by Pamela Ann
“Then dance with me,” he insisted with an amused expression.
My mouth went dry. The thought of having my body so close to his stalwart figure made me feel faint.
“I’d rather not,” I mumbled.
Not only was I tipsy, but add on sex into the equation and it would be an intoxication I might not be able to handle. Sexual tension already crackled between us, so dancing with him would surely charge that pressure to combustible heights.
“Why not? You used to love it.” His eyes sparkled, beckoning and utterly disarming.
He was right. I used to love everything about him. But thank heavens there was still a part of me that wouldn’t yield.
“It’s just not appropriate, given the situation.”
“Ah, I’m still in the doghouse.” He beamed, flashing his dimple as he scratched his stubble. His rugged, bad boy, devil-may-care look didn’t help my cause. In fact, it impaired it a great deal.
When my fingers itched to touch that cute dip on his cheek, I knew I was in trouble. It was one of my varied weaknesses where he was concerned.
“Come on, River … you know why.” Biting my bottom lip, I glanced away as I battled the uncontained emotions within.
“I’m not asking you to marry me, Cara. It’s just dancing.”
“Maybe next time …”
I deeply blushed from his blatant reference to our past. I had been engaged to the man once, and he was making a light jest of it. He was being too cheeky, too flirty, causally mentioning it like it didn’t trigger anything between us. He was testing the waters, hoping to gain some leverage. Did he not know that, though tough as I may appear, my clouded judgment couldn’t handle him?
He inched closer to my ear, breathing me in. “I’ll take you up on that,” he deeply rasped out, hypnotizing, compelling my weakened senses.
“I know you will.” This man wouldn’t give up until he got what he desired.
River pulled back, giving me a little breathing space before pressing his lips together, contemplating as he intently gazed at me with unmasked desire. “So … where’s the boyfriend?”
He was inquiring about Parker? Uh, why?
Confused, I anxiously swallowed hard. God help me. I was treading into treacherous territory, but I couldn’t bring myself to walk away, either. Where was the strong-willed Cara who had shut River down the first time we had encountered each other after so many years apart?
Shut him down … You mean, almost having sex with him almost two hours later? Yeah, that shut him down all right.
I was a walking contradiction.
“Parker’s shooting a new film. He’s not here.”
His facial expression became unreadable. Mercurial almost. Gone was the sparkle in his eye and in came the inquisition.
“And he’s been treating you well?”
“I guess …” It was a white lie, one I didn’t want to discuss. “But, I realized that I’ll be better off, so I plan to break it off with him the next time I see him.” I had automatedly clued him in without thought. However, it was too late to backtrack. If there was any doubt how my body and mind didn’t synchronize, this was it.
“I see,” he murmured. “So, you’re going to be single soon.” The sparkle in his eyes was unquestionably back now.
Gazing toward Anton and Kells, I saw they seemed to be having fun without worrying to check if I was being barraged by Mister Don Juan here. Not that I needed someone to fight my battles, but it would be nice to have a mediator.
“Yep, it looks that way.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” He was beyond pleased. His face said it all.
“I’m sure it is, but don’t get any ideas,” I immediately shut him down.
“Who, me?” He blew out a breath before letting out a vigorous laugh. “Oh, I never do, petal.”
I threw him a sardonic look, not buying the bullshit.
His riotous laughter carried on for a bit before he softly regarded me. “You know me; I’m just happy to see you. I thought I was hallucinating when I first spotted you. Then I pinched myself. Turns out you were the real deal, and I wasn’t dreaming you anymore.”
His smile was infectious, and I couldn’t help returning it. Maybe it was the way he was ogling me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t look away. I just fucking couldn’t.
“I’m happy to see you, too.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I do.” I did, terrifyingly enough, I did.
His face brightened, his eyes imploring. “Thanks for telling me that. I know you do—of course I know that, we grew up together—but it’s good to hear that you still do,” he said wistfully.
