Because of You (5 page)

It wasn’t my intention to tell her about my family on Friday night. I hadn’t seen her all week so I was hoping to spend more time kissing and touching her than talking and crying like a damn pussy. After I had my meltdown I was too depressed to be around Riley, so I thought it best to go home and call it a night.

Saturday was a bust; I spent the day with Connor and it wasn’t pretty. It’s hard to be around him now with all his excess baggage, namely Beth. He’s my best friend, so I told him I would support him no matter what his decision is. After all, he’s been there for me since day one.

Riley invited me to the Fourth of July party today, but Scott never did. Was that intentional on his part or did my invitation get lost in the mail? Yeah right. Fuck it; if he doesn’t want me there he can ask me to leave. It won’t be the first time.

When I get downstairs the party’s in full swing. They have a bar set up by the pool and the catering station is off to the side, under a tent. If I had to guess on the head count I’d say there were at least one hundred and fifty people. Some of the guests have even wandered down by the beach. I can see their blankets, chairs and umbrellas set up.

Scanning the crowd I try to catch a glimpse of Riley. This has got to be a bit overwhelming for her; it’s impossible to introduce her to all these people. Then I see her, she’s breathtaking in a white strapless sundress, which looks amazing against her lightly tanned skin. She has her hair pulled to the side with a yellow ribbon and lacy sandals to match.

When I get closer to her I see some dude with his arm draped casually over her shoulder. Now he’s rubbing his hand up and down her arm. He looks like some rich preppy dude with khaki pants and a blue polo shirt.

What the Fuck!

Immediately I turn around and head for the bar. I’m on my second beer when I get the feeling that someone’s watching me. When I turn around I catch Riley staring at me, a sad smile playing on her lips. I tip the beer bottle at her as I finish it in two long pulls, slamming it on the bar as I walk away.

Walking around the house I take the stairs two at a time. I just need the keys to my Jeep and then I’m getting the fuck out. That must have been why Scott didn’t invite me. He wants her to mingle with the rich guys her own age.

When I turn around, Riley’s standing in the doorway…

“You’re not going anywhere until I explain. ” She puts her little hands on my chest, shoving me back into the room, slamming the door behind her. “The guy’s name is Parker Montgomery and my dad’s trying to fix me up with him, but I invited
you
because I want
you,
not Parker. ” She’s standing there with her hands on her hips, she’s so damn sexy.

Montgomery… why does that name sound so familiar?

Grabbing her by the waist I pull her to me. We’re nose to nose and it takes everything in me not to assault her mouth with mine. “Your dad obviously doesn’t want us together, Riley. So he’s picked out some preppy dude to occupy your time for the summer. ”

She wraps her arms around my neck, tugging on my hair. Standing on her tiptoes she licks my bottom lip then nips it with her teeth, causing a reaction inside my shorts. “I want you to occupy me for the summer, not Parker or anyone else my dad wants to fix me up with. ”

Crushing her body against mine I explore her mouth with my tongue. When her tongue flicks across my bottom lip I suck it into my mouth. She tastes so fucking good, like berries and lemons. A moan escapes the back of her throat, sending me over the edge. “Riley, we need to stop or I’m going to throw you on my bed right now. ”

She looks at me with her lust filled eyes. “What’s wrong with that?” She grabs my hand trying to pull me down the hallway.

“We can’t do this now; there’s a party going on because of you! Scott’s probably looking for you right this second and believe me it won’t be pretty if he finds you here with me. We’ll talk later, I promise. ” She needs to go, now!

“Can I come back up here later when the guests leave?” She looks at me with those huge eyes and my heart skips a beat.

“Why don’t you meet me down at the beach after everyone’s gone. Here, I’ll write my number down and you can text me. ” Grabbing a sheet of paper I jot down my number and fold it into her palm.

“I’m still learning how to text. Can I call you?” Her cheeks turn pink. Funny how they were flushed moments ago.

