Lauren’s hips started moving to rhythm of her thrusts, grinding her center against Riley’s thigh, her panties adding extra friction. Riley’s hand was on her hip, urging her on as she grunted, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth, her eyes shut tight.
“Fuck.” Riley kissed her hard, her tongue probing, dancing with her own until she had to pull away with a low, guttural moan. “Faster.”
Lauren had gradually increased her speed, and with Riley’s encouragement, she moved her fingers faster, her thrusts deep, curling her fingers until Riley’s walls tightened around them. Riley’s fingers dug into her hip, her other hand clutching the sheets as her hips bucked against Lauren’s hand.
Riley cried out, her head thrown back into the pillow, her nails raking across Lauren’s skin as her hand slid away, and she palmed her own breast as she came. Lauren swallowed, the wetness pooling between her legs as she took in probably the sexiest thing she’d ever witnessed.
She withdrew her fingers as Riley’s breathing returned to normal, and Lauren dipped her head to lightly brush her lips across hers.
“You’re so beautiful,” Lauren whispered between kisses. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it was out there now.
Riley’s eyes met hers. “That was... Incredible. Really fucking hot,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips as she wrapped her arm around Lauren’s waist and flipped them.
Lauren looked up at her as she sat up, straddling her leg as her hands moved over Lauren’s body, her nails lightly raking across her skin, over her stomach and then her hips, down her thighs and back up again.
Lauren bit her lip, her entire body tingling in anticipation as Riley slid her panties down her legs. She knew she was wet. She could feel it between her legs, and as soon as Riley’s hand slipped through her folds, she could also hear it.
“You’re so wet,” Riley murmured, one hand flat against the sheets beside Lauren’s arm, the other working some kind of magic on her. Lauren closed her eyes as Riley’s fingers teased her clit, sending pulses of desire through her entire body. She was close. That pressure was building up in her belly as Riley continued to tease her.
Lauren shuddered when Riley leaned in, her breasts pressing against hers, her nipples hard against her skin. Riley’s lips started a slow, sensual kiss, her tongue barely skimming across her own while her fingers delved through her folds, hovering at her entrance before returning to her clit and circling her again.
Lauren broke the kiss, her hand on Riley’s cheek. She couldn’t think about anything other than her release. She could enjoy her next orgasm, let Riley draw it out, but right now, she needed to come.
“Riley.” Lauren forced herself to open her eyes, to meet Riley’s. “Please.”
Riley’s lips brushed across hers. “Please, what?”
“I need you. Fingers.” Lauren squeezed Riley’s ass as she lowered her body again, kissing Lauren with more urgency while Riley’s fingers eased into her. Lauren groaned. She didn’t know if that was two or three fingers, and she didn’t care as Riley found her rhythm, her palm slapping against Lauren’s clit with each long, deep stroke. “Riley...” Lauren didn’t even know what she was trying to say, but her orgasm came over her in an unexpected wave, taking over her body as she clung to Riley, her hands splayed across her back and shoulder blade, holding on as her hips rocked against Riley’s hand.
Lauren had no idea how much time had passed, but when she opened her eyes, Riley was lying beside her, brushing Lauren’s hair away from her eyes, her finger trailing her jawline as she gave her the softest kiss. Riley’s hand rested on Lauren’s stomach, her fingertips drawing some kind of pattern, and Lauren took a deep breath, trying to get her heart rate back to normal.
“You’re so sexy,” Riley said, her voice low, reverent almost.
Lauren’s lips slid into a smile. “That was amazing.” She rolled onto her side, clutching the pillow underneath her as she faced Riley. “Unbelievable, really.”
“There might be some chemistry here.”
Lauren loved Riley’s smile, especially that one, the kind that reached her eyes. “Will you stay tonight?” Once again, the words were out of Lauren’s mouth before she’d properly thought them through.
“Hmmm. But no one’s sleeping just yet.”
