by Lisa Edward
To bring my playing back up to scratch, Marcus had entrusted me with a set of keys to the bar so I could practice whenever the bar was closed. It surprised me to see how many hours he put in at the bar outside normal business hours. He always seemed to be there when I was, and stayed while I practiced for hours at a time. When I had finally finished practicing, he would pour us a drink and we would talk into the night.
Marcus was quickly becoming one of my closest friends, and I loved spending time with him.
Night time was when I felt the separation the most. After the hustle and bustle of the day, when I was finally alone, I would lie in the big empty bed and cuddle Riley’s pillow. I had even resorted to buying his brand of cologne and spraying it in the room. Kelli thought I had clearly lost my mind when I told her. But I found it comforting and it helped me sleep, drifting off to his scent and the songs he had saved on the iPod.
I waited nervously for Riley’s plane to land. He had called to confirm the flight number and time, which was the same as Cooper’s, so Kelli and I had driven to the airport together.
On the way there, Kelli had filled me in on what to expect based on past experience with Cooper. Apparently Riley would be exhausted, and not want to do very much except sleep and eat for the first three or four days. So I should go about my business as usual, and just make sure there was food when he was hungry, and leave him to rest.
I saw him as soon as he cleared customs, before he had a chance to see me. He was as gorgeous as I remembered, but he looked a little thinner, and tired around the eyes. As soon as he saw me his eyes lit up, and a wide, beaming smile spread across his face.
Racing over to him, I jumped into his arms, almost knocking him over.
“I’ve missed you too,” he said with a laugh as he wrapped me in his arms, lifting me off the ground and twirling me around.
He put me down and held me at arm’s length so he could get a good look at me. “You sure are a sight for sore eyes,” he said, still beaming, and hugged me tight.
It felt like coming home to be wrapped in his arms again, and I stayed there until he reluctantly loosened his hold.
Right from the start, Cooper milked his exhaustion for all it was worth, asking Kelli to help carry his bag because he was so tired. She just rolled her eyes and then went to get a trolley for all the luggage.
“Are you as out of shape as Cooper?” I asked Riley with a wink.
“No, thank goodness. I’ve been thinking we may have to send him on extra training to bring him up to speed with the rest of the unit,” Riley joked back, then turning to Kelli, added, “Let me know how he manages his recuperation. I’d hate to think he needs you to run around doing everything for him.”
Kelli laughed, and promised to give Riley a full report at the end of the week. Cooper, however, just pouted; it looked like his plan to sit back and have Kelli wait on him would have to be put on hold.
As soon as we got to the apartment, Riley headed for the bedroom to lie down. I thought that would be the end of him for the night, but he called me in and patted the bed beside him, wanting me to join him.
“I thought you would just want to sleep after three weeks of extreme training?”
“I do, but I’d like to hold you while I do it, if that’s okay.”
Snuggling into his chest, I wrapped my arm around his slightly thinner frame, feeling perfectly at home as our breathing got into sync.
“So, tell me about playing at Songbirds,” he said sleepily. “I’m so happy for you, and I was so rapt you left me the voice message, it was the first thing I listened to when I got back,” he said, then he added, “I apologise in advance if I fall asleep while you’re talking.”
I told him about how my part-time job had come about, the songs I’d been playing, and the reaction from the patrons, and somewhere in the middle of me talking he drifted off to sleep.
The next couple of days followed the same routine. I had put in for two weeks leave from my day job so I could be there to look after Riley when he needed something. I also did chores, and started packing for Fiji while he slept.
By Monday night, he was feeling almost back to normal and wanted to come to Songbirds to hear me play.
I called Kelli to see if Cooper was up to going out, but he was still lying on the couch, apparently too weak to do anything while Kelli did everything for him, so they passed.
I was nervous to play in front of Riley. It felt like a bigger deal to play for him than for the rest of the people in the bar combined, because I wanted him to be proud of me. I looked around; most of the tables were filled tonight, which was great for business.
Riley greeted Marcus with a friendly handshake and took a stool at the bar, while I took a seat behind the piano. I played all the songs I had played before that were on the set list, then included one more before calling it a night. I had been listening to Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years’. It reminded me of Riley, so I added it just for him.
He beamed at me as I made my way to the bar and hugged me tightly. I ran my hands through his hair and pressed my body against his, slotting in between his legs as he leaned up against his stool.
“I am so proud of you for getting back on the horse, babe, it’s what you were born to do; music is a part of you. You are amazing.”
It was exactly what I needed to hear from him, and I kissed him warmly on the lips, lingering just long enough to elicit a soft sigh from him when we parted. I was so relieved. It did feel right to be playing again, and now I would never give it up, not for anyone.
Marcus was behind the bar, and he stood back watching the exchange between Riley and me with an expression that I couldn’t quite read. It was the first time that I had played when he didn’t look entirely happy afterward, and it bothered me.
“Was it okay, Marcus?” I asked him, concerned that he hadn’t liked the song I had added.
He nodded. “You added an extra song at the end,” he said, looking at Riley with a frown.
I raised my eyebrows at him, and waited for his thoughts.
