by Danica Flynn
His hands moved from out of my hair, sliding through the suds and across the top of my shoulders. He slid the bar of soap across my body until I finally opened my eyes and muttered, “Thanks.”
I looked up at him. I was a tall woman, but at six-feet, Riley still had a few inches on me. Like three inches, but still. The water poured down his face, and he looked as tired as I felt. Maybe he was as hungover as I was, and he was just better at hiding it. His hand was still on me, slowly sliding across my skin until it rested on my hip. That’s when I felt his erection pressing up against my leg.
“Riley!” I yelled at him.
He laughed. “I’m sorry; it has a mind of its own. Can you blame me, though? In the shower with a hot naked woman? Of course I’m gonna get hard.”
I rolled my eyes. “You mean I didn’t break it last night?”
He laughed. “You sure did try.”
I shook my wet hair at him, and he laughed. He pulled his hand away from me, and we switched spots so he could wash his hair while I put conditioner in my hair and washed my face. The water had started to cool, so Riley cranked the handle closer to red, and we switched again so I could wash the conditioner out of my long hair. Riley stepped out of the shower by then, but I spied him rubbing a towel over his head behind the glass door. I shut the faucet off and wrung my hair out as best I could in the shower.
Stepping out of the stall, my eyes traced again over Riley’s ridiculously fit body. He was at the sink gargling mouthwash, so maybe he was suffering from a hangover too. I grabbed a towel from off the rack and dried myself off as best I could before wrapping it around my head and walking back into the bedroom.
I didn’t feel quite like death warmed over anymore, just death slightly cooled, but it was better than nothing. I went into my suitcase and pulled on a fresh pair of underwear and a t-shirt. I unraveled the towel from my head and began to brush my hair out, then checked the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was seven am. Why the fuck was I awake so early? I didn’t even want to think about looking at my phone yet.
Big arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and kisses were peppered down the slope of my neck.
Why is he being so sweet to me right now?
“How do you feel?” he asked against my ear, and I had to pretend not to shudder. Maybe I was still drunk because I wanted him to keep on kissing me and never stop.
“Like hot garbage,” I muttered.
He laughed and hugged my back closer against his chest. “Come on, sweetheart, come back to bed. Sleep will help you.”
I finished brushing out my hair, but it was still damp. Fuck it. I turned in his arms and saw he was still in his towel. Something inside me snapped to attention, and I leaned up to kiss his mouth tenderly. He kissed me back, and then the towel dropped to the floor, and he led me by the hand back into the bed. But we didn’t have sex again, and I was partly disappointed but partly thankful because I still felt sore from the previous night even though we used a lot of lube. He stretched out on the bed beside me and tugged me closer to him, so my head was tucked onto his chest. While I drifted off to sleep, still a little drunk, I felt his arms around me, making me feel safe and secure.
When I awoke again, it was to a cold bed, and I half wondered if I had dreamt of having sex with my best friend all around my hotel room. But then I looked down and saw the silver ring on my left hand, and I knew it had happened.
I ran a shaky hand through my hair with a sigh. Riley was nowhere to be found, which was bad because we really needed to talk about this marriage of convenience thing we had going on. It was nice for him to step in and marry me last night, but it would be best if we got it annulled and went back to just being friends.
The honeymoon suite had an adjoining living room with a kitchen, so I wondered if Riley was already up and ready for the day. I had to drag myself out of bed, still very hungover and feeling like death. I went into the other room, but there was no sign of him. I walked back into the bedroom and opted for putting on clothes that weren’t pajamas, and went to check the fallout of last night on my phone. There were a bunch of text messages and two missed calls. The calls were from my mother, as were half of the texts.
MOM: Are you two going to come to the brunch we’re supposed to have?
MOM: Fiona?
MOM: Call me when you wake up!
I rolled my eyes. I really didn’t want to have to deal with all the people that were at my weird-ass wedding. It was almost like a fake relationship, like in those romance novels I read. Because there was no way Riley and I could stay married. I mean, if he wanted to bone, I was good with that. Like more than good with that. I could go back to being friends with benefits with Riley again, especially now that I knew how much his technique had changed since we were teenagers. That would have been great for me. But actually being married to each other? He would quickly learn it was a big mistake.
I scrolled down to the other texts on my phone.
KATIE: So…how was the sex?
KATIE: Tell me!!!
I snorted at that. You would think that since I was supposed to have married Katie’s brother, she would have been completely against me marrying someone else. Not Katie; she had been so cool about everything. I glanced at the plain silver band around my finger. Katie had sprung into action, going out to get rings for us while we got the license done. I was kind of glad she got something really simple because I was never one for flashy anyway.
I saw that Riley had texted too.
RILEY: Hey, I didn’t want to wake you, so I’m gonna go work out.
RILEY: I can see you making fun of me.
I laughed at that; he was right. He drank as much as me, but he was going to go work out. Ugh, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Those muscles did not create themselves.
