Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
T his man was going to be the death of her. Riley considered herself a fairly in shape individual, but helping lug a muscled ex-soldier around was making her feel weaker than a newborn kitten.
And her ability to keep her attraction to herself?
That was even worse.
She’d blurted out so many things about how attractive he was at this point that Antony had to be laughing behind her back at poor Riley’s crush. No wonder he was softening and being nicer to her. He felt pity for her. Pity for Aspen’s little friend who was crushing on the insanely awesome older brother she could never have.
Riley closed her eyes and shook her head for a moment before going back to stirring the chicken noodle soup she was making. Somehow, despite her completely inept ability to filter her thoughts, she’d managed to get Antony dried off, his wounds bandaged, and back to her place, where he was currently lounging on the couch half asleep with Griffin keeping the man’s toes warm.
Riley, herself, was ready for a nap. Her eyes stung, her stomach was doing flips and she was still freezing from their drenching, but the savory smell of the soup was good and she anticipated being warm soon.
Now if she could just get thoughts of a shirtless Antony out of her head, she’d be great. Her cheeks flushed when she thought of him again, and she paused. Correction. Thinking of Antony shirtless was probably the best way to stay warm in the entire world.
“Is that ever going to be ready?” he shouted, breaking into her completely wayward thoughts.
“Yeah, yeah,” Riley shot back. “Keep your—” She cut off when she realized the words she was about to say were a little too close to home. When there was a dark chuckle behind her, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Antony leaned his shirt-covered, but still very broad shoulder against the doorframe. “What were you going to say?” he teased.
Riley forced herself to roll her eyes. It had become her go-to when trying to downplay her attraction to the unattainable. If eye-rolling was an Olympic sport, she’d be in the running for a gold medal.
“I don’t think I need to say anything,” she responded with an insincere, but wide smile.
“You already had me shirtless,” Antony drawled, stomping into the room with his crutch. “Are you saying you need another view?”
“I—” She shook her head and swallowed. “What?”
Antony raised an eyebrow. “Riley Roo. Are you flustered? I thought you’d seen my chest before.”
Was the Sahara dry? Because right now Riley was positive that her mouth could give that desert a run for its money.
“Or maybe it’s the muscles.”
Riley could have sworn that he flexed a bit at those words. Maybe someone had stuffed cotton in her throat. That would explain a lot. Antony’s lips were quirked into the perfect smirk, and Riley wanted to kiss it right off.
“Soup!” she shouted, a little too loudly. Spinning, she shut off the burner and reached for bowls. With her back to him, her tongue found itself able to move after all. “At ease, soldier,” she shot backward. “I talk to Baby Tony about his muscles all the time. If you think you intimidate me, you’re looking at it all wrong.” She stilled when something large and warm came right up against her back. She hadn’t heard the crutch, it couldn’t be?—
“Are you sure about that?”
Like a deer in the headlights of a semi, Riley was completely frozen. Her arms over her head and grasped around two bowls and now she couldn’t move. Antony was at her back. Close. He wasn’t touching her, not quite, but she could still feel him.
Electricity thrummed through the air and settled into her spine, dancing up and down like a live wire. Her breathing grew shaky, and Riley was once again tongue tied.
Did he have any idea what he was doing to her? Could he feel this? He was flirting with her. Flirting! Antony Harrison was teasing and flirting and smirking and doing all the types of things that he used to do with every pretty girl he’d ever met.
He’d been the most sought after boy in high school, and Riley could only imagine how popular he was in college.
And in this moment, it was like having him back, except now she was the recipient of his attention.
“Riley?”
She closed her eyes. The deep rumble, the soft hoarseness of his tone only made things worse. How could she do this? How could she keep going knowing that as he came back to himself, he’d turn these attentions elsewhere?
It hurt to breathe. And yet she didn’t know how to stop what was happening.
“Let me help.”
A warm hand met hers, and Riley’s eyes flew open in time to see Antony’s arm along her trembling one. Slowly, he pulled the dishes back, and subsequently her hands with them, until they landed on the counter.
