When I reach the couch, I swing one knee over Riley’s lap, straddling those lean, powerful hips I love so much. Riley wraps their arms around me, and they unfasten the hooks of my bra, peeling it off so they can guide one of my nipples into their mouth. The swirl of their tongue makes me tremble, and I clutch the back of their head with one hand, their shoulder with the other.
Riley spends a long time on my breasts, not just sucking the peaks, but kissing around their curves, leaving soft indents in my flesh with their teeth. Soon, my nipples are slick and straining against the air, and the ache between my legs has become a serious distraction. I’m dripping already, spilling slickness onto my inner thighs.
“I’m gonna touch you. Okay, sunshine?” Riley murmurs into my sternum, sliding one of their hands down my back to squeeze my rear. The other runs up my leg, gathering up a little of my wetness on the way.
I place a kiss on top of their head. “Okay.”
Riley cups their hand between my thighs. They press in gently at first, massaging my outer lips without dipping between them. I gasp anyway. The pressure feels good, even if it’s indirect. A groan slips out of me when Riley draws my nipple back into their mouth. They start to suck, and I twitch hard beneath their fingers.
Despite my urgent noises, Riley takes their time. It feels like forever before they slide deeper, gliding from my entrance to my clit. The touch is feather light, and I squirm and rock my hips in search of more. Riley kneads my backside, digging the edges of their nails in. They won’t demand it, but they don’t want me to move.
I manage to hold still as Riley strokes me, but it’s a struggle. Their fingers feel so good that I can’t help but want them inside me. I whimper and spread my thighs wider, hoping that might speed things along. Instead, Riley focuses on my clit, massaging the shaft through its hood with their second and fourth finger. Their middle finger flicks the tip, spreading my wetness all over it.
My body quivers. I’m suspended between sensations, lost to the warm pull of Riley’s mouth and the steady stroke of their fingers. The push and pull is gentle, but in the way waves on the beach are gentle, with a whole ocean of power rocking behind them. Need courses through me, but I’m content to float. In Riley’s arms, I know I’ll be borne safely to paradise.
Only when I’m desperate does Riley slide inside me. They sink in with one finger at first, stirring slowly, stroking in search of familiar pleasure spots. When I whine and rock forward, one finger becomes two. Riley hooks them forward, drawing cries from deep within my chest. They feel so good inside me. Almost too good. My vision blurs with tears and my heart, which hardly beats at all these days, pounds like a drum.
Riley releases my nipple with a pop, gazing up at me with their bright yellow eyes. “Izzy, I…” There is a look of helplessness on their face that hooks right into me. I know what they want to say. I can feel the words swelling inside me, too. But Riley swallows it down, because they love me enough not to tell me they love me while I’m so vulnerable.
Maybe that’s what convinces me to speak. Yet again, Riley has put my feelings before theirs. They’re aware of my comfort in a way no other lover has ever been—in a way that leaves me utterly defenseless. It doesn’t feel like a choice, more of an inevitability when I open my mouth and say, “Riley…I love you.”
The lanterns of Riley’s eyes grow wide. They gasp, as if they can’t quite believe it, but then a wide smile of wonder spreads across their face. Even with the pointy teeth, there’s no way that smile could be anything but gentle. It’s overflowing with love, and it has me close to overflowing too as I clench around their fingers.
Riley takes that as a sign to resume moving inside me. They take me with gentle thrusts, adding a third finger and positioning their thumb on my clit. “I love you too, Izzy,” they mutter into my shoulder, placing soft, wet kisses there. Riley had struggled to speak before, but now, the words come pouring out: “I didn’t wanna say it before you were ready, but I love you. I’ve loved you for a while now. I’m not sure I’m ever gonna stop.”
The truth of that love shines up from Riley’s face, and I can’t help but bend down and kiss them. Our lips meet, and it feels like the sealing of a promise: not one that scares me, but one that offers security and reassurance. Riley makes me feel safe. I kiss Riley as tenderly as I can, trying to show them without words.
