“Were you all alone in the hospital?”
“No. My assistant knew. She was there by my side going through day-to-day stuff with me.” Riley rolled her eyes. “It seems crazy now, but we continued business as usual from my hospital bed.”
“But no family? That’s so sad. You shouldn’t have gone through that alone.”
“I wanted to. I’ve always done everything alone since I left home. I was independent from an early age. I wanted a successful career so I could help my parents out financially, but I guess in the process, I forgot that they would rather havemein their lives than my money.” Riley sighed deeply. “When my mother passed away, I hadn’t seen her in a while. I’d paid for her care home because she had trouble with her mobility, and I’d given her everything she needed, but I hadn’t visited her, and that brought a lot of guilt along. I clearly didn’t learn my lesson, as I’ve been doing the same with my father and my sister.”
“You did what you thought was right,” Quinn said. “Don’t blame yourself. Your mother would have known you were only trying to make life better for her.” She pulled Riley closer and took her into her arms. “Everyone has regrets but you need to try to let go of them. It’s the only way to move on.”
Riley inhaled deeply against Quinn’s skin and ran her hand over her back. “I’ll always have regrets,” she whispered. “But one thing I’ll never regret is this. No matter what happens.”
46
QUINN
“Iwant to touch you.” Riley’s caress continued down to the triangle of dark hair between Quinn’s thighs and teased it. “Will you please let me?” She hesitated. “I want to make you feel good too.”
Quinn’s core tightened at her touch, and she squeezed her thighs together. Yes, she wanted Riley to touch her; she wanted nothing more, but it had been so long since she’d given herself to someone.
“It’s been a while,” she finally said.
“Does it matter?” Riley kissed her neck and her jawline, then met her mouth in a searing kiss.
Quinn moaned as she sank into the kiss, meeting Riley’s tongue and embracing her. Riley shifted on top of her, her warm skin coating her and sending her to higher places. “No….” She shuddered and gave in. “I guess it doesn’t.” Grabbing Riley’s hand, Quinn guided it down between them, and she gasped at the sensational feeling of Riley’s touch as her fingers stroked her sensitive lips. She hadn’t expected her body to react this fiercely, and her hips lifted instinctively to meet her touch.
Riley’s lips parted at feeling Quinn’s wetness, and her eyes radiated desire as she seduced her with her fingers, exploring her and skimming her clit.
“Oh, God…” Quinn closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. She’d only let her go there because Riley had begged her and she wanted Riley to experience what a woman felt like, but she’d been unprepared for the effect. Although Riley’s touch was gentle and careful, it felt like lightning had struck her, and Quinn heard her own voice echoing through the room and bouncing off the walls.
“Let me see you,” Riley whispered, moving Quinn’s hands away from her face and kissing her while she started circling her most sensitive spot. “Is that good?” she asked when Quinn shuddered.
“Yes,” Quinn said through short breaths, the surging tide inside of her building. “Perfect. That’s—”
“What?” Riley looked at her in a whole new way, with curiosity and fascination, perhaps because she hadn’t expected Quinn to let go so easily or for her to react so fiercely. “Like this?” She moved faster, and Quinn lost it. Her arms tightened around Riley, and she closed her eyes as she buried her face in her neck, shaking all over when she climaxed. Having an orgasm that was not self-inflicted was a whole new experience to her, and it was strange to surrender in such an intimate way. It felt beautiful and sacred, and when Riley kissed her and slowly pulled her hand away, all she wanted was to look her in the eyes and tell her how special she was.
“You slay me,” she whispered, frowning while she took Riley in. “You do something to me that I can’t…” Her voice trailed away. She couldn’t find words because what she felt was unknown, and she had no idea how to describe it. “It’s…”
“I know,” Riley said when yet again Quinn failed to finish her sentence. “You don’t need to say anything. Thank you for trusting me.” Moving her hand to Quinn’s cheek, she stroked her softly and smiled. “Isn’t it bizarre? That feeling of euphoria when you’re so crazy about someone?”
“Totally.” Quinn wrapped her arms around Riley and squeezed her. “I’m falling for you, Riley.” She sighed. “You’ve got me.”
Riley lifted her head and smiled. “And you’re not getting rid of me either. There’s no way.”
Quinn chuckled and noted that although her limbs were limp, she was wide awake. “Are you sleepy?” she asked.
“No, not really. Why?”
“I want to show you something.” Quinn got up, put on her robe, and held out her hand for Riley to join her. “You won’t need shoes,” she said when Riley looked for her slippers. “We’re not going outside. Well, not really.”
“You got me curious now.” Riley chuckled when Quinn led them to her old bedroom. “Any more hidden rooms I don’t know about?”
“Not as far as I’m aware.” Quinn opened the dormer window, placed a chair underneath it, and climbed out onto the slanted roof. “But this is a pretty special place.” She helped Riley out and tapped the space next to her. “Be careful. Some of the tiles might be loose.” She hadn’t been here in years, not since she was fourteen and had trouble sleeping. This time, she wasn’t mulling over cute girls who wouldn’t give her the time of day, and she wasn’t recovering from a teenage crush resulting in a broken heart. She was an adult, she knew who she was, and beside her was the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Wow! The view is amazing from up here.” Riley scooted closer and rested her head on Quinn’s shoulder. Before them was the backyard, Mystic River, and Mystic town, still and sleepy. The way its twinkling lights merged with the stars above, it was hard to tell where the town ended and the sky began. “Did you spend a lot of time up here?”
“For a while,” Quinn said, remembering those nights when life had felt so dramatic to her teenage self. Sitting here with Riley was different. It felt peaceful. Perfect. “I only came here when I felt sad, and this is a good night.”
“Your first good night on the roof of Aster House.” Riley locked eyes with Quinn and smiled as she inched closer. “We should seal that with a kiss.”