He shook his head and relaxed his forehead a little. “What made you choose that song?”
I looked at Riley, and told them both, a little embarrassedly, that it reminded me of Riley so I had dubbed it “Riley’s song”.
Riley kissed me again, delighted with having a song just for him, but Marcus’s brow furrowed deeper again in contemplation, before finally saying, “I like the song, I guess you can keep it in the set.”
KELLI DROVE us to the airport, and it was so exciting to be boarding the plane with Riley instead of waving him goodbye.
It took almost a full day of travel to arrive at the island. After the flight, we had to take a car over unmade roads to the port at Denarau, and then the ferry across a rough sea to the island, but it was worth every minute of the turbulent journey.
As the ferry slowed at the island, and the little speed boat came to meet us and take us to shore, we took in the magnificence that was the Fijian island.
There were bures along the beachfront, one of which would be ours, and a restaurant and bar on the sand that looked out over the ocean. All around the bures were palm trees with discreet torches in between to light the paths at night. The water was crystal clear and we could see little fish darting around under the boat. It was absolutely spectacular.
It was late afternoon by the time we set foot on the pristine white sand, and we were both exhausted, so we checked in and enjoyed an elaborate-looking “welcome” cocktail with umbrellas and fruit on the side of the glass, before heading to the bure to relax.
We flopped down on the bed, side by side, holding hands, looking up at the cathedral ceiling, which was decorated with intricately hand-painted designs that repeated every few feet. On the outside the roof was thatched, and not sealed around the edges to allow maximum airflow. As I was looking at the design overhead, I noticed a tiny gecko blending into the pattern. Obviously, the gap around the roofline also let little critters in.
/>
I pointed up at the little lizard and turned my head to look over at Riley. He was looking at me with a huge grin on his face.
“This place is awesome,” I said, as I rolled over toward him. “Thank you so much.”
He snuggled me in his arms. “Thank you for coming with me. It means a lot to me that we can spend this time together, just the two of us.”
He kissed me tenderly on the forehead, then the tip of my nose, before finding my lips. I kissed him back eagerly. I had missed these moments over the last three weeks, and I wanted to savour every kiss with him, every touch. He brushed my hair back off my face, and looked into my eyes as if he wanted to say something, but instead he kissed me again.
My stomach growled, reminding us that we had skipped lunch, and Riley chuckled. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
Patting my stomach, I told it to shhh, but it growled again, so we got changed quickly and walked along the beach, hand in hand, to the restaurant.
The food was wonderful, and the cocktails went down far too easily, but the view was the highlight. We sat out on the veranda of the restaurant and watched the sky turn shades of purple and orange over the ocean as we ate a fresh seafood platter with prawns, lobster, crab legs and fish, and indulged in a decadent chocolate soufflé. At this rate, any weight that Riley had lost over the past three weeks he would surely find again by the time we left. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to find it as well, so made a mental note to ration the desserts.
We walked back along the sand and then stretched out in the hammock that was strung up outside our bure. It was so peaceful to just lie out under the stars together while the cool breeze blew in over the ocean.
Then we felt a few drops of rain fall. It was mid-November, so not quite the rainy season, but it wasn’t uncommon for it to rain overnight. Riley asked me if I wanted to go in, but I shook my head; I didn’t want to move from this spot.
We stayed there while the warm rain fell down on us, tasting each other’s lips as we kissed passionately. I would never grow tired of this. Riley’s lips were so soft, his touch so tender, as the rain continued falling, the droplets running into our mouths. He ran his hand down my wet body over my curves, and back up into my soaked hair. His lips found my ear and he nibbled gently before his mouth moved to my neck, his tongue licking the rain from my skin.
I ran my hands through his wet hair and down his back, his shirt clinging to him, defining every contour of his body.
Things were becoming heated, and people quickly looked away as they strolled back from the restaurant to their bures.
“We should go inside,” I murmured in Riley’s ear, as he ran his hand up my thigh, “before we get arrested.”
By the time we went in to the bure we were both drenched through, so we got undressed and dried off. Riley still looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes evident, although he tried his hardest not to let it show as he stretched out under the sheet and waited for me. I lay down next to him, propped up on my elbow.
“Why don’t you go to sleep, babe, we can continue this in the morning,” I said softly, stroking his hair as he briefly closed his eyes.
He shook his head and looked up at me. “I want to make love to you on our first night here.”
I smiled down at him. “Okay, you’ve twisted my arm,” I said with a grin. “Why don’t you just relax …” I kissed his lips tenderly. “… and let me …” I kissed his neck. “… take care …” I kissed his chest. “… of you.”
I followed the trail down his perfectly defined abdomen with gentle kisses, and then teasingly kissed and licked him before taking him in my mouth. He sighed heavily and ran his hand through my still wet hair. I stayed there for a few minutes, arousing him further, before following the trail back up his body and straddling over his hips. He gently pulled my head down to his, wanting to taste my lips again as I lifted myself for a moment before lowering down onto him.
