Chapter 19
River
With a yawn I stretch my arms over my head. My fist connects with something hard. Fuck, that hurt. I rub the side of my palm and glance around. That’s right, I fell asleep in the stairwell to my apartment.
I toss off the blanket I grabbed from the bar and sit up, flicking off the alarm that’s blaring at me from my phone. Six a.m. I have a bet to win.
Knocking on the door, I wait for Dove to respond.
When she gives me nothing, I press my finger to the pad of the security system and let myself in.
I find her curled up in a ball on the carpeted floor by the window.
She’s wrapped the blanket from my bed around her like a little burrito.
I can’t help but laugh. Neither of us used the bed last night, but she makes sleeping on the floor look adorable.
“What?” she grumbles, pulling the blanket up to cover her face.
“It’s six, you have a bet to lose,” I push, hoping that will get her going.
She peers up at me from under the blanket. “I need to stop making bets with you when I’ve been drinking.”
I hold a hand out for her to take. “Probably, but it’s too late to back out of this one now.” She lets me help her up, a few staples popping open on her dress as she stands, her massive tits nearly toppling out. I can’t help the cheeky grin that stretches across my face.
She jumps to cover herself up. “Oh my God, this dress wasn’t made to last the night.”
“I’m not complaining.” I grin back at her. She’s a goddess, even half asleep and with her hair all over the place and her slept-in make-up.
She swats me away. “Stop gawking at me like that.”
“Like what, baby?”
“You know what like,” she mutters as she moves through to the bathroom, closing me out. She curses a few times, and there is a lot of crunching and popping of bubble wrap. Then she bursts open the door, peering out. “Riv?”
“Yeah, Dove.” I smirk at her, loving that she needs my help and has to ask for it.
“Can you throw me a tee or something? The dress just died,” she grumbles.
I approach the door, staring her down. “You don’t need clothes for what I have planned.”
Her eyes go wide. “Shit, River, what is this bet?”
“Just a little swimming race.”
“I’m not swimming with you in the nude.” She slams the door closed and flicks the lock.
I lean into it, typing a text out to Bodhi.
RIVER: Can you drop some clothes off at the bar for Dove.
BODHI: Already done, combi is out the front as well.
That man thinks of everything. I leave Dove in the bathroom to sulk while I make my way downstairs to the main bar. Sure enough, there is a bright pink suitcase sitting beside the bar. I drag it back upstairs and open it up on the bed, locating a cute-as-fuck baby-blue-checkered bikini.
I tap at the bathroom door. “I have your swimmers,” I call to her.
The door opens just a smidge, and she snatches them right out of my hands, then closes the door back up again.
“Thanks, Riv, love you, Riv,” I call back to her.
I hear her huff out a laugh, but she doesn’t actually thank me.
This time when she opens the door she’s dressed in the bikini.
The blue makes her tan pop even more, and her tits, well shit, the fabric hardly covers them.
She might as well have joined me in her birthday suit.
“Stop staring, River,” she chastises me.
“Can’t help it when you look like that,” I mutter, moving through my room to my wardrobe to grab a pair of board shorts since apparently we’re not allowed to go in naked.
I strip off my pants and slip them on. When I turn around again, she’s watching me.
“Stop looking at me, Dove,” I snip back playfully.
“I… I wasn’t, you dropped your pants right in front of me,” she complains, trying to look anywhere but at me.
I close the gap between us. “You didn’t have to look.” I tug her close with a hand at her waist. Goosebumps scatter over her skin. “But I like that you did.” My hand skates down her back, playing with her long silky hair.
She inhales deeply then pulls away from me. “Let’s get this race underway, hey.”
It’s one step forward two steps back with her every damn time.
Just when I think we’re getting close again, she disappears on me.
And I know for a fact it’s not because she doesn’t want me.
She’s hiding her true feelings, trying to block us and her past out when she should just give into desire.
“I don’t know, maybe I should change the bet… make it something more interesting.”
She stares me down like she’s about to fight me. “Nope, you said a race, so a race it is.”
I take her hand, pulling her back in close. “Don’t hate me when you’re tired later, baby, and you could have had the orgasm of your life instead.” I grin from ear to ear, loving the way her mouth pops open with that O when I surprise her. It’s easy to push her when she’s so fun to toy with.
