Chapter 7: Erin

Once more, Erin flipped the lights off and jumped in bed before she could talk herself out of it.

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her mind to remember the room bathed in light instead of shrouded in shadow. She listened to her own breathing. The size of the room didn't matter. It was still damn loud, just like it had been in the cellar.

Any minute, someone was going to bang on the door and jolt her awake.

This wasn't working.

She needed to move, to pace, to see.

Erin rolled out of bed and flipped the lights back on.

The stress had worn her thin. What she needed was to get home, back in her apartment, have a strong drink, maybe a sleeping pill. She'd work through this. She had to. She would.

A tap at her door made her stop short.

It wasn't the hinge rattling bang, but it might as well have been the way her heart galloped in her chest.

She stared at the shadows under the door.

Who was it?

Another tap.

"It's me," Riley muttered.

She glanced at the digital clock.

Fuck, it'd been an hour already?

She opened the door and peered out.

Half of Riley's hair stuck up at an odd angle and he rubbed his eye. Sleepy Riley was more adorable than the one who'd fed her and talked to her all through the evening.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Her voice came out strained and too high.

"You sure?"

It was just the two of them. She didn't have anyone to impress except him, and she wasn't going to do that anytime soon after tonight. She blew out a breath and took a step back. Riley followed her into the room and closed it behind him.

"I can't sleep. I don't want to be in the dark, but with the lights on..." Her throat tightened, and she couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't want to be weak.

"Hey?" Riley took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Don't beat yourself up, okay? You get to be or feel whatever, got it?"

Erin nodded and squeezed his hand back. He tugged, and she took a step closer, then another until they were chest to chest. Riley wrapped his other arm around her in a gentle hug. She sucked down a breath and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Damn him. She didn't want to lean on anyone, but he made it so easy to talk to him. She'd told him more about herself than she should. In a few hours he'd drop her at the airport and that would be it. They'd never see each other again. It was okay to be weak now. She could lean on someone this once.

"Mom says even the toughest cookies crumble. It's okay, I won't tell anyone," he whispered.

"Shut up. You're ruining it." She let go of his hand and hugged him properly, with both arms. There was something about his arms wrapped around her that loosened all the tension in her back.

"Sorry." He chuckled and folded her in his arms.

Erin turned her face so she inhaled the scent of man and soap on his shirt, reveled in the tactile nature of being held by someone. She wished he was just some guy she met one night, that it was fate causing their paths to cross for a perfect moment.

"Thanks," she muttered.

He leaned back and looked at her.

Erin peered up at Riley. His heavy-lidded gaze was sleepy, and yet she could feel the warmth of him in the look. She swallowed, fully aware of what that look meant. They were adults. He hadn't just been good company, he'd flirted.

Any other night, she wouldn't hesitate, but now she did. Was she trying to cover up the bad memories with something good? Or was this perfect time, perfect man?

She swayed toward him, her body betraying her. His hand tightened around hers, tugging her just a bit more off balance, deciding her fate for the next few moments. She went up on tiptoe and told her brain to pipe down. She pressed her lips to his and curled her fingers into his shirt, fisting the fabric. He jolted, sucking in a breath and rocking toward her. He slid his hand up her arm to her shoulder. She arched her back and pulled on his shirt until he bent his head. His mouth moved with hers, a hunger in his touch. Warmth unfurled in her stomach, answering that same hunger in her.

Erin would mourn losing him. She knew that from one kiss. That didn't mean they couldn't enjoy each other tonight.

Riley cupped her cheek and lifted his head. Their breathing was the loudest thing in the room now, for completely different reasons. She kept a firm grip on him so she didn't tip over.

"What do you want?"

"I don't know." She nuzzled his cheek and kissed his face.

"Sure you do." His fingers coasted down her throat to her shoulder.

"I don't want to be alone tonight."

"You could have just said that." He straightened.

Shit. That wasn't what she'd meant.

"I didn't kiss you to keep you here. I kissed you because I wanted to. Because...if I met you any other way I wouldn't have hesitated." She splayed her hand against his chest, feeling the muscles under her palm.

"Oh, well, if you put it that way..."

"I don't want to sleep right now," she whispered.