Still, she didn’t move. She couldn’t. Having him close by of his own freewill was intoxicating, and Riley was loath to break the spell. She’d pushed into his bubble for several weeks, and he’d attacked at every turn.
Now he was giving dangerous life to her flicker of hope.
“Riley,” he whispered, his lips close to her ear.
A shiver ran down her spine. Move. She needed to move. She needed to let him know that she wasn’t taking this personally. That she knew he thought of her as a sister. That the shivers were just residual bursts of cold from the rain…
Clearing his throat, Antony stepped back, and air came rushing into Riley’s lungs. Her legs shook, but slowly, using the counter as a crutch, she turned around, gradually lifting her gaze to meet his.
Dark and brooding. Those brown orbs were warmer than Riley had ever seen before, and she wanted to drown herself in them. He studied her, and she found herself doing the same, as if each were looking for the first time.
His lightly tanned skin, which turned darker when he spent time in the sun. His chin length curls, just waiting for someone to run their fingers through. The broad and solid chest she’d had the pleasure of cleaning up and the strong back she’d covered with a bandage.
If she let her eyes drop, she knew she’d find a missing piece, something that drove a lot of Antony’s behavior, but the missing leg meant nothing to Riley. And she knew it wouldn't mean anything to whoever he eventually gave his heart to.
With a man like Antony and all he had to offer, what woman in her right mind would find anything lacking? Especially when it came to something as ridiculous as a leg?
He hadn’t meant to do it. He hadn’t meant to bring them to this, whatever this was.
It had all felt so natural for a moment. Riley in the kitchen, him starving on the couch. How many times as teenagers had this happened? Too many to count. Although Aspen was usually in the kitchen as well.
But when Antony had limped to the kitchen entrance, he’d only meant to tease. Tease like he used to when he was younger and whole. Riley’s cheeks always turned pink, and she’d shot back a few one-liners.
For a moment, all was right with the world. He felt light and airy. He was amused and attracted all at once.
But then he’d made a mistake.
Riley had been so beautiful, all flustered about his chest. It’s not like Antony thought she truly found it attractive, but her blushing had been deeper than usual and she’d changed the subject so quickly, that he hadn’t been able to resist the urge to tease a little more.
Only it had backfired.
Now he was only inches from the woman who both annoyed and entranced him, and all he could think about was what it would be like to have her in his arms because she wanted to be there. Not because he was helping her pull bowls from the cupboard.
When the tension had skyrocketed in the room, causing an extreme heatwave, he’d started to back off, realizing that Riley was more than likely uncomfortable, but the way she was staring at him right now had Antony rooted to the spot.
There was no teasing in her eyes, no sign of her usual upbeat, silver lining, funny quips. There was also no sign of any type of sibling relationship.
She looked like a woman who wanted to be held. Who wanted to be kissed. There was a mixture of hope and terrified anticipation, and Antony found himself unsure if he should answer the call.
He wanted to kiss her, desperately. His stomach was in knots, and his fingers ached with the desire to reach for her. Every part of him was aware of Riley’s proximity, and the shivers wracking her body. He was almost positive that if he reached for her now, she wouldn’t resist, and the vision in his head was intoxicating.
But would it be fair to Riley ?
She’d already done so much for him. Would it be fair to bring them into a relationship that would be so one-sided? He had nothing to recommend himself. He still struggled with anger. He was barely mobile. He had no job, no prospects, no idea what he actually wanted out of life. In fact, he was eating ramen and sleeping on an air mattress for heaven’s sake! How could he pursue anything with Riley with those kinds of weights hanging over his head?
Clearing his throat and trying to clear his thoughts, he stepped back again. “Do you”—he had to clear his raspy throat once more—“need help dishing up as well?” His tease hit its mark, and the star struck look in Riley’s green eyes disappeared.
