My Last - Riley & Chelle

by Melanie Shawn

  But not Chelle. She always put others first, even someone she hadn’t seen in over a decade. What the hell had douchebag David been thinking to throw that kind of love away? David Price literally might be the stupidest person on the face of the earth.

  “Are you coming?” Chelle asked anxiously. She was already off the bench and a few feet away from him, headed back in the direction they had come, toward the place where they would catch the cable car that would take them back up to Powell St.

  “No,” he answered simply.

  “No, you’re not coming?” She stopped, a look of confusion clouding her face.

  He shook his head.

  She waited, then tilted her head continuing to explain, “Riley if we don’t leave now you’ll miss your flight.”

  “I canceled it.”

  “You canceled your flight?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “While you were talking to that elderly couple, when we were watching the seals sunbathe.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, the last thing I want to do is get on a plane that takes me away from you.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Me?”

  “You.”

  “Oh.” A flush crept up her cheeks and she slowly walked back to the bench where he had remained seated and sat back down next to him.

  She was completely silent and he suddenly realized that she may not want his company. He wasn't, after all, exactly an invited guest.

  He didn’t know what had possessed him to say what he did. He should have just said that he wanted to do more sightseeing, or that he was extending his vacation. Something neutral. Or he could have made something up! He could have said that Jason had asked him to stay...which he had, as a matter of fact.

  But, no. He had to go and say that he didn't want to leave her.

  The tension between them was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

  He turned towards her, saying awkwardly, “Look...I don’t have to stay. I could…”

  She put her hand on his thigh, he stopped talking.

  She turned and smiled at him, then leaned over and pressed her lips to his. For a moment, he wondered if he imagined that part, though, because in a blink of an eye she was up and off the bench again.

  “I want to go on the Ferris wheel!” she said brightly.

  “The Ferris wheel?” He repeated, still in shock from the indescribable feeling of her soft full lips pressed against his, no matter how short the duration of the kiss.

  “Yep,” she grinned, and then she was off, headed down to the Ferris wheel.

  Unable to come up with a better plan, he shrugged and followed her.

  --- ~ ---

  Chelle still couldn’t believe that she had kissed him. She...Rachelle Thomas...had kissed Riley Sloan on the mouth. In broad daylight, in front of God and everybody.

  Well 'kiss' might be overselling it. But she had given him a peck on the lips. She wished that instead of half-assing it, she would have had the courage to woman up and really go for it! At least then she would have known for sure if there was going to be another kiss at some point.

  In fairness to her, she hadn’t ended the kiss so abruptly solely because she was a big chicken. The other contributing factor had to do with the fact that, the minute she came into contact with him a sweet shock of bliss washed over her entire body like a wave crashing over her being. It was intense. Very intense.

  Nevertheless, she was still kicking herself for retreating. If she hadn’t done that...if she had really kissed him...then the ball would have been in his court. He would have either had to kiss her back, or end the kiss. It would have been clear-cut, one way or another. Although the second option would have been disappointing (in the extreme) it would have at least been addressed.

  At this point in the program, the entire incident was just being completely ignored. By both of them.

  He hadn’t mentioned it, and they both seemed to be acting normally. ‘Acting’ being the appropriate term, for her at least, because that was definitely what she knew she was doing.

  After that all too brief smooch, all she could think about was if their lips would ever touch again. It was consuming her thoughts. As soon as they got off the Ferris wheel Riley suggested they go take one of those old-timey photos where you dress up.

  Ooookaay, Chelle thought, so maybe he was not having the same issues getting over her sad excuse for a kiss as she was.

  Chelle agreed to the idea and they found a photo shop that did Wild West pictures. Chelle dressed up like a saloon girl and Riley was in chaps and a cowboy hat, holding a rifle.

  Hmmmm....Chelle thought. He looks good.

  The photographer posed them so that Riley was seated on a bar stool and Chelle’s heel-booted foot was resting on Riley’s firm leg. As soon as the photographer directed Chelle to place her foot on him, she felt his hand wrap possessively around her calf.

  Her dress was pulled up to reveal a garter that she had placed mid-thigh.

  Riley held a rifle in one hand, the base of which rested against his opposite leg.

  As they waited while the photographer placed props around them and the lighting was set up, Chelle felt Riley’s strong fingers begin moving slightly, massaging her skin. She didn’t know if he was purposely trying to torture her or if he was just doing what felt natural to him...but either way, it felt amazing.

  Who knew that a person could have so many nerves in their calf? Chelle had never before thought of her lower leg as an erogenous zone, but now she knew that it definitely was. The gentle movements of Riley's fingers felt so good, in fact, that she was having a hard time holding still.

  “You look good in that dress,” Riley said in a deep, low voice that rumbled from his chest.

  Just those few well-chosen words, combined with the pressure of his fingers caressing her leg, were almost too much for Chelle to handle. Her body trembled and she found herself having a hard time standing with only one leg to support her.