I glanced at the time on my phone and was surprised that it was already noon. I must have been feeling really shitty when I woke up earlier and we showered together. Or rather, I stood there under the water while Riley washed me because I was too tired. That had been rather loving and intimate, and I was too hungover to even think about the implications.
I debated crawling back into the bed and going back to sleep for the rest of the day, but I didn’t think that was going to help any. I didn’t want to answer anyone either until I talked to Riley and discussed what we were going to do next. I slid my phone in my back pocket and walked out of the bedroom into the adjoining living area and kitchen. Before I did anything else, I really needed a coffee. I smiled when I saw a pot was already made. That was kind of sweet of him.
I was settling down with a cup and my writing journal when I heard the door click open. Riley must have swiped my room card from off the bedside table this morning. He came into the kitchen in workout gear and carrying his suitcase. I eyed it suspiciously but said nothing. His face was red, and his blond hair was dripping with sweat.
“Morning,” he greeted when he crossed the living room floor. He planted a long kiss on my lips, which surprised me so much that I froze. He pulled away with a cautious look when I didn’t return the kiss. “Here,” he said and handed me a coconut water. “For your hangover.”
I took it in thanks and started sipping it down.
“Are you okay?” he asked and cocked an eyebrow at me.
I shook my head. “No. I think we should talk.”
His brow furrowed. “Okay…”
I took a sip of my coffee and sighed deeply. How do you tell the husband you just married, who was also your best friend in the entire world, that you thought marrying him was a mistake?
“Um, listen…” I stared into my coffee cup. “I think maybe we should get an annulment.”
“What?” he asked, but it wasn’t really a question. I glanced up at him, and I wish I hadn’t. He had gone slack-jawed, and his face had this look of hurt on it. It made me feel awful.
I turned away and put a hand on my face. “I think maybe getting married was a rash decision. For both of us. I mean
, you’re the king of hookups; you don’t want to be tied down.”
He settled into the chair beside me and took my hands in his. I couldn’t help but notice that we were both still wearing our wedding rings. “Fiona, when I married you, it wasn’t for show. I think this could really work between us. Why don’t we stick it out and see how it goes?”
“See how it goes? Look, it was very sweet of you to do this for me, but you’ll get bored of me,” I urged.
His eyes softened, and his big hands cupped my face. “How can you say that? You’re my best friend. We know everything about each other, we get along great, and we definitely have great sex. So why not try this?”
“You really want to stick this out with me? You want to try being married to me, for real?” I asked, but I wasn’t really believing what he was saying. Why would he want that? To be tethered to his best friend and the girl he lost his virginity to? What man wanted that?
“Look,” he started and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, “my life is complicated. I’m on and off the road for hockey half the year. It’s hard to maintain a relationship, but I think we could be good together. I mean, last night was good for you too, right?”
I bit my lip but nodded. I don’t think he even knew the half of it.
Sex with Eric hadn’t been the best lately. Honestly, it felt more like a chore, if anything, and on more than a few occasions, I didn’t get any pleasure out of it. Nor did he ever give in to any of my desires, which really weren’t that weird! It’s not like I was asking to tie him up or for him to tie me up. I liked sex a little bit rough, and I could only come from behind, but he never was a fan of the doggy-style position. He claimed he hated not being able to see my face, which I thought was sweet at the time, but now I felt like it was bullshit. It should have been a sign to me that something was off, especially when I realized we hadn’t had sex in three months and neither of us had noticed.
Last night with Riley...he had been so considerate and generous. I mean, he even ate me out! I can’t remember the last time that happened. I was wracking my brain to remember if Eric ever had done it in the five years we had been together.
Riley’s eyes searched my face. “When was the last time you had sex?”
I balked. “That’s kind of personal.”
He glared at me. “Fiona, I’m your husband now. Nothing’s too personal.”
I groaned. “Three months.”
“Three months! Oh, Fi, I had no idea.”
“I should have seen this coming. God, I’m such a fool.”
“No, you’re not,” Riley reassured me. “I promise as long as we’re married, that won’t happen.”
I was still uneasy about this whole being married to Riley thing, though. He never seemed like a one-woman guy. Would this be enough for him? Could I be enough for him? “You sure about this? About being married to me?” I asked again.
“We both took vows…a little unorthodox, sure, but give me a couple of months to prove to you that this is gonna work.”
I don’t know why, but something about the way he said it convinced me that he wanted this to work. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned over and kissed me. “I promise you, Fi. I’m gonna make you happy.”
I pulled away, but when I looked into his eyes, I could tell he meant every single word. Riley always had been a man of his word, and even though I had my reservations about this marriage, a part of me really wanted to believe what he was saying.
“We good? Because I need to take a shower,” he mused.
“Yeah, you smell,” I joked.
He gave me the finger and walked back into the bedroom. I heard the shower kick on, and then I sat there in silence, thinking. How the hell did he convince me that we should stay married? I picked up my phone and decided to finally call my mother back.