His intonation carried a lot of weight, filled with emotions that were still too raw for me to deal with. So, what else was there for me to do?
I poured myself another shot and took it without hesitation. All the while, his eyes seemed to follow me, seeming fascinated to see me breathe.
“Your hair’s longer than usual,” I noted, perusing him like the perfect specimen he was.
Last I saw him, he had kept it almost in a preppy fashion. But tonight … tonight he had the unrefined, disheveled appearance combined with a lethal dose of sex on legs.
“I couldn’t cut it short. My contract made sure I couldn’t cut past a certain length,” he informed me.
If he knew where my thoughts were going, he would probably have his hand between my thighs like he always did before. Fingers were his forte, a weapon he used to silence me.
Oh, fuck. I poured my liquid poison while he earnestly watched me. Ignoring his eyes, I downed the rest of my shot while I tried to suppress my rated-R thoughts back to PG. At the present moment, the conversation was about his hair? Right, I could do this.
“It’s a small sacrifice, given the kind of success you had with the franchise.” I cleared my throat, detesting myself for being so lustful, even when the situation wasn’t ideal.
“Yeah, I’m very lucky it took off.” His hungry-filled eyes roamed, yearning and quite beholden.
“You worked very hard; you’ve earned it.” He had Academy nods for his role, and with a legion of diehard teenage girls after him, his fame had skyrocketed to unparalleled heights. Parker remarked on it before, stating that it was the teenage-girl fantasy machine that fueled his career in such a way that most unseasoned actors were jealous of. Unmistakably, Parker was one of many. I, on the other hand, applauded River’s tenacity and work ethic, even if I secretly hated him. I was proud of him; how could I not be? It was the best rags to riches story.
“So, how are you these days, River? I mean, apart from randomly calling your exes over the phone, that is.”
His large, manly hands took hold of the bottle. Then he poured himself a shot, all the way to the brim.
“Is that right?” He grinned before annihilating the drink. His smile didn’t falter before those treacherous fingers reached out to touch my hair, emboldened. Mindlessly, he twirled his fingers, seeming to love the silky texture. “Just busy … And, in any case, if you’re interested, I just wanna put it out there that I’m single.”
“You’re not very slick these days.” I laughed at his audacity, lighting up like never before. Tried as I might, my brain cells were rapidly declining with each passionate touch. How could I pull off appearing cool and collected?
“It’s hard to be when my heart’s hammering hard and I can’t stop staring at the woman before me,” he stated, turning my world upside down.
I was dumbstruck. Damn. Not only was he being beyond forward, but I was pulling out the stops to see him—I mean, really see him. River, the man I hopelessly adored, the man who once vowed to give me the world, the man who I had given my heart and soul to, and the very same one who I swore to love for the rest of my life.
“You’re blushing,” he murmured as he slowly licked his lips, probably holding back from devouring me right here for everyone to see.
And the dimple was back again, toying with mind and ov
ereager body. Fuck.
“How can I not blush?” What did he expect when he was so unabashedly forward?
“Don’t do that … or I won’t be able to stop myself from kissing you. You have no idea how hard it is to sit here and not touch you … taste you.” His tongue darted out again as his eyes seared into mine. “I’ve missed your taste on my tongue, Cara.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” As much as I liked optimism, I knew my body’s limits. If he kissed me, I knew I wouldn’t protest.
He grazed the skin on my neck with his thumb, causing my skin to flush at his touch. He knew now how my pulse raced. “I just might, but I don’t wanna scare you off. Besides, I’ll wait until boyfriend’s gone.”
“Then …” It wasn’t necessarily a question as I watched him turn pensive.
Our eyes met, dancing, courting fire that would soon engulf us.
“I don’t know, Cara. You tell me.”
In his mind, once Parker was gone, there would be no barrier. Well, that was where he thought wrong. As much as my body wanted him, my heart didn’t. I might not be able to count on my body, but I could rely on my heart. It was shut for good where River was concerned.