She kissed him again, bits of herself finding their way back to where they belonged. Riley's hand slid lower down her back, pressing their bodies together. God, she loved the way he felt. He took a shuffling step toward her, trapping her between him and the dresser. His thigh pressed between her legs until she felt the heat of him at her core. She pushed her hands through his hair, pulling his face down a bit more, deepening the kiss.

This was her, not some night terror.

Riley groaned into her mouth, his hands coasting over her back and arms. He was a damn gentleman. Here she'd practically thrown herself at him and he wasn't taking advantage of her open door offer. It was sweet, but she didn't like sweet all that much.

She shifted her hips, grinding against his thigh.

God bless sweatpants. She wrapped her hand around his erection through the thin material. Manners, good looks, a cock like that, he was lucky she would be gone in a day or two. More than that and she might be proposing to him.

Riley grasped her by one wrist then the other. She whimpered, but secretly liked that he wasn't always the gentleman. He pulled her hands off him while his tongue thrust into her mouth. She groaned and pulled at his grasp.

"Fuck." He let go of her. "I didn't think..."

"What?" She sucked down a breath and blinked at him, her brain not firing all cylinders.

Riley stared at her, his features sharper, aroused. He wasn't near as easy going as he pretended to be. He reached up and grasped her ponytail, wrapping it around his hand.

"Oh, yes," she sighed and closed her eyes. That was her weakness. She was a sucker for a good hair pull.

He took a step back, leading her. He kissed her neck and up to her cheek before sitting on the bed. She straddled his lap without hesitation, driven by need, the rest of the world forgotten.

Erin took his free hand and slid it up under her shirt, eager to feel him against her skin. He cupped her breast, his thumbs sliding over her nipples, caressing her aroused flesh. He had that perfect combination of roughened skin and firm touch that had her toes curling from a simple slide of skin on skin. She wanted more of that. Him. All of it. He grabbed her shirt and pushed it up, exposing her breasts then leaned in and kissed one, then the other.

She cupped the back of his head, arching her back. He tugged on her hair, forcing her breasts up higher. This was pretty damn perfect in her book.

Riley wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight to his body. He picked her up. She pressed her face against his shoulder, muffling her yelp of surprise.

"Sh," he whispered.

She chuckled, a little thrill going through her.

He turned and laid her on the bed. She let go of him and lay back, appreciating the green of his eyes and those ridiculously long lashes that only accentuated the way he stared at her.

Riley bent his head and brushed a kiss across her lips.

"Sh," he whispered again.

His hands slid up her stomach and over her breasts.

Damn, but that felt good.

She grasped at his sweatpants, trying to find the elastic band.

"Slow down," Riley said.

Nope. Not happening.

He pushed her hands aside and slid down the bed, out of reach. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her yoga pants and tugged them down her legs and off. All she had on was the damn t-shirt, and she didn't have the presence of mind to get rid of that.

Riley crouched between her thighs, his focus on her mound. His touch was gentle, but he knew what he was doing. He found her clit without fumbling and circled the sensitive bundle of nerves. She lifted her hips, wanting more than tender touches. He seemed to understand her unspoken request because he slid his fingers down between her folds. There was something about this touch, a man's fingers against her, that inspired all kinds of demanding thoughts. His fingers dipped into her channel. She gasped at the feel of him and lifted her hips, driving him deeper.

Riley bent, flicking his tongue against the delicate skin over her clit. She shuddered and grasped him by the hair, her body going taut. His fingers slid deeper within her channel, stretching her while his lips explored her most intimately. He pushed her legs open wider, making himself at home.

She groaned and lifted her hips, moving with him.

He hummed, the vibrations soaking into her.

She wanted this to last, but she didn't have it in her. The need for release was too sharp.

The tight coil of arousal sprang loose within her. Pleasure tightened her muscles and her pussy clamped down on him as the world seemed to fracture apart. He continued stroking her through the orgasm, driving it on until she thought she'd cry if he didn't stop.

When he finally eased from her body, she lay on the bed, exhausted in a way that felt good. For the first time in days, her mind was quiet, her body relaxed. It was blissful.

Riley crawled up to lie next to her.

"Let me catch my breath," she panted.

"Sh," he whispered and kissed her cheek. He gathered her close to him, his warmth a comfort in the darkness.

Damn, but it felt good in his arms. She turned toward him and buried her face against his chest. A few more moments. She just wanted to feel this a little longer.