Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) (16 page)

“Mrs. Daniels,” I hissed as quietly as possible, “I’m going to ask you to leave.”

“I’m taking my granddaughter with me.”

Her voice jarred Taylor awake and she looked at me, blurry eyed, then to her grandmother. “Grammy? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, cupcake. Don’t you think this behavior is a bit questionable? You’re in a boy’s bed for crying out loud!”

“Shhh! Grammy, you’ll wake everyone in the house. And I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here tonight.”

“Taylor!” she gasped.

“What? Is
my
behavior inappropriate? Would it be better if we were screwing in a stall on pile of hay?” All the oxygen in the room swirled and circumvented into Taylor’s grandmother’s gaped mouth. “That’s right. I heard the last of your sordid story Don’t sit in judgment, Grams. I’m spending the night with Riley. You on the other hand, can take your sanctimonious self home and
wonder
what I’m doing in his bed. I’m not planning on having sex, but if I do, that will be
my
business.”

The door slammed against its frame and Lydia Daniels’s feet clicked loudly on the stairs, the echo following her out the entry door.

I kissed Taylor, welcoming the taste of minty toothpaste on her tongue and the torturous way it stroked the roof of my mouth. I focused on her lips, swollen and covered in a dewy sheen.

“So you’re thinking about having sex with me, huh?” I teased.

“Riley Martin, I’m
always
thinking about having sex with you.”

Sixteen

MORNING HANGOVER

Taylor

Riley’s breath felt warm on the back of my neck, the raspy sounds of a snore rattling deep in his throat. I turned, nuzzled my head under his chin, feeling his arms constrict tighter.

“Morning,” I whispered, praying my morning breath wasn’t lethal.

His eyes remained shut, but the corners of his lips pulled. “Shhh. Don’t remind me. If I don’t open my eyes, you won’t disappear.”

“I’m only going to disappear across the hall to the bathroom. Keep the bed warm for me?”

“Better hurry. You could have company if
Riley Jr
. discovers its morning.”

I giggled and lightly kissed the smile on his face, before tiptoeing to the bathroom. There were no signs of life, all the bedroom doors shut. When I’d finished my business, I opened the bathroom door, finding Riley leaning against the door frame. I also noticed other parts of Riley awake. His boxer shorts showed obvious signs of being tighter than normal.

“You ogling, woman?”

“Impressive,” I commented before scurrying back across the hall and burrowing beneath the covers. I snuggled into the spot in the sheets still warm from Riley’s body heat.

He snuck in beside me, his cold feet brushing mine. When I tried to move away from the icy appendages, he trapped me inside his arms and tucked his toes between my legs.

“Riley!” I gasped, only to have my protest silenced by a deep kiss. Hands slipped under my sweatshirt, his cool fingers feeling alarmingly wonderful on my bare breasts. “Riley,” I moaned quietly.

I fisted my hands in the sides of his T-shirt, pushing the fabric up so I could taste his chest. Salty—a musky smell caught in the fine hairs tickling my cheeks. He yanked his shirt off, then mine. I didn’t protest, relishing the wonderful feel of skin on skin. Soft, warm, brushing—a silky slide, opening every nerve ending.

Maybe it was Grammy’s lecture, her hidden secret, or my mother’s weakness toward my father that fueled my need to be reckless. In any event, I didn’t censure Riley’s advances, until he slid his hands slid inside the waistband of my sweatpants.

“
No, Riley—I’m not ready.”

“No, not okay. I’m dying here, Taylor. I want to go to the next level. I don’t want bits and pieces of you. I want you, baby.
All
of you.” He kissed me hard, his fingers tickling the sensitive skin below my navel.

I shoved against his chest. “I said no! Can’t you take what I can give right now without pushing for more?”

He flipped onto his back, heaved a loud, frustrated huff. I pillowed my head on his chest, listening to his heart slam against his ribs. His fingers pulled through the strands of my hair, twirling circles on my bare back that sent shivers down my spine.

“Is it that Michael guy? Have you taken some oath of celibacy?”

“While Michael would like to be the one to
pop
my cherry, it isn’t happening. I told you, Riley, I don’t like Michael that way.” I crawled on top of Riley, pressing my lips to his. “If there’s any ‘cherry picking’ to be done, I think I’d like you to be the one doing it.”

