by Lisa Swallow
Nate rubs his mouth with his fingers and something unreadable passes his eyes. “True. Things would get complicated again.”
“They would.”
“But I still want to see how we go. However you want to do this.”
“Slowly.”
His mouth tips into a smile. “However you like it, Riley.”
“Only if you play by the rules.”
Nate rubs a hand across his mouth. “If you play by mine.”
“One month remember. No screwing other girls.”
“Hey!” He places a hand over his heart. “I was with Sophia for weeks and didn’t touch anybody else. I can stay faithful when I want to.”
I snort. “Faithful.”
He frowns. “Why the doubt?”
“You’re Nate Campbell.”
“And you’re Riley Sawyer. How about you and your random hook-ups? Don’t you remember what you were doing when we first met? Meeting guys in bars for sex?”
“Hypocrite. Anyway, I’m more selective than you.”
“Of course. You won’t want anyone else anyway.” He runs a rough finger across my lips. “I bet you can’t stop after a month.”
“Try me.”
“Oh, I will.”
Nate pulls my hair back into a ponytail, snaps the band around, and tucks a loose strand behind my ear. “Catch you next week, Smiley.”
He staggers backwards as I thump him in the chest. “Not if you call me that.”
His eyes glint and he draws me to him, placing his mouth on mine. I put my hands on his chest, desperate to be pulled back into a kiss, but needing him to move away.
Somebody knocks at the door, and we spring apart as Jenna steps into the room.
“Ah. Sorry.” Jenna eyes us, taking a brief glance at our clothes, which are thankfully intact. “Mitchell wants to see you.”
“Is it ten already?”
“No, he wants to chat to you before the meeting.”
“He’s out there?” I smooth my hair as she stares at Nate. Nate flashes her his grin.
“Yes. I can keep him entertained, if you like,” she says with a small smile.
“All good, I’m leaving.” Nate walks to the door and Jenna steps out of the way.
I follow Nate across the room to where a tall man sits on one of the low, winged armchairs my clients use when waiting for me. He jumps to his feet and holds out a hand. This guy is taller than Nate, but slimmer built, his well-cut suit and neat appearance at odds with my rock star lover. Why the girls at the agency swoon over him is apparent; he has the clean cut look and eyes a shade of green I’ve never seen before. Perfect teeth and sculpted face, plus no air of arrogance; if he was my type, I’d find crossing the line between private and professional difficult too.
“Riley! Finally. How are you? Mitchell Simmons.” I shake his smooth hand and pull away from his firm grip. Mitchell switches his attention to Nate and holds his hand out. “Mitchell. Nate Campbell?”
Nate doesn’t accept and rubs his nose instead. “Yeah.”
Unperturbed, Mitchell looks back to me. He gestures at my office. “Do you have ten minutes to run through the agenda? Cole’s manager decided she wanted to sit in, and we’ll need to have everything covered. She’s awkward.”
I resist poking Nate when he makes an amused sound, clearly directed at me.
“Of course, Nate was just leaving.” I lift my chin and look Nate in the eyes. “Thanks for updating me, Nate. I’ll get onto that straight away.”
A smile plays at the edge of his lips and I tense, ready for his next comment. “Good to hear.”
Nate strides away and I watch him go, annoyed by his rude attitude to Mitchell. My lips still tingle from Nate’s kisses, and the panic we almost were caught. Next time, I’ll ensure my door is locked.
Next time?
“Shall we?” Mitchell stands in my office doorway and gestures for me to walk in first.
I smile to myself as I catch sight of Jenna staring at his ass before closing the door.
Mitchell doesn’t mention Nate, or my enforced absence, instead running through the agenda as promised. With three weeks to go before the gala event, I’ll need to work bloody hard to catch up. I’m lucky Mitchell picked up the slack while I was away. I expected some kind of comment over my absence, but all Mitchell is focused on is tying up loose ends.
I push thoughts of Nate firmly away, but they sneak back in.
Nate and me. This is really happening.
