Page 15 of The Way Home
“I don't… I don't hate you. I tried to, but I can't,” Riley whispered, his voice shaky.
“What does that mean? Youtriedto hate me? That feels pretty shitty.”
Riley let his head hang down, staring at his feet. “It means it would be so much easier if I did.”
I threw my arms up. “Well, I'm sorry I've been such an awful person to make you wish you hated me.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and took a careful step forward. “But you're not. That's the problem.”
“Andwhyis that a problem?” I took a step closer.
“Because… I… it just is, okay?” Riley's voice cracked, which almost made me want to back down.Almost. I couldn't let it go, not after how far we'd come.
“Sorry, Ri. That's not good enough. You're going to have to be completely clear. Help me understand why you can barely stand being in the same room as me. You owe me that.”
The world's heaviest sigh flowed out of him, making me brace myself, because clearly whatever this was had been weighing heavily on him. “It's hard to be around you, Jeremy, because… because it hurts too much.”
I took another step closer until he had to tilt his head down to look at me. We were on a precipice of something, and it had my heart racing. I lowered my voice, trying to keep calm as I asked, “Why does it hurt you to be around me?”
Riley pinched his eyes shut. “Because I can't have you.”
My breath hitched, and it felt like everything stopped working. My brain, my heart, and my body were all frozen in place. With great effort, I managed to unlock my jaw and make my mouth move. “You can have me.”
Riley's eyes were still closed, and he shook his head. “No. Not the way I want to.”
His words were the key to unlocking my systems. Not only that but they seemed to send a power surging through me. Without another thought, I pushed up on my toes, pressing my lips against his. Riley's eyes flew open, and he went completely rigid. For a moment, I thought I'd made a mistake, but then his hands found their way to my hips, and his mouth softened, moving against mine.
It was hesitant at first, but then we both lost ourselves to it. His lips were like being bathed in ice-cold Gatorade after a hard-fought win. Refreshing, exhilarating, surprising. Riley tasted like the sweetest victory I'd ever had. I thought of him shouting my name when I was injured, and I dove deeper into him. My arms folded around his back, holding him in place, keeping him from running away. Although he was very much here with me—his tongue was sweeping through my mouth, and we both groaned with the intensity of it.
I needed to get closer. Closer. Closer. I pushed myself against him until there was no room between us. His hands slid down the bare of my back to the waistband of my joggers, resting just above my ass, and I needed more. I rolled my hips into his, swallowing the moan that crawled up his throat as his hard cock ground into my belly.
Fuck, I wanted him, had for a long time. Was it really possible he'd felt the same way? I reached between us and gripped him through his pants. He gasped into my mouth and arched back. The slight change in position was just enough for everything to go sideways.
Riley's foot slipped, and with my center of gravity tangled with his, we both went toppling, falling over the side of the dock and landing with a splash. Riley took the brunt of my fall on top of him, and it knocked the air out of him. Once the shock of being in the water wore off, I grabbed him and pulled him to the surface. He drew in a breath and then checked me over to make sure I was okay. When his gaze caught mine, his cheeks flared in my favorite pink.
The mortification on his face mixed with his crooked glasses and wet hair made him far too adorable for words. I couldn't stop the laugh that burst out of me. After a moment, Riley joined in, until we both bobbed in the water, cackling like kids. The mood was officially ruined. I had been seconds away frompeeling his shorts off and getting on my knees right there on the dock.Pity.
“Sorry about that.” Riley flushed again.
Fuck, he was so cute like that. “I'm not. Best ride I've had in a while.” I winked for emphasis.
Riley pushed me playfully and rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”
I grabbed his hand under the water and tugged him closer to me. “Maybe you can shut me up.”
His eyes dropped to my lips, staring long enough to warm my cold-shocked dick. Instead of taking me up on the challenge, he pushed away. “I think maybe we should head back. Who knows what kind of bacteria is in this water, and, uh, my arm.”
Ah, fuck! I could see him getting in his head. The moment was officially over, but I'd take the win where I could get it. Kissing him… it was winning the CIFs all over again. Better. “Right. Let's go get you cleaned up.”
We swam to shore and got out of the water, our wet shoes squelching with each step. Riley stared down and patted his pockets with a grimace. “I think I lost my socks, and my feet feel gross in my shoes.”
I stifled a laugh. My poor little pound puppy… now he was wet, too. I stepped in front of him and turned my back. “Hop on.”
“You want to give me a piggyback ride? It's like two miles.”
I looked over my shoulder at him. “Yeah, so? You think I can't hold your weight? Believe me, darling, I can.” I flexed to show off my biceps.
Another of his famous eye rolls accompanied a slight smirk.Good. All hope wasn't lost. “I can walk.”
