He stepped closer, smiling his enigmatic half-smile again. He ran his fingers softly through her hair.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, observing the way that her eyes never left his stiff erection.
She nodded lustily.
He took her hand and guided it to his shaft, wrapping her fingers around it tightly.
"This?" He clarified, a teasing note in his voice.
She nodded, her breathing coming now in short, rapid bursts.
Leaning down, placing his lips directly against her ear. "Then lay back," he whispered intensely, "spread your legs, and put me inside you."
She groaned with the sheer erotic pleasure of it all and did exactly as he said. She scooted back against the pillows, spread her legs wide, and positioned him at her opening.
When he felt that he was properly aligned, he thrust into her, all of the power of the pent-up desire that he had been shoving down for the past couple of days – hell, maybe for the past couple of years – powering that first thrust.
When he was buried in her up to the hilt, he paused for a moment to enjoy the sensation of being buried within her, of being enfolded in her soft snug warmth. It was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. It went so far beyond physical sensation that the physical sensation itself – although intensely pleasurable – almost seemed beside the point. The most overpowering thing about the whole encounter was the fact that it was happening with Chelle – a fact that seemed almost beyond belief.
Her name was continually playing through his head, "Chelle, Chelle, Chelle, Chelle..." almost like he had to keep repeating it to remind himself that this was real. That he was actually making love to Chelle.
As he moved in and out of her, in and out, in and out, he reveled in listening to her small moans and whimpers of delight. In fact, he focused more on those than on his own pleasure, a fact which shocked him immensely. He was someone who loved the physical intensity of sex – lived for it, in many ways – but had never really been moved by the emotional aspect of it. Now, here, with Chelle, that was all he could think about.
He felt her inner walls spasm around his rock hard shaft. Her body began to shake as her hips bucked against his.
“Riley, Riley, oh my God, I’m gonna…come…again!” She gasped as her arms tighten around his neck. He felt tremors running through her entire body as she clung to him desperately.
As he felt himself nearing climax, he pulled back from where he had buried his face in her neck, positioning himself directly above her.
“Chelle,” he commanded hoarsely, “Open your eyes. Look at me. Look into my eyes.”
She did, her expressive almond brown eyes gazing directly into his as the spasms of climax overtook him. They both rode out the incredible, intense physical sensations, looking into each other’s eyes the entire time.
It was amazing.
As long as he had lived up to this point, he had never felt as connected to another human being.
And as long as he was going to live in the future, he didn't think that he ever would again.
Chelle awoke, warm and toasty in bed, to the smell of bacon and coffee. She stretched her hands over her head and smiled. She felt refreshed, renewed, happy. Last night was perfect.
She enjoyed this elated feeling for just a moment before her mind started racing with the possibilities of what last night meant. What would the ramifications be?
She didn’t know if things would be weird between her and Riley now.
Chelle had never had a one-night-stand before. It's not that she had some kind of moral objection to them. She just wasn’t that girl - the one who could be carefree and wild. She had only ever been intimate with people that she was in a committed relationship with. But, hey, she thought wryly, look where that got me.
Plus, she had known Riley forever. Did it really count as a one-night-stand? Hmm, maybe she should Google it. No, wait. She was overthinking this. Overanalyzing was her main flaw! She needed to summon her inner Samantha.
She and Riley had fun last night. They were both adults. She just needed to go out there with an air of sophistication and be very
casual
about the whole thing.
She rose out of bed, grabbed Riley’s shirt and pulled it over her head. It fell to just above her knee. She walked over to the full length mirror and looked at herself.
Her hair was a mess and she was swimming in his shirt. But there was definitely a glow about her.
She had always wondered if people really did have a morning-after-sex-glow. She had never experienced it. Although, in all fairness, her experience was somewhat limited. But one night with Riley and she sure as heck had it!
Excitement filled her. She wanted to jump up and down, clapping her hands and squealing...but she didn’t really think that would read “mature experienced woman” so she refrained.
She needed to pull herself together before she went out there and faced the music...or the bacon, in this case. She hoped that Riley wasn’t regretting last night.
Well, only one way to find out.
She took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Opening the bedroom door, she padded barefoot across the wooden floor to the kitchen.
Riley was standing at the stove in sweats that hung dangerously low. He stood there, sans shirt, and the muscles in his back rippled as he flipped the bacon.
Mmmm.....