  Feeling that the moment was getting a little too intense, she thought it was probably a good idea to lighten the mood. She teased, “You’re not so bad yourself, cowboy.”

  She looked down at him, forcing herself to smile brightly and she felt his grip tighten around her calf, causing a lightning bolt of pleasure to run all the way up her leg to her core. She heard a gasp escape from her mouth.

  The photographer stepped behind the camera and told them to look up.

  Chelle did, and the photographer counted down three, two, one before snapping the pic.

  She then took several more before smiling and letting them to go change out of their western gear.

  The dressing rooms were on opposite sides of the studio, so - without sparing a glance in Riley’s direction - Chelle headed to her side to change out of her dress and try to get a handle on her out of control hormones.

  She had never really considered herself a sexually-charged person. Sure, she enjoyed sex. She thought it was nice when it happened. But, by the same token, she had gone long stretches without it and never even missed it.

  And she had never once before been in danger of having an orgasm from a simple touch of her leg!

  She knew, now more than ever, that the feelings she had for Riley were beyond dangerous. It would be smart for her to keep her distance, both emotionally and physically.

  That might be difficult, though, considering the fact that he was staying one more night (at least!) because he hadn’t wanted to leave her. SWOON!

  As she walked out of the dressing room, Riley was leaning against the doorway of the small hallway waiting for her.

  “We should probably head back, the last cable car leaves in about forty-five minutes.”

  “Sounds good, let me just get the picture.”

  “Already got it.” Riley held up a bag that Chelle had not noticed him carrying.

  “Oh,” She said trying to hide her surprise at the fact that he had actually taken care of
getting the photo. That was yet another thing that Chelle had never experienced.

  First of all, David would have never - not in a million years! - suggested getting the photo taken. And even if he did finally agree to do it, he would never have taken it upon himself to pick out the picture and purchase it. He had never even made dinner reservations for her.

  In fact, now that she thought about it, any time they did anything - from simply going to a movie, to going out for dinner, or all the way up to a week-end getaway - Chelle was the one to plan it. It was always left to her to find out the show times, pick out the movie, choose the restaurant, make the reservations, find the hotel, etc. David had never done any of that.

  Now, after spending less than twenty-four hours with Riley, Chelle promised herself that she would never settle for less than the bar he had unintentionally set.

  All day, he had opened doors for her and placed his hand on her lower back to guide her through crowds. He had even bought her a zip-up hoodie when he thought she was cold.

  In reality, it had not been the cold that was making her shudder, it was him. Every time she came into contact with him, no matter how brief or innocent that contact was, her body responded.

  She knew that kind of chemistry was not easy to find, but now she also knew that she would rather be alone than in a relationship which didn’t generate that kind of heat.

  Chapter Eight

  Riley paid the delivery man and brought the bags of Chinese take-out to the kitchen table.

  “So this is the best Chinese take-out in the city, huh?”

  Chelle sat the plates and forks on the table.

  “That was what Katie claimed,” she said, stepping back into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of wine, “So the first night I got here I tried it, and after one bite I was convinced.”

  Riley winked. “That would explain all of the San Tung containers I cleaned up from this place last night.”

  “Yeah,” Chelle blushed and smiled as she slid into the chair opposite Riley, “I’m a stress eater, what can I say.”

  Thinking that this was as good an opening as any, Riley decided to go ahead and address the elephant in the room, “So the whole thing with David came as shock?”

  After a few moments of silence, she said, “Yes and no. When he first told me, I admit I was completely blindsided by it. I think part of that had to do with his timing, though. I was so focused on Katie and Jason’s wedding.”

  “And what about the ‘no’?” Riley figured he might as well go all in. In for a buck, in for a quarter.

  “The what?”

  “You said yes and no. What about the no?”

  “Oh, well, I just meant that after I had some time to think about it, about our relationship I mean, it doesn’t shock me very much that he cheated. Looking back now, I guess all the signs were there. The late night meetings, the weekend business trips, the plans that he canceled at the last minute because 'something came up at work.' So cliché. That's one of the worst parts. He made me feel trite. I should have known something was up. I should have questioned him. But, what can I say? I trusted him. The thought never even crossed my mind that he would be cheating on me.”

  “He’s an idiot,” Riley grumbled, all the while stuffing his face with chow mein.

  Chelle smiled, “You definitely won’t get an argument from me about that. And to tell you the truth, I’m not even mad he doesn't want to be with me. Really, I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me. I just don’t like all the lying and sneaking around. I mean, seriously? Why not just leave me if Kayla was the one he wanted to be with? Why wait until she’s pregnant to walk away? I guess I should just be happy he didn’t take me on Jerry Springer to break the news...” She shrugged and scooped out more fried rice onto her plate.

  “Enough of my drama, what about you? Do you have anyone serious in your life?” She looked down at her food as she poured soy sauce over her rice.

  “I’m not in a relationship.”

