River’s palm spreads across my lower belly before he pulls me into him, pressing my back to his front, where I feel a very thick, very hard erection.
I gasp and squeeze my eyes shut as my stomach tightens with anticipation.
“Pretty sure I had it right the first time,” he growls against the shell of my ear. “Say you’ll go out with me.”
“Riv…”
“Say it. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow or even next week. I can be patient,” he promises me. “But I need an answer.”
“Okay,” I breathe. “I’ll go out with you.”
“Good girl. Have fun on your girls’ night. And don’t make any more caramel.”
His touch disappears, followed by his heat at my back. The combination leaves me cold, turned on, and even more frustrated than before.
And he still didn’t tell me where he was going tonight.
Sneaky bastard.
“Where are you going?” I call out to his retreating form.
“Out.”
The front door closes behind him, but it doesn’t stop me from glaring at it.
Cocky asshole.
31
Reese
“Dude, what took you so long?” I ask as I grudgingly pop a non-caramel-covered kernel of popcorn into my mouth. I’d finally given up after River ditched me in the kitchen, but I didn’t expect Dove to spend twenty minutes in the bathroom.
Come on, girl.
Television remote in hand, I open up Netflix and start scrolling as Dove plops down next to me.
“Sorry,” she apologizes. “I got…distracted.”
I quirk my brow. “Candy Crush get ya again?”
“Uh, yup. That’s the one.” Her gaze darts toward the second floor before she snuggles further into the couch cushion.
“You okay over there?” I ask, taking in her flushed cheeks.
“Yup.”
“Did something happen in the bathroom? ‘Cause if you clogged the toilet or something, it’s not a big deal or anything.”
Her button nose scrunches. “Ew. No. Nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
“You didn’t tell me that one of your roommates is Gibson,” she rushes out. Her gaze darts over to mine for an instant before returning to the television screen in front of us.
“Oh.” I pause and pop another kernel into my mouth. “I thought you knew.”
“Nope. Definitely didn’t know that little tidbit.”
“Oh,” I repeat, trying to read the girl beside me though I can’t quite put my finger on what she’s feeling right now. Embarrassed, maybe?
“Well, Gibson is one of my roommates,” I tell her.
“Gee. Thanks for the heads-up.”
I snort. “Sorry. Did you run into him or something?”
“You could say that,” she returns cryptically.
“And?”
“And nothing,” she decides, but I’m not sure who she’s trying to convince. “So…” She drops her voice to a whisper. “Is Lover Boy still here?”
“Nope. He went out.”
“Out?”
“Yup.” I glare at the bowl of popcorn in my lap before shoving another small handful into my mouth.
“You don’t sound too thrilled about that,” she points out.
“He wouldn’t tell me where he was going, so he’s kind of on my shit list.”
Treading carefully, she murmurs, “Are you worried he’s on a date or something? In the kitchen, it sounded like that might be something you were a little nervous about.”
“We’re not exclusive,” I admit with a frown. “But that doesn’t mean it feels good to hear from my brother that he has a date tonight, regardless of whether or not it’s true.”
“So, it isn’t true then?”
“He says it isn’t,” I tell her. “He said he would wait until I was ready to actually date him.”
“He said he would wait?” A soft smile stretches across Dove’s face. “That’s…that’s like the sweetest thing ever.”
Chewing on the pad of my thumb, I try to keep my hope in check, but it’s useless. I drop my hand back to my lap and push the bowl a few inches toward her. “Every once in a while, he gives me glimpses of his awesome boyfriend material. But then I hear my brother and his friends joke about how River’s the biggest manwhore in the world. It doesn’t exactly give me warm fuzzies.”
“Maybe he just needed the right girl to tie him down,” she offers with a shrug before reaching into the popcorn bowl to grab a small handful.
“And maybe I’m naive to think that I could be the one to do it.”
Popping a few pieces into her mouth, she chews them slowly while considering my counterargument. After she swallows, a hum escapes her. “Hmm.”
“Hmm?”
“Let me ask you this,” she continues. “The last time we talked, I asked how he makes you feel when he’s around. Remember?”
“Yeah.”
“And did you figure out your answer?”
“It’s complicated,” I hedge.
Her laugh reminds me of a fairy as she tucks her white-blonde hair behind her ear. “A potential relationship might be complicated, but my question isn’t. How do you feel when you’re around him, Reese?”
Excited. Turned on. Happy. Content. Desperate. Frustrated. Comfortable but on edge that my brother will find out. And pretty much every other emotion in the book. I rub my hand over my make-up-free face, grateful none of it will smear into a mess as I pinch the bridge of my nose and swipe at my closed eyelids.
“That’s a loaded question,” I mutter under my breath after a few seconds of silence.
Again, she laughs. “Then tell me the first feeling that comes to mind.”
“I feel good,” I admit, holding her curious stare. “Happy.”
“And isn’t that all we really want in a relationship? Or in life in general? To be happy?”
“Yeah, but if I pursue something with River, then I’ll have to tell Milo, and he’ll be pissed, which’ll put a damper on said happiness big time. So will I truly be happy if I go down that road? Especially when I know Milo will never forgive River, and I’ll lose his trust forever? Debatable, my friend. Very debatable.”
“Yeah, but if you don’t go down that road and give your relationship with River a real shot, then you know you won’t be happy. Period. Just sayin’.”
Forehead wrinkled, I throw a popcorn kernel at her, then shove a handful of it into my mouth. It turns to sawdust as soon as it hits my tongue.
She’s got a point. The idea of not pursuing a relationship with River only to be given front row seats to all of his conquests after me is less than appealing.
It’s pretty freaking terrible. My erratic heart rate spikes at the thought before I take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
The question is, how do I tell Milo that I like his friend without him turning into the Hulk?
A satisfied Dove picks up the kernel I’d thrown at her from her shirt then tosses it into her mouth. “Told ya I was a good listener. Now, stop overthinking things. Just take it a day at a time and soak up that happiness, Reese. It’s not easy to come by.”