“I intend to be single for quite some time … or maybe just date around. I have too much going on to be stuck in a relationship. It’ll take my focus off work, and in this point in my life, my career’s more important than investing in something that never lasts.”
He frowned, looking puzzled at my response. “You’ve become a cynic.”
“No, not a cynic. A realist. A woman’s got to be one to survive and stay sane.” Not that I was a feminist, either. In my tender age of twenty-one, I intended to do more living than crying. I had never been given this much freedom in my life, and there was more to explore, to taste, to live. I wasn’t going to give all that up because I was too broken to function. I had given my heart before, and the lesson it taught me wasn’t going to waste.
“You used to be so passionate. You were so consumed by it that you could barely control it. Where’s the fire, Cara?”
The fire was gone. He killed it, along with everything that thrummed in my veins—all my dreams, the good memories. He took the magic out of everything.
“People change, River.”
“I can see that … and how well you’ve changed,” he murmured with a tone that was heavily laced with longing that almost crushed my resolve.
Just when it was becoming unbearable to endure, my friends trotted back and joined us. The respite gave a mild attempt into normalizing my heart rate.
“Awe, look at you two. You guys look so perfect together,” Anton said on a sigh before sliding into the booth. “If you little Tweety birds haven’t dated yet, you guys should make a go for it, like seriously.”
I almost had a heart attack on the spot.
“If looks could kill, Cara’s already placed your dick on the chopping block.” Kells giggled before grinning at me.
My friends, as much as I loved them, just didn’t have a filter. They had a knack for teasing me at the wrong time. It’s like shit-on-Cara radar just for giggles.
River, on the other hand, seemed not to mind. He was grinning from ear-to-ear.
“It’s my good bud Phoenix’s birthday. We’ll be leaving in a little bit to head back to my place; why don’t y’all come?”
“No!” I blurted, while Kells and Anton simultaneously trilled the word, “Yes” in their ever so cheery tone.
“Why not?” Anton queried. “It’d be fun. Besides, don’t you wanna catch up with River?”
Catching up, ha! If only. River would annihilate me the moment he had a chance.
“Private parties are too fun to say no to, Cara,” Kells chimed in, beating me two against one.
By the looks on my friends’ faces, there was no mistaking that they would be dragging me, anyway, permission granted or not.
“I don’t know … It’s been a long day.” I was holding out hope.
Sensing my discomfort, River took my hand and gave it a light squeeze, skyrocketing my blood pressure. “It’s close by. If you feel uncomfortable, you can leave whenever you want. I promise.”
He hadn’t let go of my hand since.
Chapter Ten
His apartment was located in Beverly Hills. He owned the entire top floor that came with an infinity pool on the deck. It was a two-floor, glass-to-ceiling, all white and silver color schematics that reminded me so much of those homes I had seen in magazines. There weren’t a lot of baubles around. It was a pristine, intriguingly cold, spotless environment. The polar opposite of the home he invited me to before in the valley.
I directly observed through the open glass as my friends mingled with his, pouring out drinks as they sat on the recently lit glass fire pit that contained azure glass pebbles before taking out guitars and the smoking greens.
“Can I get you anything, petal?” River asked as he tightened his hold on my hand.
Even on our ride here, he hadn’t let go. It wasn’t due to my lack of trying. I did try to pull away, but he wasn’t letting me go and I ran out of excuses to keep fighting him off. I chose to save my energy and pretend this didn’t bother me an iota. His friends merely raised their brows when they saw us, so I easily assumed this was a common occurrence.
“So, this is your fuckboy lair.” I scanned the room before my eyes landed on his face. The man seemed too highly amused by my statement.
“You’re not making this easy for me, are you?” River laughed as he dragged me toward the bar. With the use of his free hand, he managed to open the dual wine cellar and pulled out a bottle before placing it on the bar. “Here, hold and steady it for me please.”
