by Pamela Ann
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.
Shrills of laughter echoed the second Manu decided to get out of the pool and drag his girlfriend Carly with him. Kells went next, fully clothed, which was odd because she didn’t seem to mind. While Anton watched on, I didn’t see the creeper that threw me, but before I surfaced the water, River’s steel band of arms wrapped around my body from behind, pulling me against his hard, rigid body.
“River, what the hell!” I screeched as I pushed his shoulder, somewhat enraged. “I don’t have a change of clothes!” Quite honestly, I was more concerned about his hands o
n me.
“You just looked so lonely here all by your lonesome. I needed to remedy that.” He grinned, pulling me close and kissing the tip of my nose.
My world stopped for a brief moment before a loud thrashing and a string of chortled laughter came from Kells, making me twist my head around to watch her interact with Phoenix. They seemed to hit it off, making me frown with concern.
“Phoenix isn’t married, is he?” As much as I loved my friend, no one could deny that she had a knack for getting involved with the unavailable.
River’s face contorted before giving me a skeptical look. “What a weird question, but no, he’s not married. Well, not that I know of.”
“Good, good.” I let out a sigh of relief. I would hate for her to get hurt again.
“Okay … That’s good.” He beamed before cupping my cheek. “You look so beautiful. It hurts to look at you sometimes.”
If only that were true.
I laughed before rolling my eyes. “You mean, I look like a homeless wet rat.”
“Oh, Cara, sometimes it’s okay not to be so modest all the time,” he stated before reverting his eyes toward the rest of the folks lounging around the fire pit. “Come swim with us, Anton? Lauren? Rock!” River tried to coax his friends to join the drowned rats crew. They politely declined.
“You always like it wet, don’t you, River?” Mint, the gorgeous woman with the gloriously long, blonde tresses snickered before sipping on her drink. I detected jealousy in her tone. Typical and not at all surprising.
“Is something going on with you and that little missy over there?” I suspiciously eyed the man close to me.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I swear nothing’s going on. Well, not in my point of view, anyway.”
“Mind emphasizing that?” Why did I care? It wasn’t like I was going to be a part of his world. Besides, this was just one-time. Again, what did I care?
“Give me some credit, Cara. If I had anything going on with her, why would I bring her along knowing that you’ll be here as well? I wouldn’t dare insult you like that.”
“Because you don’t care about such things.” Since when did he become so sensitive to my feelings? He was a bastard for letting me quietly suffer while he trotted along with his female cohorts.
“On the contrary, I care a great fucking deal.”
Our eyes clashed; one filled with purpose, the other filled with uncertainty. His heavy-laden gaze was formidable.
“Whatever. I need a drink.” I quickly swam toward the edge of the pool before pulling myself out of the water and immediately heading toward Anton, who was conveniently sitting next to the drinks.
“Can you mix me something good?” All the ails in the world could be temporary relieved with alcohol. Though some were rolling joints, I wasn’t tempted to go that far. Yet.
“Sure, I got you, Sprinkles.” Anton poured whatever he fancied into the glass tumbler, ganja at his lips. He seemed to be enjoying the newfound company, an odd case for him since he didn’t like mingling with new people.
“Here,” he said gleefully, handing me the concocted drink.
“Thanks,” I mumbled before I took a sip and immediately coughed in protest. “This bitch is strong. Holy smokes, my throat is on fire! I think it just burned a hole in my stomach.” The hellish mixture was toxic but I didn’t mind it—not tonight. Not when I needed to ignore the fact that I was at war with myself, while River patiently watched, biding him time before going in for the kill. And God help me, he was going for the kill.
“You know how I like ’em, sweet cheeks!” Anton sassily winked with those heavily glazed eyes of his before taking a good puff on his neatly rolled joint. He was definitely getting baked and loving every second of it.
“You okay here, hon?” I mumbled before I downed half of the lethal beverage.
I noticed River strolling toward me, sporting a worried look on his roguishly handsome face.
“Woman, I think it’s time to fill your stomach with something more nutritious,” River interrupted before taking my drink and dragging me away from everyone. He took me back indoors, planting me in one of the white stools in the kitchen. Then he headed toward the fridge and took out ingredients to make a BLT.
“I’m not hungry,” I bemoaned.
There was always something exceptionally erotic when a man dominated in the kitchen. And curiosity won out. River intrigued me still
“Maybe not, but indulge me, anyway,” he insisted as he placed a griddle on the stovetop.
“Why are you being this way? It’s insane.” It was his way of showing that he cared, but I just wanted to reassure myself. Again, why did I bother?
“I just want to take care of you. What’s not to understand?”