23
NATE
The day I returned from Yorkshire, I sat alone in my lounge confused as fuck, attempting to convince myself I’d made a huge mistake. I swore I wouldn’t sink any further into the crazy feelings I have around Riley, but I couldn’t accept what was happening. Agreeing to keep things going, even if it’s just screwing her, is at least keeping my options open until I figure out what the fuck is going on in my head… and hers.
Will asked questions. Of course, I played the situation down. If I give the slightest hint to him something happened, I’ll face two things: teasing, and Will interfering.
Will doesn’t believe me when I tell him nothing happened.
Following four days living on top of other people, solitude is strange. Not seeing Riley is weirder.
I visited her at work instead of calling. I needed to judge if she was back to the old Riley, or if something genuinely shifted. Riley’s funny, no different to any other girl when it comes to me putting the moves on her. Now she’s dropped the hostility, there’s little for me to bypass to put her off guard.
Or not. Since the day I went to her office, Riley turned me down twice. Every date I gave her, she couldn’t make, using flimsy excuses. If a chick says no more than once, that’s usually enough. But Riley has to come back. She doesn’t get to be the one to end us.
Finally, the workaholic agrees to meet up with me at my place. Our options are limited due to hiding this, not only from the public but from friends. Besides, if we’re hooking up, there’s not much point heading out anywhere. What we want to do? Best done at home.
Riley drives over, which could mean one of two things. She’s not drinking and going home later, or she’s drinking and staying. I’m not bothered which, as long as naked sex is part of the evening.
I open the door to a Riley wrapped in the coat she wore the day I crashed the car, her hair loose around her shoulders. She gives me a hesitant smile and kick-starts everything I’ve spent a week winding down. I occupied the last half of the afternoon with plans for this evening, in great erotic detail, but looking into the eyes of the real person throws in a new element.
This woman isn’t a pornographic replay in my head; she’s a person who shares more than her body. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold, the colour warming the ice queen I melted a week ago. Her lips shine with gloss and not the heavy make-up she wears at work.
“Hey,” she says in a soft voice.
“Come in.”
Riley steps past me, and her perfume and orange-mingled scent reminds me this is my Riley from the snow. She looks around my hallway, at the shoes dumped in the corner by the stairs, next to piles of papers, and at the bare walls. I cross my arms, unsure what to do next. With a small shake of her head, Riley takes her coat off and passes it to me. I don’t move, and hold the coat by the collar, staring at how the button on her shirt is undone enough to catch a glimpse of the lace beneath.
This woman tears me apart. Riley has no clue about the power she holds over me. Every time her soft lips meet mine, each time the taste and scent of her surges through with a kiss, Riley destroys me further. I crave her. Need the rush she gave me before, and I’m prepared to chase the high at any opportunity.
Fuck it.
I throw the coat onto the stairs and seize Riley’s face in both hands. She stumbles as I claim her mouth, seeking the taste I’ve missed, the place I want to lose myself with her. Riley immediately responds, gripping my head in return and not holding back. I’m skilled at removin
As I unclasp her bra, Riley grabs my hand. “You do live alone, don’t you?”
I laugh and push her hand out of the way. “Yeah.”
I lift her against the wall, sliding my hands across her smooth skin as she tightens her legs around my waist. I push myself between her legs, hardening against her. Riley grasps me around the neck and my mouth closes over hers, our kiss fevered as we tangle tongues. Riley’s sweetness, the first step towards claiming her as mine again.
She moans into my mouth and I press harder against her, crushing her to my chest. I kiss along her neck as she lifts her head back, her pulse racing against my lips as I work to the edge of her breasts. I close my mouth over her peaked nipple and swirl my tongue. A sound escapes Riley’s lips, which wipes the last civilized part of me away.
Roughly, I yank her panties to one side, cock straining against my jeans as my focus shifts to one thing, being inside Riley. When I stroke a finger along her, she moves allowing me to push the finger inside. Her hands slide into my hair, and her fingers tighten as I hold my palm against her. There’s no doubt Riley wants this as much as I do.