Chapter Four
RILEY
Fi ambushing me about wanting to get a divorce threw me for a loop. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. She had been with someone else for five years, and then I waltzed in and married her. I mean, who does that and then expects the person to fall in love with them? Apparently, I did.
I wasn’t lying to her when I said I wanted to make this work. I knew my job would make things difficult, but I was ready to settle down, to have someone to come home to, but it never seemed to work out. In the back of my mind, I knew it was because none of those other girls had been Fiona Gallagher, the girl who stole my heart years ago.
I quickly showered and dressed. She was on the phone when I walked back into the room, and by the sound of her voice and the way she rolled her eyes, I knew she was talking to her mom. Fi never really got on with her mom. They had fundamental differences, but they loved each other. Fi’s mom and my mom had grown up together, and when my dad left, her mom had been the second mom I needed, especially when I got busy with hockey. I would always be grateful to her, but it was kind of weird that now she was my mother-in-law.
Fi’s voice got louder. “Mom, it’s not any of your business!” She was silent for a moment, but she looked pissed. Finally, in a small voice and through gritted teeth, she said, “Yes.”
She clicked end on her phone and then turned to me.
“Um…so there’s this brunch my mom organized that she wanted us to be at like an hour ago.”
I nodded. “Okay, I’m ready when you are. Is everything okay?”
She shook her head. “It’s fine.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
She sighed. “My mother wanted to know if we consummated our marriage last night.”
I couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping my lips. “She really asked that? Damn, Katherine, didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Oh, yes, because now that I’m married, my mother’s expecting me to have babies.”
I stared at her. We hadn’t talked about the whole kids thing, and I was honestly still surprised she was willing to try this marriage with me. A part of me was sure she would change her mind and still want a divorce. I wanted to take these next couple months and use them to convince her to fall in love with me, but I couldn’t force her to stay.
“Do you want kids?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “Eric didn’t, and I was okay with that.”
“That’s not what I asked you,” I told her.
“I don’t know! But I’m only twenty-seven; I could turn thirty and change my mind. Do you?”
I shrugged. “If that’s what you want.”
“Riley! You can’t do whatever I want. If that’s important to you, we should talk about that.”
I gave her a funny look. “You literally asked me for a divorce, and now you’re worried about whether or not I want children?”
“Ugh! You’re so annoying!” she fumed. “If we don’t see eye-to-eye on this, I don’t think we can stay married.”
I chuckled. She was so cute when she was mad. When she got all riled up, I wanted to knock all the things off the counter and fuck her on top of it. If only to shut her up and hear her moan my name again like she did last night.
“Stop looking at me like that!” she screeched and threw a pillow at my head.
I ducked, and it fell to the floor. I crossed the room to her and gripped her waist with my hands. Fi was tall, and I only had a couple inches on her, so we were usually at eye-level. “How am I looking at you?” I asked huskily.
She wrapped her slender hands around the back of my neck. I was only slightly worried she would try to choke me. What did it say about me that I would have been okay with it if she did?
“Like you want to throw me down on this counter and fuck me,” she huffed out.
I couldn’t keep it together and laughed. I pulled her closer to me, so she was flush against my chest, and kissed her roughly. She kissed me back in such an angry fashion, I should have been concerned at how hard my dick got. Unfortunately, we couldn’t act out my fantasies because we were interrupt
ed by someone knocking on the door.
Fi hung her head against my chest and groaned. “I guarantee that’s my mother.”
“Yeah, don’t we have to be somewhere?” I asked.
She nodded, then walked away to the door and opened it to reveal her mother. Her mom looked flustered, but she smiled when she saw me peek out from the kitchen. “Oh, good, you’re awake. Are you coming downstairs?” she asked.
“Riley?” Fi called me. “You ready?”
I adjusted myself in my jeans and tried to think of something to make my boner go away. Hockey stats. How bad my team was doing. Granny panties. Pittsburgh winning the cup. Ah, there we go. I grabbed the room card off the counter. “Coming.”
“Riley!” her mom smiled at me. “I was afraid she would have scared you off, too.”
Fi frowned. Her mom was the queen of passive aggressiveness, but I had to admit that comment was plain rude. I ignored it and hugged her mom. “Mrs. Gallagher, it’s good to see you again. We were just on our way down.”
Her mom softened. “None of that Mrs. Gallagher stuff. Katherine or Mom now.”
“Sure, Katherine…” I trailed off and looked to Fi. She looked pissed. I held out my hand to her, and I was surprised she actually took it. “Come on, sweetheart,” I urged and laced my fingers through hers. I was surprised that she didn’t bite my head off for the pet name, but this morning, in the shower, something in her had softened when I said it. It fit her.
She rolled her eyes but let me lead her out the door. Her mom smiled at our joined hands and started talking about more stuff that I knew Fi did not want to hear about at all. “So, we should probably talk about your honeymoon…”
“I’m gonna cancel it,” Fi deadpanned as we waited for the elevator.
“What? Why?” her mom asked and looked questioningly at me.
“Mom, Riley can’t come. He has hockey.”
“When were you gonna go? And where?” I asked.