“I need to get my motorcycle from my brother. It’s been sitting there for ages,” I said once I realized how far the park actually was.
“You ride?” she asked in surprise.
I chuckled. “Motorcycles are a big thing in my family. I even belong to a motorcycle club, not that I go anymore. But yeah, I’m not sure there’s any guy in my family that hasn’t ridden a motorcycle at least one time in his life. It’s a part of who we are. I’ve missed riding. Would you come for a ride if got my bike back?”
“Yes! I’d love that. I’ve only ever ridden on the back of a bike once, and it was exhilarating. Maybe you can teach me how to ride too?”
“Seriously? I’d love that. Not many people are interested in learning. Although, I suppose it can be kind of daunting.”
“I trust you,” she said and smiled at me. The light was shining on her face, and as she looked up at me, I thought that she looked very much like an angel. I hadn’t realized just how much I liked her until that moment. And knowing that she might like me back had completely turned my day around. The night before I had thought she wasn’t interested in me. After all, she’d just left me with her friend all night. Paisley was gorgeous, but she wasn’t my type. She was a little too in your face, and a little bit too brash for me. I think she could tell that I wasn’t interested because she backed off at the end. Also, I don’t think I would be her type either.
When we got to the park, we made our way toward the concert. The band had already started playing, and we found a seat near the back to watch and listen. Halfway through, I ran off to get us both some snacks and something to drink, and we ended up having a little mini picnic. The band was good, but they made me feel a little frustrated as I watched them. Why couldn’t it be me up there singing to the crowd? I’d always felt inspired by young singers but the older I got, the more jealous I became of them. I was sure it was because I didn’t sing the right type of music, but I had no intention of suddenly becoming a pop star. It wasn’t my style. Riley must’ve noticed the frown on my face because she reached out and squeezed my hand. I looked down at her small hand on my mine and felt a shiver run through me.
“Hey, are you okay? You look lost in thought.”
I smiled at her, hoping that she would never pull her hand away. When she did, I felt immediately like something was missing.
“I’m fine. Just wondering if I will ever become a singer. Don’t mind me. I’m not usually negative about it. I don’t know why I’m being like this. They’re good singers. They deserve to be up there.”
She looked out at the band and frowned. “They’re not that good.”
I chuckled. “Okay, I thought so too, but I didn’t want to say. Their songs are catchy though.”
“And the girls seem to love them. But, don’t worry about them. Stick to your music. You won’t regret it.”
“Maybe I just need to become a boy band or something. Get some good looking backup singers.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you kidding me? You’re, well, you’re super-hot, Silas. Sorry for being so blunt, but it’s the truth. You’ve got the looks, and you’ve got the voice. Now all you need is for someone to notice you. To give you a chance. That’s all. You’re going to get it.”
I grinned at her. “You think I’m hot?”
She groaned, and I noticed a small patch of pink form on her neck. “No. I wish I hadn’t said that now. You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Never!”
She laughed. “Well, lap it up. You’re just lucky that I am trying to get you to see things in a more positive way. Otherwise, I would take that back.”
“You can’t take it back. It’s out in the universe now.”
“Ah, look at you, being all arrogant and full of yourself. You’re a star in the making,” she teased.
The band was on for another hour. When they finished their set, even though there was no more music playing, we decided to stay. We lounged back on the grass and got to know each other. Riley was an interesting girl. I got her to tell me all about her ambitions for becoming a writer, and I asked her if she would show me her illustrations. She told me that she would, and I said I would hold her to that promise. Afterwards, we took a walk around the park and went to visit the duck pond. I hadn’t had such a calm and relaxed day out in a long time, and it didn’t harm that I had the lovely Riley next to me through it all. She was a ray of sunshine that only served to make the day feel brighter. It was nice to know, as we made our way home, that we were going back to the same place together. I would’ve hated for the day to come to an end.
“That was fun,” Riley said. “Good suggestion on the concert.”
“All right, now that we’re home, I want to see your drawings.”
“What? Now?” she said.
I laughed. “Ah, you thought you could get away with it, huh? But I do not forget, and a promise is a promise.”
She chuckled. “How about tomorrow?”
“How about now?”
She laughed. “Fine. You win. Okay, come on then.”
I made my way to her bedroom. It was the same size as mine, with large closets and a huge bed. The beds were what I liked most about the house. They were bigger than the beds people bought today, more than likely because the bedrooms weren’t built as big as these were. I took a seat on it because there was nowhere else to sit and watched as she walked over with a big book. She sat down next to me, and took a deep breath.
“Don’t be nervous. If you suck, I’ll tell you,” I said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
She opened the file, and I gasped. Her drawings were incredible. As she paged through, she explained them to me. Some were realistic, while others were more cartoon-like. But each one was very detailed, and very interesting. The characters came alive on paper.
“Oh, Riley. You’re so talented.”
“Really?”
“Really. You can do this, and you can write? Wow. You have to make this happen. The world has to see this. In fact,” I said as I took the book and paged back to one of the drawings that had stood out to me the most. “This guy,” I said as I pointed to a funny little man wearing the most unique suit I had ever seen. “You should turn him into a book.”
