These are the type of thoughts I can’t afford to have. Because she won’t be here with me then. We won’t do any of that together.
She’s leaving as soon as her manager tells her to, and I’m sure she won’t be looking back and thinking of me here after she does.
“Are you ready to get out?” Riley asks. “I’m getting hungry, and I think I’d like to lie down and tan for a bit too.”
“Whatever you want,” I tell her, meaning it far too much, I’m afraid.
I start kicking my legs to bring us toward the lake edge. When the water is shallow enough that our feet can touch the bottom, I curl my hand around her waist, hidden beneath the tube and under the water. My fingers skim over her stomach, and she lets out what a happy sigh that I want to hear all the time.
She pulls the tube over her head and tosses it to the shore before turning her body in toward me. Now my hands are on her back and hers come to grasp my hips.
The water laps gently around us as the sun beats down on our shoulders. Her sunglasses hide her blue eyes, but I can still feel them focusedintensely on me. For a moment, I forget about her brother and Toby, and whether or not they’re paying any attention to us. When I kiss her, I let my lips linger on hers for longer than I should, and she doesn’t seem to mind at all.
One of her hands comes up to my bikini top, and she runs her thumb over my nipple, making me shudder and goosebumps pop up on my arms.Fuck.
This woman is so tempting. It’s amazing how quickly she went from shy and unsure to teasing, seductive, and direct about what she wants. And I want to give her everything she wants. But not here. Which is why I move back, creating a modicum of distance between us before I end up laying her down right on the shore and devouring her in front of people.
The smirk on her face suggests she can tell exactly what I was thinking about.
“I thought you were hungry,” I say.
She laughs. “Oh, I definitely am.”
“Behave,” I warn her.
That only makes her laugh again. And damn it, I’m living for the sounds of her happiness.
We get out of the water, and I open the basket I packed. I spread things out and hand sandwiches to both of the guys, who came over very quickly at the sight of the food. They sit in the two chairs to eat, while Riley and I sit together on her towel.
“Oh my god, what is this?” Riley asks, moaning around her first bite of her sandwich.
“Turkey with sliced apples, brie, and maple mayo.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Show off. Ever heard of plain turkey and cheese?”
I make a face to illustrate what I think of that.
“This is so freaking good,” Toby says, wiping a bit of mayo from the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah, seriously,” Andrew agrees. “Thank you. I understand why Riley’s barely gone to the diner since she’s been here.”
I wave off the praise, but as I take a bite of my own sandwich, I notice Riley’s cheeks turning a bit red, and I can’t help the hope blooming in my chest that her staying at the inn for most of her meals has at least half as much to do withmeas it does with my food.
WhileRileyblowdriesher hair in the bathroom, I’m sitting on her bed at the inn, mindlessly flipping through channels on the TV. But my eyes keep straying to my flannel shirt that she’s draped over a chair. The image of her wearing it is basically seared into my brain already, so it’s an unnecessary reminder. And still, I can’t stop looking at it.
I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have driven her back when her brother could have done it. And I shouldn’t have parked my car and gone inside when she asked me to. I definitely shouldn’t have showered with her, shouldn’t have let her kiss me senseless, shouldn’t have groped her ass to keep her pressed against me.
I shouldn’t be this desperate for every little piece of her and every moment of her time that she offers.
But I am.
So now I’m waiting here for her like a lost puppy instead of going home and doing something productive. Not that I really have anything productive I need to do at home. Still, though. When did casual hookups turn into spending all day together? All weekend, basically.
Before I can freak out too much about how I’m getting too close to her, Riley steps out of the bathroom with a towel secured around herself. She smiles at me as she comes to stand beside the bed, and then she tugsat the end of the towel and brazenly drops it to the floor.
My eyes rove hungrily over her naked body. I saw her naked in the shower fifteen minutes ago, but clearly, I haven’t had enough of her. I hold out a hand in invitation, and she takes it, climbing onto the bed and straddling my hips.
She reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it up. I lift my arms to let her take it off me. I didn’t put my bathing suit back on after the shower, since it was still damp, so the cool air of the room hits my nipples, making them harden.