by Em Petrova
He rushed down the steps to the sidewalk as Sascha picked up speed and ran the last few yards into his open arms.
Crushing her against him, he closed his eyes on a brief prayer of thanksgiving that she’d returned safe. In his line of duty, he knew far too much about the dangers of the world and what could befall her.
He lowered his lips to hers, losing himself in the moment as much as she seemed to. Finally, he raised his head.
“What are you doing here?” She stared at him in amazement. “You should have texted and I would have stayed home to meet you!”
“I never know when I have some downtime. I figured I’d take a chance. C’mon, let’s get out of the cold.” He released her but clasped her by the hand as they mounted the steps to the door.
“I’m surprised you didn’t just force the lock.” She used her key.
“Thought about it. I’m going to replace it as soon as I get a chance.”
A rush of lavender filled his nose as she opened the door. She tossed him a look as they began to peel away coats and kick off boots. When he plucked the hat off her head by gripping the ball, her eyes danced.
“I’m so happy you surprised me.”
He drew her into his arms and tucked her close. Bowing his head to her hair, he inhaled her feminine scent. Was it possible to miss the hell out of a person even when not much time passed since last seeing them?
She tightened her arms on him and went on tiptoe, her beautiful eyes shimmering with happiness and her pink lips turned up for his kiss.
Before he even hit her street, he’d promised himself not to take her straight to bed, to give her some of the romance she deserved. But as their lips met and her soft moan sounded, he battled to rein in his desire to toss her over his shoulder and carry her off to bed.
She parted her lips, and he tenderly flipped his tongue against hers, drawing their first kiss out. His effort was more than worth it—her sweet smile imprinted on his heart.
“How much time do you have?” she asked.
“A couple hours.”
“And I missed part of it!”
He stroked his hands down her arms and clasped her hands. “It’s fine. Were you doing schoolwork?”
“Actually, I met with a student who needs someone to run the film end of her social media.”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand these people posting their lives for everyone to see, but I’m glad you got a chance to work.” He led her to the gawdy purple couch that she had muted with a few pillows and a blanket. When he pulled her into his lap, she cuddled against him.
“I hate the thought of you alone in the city.”
She pulled away enough to meet his stare. “I had my bear spray with me.”
“You should have someone with you.”
She arched a brow. “Women are actually tough enough to travel alone these days, River. What’s with the protector act, anyway? Even my brother wouldn’t have acted this way.”
“The fuck he didn’t. He warned me off you so many times.”
Her lips popped open in a ring of surprise. “Really?”
He shouldn’t have spoken, but now he had no choice but to give it to her straight. “He didn’t want us to be together.”
Yet, he’d been breaking his buddy’s trust—a trust that went beyond the grave. Hepburn had agreed to leave Sascha alone, but the minute he got a chance, he’d jumped on it.
“River, look at me. My brother meant well, but he didn’t always know what’s best for me. Besides, I’m old enough to make choices about my life.” She flattened her hand over his heart.
She felt perfect in his arms. As if she’d been created just for him.
“Remember that day coming home from fishing? Ethan saw me watching you, and he brought it up.”
When he didn’t go on, she brushed her fingers over his lips. “The Ethan I knew wanted me to be happy. And you make me happy.”
He couldn’t stop it—he tugged her closer so her body pressed into his. He pitched his voice low. “All I wanna do is make you happy, baby.”
A beautiful smile spread over her lips. Leaning in, he captured them. But the tenderness of their earlier kiss faded into a thing of the past as they immediately went from zero to sixty.
Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he issued a growl. She rocked closer, angling her head to receive the deep passes of his tongue. He grabbed her waist and whipped her to face him, her legs straddling his hips. The instant the heat of her pussy scorched through his fly, he pushed his hips into her.
Their gazes caught with an unspoken agreement.
He tore off her top and went for her bra. She lightly raked her fingernails over his chest while pulling off his shirt. Dark need to claim her in all ways throbbed inside him.
“What you need is my cock buried in your pussy,” he rasped.
She cried out. “Yes!”
He removed her bra and cupped her breasts in his palms. “So much for slowing things down.”
“Why would we?” She dipped her head and bit into his nipple.
A rumble of pleasure and animal need burst from him.
“We have all the time in the world to settle into a boring relationship.” Her words ended on a squeal as he sucked her nipple into his mouth and flicked the tip gently with his tongue.
Lifting her, he flipped her onto her back and went for her jeans. Her expression burned with desire, and damn if he could deny her what she needed from him.
In seconds, he stripped off the rest of her clothes, freed his cock and angled toward her soaking center.
Somewhere in the cargo pants he hadn’t entirely removed in his haste to take Sascha, his phone rang.
He pushed his cock into her slick folds. Liquid heat enveloped him.
It rang again.
“River…you should probably get that.”
He clenched his jaw. “Fucking hell. Cock-blocked again.”
After digging his cell from his pocket, he raised it to his ear. “Hep.”