Riley slides a hand between us and brushes her fingers against my bulging cock as our mouths meet again. She deftly undoes my fly, her hand curling around my length. She drags her mouth away, eyes dark and lips swollen, the pink creeping along her neck to her chest. I rest my head against hers; her hot breath strokes my lips.
“Nate.”
“Mmm?” I hitch her higher, my length pressing against her soft centre instead, and her breath rushes out.
“Not yet.”
“Why?” Whatever she says, her body tells me the opposite.
“I want this, but—”
“But we talked about this shit,” I breathe, frustration edging in. “I’m clean. You said you were on some pretty serious contraception.”
We had the conversation the afternoon in the snow, Riley, her practical self, as we outlined the rules for our whatever the hell this is. Talk about awkward conversation but , I’m not complaining.
I hold the tip of myself against her, ready. “Say no if you don’t want this.” Riley’s breath rushes from her lungs and she grips my shoulders, and I wrest control back. “Say no or I’m gonna just fuck you now.”
Her eyes snap open. “And if I say no?”
“I’ll make you come anyway,” I growl. “And you’ll be begging me for more.”
I wait for a laugh, a protest; but she shifts against me. “How can I say no to that?”
I pull Riley’s legs up, dig my fingers into her ass, and push hard into her. Her fingers dig into my back and her lips meet mine. She kills me. This woman drives me insane. I don’t hold back, can’t. She’s tight and hot surrounding my cock, so fucking wet, and I drive into her again and again, seeking the rush and release only Riley can give me.
I part her legs wider; she could be weightless in my arms, because all I can take in is the scent of Riley and sex, the way our skin slides against each other. The space between us disappears in the moment. The Nate and Riley who still hold back from each other don’t exist. I urge her on, as she matches my movements with hers, and enjoy how she grips my shoulders tighter, murmuring with her loosening control.
A week since I was inside her, since we exploded into the sex we always knew we’d have, hard, intense, and fucking amazing. The last few days have been an eternity waiting to have her beneath me again. Riley’s hand slides between us and I move back as she touches herself, chasing her own pleasure too. I watch her, eyes closed and teeth grazing across her lips. Riley’s breaths turn to soft moans as I pick up my urgency. She spurs me on with her movement and her words; Riley’s slip into dirty talk surprises but is the biggest fucking turn on., Riley digs her fingernails hard into my shoulders as body clenches around me. Fuck, that was quick. My cock pulses as I come too, sudden, unexpected, and overwhelming. How can she feel this good? Make me lose control like this?
Her chest moves rapidly, and she relaxes into my arms. My heart thumps against hers as I rest my hand against the wall and kiss her. “You could at least have shown me your bedroom first,” she murmurs, opening her eyes.
“All you had to do was ask.” I drop Riley to the floor and she steadies herself against the wall, legs shaking . My ego surges. “You fucking loved it.”
Riley pushes my damp hair back up, into spikes at the front. “Maybe.”
“Ah, Riley. You have no idea.” I slip my hand between her legs and push a finger inside her. I place my lips next to her ear, enjoying the slight hitch in her breath. “I don’t think you’ve had sex as good as this before? Have you?”
I love how she yields easily, resting against the wall again as I stroke her clit.
“Have you?” I wait until her breathing speeds, when I’m sure she wants more, then stop.
Riley opens her eyes and narrows them at me when she sees my smile. Wriggling away, she shoves me in the chest and laughs. “Maybe.”
She picks up her skirt from the stairs, tugging it over her gorgeous backside. “Pass my shirt.”
I throw it to her and pull on my jeans. “We should eat now.”
“Usually I eat first. This is back to front.”
I ignore her pointed comment. “I’ll order in. Is pizza okay?”
She giggles. “Such sophistication.”
“I know what I like.”
She watches as I button my jeans and then pulls me to her by my belt loops. “Same.” Our lips meet in a sudden, hard kiss. “Order pizza, where’s your bathroom?”