“Is that so?” Lauren looked up as Riley climbed on top of her, reaching for her hands and pinning them above her head.
“Yeah.” Riley had this smug look on her face, and for once, Lauren was willing to give up control, because having Riley on top of her like this was making her weak, never mind what Riley was going to do to her next.
12
Riley rolled onto her back, stretching her arms as her eyes fluttered open. Her legs ached, but she smiled to herself as memories of last night drifted into her mind. No wonder she was sore.
Riley turned her head, expecting to see Lauren asleep beside her, but the bed was empty. Riley sat up, reaching for her phone on the nightstand. What if she’d overstayed her welcome? What if it was noon? Riley unlocked her screen after almost dropping her phone. It was just coming up to nine o’clock on a Saturday morning. Perfectly reasonable.
Then why was she alone?
Riley sat still for a few seconds, listening for any sounds, but Lauren’s apartment was quiet. Riley knew she had to play it cool if this was going to work, but she couldn’t keep her throat from tightening. She swallowed, pushing down that feeling of dread, and got out of bed, gathering up her clothes.
She got dressed and went into the master bathroom, combing her fingers through her hair, doing her best to tame it. Riley suppressed a shudder when she thought of how Lauren had possessively threaded her fingers through her hair last night.
She washed her face and freshened up, and as far as she could tell, the apartment was still silent. Riley checked her reflection one last time. She looked tired, but that was to be expected. They’d been up most of the night, but at least she wasn’t hungover.
Riley went down the hallway and into the living room kitchen area. She stood beside the counter, running her hand along the cool black surface, remembering how last night had started right here. Riley had been more daring that she’d ever been, and what a time she’d picked. At least, it had all worked out. Lauren could have shoved her away. She could have thrown Riley out, but none of that had happened. Instead, Lauren had kissed her, and their chemistry had been through the roof.
That was last night though, and right now, Riley was alone in Lauren’s apartment, not entirely sure of what to do. Part of her thought she should just leave. There was no note. She hadn’t received any texts. Lauren had left without a word. Shouldn’t she do the same? She couldn’t just hang around and wait for Lauren to come back. Maybe that was why she’d left in the first place, hoping that Riley would be gone by the time she got back.
Riley’s pulse quickened. That was the most likely explanation, and Riley was not going to be here with Lauren got back. That would be so embarrassing. She patted her pockets, making sure she had her keys and her phone, and headed for the door, but it opened before she got there.
“Hey,” Lauren said, her hair pulled back in a pony tail, her arms and neck glistening with a light layer of sweat. She was wearing black shorts and a white tank top, and Riley followed her into the kitchen. “Sorry, I thought I’d be out and back before you got up. Did you sleep okay?” Lauren asked as she pulled open the fridge and took out a bottle of water.
Riley took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart rate. She’d just worked herself up, thinking that Lauren couldn’t wait to get rid of her, and that didn’t look like the case at all. “Yeah. Yeah, I slept fine.” She cleared her throat, leaning her hip against the counter, trying to figure out what the best thing to do was. She should probably still leave. The last thing she wanted was for Lauren to think she was going to be clingy.
Lauren took a long drink. “Sorry. I pushed myself a little bit too hard this morning, which was a big mistake considering how sore
my muscles were from…” She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. “We should probably talk about last night.”
“We should.” Riley bit the inside of her cheek. What direction was this going in? Was Lauren going to let her down easy or was this the start of something?
Lauren glanced down at her clothes. “Sorry, I’m uh... Kind of disgusting at the moment, but I don’t think this should wait.”
Riley waved her off, her stomach doing flip-flops as she forced herself to smile. “You’re not, but I know what you mean.” She had a sinking feeling this conversation wasn’t going to go well for her.
Lauren nodded and took another drink. “So, what was last night for you?”