His smile was so wide it had to hurt. Something crinkled in his fingers and he held up a bright blue foil packet. “So I should keep a couple
lozenges
in my pocket, just in case?”

“Sounds like a good plan. ‘Be prepared’ like a good Boy Scout.” Our next kissing frenzy was interrupted by the sound of a door closing in the hallway.

“Shit! ‘Parent alert’.” He threw me the sweatshirt I’d been wearing, and quickly pulled on his jeans and a T-shirt.

“Turn over and pretend you’re asleep,” he whispered.

Riley grabbed the bedspread off the bed and wrapped into a cocoon on the bean bag chair in the corner. The door creaked and Sheriff Martin poked his head inside. Without looking, I could feel the burn of his eyes in the back of my head.

“Riley?” he whispered. Riley faked a raspy half-snore. “Riley!” he hissed.

“Huh?” Riley grumped. “What?”

“Can I see you downstairs?”

I could sense the tension snaking into the room. The bean bag chair squished under Riley’s weight and the door creaked shut. I waited to make sure no one remained in the room watching me, before rolling over. The sound of muffled voices carried up the stairwell and under the crack at the bottom of the door. I slipped from bed and peeked into the hall. No one lurked, so I stepped out and perched on the top stair to listen.

“Riley, I’m not sure what to make of this situation. Lydia Daniels is worried sick about her granddaughter and the fact she spent the night in your
bed
isn’t helping.”

“Dad, we weren’t
sleeping
together
.
”

“Riley, you’re old enough to be responsible for your actions. Be safe, or be ready to change your name from ‘Riley the stud’ to ‘Riley the dad’.”

His dad launched into some lecture about safe sex and casual relationships, all the mundane stuff drilled into teenagers from every angle about abstinence. Except one. The Trojan commercials.

A hand tugged the back of my sweatshirt, startling me. Jaxson took a seat beside me on the step. “I believe the last time I saw you, that tag was on the
inside.
” My cheeks warmed. “Way to go, Riley.”

“You’re wrong, so dial down the ‘man parade’. Nothing happened last night. Sorry to disappoint.” When I stood, Jaxson’s hand wrapped my ankle.

“Too bad. Just so you know, my door doesn’t have a lock. Riley sleeps pretty sound. You can come play with me then crawl back next to him and he’d never be the wiser. But
you
would.”

“You’re a pig. No wonder Riley keeps you hidden. Now let go of my ankle and crawl back under your bridge, before I scream.”

Jaxson’s hands went up in defense. “Someone’s not a ‘morning person’.”

No longer interested in the discussion downstairs and more concerned with ditching his leering brother, I retreated back into Riley’s room. My underwear and dress were washed and folded on the dresser. I must have slept at some point and Riley took care of things, or his mother knows I slept without my underwear. I chose to believe Riley handled matters.

I fastened my bra, slid on my lacy white thong and had my hands trapped inside my dress, suspended over my head, when the door opened. I froze, picturing Jaxson drooling, his Dad clenching his heart, Dirk never looking at my face again, or his mother barring me from coming within a mile of her son.

“Wow. A butterfly tat on your ass! Hot stuff, babe.”

Riley.

I yanked my dress over my shoulders and turned to face him, fumbling with the buttons. His hands covered mine, finishing the top two. He kissed me tenderly, pensively, keeping a slight distance. I desperately wanted to drop my eyes to see if there was a big reason he couldn’t come closer, but I met his eyes instead.

“I should go.”

“Let me drive you.”

I didn’t argue. Walking a mile this early in the morning didn’t appeal to me, nor did sitting at Riley’s kitchen table and facing his father, or worse,
Jaxson.

**

We pulled to the side of Grammy’s house after nearly disappearing in a couple of deep puddles in the driveway. She would be awake, but I didn’t want to go in. I also knew after last night, she wouldn’t call me inside either.

Riley looked contemplative, his chin pressed to his fist, gaze somewhere beyond the windshield.

“Penny for your thoughts, handsome.”

“Careful, don’t bankrupt your trust fund,” he grinned, angling to face me.

I giggled. “Seriously, what are you thinking about?”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

“See the rocking chairs? It’s weird, but I can see you and me sitting in a couple of rockers on a big porch, holding hands and watching the sunset.”