She heard a sound of sheer, unadulterated appreciation escape from deep inside of her. She slapped a hand over her mouth just as Riley turned, now alerted to her presence.
A small lopsided grin was the only acknowledgment he made of her reaction to him.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he said as he turned and finished removing the last of the bacon from the pan and transferred it to the plate beside the stove.
“Morning.” Chelle wasn’t sure what to do. A small voice inside her head piped up - ‘act natural, for God's sake!’
Yes! Good. She could do that. Just act natural, she repeated to herself as she walked into the kitchen to get some OJ from the fridge. She opened the fridge, removed the OJ, placed it on the counter and closed the fridge.
Okay
, so far so good, she thought. She turned and opened the cabinet that held the cups. Reaching high over her head she felt Riley behind her.
She leaned back into him, feeling his solid chest at her back. Unlike the first morning
after he had arrived, when she had had to fight the instinct to melt against him, now she simply let herself luxuriate in the warmth and solidness of his body. She felt his erection, rock hard, pressed against her back.
He wrapped one arm around her waist. Looking down she saw his large hand spread across her belly and the sight of it was a serious turn-on. With his other hand he brushed her hair to one side, revealing her neck.
She instinctively tilted her head to give him better access.
His lips moved to her sensitive skin and she felt a ripple of chills rush throughout her entire body. Even the tiny hairs on her arm were standing up.
He kissed her softly at first, then she felt his mouth open as his tongue licked from the base of her neck to right below her ear. She felt his teeth as he bit the tender skin there. The hot, stinging sensation shot right down to her sex. She heard herself gasp from sheer pleasure.
He alternated kissing, licking, and biting up and down her neck. She began writhing from the sweet ecstasy that was coursing through her. Her knees felt wobbly and her legs felt shaky. She melted against him, desire pulsing through her.
“Do you remember the morning I got here?” His ragged voice caused goosebumps to form on her arm.
“Yes,” she whispered throatily.
“Do you know how bad I wanted to touch you then?”
His words caused pleasure to build inside of her like a balloon about to burst.
“Do you know how bad I want you to touch me now?” she said, her voice coming out in a taut, strangled gasp.
He groaned as he slipped his hand between her legs. She felt the pressure of his fingers rubbing her through her panties. Her body tensed at the overwhelming sensations his touch was causing.
“Relax, Chelle. Open your legs for me,” he commanded gently.
She did as he asked and he slipped his hand inside her panties. She could feel the rough pad of his fingertips as he brushed over her sensitive nub, lightly at first, and then with more pressure before his fingers traveled lower. He took his time, gliding over her wet folds, before he slipped one finger inside of her.
He moaned from deep inside his chest. She felt the vibration against her back. “Damn, you feel so good, baby. So tight around my finger.”
His bold words caused her legs to give out on her and she reached up and grabbed onto his arms. His biceps flexed beneath her hands as she anchored herself to him. She dug her fingers into his arms as she held on for dear life, riding out the incredible pleasure his fingers were giving her.
Then suddenly everything stopped. Riley’s his entire body stilled. He removed his hand and she heard him curse under his breath.
She had no idea what was going on. She felt engulfed in a cloud of confusion, her legs trembling like Jello, her breath coming fast in short gasps. She was just about to ask Riley what in the
heck
was going on when she heard it. A loud knocking on the door.
“It’s Randall, Chelle!” She heard Katie’s landlord yell. “Need to get into the apartment, hon. Open up!”
Chelle began to move to the front door, but Riley beat her to it. He was at the front door before she even made it out of the kitchen.
He glanced back over his shoulder before opening the door, “You might want to put some pants on. Sounds like he’s coming in.”
She looked down at herself still feeling a little shell-shocked and saw that she was only wearing Riley’s shirt.
“Good idea,” she said as she sprinted to the bedroom. She had just closed the door when she heard the two men talking.
She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and pulled her hair up into a ponytail.
When she joined the men in the kitchen she saw that Randall was under the sink and Riley (who she saw had thrown on a shirt) was standing, arms crossed, with a not-so-happy look on his face.
“I really don’t mind taking a look.”
“Oh, nonsense, son - this is my job!” She heard Randall's cheerful voice from below the sink.
“What’s going on?” She asked.
Randall’s head popped up, “Well now, Mrs. Partridge was sittin' down to have her morning coffee. She takes it black, no sugar, no milk. And, what do you know? Just as she was about to take her first sip, doggone water splashed into it. She looked up and, lo and behold, it was coming from the ceiling above her head! Now, she’s right below you in 214. So, best as I can put together, you got quite a leak from this here pipe.”