  Her gaze still downward, she continued pouring soy sauce over the rest of her plate, “What's the longest relationship you’ve had?”

  “A couple of years.”

  Her eyes shot up to meet his, abandoning her pretense of nonchalance, “Really! That’s a long time. Were you engaged or anything?”

  “Nope. Actually, that was part of the reason we broke up. She wanted to move things along and I was more than happy to keep them exactly where they were.”

  “Was it just that she wasn’t the right one? Do you ever want to get married?”

  If anyone else, at any other time, had asked Riley that question the answer would have come easily - “NO”. But right now, sitting across from Chelle, looking into her big doe eyes...he didn’t know what he felt about wanting to get married. But, regardless of his feelings, the fact that he wouldn’t get married hadn’t changed. That fact remained immutable.

  “Whether I want to or not doesn’t matter. I’m not ever getting married.”

  Chelle nodded, seeming to understand, “Because of what you saw happen with your Mom and Dad.”

  “No.” He hadn’t thought his response had come out sounding harsh, but the hurt expression on Chelle’s face told him it had.

  He tried to soften his tone. “I’m just not that 'forever' guy. I’m not cut out for marriage.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  He didn’t answer. He wasn’t trying to give her the silent treatment or anything. He just didn’t know what to say.

  “Is it because you can’t imagine being with only one person for the rest of your life?”

  “No,” he answered honestly.

  “Then what is it? If it’s not about your parents and it’s not that you don’t think you could be happy with just one person, then what is it?”

  Again, he didn’t answer.

  After waiting several minutes for him to respond she finally just smiled and said, “Well, I for one think you would make a great husband.”

  He didn’t know how she always did that. How she always knew the real reasons behind his behavior. It was like she had a direct line to his soul. It was unnerving.

  “And an amazing dad,” she added before stuffing her face full of rice.

  She chewed, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel who was storing nuts for the winter. He felt a smile spread across his face. Chelle Thomas was equally as adorable as she was sexy.

  --- ~ ---

  Chelle laid in bed and mentally kicked herself. Why had she gone down that line of questioning with him?

  Oh right, because she had been feeling guilty about their momentary lip-lock and was scared that she may have inadvertently been a participant in cheating. She was not “the other woman” kind of a girl. She liked having a clear conscience and being able to sleep at night (current evidence of both to the contrary!).

  She should have just stopped there. As soon as he said he wasn’t in a relationship, she should have zipped it. But, no. She had to add a follow-up question.

  And. for the life of her, she could never guess what had prompted her to say that he would make a good husband...and dad.

  Holy Flipping Moly!

  He had just said in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want to get married. And she had no idea what his feelings were about becoming a father, but she was pretty sure he didn’t need (or want!) her opinion on the matter.

  Tossing and turning, she looked over at the clock beside the bed and saw that it was just past one. She had been laying sleeplessly in bed for over two hours and was starting to think that she may not be getting to sleep anytime soon, either.

  Earlier, when neither of them could possibly eat another bite, they had decided to watch some TV. As the television program wore on, blue light flickering into the darkened room, Riley began to nod off. Chelle had thought that he must be exhausted, not having gotten any sleep at all the night before.

  So, instead of waiting for him to call it a night, she lied and said that she was worn out
from their day of sightseeing and wanted to hit the sheets.

  Although he had tried to hide it, she could tell he was relieved at the prospect of being able to get some sleep. He asked if it would be okay if he just took a quick shower first, since he hadn’t had one that morning.

  For a moment, she hadn’t been able to respond. The mental image that his request inspired left her temporarily mute. Even after a full minute, she could only squeak out a high-pitched, “Yes”.

  While he was busy in the shower, she had busied herself with both making up a bed for him on the couch and banishing thoughts of his wet, naked body from her mind. The latter was significantly more challenging than the former!

  She had tried to insist on sleeping on the couch herself, since she was barely 5’4” and he was well over 6 feet tall, but he scowled and said that wasn’t up for discussion.

  SWOON! Chivalry wasn't dead.

  When he had finished showering, they had said an awkward goodnight and she had thanked him again for the day. Then, just as the tension between them began to ratchet up in a serious way, she had practically sprinted into the bedroom.

  Holy Roly Poly Moly!

  Riley, freshly showered and wearing nothing but baggy sweats, was more temptation than any woman should ever be faced with! Well...more than any woman should ever be faced with and be expected not to give in to, at any rate, she grimaced.

  Now, lying restlessly in her bed, she started counting sheep like she had when she was a little girl. She sighed. It didn’t work any better now than it had then.

  Ugh! She couldn’t even go watch TV because it was out in the room that was currently being occupied by one half-naked Riley Sloan.

  At least...she assumed that he was still only half-naked. Hmm...interesting. Was there a plausible scenario that might result in him being entirely naked right now? The possibility was...

  STOP!

  Chelle chided herself sternly. Seriously, girl, she thought to herself, get it together! There is more to life than picturing Riley Sloan naked!