“Do whatever is easiest for you. ” Kissing her lightly on the lips I fix her hair before sending her out the door.

I’m a dead man walking.

The party’s finally over, and I’m exhausted. My face hurts from wearing a fake smile for the past twelve hours. All I want to do is crawl under the sheets and sleep for days but I told Hunter I would call him. I’m thinking it’s too late to meet him at the beach so I’ll just go knock on his door and if he doesn’t answer, I’ll leave.

Changing into a pair of yoga pants I throw on my USC shirt before heading out. Peeking up and down the hall I make sure no one’s there before sneaking out the side door. As I climb the stairs I’m thinking of the way his mouth tasted my tongue earlier and my body starts to tremble.

I knock on his door once, twice. I’m ready to flee when suddenly the door opens.

Oh. My. God!

He’s standing in the doorway with no shirt, and a pair of old pajama bottoms that sit low on his hips. When he runs his hands through his hair and licks his lips, I see those blue eyes burn with passion. Hunter’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever had the privilege to lay my eyes on.

He scoops me up in his arms as he uses his foot to slam the door. He walks over to the couch, and sitting down he settles me in his lap. “I thought you were going to call me so I could meet you at the beach?” He whispers in my ear, his breath warm against my skin.

“It was late and I thought it would be easier to come to you. ” I gaze into his eyes and he looks mad. “If you don’t want me, I’ll go!” I try to get up before I start to cry.

“Oh, I want you. ” He tightly wraps his arms around me so I don’t run off. “I have never wanted anyone so badly in all my life. But it won’t happen tonight, Riley. As much as I want to throw you on my bed, tasting every inch of you, it’s too soon. ” He brushes a kiss across my cheek.

He wants to taste every inch of me? Oh why did he have to tell me that? “Are you worried what my father would do?” I have to ask.

“Scott doesn’t worry me, but I have a lot of respect for the both of you. I would never treat you like a bar girl who’s only good for a hook up. You mean so much more to me; I’d like to get to know you first. ” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip.

I want to pinch myself, because I must be dreaming. This man says he wants me and I know it’s true. I see it in his eyes. I’m the happiest girl in the world right now—until I remember the date that my dad set me up with—Parker.

“I want to tell you more about the guy you saw me with today. ” I feel his body go rigid beneath me, so I bury my face in his neck, placing small kisses there.

“If you keep doing that we won’t get a chance to talk about Parker. ” He groans when I nip at his earlobe.

“He’s only around till the end of July and my dad’s determined we go out on a few dates while he’s here. I also explained to my dad that I want to see you and I told him there’s nothing he can do to stop me. ” It comes out so fast I’m hoping he heard me.

“I must admit when I saw his arm around you today, I wanted to tear him apart. I’m not crazy about the idea but I can’t stop you from seeing him. ” He traces my jaw with his fingertips. When I gaze into his eyes I can see his desire before he crushes his mouth to mine. This time my tongue dances over his as I graze my teeth against his bottom lip. He growls as he flips me onto the couch, his hardness pressing against my thigh.

He jumps up quickly as he wipes his hands down the front of his pajamas. “I need to go take a cold shower,” he says as he looks down at me with a sexy grin.

Standing up I circle my arms around his waist. “We can satisfy each other without having sex. ” I’ve never been this bold before, but I need him to know how badly I want him.

“This is the reason I asked you to meet me at the beach; it’s too dangerous for us to be alone at my place.” Leaning his forehead against mine he takes a deep breath. “I want to lock you in my room and keep you naked for days, exploring every inch of you with my hands, fingers, mouth, and tongue. ” Every time he would name a part of his anatomy he would lick my neck. I’m beginning to think he’s just a tease!

“I’m going to take a cold shower first, unless you want to take it together?” I wiggle my eyebrows as he shakes his head, chuckling. Grabbing my hand he pulls me to the bathroom, placing a kiss on my cheek. He then pushes me in, alone.

