All G-rated areas, of course! He was careful when he smoothed his hand over her leg, for instance, that he stayed on the outer thigh. If he had gone inner thigh...well, probably best not to even let his imagination wander down that path. Suffice it to say that they may not have made it out of the cab.
But, he had to admit that – carnal desires aside - he was glad that they did manage to exit the cab at their destination, because Chelle’s expression when she realized that he was surprising her with a day cruise was worth it.
The day before, as they had been walking around on Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, he had noticed her face light up as she longingly gazed at the large boats filled with tourists.
The expression of desire which painted her face as she looked at those boats lazily cruising the bay was not quite as intense as the hungry looks she had been shooting his way for the past couple of days, but what the hell. This was at least something he could actually fulfill for her.
He wished more than anything that, when she looked at him with desire pouring out of those big brown eyes, he could fulfill that as well - but he knew better. He knew that one touch, one ‘real’ kiss, would never be enough with Chelle.
Hell, they had only spent the last forty-eight hours together and he was already having a tough time thinking of not seeing her when he left to go to New Orleans! It was becoming difficult to picture a day without her in it, without the smell of her coconut and cinnamon shampoo. Without seeing the funny faces she made when she thought she was rambling or when she said something that embarrassed her. Without experiencing her caring and her kindness, not just to him but to everyone she came in contact with.
But the thing he was having the hardest time coming to terms with not seeing on a daily basis was her smile. That smile could probably end wars, he guessed. Or start them.
He would do just about anything to see that smile. But he really needed to remember that this time with her was just temporary.
Also, even if he could offer her everything she deserved, he knew that she was vulnerable right now. She had planned on marrying another man in just a few weeks and that man had seriously betrayed her. A situation like that didn't exactly put someone in the right frame of mind to start another relationship.
Nope, in fact, what usually followed a breakup of the sort of epic proportions that Chelle had just experienced was what was most commonly referred to as a rebound. And from what Riley had seen and heard, rebounds did not usually last. If he was the kind of guy Chelle deserved, he would definitely want to start and build something with her that lasted. He would want to be in it for the long haul.
Not that it mattered anyway. He wasn’t the “forever” kind of guy. And Chelle was definitely a “forever” girl.
As they stepped onto the shaky steps to board the boat, excitement radiated from Chelle.
“Oh my gosh,” she grinned, “Thank you so much Riley! I can’t believe you did this!”
He smiled back. Her enthusiasm was contagious.
“I saw you eyeing the boats as they passed by while we were out on the pier yesterday,” he confessed and then shrugged. “I decided to take a chance.”
“I am so glad you did! But, wow, am I really that transparent?” She chuckled, still beaming.
He brushed back a few strands of hair that were blowing in her face and tucked them behind her ear, “To me you are.”
They both froze instantly. It was as if time stood still. Each was lost in the other's gaze. They stood like that, inside their own bubble of magic, until Riley was jostled from behind by eager passengers waiting to come aboard.
This broke the spell that they had momentarily found themselves under. Chelle turned and, still somewhat breathless, continued onto the ship.
There were two decks on the boat. The lower one had an indoor section enclosed with big, sparkling windows, behind which sat several rows of wooden benches, affording even the indoor passengers a spectacular view of the San Francisco bay. This small section was the only space on the boat where passengers could get out of the elements, and Riley predicted that it would be quite crowded today due to the strong gusts of wind that were already whipping past his face, even before the vessel disembarked.
Indeed, the majority of the tourists rushed past the two of them and into the indoor space, clamoring to get a good seat close to the glass walls. Chelle, on the other hand, seemed to have other plans. She immediately headed up the winding steel staircase to the upper deck.
Riley followed, but when they reached the top he asked, “Are you sure you want to be up here? It might get pretty cold.”
Her smile never wavered as she turned sparkling eyes to him, “Are you kidding me? We’re going under the Golden Gate Bridge! I won’t be able to see anything if I’m downstairs. I’m not going down there.”
“Okay,” He shrugged, “If you’re sure.”
He was still not entirely convinced that they would, in fact, spend the entire four hours of the cruise on the upper deck, but if she was happy being up here now, that was good enough for him.
Besides, a small voice in the back of his head piped up – the one he always likened to the devil on his shoulder – ‘if she gets cold then she just might need someone to keep her warm’. He shook his head, trying to erase the thought. Then, another little voice in his head – the one he always likened to the angel on the other shoulder – piped in ‘this little field trip was not planned so he could grope Eddie’s little sister.’
The thought of Eddie did put into perspective the very things he had been trying to convince himself of since the moment he looked down at Chelle’s sleeping form.
Eddie was his best friend. And for all of the trouble they got in, Eddie always had his back. He owed Eddie big time and he was not going to repay him by playing grab ass with his little sister.
