As his rock hard length slowly entered her she felt waves of pleasure from her center rolling outward to her extremities, and even saw small explosions of light behind her eyelids. Phewwww! She could experience this until the day that she
died
and never get tired of it!
The truth was, when Riley was inside of her, she felt whole. Full. Connected in a way that she had never felt before. She didn't think that this feeling could be explained entirely by physical chemistry. In fact, she was fairly sure of that fact. The feeling was, if she was not mistaken, the physical manifestation of their souls mingling.
Sex with Riley was more powerful for Chelle than any drug she could imagine ever ingesting. Oh, man, though...if
this
was what drugs felt like, she could certainly see why people had a hard time kicking them!
Riley began to move his hand upward, away from where it was massaging her pleasure center, his fingers exploring her body. Chelle did something that was, for her, uncharacteristically bold. She reached down, grabbed his wrist, and moved his hand back down.
She felt, more than heard, the growl of pleasure that rumbled deep in Riley's chest. He buried his face in the back of her neck. “You want me to keep touching you there while I'm inside of you?” he whispered raggedly.
She nodded furiously. There was that whole 'can't think of words' thing, rearing its ugly head again.
Riley groaned as he slid his hand back down and began to move his fingers in time with the rhythm that he was creating by pumping in and out of her. Oh, it was delicious! Chelle didn't know how long she could hold off before exploding with pleasure around his fingers and his erection, but she wanted to try and prolong it more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. She needed to extend this fierce pleasure spiraling through her for as long as humanly possible.
She managed to hold out for what somehow felt like an eternity and felt like mere seconds, simultaneously. If she had been forced to guess the amount of time that she had stood there, pressed up by Riley's body against the wall of the shower, enjoying the consuming pleasures that his body was giving her...she honestly would not have known whether to say a minute or an hour.
When she could no longer control her body's inexorable climb toward climax, she felt the explosions beginning at her core and spreading outward through her torso and continuing to the tips of her fingers and toes. If Riley did not have her so securely pinned up against the wall of the shower, she surely would have collapsed to the ceramic floor as her entire body quaked and shuddered with the wickedly intense orgasm that Riley was giving her. The pleasure was mind-blowing.
She thought that, of everything that her body was experiencing – every tiny sensation that contributed to the overload of ecstasy that was roaring through her body – her very favorite part was the way that she felt completely encircled by Riley's strength and warmth. She could feel his body pressed up against the length of her, his strong arm around her, holding her up. She had never felt so completely secure, so safe, so protected, so...free.
Yes, it was as if the base foundation of safety and comfort that Riley's strong, encircling arms gave her provided her with the freedom to let her body feel anything that she was willing to let it. She had certainly never experienced this loss of control with anyone else before! She knew that it had to be because of more than just the pure chemistry she shared with Riley, or even her lifelong crush. It was because, with Riley, she felt safe in losing all control, letting everything go.
She felt secure in letting herself tumble skyward, head over heels, when he launched her into stratospheres of pleasure bec
ause she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would be there to catch her when she tumbled back down to earth.
As she felt herself slowly descending now, she became aware of little details one by one. The steaming pressure of the water streaming down her body. The slick, hard surface of the tile under her palm. The solidness of the ceramic shower floor under her feet.
The final sensation that entered her consciousness was the fact that Riley was still inside of her, fully erect, moving slowly, gently, ever so slightly. He was guiding her back down to earth.
She turned her head to look back into his eyes. “You didn't...?”
He shook his head, and planted kisses on her forehead, her cheek, the side of her mouth. “I wanted to enjoy watching you. I wanted to see every detail, commit it to memory,” he whispered.
She closed her eyes against the onslaught of pure pleasure that his words caused to course through her body. Only Riley could bring her to the brink with nothing more than a few well-chosen words.
Without taking time to give it much thought, she wriggled away from him, turned around, and dropped to her knees in front of him. She pulled off his condom and tossed it aside.
She looked up and into his eyes, she smiled and said, in a voice that was much stronger and clearer than she would have thought that she was capable of, “Well, then. I think that you deserve a reward.”