Riley opened her mouth and closed it again. That was not what she was expecting. Last night was everything she could have hoped for and more. It was mind-blowing, incredibly sexy, and Riley knew she was already in so much trouble. “Last night was... Unexpected,” Riley said, meeting Lauren’s gaze. “Yet amazing, but I would completely understand if you didn’t want to...” Riley’s voice trailed off as Lauren took a step closer.
“I asked you what last night was for you. Not what you think it was for me.” Lauren’s voice was steady and serious.
Riley swallowed. Lauren’s voice did something to her, and she got a flashback from last night when Lauren’s breath had been hot on her ear. Tell me what you want. Riley pushed those thoughts away. Lauren was standing in front of her, her hands on her hips, waiting for her to say something. “I would hate for last night to have been a one-time thing,” Riley said, her voice even despite the swooshing of her pulse in her ears. “I think we have too much chemistry for that.”
“Hmm. I agree.”
A smile tugged at Riley’s lips. “Really?”
“Yes.” Lauren chuckled. “Why do you sound so surprised?”
Riley took a deep breath. “I just thought... I mean, when I woke up this morning and you were gone. I guess, I assumed the worst.”
“And I’m sorry about that. I should have left you a note or something.”
“It’s fine.”
“I would like this to stay between us though,” Lauren said, wiping her hand across her face. “I know it’s not technically against the rules, but I still wouldn’t want to...”
Riley nodded. “I get that. I won’t say anything… I better get going.”
“Okay. I need to have a shower anyway.”
“So, um... We’ll just be in touch then?”
Lauren nodded. “Yeah... Is it alright if I kiss you?” she asked, looking down at herself again. “As gross and all as I am.”
Riley smiled as she stepped closer to Lauren. “I’ve been waiting all morning,” she said with a smirk, sliding her hand over Lauren’s shoulder and up to her neck as she tilted her head and brushed her lips across Lauren’s.
Lauren sighed into the kiss, and Riley’s body tingled as their lips met in a soft kiss, neither of them deepening it, but that was okay, because this wasn’t their last kiss.
Riley pulled away, her hand on Lauren’s cheek for a second before she let it drop. “I’ll talk to you later,” Riley said.
Lauren nodded and walked her to the door, holding it open for her. “See you later.”
Riley resisted the urge to look back. She went down the hall and got straight in the elevator, waiting until the doors closed before she smiled to herself, leaning her head back against the cool metal. What a night.
13
Riley almost collided with someone who was also on their way into the campus coffee shop. “Sorry,” she said automatically. She was still in a daze. She’d gotten back to her apartment and went straight in the shower. Nicole and Becca were still sleeping, and Riley was too restless to stay in the apartment. Plus, she didn’t want to run into Nicole. Not yet, anyway. She’d know something was up, and Riley had promised Lauren that she wouldn’t tell anyone about them.
“Don’t worry about it,” Brian Harper said with a smile, stepping ahead of her to hold open the door. “You looked like you were miles away. Still thinking about last night?”
Riley’s cheeks burned. “What?”
“Your big win? You must be thrilled,” Brian said as they went inside. “I follow the casino on Twitter, and there was your name as last night’s winner. I didn’t even realized you played poker.”
“Oh. Right. The tournament. Yeah. I am,” Riley said with a smile as they got in line. “Still can’t quite believe it, but yeah, I played online for years, but I’m new to tournaments. I’m actually am a fan of yours. I remember seeing you on TV. You made being good at math seem cool. That’s what my fourteen-year-old self thought anyway.”
Brian laughed. “Well, now I feel old.”
“Do you miss it? Playing in those big tournaments.”
“Sometimes... Okay, a lot of the time, but I have different priorities now. I have a wife and kids. Teaching is a good, reliable, steady job, and I’m not staying out late or traveling around the country. This suits me now. My sister was probably there last night. Do you have her for any classes this year? Lauren Harper.”
Riley bit back a smile. Why did just hearing Lauren’s name make her heart beat that little bit faster? “Yeah. I have her for Ethics in Business and Auditing.”