Once our lips meet, Riley puts their all into making me come. They still take their time, but there’s passion behind every touch, a determination that makes me tremble. Their fingers pump in and out, stretching me, hitting my deepest places. When their tongue swipes against my lips, asking for entrance, I open so Riley can press into my mouth. My hunger has returned, so I nick their tongue as gently as possible with my fangs, sucking softly for a taste of blood.
Riley shudders beneath me. They hold their mouth still, allowing me to drink as they speed up their strokes inside me. Their fingers curl at just the right angle, with the perfect amount of pressure, and I begin to clench. At first, I consider holding back. This moment is so beautiful, so precious, that I want to make it last as long as possible before it becomes a memory. But my wistfulness doesn’t last, because I realize I’ve got time. Lots of it. Plenty of time to make as many memories as I want with Riley, some of which might be so wonderful that I can’t even imagine them yet.
I come with the next stroke of Riley’s fingers. Their thumb rubs slippery circles over my clit, and I unravel at my very seams. I squeeze tight around them, giving myself over to the churning deep within my core. The ocean inside me overflows, streaming down into Riley’s cupped hand and running in gleaming ribbons down my thighs. Riley groans into my mouth, but lets me keep sucking their tongue, allowing me to have my fill of them.
In that moment, I know with calming certainty that I will never have enough of them, in any sense of the word.
Riley strokes me through my peak, trying to time their movements with the rippling of my muscles. Our first time together was beautiful, all those months ago, but now it’s beautiful in a different way. Because Riley knows me. Because Riley loves me. Riley loves me, and I love Riley.
Since my mouth is locked with theirs, I say I love you as best I can with my body. I come until I’m a puddle of myself, slumped over in Riley’s lap, still twitching with aftershocks. Our lips finally part, and Riley wraps their free arm around my waist, letting me huddle against them. They kiss my head, and I hear them inhale my scent deeply.
“I love you, Izzy.” Riley still sounds enamored of the words, as if they can’t believe how wondrous it is to speak them.
I can’t believe it either. “I love you too, Riley. I do.”
Riley chuckles softly. “Then I’m the luckiest person in the whole world.”
I smirk into Riley’s neck. “If you aren’t now, you’re about to be.”
I take my time kissing my way down Riley’s body. There’s so much skin to savor, so many places for my mouth to linger. Riley tastes like sweat and passion as I drag my tongue along their collarbone, and their sighs tell me they’re eager for me to go lower. After checking in to make sure I’m allowed, I move on to their breasts, dusting kisses until their tight pink nipples are red at the tips. Riley grasps my hair, tugging lightly. Their glowing eyes are full of need, and I can’t say no. I lick my way down Riley’s stomach and slip off the couch, kneeling at their feet.
My mouth waters when Riley’s scent hits my nose. It’s strong, but not overpowering—and I want more. I run my hands up Riley’s calves, urging them to hook their knees over my shoulders. When they do, I have an even better view between their thighs. Riley’s gleaming pink lips are already parted, and their clit is slick and swollen.
I decide not to tease. Riley’s already given me so much tonight, and I want to give back. I draw them between my lips, and I’m rewarded with a fresh stream of wetness.
Riley inhales, tipping their head back. “Izzy…”
I move my tongue in deliberate circles, searching for the rig
ht amount of pressure. I know I’ve found it when Riley’s backside lifts an inch off the couch, like they’re about to float away. “Just relax,” I murmur, kissing their outer folds. “Relax and feel loved.”
Riley melts into the couch. Their hand relaxes on top of my head, and they spread their legs wider. I take that as my invitation to drink my fill.
There’s no rush as I slide my tongue through Riley’s sweetness. The urge to taste every bit of Riley at once is almost overpowering, but my desire to make this last is stronger. I’ve got all the time I could need or want to relearn Riley’s landscape with my mouth, to seek out the spots that make them shiver. Sometimes I use my lips, dragging wet kisses where I know they’ll make Riley moan the loudest. Other times, I use my fangs. Riley never tenses, not even when I pierce their tender flesh and drink. They tilt their hips up, rocking forward each time I draw.
