Best Of My Love (Home to Green Valley Book 4)
Page 14
He just hoped it also included the woman he loved: Erica.
Chapter Twenty-Three
After what happened, it was a miracle Erica managed to get through her final exams. She passed them all with high grades, but even that didn’t make much of a dent in her depression. Damn Riley for making her fall for him, then walking away.
She knew that wasn’t a fair assessment. She knew that he’d wanted to talk things out with her, and that she’d pushed him away, telling him Lucy’s pregnancy had nothing to do with her. Telling him he needed time and space to decide what he wanted to do.
But in the end, he’d been the one to turn and walk away from her, and in her irrational brain, it felt like he’d abandoned her. She was fine to play around with, but the girl back home was the one that would always hold his heart. It was the only explanation, otherwise he would never have disappeared, no matter how hard she’d pushed.
For the better part of a week, the one before finals, she never saw him—except for the night when he laid Frat Boy out flat on the sidewalk. Then, she had exams to worry about. She’d taken the week off to focus on them. As though she could focus.
Her first night back at work was the Friday after the last final. After her shift, she fully intended to go out and drink herself into oblivion with her girlfriends at the club afterward. It had been a heck of a semester, and she deserved to let loose.
Unfortunately, she had to get through work first. She’d lost Riley, but she couldn’t afford to lose her job too. So what if she dreaded seeing Riley there—or hearing that he’d moved back to Ireland, which was a very strong possibility? He’d made it clear she meant nothing to him. It was time to get herself together.
In her heart, she knew she was fooling herself. That she wouldn’t be able to work at The Stylish Irish anymore. She wouldn’t be able to see Riley and his brothers everyday, a constant reminder of all that she’d lost.
Despite everything, she still loved Riley. She always would. It was as simple, and as tragic, as that. Somewhere along the line she’d fallen hard, and even the threat of him leaving for another woman wasn’t enough to erase him from her heart.
She didn’t want to forget him, though. That was the worst part. At the end of a relationship, it was always a knee-jerk reaction, wanting to pretend the other person never existed. Wanting to forget everything, since memories only added to the pain. Erica didn’t want that. She didn’t want ever to forget how happy she’d been in the weeks she and Riley were together. Feeling like there was something to look forward to. Having a little spark of joy that nothing—not even the holidays—had ever made her feel.
Darn him for making her feel like that. Life would be so much easier if she’d never experienced that joy. She wouldn’t know what she was missing. She resented him for it. For leaving her, and for making her know what she was missing.
“Get it together, girl,” she muttered at her reflection as she prepared for work. She brushed her golden hair into a ponytail, perching it high on her head. She looked at herself from different angles. Maybe it was time for a change again. Bright red? Blue? Maybe just the ends, or maybe her entire head? It was worth considering.
She listened to her favorite songs (though she avoided Queen) the entire way to work, and was actually humming to herself as she walked into the pub through the back door. The kitchen was empty—the lights were on, but nobody was there. Normally, Brady would be helping the cooks cut fries and prep sandwiches and salads on a Friday night.
“Hello?” Erica walked through the kitchen, wondering at the silence. None of the fryers were on. The stove and oven were cold. “What’s going on here?”
Light shone through the window cut in the door leading to the bar and dining room, and Erica followed it. Something was up, and she almost dreaded finding out what it was. Horrible images passed through her mind as she opened the door.
What she saw took her breath away.
First, the lights. Strings of Christmas lights, strung over every surface, crisscrossing each other between the beams along the ceiling. Erica gasped, marveling at them.
Then, the candles, lined up along the bar, on every table, giving a warm glow to the room. And a Christmas tree in the corner, shining bright. It was like a fairytale land.
But it was also June.
“Hello?” Her voice was quieter this time, and a little tremulous.
“Hi.”
She turned, finding Riley in the corner to her left. She hadn’t noticed him, too busy being bowled over by the room.
“What’s this all about?” she asked breathlessly.
“It’s Christmas in June. Who do you think?” He stepped out from the shadows, holding out a single long-stemmed red rose he’d been hiding behind his back. “It’s all for you. A small gesture but a heart-felt one. To say I’m sorry. To tell you how much you mean to me. To show you that I want to make you happy, even if it means finding a Christmas tree in June and pulling out all our decorations.”
“Oh…Riley. I don’t know what to say.” Tears filled her eyes, and she let out a shaky laugh. “I really don’t.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he assured her. “I’m the one who should be on my knees, begging your forgiveness. There’s no excuse for the way I acted.”