“Hmmm. Exciting,” he said with a laugh. “Not that I can talk. Algebra isn’t exactly riveting stuff.”
“No, but you’re both excellent teachers. You somehow do make those topics interesting.”
Brian chuckled. “Thank you, but I’m not so sure about that. I think Lauren’s still coming around to teaching as a career. She’ll never admit to it, but I taught her everything she knows when it comes to poker.”
“Oh really?”
“Speak of the devil.”
Riley turned to see Lauren coming in the door, their eyes locking as Riley did her best to act normal. Lauren looked amazing in jeans and a navy sweater, her hair down.
“Hi,” Lauren said to Brian and then gave Riley a polite smile.
“Do you want to join us?” Brian asked Riley. “We can talk poker. You can give us all the insights from your win.”
Lauren cleared her throat. “Brian, I’m sure she has better things to do than spend her Saturday morning with us.”
Riley’s eyes darted between them. “I’m actually meeting someone. I just came in for a to-go coffee. Thanks for the offer, though.”
“No problem,” Brian said. “It’s your turn.”
Riley ordered and took out her phone while she waited as Brian and Lauren spoke. Riley knew this was a small town and an even smaller campus, but she couldn’t seem to go anywhere lately without seeing Lauren. Not that she was complaining. It was just difficult to act normal around her, especially after last night.
Lauren sipped her coffee, her eyes following Riley as she disappeared into the crowd of students in the distance.
“You okay?” Brian asked, bringing his mug to his lips.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “You seem distracted. Did something happen last night?”
Lauren nearly choked on her coffee. “What? No.”
“I know you hate it when a student knocks you out. Is that what happened?”
“No.” Lauren said, sitting up straighter. Of course, Brian was talking about poker and not Riley. “No. I just ran out of chips. I should have made a move sooner.”
“Some days, I really miss it.”
“Then why don’t you play?”
“I promised Katherine.” Brian ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe when the kids are older. But not now. I gave her my word.”
Lauren shook her head. “It’s not like you had a problem. You were making a name for yourself.”
“I know. It’s not that. I just don’t want to be away from them. I don’t need the money. I’m happy teaching. I just miss it sometimes... Maybe, I should mentor someone.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Riley would be perfect.”
/>
“What?” Lauren blinked. Surely, she misheard him.
“I remember her. I had her for algebra. She was incredibly smart.”
“I’m sure there’s someone else... Someone who hasn’t won a tournament already.”
“That’s the thing though,” Brian said. “She said she was new to them, and she’s out there winning. Imagine how much she could improve with a bit more strategic thinking, some expert analysis? She said she used to watch me on TV.”
“She’s a senior. Who knows where she’ll be in a few months when she graduates,” Lauren said, coming up with any excuse, any reason to deter Brian. But when she’d said those words, it struck her how true they were.
“Lauren, are you alright? Do you not like her? Is that it?”
She shook her head. “No. She’s fine. She seems nice.”
Brian’s eyes narrowed, and Lauren avoided his gaze as she took a sip of coffee. “Lauren?”
“Yes?” she asked, but she knew that he knew. He was her older brother, and he had a way of seeing right through her.
“How long has this been going on?”
Lauren held out her hand. “First of all, this is nothing like what happened before.”
“Uh huh.”
“Second of all...” Lauren sighed. She’d lost her train of thought.
“What? You can handle it this time?”
“Yes, but that wasn’t what I was going to say. I was going to say that it’s all very new, and that Riley is... She’s mature, and we’re talking, like adults.”
“Unlike last time.”
“Yes, unlike last time,” Lauren said, keeping herself from rolling her eyes. She knew she made a mistake with Deirdre. She didn’t need Brian to remind her of that.
“So... What? You’re dating?”
Lauren’s shoulders lifted. “I don’t know. I’m not sure. It’s literally brand new, okay? As in last night.”
Sweet Temptation Page 7