“Are we old and gray?”

“Ancient. But you still have a killer bod. My dick will be skinny and poking you while you cook my dinner.”

“Gross! Riley Martin, is that all you ever think about?”

“No! I’m offended you find me so shallow,” he replied inside a smile and leaned closer. “Sometimes, I picture you naked on a Harley Davidson.”

I playfully slapped his chest and he caught my hand, bringing my wrist to his mouth. My bones softened and heat squiggled through my veins.

“Taylor, I’ve never had a ‘picture’ before. No one has ever mattered enough for me to see them in my future. Only my present. Taylor Wilson, I love you. Pure and simple. Every time I picture the future, you’re inside the frame.”

“Riley, you’re a hopeless romantic.” I stole the soft kiss waiting on his lips. He laid my seat back and plucked a couple of buttons open on my dress. I covered his hand. “Not
here.
Honestly! Besides, Riley Martin, my fantasy ‘first time’ will not be a memory held in the backseat of a vehicle.”

“Nor will it be a fantasy,” he teased, his lips open and inviting another deep kiss. “It will be the real deal. Is it okay to tell you a thousand times a day how much I love you?”

“Only a thousand?” I laughed.

“Do you think Grams is watching?” he asked, his eyes dancing with dangerous mischief.

“Undoubtedly.”

“Well don’t freak out and slap me, but I want to do something for Grammy. Okay, and maybe for me, too.”

Riley’s hand cautiously slid up my thigh and under my dress, the calluses on his palms feeling rough against my skin. Tentative fingers smoothed over my hip and I realized thong underwear was really useless, or maybe in this case,
perfect.

“I’m not freaking out,” I spoke breathy against lips already attacking. Riley’s finger slid around the lace edge and for a moment I longed for him touch me.
Really
touch me. But he didn’t. His hand traveled slowly back along the track it had taken. However, I decided if he got a “free feel,” so did I.

“God! Taylor!” he gasped, his breath hitching and lips trembling over mine when my hand rubbed over the front of his jeans. The moan easing from the back of his throat, vibrated across his tongue, telling me I did something very right. My conscience, however, told me the opposite
.
I pulled my hand away and Riley fell on top of me like dead weight.

“
Sorry. I’ve never touched a guy before. Did I do it wrong?”

“Oh, hell no. Two more seconds and I could sing the’ Hallelujah Chorus’.” His breaths were short and fast against my cheek. “Damn girl. Stay still and give me a minute, okay? One wrong move and its going to be a repeat of my ‘birthday nightmare’. Sure you don’t want your first time to be in a truck? I mean technically, we’re in the
front
seat.”

I laughed. “Somehow doing it in my grandma’s driveway in broad daylight doesn’t work for me. I want darkness, candles, and to happen outside.”

“Outside?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t the thought of your naked body exposed to the wind sound sexy? Making love for the first time under the stars sounds so romantic.”

“Okay, can we talk about something else?
Anything
else? Please.”

I kissed him, wishing for darkness with the Milky Way brighter than ever…and me, naked in his arms. However, I didn’t imagine the truck horn blaring.

“Shit!”

“Aack! What happened?” I cried out, pushing my frightened heart back in my chest.

“Your hand must have tripped the car alarm.”

In my lust crazed fantasy, I’d reached again to a newly found favorite spot, but apparently pushed the lump in his
pocket
, first. Riley flipped into his seat with lightning speed, reaching for the key fob.

The honking stopped, but the silence proved equally frightening. Grammy stood at the driver’s side window, dipping her tea bag…for heaven knows how long.

Seventeen

REALITY BITES

Riley

I tugged the dog shit brown polo over my head and tried to decide if one button or two buttons undone made it look any better.
BARNEY’S
embroidered in a complimentary mustard color across my left breast didn’t help, either. I was scared to death to turn around and see the embarrassing life-size bowling ball poised under the huge gold letters
BARNEY’S FAMILY FUN CENTER
plastered across my whole backside. If wearing the awful shirt wasn’t enough, Barney required that I wore it
tucked
in the waistband of khaki pants.
Pleated
pants. Hell, I looked like my old man in my “fluffed” front, minus the beer gut.