After we’ve both showered, separately, we relax on the couch all cuddled up. I must admit this is nice because we’re talking and spending time getting to know each other. He was right and I was wrong. I’m glad he put on the brakes tonight but I would never admit it to him.

I’m still groggy when I hear someone banging on the door. Trying to sit up I see Riley with her head pressed against my chest. I get up very quietly so I don’t wake her, placing her head gently on the pillow before walking to the door. When I open the door Scott storms past me. He sees a very tousled Riley curled up on the couch and immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion.

“It’s not what you think, Scott. ” He looks at me, takes in my appearance, then strides over and punches me.

Fuck that hurt!

I run my tongue over my teeth to see if there all intact. “That’s the only shot you get, because I didn’t see it coming. If you try again, YOU will be picking yourself up off the floor. ” Riley leaps off the couch.

“Dad what are you doing?” She walks over to me, lightly touching my jaw. She turns to glare at her father.

"You have no right to come into his home and assume that we have slept together! OH, believe me I did everything I could think of to seduce him but he turned me down. You know why, because he respects you too much to take advantage of me! Now you owe him an apology." She walks over, kissing me lightly on the jaw. She mouths "I'm sorry," before storming out the door.

Walking over to the freezer I pull out a bag of frozen corn and place it on my jaw. I pull out a beer while I’m there and guzzle half of it.

“I knocked on her bedroom door this morning. When she didn’t answer, that’s when I realized she hadn’t slept in her bed. I knew she had to be here. She was furious with me because I hadn’t invited you to the party. ” He rubs his hands over his face.

“What do you want me to say, Scott? We have this connection that even I can’t explain. I know it’s too soon and that’s why I didn’t let it go any further last night, but I can’t keep denying what I feel for her. ” I might have just signed my ticket out of here, but I’m not going to lie to him.

“It’s not that I don’t think you’re a good man; you’ve proven that to me many times. It’s just that I was eighteen when Riley was born. That’s too young to make that kind of commitment, believe me, I know. I want her to experience life, go to college and have fun before deciding to settle down. ” He’s concerned I’ll break her heart, just like he did.

“I’m sorry I punched you and if you want to press charges I know a really good lawyer. ” He grins at me as he heads for the door.

“Scott, I know you want her to date that Parker dude so I won’t stand in her way. But she’ll be back and when she does, I might not be able to say no next time.” I shrug my shoulders.

He stops dead in his tracks, turns around and says, “I know how she feels about you; she’s made that clear several times. All I ask is that the two of you are cautious, use protection, and get tested for STDs if you think it’s necessary. ” With that said, he leaves.

Damn, I had to hurry if I was going to make it to work on time. This week was going to be a bitch, being a holiday everyone takes this as their vacation week. It’s going to be packed on the beach with all the families that come down here. I’m ready to head out the door when I realize I drank a beer this morning. Fuck.

Grabbing my phone I text Connor to see if he can cover for me.

Needing coffee desperately I head downstairs to see Rosie. When I open the kitchen door the smell of coffee has my mouth watering. “Morning Rosie, mind if I snatch a cup of your famous coffee?” I saunter over, giving her a peck on the cheek.

She smiles at me while handing me a cup. “Morning Hunter; help yourself to the French toast that’s in the warming dish by the stove. What happened to your face?” She lightly touches my jaw.

“I was attacked by a soccer ball. No big deal. I’ll take some to go, if that’s all right. I’m going to do my laps before I eat, that way Paul won’t have to clean the pool. ” Winking at her I head out the door.

I’m relaxing in the chair while finishing my coffee when my mind wanders to the first day I saw Riley sitting in this chair. One of the first things I remember was her breasts spilling out over the top of her bikini. Then my eyes ran down the length of her body, taking in her taut belly and her long shapely legs, ending with her pink toes. When my eyes scrolled back up every delicious inch of her, I met her gaze and was captivated.

