She kissed me back, then pushed me gently away. “Someone could see us.”
I wasn’t real concerned, but she was, so I hurried us along to my room in the attic. There, no one would see us. And I could have my alone time with her.
When we stepped inside, I closed the door before leading her up the stairs to the loft we had fixed up in the attic when Maggie had moved in. She had taken my room and I had finally gotten this room, like I’d wanted for years.
“Thanks for coming here today, spending time with Mom,” I told her, putting both my hands on her hips and pulling her closer to me. “She really enjoys Bryony.”
“Bryony enjoys coming over here,” she replied with a whisper just before I covered her lips with mine.
Kissing Riley seemed to get better every time. She was always sweet and soft. I wanted to hold her like she was delicate, yet I couldn’t seem to get close enough to her. This was when I felt completely whole. Not broken or hurt. With her in my arms, my life was right.
That was love. I knew that now, but it didn’t mean love wouldn’t end. Even knowing that, I never wanted to end this with Riley.
Her hands slid up my arms, and I shivered from the touch. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her to me as close as she could fit. The feel of her breasts pressed against my chest sent desire coursing through me that I was afraid of acting on.
Most girls that I had dated moved easily, but Riley had been hurt sexually, and I was afraid too much would terrify her. So I held back, and it took every ounce of willpower I had.
She moved up so that her breasts brushed against me and a small moan escaped her. Mary mother of Jesus, I was a saint. I swore to God I’d better get rewarded for this one day. Picking her up and taking her over to my bed was all I could think about.
My hands brushed her bare waist as her shirt lifted, and she shivered this time. So I let them travel higher and she lifted her arms to wrap around my neck, giving me complete access. Or at least it felt that way.
When my thumbs brushed under the wire of her bra and she continued to kiss me and cling to me, I continued on until my palms covered the soft bare flesh that sent both our heart rates into a frenzy. Her breathing intensified and she began to pant as she held on to my shoulders as if she might fall.
This was more than I couldn’t imagine with anyone else ever. Just her. I broke the kiss so I could catch my breath as my hands continued caressing the tender flesh that had hardened under my touch.
“I love you,” I told her. The words were out before I could think it through. In this moment we were enclosed in our own little world. Safe from others and the shit life threw at us.
She didn’t reply right away, but her eyes closed and she rested her forehead on my shoulder. I slipped my hands around to her back and held her against me. We stood like that while our breathing slowed and the heat from our bodies mingled to make us feel like one instead of two.
This was where I wanted to be. Nowhere else had ever felt this right. No one else would make me feel like Riley Young did.
Brave. Strong. And able to take on the world.
“I love you too. But it scares me,” she finally said, breaking the silence around us.
She didn’t scare easily. But I understood her fears. I had them too.
We didn’t have to figure it all out right now. Or even tomorrow. We had time. And there had to be an answer to this. Because without Riley I wasn’t whole.
I’ve Already Lived Through a Nightmare
CHAPTER 51
RILEY
Instead of sitting far away from Brady’s family this week, I sat beside his mother, and Maggie and Willa joined us. We were all wearing Lawton Lions blue. Brady had actually given me his home jersey to wear tonight. It was huge on me, but Willa and Maggie had on Gunner’s and West’s, so I didn’t feel silly.
The crowd was roaring with excitement, and I was immersed in the smell of popcorn and hot dogs. Tonight was more exciting than last week. This was it. The end and their chance to win the State title. I wanted that for all of them, but I really wanted it for Brady.
I kept scanning the crowd for his father. I knew he had told his father he didn’t want him there, but I was worried he may show up anyway. This was the biggest game in Brady’s life so far. I knew his father would want to be here. Not that he deserved to be here but that he would want to be.
“I’m watching for him too,” Maggie whispered in my ear. “If you spot him, tell me quietly and I’ll go handle it.”
I nodded. Neither of us wanted Coralee to know what we were talking about. She had been excited today. Talking about the game and how hard Brady and the boys had worked to get here.
I hadn’t realized they’d all been through so much. West had lost his dad at the first of the football season to cancer, Gunner had found out his father wasn’t his father but his brother and in turn lost most of his family, and Brady had caught his father in an affair. Three starting seniors who had grown up playing ball together and building dreams all faced something hard, yet here they stood, about to play for the state championship.