Connected (45 page)

Tightening his jaw, he spits out, “And I’m glad she never did. I’d have killed him.” Hanging his head, he relaxes his jaw. “A guy planning to meet a chick at her place so late after going out with his buddies is just not cool. We didn’t even know everything until after.”

Unraveling myself from him I start to say something. “What do you mean by every . . .”

He puts his finger over my lips to shush me. “Never mind, it’s really none of my business anyway.”

Grabbing my chin he says, “All of that has nothing to do with us, but I’m still sorry I didn’t tell you. I don’t want this to impact us though. Got it?”

Nodding my head, feeling exhausted and emotional I say, “River, I understand and it’s okay, but I still have to go home. I can’t stay indefinitely.”

His gorgeous face looks so sad as he exhales deeply and says, “Whatever you want, but you look tired. Can we at least go tomorrow?”

Nodding my head because I’m exhausted, I hold him tight, inhaling his scent and loving his warm embrace. “Only if we can take a nap now.” Snuggling into his neck I add, “I love sleeping while it’s raining.”

He pulls back and kisses my nose. “Me too,” he says, and then he leads me back to his bedroom.

His room is somewhat dark when I open my eyes. The rain is still pounding outside, but snuggled into River’s chest, I’m calm and at peace. The sheet and a single blanket are tangled around us and he’s lightly rubbing his thumbs over the sliver of bare skin between my neck and shoulder. He’s awake before me for the second time today.

Lifting my head, I smile at the sight of his adorable face. He’s lying on the right side of me and I meld into his arms. The faint light filtering through an opening in the sheets that are still hanging on the glass doors is reflecting off his gleaming eyes, making them twinkle.

Grinning at me, he asks, “Feel better?”

I nod my head and lay it directly on his chest and answer, “Much.”

“
Good,” he says, kissing the top of my head and wrapping his arms around me.

Having to use the bathroom, I slide my body down his shirt and jeans and get off the bed.

“
Where you going?”

“
Bathroom. Want water while I’m up?”

“
Nope, I’m good, I just want you back here with me sleepy girl.”

Giggling as I leave the room, headed for the bathroom, I turn and ask, “What was that song you were playing earlier?”

“
What song?” he says, watching me like I always watch him.

Turning completely around, stopping at the edge of the bathroom, I bite my lip and answer, “You know, the one you quickly stopped singing when I came in the room. The one I asked you about that you said you were working on.”

Sitting up and stretching, his glorious body now in full view he says, “It’s not that I stopped working on it when you came in the room.” Then standing up, he adds, “I just want to finish it before you hear it.”

“
What if I want to hear it now?” I challenge as I quickly turn back around shutting the bathroom door.

“
Well that would depend,” he says loudly enough that I can hear him through the walls. Then he adds, “I’ll get your water.”

When I open the bathroom door he’s standing there, water in one hand, guitar in the other. Lifting both items he hands me the water bottle.

I swish it back as he continues to block the door with his guitar in the air.

“
Yes?”

“
Let me stay with you a few days at your house, and I’ll play the song for you, even though it’s not finished,” he propositions, sliding his guitar back under his arm.

Taken aback by his question, I shakily ask, “You want to barter?” Loving the idea of spending more time together but not happy about bringing River to the house that Ben and I shared, I stare blankly at him.

“
Yeah barter . . .” he starts to say, then stops. Pulling me close with his free hand he kisses me. “You know what? Never mind.”

Maybe sensing where my mind is, or maybe second-guessing his idea, he points to the head of the bed. “How about you sit up there, away from me, so I can concentrate? You’re too distracting,” he says as he kisses me again.

Summoning all my willpower to not throw him on the floor as his tongue meets mine and his body presses so close to me, I pull back from his mouth and sashay toward the bed. “You’re so bossy!”

He chuckles as I walk away.

As I sit down at the head of the bed, I cover my legs with my shirt and wrap my hands around my knees. “Okay is this less distracting?” I smirk, resting my chin on my knees.

“
Not really,” he laughs.

“
Well it’s irrelevant anyway since you promised a show.”

Shaking his head at me, he’s so fucking attractive as he struts and sits at the foot of the bed. “I don’t remember promising,” he smirks. Then adds, “That’s a whole other type of transaction.”

I smile at him and laugh. “I’m willing to pay,” I wink before adding, “As long as the show lives up to my expectations.”

He softly smiles at me and says, “I hope it does.”

Placing his guitar on his leg, he positions one arm around the neck and his other over the body. “This is something I wrote this morning for you. It’s called Five.”

He begins to strum the same beautiful melody I heard earlier. I stare, mesmerized by his soulfulness. As he plays, the chords come to life with his concentration and intensity.

He sings the first two lines of the song and I listen.

5 years, 260 weeks, 1,825 days, 2.3 million minutes. That was how long ago I met you.

His lyrics immediately resonate in my heart. I can feel my heart growing, accepting him as the one who belongs there, the one who is meant to hold it.

As he sings, he slips further into his music.

