by London Hale
God, this man. I stared at him, shaking my head. “I swear, how you can go from absolutely filthy to perfect gentleman in the span of two seconds is baffling.”
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my temple. “You bring out the best and worst in me. Now, let’s get you fed. I’ve got plans for you tonight that will require lots of energy.”
“I bet. And it’s delicious, thanks for asking. How’s yours?”
He chewed thoughtfully, then shook his head. “Not as good as your pussy, but I can fill up on that later.”
“See?” I pointed my fork toward him. “Filthy.”
Grinning, he speared another bite of his meal. “You never did tell me how the meeting went with Huntley today.”
“It went well, I think. Colin’s itching to get started on the space. We’re both a little worried about Nicholson, so he wants me to keep on top of it.”
“Yeah, I bet he wants you on top of things.” He waved me off when I glared at him. “Kidding. Sort of. Sorry, I just…it took me a long time to actually make a move. I don’t want to think about someone else trying to come between us.”
“Riley…” I breathed, brushing my hand down his cheek. “You’re worried about nothing. First of all, every interaction I’ve had with him has been nothing but professional. Second, in case it wasn’t clear, I’m sort of smitten with someone else.”
“If it’s the someone I hope it is, he’s sort of smitten with you, too.”
I couldn’t contain my smile, and I felt like a foolish schoolgirl because of it. Even so, I leaned over and pressed my lips to his.
I wasn’t sure there was anything better than good food and good conversation all with a good—no, amazing—man. I never wanted the night to end.
Once we’d finished eating and placed our silverware across our empty dishes, the waiter appeared. “Let me clear these plates for you. Here’s the dessert menu for you to look over. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”
“Fondue, baby?” Riley asked after the waiter slipped away.
“Oh my God, I’m so full. I ate that entire bowl of paella!” I leaned against the booth, resting my hand on my stomach. “I don’t think I can eat another bite.”
“Then we’re getting it to go. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to lick it off you later.”
“There’s no place to clean up at the lighthouse, though.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to be careful.”
“I’m not sure how careful we can be with melted chocolate. We’re going to be a mess.”
“I’ll give you my shirt to wear home if you’re sticky.” He shrugged, topping off my glass with the rest of the wine. “It’s no problem. I don’t want you to ruin your clothes.”
I looked at him—really looked. He was overwhelming, this monster of a man, tall and broad with muscles for days, but he was a gentle giant. At least with me. At least in the ways that mattered. True, in the bedroom, he handled me like a man possessed, but everywhere else, he treated me like a queen. Deferred to me on the things that were important to me, like when it came to anything that could harm my career.
He’d been so patient these past two weeks as we’d had hidden dates off the island, punctuated by clandestine trysts in an abandoned lighthouse. I loved that he’d been willing to do that for me, despite knowing how desperately he wanted to be at my side on the island. He’d told me time and time again how he couldn’t wait until he could stroll down Main Street with my hand in his, so everyone would know he was mine.
And he was… Mine. Just as I was his. It didn’t make sense, we didn’t make sense, but my heart didn’t care.
We couldn’t venture out in the open yet, not completely. But I could give him something. I could share a part of myself with him, show him how much he meant to me—how much what we had meant to me.
“We could…” I cleared my throat, smoothing my napkin across my lap. “We could go back to my place. If you promised to park a few houses down.”
He snapped his head in my direction. “Are you serious?”
I cringed. “I’m sorry, I know that’s a shitty thing for me to ask—for you to park down the street—but I—”
“Sir,” Riley called to our waiter as he passed by, then pulled out his wallet and handed the waiter his credit card. “We’re going to need the chocolate fondue to go and for you to process our bill. We have an emergency.”
“Of course, I’ll request a rush on that, and I’ll be right back with your check.” The waiter hurried off without another word.
“Riley—”
He gripped my face and pulled me in for a kiss, sealing his lips over mine. Pulling back, he ran his thumbs over my cheeks, staring into my eyes. “Every week for the last year, at some point I’d tell you to lie back on your bed. My imagination is good, Kate—it’s real fucking good—and these dates at the lighthouse have been amazing. But I want to see you on that bed. I want that fantasy realized.”
I wanted that, too. Hadn’t even realized how desperately until he’d said that. I bit my lip to hide my smile and closed the short distance between us to press our lips together once more. “Okay.”
If Kate minded the fact that I was basically humping her ass as she unlocked her back door, she certainly didn’t show it.
“That’s not the handle, Kitten.” I kissed down the length of her neck, rubbing against where she’d slipped her hand between us. Bonus that I got a solid press against her ass while doing so. “You’d better get the door opened, or we’re going to give the neighborhood a show.”
She laughed and removed her hand, which only made me crave her more. It had been a quiet and lonely drive from the restaurant to her block, and I was ready to pin her to the damn door and strip her right there. I wanted to be inside her in the worst way.
But when she finally opened the door and stepped inside, the throb of lust I’d been feeling since she’d invited me back to her place faded into something quieter. Calmer.
This was an important moment… Kate had allowed me into her home.
I crossed the threshold and froze, trying to take in every detail. She was halfway across the room before she realized I’d barely taken a step inside.