Something about Riley’s flavor is different. They’ve always tasted wonderful, right from the first night I fed from them—hot and sweet and tingly, like fresh apple cider in fall. Tonight, though, the rush of their blood leaves me dizzy. Maybe I’m being sentimental, or overly present in the moment, but if I could drink nothing else for the rest of my immortal life, I wouldn’t be disappointed. Riley isn’t just feeding me. They’re sustaining me.
Soon my belly is full of warmth and Riley is jogging desperately against my mouth. Their movements aren’t rough, but they are needful—and they’re so wet that the lower half of my face is drenched. “Izzy. Please, love…”
My heart swells at the sound of my name on Riley’s lips. I stop thrusting my tongue against their entrance and return to their clit, sucking the stiff bud as deep as I can. Riley groans, pulling my hair just enough tilt my head up. As I gaze into their eyes, they finally come.
Riley’s orgasm isn’t merely a physical release. It’s a profound moment of connection that stretches between the two of us. There are new depths within Riley’s golden eyes I’ve never reached before, and neither of us blink as a pulsing river spills over my chin. Riley’s shivers are mine, and so is their pleasure. I can taste it, even feel its echoes in my own body.
Most of all, I feel love. It should scare me, but it doesn’t. It’s a feeling of intense warmth, like being held by a pair of strong arms after standing alone in the cold.
Eventually, Riley stops bucking. Their ripples grow softer, and their grip on my hair loosens. I pull back, running my tongue over my lips. The warmth inside me hasn’t faded. It only grows brighter as Riley smiles at me. “Hey,” they murmur, stroking my full lower lip with the pad of their thumb. “C’mon up here and gimme some sugar.”
I climb back into Riley’s lap, framing their face in my hands and leaning in to kiss them. I stroke my tongue along theirs, letting Riley taste themself before resting our foreheads together. “I probably shouldn’t ask and ruin the moment, but what does this mean to you? What does ‘I love you’ mean?”
Riley wraps an arm around my waist, tracing patterns on the small of my back with their fingertips. “For me, it means my heart’s extra full when I’m around you. It means the moments I’m with you are my favorites. And it means I don’t know what my future’ll be like, but I’m damn sure I want you in it with me.” Their forehead crinkles with concern, like they’re worried they may have overstepped. “Is that okay?”
I kiss Riley again. “I couldn’t have put it better.”
***
“Hey, don’t be nervous, sunshine,” Riley says, placing their hand over mine on the table. “It’ll be okay. Promise.”
“I’m not nervous,” I insist. We’re at Crossbones, tucked away in a cozy booth at the back of the restaurant. I’d hoped familiar surroundings might bolster my courage, but so far, it isn’t working. I’m stupidly and irrationally terrified.
“Honey, you’re sweating like a whore in church.”
“Am not. Vampires don’t sweat.”
“Maybe not as much as humans or werewolves, but your hand’s awful warm.”
I scowl because Riley’s right. My fingers do feel sticky under theirs, and my heart’s beating much faster and more frequently than it’s supposed to, especially considering I haven’t had much blood today. That probably explains my overheated skin, although the dizziness is definitely nerves.
I pull my hand away. “It’s not a big deal.”
Riley puts their palm on my thigh under the table. “Yup. You’ll be back to your pleasant perky self in no time.”
“You know that isn’t really me, right?”
Riley frowns. “Whatcha mean?”
“The energy and optimism. It’s something I do, not who I am. My mind likes to tell me everything’s horrible all the time, so…I’ve developed this persona.” I sigh. “Sometimes if I keep telling myself everything is wonderful, I can trick myself into believing it.”
“Wouldn’t call it a trick.” Riley steals another squeeze of my leg. “I’d call it being balanced. And just because you work harder to feel happy than most folks doesn’t mean it’s all fake, either. You wouldn’t try so hard if you didn’t think happiness was important.”
It seems simple when Riley says it. Sharing the struggle with someone else makes it feel less overwhelming. I lean over and rest my cheek on their shoulder. “I really do love you. You know that, right, mon chou?”
Riley grins. “Yup. I know. I love you back.”