Chelle looked up at Riley, who still wore his not-so-happy frown.
“Now, don’t mind me! You kids go on with what you were doin',” Randall said as he climbed back under the sink.
Chelle immediately felt her cheeks get heated and her eyes shot to Riley, who now wore a crooked smile. He waggled his eyebrows up and down and Chelle laughed. She loved this playful, happy side of Riley. She didn’t think many people saw that side of him and she felt grateful that she was able to.
“This shouldn’t take more'n a couple of hours, kids,” Randall bellowed.
Chelle’s eyes widened and Riley’s head fell back in frustration.
--- ~ ---
Riley had been pretty upset when Randall and the leaky sink foiled his plans to keep Chelle naked and in bed all day. But now, he had to admit, he was having a good time.
After they had eaten breakfast and Randall informed them the fix would most likely take up the ‘lion’s share of the day’, they decided to get out of there and get some air. When Riley asked Chelle if there was anything she wanted to do, her eyes lit up and she said there was one thing that she had always wanted to do, but had put off so far because she hadn't wanted to do it alone.
So now, here they were, riding their bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge. Chelle was in front of him and he had to say - he was enjoying the view. She would look over her shoulder every once in a while and flash him her amazing smile. Every time she did his heart cracked open just a little more.
He knew that they should probably talk about last night. He knew that she needed to know where he stood. He knew that the last thing he would ever want to do is lead her on.
His head was still trying to convince him that things would never work out with her. But after last night, he really wasn’t sure how he could ever walk away from her.
He loved her and she loved him. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt. Maybe a part of him had always loved her. But he was a realist and knew that love didn’t solve everything.
His dad had loved his mom, and look how that had turned out. He had ended up alone, raising five boys. He didn’t want to end up like his dad.
His mom had loved him and his brothers and she still left.
Just like he had loved his Dad and brothers, but the first chance he saw, he had gotten the hell out of Dodge.
Some people just weren’t cut out for a family and all that goes with it. His mom was one of those people. Riley had always believed that he was too. But, Chelle definitely made him wish that he wasn’t. He wished he could be her forever.
He knew the truth though. He was damaged. She was perfect. She deserved better.
They ended up back at Crissy Field, and together they laid out a blanket with all of the picnic stuff they had picked up once they had decided what their field trip would be for the day.
They chatted while they ate, mainly about what the past years that they had been apart had been filled with. Riley kept things light as he told her about his time in the military. He didn’t like to let his mind go to the disturbing places he had been and things he had seen.
She told him about nursing school and moving back to Harper’s Crossing. She really loved that town and the people that lived in it. Sadly, Riley did not share in her warm feelings for either. His experience there had not been quite as happy as hers had.
After they finished eating they sat in comfortable silence as they looked over the bay. The water was shining. There was a breeze blowing and he was perfectly content just watching Chelle as she sat beside him. She was breathtakingly beautiful. He could get used to this, to spending his days with her, and - more importantly - his nights.
He had to remind himself harshly that that wasn’t going to happen.
They needed to talk. He still felt bad about that moment last night when he had asked her to tell him how she felt. He knew it was wrong, he had known it even as he had done it, but he couldn't stop himself. And now, no matter what transpired in the future, he would always have the memory of her saying those sweet words to him. He wasn’t sure what to say to her. He just needed her to know where his stood. He didn’t want to leave any room for confusion or pain when he walked away. And, make no mistake, he
would
walk away. This time together had been amazing, but there wasn’t a future here.
“Chelle, we need to talk.”
She didn’t look up at him, just quietly said, “No.”
He didn’t really know how to respond to that. Should he just come back with 'Yes' or...? He hesitated, not sure what the correct tactic was. Before he could figure it out, though, she explained.
“I just want this day. Just one more day. Okay?” She did look up at him then, and he saw in her eyes that she knew. She knew this was all it could be.
He nodded.
“I love people watching,” she said, glancing away.
Honestly, he hadn’t really even noticed that there were other people around them. It felt like they were in their own little world whenever they were together.
He looked up and saw an older couple walking hand in hand down the pedestrian path. He saw a young father playing catch with his son on the grassy area to their left. There was a woman on a bench down by the water, reading, and a young couple walked their golden retriever puppy on the sandy beach area.