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He puts his arm around me and guides me away from the water, toward the big house that looms large in the distance.
“Are you already calling it a day?” I ask as we get closer to the house.
River’s lips twitch. “Just ducking in the house to get you a jacket.”
I grin. “That’s a smart idea.”
He laces his fingers through my own and kisses my knuckles. “I thought as much.”
When we make it inside the big, white living room, he sits me on a couch. “Wait here.”
I tug at his hand, my heart thumping a little wildly. “Come back soon.”
He is gone for less than two minutes and when he reappears, he holds up a soft pink cardigan. “Will this work?”
I pat the seat beside me. “Anything will work.”
He smirks and settles the cardigan around my shoulders, then takes a seat next to me. “Have I told you yet how amazing you are?”
I give my head a slow shake, hypnotized by his eyes. He leans back on the couch, slipping his arm around my shoulders, and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear.
My stomach is in my throat. I can’t look away from his crooked smile.
“Can I tell you something?” River murmurs. “It’s a secret.”
“Anything.” The word comes out all breathy.
Those sapphire eyes of his, two pools of molten blue heat, spear me and draw me into their depths.
“I think I’m starting to have feelings for you.”
It’s not what I expected him to say. Like… at all. But my heart sails up into the clouds. Could he be having the same thoughts that I’ve been having?
“Oh, River.” I cup his cheek. “I’ve been trying not to have feelings for you for a while now. Trying and failing.”
He kisses me then, tender and slow, like we have all the time in the universe.
Twenty-Nine
River
It’s the electric charge of desire that turns the air in Pearl's bedroom into a living thing, pulsing and humming between us. It’s so real I could almost touch it. My heart thuds against my ribcage.
The reminder is as real as the deal I closed just this morning. Still, I shove that thought right out of my head. Sex with Pearl is on the table now… and that crowds out all other thoughts.
"River," she breathes. Her voice is a siren song that always draws me in.
I take a step toward her, closing the space that separates our bodies and our futures. Every fiber of my being is attuned to the magnetism that pulls me to her. The scent of her perfume fills my senses. It's intoxicating.
She’s intoxicating.
"Hey." My voice comes out steadier than I feel. I reach up, my hand betraying the slightest shake. I brush a rebellious strand of hair from her forehead. The strand slips through my fingers like silk, but the touch of her skin on my skin is what sends a shockwave through me.
Did I just fuck up? I wonder.
Pearl’s eyes are brown pools of mystery and allure. They scan my face and lock onto mine.
"River?" Her whisper cracks the tension, turning my name into both a question and an answer.