Well, actually there was an excuse. Being told you were going to be a father by a woman you thought you’d never see again was a pretty big shock. And she certainly hadn’t helped matters by reacting the way she had. “You had a lot on your mind.”
“It’s still no excuse. You don’t have to forgive me, if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t blame you.”
Tears spilled onto Erica’s cheeks, though she hardly felt them. “You left…”
“I came right back, but you were leaving.”
“You stayed away…”
“You were right. I needed time and space to figure things out.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be with me anymore.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth. I want you more than anything. I only fear I don’t deserve you.”
“That isn’t true,” she insisted.
“Well, from my perspective, it is.”
“Riley, I love you.” The words spilled out before she could stop them. Once they were out there again, all the fear that came with them dissolved. She felt nothing but happiness, and a sure sense of herself.
“Thank God.” He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck and squeezing her tight, but then he pulled back. “You’re not just saying that because I put up a tree for you? Or because I convinced my brothers to close up shop for the night?”
“You did?” She laughed in surprise.
“Oh, yeah. A Friday, no less. I thought Quinn would lose his mind.”
“Well, I’m not just saying I love you because of the tree, or the lights, or closing the pub for the night. Though I’m losing a whole Friday night worth of tips, so…thanks for that. It’s because I just love you. That’s it. I want us to be together, no matter what.”
“No matter what?”
She nodded. “No matter what. I miss you, I can’t stand being without you.”
“It means so much to me that you want us to be together, even with all the craziness going on.”
“We’ll find a way. We might even make it better, together.”
Riley took Erica’s face in his hands. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, wiping away her tears. “You mean the world to me. I love you, too.”
She cried even harder. “I’m so glad, or else I’d feel pretty stupid.”
He laughed softly, then kissed her. The whole world slid into place. She’d been so sure they’d never touch again, even worrying she’d never see him. To feel his lips pressed to hers again, to be so close that she could feel the warmth coming from his body, was like a miracle.
When Riley pulled back, there was a smile on his face that Erica knew she shared.
“I have something to tell you,” he whispered, stroking her hai
r, touching his forehead to hers.
“What is it?”
“There’s no baby.”
Erica’s eyes flew open, pulling away. “There isn’t?”
He shook his head. “It was a false alarm. When she went to the doctor, he explained how it can happen that way.”
“Oh, my God.” She threw her arms around him, crying. She would have stayed with him no matter what, but knowing there wasn’t an unplanned baby with another woman filled her with relief. It was clear he felt the same way.
Then Riley was kissing her again—this time, he didn’t stop. Instead, he picked her up, hands cupping her butt, and carried her to the closest table. He sat her down on it, and Erica gladly leaned back as he lowered himself on top of her. His mouth roamed everywhere, his hands traveling all over her. Up and down her thighs, groping her butt, digging into her softness. Over her breasts and stomach. Then between her legs, making her moan and gasp and beg for more as he rubbed against her heat.
Was it because they hadn’t seen each other in weeks, or because they’d almost lost each other in flurry of confusion and carless words? It didn’t matter the reason—her body’s temperature shot up to off-the-chart passionate levels. She thrusts her hips upward to meet him, grinding against him, desperate for relief. It had been so long. She’d missed him so much, and having him again was like a miracle. Her heart raced, her skin flushed until it burned just like the ever-growing heat between her thighs.
Their mouths met again, and Erica grasped at Riley with her legs, arms, everything she could to hold him to her as close as possible. This was it. The man she loved, who loved her. They were together, and nothing could pull them apart. It was wondrous and thrilling, making everything that much more exciting. His erect length pressed against her through his jeans, and she moaned into his mouth as he humped her. They were both desperate for more.
He stood, pulling his sweater over his head. Her eyes widened at the sight of his body—he was just as beautiful as she’d remembered, if not more since she knew he was hers. He loved her. “I love you so much,” she whispered, pulling his head down to meet hers again. She ran her hands over him, drinking him in, delighting in his thickness and firmness. His strength and power.
She thrust her tongue into his mouth as her hands worked frantically at his belt, then his fly. She took his hot length in her hands, stroking his thickness as he groaned. Riley gasped, pulling his mouth from hers to throw back his head and swear in Gaelic. Her mouth caressed his warm, smooth skin, her tongue dancing over the rippling muscles of his chest and abdomen as she stroked him. It was such a rush, knowing she could drive him crazy in that way.
“That’s a little too good for me to hold on,” he finally whispered, and he gently removed himself from her hands. Erica raised her arms and off came her t-shirt, Riley’s hands running over every inch of her body from waist to fingertips. He was the only man who could turn her on just by stroking in the side of her wrists. His touch was electric.
