My Last(84)

He lifted his thumb away and she saw that there was chocolate on it.

“Was the ice cream good?” he asked. His voice caused goosebumps to form on her arms.

She nodded, unable to speak.

She traced her tongue along her bottom lip, trailing it slowly across the path he had just left with his thumb, making sure there was no more chocolate on it.

He watched her greedily as she did this, and a groan escaped his mouth. His hand was fisted at his side, causing his biceps to pull his shirt tight across his skin.

She wanted him so badly. She knew it wasn’t the smart thing to want. She knew he was leaving. Tomorrow. She knew another night with Riley would be playing with fire.

But, hell. She had spent her whole life being safe, doing what was right. With Riley, she just wanted to do what she wanted – and, right now, she wanted him.

She loved him. If this was going to be her last night with him she wanted to make it count. She would have plenty of time to mend her heart and pick up the pieces when he left.

Decision made. She just had to clear up one thing, “Were you seeing Megan for last few months?”

He took a step back, his brow furrowed, “What?”

“Megan told me you two were together for the last few months and that you just stopped talking to her. That it was because of me.”

He shook his head, clearly annoyed, “We had been exchanging messages and, yes, I had planned on hooking up with her when I was here. But we weren’t together. Not by any stretch of the imagination. And the first night I got home, I told her it wasn’t going to happen...”

“Okay,” she interrupted him.

He looked at her intensely, “Chelle, I swear…”

“I believe you,” She assured him, “I've seen how women get with Eddie. I know how they can build things up in their head.”

“I never led her on.”

“I know.” She let out a strangled laugh, “Believe me, I know.”

His eyes grew serious, “Chelle, don’t do that. You’re nothing like Megan. You’re different. I… I…”

“You what?” Chelle knew that it wouldn’t change anything if she heard him say he loved her, but she still wanted to hear it. He had made her say it, dammit. She deserved to hear it.

Even if it was only once.

--- ~ ---

Riley looked into Chelle’s eyes and knew what she was waiting to hear. Hell, he knew what he wanted to tell her. But he couldn’t. He wasn’t about to give her any hope that they had a future.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

He saw a look of disappointment flutter across her face. But it was quickly replaced with something soft. Vulnerable. Sexy.

She swallowed hard. “But we still have tonight.”

He knew what she was offering and he wanted more than anything in the world to take her up on it. But that would be selfish, and he had been selfish enough when it came to her. He didn’t want to be that anymore.

He should have never come inside the house. That was the wrong move. But, dammit, when she had started closing the door, and he pictured her going back and crying in her ice cream, he couldn’t stop himself.

Now, standing in front of her, his heart was racing a mile a minute. All of his blood that should have been feeding his brain had flowed down to his rock-hard shaft. He was having a difficult time thinking straight while dealing with the overwhelming feeling of arousal pulsing through him.

He wanted her. He needed her. He shouldn't. But he did.

Somehow sensing his indecision, Chelle lifted herself up on her tippy-toes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. God, her lips were so soft.

“I know you're leaving,” she said as she moved to kiss the other side of his mouth, “I know this won’t change anything.” She pressed her lips firmly against his before lowering back down to her normal, flat-footed stance and stripping off her tank top. She looked up at him with a seductive smile, adding “But we do still have tonight.”

He snapped. All the self-control he had been doing his best to hold onto vanished, slipping through his fingers as easily as sand.

He reached out and grabbed her waist pulling her to him and lifting her up off the ground. He took two steps forward, stopping when her back was firmly against the wall. Her legs wrapped tightly around him and he dipped his head and sucked her taught nipple in between his lips, running his tongue across the surface.

“Oh God, Riley,” she whimpered as her nails dug into his shoulders.

He couldn’t bring himself to walk away without holding her, feeling her, kissing her, making love to her at least one more time. Even though he knew he deserved to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most Selfish Asshole” he just couldn’t resist taking what she was offering - one more night together.