With that, she took him into her mouth, using her tongue to trace the outline of his shaft as she moved her head up and down on his powerful erection. She felt his fingers tangling in her wet hair, heard him groan from deep inside as her mouth did its work.
Hmmmm...she thought. Riley's really onto something with this whole observing-the-other-person-in-the-throes-of-ecstasy thing! It's pretty awesome, I could get used to it!
She felt power surging through her like an electric current as she reveled in her ability to give Riley pleasure. God, if she were able to make him feel even a tenth as good as he had made her feel, she would be happy with that!
She felt Riley's muscles begin to twitch more violently against her fingers and lips and realized that he was going to come. He tried to guide her head away, gasping out a warning, but Chelle didn't want a warning. She wanted every part of him. She wanted to maintain her connection with him until the end, to use her mouth to give him every last drop of pleasure that she could until he exploded within her.
As Riley reached climax, Chelle could tell that he was lost in the moment, completely engrossed. It was a revelation to her, to see someone as controlled as Riley normally was lose all conscious control in the heat of climax. She could get used to seeing that, and knowing that she was the cause of it – yeah, she could
definitely
get used to that!
She stopped herself just short of that line of thinking, giving herself a quick and harsh reminder that getting used to anything where Riley was concerned was not an option. The truth was, she needed to enjoy this little interlude for what it was, pack the memories away to be able to look back on and smile when she was old and gray, and leave it at that.
Hmmmm....
Why was she increasingly beginning to suspect that it was going to be
anything
but that simple?
The first thing Riley was aware of in the morning was feeling Chelle begin to leave the warm circle of his embrace. Although he was only semi-conscious, he felt his arms automatically tighten around her. He loved waking up with her beside him.
She patted his hand, “I gotta get my phone, it’s been ringing non-stop for the last hour.”
He begrudgingly let her go. He looked at the clock beside the bed, it read 9:30 a.m. He watched her cute little rear as she bent over and got her phone out of her purse. He felt himself get hard instantly.
As she looked down at her phone her brow furrowed, “Holy cow, eight missed calls.”
She hit a button that he was assuming gave her access to her voicemails. Her face grew tight as she listened.
She took the phone from her ear and pressed another button, then replaced the phone against her ear. She repeated this several times before Riley asked, “Is everything okay?”
She didn’t answer. She listened for a few more minutes before sighing and placing a call.
“Hey, Vickey. Yeah, I got your messages. I'll check on flights. Hopefully I will be able to get home today.
“Yes, it’s been great.
“Okay, I’ll shoot you a text and let you know when I can be there.
“No it’s fine. Honestly.
Yep, talk soon.”
Chelle replaced the phone in her purse and started picking her clothes up off the floor, completely ignoring him. He didn’t want to pry, but it seemed that if he was going to find out what was going on, he was going to have to.
“Who was that?”
“My supervisor,” Her tone sounded flat, “Three nurses are out with the flu and the floor is full.”
She pulled on her shirt and underwear and sat at the desk as she turned on her laptop computer. “Lots of people having babies. I’ve gotta get the next flight home.”
“Back to reality.” He repeated the words that she had used the night before. They caused a sharp pain in his chest.
“Yep.” She said curtly nodding her head, just once.
He stood and pulled on his shorts, crossing to where she was sitting at the desk. “Why don’t you start getting packed up, I’ll take care of getting us home.”
She shook her head and continued typing away, going from site to site, looking for flights. “No thanks, I can book my own flight.” She sounded irritated by his request.
He didn’t want to be the cause of her becoming any more upset than she already was. Honestly, he just wanted to take care of this for her.
He put his arm on her shoulder and he felt her tense under his touch. He removed his hand. He did his best to make his tone come across as reasonable, without seeming patronizing. He just wanted her to relax and listen. “Look I have to get a flight anyway, and you have a lot more stuff to pack up than me. So let me take care of the flights and you get ready to go.”
She slumped in her chair, “Fine, but I’ll pay you back for the ticket.”
