“It’s beautiful,” she whispers reverently, understanding why that would be so important for me.
With her back to my chest, part of me wants to jump right back to where we were, push her up against the window, and ravage her.
I want her. Desperately. But I want more than that with Riley.
“Would you like some wine?”
She looks over her shoulder at me, nibbling her lip nervously, and I know I made the right choice.
“Sit down. Let me grab it.” I step back from her, feeling the loss of her heat, and head to the kitchen. I can still see her over the island counter as she sits down on the leather couch, crossing her legs demurely.
I pop the cork on a bottle and pour two glasses. Carrying them back to her, I hand her one and sit down beside her.
“Thank you. A toast?” she asks, holding her glass with delicate fingers.
“To pasts that shaped us, presents that fulfill us, and futures that are better than we can dream.” I clink my glass against hers, and we take sips, eyeing each other over the rims.
“Mmm, that’s good—the wine and the toast. I haven’t heard that one.”
I chuckle and shrug. “That’s because I just made it up.”
Her brows jump in surprise. “Really? Quite poetic, Mr. Daniels.”
I bow my head with a smug smirk and Riley grins back. I like that she can see my humor in the cockiness now. It tells me that the past is truly gone to time and she’s here in the now with me. “I try. Tell me, what’s the future you dream of?”
Riley takes another sip, thinking before she answers. “Honestly?” Riley says, and I nod. “I want to help people for as long as I can. I want to make the world a better place, as silly and beauty queen-like as that sounds. And I think I’m doing that. As for how long I can do it or how that takes shape through the years, I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t sound silly at all. You are doing that for so many. You’ve already done it for me, changed me,” I tell her honestly.
Riley blushes but looks pleased. She wiggles happily. “What about you? Got any more brilliant apps in that brain of yours?”
“Not yet. There’s still too much to do with BlindDate, and I hope we can make it the number-one dating app. Especially since it seems to work so well.” I lift a brow her way. “Ninety-six percent.”
She smiles, and I continue, “I’m going to work my ass off on BlindDate, and then we’ll come up with the next thing, and then the next. I plan to work my way to the top, earning it every step of the way. The sky’s the limit.”
“Why stop there? There’s an entire universe beyond that.” She’s serious, not being facetious.
“Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a planner. So step one can be the sky. Step two can be the universe. I wish I could be a fly by the seat of my pants type sometimes, like River.” I hate to mention one of the elephants in the room, but it’s pertinent to the conversation. “He’s so adventurous. Someone could say ‘wanna skydive?’ and I’d do it, but I’d still be checking my chute, making alternate safety plans, and confirming the landing zone while River jumped out the plane with nothing but an umbrella to slow him down. But somehow, he makes it work.”
Riley leans forward. “Because of you. He makes you do big things, and you make him do them correctly. You’re a good team. Maybe like us?”
I grin. “We might be a good team too, a little sunshine and a little rain, but I can guarantee you that I’ve never wanted to sip wine from River’s lips the way I want to taste yours right now.”
Riley licks her lips as though she can taste the wine there herself. I take her glass and mine, setting them both down on the coffee table.
I reach out, and Riley meets me halfway, straddling my lap as her lips find mine again. Our kiss is heady, intoxicating, and it’s not because of the wine but the woman I’m kissing. It deepens, our tongues twisting and tasting each other until Riley pushes me back into the cushions. “Noah . . . I need you.”
“I need you too,” I tell her honestly, reaching a hand up to knead a soft breast through her dress, which has slipped up her thighs enticingly. “I want you. But I don’t want to rush this. I want to enjoy it, enjoy us.”
I kiss her again, my thumb finding her nipple through the thin cotton. Riley gasps, arching her head back, and I roll her, pinning her to the couch as I rain kisses on her skin and down to the hollow of her throat.
“Mmm . . . you taste good,” I growl against her throat. “The rest of you?”
Riley reaches down, squeezing my ass through my slacks and pulling my hardness against her thigh. “You . . . can find out,” she gasps as I lean in, nipping her throat again. I pull back just enough to let her sit up, pulling her dress from her shoulders and letting it pool at her waist.
Of course her lingerie’s yellow. But against her creamy skin, it looks golden, and there’s only one word that comes to mind as I look down at her in admiration. “Sunshine.”
Riley reaches up, sliding a shoulder strap down and tugging a cup until one breast tumbles out. I ravenously bury my face between her soft mounds, sliding halfway down the couch before kissing over to a perked up, hard nipple that rasps against my tongue. Needing more and wanting to see if the other breast is just as delicious, I reach beneath her, undoing her bra to remove it and expose her breasts completely. I worship them both, using my hands and mouth.
“Noah . . . oh, yes,” Riley moans. I grin, planning to taste every inch of Riley’s body and bring my name to her lips again and again.
I lift up to give myself some room to work and pull her dress down her legs and off with her help. She lies before me in matching yellow panties and those pink heels, her little yellow toes peeking out.
Using my hand, I urge her thighs apart, and she whimpers as I knead my way up from her knees. Her yellow panties gleam mellowly in the soft light of my living room, and I look up at Riley’s half-closed eyes, her breasts heaving in deep breaths.
I grin at seeing her even wilder than usual, especially when I’ve never felt more in control. I run a fingertip along the lacy edge and feel her shiver in anticipation. A dark spot appears, her arousal and moisture soaking into the fabric. “Is there something you want?” I ask huskily.
Riley nods, lifting her hips just enough to boldly tug the triangle covering her pussy to the side, and I see . . . heaven. “Is there something you want?”
As if there’s any doubt.
“Fuck yes.” With almost an animalistic ferocity, I bury my face between her thighs, consuming her with a desire and passion I’ve held back for too long. She’s tangy and sweet, better than the wine and more nourishing than the burgers we ate. Because with every suck, every stroke of my tongue along her lips, I hear her pleasure.
I hear her moans.
I feel . . . enlightened. I feel like my soul’s being transformed with each scoop of my tongue, each tug of her fingers on my hair.
I suck her pussy, kissing her center as my hands clamp on her thighs, holding her open to me. Not that Riley needs encouragement. She’s practically yanking my hair out because she’s pulling on me so strongly, wanting more. Actually, she’s demanding more. I love that she’s passionate and powerful, willing to guide me exactly where she wants me while letting me explore every inch of her. I want to know her fully and completely.