“Where is the race, River?” Her voice holds a warning, but I’m not scared. Something tells me I’m closer than ever to having Dove right where I want her. But this race is important, so first things first.
“First to the orange buoy and back wins,” I say, opening the front door for her.
Her hand comes to my arm, her touch light but deliberate. “Don’t go easy on me.” I wish I could tell her how adorable her serious face is but now is not the time.
“You know I’m too competitive for that.”
She nods, pleased with my response. Then we make our way down to the beach, the cool sand squishing between my toes, and I’m home.
This is my safe place. My calm in amongst the crazy that is my life, and with her by my side, even more so.
It just feels so right she’s back home now, right when we all need her.
“Okay, but just to make sure you’re not going to throw this race, I’m upping the stakes. I win, I’ll give you anything you want.”
My brow rises as my heart kicks up a beat. Is she saying what I think she is or am I the one being played here? “Sexually?”
She smirks, a playfulness in her eyes that I love.
“If that’s what you want, I’m sure you can be creative.
” She places a hand on her hip, and I can’t help the way my eyes run down her beautiful body.
Her paying her own way is more important to her than I realized.
Shit, this might be harder than I originally thought.
I just wanted to help her, make her life easier, but maybe I’m the asshole for taking that right away from her.
I hold my hand out, and she places hers in mine, crazy chemistry zapping between us.
Yeah, she can deny it all she wants, but she wants me.
“Done.” I keep my hand in hers longer than necessary.
She blinks up at me from under her long dark lashes.
“Five, four, three, two, one. Go!” I call, releasing her as I make it to go, and we both take off up the beach.
She makes it to the water before me. I’m shit on land at the moment, but once we hit the water, I can feel myself catching up with her, every determined stroke takes me closer.
She dives under a wave, and I follow, until we’re out in the still water heading right toward our target.
I catch her just before she turns at the buoy.
But she turns with ferocity, me overtaking her giving her fresh reason to fight harder. This is one of the things I love about this girl so much. She’s so competitive, has that fire in her veins that pushes her forward even when the odds are stacked against her.
I ease back, not to give her the win, she’s still going to have to take it, but I was never going to beat her today. I know how badly she needs this. To feel in control of her life. Life has thrown her one shitty thing after the other, and if I can give her back some independence, then I’m all in.
She pulls ahead just a little, her arm strokes becoming more frantic.
She’s tired. I move to overtake her again, and she glares at me, a fresh wave of determination coming over her as she keeps pace with me.
My feet hit the sand and so do hers. She takes one more look back at me and races up the beach back to where we started.
“You better not have let me win, asshole,” she pants out between trying to suck in breaths.
“Never.”
She gives me a little confused look then slumps down onto the sand. “Fuck, you’re fast. I can’t even breathe.”
“You could have let me win.” I laugh, lying down beside her and letting the rising sun warm my skin.
“You know that was never an option. I’m not living rent-free, I pay my way River.”
I give her a more serious look. “Looks like you will then. What about the second part of the bet?” My eyebrows dance with delight, she did sweeten the deal for me after all.
She pulls a face. “What do you want Riv?”
I lean in a little closer, inhaling her sweet scent. To fuck you right here on the beach. Fuck that would be the dream. There is a long list of stuff I want to do with this girl. But I’m not claiming her body through a bet. “A kiss.” I grin back at her.
Her brow pops up, confusion clouding her pretty features. “Just a kiss?”
“It’s never just a kiss with me baby.”
“Fine.” She rolls her eyes and leans in closer ready to kiss me.
I place a finger on her lips to stop her, a stupid smile painting my face. “Tempting Dove, very tempting, but not now, at a time of my choosing.”
She blinks back at me a few times. “You’re going to hold a random kiss over me?”
“If that’s how you want to think of it. I would prefer to keep things exciting, there is nothing better than the thrill of not knowing when I can claim my kiss.” I chuckle imagining her face when I finally take what I want.
Her face scrunches up. “You continue to surprise me, River.” The way she says it, I’m not sure if she’s impressed or annoyed with me. But I’m going to take it that I’ve impressed her. “When can I start work?”
“Today if you want.”
She glances at me like she’s not sure if it’s such a good idea anymore. “And Kasen is really okay with this?”
“Said he was.”
“Hmm.” She flops onto her back, staring up at the sky.