She grinned. “I have.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“You literally chose the one character that I have made a book out of. How did you know?”
“I didn’t. I just liked him the most. You see, you have to do this, Riley. I’m so impressed.”
“And you, Silas, have officially made my day.”
“You know,” I said as she put the book away. “I never did answer your question about what kind of girl I usually go for.”
Chapter Twelve
Riley
I looked shyly at Silas. I had been excited to show him my illustrations and relieved when I could see how much he liked them. I didn’t how many people what I did. I knew it wasn’t good to be so reserved about my work, but I was still afraid of rejection. It was a huge relief to see how much he liked it. I hadn’t realized quite how much I wanted him to like it until I saw the smile on his face. I almost burst into tears I was so happy. Now he was looking at me in a way that made me feel nervous. I had just put the book of illustrations away, and I had turned to look at him. He was sitting on the bed, smiling at me.
“Oh yeah?” I said casually and went to sit on the bed with him. I felt almost naughty, like I had a boy in my room when I wasn’t supposed to. It took me a moment to realize that we were sitting in a house that I actually owned. The whole thing felt surreal. “So, what kind of girl do you go for then?”
Our eyes locked and I couldn’t seem to tear mine away. I had never seen more beautiful eyes before in my life. Dark green, dusted with specks of gold. I had a vision of him up on stage, lost in his music while he played the guitar. When he became famous, the girls were going to go crazy about him.
“I have a thing fo
r brunettes,” he said. “And I’ve always liked long hair.”
I smiled. “Go on.”
“Big brown eyes make me weak at the knees. And I like it when I’m way taller than a girl.”
I stood up. “I’m very tall,” I said even though it wasn’t true.
He stood up and towered over me. He looked down and grinned. “You’re perfect. I also like girls who walk around barefoot all the time.”
I looked down at my feet and chuckled. “Well, how about that? Do you like a girl with a tattoo?” I asked.
“Tattoo? Tell me more about this tattoo.”
“Do you like a girl with a tattoo of a character she designed herself on her ribs?”
His eyes widened. “Is that what you have?”
I nodded.
I saw him gulp. “Then yes, that’s exactly the sort of girl I like. Can I . . . ?”
“You want to see my ribs?”
He grinned down at me. “Can I kiss you, Riley?”
I nodded. I couldn’t seem to find my words. He lifted my chin up and leaned down to kiss me. I felt my knees start to give in at the taste of his mouth against mine. My insides sparked, and the spark quickly turned into a blaze from the instant passion that flowed between us like liquid fire. I felt emboldened by the kiss, and as our lips parted, I pulled my dress over my head, exposing my body before his eyes. He looked down at my tattoo, bright and colorful. The same character that he had pointed out from my book of illustrations. He trailed his fingers over the outline and smiled.
“Oh wow, Riley. It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful,” he said.
It was then that I realized I was standing in front of him with just my underwear on while he was fully clothed. I should’ve felt embarrassed or vulnerable, but I only felt thrilled. I wanted him to see me this way. He took off his shirt, and we fell onto the bed together, kissing and touching each other with so much hunger, I wasn’t sure how much longer we’d be able to hold out. I leaned back on the big bed and bit my lip as he pinned me down to kiss me. For a brief second, I wondered what it would be like to be tied to the bed. I had no idea I was even into something like that until that moment, but the thought of Silas taking control of me in that way filled me with a rush of excitement. I thought about suggesting it to him, but it felt too personal, too soon. I would have to get him to do it to me another day when we knew each other a bit better. I liked the idea of there being another time with him. We hadn’t even had sex yet, and already I was thinking of doing it again with him. By the way his eyes roamed over my nearly naked body, it was hard to imagine that I had thought he was into Paisley. I liked the way he was looking at me. I felt his need and his desire for me.
He rolled me over and undid the clasp of my bra. Then he pulled down my underwear, and as I lay on my stomach, I felt him kiss and lick my body. My neck, my back, my ass, in between my legs. He turned me over again, and I watched as he climbed off the bed and took the rest of his clothes off. I asked him if he had a condom.
“I’ll be back,” he said and walked out the door.
I lay in bed for several seconds while I waited for him. The time with him away only made me want him more, and as I lay there, I slipped my fingers inside myself and closed my eyes. I didn’t hear him come back, and when I opened my eyes, he was standing in front of me, smiling down at me. I smiled back at him without any shame.
“I couldn’t help myself,” I said.
He grinned. “I don’t blame you.” He climbed onto the bed, opened my legs and put his tongue where my fingers had been. It was far better than doing it myself, and as I looked down and saw him in between my legs, I felt a rush of desire for him.
He pulled away just before I was about to orgasm, slipped on the condom, and pushed himself inside me. I groaned and arched my back so that he could get in deeper. I liked that we were in this big house together and that we could make as much noise as we wanted and nobody would hear. I put my arms around his waist as he thrust into me, and then I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fully succumb to the moment. I shuddered at the same time that he did, and as I felt him come inside me, I came too.
