night, Dmitri may be more inclined to move forward with his plans. Especially if he thinks we’re only coming here to be alone.” He tickles her nose with her hair.
She bats his hand away and gives him a little nudge. “Will you still train me when this is over? Or are you going to admit you’re sick of me and send me away?” she asks, trying not to sound sad.
“Clearly you didn't read those papers before you gave them back. You’re under my protection, wherever you go, I go with you.” He says watching her silky hair flow through his fingers. “Even if you chose not to sign them, I’m with you forever, love. I wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Liz looks over at him, heart racing, stomach in knots at his words. She wonders to herself if he meant to say it.
It hits Riley then, what he just said, still trying to hide just how much she means to him he pivots, quickly changing the subject. “I had Tyler look into the lake for you. It’s deep enough for swimming.”
Liz squeals, launching to her feet. She wastes no time kicking off her sandals and starting to pull her arms from the straps of her dress. She looks over at Riley, still laying on the blanket, not moving to join her.
“Are you coming?” she asks, wiggling her dress down past her hips. Riley watches her, eyes darkening as she undresses.
“Later, hopefully,” he says, a sinful smile on his face.
“You’re disgusting,” she says to him, picking up her dress and tossing it at him.
“You strip in front of me and expect me to not think about burying my cock in you?” he asks, sitting back up, voice deep and full of want as he takes in every curve of her body.
“RILEY!” she shouts, jaw dropping at his bluntness.
“Don’t act like you’re not thinking about it, princess,” he says, knowing he’s right.
Not ready to acknowledge the truth behind his words, or the wetness instantly pooling between her legs, Liz turns, trying to hide her reaction. She quickly makes her way to the small, rocky beach leading into the lake. Riley’s eyes never leave her body. She wades up to her waist, looking back.
“You really won’t come in?” she yells, bouncing up and down from the cold.
“I’m enjoying the view, princess.”
“You’re no fun,” she yells, backing further into the lake until it reaches her navel.
She watches as Riley adjusts himself, sending a wave of heat coursing through her body.
She slowly walks out of the lake, water dripping off and causing her to glisten in the sun.
Riley watches the seductive swing of her hips with each step she takes back toward the blanket.
She sits and stretches out on her back, soaking in the warmth of the sun.
“If you want me to live my life, you could at least live yours with me,” Liz says to him. “Or let Mikey bring me. He would have come in.”
“Love, Mikey is my best friend, but I would rip his fucking eyes out if he saw you like this,” he says, eyes dropping down to the swell of her breasts.
“That’s not very nice,” Liz says, crossing her arms to pout, his jealousy sending her heart fluttering. “I’m going to get you to jump off that waterfall with me.”
The sound of a car in the distance sets them both on edge.
Liz jumps up and starts pulling her clothes back on while Riley pulls his mask back over his mouth.
They are on their feet and back in the truck in less than a minute.
Heart racing, Liz moves over to the middle, getting herself as close to Riley as she can.
He peels out of where they are parked and takes off back down the road, only reacting when a black SUV comes into view.
Riley slows even more, rolling his window down slightly while he grabs Liz’s hand in an attempt to calm her. Her breathing heavy, head spinning at the sight of the man driving, the same man who was following her at the store. She grips his hand tighter, trying to stay calm at the realization.
“Lake’s all yours,” he says to the man before rolling his window back up and speeding off.
Riley drives them home as fast as he can, taking a few extra roads to make sure they aren’t being followed.
When they pull up, Riley leaves his truck outside instead of pulling it into the barn, ushering Liz inside.
He lets out a breath of relief once the elevator doors open and they step in.
He takes his mask off before pulling Liz into him, holding her tight.
They only have a moment of peace before the doors open to pure chaos.