Chelle had wanted to take a shower before they headed over to Tommy’s for dinner and Riley had thought that would be a good time to get himself under control - to get his mind right so he would stop drooling over Chelle.
That had been the plan, at any rate. But all that he had done since he heard the water come on through the paper thin walls was imagine Chelle, naked under the spray. The way her body would look with drops of water sliding down her curves. He shook his head, trying to erase the images that were flashing one after another like a peep show in his mind.
Wait! Chelle had mentioned that Eddie wanted to talk to him. He should call Eddie. That would put things into perspective real quick.
He scrolled through his phone and found Eddie's name in his contact list. He pressed call.
Eddie answered before it had even gotten to the second ring. “Are you still with my sister?”
Okay, so, apparently no pleasantries then.
“Yeah, I’m still in San Francisco.” That sounded better than ‘yes I’m still with your sister’.
“Is she okay?” Eddie did not sound happy, and Riley couldn’t blame him.
“She seems okay,” Riley answered.
“Then why are you still there?” Eddie’s tone left no room for misinterpretation. This wasn’t a question, it was an accusation.
“I don’t want to leave her alone. She’s been through a lot.”
Riley would not normally put up with this kind of questioning from anyone. He was a grown man and what he did in his private life was his own God damn business. But this wasn't 'anyone' - this was Eddie. His best friend.
He and Eddie had been pretty wild in their teens. Riley knew for damn sure that if Eddie had tried to mess around with one of his cousins, he would have lost his shit. And Chelle wasn’t Eddie’s cousin - she was his
sister
. His only sister. His baby sister.
Guy code clearly states that you don’t mess around with your friend’s little sister. Riley knew that.
But, the truth was...Riley hadn’t done anything. Sure, he had thought about it…a lot. And today on the boat he was one second away from losing control and taking her on the upper deck. He knew it would have happened if that damn kid hadn’t interrupted them.
But the point was...he hadn’t!
And, as for tonight, he had made sure that they weren’t going to have an intimate dinner alone. Nope. They were going to have chaperones!
“What have you guys been doing?”
Eddie obviously was not going to drop this. Riley didn’t blame him.
“Hanging out, seeing the city.”
“Where have you been sleeping?”
“On the couch.” That was the truth. There was no denying it.
Riley just prayed Eddie wouldn't ask him where
Chelle
had been sleeping...
“Look, I’m not stupid. I know she’s always had some kind of a thing for you. A crush. She always asks about you and brings up your name pseudo-casually.”
For some reason that new piece of information made Riley feel good. Really good.
“But this is Chelle we’re talking about. You’re not what she needs. I know you man. I love you like a brother, but…”
Eddie paused. Riley said nothing. He wasn't sure what Eddie was about to say, but he was pretty damn sure that he wasn't going to like it.
“She deserves better.”
Nice.
“Like David the douchebag?” Riley snapped back.
He really hadn’t meant to. He knew exactly what Eddie was talking about, and he knew it was true. Chelle deserved a hell of a lot better than him. He knew that in his head. He just needed to make sure that his heart (and dick) were on the same page.
“Look, I never liked that guy, alright? But she seemed happy and I honestly didn’t know him that well. But I know you.”
Ouch.
“I’m just staying to make sure that she's doing
okay.” Riley didn’t want Eddie stressing about the situation. Riley was handling it and he was done discussing it. He was moving on to the next topic whether Eddie felt like coming along or not. “How’s Emily feeling?”
Riley didn’t know if his not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject would work, but he thought he would at least give it a try.
There was a long pause, but Riley remained silent. He would give Eddie the space to figure out how he wanted to proceed.
He heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
“She’s doing better. She won’t go back to school till next week so she is going a little stir crazy. But she is getting all caught up on Pretty Little Liars so that’s keeping her mind off of how bored she is.” Eddie’s voice filled with love as he spoke of his daughter.
“I don’t even know what Pretty Little Liars is.” Riley said flatly.
“Man, I wish I didn’t.” Eddie sighed.
They laughed and Riley promised to get Chelle back to Harper’s Crossing safe and sound.
He hung up and felt a knot forming in his gut. He hadn’t realized it until right now, but the fact that Eddie was still clearly not okay with anything happening between him and Chelle made him feel like a low life for where his mind had gone since seeing her again. Riley knew that Eddie wasn’t just being an ass. He had seen a lot of Riley at his worst, and Eddie knew Riley’s views on commitment. Riley was the very last person that a loving big brother should want his baby sister to get involved with!
But, damn. Even with this new knot that had taken residence in his stomach, he still wanted Chelle…bad. He wasn’t even sure how he had actually managed to keep his hands off of her up until this point. But with every smile, every ‘innocent’ brush, every look that told him she wanted him as much as he wanted her...God. It was getting harder and harder- both figuratively and literally.
Realistically, he only had a few more days - a week, tops - with her in San Francisco. Once they were home, keeping his distance would be easier.
That realization
should
have made him feel relieved. Instead, the thought of not spending his days with her just made him feel sad and empty.
Oh, well. It wasn’t like sad or empty were new feelings for him. He had felt a hole in his life since his mom left when he was eight, and it only got bigger when she had died when he was twelve.
But his issues were not Chelle’s problem. She had enough to deal with without him coming into her life and creating drama and problems.
He needed to keep his hands, his mouth, and every other body part to himself. Not just because of Eddie, and how much Riley owed him. But also for Chelle. Because no matter how strong and significant their connection felt to him, he knew that Eddie was right. She deserved better. So much better.