“You coming?”
I nodded and licked my lips, unable to keep my eyes on hers. Too busy trying to learn everything I could in those precious few seconds. The place smelled like her, the gentle, flowery perfume she wore lingering on the air. It looked like her, too. Light colors, dark accent pieces, and splashes of color that seemed purposefully placed. Nothing professionally decorated about the space, more natural. Lived in. There was a small stack of books on the table by the fireplace and a single coffee cup next to the sink. Signs of life. Signs of her life.
“Riley?”
“It’s you.”
“Pardon?”
I took a good look around before shrugging. “This. It’s you. I can see you here.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, I’ve lived here a few years—”
I was across the room and on her before she could finish her sentence, kissing her deeply and pulling her body into mine for one long, slow minute.
“Thank you,” I said when I finally released her. “I know what a big deal it is to let me into this space.”
“You’re welcome.” She ran a hand over my cheek, looking up at me with emotions she hadn’t yet put into words. “Thank you for being patient with me.”
As if I had any other choice. I would’ve stopped the world from spinning if she’d asked me to. “I’d wait forever if I had to, though I’d probably complain about it. A lot.”
She laughed, tossing her head back, gripping my shoulders. So fucking gorgeous. “Yes, you would. You’ve certainly proven that.”
“It’s not something I can control, Kitten. I see you, I want you. All the time. Period. Now…I want to see the rest of this place. Show me you, Kate.”
And she did. From soft, comfortable couches to the bookshelves practically groaning under the weight on them, ever
y piece spoke of the woman at my side. She took me from room to room, showing me bits and pieces of herself as we toured her home. A graduation picture, a framed degree, a stack of papers in some random corner…memories of her life before me, her path to the mayorship. Her world. It was a window into her past and a base of her present. I loved it.
“Saved the best for last…” Kate stood to one side, looking almost nervous as I stepped into her most private space.
I inspected her bedroom, letting the details soak in. Taking in the simple, quiet style of the place. The feminine touches that added a little softness. “It suits you.”
Her head cock only made me grin. “I’m really not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not.”
“Always a compliment.” I held out a hand, needing her beside me. Wanting to feel her body against mine. “Come here, baby.”
She lagged for just a second before walking over to me, her steps slow and measured. Her eyes on mine the entire way. Wary but wanting. When she finally reached me, I wrapped my arms around her and tugged her against my chest.
“Tonight is different,” I murmured, rocking her gently from side to side. “I don’t want hard and fast right now. I don’t want to pull out every filthy sentence I know to get you off. I just want you and me in that big-ass bed of yours. Let me love you, Kate.”
I stared into Riley’s eyes, his words of love settling over me like a warm blanket. I didn’t know if he meant them at face value, or if he was simply using the phrase offhandedly. Regardless, I couldn’t stop my heart from stuttering.
He cupped my face, brushing his thumbs over my cheeks. Came closer until his breath ghosted over my lips. “I do, you know. You may not be ready to hear it yet, but I love you, Kate.”
His words knocked me off-balance, and I gripped his wrists, certain if he hadn’t been holding me, I would’ve crumpled right to the ground. I shook my head, searching his eyes. “We don’t make sense, Riley. Everything about this—us—is crazy.”
He pressed a soft kiss on my lips. “Why do we need to make sense? Why can’t we just be happy together? Is that so hard to do?”
“What if…” I stopped. Swallowed. Closed my eyes. I wasn’t naturally a nervous person—I couldn’t be in my position—but right then, my nerves were eating me alive, a dozen different what-if scenarios driving me crazy.
I loved Riley, had loved him for a long time—there was no denying the fall had been slow and pure… There was also no denying it had happened months ago when he’d been just Banner to me. When I’d only known him as a voice of comfort, of support.
But sometimes love wasn’t enough.
I’d already lived through my twenties and thirties, and he hadn’t had the chance. I didn’t want to keep him from any of it. I didn’t want my presence in his life to be a hindrance.
I curled my fingers tighter on his wrists. “What if being with me keeps you from living your life? You’re only twenty-six. You still have so much to see…to do.”
“And we can do it all together. You’re not holding me back, baby. Don’t you see that? You make everything worthwhile. Whatever comes at us, I want to handle it together.”
I stared at him, my nails no doubt leaving crescent shapes on his skin. Though I’d tried to ignore the thought that he might come to resent me—or worse, to regret what we had—it was still there. Flashing like a neon sign in my mind, refusing to be silent.
Closing my eyes, I whispered, “I’m just so worried you’re going to regret us.”
He pulled me closer, pressing tender kisses on my closed lids. Then he enveloped me in his arms, and suddenly the whispers quieted. The worries faded to the background. In Riley’s arms, everything felt right.
Lips brushing my ear, he said, “Regret what? Spending my life with an intelligent, beautiful woman who sure as fuck doesn’t need me standing beside her?” He pulled back to cup my face again. “Not going to happen.”
One thing I loved about Riley was how he wore his emotions on his sleeve. There was no hiding with him—what you saw was what you got. On a normal day, it was refreshing. Right then, it was beyond refreshing. It was reassuring. There was no second-guessing on my part. I could read the sincerity in his eyes. Could see every ounce of it in the way he looked at me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed up on my toes, resting my lips against his. “I love you, too.”