I order, and there’s a natural comfort between us I never expected as we curl up together on my sofa. We eat pizza and chat, transported from our white world to this one. My place. The atmosphere remains sexually charged and the pizza isn’t finished before we’re semi-naked again.
Riley hooks on her bra, and I sit and pull her onto my lap, resting my head on her shoulder as she faces away from me.
“Is there any point putting clothes on? You’ll be out of them again soon.”
“I can’t.” She moves away and bends over to grab the rest of her clothes. Fuck, girls are hot when they do that. I smack her ass and she giggles.
“Stay.” I drag her backwards onto my lap again, and run my hands across her breasts, rubbing her nipples beneath the lace bra. “Didn’t you say you wanted to see my bed?”
Her hair engulfs my face as she relaxes into me. She kisses my hand, a small gesture that shouts a warning I don’t heed. Intimacy. “I need to go soon.”
I can’t get enough of her passion, the way we are together. She’s addictive, the things she does without even trying, how we respond to each other instinctively. A few hours aren’t enough. Nor is a day, a week… a month. One look from her with the dark-eyed desire she’s always tried to hide, and I’m hers.
Why am I not listening to my early warning system?
“I can’t, Nate. Show me your bed next time rather than screwing me against the wall and on the sofa.” She turns and pokes my nose. “Might be more comfortable.”
“You weren’t complaining.” Her response is a coy smile before she stands again. I grab her hand. “Don’t make me wait a week again.”
“I have commitments.”
“You and your work.”
“Mmm.” She looks away a moment, a shadow crossing her face. “We can’t all be layabout rock stars.”
“Hey! I’m recovering from the tour. I’m back in the studio soon.”
“You seem to have a lot of energy.” Riley shimmies into her skirt.
I smile lazily as I watch the movement of her hips. “For what I enjoy, yes. Besides, I’m bored, so I want to see you.”
Riley finishes dressing and I watch with as much interest as when she undressed. “Things aren’t how they were,” she says.
“Do you mean tonight or what?”
“None of this.” Riley shrugs on her blouse and buttons up with delicate fingers. “I’m lost about who we are. I feel stuck in the middle.”
“We’re nice to each other; that’s a plus,” I say with a grin.
“And you won’t tell anybody?” she asks.
“Not yet.”
“Yet?”
I pull Riley onto my lap again, hoping she might stay if I manage to keep her there, and she wraps her arms around my neck. “Or at all.”
“This is just sex, remember.” Riley strokes my hair from my forehead and the gesture squeezes my heart, the hidden truth in her eyes. No, this isn’t just sex anymore .
If I’m honest, I expected Riley to push for more from me when we returned, either that, or walk away completely. A small part of me wanted her to ask for more, and not just the conceited Nate who believes no woman could resist him.
“I remember.”
“But it’s weird being like this now,” she says.
“Only as weird as we make it.”
Riley sighs and rests her forehead against mine. “Reality is never kind.”
“So serious, Smiley.” I’m rewarded with nails digging into my hands. “Me and you, it’s good right now, yeah?”
“Yes,” she says in a quiet voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” The smile she gives is the saddest I’ve seen for a long time. Why? What did I say? Do? “I like you. That’s what’s weird.”
“Huh.”
She laughs and flicks my nose. “Huh.”
“You’re actually a cool chick underneath everything.”
“Underneath my clothes?”
“No, Riley. Underneath.”
She doesn’t reply and rests her head on my shoulder instead. I can channel some of the weird response to Riley into sex, but the addiction to her grows, as does our denial.
“How about we don’t talk about this?” I say.
“Suits me.”
The worst part of all this? When Riley isn’t around, there’s an emptiness inside I’ve never noticed existed, one that was filled with bitterness and mistrust until I let her in. The speed with which my heart’s changed direction terrifies me; if I didn’t see the same in Riley, I’d push her away right now.
As Riley steps out into the night, I rest against the door frame and watch her go. Why are we pretending nothing else is happening here? Who’ll be the first to open the door caging their heart and hold out our hopes and desires for the other person to see?
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