Riot cuts me off by crashing his mouth to mine, sliding his hand up to cup the back of my neck as he deepens the kiss, spreading warmth throughout my body.
We sleep together, and it’s different from last night. It’s softer and sweeter, more tender but just as mind-blowing. I end up coming five times before Riot will let me out of bed, and by that time, the sun is high in the sky. Riot holds me in bed after, running his hands over me, placing delicate kisses along every part of my body, committing me to memory.
And I’ve never felt more whole.
Around noon, I can’t deny my situation any longer. No matter how much I’d like to spend the week here, in Riot’s arms, I have to go back home. Back to my reality.
I gaze up at Riot, the devastation in my eyes telling him all he needs to know. “No. I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
“You have to,” I whisper, running my hands lightly down his chest. “I need to go back. I’ve already stayed longer than I should have…”
Riot nods, but he doesn’t seem happy about it. He lets out a long sigh, brushing his thumb gently across my jaw as he stares deep into my eyes. “I don’t want to take you back there.”
“I know. I don’t want to go back there.” I press my head to his chest, pressure building behind my eyes. “I want to stay here with you more than anything. But if I don’t go back, if Dave finds me gone… he’ll have you arrested, Riot. What we’re doing right now… the courts will view it as kidnapping once Dave spins his lies. I can’t do that to you. It won’t make anything better, and then we’ll both be suffering.”
He presses his lips to my forehead, his voice coming out as a hoarse whisper. “I suffer every day, knowing you’re not happy. Knowing there’s nothing I can do to help.”
“I know. I know,” I whisper, at a loss for what else to say. “But I still have to go.”
Riot nods, his eyes misting. He leans in, pressing his lips to mine in a kiss that shatters the world around me and places a song in my heart. But it doesn’t last. It can’t.
“Can I drive you home at least?” he asks, his expression crumbling. “I don’t want you to walk all that way alone.”
I think about it for a moment. It’s riskier to have Riot drive me, but I’d also appreciate a few more minutes with him. Touching him.
“Okay,” I whisper, taking his hand.
Riot drops me off around the block, and after another earth-shattering kiss, I wave goodbye, promising to contact him as soon as possible.
I can’t go long without his touch now. I fear I may be addicted.
My steps are lighter than they’ve been in years as I make my way toward the mansion. Despite the knowledge that Dave will be home soon, my mood hasn’t dampened to the depths that it usually does. Now that I have Riot, things aren’t quite so bleak.
I expertly sneak back in through the kitchen window, breathing a sigh of relief when I don’t see Forest anywhere near. I grab a snack from the fridge and head up to my room, my phone growing hot in my pocket. My mind works in overdrive, trying to figure out the best text to send him.Something heartfelt but not overdone.
I open my bedroom door, grinning as I imagine his response. I’m buzzing, lighter than I’ve felt in years, even excited for the future.
Until I come face-to-face with Dave’s murderous expression.
“Ah!” I jump back, startled at the sight of him. “What are you doing here?”
Instead of answering, he crosses his arms, tapping his foot against the carpet as his eyes move over my person.
My heart drops into my stomach.No. No, no, no. It’s over. It’s all over.
“Where were you, Eloise?”
“I—Nowhere.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He raises a brow, the rest of his face eerily still. “Then what the fuck is this?”
Dave turns, grabbing a tabloid off my vanity and thrusting it in my face. “Fucking explain this!”
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