We lay there for some time after catching our breath, just holding hands. It took a while for my heart rate to get back to normal. The longer I lay there, the more it started to dawn on me that what I had done might not have been the smartest move. Silas was my roommate, not my boyfriend. I needed him to live with me in order to be able to afford the house. What I didn’t need were complications. It wasn’t like he was someone I could just walk away from now. We lived together. And, despite how well we got along together, we barely knew each other. I felt annoyed at myself for what happened. Why had I given in to the temptation so easily? Sure, he was gorgeous, but sex always complicated things. And we had a good thing going. I cringed at the thought of us now stepping around each other with awkward and staggered conversations. Why did we have to ruin a good thing?
“Everything okay?” he asked suddenly. He must’ve sensed that something was up. Even I could tell that I had tensed up next to him.
“Uh, yeah. Everything is fine,” I said. I quickly got up and pulled a blanket around me. “I think I’m going to take a shower.”
“How about I make us a cup of coffee? Or we could have some wine. I think I saw a bottle in the kitchen somewhere.”
“You know, I think I’m actually going to call it a night,” I said without looking him in the eye. I looked around the room, gathering up my clothes. “But thanks for the offer.”
“You are? But it’s so early. We haven’t even had dinner yet. You can’t be going to sleep already?”
I was suddenly very aware of how hungry I was, but I didn’t want him to know. I remembered that I had a chocolate bar in my handbag. I was just going to have to have that for dinner. “Ah, I’m not hungry,” I lied. “I’m not sure why I’m so tired, but I am. And I have a super busy day tomorrow, so I really want to get some sleep.” It wasn’t true at all. I had no idea what I was doing the next day. I hoped he didn’t ask me. I was never very good at lying, and I hadn’t planned yet what I was going to say.
But I think he could sense that I wanted to be left alone. He stood up and picked up his clothes. I looked away as he put them back on, and felt annoyed at the sudden strangeness between us. Not so long ago the two of us could not stop talking; now we were acting like people who had just met each other.
I caught his eye and saw that he was frowning, so I plastered on a smile just like I did when I was working at the bar. He walked up to me, kissed me on the forehead and told me to sleep well. It was a sweet gesture, and one that left me even more confused than before.
“You too,” I said and waited for him to walk out.
The moment he was out the door, I flopped onto the bed and groaned. What was wrong with me? Why had I done this? I needed a hot shower, and a night’s rest. Hopefully, in the morning, everything could go back to the way it had been before.
Chapter Thirteen
Silas
As suspected, I didn’t sleep well. Far from it. This was a pity because if there was one thing that could get me to sleep well, it was good sex. It was the only thing that usually helped me to sleep easily. And the sex had been incredible. I wasn’t surprised, though. Riley was absolutely beautiful, and I didn’t for one minute think that she would be bad in bed. I knew she’d be amazing. In fact, she far surpassed my imagination. And that tattoo! That had taken me by surprise. I liked that it went so against the way she portrayed herself to the world. I liked that there were elements about her that not many people knew about. I knew I should be feeling good that I was privy to this. But Riley had acted strange after we had sex, and it had left a sour taste in my mouth. I’d walked back to bed wondering what on earth had gone wrong. We’d both enjoyed it. I had no doubt in my mind about that. And considering she had taken her dress off without me asking her to do it, I had not forced the matter. So, why the sudden change of heart? Had she regretted it? It had taken me forever
to fall asleep with all the millions of questions milling around in my head.
It was no wonder I woke up late the next day. I felt a bit better after having slept. Perhaps Riley was just worried that sleeping together would affect our living arrangements and I supposed I couldn’t blame her. Maybe she was right. Maybe we had jumped into this too quickly. I didn’t want her to suddenly feel uncomfortable around me, especially when the two of us were getting along great. I took a shower and made a promise to show her that nothing had to change. It was going to be hard not to think about her without any clothes on, but I’d have to just keep it to myself.
As I made my way to the kitchen, I saw Riley making breakfast. She smiled nervously when she saw me.
“Just oats today. Do you want some?”
“Nah, I’ll make some toast. Coffee?”
“Already have a pot. Let me warm it up,” she said.
She handed me a cup of coffee while I made my toast, and together we went to sit in the living room to eat. I could tell that she was nervous and she kept throwing glances my way. I resisted the urge to tell her how cute she was in the morning.
“Look, Riley, I just want you to know that last night was amazing, but I don’t want it to ruin what we had going here. It isn’t going to change anything around here. The last thing I want is for us to feel nervous around each other.”
She looked relieved that I had brought it up. “Thank you, Silas. I . . . I was worried.”
“I thought so. But you shouldn’t be. I know you regret what happened and that’s okay.”
She looked at me in surprise. “Regret it? I don’t regret it. Well, I mean, I don’t know. You’re right. It was amazing. But I want to keep you as a roommate, and we probably shouldn’t do that again. I happen to really like living with you.”
I chuckled. “I like living with you too. Okay, no more awkwardness?”
She grinned. “No more awkwardness.”
Dirty Roomie Page 7