Expecting to hear from his captain, it took him several seconds to understand his momma’s voice filled his head.
“This is your brother’s third week of sobriety!” she cried out.
He blinked down at Sascha—her bare breasts pale with the tips hard and pink from him sucking them. And her eyes glowing with the raw need he was denying her.
He swung his hips back, and her warmth faded from the tip of his cock. Her juices still dampened his skin, and he quickly pulled his pants into place to find some focus.
Dropping to the sofa near Sascha’s feet, he lowered his face into his hand. Concentrating on his momma’s words while sporting a steel rod still damp from Sascha’s juices might rival the skill it required to hunt a serial killer.
“Three weeks. That’s great to hear, Mom.”
From the corner of his eye, he spotted Sascha running her fingers through her hair .
“I’m really sorry I never made it down there to help you.”
“It’s not as if you got into that accident on purpose. Besides, I told you before, River, that you don’t have to take responsibility for every single person on this planet. You’re already protecting all of Alaska.”
Yes, she’d said as much before…but now it sank into his brain more. He’d always regretted not trying to do more for his uncle in the facility, drugged on painkillers until he died alone. He regretted not reaching Kyle or saving Ethan.
Withholding from Sascha meant doing what he believed to be best for her. What Ethan believed.
But seeing the pink in her cheeks and that stunning smile told him that what she said was true—she was happy with him.
His chest swelled with even more love. There—he admitted it even if he didn’t speak the words aloud.
He’d fallen in love with Sascha long ago. All these years, he fought to keep from thinking about her, or contacting her in any way, which would only reopen the old vault of desire.
“You know I’m right, Ri
ver,” his momma continued. “You even took responsibility when Ethan lost his life.”
His throat clamped off. He stole a peek at Sascha. She’d fallen still, and he had to wonder if she could hear what his momma was saying.
When she nodded, he knew for certain she heard every word.
“I didn’t call to lay a guilt trip on you. I only wanted to share the good news. It’s a cause for celebration, even if it’s a baby step.”
“It is,” he agreed.
“It’s time you take care of yourself and go after what makes you happy, son. I’ll keep you informed about your brother. Call me when you can, okay?”
He scrubbed his hand over the top of his head. “I will.”
They exchanged goodbyes and I-love-yous.
Sascha sat up, her expression burning with want and something else. Something he feared believing in so soon, even though he felt the emotion deep in his core.
Love.
“She’s right, you know,” Sascha said quietly.
He grunted. Then he dipped his gaze to her breasts. “Where were we?” He pressed her down and planted his body between her legs once more.
With her eyes aglow, she drew his cock into her hand and angled it toward her center. “Right here, River.” She pulled him down and locked her legs around his waist. “Right here.”
The sports complex overflowed with students attending the Pride parade, and Sascha threw herself into the middle of it all, her video recorder capturing more footage in one shot than she’d gotten in months of filming.
When she wasn’t asking people if she could record them for her documentary, or asking interview questions on her important topics, she tried to smile and enjoy their fun.
But deep down…she wished she had someone to share more of her time with. She loved River’s surprise visits, but she couldn’t help but feel if too much separated them. They might share a state, but their lives couldn’t be more different.
His life was rigid, structured and backed by skills. Hers a creative flow carving paths through what would otherwise be a boring day.
Focusing on what they did have in common felt better. So she kept her film rolling as her mind floated.
They shared a past. They could share a future, if she was reading the glow in his eyes correctly. Neither of them could resist the pull of their attraction. And some cosmic force thrust him into her path for a reason.
A cheer went up from the crowd as some event took place, and she glanced into her screen to ensure she captured it. She should be more focused, shouldn’t she? In the here and now, rather than battling with her wandering mind—again.
River’s momma’s words rang through her skull. She’d never heard anything ring so true. She pegged her son’s actions down to the last dotted I. What Sascha’d been thinking was how to apply that to her own life.
River adopted responsibility for everyone. But maybe she was guilty of putting someone else first too.
Her brother.
He expressed his desire to see her return to college for a degree in film. Was she doing this for herself anymore?
What else would she do if she gave up on this goal? She might be standing in the middle of a huge rowdy crowd of people wearing bright rainbow colors and Pride T-shirts, but she couldn’t feel more lost.
Swallowing hard, she stared through the screen at the people breaking into song and dance in celebration. She dragged in a deep breath to steady her camera as well as her mind. Of all the times to start losing sight of her goal.
Maybe her struggle to implement the feedback that Maggie, Blake and Emerson provided had her at a low point. Her confidence took a hit. But when she compared her documentary to any of theirs, hers felt unrefined, out of focus…out of touch.
She could take more classes. Perhaps this university taught different strategies and her three new friends—and the other dozen in her class—hadn’t really swallowed a magic pill that she missed out on when they were handed around.
Though her musings shook the path beneath her feet, she steeled herself to finish what she started. She shot so much footage that she had to swap out her SD card twice.
When things started to break up and people began to leave the rally, she lingered to talk to people who were here in support of the community.