If he even had a shot at keeping himself under some kind of control, the only way to do it was not to think of Chelle as the beautiful, sexy, smart, funny, caring person that she was. No, he could only allow himself to see her as Eddie’s little sister.
As they sat down on one of the small benches, he intentionally left about six inches between them, because that was the right thing to do when you sat next to your best friend’s little sister.
They sat in companionable silence looking out over the water. A loud blast from the horn shattered their quiet moment and let them know that they were about to shove off.
Chelle's smile grew even wider, which Riley would not have thought was possible, and she started clapping her hands together and bouncing up and down with childlike excitement.
Riley chuckled a little, her joy was very contagious. It was like he became happier via osmosis. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this vital, this alive.
These last two days with Chelle made the last twelve years of his life seem like a fog that he was just now waking up from. He felt like the world he had lived in for the past decade had been drawn in shades of beige, and now everything was in technicolor.
“I’m so excited!” Chelle exclaimed as the boat pulled away from the dock.
“I can tell.” Riley said, he heard the amused affection in his own voice. Dang. He seriously needed to lock that down or he was going to get himself into trouble.
Chelle pulled out her phone and started taking pictures. She snapped photos of everything they passed - of the water, the other boats, and the city as they were passing by. She went a little nuts with the pics as they passed by Alcatraz, even by the liberal standards that she had set during the early part of the trip. She stood and leaned over the railing slightly to get a better angle for her amateur phone photography.
The farther she reached out, the more precarious her perch seemed, and the more nervous Riley became. He figured that his protective instinct must have kicked then, because it was the only way to explain what happened next - before he even realized what he was doing, he found himself behind her with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
&nb
sp; She jumped at the initial contact and looked over her shoulder, seeming surprised at the sudden embrace. But as soon as her eyes locked with his, a smile spread across her face and she melted into him.
His body acted on its own accord and he felt his arms tightening around her. This time it had nothing to do with her safety, and everything to do with the feeling of rightness spreading through him from the close physical contact.
Neither of them spoke, they just stood there, Riley’s arms wrapped tightly around Chelle’s waist. As much as he told himself that he needed to, he simply couldn’t bring himself to step away and release his hold on her. He had never felt more at peace, more at home than he did in that moment, on the boat, with Chelle in his arms.
--- ~ ---
HOLY CATFISH! Chelle figured that this must be some sort of a dream. Yep. She was still asleep in her bed, and the Chinese food was doing its work, fooling her brain into thinking that unrealistic scenarios were literal realities. Had to be. There was no other explanation for the fact that she had just gone underneath the Golden Gate Bridge in Riley Sloan’s arms. She felt tempted to raise her phone and take a double selfie, just so that she could later assure herself that the scenario had, in fact, taken place...but she resisted the urge because she didn't want to scare him off. She was hesitant to take any action that would encourage Riley to move away or release her from his all-encompassing embrace.
She was pretty sure that Riley had initially grabbed her out of fear that she was going to go over the edge, but she didn’t think for one minute that was why he still held her in his arms. If she had, she would have been formulating plans for making him think she would be jumping off the top of the TransAmerica building next...but, no, she was pretty sure that wasn't what was going on here. Nosireebob, this was no longer a fear-for-her-safety embrace. She tried not to read too much into it. I mean, hey. He had probably just missed home and she represented home to him.
Or maybe he was just cold.
After being out on the bay for what was probably an hour (but what felt like just a few minutes, because time flew while she was being held in Riley’s arms!) the boat began turning around and heading back the way they had come. The waters were choppy and they hit a large wave, causing the boat to rock sharply.
They both lost their balance and began to tumble back onto the wooden bench. Stumbling backwards, Chelle turned to catch herself but ended up falling instead onto Riley’s very solid, very firm body. In fact, she face-planted right into his chest. She sat there for a moment, trying to wrap her head around the events as they unfolded, and it took a bit before she acclimated herself enough to realize that one particular portion of Riley’s body felt especially hard. She felt his impressive length pressed against her belly.
HELLO!
“Are you okay?” His deep voice vibrated through his chest and it sent a zing running down her spine.
She looked up into his gorgeous face and saw that his champagne colored eyes were trained on hers. “I’m good,” she managed to squeak out. She was surprised that she was able to form any words at all since it felt like her brain was melting into a big puddle of goo. She figured that the simple expression of 'I'm good' must have just been what the autonomic part of her brain, the one that controlled her heartbeat and breathing, was able to spit back on autopilot, because she certainly hadn't been aware of consciously forming the words.
Hell, they were certainly true, though! In fact, she was SO good that she would be perfectly happy to continue the rest of the trip sprawled over him like a blanket. But, she knew that he was flat on his back against an uncomfortable wooden bench and although his body was letting her know (in no uncertain terms) that he was enjoying their close proximity, she sorta felt like she was taking advantage of his purely physical reaction to having a female as a human duvet.