She deserved forever.
--- ~ ---
Chelle was trying really hard not to feel self-conscious as they made their way up the short path to Riley’s friend’s townhouse, but if she were honest, she knew that she wasn’t doing a great job in that department. As soon as Chelle had come out of the room, excited and ready to go, she sensed something had changed between her and Riley.
It wasn’t anything too obvious. It’s not like he was being mean to her. He was being as nice as he always was. Thoughtful, even. He had reminded her to bring her keys (which she probably would have remembered). He had made sure that she brought a jacket (which she absolutely would have forgotten). He had complimented her on her dress.
But, still. It wasn’t the same. He just said, “You look really nice,” in a tone that was almost without inflection. He hadn’t even met her eyes when he said it.
She briefly wondered if he were acting that way because he had noticed that she had taken off her engagement ring, since (as far as she could tell) that was the only thing that had changed. But no...that would be silly. Why would he care?
She felt like a complete and total idiot for having it on as long as she had, but he probably hadn’t even noticed it.
Unless...could he sense her growing attachment to him, and the absence of the ring symbolized that? Shit. That would be embarrassing.
Regardless of the cause, there was definitely a distance between them. It was like he had put up a wall that she was not allowed to pass. He also seemed…sad. She was trying not to read too much into it, but she just couldn’t help it. It was as if he were an entirely different person.
Okay
, she thought, that's it. I'm clearly a fifth wheel here, and I don't need to be where I'm not wanted. It's not doing me any good, and it'll interfere with Riley's ability to have fun with his friends. This isn't good for anybody.
She was just about to make up an excuse about why she suddenly needed to head home, and tell him that he should stay and catch up with his friend, when the front door of the townhouse flung open. She was momentarily paralyzed by what she saw. It was like David Beckham and Johnny Depp had a love child. The man standing before her was beautiful.
“Sloan, man good to see you!” The man (whom she assumed was Tommy) pulled Riley into a hug. “It’s been too long, bro.”
Riley nodded as he slapped the man on the back, “Yeah, it has, Baxter.”
The man turned to her and Chelle was once again blown away by his sheer physical perfection. Not in a ‘How you doin?’ kind of way. She definitely didn’t feel any butterflies or zings. She had just never seen anyone who was that
perfect
in real life.
“Hey,” he greeted her, “I’m Tommy. And you must be the emergency.” A mischievous smile spread across his face.
She furrowed her brow and tilted her head in confusion. She glanced at Riley and he put his hand on her lower back, “Tommy Baxter, this is Rachelle Thomas. Chelle, this ugly bastard is Tommy.”
“Nice to meet you.” Chelle smiled and shook Tommy’s hand. She was trying not to concentrate on how good, how
right
, it felt for Riley to be touching her again.
Bingo! That is what had felt so off before, she thought. It wasn’t just his mood or his change in demeanor. It was the fact that he had made absolutely sure not to touch her. Stepping to the side as she passed him in the hall, opening the door and then backing completely out of the way before she stepped through it. He had even placed the bottle of wine and small present for Tommy and Mindy's baby Serena, which they had picked up on their way back from the cruise, between the two of them in the cab.
Now, just this small connection of his hand resting on her lower back filled her with an 'all is right in the world' sensation. Everything was how it should be.
Crap! She had it bad.
“Nice to meet you too.” Tommy smiled and a look passed between him and Riley that felt significant, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on why that was.
“Come on in. The baby just woke up so Mindy is upstairs with her.”
“Congratulations, man! I am so happy for you guys.” Riley seemed a little bit more like himself as they walked through the entrance of the gorgeous Victorian-style townhome.
She looked around and felt like she had walked through the front door and right into the pages of Better Homes and Garden magazine. It was breathtaking.
“Wow, your home is so beautiful,” she said, hearing the awe in her own voice.
“Yeah, my wife loves all things HGTV. She did a lot of redecorating while we were waiting for Serena to arrive. I think she called it nesting.”
“Well, she did a great job. This looks like a house that could be featured on one of those shows,” Chelle said, still taking in every detail.
“Thanks.” Chelle looked up and saw a stunning dark-haired woman carrying a little bundle of love down the wooden stairway. Chelle could not believe that the woman before her had recently had a baby. With her exotic, dark beauty and tall, willowy frame, she looked more like a runway model than the mother of a newborn.
The woman smiled as she reached the bottom step. Her face was open and friendly. “I was going stir-crazy waiting for this little princess to show up and I may have gone a little overboard.”
“No, not at all. It’s incredible.”
“Hey, Gorgeous.” Riley pulled her and the baby into a hug.
“Watch it, Sloan,” Tommy joked, “Don’t get all handsy with my wife.”
Mindy laughed. Riley turned to Chelle, “Chelle, this is Mindy...Mindy, Chelle.”
They said their hellos and Tommy stepped up and kissed his wife on the forehead, “And this little angel is Serena.”
Chelle moved forward and looked down at the baby, “Oh, she’s so beautiful. She’s perfect.”
And she was. Chelle didn’t think in all of her years at the hospital she had ever seen such a beautiful baby.
“Thank God she takes after you, Mindy.” Riley teased.
They laughed. “Do you want to hold her?” Mindy asked, and as she spoke she was already in the process of placing baby Serena into Riley’s arms.
Oh boy! Was there anything sexier than a big, strong, tough man holding a tiny little baby? Nope, Chelle decided as she attempted not to blatantly drool, there sure as hell wasn’t.