“Can we go somewhere?” She has yet to turn and look at me, but she’s also not making any effort to step out of my hold.
“Where do you want to go, Hud?”
“I don’t care. Away from the crowd.”
“This is your going-away party. You can’t leave.”
I can imagine her nose scrunching up and her brows furrowed as she thinks about me disappearing from my own farewell party.
“Just for a bit.” I wish I could see her face, but I don’t want to let go and lose this moment of having her in my arms. “Please, Riles,” I add for good measure. Leaning down, I move my lips to her ear. “Just for a little while.” She shivers at the close contact, and fuck if that doesn’t turn me on. Who am I kidding? This is Riley. She could be reading her grocery list, and my cock would be hard for her.
“Okay.” Her agreement is soft, but I heard it as if she was shouting it to the world.
“I can’t drive. I’ve had” I try to mentally count how many beers I’ve had, but I can’t seem to recall.
“Too many,” she finishes for me.
“Too many,” I agree, as I put pressure on her hip, guiding her to turn and face me. She’s staring at my chest, and that won’t do. Sliding my finger under her chin, I gently lift her eyes to mine.
Beautiful.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her exactly that, but she beats me to it.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Somewhere it’s just the two of us.” I can’t stand the thought of sharing her with anyone else right now. I leave in a matter of hours. One full fucking year without seeing her smile or her big green eyes. It’s right here, in the parking lot of the VFW, that I realize I’ve made a mistake. I let my emotions guide me, and they steered me wrong. How can I go a year without her?
“Where is that exactly?” she asks softly.
“My place.” I want the memory of her in my home. Sure, she’s been there countless times, but as a part of a group. It’s never just the two of us, and I need that memory. I need to carry it with me over the next year.
“Are you sure?” There’s surprise and uncertainty in her voice.
“Yes.”
She nods and steps out of my hold. She walks around her car and slides behind the wheel. Not willing to give her time to change her mind and drive off without me, I pull open the passenger door and slide in beside her.
Neither one of us says a word as she navigates us toward my place. Both of her hands grip the wheel, and although it’s too dark for me to see, I can imagine her knuckles are white from her tight grip. I want to reach over and take one of her hands in mine. I want to rest them on my lap, or hell, even on hers. I just want to fucking touch her.
Fifteen minutes later, she pulls into my driveway. My palms sweat as my nerves make themselves known. We’ve been avoiding this conversation, and it’s time to lay it all out there. It’s time to tell her that in my heart, she’s always been mine.
First, we have to get inside. Reaching for the door handle, I stumble out of her car and barely avoid landing on my ass.
“Come on, big boy,” she says, appearing next to me. “Let’s get you inside.” She slips her arm around my waist, and in turn, I slip mine around her shoulders.
“You smell good.”
“And you’re drunk.” She chuckles.
“No. You smell good. I’ve tried to figure out what it is exactly a million times, but I can’t figure it out.”
“It’s called Tease,” she confesses.
“Fitting,” I mutter. It’s not that she’s a tease. She’s anything but. However, she is tempting as hell, and that scent doesn’t do anything to diminish that fact.
I lean on her a little more than I need to, but it puts me closer to her, so that’s what I’m going with. I fumble with my keys and eventually get the door unlocked and push it open, and although I know that I should and that I can, I don’t release my arm from around her shoulders. Instead, I keep my body glued to her side, which leaves her no choice but to slip inside with our bodies pressed together.
Once the door is closed, I stand to my full height and turn to face her. She peers up at me, her emerald eyes full of question. I take a step forward, causing her to take a step back. We complete this dance over and over until her back is pressed firmly against the door. I step into her, aligning our bodies. My cock is throbbing against the zipper of my jeans, and from the way her eyes widen, she feels it.
Slowly, I lift my hand, guiding my thumb over her bottom lip. “We kissed.”
She audibly swallows. “We did.”
“And you’ve been avoiding me ever since.”
There is a heavy lift to her chest with each breath. “I” She starts to deny it, but her rebuttal trails off when I lean in close, my lips just a breath from hers.
“Do it again.” It’s a challenge, a stupid one at that. I should just lean in the last inch or so and kiss the hell out of her like I’ve been dying to do for years. Like I wanted to do last weekend before she stopped me. That’s why this time, it needs to be her. I can’t take her rejection a second time. It would break me.
“W-What?”
“Do it again, Riles. Kiss me.”
“Hud” She starts, but she quickly halts her words when I lean in just a little closer. Her breath mingles with mine, and I’m exercising more restraint than I ever thought possible.
“I can still remember your taste.” My confession is whispered as my eyes are glued to her mouth.
“You’re drunk.”
“I want you.”
“That’s the alcohol talking.”
“No, baby, it’s me talking.”
“Hudson.” She grips the hem of my shirt, tightening it around her fist. All this time, her hands have been hanging loose at her sides. She’s been the epitome of calm and in control, except for the heat I can see in her eyes and the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
“Kiss. Me.” My tone is commanding, yet not enough to make her feel like she has no other choice. I would never force her to do anything.
“I” She starts again, then immediately stops. She shakes her head as she licks her lips before she closes the distance and kisses me.
Finally.
Resting my palms against her cheeks, I tilt her head ever so slightly and trace her lips with my tongue. It has the desired effect because she opens for me, allowing me another full taste of heaven.
She is heaven.
I lose track of time. I lose track of where I am. All I can think about is Riley. She tastes better than I remember, and I can’t get enough. I could kiss this woman for days on end and never tire.
She moans. It’s a sound that comes from deep in the back of her throat, and it sparks a fire in my veins. I need more of her. I need all of her. Moving my hands to the backs of her thighs, never missing a stroke of my tongue against hers, I lift, and she wraps her legs around my waist without being told.
I stand still for a moment, just long enough to appreciate the feel of her wrapped around me, before I’m on the move. She doesn’t ask me where we’re going, and she makes no move to protest as I blindly carry her down the hall and to my bedroom.
Hitting the light switch with my elbow, I move toward the bed and gently lower her. She lies back. Her emerald eyes are full of desire as she works for each breath. She watches me carefully, never saying a word. Leaning over the bed, I brace my hands on either side of her head and kiss her again.