Someone tapped her shoulder from behind, and still laughing at something someone said, she turned to see Emerson.
“Oh hey! I didn’t know you were here.”
He laughed. “You’d never see the same person twice in this crowd. I was on my way out and saw you.”
“I’ll walk with you. I’m finished here.”
They strolled outside, and the cold wind whipped at her open jacket. She tried to zip up with her hands full of equipment and holding the strap of her bag.
“Let me help.” Emerson accepted her bag and then held out a hand for her camera. She gave it to him and zipped her coat. Then she took a minute to slide the camera safely in the bag.
“That’s better. Thanks again.”
“No problem.” He tossed a look over his shoulder at the people flooding out of the building. “So that was pretty great.”
She bobbed her head in agreement. “I’ve never been to a rally that was such a…” she searched for the word, “celebration.”
“It really was. Are you headed to the bus stop?”
She blinked at him. “Yeah, I am. How did you know?”
“Good guess.” He offered her a smile. “You didn’t have a car parked out in front of Maggie’s, and I just figured you’re new in town…”
“Right. Yes, I’m catching the bus. Which means I have to go this way. I’ll see you at the next class, Emerson.”
“Wait a sec, Sascha. Did Maggie text you about grabbing drinks tonight?”
Since she was just new to their critique group and only considered herself a more important acquaintance, she wasn’t experiencing a pang of hurt at not being included in the invitation.
“No, but that’s fine.” She waved a hand. “You go on. I’m heading home.” She lifted her camera bag. “Lots of work to do.”
He tilted his head, almost giving her a puppy-dog look. “Come on. Join us for drinks.”
“I wasn’t invited.”
“I’m inviting you. Besides, we’re just grabbing a beer and then we’ll all end up at Maggie’s analyzing our films anyway. We could use your expertise.”
She chuckled. “I’m far from an expert.” In fact, she considered her skills below any of theirs but refrained from saying that out loud.
“Sasch-a,” he dragged out her name in a sing-song way. “Come on, Sascha. Maggie will kill me if she finds out I ran into you and didn’t bring you along for drinks.”
She could totally see Maggie bossing Emerson around, demanding to know why he didn’t forcibly haul her to the bar.
“Okay, fine. I can’t have you getting in trouble.”
“Good. We have to walk this way.”
The bar was a short distance away, and it seemed most of the Pride rally had ended up here too. A line extended out the door. She and Emerson stood there stamping their feet against the cold and chatting, their breaths, plumes of white in the air.
Luckily, people were grabbing a drink, tossing it down and leaving rather quickly, so the line moved faster than she expected. They spotted Maggie and Blake sitting at the corner table, and their faces lit up when they saw Sascha was with him.
Warmed by more than getting indoors, she wove her way through the crowd to the table and ordered a hard cider. Sitting with friends and talking about the rally felt nice, though part of her wished River were here.
Better yet—that she and River were alone somewhere.
Before long, Maggie grabbed her purse and tucked it under her arm. “Well, we’re out of here. Blake and I were invited to one of these Pride parties and we aren’t going to miss people-watching for the world.” She looked between Sascha and Emerson. “You two going to make the group tomorrow?”
; “Wouldn’t miss it.” Emerson had unknotted his scarf around his neck, and it hung down his chest. He tugged it off and draped it over the seat Blake vacated.
Sascha wasn’t comfortable hanging out alone with Emerson. The last thing she needed was him to get the wrong impression and think she liked him. She’d just stay long enough to be polite and then zip home.
As she sipped her cider, though, the conversation turned to film and classes, and she loosened up and listened to all he had to share.
“…the piece follows a formula, but I still really enjoyed it for the high points.”
She blinked.
He looked at her. “I’ve made your eyes glaze over, haven’t I? I’m sorry I’m so boring with all this school talk. It’s not as if we don’t already eat and breathe it, right?”
She chuckled. “It’s fine. Really. I’ve enjoyed getting your take on things, and you have a lot of great ideas I can learn from.”
He smiled and sipped his drink. When he set it aside, he said, “This has been nice, Sascha. Talking to you, I mean. Maybe we can do it again over dinner?”
She fiddled with her paper napkin, wadding it up in a ball and then flattening it. “That’s really sweet, Emerson, but I have a boyfriend.”
His brows shot up. “This is news to me. Spill it, girl. Who is he? Someone from class?”
She shook her head, a smile spreading at the mere thought of River. “You don’t know him. He’s…in the military.”
He straightened and gave her a broad grin. “That’s pretty exciting. Anyway, I should probably get home. And you have all that footage from the rally to process.”
Seeing that he wasn’t in the mood to stick around after her rejection, she got up from her seat. They walked out of the bar together but went their separate ways.
Once seated on the bus, she allowed herself a moment to decompress and process all she’d seen and done today. The rally…hanging with friends and Emerson asking her on a date.
She bit her lip. Hopefully, her refusal didn’t make things weird in the group. She actually did enjoy her time with them all.