His eyes flared, his hands slipping down to cup my ass as he hauled me up against him. And then his mouth was hungry on mine.
“Christ, Kitten…hearing you say that drives me fucking crazy.” He tossed me onto the bed and climbed on top, caging me in. “I’m gonna love you so hard tonight. Gonna kiss every inch of you, then find all the places I missed and love them with my tongue.”
We stripped each other slowly, sliding our hands along one another as we peeled off articles of clothing, tossing them in different directions. Until, finally, we were both bare.
He did exactly as he’d said, first flipping me on my stomach so he could kiss down my spine, along my shoulder blades, the backs of my knees, and every inch in between. As if I weren’t writhing and needy for him, he turned me over and repeated the entire process all over again, incorporating his tongue into the mix just to tease me more.
“Riley.” I panted, grappling at his shoulders as he settled between my legs.
“Yeah?” He flicked his tongue against my clit in a mindless sort of way, causing my hips to jerk. “You need something?”
I moaned when he did it again, this time with more purpose, sucking my clit into his mouth. “Please… Come up here. I need you inside me.”
He groaned against me, the vibration on my clit pushing me that much closer to the edge. With one last lick through my slit, he rose above me, resting his arms on either side of my head. “I can’t refuse you anything.”
Leaning over, he grabbed his pants from the floor, pulling out a condom before rolling it down his length. God, what the sight of him did to me—his huge fist gripping his cock, giving it a little tug as he protected us both. I wanted to climb him like a tree, cling to his mountain-man shoulders, and never let go.
He sat back on his heels, running his hand from my knee down my inner thigh, not stopping until he rubbed soft, slow circles around my clit. “You wanna ride me? Let me look at you for a while?”
I arched my back, pushing harder against him. Needing more. Closing my eyes, I shook my head against the pillow and reached for him. “Not yet…just want to feel you.”
He crawled over me, brushing openmouthed kisses against my skin along the way. Sucked a nipple into his mouth, letting it go with a pop, his lips spreading in a smile when I moaned and arched against him. “You know I’d give you anything. You want to feel me? You mean your greedy little pussy wants my cock? I’ll give that to you. I’ll always give you what you need.” He gripped his heavy erection and ran it through where I was an absolute mess of wetness for him, making me mindless with need. Then he put me out of my misery and slowly pushed inside.
I bit my lip, feeling the delicious pleasure-pain of him stretching me wide to accommodate his size. Riley was a beast of a man, tall and broad, and he had a cock to match. Being with him never got old, never got any less intense. Every time was like the first. “Riley…”
He groaned, holding himself over me as he looked down to where I was spread wide around him, opening to take every inch of his cock. “Fuck, Kitten, it’s like coming home every time I slide into your pussy.”
Settling on his forearms, he covered me, let me feel his body along the length of mine but careful to keep the majority of his weight off me. He started an unhurried, steady rhythm, pulling back in a slow retreat, only to snap forward, sliding deep as he rotated his hips against me. No matter how we did this—fast, slow, rushed, languid—he never failed to make my body sing. From the start, I was nearly ready to go off. The pressure every drive into me put on my clit was just enough to keep me on edge, but not enough to push me over. And
he fucking knew it.
“Please, please, I need more. Riley—” I broke off when he reached behind him and unhooked my ankles from around his hips, lifting one until it rested on his shoulder. Then he once again did his slow retreat, deep thrust, and I saw stars. “Holy shit.”
“You feel that? How can this be crazy? How could I ever regret how I feel about you? Just trust me, Kate. Let me love you, and everything will be okay. I promise.”
I bit my lip and nodded, trusting him to treat my heart as well as he’d proven with my body. Maybe I was worried for nothing. Maybe my fears were unfounded. Maybe a relationship really could be this easy—no complications, no hidden agendas, no burning resentment. Just two people, connecting with each other, supporting each other…loving each other.
I ran my hands over every inch of him that I could reach, totally and completely lost to Riley—how he took my mouth in a consuming kiss, whispered dirty things in my ear, leaned down and tugged a nipple between his teeth only to turn his head and press his lips softly against my ankle. Dirty and sweet. Slow and hard. The most beautiful contradiction.
“Fuck, Kitten. I could do this every day. Could slide deep inside your pussy and make you scream every fucking morning before you even rolled out of bed. That’s not crazy. That’s heaven.”
“I want that. I want you—” I gasped and arched against him when he dropped a hand between us, his thumb seeking out my clit. “Oh, yes, right there.”
“I know, baby. I know.” He leaned down, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth as I panted toward the ceiling. “I know all your spots, don’t I? Know how to get you off. Are you ready to come?”
“Oh my God, yes.”
“Then hold on, Kitten.”
He dug his fingers into my leg, my ankle still propped on his shoulder, and snapped his hips forward, beginning a fast and frenzied pace. “I know how to take care of this tight little pussy, don’t I? Know exactly what it needs.”
I clawed at his arms, desperate to come. Desperate to make him come. Wanting nothing more than to feel him come apart because of me.