He wasn’t going to argue that point with her now, but there was no way in hell that was going to happen.
He closed his eyes sadly as reality began to truly hit home. He had just spent the last three days in a fantasy. They had been the best three days of his life. Now, he was buying his own plane ticket straight back to reality, and it was the last place he wanted to go.
She stood and quickly went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and clicking the lock. Clearly he wasn’t invited.
He heard the water start and flashes from the night before started popping into his head. How drastically things had changed in less than twenty-four hours.
--- ~ ---
Just as he was putting the finishing touches on breakfast, he heard the bedroom door open. Chelle walked out, her carry-on draped over her shoulder, rolling a large suitcase behind her. She didn’t look up at him, didn’t smile, but merely placed her luggage by the front door.
When she joined him in the kitchen area, she still looked one hundred percent closed off. The ‘do not disturb’ sign was firmly in place.
He wanted to grab her and kiss her until she melted. He wanted to pick her up and take her back to the bedroom, strip her out of her clothes and toss her on the bed. And he wanted to keep her there, naked and smiling.
But he couldn’t do that. That was over. They were over.
“Any luck?” She asked as she straightened up some things in the kitchen. Not that it needed it. She just seemed determined not to look at him.
“We fly out of SFO in three hours.” He said.
“
Great. Well, we should probably get going. Traffic is crazy in this city.”
“We have enough time to eat. Do you want OJ or coffee?”
He wanted his Chelle back. Even on the day he had arrived, after a week of doing nothing but eating and drinking alone, she had seemed happier than the girl who was standing in front of him now.
“Neither, and I’m not hungry. I’m gonna call a cab.”
“I already did. It'll be here in twenty minutes.” He couldn’t help himself, he had to touch her, even though she was clearly giving signals that she wanted to be left alone.
He stepped closer to her, cautiously testing the waters, and she raised her face to him. She looked into his eyes for the first time since she had picked up her phone that morning. He saw tears brimming, and her eyes were slightly puffy, making him think she had just spent the last hour crying.
The sight made him feel like someone had kicked him in the balls.
Without waiting for permission he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly. She felt good there, perfect. It seemed like that’s what his arms were created for, to hold her.
Finally, she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him. He let out a breath he hadn’t even known he had been holding in.
“I just don’t want to go yet,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I know. I don’t either.” He heard the need, the desperation coming through in his own voice.
She looked up at him. Without even thinking about it, he kissed her. Not to comfort her, not to try and make it better. No, he kissed her because he was a selfish prick and he needed to feel her lips, to taste her. He poured every ounce of unspoken emotion he had for her into that kiss.
All too soon she pulled away and then after a beat she stepped away, out of his arms. He felt the loss immediately.
“I’m gonna go let Randall and Mrs. Winders know that I’m leaving. I’ll meet you downstairs at the cab. Can you make sure everything is shut off and locked up?”
She didn’t wait for his answer. Just like that, she was out the door.
--- ~ ---
Chelle felt a teeny-tiny bit bad about the foul mood that had taken up residence and was steadily worsening. She had tried to shake it, but it didn’t seem like it would be leaving any time soon.
She attempted to reason with her own foul temper. Hey, she told herself, it isn’t Riley’s fault that you have to go back to work. It isn’t Riley’s fault that your time in San Francisco is over. It
certainly
isn’t Riley’s fault that you're madly in love with him!
She sighed. She recognized the logic in all of that. So why was she was giving him the silent treatment? Why was she avoiding touching him as if he were a leper? Why was she doing everything humanly possible to not make eye contact with him?
She honestly had no idea. He hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, just the opposite, really. He had done everything right! He booked the flight, made breakfast, called a cab. And she'd acted like a spoiled brat.
She wished she could snap out of her funk. She was trying to will herself to do it. But every time he did something like take her luggage, or hold open a door for her, or
kiss
her silly in the kitchen...well, she just got madder and madder.
All of those gestures, as sweet as they might be, were just glaring reminders of what she would be missing out on when they got back to Harper’s Crossing. But, still, she didn’t want to spend the last few precious hours she had in their little bubble pouting. She needed to “snap out of it” as Cher had so eloquently put it in the movie Moonstruck.