His avoidance in regards to my question was evident. This was undoubtedly the place where he took his women.
Ignoring that, I threw him a nonchalant look. “If you let my hand go, you won’t even need my help. How’s that for a helpful tip?” Fuckboy lair definitely had a nice ring to it.
River cocked his head to the side, giving me an amused look. “Now, why would I do that, woman? Come on; we used to be good at team effort.” He was persistent underneath all the beguiling smiles.
“I don’t seem to recall, but whatever,” I murmured as I held the base of the bottle, steadying it as he drilled the opener into the cork.
“Ta-dah!” he enthused as he swiftly drew the cork out of the way. “See? Teamwork.” He beamed at me before pouring the velvety red liquid into the stemmed glasses.
Teamwork my ass, I thought wryly as I tried to pull my hand away from his hold again, but he was too quick in catching me. River was being incorrigible.
“People are going to start thinking stuff if you don’t let go of me.”
He spun me around to face him before he lifted my chin with a finger, clashing my eyes with his formidable gaze. “And I care about what they think because …?”
Because … “I’m still with Parker, and I don’t want any gossip to start saying that I cheated on him with you.”
“I kissed you; that didn’t count?” he pressed, unrelenting. “But if it makes you breathe easier, you can count on my friends for secrecy.”
“I’m sure I can. I’m sure they do it for you all the time, too,” I bitingly retorted back. It was the way he delivered his words that grated me to no end.
He studied me a moment before uttering something ridiculous. “There’s no need to be jealous, Cara.”
“I’m not jealous!” Like hell I was. He could screw whomever he wished. I wouldn’t bat an eyelash.
“I hate it when you lie to me.” Those dark orbs penetrated into my soul, profound and merciless. “I’ve known you almost all my life. You forget how I know you better than you know yourself.”
“I’m not fucking jealous!” I vehemently hissed as I tried to yank my hand away from his tightened hold to no avail. The man was merciless. It was driving me insane.
River seemed unperturbed with my protests. “I’d kiss you right now just to
settle this, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself if I do that.”
That got my attention. “You promised me you wouldn’t.”
“I did?” His face lit up before bestowing me that mind-blowing, heart-stopping, evil smile of his. “Hmm, I don’t remember making any promises. But anyhow, let’s go outside and join our friends.”
“You go join them. I need some breathing space.” This time when I pulled away, he loosened his grip on my hand. I could feel the inquisitive gaze of my friends.
“Don’t go too far, petal. I want to see where you are from where I’m sitting,” he murmured before kissing my forehead.
“Gee, I’ll try very hard to please you, Your Highness,” I retorted in a hushed tone as I watched him take a seat in one of the loungers before pulling one of the guitars and placing it on his thighs.
As confused as I was, I obliged him by strolling toward the pool before sitting on the edge and dipping my feet into the cold water. I was in his line of sight and in close proximity to hear his conversation. Jokes. Music. And Pokémon Go.
I snickered at the last bit. It was great to see this side of him in a relaxed environment. Take away all the glitz and glamour, he was still the River I had grown up with. He cemented this conviction when I heard the first strum of guitar. I didn’t even have to look up to know that it was him and not Phoenix.
Settle down with me…
Cover me up…
Cuddle me in…
He seductively crooned “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran. The deep throaty sound of his voice belting out a song, a sound I hadn’t heard in ages, transported me back to the besotted girl I was. There was something about him singing … like he was reaching my soul, the very essence of me, mingling it with his. It’s within the words, the sound, the depth of his tenor that managed to affect my stone-cold heart.
When the second the song ended, I let out a breath. Maybe it was the alcohol, because I suddenly felt hot all over.
Carly, Manu, Phoenix, and Kells got up to gather more refreshments, but as Manu rounded the pool, Phoenix gently pushed him toward the water, hence making him lose his balance. Fortunately before he was thrown into the water, he succeeded in yanking the Phoenix with him.
