Her breath hits my throat and I realize that I am completely and totally hers. I’m not sure when it happened. I’m not sure if I ever really consented to it.
But the day I saw her in Lucky Falls after all those years was the day the war began. She swept in like a battalion, gunning straight for my heart. The destruction was cruel and left nothing standing in its path.
It left me bare, stranded, with no choice but to surrender.
To be hers completely.
Riley’s thumb strokes the back of my neck.
I settle my hands on her waist.
Pulling her closer fills me with indescribable pleasure, so much so that I start swaying her in a dance, the music trapped in my heart and just for her.
Riley’s gaze sweeps up to mine as I dance with her.
I could stare into her brown eyes all day—though, to call those beautiful orbs ‘brown’ would be like calling Studio Ghibli, the studio that influenced Pixar and Disney just a ‘sketch artist club’. This type of brown is warm and deep and soulful. Mesmerizing.
Her lips tug into a smile. “I didn’t know Nathan Campbell could dance.”
“Oh this?” I grab her hand and spin her and then bring her right back against me because I can’t get enough of her. “This is all I can do. Junior-prom level. Step side to side. Spin. Dip.”
“Donotdip me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I chuckle and brush my lips over her cheek.
Riley closes her eyes. I love the way she relaxes into my touch, the way her eyelashes flutter. The way her hair wisps fall against her face.
I feel the tug to kiss her everywhere those tendrils touch.
So I start at her cheek.
And then the edge of her jaw.
And then the side of her neck.
She smells great there. “Did you put on perfume?” I ask, nuzzling against her neck some more and closing my eyes to savor the fragrance trapped against her soft skin.
“A little.”
“You don’t usually put perfume there,” I murmur against her skin. “Was that intentional?”
“You caught me. I wanted to lure you right here.” She raises a hand, cupping the back of my head to keep me against her neck.
Thrilled, I realize, “You set a trap.”
“It’s more like a treasure map than a trap.”
Heat zings through my body.
My heart can’t take this much pounding.
“I like a woman who knows what she wants.” Gripping her chin, I tilt her head back to expose her neck to me and mark a line of kisses across her throat.
Riley’s knees buckle. On the way down, her fingers dig into my scalp and make me grunt in pleasure.
“Any other preferences?”
Riley inhales shakily. “Behind my ear.”