If I did it all again. Would you come along for the ride? I hope so.

If I did it all again. Could you play this game with me?


I hope so.

Tears are stinging my eyes as I unfold my arms from my legs. He continues to sing, lost in his own music, and I continue to watch, lost in him, in awe of him.
Perhaps, in love with him?

And 5 years, 260 weeks, 1,825 days, 2.3 million minutes from today, will we still be together? I hope so.

Because I love you. Do you believe we will still be together? I hope so.

Because I really love you. Do you know so?

Shaking with joy and needing to touch him, to wrap myself around him, to show him I feel the same way, I crawl down the bed as he sings his last line.

Now you do—I love my beautiful girl.

Swallowing back the tears, I’m overcome with emotion. He wrote me a love song to tell me how he feels. Sitting beside him at the foot of the bed, I’m rendered speechless for a moment. The tears that have been welling in my eyes begin to slide down my cheeks as he sets his guitar gently on the floor.

As I open my mouth to speak, without knowing exactly what I’m going to say, he reaches over and gently cups my face in his hands. He brushes my tears away with his thumbs. He leans in, his lips practically touching mine. “Shhh . . .You don’t have to say anything. I’m not expecting you to say anything. I just want you to know how I feel. How much you mean to me.”

I kiss him, snaking my arms around his neck as he shifts on the bed to welcome me. When he whispers in my ear, “Dahlia, I love everything about you. I know in my heart you’re my girl, so amazing, so fun, so beautiful.” I feel my heart pounding and I know it’s about to jump out of my chest. Turning my head, I look into his eyes. The same gleaming green eyes as the first time I saw him. I thought then what I know now, that if I jump in I will never swim out. They are telling me he’s my future
.

I can’t respond in words. I don’t know how. So I close my eyes, knowing I can show him how I feel. I kiss him lovingly. Parting my lips, our tongues meet and explore as if they have entered uncharted territory and are looking to claim it for their own.

Pulling back slightly, I teasingly suck on his lower lip before moving my mouth to his neck. Gliding my tongue down his smooth skin, I plant soft kisses along the way. I can feel his taut muscles through the fabric of his t-shirt as I slowly but firmly slide my hands down his back. When I trace my nails against his skin, I can hear a low growl in his throat. My desire to make love to him is so strong; I can feel my heart beating faster with every passing second. River must feel the same because at that moment, he grabs hold of my arms and gently presses me back so I’m lying flat on the bed, looking up into his sparkling green eyes. His hands move to mine, threading our fingers together as he raises both my arms above my head while softly running his tongue across my lips. I open my mouth and let his tongue inside as he releases one of my hands but quickly grabs it with his other, effectively keeping my arms, elbows bent, restrained above my head.

Still hovering over me, his knees at my hips, he breaks the kiss and slides his mouth to my ear. While running his free hand down the length of my arm from wrist to shoulder, he whispers in the sexiest tone, “I love you, Dahlia. And I want to show you just how much.”

My body shivers with anticipation as he runs his fingers down the front of my shirt, over one breast and then the other, my nipples hardening at his touch through the fabric of my clothing. Reaching the hem of my shirt, he slowly pulls it up my body, revealing my goosebump-covered skin. He licks his bottom lip slowly before ducking his head as he moves my shirt higher over my ribcage. His tongue touches the bare skin just below my breasts and follows my shirt’s path up my body as if trying to catch it in a chase. Once my breasts are exposed, his tongue teases my hardened nipples, circling them over and over, and I begin to moan. He’s still holding my hands over my head and I cannot touch him, although I want to so badly.

“
River,” I mutter, my eyes half-closed as I arch my back offering his mouth better access to my aching breasts. “I need to touch you.”

“
Soon,” he whispers in response.

And with that, he pushes my shirt up as high as it will go, sucking on both my breasts, one at a time, as if they are his lifeline. His fingers are lightly tracing patterns on my bare stomach, and the sensation is incredible. I’m so turned on as I writhe under his touch.

Lifting his head, River smiles as he brings his lips back to mine before releasing my hands from his grasp. Our tongues intertwine in our mouths, and my arms wrap around his body, pulling him into a loving embrace. Breaking away from my lips, he pulls both of us up to a sitting position. Without saying a word, he lifts my shirt over my head and tosses it to the floor beside the bed. Following his lead, I do the same with his shirt. As it hits the floor, he’s already laying me back down on the bed.

I can tell he wants to take the lead, and I’m perfectly happy letting him do just that. His every touch, his every nibble is so overwhelmingly sensual and I love it. I want to feel all of it.

Leaning over me, this time without restraining my arms, he places his hands and knees on either side of my body, supporting his own weight. As he glides his smooth tongue down the front of me, my hands travel up and down his naked back. They press into the hardness of every well-defined muscle I encounter along the way and he lets out a deep groan. Continuing his journey, he skims his nose along my skin and dips his tongue in and out of my navel, making me squirm. Reaching the silky edge of my black lace panties, I realize where he’s headed, and I’m overcome with desire.