His hands ran down the sides of my body until he reached my hips and then pushed me down until he was fully inside me, making me gasp as he filled me completely. I rocked back and forth and a guttural sound escaped his throat as he lifted his hips to meet me. I sat up, resting my hands on his chest and continued rocking back and forth while Riley ran his hands up and down my thighs. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back as the sensation ignited my body.
“Open your eyes,” he said breathlessly.
I looked down into his eyes; he was watching my face, his eyes blazing, which heightened my pleasure further. I tilted my body back to change the angle, and Riley inhaled sharply. “You feel so good, babe,” he murmured.
It looked like it was taking all his concentration to hang on. I loved that look in his eyes; it had tipped me over the edge before, and it was doing it again now. My body clenched around him, and I let out a ragged breath. He knew what was coming. He finally allowed himself to let go, and we felt our release together as we stayed lost in each other’s eyes. Then I lay back down on top of him and kissed him tenderly on the lips.
“Happy now?” I asked, with a cheeky grin.
He grinned back up at me, and nodded enthusiastically.
“Good. I aim to please.” I used a line that he had said to me many times before, and he laughed.
I went to roll off him, but he held me in place. “Just stay here for a while longer,” he whispered into my ear, as I rested my head down onto his shoulder.
So I stayed where I was with his arms wrapped around me, tickling my back absentmindedly, and we drifted off to sleep.
We woke too late in the morning for breakfast—in fact, it was closer to lunch by the time we surfaced and stepped out into the warm sunshine. We decided that the first thing to do was explore the resort and the wider island so we set off, map in hand.
The resort had a day spa, which provided massages, facials, and body wraps, so we booked in for a couples massage, and then continued on to find the swimming pools, pool bar, and the second restaurant. We found the water sports bure and decided that we should do as much as possible, so agreed to try something different each day, including kayaking, sailing, and snorkelling.
By the time we had finished exploring it was time for lunch, so we enjoyed yet another delicious meal, although lighter this time, and then headed back to the sun lounges outside our bure.
Riley stripped down to his red swim shorts and went for a dip in the crystal clear ocean, while I pulled out a book and lay back to take in some sun in my favourite bikini. I tried to read, but my eyes kept lifting from the pages to check on Riley. For some reason, I didn’t want to let him out of my sight. I was anxious that I would look up and he would be gone, and all this would be a dream.
I watched him as he waded out of the water and headed back up the beach toward me. His swim shorts were clinging to him, and sitting dangerously low on his hips. His hair was slightly longer now after not being cut for more than six weeks, and it looked sexier than ever as he shook some of the water out of it. I had persuaded him not to shave everyday so there was dark stubble on his face, which looked unbelievably rugged. I ran my gaze over his defined chest, letting my eyes settle on his tattoo; it was subtle and just seemed to add to his sexiness.
But the best thing was the sexy smile on his face, and the sparkle in his sapphire-blue eyes that were just for me. Yes, ladies, he’s with me, I thought, as I noticed women of all ages watching him approvingly.
He came and lay down on the sun lounge next to me, before leaning over and whispering in my ear, “You know, I really love that bikini you’re wearing.”
I looked down at my barely there two-piece and smiled at him.
“But I’d really like to see how it looks on the floor beside the bed.”
Looking at his face, he winked at me suggestively, so I grabbed my book, then took his hand and headed in to the bure. I didn’t need to be asked twice.
The days went by far too quickly, and before we knew it, we only had one full day left.
We had
been on the beach after lunch, as was our routine, and then inside for the hottest part of the day before venturing back out, blissfully happy and satisfied once more.
As we were lying in the hammock, we noticed that some of the resort staff members were setting up a path of torches that led to an arch covered in frangipanis and orchids down by the water. As we were making our way down there to take a closer look, a group of about fifteen people, all dressed nicely but with bare feet, gathered around.
We quickly sat down together on one of the sun lounges to take in what was clearly about to be a wedding.
“What a brilliant place to get married,” I said, almost to myself. “So peaceful and laid-back.”
“Is this something you would like to do one day?” Riley asked.
“Yeah, definitely,” I said as I snuggled back into him.
It seemed perfect to me; just a few close friends to celebrate with, and no fuss or formality.
“Would you invite your parents?” he asked curiously.
I shook my head. I had only briefly mentioned my parents to him in passing. I had never been close to my mother, and having her there would only spoil my wedding day.
He frowned. “Why not?”
I sighed. “Because this wouldn’t be good enough for them; at least, not for my mother. It wouldn’t impress her friends.”
Sadly, she probably wouldn’t approve of Riley either.
Almost as if he had read my mind, Riley asked, “I guess I wouldn’t be good enough either, would I?”
I shook my head. “You don’t earn a gazillion dollars a year.”
“Wow, a gazillion dollars? Is that all I need to get their stamp of approval?” He said it with a laugh, but his eyes looked concerned.
“Yep, just a lazy gazillion. It doesn’t matter that you’re a great person and treat me well, only that you have the correct number of zeros in your pay packet. Mother was never really interested in my happiness as a child, as long as it appeared that we were happy and doing well. My father, unfortunately, left my mother to make all the parenting decisions, while he was working long hours at my grandfather’s law firm.”