Tilting her head to the side, she raised an eyebrow. “I think I can handle it, soldier.” Waving toward the table, she turned around, but not before Antony caught the frown tugging at her lips.
Guilt slammed into his chest, and he had to force his stiff muscles to move. “What do you want to drink?” he asked, deciding to help to avoid being waited on hand and foot. It was the least he could do, after all.
“Water’s fine.” Riley shuffled over, carefully setting down the full bowls. “Do you want some toast?”
Antony shrugged. “This is good. Thanks.” Conversation halted while the two sat down and began to eat, and Antony barely tasted the soup. The heat was nice as it traveled down his throat, settling in his stomach. But the tension between him and Riley was so thick, it was hard to swallow.
“I’ll need to check those bandages after dinner,” Riley said, her voice low. “You weren’t bleeding a lot, but we need to make sure you haven’t gone through the bandages.”
Antony rolled his shoulders. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
Riley huffed and set her hand on the table with the spoon in it. “For once, can you just…not fight when I try to help you?”
Antony opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut. He liked a little snappy argument done in fun, but he hadn’t been arguing in fun for a long time. And after seeing Riley’s face a few moments ago, he couldn’t defend himself against what she was saying. “You’re right,” he choked out.
Why was humility so hard?
“Thank you for being willing to take care of it.” Antony took another bite of soup, but Riley wasn’t moving. He paused and brought his head back up. “What?”
“You…” Riley worked her jaw back and forth, then shook her head. “Nothing.” Another pause and glance. “Thank you.”
There it was. That electric humming sensation again.
Every time her eyes met his, Antony felt like he’d been sucker punched. He rubbed at his chest, trying to be subtle about it so Riley didn’t think there was another injury. This couldn’t be healthy. All the adrenaline hits. The speed of his pulse. The heatwaves, and the whiplash of emotions.
Did girls feel like this all the time?
They supposedly went through a lot more feelings than boys. Is this what it was like to be a girl?
Antony grunted at the thought. Part of him wanted to scream that he wasn’t girly at all, and yet another reminded him that he was barely even a man any more.
“What?”
His head jerked up. “Hm?”
“What did I do?” Riley leaned back, folding her arms over her chest and giving him a challenging look. “I wasn’t even talking, and you’re grumbling at me.”
Antony chuckled. “I wasn’t grumbling at you.”
“Then who were you grumbling at?”
“Myself.”
Riley’s brows pulled down. “Yourself? Why?”
Antony sat straighter and pointed his spoon at her. “My thoughts are my own.”
“Well, apparently not if you’re going to be saying things out loud,” Riley shot back.
Laughter bubbled in his chest, bringing that light and airy feeling again. How did she do it? Antony leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “Did you hear what I said?”
“No.”
“Then take that as a hint. You weren’t meant to.”
Riley matched his posture. “Take this as a hint. If you don’t want others involved, keep the words in your head.”
He couldn’t help it. His lips stretched into what was probably a pretty smirky grin. “You tell me your secrets, I’ll tell you mine.”
Riley scoffed, the large wad of hair on top of her head threatening to fall over. “I have no secrets.”
“No?” Antony tilted his head, challenging her. “Then tell me, Riley Roo. Why are you still single?”
Riley stilled, her face draining of color, and the bottom fell out of Antony’s stomach at the same time.
That wasn’t what he was planning to say. He was going to tease about how she loved dogs and cats more than people, or how her drive to be superwoman kept her from forming attachments like all the superhero movies.
But just before speaking, he’d seen her at the stove once more. Their faces only inches apart, and her eyes wide with questions and want. He’d felt a flash of her hands on his skin as she took care of his wounds. He’d felt the press of her fingers against his face and her voice telling him that he was still handsome.
In that quick moment, he’d felt all of those emotions come to a fever pitch inside his chest, and the result had been a highly intimate question that he had no right to ask.
In fact, he didn’t even want her to answer it because there was only one answer that wouldn’t send him spiraling into a depression.
I’m still single because I’m waiting for you.