Heading over to the pool I dive in as I think of a song that’s been playing in my head for days now. “Demons” by Imagine Dragons. I’m concentrating on the lyrics as I glide through the water when I realize that Riley might be the only one who can save me from myself.

I’m so angry at my dad right now. He punched Hunter! He has no right to judge me when he walked out on us all those years ago. Just because he’s footing the bill for college doesn’t give him the right to keep me under his thumb.

With my mom she didn’t beat around the bush. I had a place to live, clothes on my back and food to eat. But the one thing I so desperately needed was her love, which walked out the door with my father the day he left.

I wanted to be open and honest with Hunter last night, especially after he had told me about losing his family. So I told him about my childhood, how my sadness and loneliness had almost destroyed me. Until Ashley and her mom moved next door, becoming the family I so desperately needed.

As I opened up to him last night, Hunter held me tightly against his chest and played with my hair. He wiped away my tears with a sweep of his thumb as they slid down my cheeks, replacing them with tender kisses. I remember him laying me down on the couch and telling me to get some sleep. When he laid down next to me he pulled me close as we fell asleep in each other’s arms.

After spending the night with Hunter, the last thing I want to do is go out with Parker. I’m sure we don’t have anything in common. I grew up without a dad and I have a mother who didn’t know I existed; he had the love of two parents and siblings.

Putting on a nice pair of jean shorts and a light blue tank top I slip on a pair of comfy sandals just in case we do a lot of walking. Looking in the mirror I consider putting on a bit of makeup but settle on a touch of lip gloss instead. I’m so not high maintenance like all the girls I went to school with back home. The doorbell rings just as I’m heading down the stairs.

“I got it,” I yell to no one in particular. When I open the door Parker’s leaning on the door frame with a dozen coral roses and a cheerful smile. Damn, the boy brought me flowers.

“If I remember correctly, you did mention that roses were your favorite flower. ” He bends down kissing my cheek.

“I can’t believe you remembered. Thank you so much, they’re beautiful. Come in and sit while I give these to Rosie to put in water, then we can leave. ” As I walk away, I realize I have to have the
friends
only
talk.

After I hand the flowers over to Rosie while she squeals with delight, I head back into the living room.

“Are you all set to leave or did you want to hang out by the pool?” I sit down on the recliner so I’m not too close to him.

“I asked you out, so I’m ready to go if you are. ” He stands up, heading over to grab my hand.

“Parker, I think we need to talk before we head out.” He crouches down so we’re eye to eye.

“I want to be honest and tell you that I’m not looking for a relationship right now, but we can hang out as friends. ”

“Did I come on too strong with the flowers and the kiss?” He winks at me as he pulls me up against him. “Riley, I’m not looking for a relationship either. I’ll be gone in less than a month and I thought it would be fun to hang out. ” He holds his hands up in surrender.

I can’t help but laugh at the innocent look on his face. “I don’t care where we go as long as it gets me out of here. ”

“I have a great week planned for us, but I hope you’re wearing some comfy shoes today. ” He grabs my hand and with a shout out to Rosie we head out the door.

It was such an amazing week! Every morning he would pick me up by ten and some nights we didn’t get home until after midnight. Monday we went to the boardwalk and spent the day browsing through the shops, eating and laughing and getting to know one another. Tuesday we went to the waterpark… I’ve never had so much fun in my life! Wednesday we hung out by the pool, Rosie made us steaks on the grill with her famous potato salad, which was delicious. Thursday was the actual Fourth of July so Parker took me to his family cookout. Later that night there was an awesome fireworks display out over the water. It was a perfect ending to our week. My only regret about going out with Parker was wishing I had experienced all of those moments with Hunter instead.

Parker knew that I was busy Friday through Sunday—Hunter had invited me to the Friday night bonfire with his friends. Then the weekend was ours to spend alone. I couldn’t wait!

When Parker dropped me off Thursday night he told me he’d pick me up on Monday at the usual time to start our new week of adventure.