Riley’s arm brushed against Chelle and she felt a ripple of desire flow through her. When she turned her head, she saw Riley staring at her, the look in his eyes conveying that he was feeling the same thing - or at least something very similar.
“How you doing over there?” Riley asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
“I’m good. I’ve never flown business class, it’s nice.” She tried to inject some life into her tone, to make sure that her voice sounded cheerful and upbeat. Unfortunately, she only managed monotone.
Oh well, she supposed, it was better than sounding maudlin or pissed.
The 'seatbelt' light came on and she reached into her purse to get her cell phone and turn it off before take-off. When she did she noticed she had six more missed calls, the same amount of voicemails, and eight text messages. A quick look to see who they were from confirmed what she already suspected.
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Great. She was going to have to deal with yet another thing as soon as she got home. So much for a quiet evening to get acclimated back to reality.
She placed her phone back in her bag, clicked her seatbelt into place and leaned back in her seat.
“More work stuff?” Riley asked.
“Oh, no.” Chelle closed her eyes. “I wish.”
“What is it then?”
“Nothing.” She stated.
“Chelle.” He sounded impatient and serious.
She opened her eyes and lifted her head as she mimicked his tone, “Riley.”
“Who were the calls from?”
“Why do you care?” She snapped back at him.
Dammit! Why couldn’t she just talk to him civilly?
He didn’t speak, just waited, patiently looking at her. She sighed, feeling a little guilty and a tiny bit embarrassed for how she was behaving.
“They’re from David.”
“What the hell does that douchebag want?” Riley’s voice was now very low and menacing.
“To talk.”
“About what?” His tone remained intense.
“I don’t know yet.” She answered honestly.
“Are you going to talk to him?” He asked with disgust.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
This conversation was going nowhere and it served no purpose other than maybe to put her in an even worse mood, if that was possible. Better to just nip this in the bud.
She sighed loudly, “A few reasons, actually. One: We still live in the same house. So, obviously, something needs to be done about that, and what that 'something' is has yet to be discussed or determined. Two: We have been together for years and we’ve built a life together. So, yes, I do have a slight level of curiosity about what he might have to say. Three: I was engaged to the man not even a month ago.” She had been counting on her fingers, she now laid her hand on the armrest, “I can hear him out, I at least owe him that much.”
“You don’t owe him anything,” Riley growled.
Ugh! He was so frustrating. She was over it. Time to give Mr. Buttinski seated beside her a piece of her mind.
“You’re right, as a matter of fact. I don’t owe him anything. Just like I don’t owe you anything, including answering your
impromptu Spanish inquisition. But,” She threw her arms up in a ta-da fashion, “I guess I’m a giver. So, I
will
talk to him and I
did
answer your questions. Now, it’s your turn to answer mine. Why. Do. You. Care?”
Instead of responding, explaining his annoying interest in her talk with David, he leaned closer to her and reached up, threading his fingers in her hair.
Her mind raced. Why, WHY, did that have to feel SO good?
His fingertips brushed the side of her neck and his thumb traced her jawline.
Damn, she loved it when he did that. Perfect! One more thing she was going to miss. She could probably fill an encyclopedia with all of the things she was going to miss about Riley Sloan.
She needed to pull away from him. She needed to keep her distance. She needed to do both of those things
now
if she had any chance of walking away from these last few days with her heart intact.
But did she pull away from him? Nope! Instead of doing what she
knew
she needed to do, she felt herself lean into his touch. He must have taken the small movement as the 'green-light-permission-to-pass-go-full-steam-ahead' signal because he crushed his mouth to hers.
She gasped at the sudden contact of his lips against hers. It felt frantic. Desperate. Passionate.
She opened to him and, as soon as their tongues touched, he slowed the frenetic pace, his tongue softly licking, gently probing, and sensuously gliding expertly inside her mouth. Exploring. Inexorably searching every inch.
Seeking what, she didn’t know - but he was certainly thorough in his quest.