“Clean yourself up,” Riley says. “You should probably set that broken nose before your investigation starts.” He steers Liz back down the hall, away from the scene he made.
“Stay here,” he says, running to where Mikey absentmindedly lifts weights, either not knowing, or not caring about what just happened.
She can’t take her eyes off of him. It has been so long since she has seen him in his element, thriving. It’s an incredible sight. He jogs back to where she waits. Riley grabs her hand, pulling her outthe door and across the parking lot to Mikey’s truck. Liz scrambles in, scooting herself into the middle, needing to be close to Riley.
He climbs in next to her, starting the truck before gripping her leg with one hand and the steering wheel with the other. Butterflies erupt in her stomach as they peel out of the lot, heading somewhere off base. Liz snuggles closer, wrapping her arms around Riley’s arm, careful to avoid any blood. She rests her head on his shoulder, ecstatic to have a small sense of normalcy back.
“Where are we going?” she asks, smiling up at him when he gives her leg a little squeeze.
“Home.”
CHAPTER 25
The two of them are the happiest they have been in weeks when Riley pulls off onto the dark road leading home. Liz practically bounces in her seat when the hovel above their home comes into view. It has been so long since they have had any real quality time together. Even the days following Riley’s rescue were spent having serious conversations with a constant flow of friends and doctors coming in and out.
His arms find their way around Liz when the elevator doors close behind them, keeping her held close until the very last second.
“We need a dog,” Liz says as she is pulled into the living room, letting him steer her right to the couch, pulling her down with him as he flops onto it.
“If we make it out of this shit storm alive, I will take you to adopt as many dogs as you want,” he says, burying his face in her neck.
She jumps back up, yanking on his still tender arm until he is standing, only feeling a little bad when she sees the slight wince.That is what he gets for continuing to over do it. Despite being cleared and back to working out, Liz knows he still has some pain he tries to hide.
“You’re covered in blood. Go shower,” she says, inspecting the fluffy cushions for any sign of red, attempting to push him toward his room. She erupts in a fit of giggles as she is hoisted into the air. Riley slings her over his shoulder, acting as if she weighs nothing at all.
“Fine, but you’re coming with me,” he says, reaching up and smacking her butt, laughing at the squeal that escapes her. “I’m still too weak to be alone.”
“Too weak my ass. I know you have been sneaking out before the sun comes up to go to the gym,” she says as she rakes her nails over the defined muscles in his back. Riley tosses her onto the bed when they get into his room, leaving her sprawled out while he starts the shower, crawling in next to her while it warms.
“So,” Liz says, rolling onto her side so she can face him. “Are we going to talk about what happened back there? That is going to be his excuse to hurt you. I can already see him saying you got mad that he took me out and attacked him”
“Nothing to talk about, love. There is footage of Matt attacking you. He can try to use it against me, but crying about it will do him no good. I would do the same to any man who tried to rape someone,” he says, playing with her hair.
Liz watches him, mesmerized by the way he always does that when he talks about something serious. Remembering the shower is running, she pulls herself from the bed, holding both hands out to pull Riley up, too. If he says he needs help, help is what he will get.
She leads him into the bathroom, slowly pulling his clothes off before stripping out of her own, and joining him in his massive standing shower.
She has only been in his bathroom long enough to look in the mirror, she hadn’t noticed how much detail he puts into everything. Black marble tiles with veins of white running through them cover the floor and make up the shower. Black walls are broken up by a floating, dark wood vanity, the color perfectly matching the gold accents scattered all over. A row of small, matching shelves sit on either side of the two illuminated mirrors above the sink, decorated with a few small plants and trinkets. The whole room is somehow both manly and elegant.
Liz turns back, finding his soap and a washcloth, loading it up. When it gets nice and bubbly, she steps over, slowly washing the blood from his arm.
A deep, guttural groan escapes him, sending heat flooding through her body. She washes every speck of red from him before ordering him to turn around. She squeezes more soap onto her hands, using it to make him slippery enough to massage his back, not stopping until the tension in his shoulders ease.
Riley turns, his hands encasing her waist. He pulls her against him, into the warmth of the water, letting it wash over both of them. Picking up a fresh cloth, he tries to return the favor, grumbling to himself when she refuses. He doesn’t mind watching the show, seeing the woman he loves cover every inch of her body in suds. He is not sure what he likes more, seeing her covered in bubbles or watching them melt off her underneath the steaming water. When they finally leave the shower, Riley guides her right back into bed.
“Oh yeah? Jumping right into bed?” Liz teases, batting her lashes at him. She lets the towel fall to the floor before crawling under the covers. Her eyes drop to his waist, the bulge growing against his towel sending a wave of arousal through her. Riley drops it, getting in next to her. Liz scoots over, resting her head on his shoulder while one leg is slung over his waist.
“You have no idea how bad I want you, but I wantyoumore,” he says, idling, rubbing her arm. “When he had me, these are the moments I envisioned the most. Don’t get me wrong, even being tortured didn’t stop me from thinking about being buried deep inside you, but picturing you back in my arms is what kept me from breaking.”
“I love you,” she says as she peppers his chest with feather soft kisses. “So, I need to ask. Why did you take your mask off when Matt was yelling at me? What is going to happen now? You’ve been so careful about not being seen without it.” Liz lets the questions pour out, concerned for what removing his mask means for him.
Riley rolls to his side, propping himself up on one arm. “Do you remember what I told you? The first time I brought you to our lake?” he asks. His rich, amber eyes scan hers, watching to see if she will put it together. Her brows pinch together and she purses her lips, getting a chuckle from Riley. “I’ll remind you. You said that I would make a great boyfriend if you could ever get me out of the mask long enough to find someone,” he starts.
“You said that if you end up with someone it will be someone who doesn’t care. They will know why you wear it and respect that,” she proudly states, beaming up at him.
“Exactly, but you’re leaving out the most important part. I said that person might make me feel whole again, make me feel like I can finally be myself without hiding behind it,” he explains.
“Right!” Liz exclaims. “If you find a person who makes you feel that way, you would think about whether you wanted to keep wearing it or not.”