It probably had nothing to do with her in particular, she reasoned. Sadly enough, she really didn’t believe Riley saw her that way. It was more likely just a physical reaction that he had no control over. But, Good LORD, did that reaction feel good!
Get up, stay put, get up, stay put. Hmmmm....back and forth, back and forth. What to do, what to do...?
Finally, her internal battle was lost (or won, depending on what side you were on...) and she decided to get up. She knew that women fell all over Riley all the time, and she didn’t want to be one of the trite women who would do that…literally, in her case.
She pushed up slightly and moved her leg off of Riley with the intention of setting it down on the floor, but the bench was higher than she realized, so her foot didn’t make contact with the surface below. The movement only caused her body to shift in position so that his hard-on was nestled right between her legs, pressing firmly against her sensitized center.
Damn, he felt good. Too good. Her body instantly responded to the intimate position. She felt a delicious ache between her legs which quickly progressed to a steady throbbing. Her panties were getting moister by the second.
His muscles bunched under her fingers as they grasped his shirt and she itched to touch his skin. She wanted to slowly explore every inch of his amazing body and she wanted to take her sweet time doing it. She wanted to memorize every line, every dip, every muscle – of which one in particular had her undivided attention at the moment!
His chest rose and fell rapidly under her hands. She looked up and saw that his eyes were mirroring the desire that was exploding inside of her like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
She licked her lips. That was a nervous habit that she had tried to break for years. But, this time, when she heard the deep growl it caused Riley to make and saw his eyes grow fierce with passion, she decided maybe it wasn’t such a bad habit after all.
“Chelle.” Her name sounded like a warning.
She smirked to herself. Hell, if he was trying to warn her away from him, he was barking up the wrong tree. She had wanted Riley Sloan for as long as she could remember. The only reason she hadn't tried to make something happen before this was because she knew that he was out of her league and was trying not to get burned.
But, hey - she had played it safe and still gotten burned. And, what's more, this time in San Francisco might be her one and only chance with Riley. Looking into his eyes, feeling his body beneath her she started to think playing with fire could be fun.
She could see in his eyes and feel in his body that he was battling with something, probably trying to talk himself out of what his body was telling him he wanted. Well, no harm in helping tip the scales in her favor.
She took a deep breath and rolled her hips against him as she moved her body higher to press her lips to his. She was really going to go for it. Not like yesterday. Go big or go home!
His fingers dug into her backside as he pulled her closer to him. Their lips touched just as the boat rocked wildly again. Chelle thought for sure they were going to tumble off of the bench, but Riley quickly sat up and had them anchored and secure between the wooden benches.
When the boat violently jerked, Chelle had instinctively thrown her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Now that they were safely seated upright she kept her face there and did not release her arms. She held onto him for dear life.
She did this, not because she really thought they were in any true danger. The only thing in danger, she feared, was her heart. Even with that knowledge she didn’t release her hold. She just loved how it felt to be this close to him, plastered against him. It was perfect.
“It’s okay.” Riley rubbed up and down her back with his free hand. His tone and gesture she was sure was meant to be soothing, but instead it was just fanning the flames of lust that were raging inside of her.
She had to know what it felt like to kiss, really kiss, Riley Sloan. She knew it may not be the smartest thing to do but...screw it.
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, his grip tightened around her. She moved her lips toward him as she felt her hot breath mingling with his...
/> “Are you guys okay?” A young crew member raced up the steel steps, “We didn’t know anyone was up here.”
Riley barely spared him a glance, “We’re fine.”
“The waters are getting pretty rough. We're gonna need you guys to go ahead and come on down to the lower deck. For safety.”
“We’ll be down in a minute.” Riley’s authoritative tone surprised Chelle. She had never heard him speak to someone like that.
She kinda liked it.
She looked up at the nervous guy standing with a worried look on his face, probably just trying to follow orders. Poor kid, she smiled and a blush rose on his fair cheeks.
“Um, well...okay.” Crew boy quickly turned and made his way down the stairs.
Chelle looked up at Riley, “Are we going to go down?”
He quickly and efficiently moved and settled her beside him on the bench. She loved how easily he maneuvered her. It made all kinds of fun images of what he would be like in bed pop into her head. She was definitely going to file that in the mental slide-show for another time.
“We are as soon as this does.” He looked down at his lap.
“Oh.” She wanted to laugh but she didn’t think he would appreciate it. He did seem a little tense.
Although she was actually feeling pretty happy (and more than a little proud!) about the fact that he was sporting such impressive wood due to her, she did also feel a little bad. She knew that they did, indeed, need to get down to the lower deck.
“Well I think I can help with that situation.” She stated.
His expression told her that he thought the help she was offering entailed much more than what she intended. Not that she would mind helping like that, but...not here.
My Last - Riley & Chelle Page 11