The vehicle halted, parking steps away from a private elevator in the hotel's underground garage. In the background, I could hear the driver getting out of the vehicle before I heard a firm, loud tap on the door. It was his discreet way of telling his boss that it was time to wrap it up.
"We're here." River broke the kiss, breathing heavily against my neck as he gripped my hips. "I love what I do, but fuck, right now, all I want is to be with you."
Still drunk from his kisses, I peeked at him through my lashes before I bit down on my lip, a gesture that usually enticed him to go bonkers on my pussy. "Can't you spare a quickie?"
He let out a strangled sigh. "There's a journalist upstairs waiting for me. A thirty-minute lunch, then a video call to one of their high traffic TV stations. After that … I have to go to the venue and do a sound check. By the time that's done, I'd need two hours to prepare myself for tonight. I usually do a lot of breathing exercises, vibe, and do a lot of getting in the zone type of stuff."
How was I going to fit in his packed schedule?
"When can we have some time alone?" A frown found its way on my face. I didn't want to sound like a clingy, needy girlfriend, but fuck, I felt as if I had to make an appointment to be with him.
River immediately picked up on my thoughts. Taking hold with my hands, he bounded them together before bringing it to his lips, kissing my one knuckle at a time. "Baby, I'm sorry, but I'll be all yours tonight, promise."
I nodded, feeling beyond helpless. "All right. I'm just happy to see you."
Large hands cupped and kneaded my ass. His lips parted as he grounded his hardened member against my heat and made the sexiest groan against my ear. "You should've came last night. You'd probably still be in bed, too exhausted to move. I'd have fucked you out of your mind. The only thing you'd know is how good my cock is to you, how good it punishes you … "
At the very mention of last night, fear unfurled in my gut once more. It spread far and wide, threatening to take over what little grasp I had of control.
"Tonight," I found myself saying, "we'll make up for lost time." It took every ounce of me to muster a smile while my mind recoiled at the thought of what lied ahead.
"You better be ready, babe. It's been forever." He kissed the tip of my nose before sighing with finality. "While I work, I've arranged a full-service spa for you in our suite."
This beautiful, gorgeous man worshipped the ground I walked on … and I was going to break that little heart of his again. How could I even fathom to eviscerate us in such a way? How did I become so reckless, so enslaved to my body's demands, letting it rule over my mind?
They said timing was everything, and I intended to choose the right moment to confess my sin. It would be sometime later, when everything had settled and quieted down with no people around us. Only then I'd bear the wretchedness that was darkening my soul.
After exiting the car, we were led towards a private elevator that brought us straight to the presidential suite.
Nothing but the best for his top client, I wryly thought as my eyes took in the opulent surroundings. Ari was a top-tiered jackass, but he was dedicated to River. Yes, he was his top money making machine but he also made sure River was surrounded with the best of everything. The man had ten songs in the Top 100 charts all over the world. Ari surely knew who to wager his bets on. He knew, too, that River always delivered. The perfectionist in him made sure of that.
The two-floor suite was rather too much just for just the two of us …
"Hello, Cara. Your tan looks amazing." Willa came out of nowhere, smiling brightly at me before diverting her attention to her phone. "The interview's taking place one floor down in a different suite. You ready?"
Gee, just barely ten minutes in, and she just had to jump out of nowhere and ruin everything.
"Can I have five minutes with Cara at least?" River asked as he strode to the bar, pulled a bottle water out of the fridge, and drank the whole contents in one go.
Willa and I were both watching him intently, as if he was the most magnificent thing we had seen all day, and he was.
River glanced at us before slanting his brow, patiently waiting for a reply. "Willa?"
"Hmm?" Willa blinked a few times, blushing before she pretended to frown into her phone. "Five minutes? Uh … well, it'd be rude to make him wait. You can't break your 'always on time' rule; they like that about you."