The tinkling sound of the bell above the door makes me lift my head. I’ve been listening for it above the ambient noise of the restaurant, but until now, I’ve only seen strangers enter. This time, I catch a glimpse of Elyse approaching the hostess desk to ask for us.
“You heard that all the way across the room?” Riley asks.
“Ears of a bat. Literally. When I am one, I can hear a moth’s wings a mile away.”
“Damn, woman,” Riley chuckles. “And I thought my hearing was good.”
“What’s good?” Elyse asks as she approaches our table. “The appetizers you already ordered, I hope.”
“Yes, I got your fried pickles,” I grumble, rolling my eyes. Elyse never changes.
Elyse plops down at the table across from us, and her purse hits the seat beside her with a thump. “You know, Riley, when this one first told me fried pickles were A Thing in the south…” Elyse nods her head at me with raised eyebrows. “I thought she was nuts. Who looked at a pickle one day and thought, ‘I know! I’m going to dip this in a greasy frying vat and see what happens.’”
Riley seems slightly taken aback at first, like they weren’t expecting Elyse to treat them in such a familiar way within seconds of meeting. But, true to form, Riley rolls with it like a champ. “Some guy in Arkansas, far as I know.” They stick their hand out across the table. “Riley Evans.”
“Sorry, I’m an ass.” Elyse takes Riley’s hand and shakes. “Elyse, the one who’s been snooping on your Facebook.”
Riley looks sheepish. “Oh, uh…yeah. I’m not on that too much.”
“It’s okay,” Elyse says. “I won’t judge a werewolf for liking cat videos.”
“Speaking of, Leecy, did you ever figure out the deal with Mrs. Grimmaldis’ laptop?”
Elyse leans in toward both of us with a conspiratorial look. “Online poker. Big time. Guess she’s gotta keep all those cats in the kibble somehow.”
Riley’s brow furrows in confusion. “Wait, is this Mrs. Grimmaldis a werecat, or does she just have a lot of cats?”
“Both,” Elyse and I say together. Then Elyse says, “Jinx!” before I can get it out.
While I press my lips together, stewing in silence, Elyse fixes her attention on Riley. “Some free advice…don’t play jinx with an actual sorceress. So, interview time. What are your intentions toward my best friend, Riley Evans?”
Riley sputters, looking adorably confused and helpless. “Like, sexually?”
“That depends. Is that how you want to answer the question?”
Even though I can’t speak because of the jinx, I use my eyes to ma
ximum effect, glaring daggers into the side of Elyse’s head. She pretends not to notice.
As it turns out, Riley doesn’t need my help. They shrug. “My moments with Izzy are my favorite moments. Can’t get enough of being around her. And I wanna make all her moments with me happy, too. Don’t know how to put it simpler than that.”
Elyse seems surprised by Riley’s eloquence, but I’m not. I’ve had months to soak it in, to get to know the eloquent soul under the cute, awkward exterior. At last, Elyse sighs and snaps her fingers, returning the use of my voice. “Okay, Izzy, you can give me your speech about what an overprotective best friend I am now. It’s for your own good, you know.”
I wiggle my jaw to loosen it. “I don’t think you’re overprotective. Considering the train wreck, I dated last time, I think it’s warranted.”
“Well, this one definitely isn’t like Natasha. That’s a point in anyone’s favor.”
Riley grins. “Gotta start somewhere, I guess.”
Our basket of fried pickles arrives shortly after. Elyse immediately chows down, and Riley munches on a few while eyeing the steak two tables away from ours. “Really?” Elyse mumbles, her mouth full of pickle, “No one wants more?”
“Blood only, Elyse.”
“Meat,” Riley says. “Preferably raw.”
“Where were you guys when I needed college roommates? I could’ve used one who didn’t eat everything but the ice in my refrigerator.”
“Sounds like you had more fun at college than me,” Riley says.
Elyse raises her eyebrows. “How come?”
“Did my undergrad online. Easier to work ahead and prepare for my monthlies.” They smile. “That’s why I came to New York. I wanted to get out of Georgia—”
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