He removed her bra, fondling her bare breasts as only he could. She moaned in relief—she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed his touch. He suckled her for a moment, before pushing her back onto the table until she laid flat. His mouth explored more of her, licking in a sensuous trail from her chest to her navel. By the time he reached the waistband of her jeans, she was panting and grunting like an animal.
She writhed beneath him, head rolling from side to side, opening her legs. Inviting him to take more. “Please…” she whispered, running desperate, greedy hands up and down his thick arms. “I need you.”
He pulled her pants off almost roughly. She let out a surprised yelp at his urgency, but surprise melted into unspeakable pleasure as Riley’s mouth ran over her inner thighs, licking teasingly at her burning flesh, skimming over her panties. Teasing her with the pressure, without giving her too much pleasure at once.
“Give it to me,” she begged, sliding the panties down. He held her still and lapped at her wetness, leaving her squirming and writhing. She wrapped her legs around his back, pulling him to her. “Please, baby. Love me.” She whimpered, the heat driving her nearly crazy as he teased and tormented her. She could have cried, it felt so good.
He stood, finally, unable to take any more himself. Quickly, he put on a condom. She groaned in anticipation as he positioned himself against her. Even the pressure was delicious, and the promise it carried.
Never breaking eye contact, Riley guided himself into her, then slid home until he filled her deepest depths. They cried out together in grateful relief. Her body had ached for him, and he was finally easing her pain with his body. Completing her.
She watched closely as his face changed when he slid out, then back inside. A sense of inevitability filled her heart. It had to happen. This was the way it was meant to be. They were made for each other.
As he filled Erica’s body with pulsing, throbbing need, tears of joy filled her eyes. The familiar passion she’d felt every time they were together filled her, leaving her with nothing but sensation as all rational thought was swept away.
Riley took her hips in his hands to hold her steady as he pumped his length in and out of her. Erica pushed herself up on her hands until she sat up, then wrapped her arms and legs around him. She couldn’t be close enough to him, couldn’t touch enough of him after holding back for so long. She’d been so sure they were finished, and the joy and need were almost enough to overwhelm her.
Kissing his chest, she ran her tongue up to his throat. Riley’s skin was hot, his pulse pounding just beneath the surface. She sucked on his neck, biting him gently as she did. She relished the little gasp her teeth drew from him, and he pumped harder. She had missed the way he felt inside her, all over her. He turned her into an animal, killing her with need, meeting it with his own.
His mouth covered hers, and his strong arms held her close. His heart thudded against her chest as he kissed her with weeks of repressed passion, his hips never slowing in their thrusting motion as he drove them both closer to release.
“Oh…Riley…” Every long, strong thrust brought a cry from her, as the heat between Erica’s legs spread throughout her body. The tension inside her tightened almost unbearably, until she tensed from head to toe from the force. When she finally let go, with a cry of desperate passion, she felt Riley throbbing inside her. His prolonged cries told her he was coming, too. They broke through together, and moments later they were a tangle of arms and legs, sweaty, breathless, and clinging to each other.
“I love you.” It was the only thing she could say, repeating it with every beat of her heart. Riley held her tighter, and she knew he felt the same. His heart thumped beneath her ear, and she closed her eyes with a smile as the rhythm lulled her into peace.
“Thank you,” he whispered, stroking her hair.
“For what?” She straightened up, pulling back to smile at him.
“For loving me. For accepting me and standing with me. For wanting to be with me, no matter what.”
“I always will,” she murmured, pulling him to her by the back of his neck, meeting his lips with her own. “You’re stuck with me, Riley O’Neill. Forever.”
“And you’re stuck with me. Forever. We’re going to have an amazing life together, Erica. One full of Christmases in June and stolen moments in the pantry.”
Erica smiled and laughed and cried all at the same time. “And will you take me to Ireland?”
“I’ll do better than that. I’ll marry you in Ireland. And we’ll play Queen at the reception.”
“Forget playing it at the reception. It’ll be our first dance.”
“I can’t wait,” he whispered.
“Neither can I.” Leaning up, she kissed him, and the whole world faded away.
Or rather, everything faded away but the one thing that mattered most to her in the whole world: Riley.
—The End—
Thank you for reading Best Of My Love.
If you enjoyed spending time with these cha
racters, be sure to check out the first three books in the series (What Love Can Do – Quinn, The Way Love Goes – Conor, I’m Gonna Love You -- Brady), plus Sean’s story, coming soon.
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