“You’re unreal.” Him treating me this way brought it home how much things had changed between us.
He shrugged, unruffled. “Say what you like; I’m feeding you either way. If you wanna make this hard, that’s all on you.”
I hotly huffed, “Fine, whatever. I’d do anything to just shut you up.”
“That’s my girl.” He cheekily winked at me before popping a sliced tomato in his mouth.
I wasn’t his girl, but I didn’t voice that out loud because he would have some raving argument about it. Therefore, I simply became his lone audience, watching the chef place strips of bacon on the skillet, toasting bread, slicing veggies, before slathering a hefty amount of mayo and a dot of mustard on the bread. He made one for each of us.
Mumbling my thanks, I took a knife and halved the sandwich, knowing fully well that I probably wouldn’t be able to finish it entirely, not when he was sitting next to me. The man made me nervous, and eating while anxious wasn’t particularly enticing to me.
After taking my first bite, I was actually pleased. “This is good.” When was the last time I had BLT? It used to be my favorite.
“You always loved it.”
Sigh, any more references about the past? He seemed to have a long list of them. Was tonight about excavating skeletons? The thought made me want to vomit.
“Tummy full. Now let’s get you warm, ey? I’ll put your clothes in the dryer.”
“Okay, I think that’ll be nice.” I wasn’t cold or anything, but having my clothes stick to me wasn’t appealing.
“I’ll take you upstairs to shower, and you can change into one of my shirts for a little bit.”
Why did that sound so sensual in my ears? Something was wrong with me.
“Yeah, that sounds fine,” I tried to mumble back, ignoring my ever-present nerves.
Leading the way, he strolled toward the glass stairs. He then led me toward what I presumed was his bedroom.
He had a Japanese style bedframe. All white with a hint of navy blue. It was quite a room. and for reasons I didn’t want to acknowledge, my heart stampeded against my chest.
Downright anxious, I tried to avoid his passionate gaze while I was dripping wet in the middle of his bedroom. Distracted, he strode into the bathroom before stepping out, donning only his Calvin’s on. Blazing hot, a walking epitome of muscled flawlessness and with a chiseled face that would make the gods weep. He was indisputably the most beautiful human specimen I had ever seen. Perfection personified.
While I trembled and quaked, River barely glanced at me as he proceeded toward the coffee table where my purse was located before pulling my phone out. I viewed him with trepidation as he then strode purposely toward me, handing me the phone. Color me confused.
“What are you doing?”
“Call him,” He calmly stated, unblinking, unwavering. He just stood there, patiently waiting, watching the wheels turn in my head.
My throat constricted as I timidly peered at him. “Call who?”
“Parker.”
Chapter Eleven
The ball dropped. It crashed. Deafening. Piercing.
Call Parker … That suggestion didn’t bode well with me.
“And why would I do that?” Did I miss
the memo? Was I his puppet now?
“Guessing by the way you’re looking at me, Cara, it’s probably for the best that you do.”
Smug now, was he? Well, he could think again.
“I’m not going to have sex with you, River,” I said shakily. Just stating that very fact made me shudder from head to foot.
“I know,” he stated. “But as they say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
He exuded confidence, and it irritated the living daylights out of me. River could be right, but Parker would know that I hung out with River, and that would definitely enrage him. It was best to settle this now before it blew up in my face.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m not doing this for you.” Taking the phone from his hand, I dialed Parker’s number.
It only took one ring before I heard a loud growl, a clear indicator that the man wasn’t at all pleased. I didn’t blame him.
“Hey, it’s me—”
“Girlfriend of the hour! Good of you to call. You have videos all over Instagram with a bunch of guys and River Ellis exiting a bar. I don’t fucking know what the devil’s going on, but end whatever it is, or I’m going to fucking leave you, Cara!” he screamed into the phone, making me inwardly flinch.
“Nothing’s going on.” Yet.
He growled again. “I don’t give a fuck to be honest. All I know is you’re mine! You’re fucking mine, and I don’t appreciate you spending time with other guys. Shit happens, and I don’t want my authority to be challenged. Do you hear me, Cara? Don’t fucking embarrass me, damn you!”
His authority challenged? What the fuck was he on? This guy was borderline delusional.
“You know what? I’ve dragged this for far too long, and I didn’t want to do this until I saw you next, but I can’t wait. I’m done. It’s over, Parker.”
“It can never be over! It’s not over until I say it is!” He went ballistic, growling as he screamed expletives. Each word made me flinch from his violent rage.
Fuck, this man was beyond nasty. How the hell did I not see it? Seeing how unhinged he was, I didn’t dare trust him not to hurt me. He would probably strangle me or something.
