Chapter 29
~Hudson~
With my ear pressed against the bathroom door, I can hear the first part of Riley and Trevor’s conversation, when they’re standing at the door, but once they move further into the room, everything goes quiet.
“Damn it,” I mutter as I step back. Something in the mirror catches my eye when I move and I throw a hand over my mouth to stifle my gasp of surprise. On the wall behind me is something green with huge eyes, and I spin around to find myself looking at…
Actually, I don’t know what the hell I’m looking at. A towel, I guess, but in the shape of a frog? Hanging over the shower curtain rail to dry, it just scared the shit out of me.
Does that belong to Hannah or Riley? Either way, it’s ridiculous and kind of adorable, which makes me think it’s probably Riley’s. When she’s not worried about what anyone else thinks, she has a quirky, fun-loving streak that I desperately want to see more of.
While I’m in here, I might as well see what else I can learn about her.
Two make-up bags sit on the counter, one black and square and embroidered with the name ‘Hannah’, which means I don’t have to be a detective to figure out the other one is Riley’s.
I rifle through it shamelessly, noting the brands and colours she uses, the ones that obviously get a lot of use and the ones that sit in her bag almost untouched.
A bottle of perfume next to the bag must belong to her too, and I spray a fine mist into the air, sniffing it to see if it matches her scent in my mind.
Unfortunately, I inhale a little too deeply. A cough builds in my throat, and to try to keep it in, I cover my nose and mouth and take a sharp step back.
The back of my calf connects with the toilet and I lose my balance, falling onto it with a heavy thud.
A few seconds later, Trevor bangs on the door, shouting that he knows I’m in here. I couldn’t care less about him threatening me, but when he tries to make Riley feel bad, I can’t hold my tongue.
When she stands up for herself, and for me, stepping in front of me for my protection, my heart swells.
And when Trevor makes his grand exit, I can’t stop myself from pulling Riley into a hug.
“Remind me why you were ever dating that guy?”
Her body shudders against mine, and my stomach drops. Is she crying over that jackass?
Thankfully, a second later, her giggle fills the air, and I pull back enough to confirm that she’s laughing instead.
“What were you doing in there?” she asks, throwing a hand towards the bathroom door. “How hard is it to sit quietly for five minutes? And why do you smell like my perfume?”
She’s still giggling and I let my smile break free in return. “I’ve never been great at keeping myself quietly occupied. Ask my mother, she’s got horror stories about the time we spent on the family farm.”
“I’m not sure I want to know.” Riley shakes her head as she takes a step back.
“I’m sorry I gave myself away,” I apologize even though she doesn’t look upset at all. “You really broke up with him, though, right? I didn’t hallucinate that?”
Riley laughs again. “If you did, I did too.”
Although my body buzzes with excitement, I do my best not to look too happy. “And you’re feeling okay about it?”
She nods emphatically. “In my mind, we’ve already been broken up for six weeks, so it doesn’t even really sting. I don’t know why I agreed to give him another chance in the first place.”
I know why: because she’s sweet and trusting, and way better than he deserves.
My hand reaches for hers, squeezing it gently. “I’m glad you were able to get some closure.”
“Me too.” She gives me a warm smile as she rubs her thumb across mine, and that simple touch sends a jolt of desire straight to my groin. It’s so strong, my jaw clenches to keep from moaning. “And I’ve been thinking about something else too.”
“Oh yeah? About what?”
“You remember I told you I didn’t want to date anyone I skate with because it could get messy if we break up?”
Remember it? That conversation is inscribed in my mind with permanent ink. “Yeah. I vaguely recall that.”
My sarcastic tone earns me an exasperated roll of her eyes. “Well, talking with Trevor in person has helped me see that I could co-exist with him if I had to, even after what he did to me. What makes it unbearable is having everyone else talking about it.”
“Okay?”
As much as I want to understand, I have no idea where she’s going with this.
“And you wouldn’t cheat on me anyway, would you? I mean, no matter what happened, you wouldn’t do that?”
“Of course not.” I can answer that much with certainty, but the rest, I’m still confused about. “You’ve lost me, Riley. What are we talking about?”
She takes a deep breath, her thumb once again stroking mine. “I’m talking about us trying out dating. For real. Not friends with benefits, but dating dating. I think I might be open to that, as long as no one else knows about it.”
Well, fuck.
This is not at all where I expected to end up when I dropped by to tell her about Trevor’s phone call, and I hold her gaze as I take a minute to seriously think it over.
Obviously, I would prefer to skip the secrecy, but given her recent past, I understand her hesitation.
And all things considered, it’s a significant step up from her last offer.
Maybe it could start as a secret and once she sees how good we are together, when she realizes she has nothing to worry about, she’ll want to go public?
In Helsinki, I sent her away and spent the night wondering if I’d done the right thing. Now, I know I was right to hold out for more, but I’m also afraid that if I refuse her again, she might not give me another chance.
And I really, really don’t want to miss out on that chance.
I can make this work. I’m going to sweep her off her feet by being the best damn boyfriend she’s ever had, until she’s dying to let everyone know that I’m her man.
“I’m in,” I say, but before her smile can get too wide, I make my counter-offer. “On one condition.”
“Okay?” She echoes the word in the same tone I used earlier, a little wary but mostly optimistic.
“At the club, it can be a secret. That’s fine, that’s your call. But my family gets to know the truth.”
“Your family?” she repeats, her voice squeaking slightly.
“That’s right. They’re here this weekend. You can meet them tomorrow after I skate, and I’ll introduce you to them as my girlfriend, if you want to do this.”
It’s her turn to blink at me in surprise for a few seconds, but it doesn’t take her much longer to make up her mind than it took me.
“Deal.”