Ash looks away, pride almost getting the best of him, but then the smoke detectors in the house start to beep, the sound mixed with the hard belly laughter of Collins and Blair.
Finally, Ash relents.
The glare he gives me, knowing I won, feels like sweet victory.
“Will youpleasefucking cook a meal that I can actually eat?” For a moment, he looks bewildered as he glances through the open back door. He rolls his lips, hands settled on his hips in defeat. “I know Collins can cook, but she’s in there encouraging bad behavior. So again,pleasefucking cook something.”
“Of course I will.” I smile wide and playfully condescending. “You didn’t even have to ask.”
“You asshole,” Asher scoffs, turning to stomp his way back into the house.
“You love me!” I shout at his back and I laugh when I’m parted with two more middle fingers before the door closes behind my best friend.
Now it’s just me and Riley again, but the air around us feels lighter, more contented like it was before I fucked things up.
“You okay?” I ask softly, tilting his chin to the side and up to face me.
His dark irises dance with lighter emotions. There’s still doubt there, but I vow to eliminate it for good. I’m never giving this boy up for anything. He’s mine, and I will ensure that he knows his worth every waking moment of every day.
“Yeah,” he rasps, his cheeks and neck flushed. His eyes drop to my lips for a flash of a second before he meets my eyes again. “I am. I…Iwillbe.”
I know what he means, but I don’t press for more. If he wants to open up about what’s going through his mind, I will always listen. Until then, it’s my job to uplift and support him.
Silently, I walk us toward the house, refusing to break contact just yet.
He looks a little dejected when I let go of him just long enough to open the door, so I take the liberty of surprising the shit out of him by grabbing his cheeks, like I wanted to earlier, and press a quick, hard kiss to his pillowy lips. I let him go before he can soften against me and usher him over the threshold.
Because I can’t help myself around Riley these days, I back him up the moment it closes and slam my lips against his again.
My heart thunders in my chest when he whimpers and kisses me back. Trembling hands cup my jaw to keep me exactly where I’m at. As if there’s anywhere else I want to be in this moment. Because despite my faults, Riley wants this. He wantsme.I don’t feel deserving of his sweet affections right now, but I’m a selfish, selfish bastard. I let him take control. Take what he wants and needs from me. I initiated this, but it’s Riley who has the reins right now.
It takes all of my self control to not drop to my knees and beg for more when another soft whimper falls from his lips and his hips buck just the slightest bit, seeking more.
Riley’s hands start out pressed against my chest, fingers flexing against the fabric of my shirt as he presses in closer. The soft swipe of his tongue across my bottom lip is nearly my undoing as I open up for him eagerly. This fuels his fire and his hands abandon my shirt in favor of tangling themselves in my hair. I groan into his mouth, the two of us panting between kisses, our breaths mingling, tangling. He seals his lips against mine again and swallows down every sound that he coaxes from my chest.
I’m sinking further and falling harder.
I want everything that he’s willing to give, but I will not be touching him for the first time like this. Hidden in a dark corner where I can’t watch his entire body blush a pretty shade of pink as I make him fall apart for me.
With control I didn’t think I possessed, I break the kiss but keep my forehead pressed against his. His lips are swollen and parted as he pants, his pupils blown and swallowing up his dark irises.
So goddamned beautiful.
So. Goddamned. Mine.
“Come on,” I choke out, trying really fucking hard to bury the lust that’s sending my brain into a sensual fog. “Let me feed what’s mine.”
An hour later, the five of us sit sprawled out in the living room, all with a bowl of chilli and various toppings to fill our bellies. Yeah, it’s hot as fuck outside, but chilli is a comfort food. It’s also ironically Riley and Collins’ favorite, so of course I had to make it. Collins and Asher are deep in quiet conversation while Blair finishes his food. Riley takes one last bite then sets his bowl down, a soft tremor causing the ceramic to clank softly against the coffee table, since he decided to forgo his adaptive equipment. He sits back with a sigh, so I throw my arm around him and tug until we’re laying sideways on the couch. The moment he settles between my legs with his back to my chest, Collins nudges her brother’s shoulder with her fist before getting up from the couch. Her pretty eyes meet mine, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips as if she already knows what I’m going to say before I say it.
“Make room, big boys,” she teases as we shift down to do just that. But she looks at Riley and lifts a subtle brow.
“C’mere, Snow.” He holds his arms open for her. “I need your weight.”
“Just my weight, huh?” Collins chuckles.
“Among other things,” Riley murmurs with a hidden smile.
“We just need you, baby.” I tell her, and she looks at me with an expression that threatens to rip the heartstrings right from my chest. I know she’s worried about Riley because of my assholery. Seeing how Riley’s all but melted into me is proof enough to her that I am working to be better, for both of them. I hold my hand out at the same time Riley does, and by the greatest coincidence in the history of ever, we both blurt the same phrase that has her laughing at us.
