Songbird (Songbird, #1) (16 page)

“Come on, I’ll race you. Loser pays for dinner,” I called, taking off at a sprint.

Riley was like a freaking Olympian he was so fast, but I had longer legs so could take longer strides. I pushed as hard as I could to at least try to stay level with him, and I’m sure in the end he backed off to let me win.

I threw myself down on the grass under a shady tree and laid stretched out, hands over my head, trying to calm my breathing.

“Hot, sweaty and breathless really suits you,” Riley said with a cheeky grin as he lay down next to me, mimicking my position.

“Well I have you to thank for that. You were riding me pretty hard toward the end.” I blushed, suddenly realising what I had just blurted out, but Riley just chuckled.

“Next time you can ride me, as hard as you like.”

My cheeks flamed even hotter and I shook my head to clear the tantalising image. I could always replay it later.

“Okay, pair up for stretches,” Mal instructed to the group.

Now stretches I could do. Fifteen years of ballet had kept me very flexible. Riley knelt up over one of my legs while he held the ankle of the other.

“Let me know if it hurts,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“I can take it,” I said, biting my bottom lip.

He pushed my leg gently at first, then, realising it was still going, pushed it all the way so my foot was beside my head and he was leaning right over me.

“Ah … that’s handy,” he said with raised eyebrows, a cheeky smile shining through his eyes again.

I diverted my eyes and looked down at his side. From the position he was in, I could now read the tattoo clearly, it said,

I lightly ran my fingers down the tattoo as I read it, and he shivered but held still, watching my face intently.

“Was it just something you liked, or does it have special significance for you?” I asked.

“It has significance in various ways,” he said, sitting down next to me. “In the military, we need strength when we’re standing toe to toe with the enemy, and faith that we can get back up in the face of defeat. But I think we need faith that we are doing the right thing and making the right decisions in life, even when the right thing is sometimes the hardest.” He smiled down at me. “Do you have any tattoos hidden away?”

His eyes scanned my body. There wasn’t that much that was covered up under my little shorts and crop top.

I shook my head. “I’ve thought about it, but I’ve never found a verse or picture that I would want to wear for the rest of my life.” I shrugged. “Maybe one day.”

Mal headed back over towards us like we were the naughty children in the class.

“Have you both stretched?” he asked, as if he already knew the answer.

We shook our heads and swapped places. It was then Riley’s turn to be stretched.

“I’m all yours, totally defenceless,” he quipped as he lay flat on his back.

I smiled down at him, but then images of being mauled the night before came into my mind, and how defenceless I had been.

“Could you teach me some self-defence?” I asked.

“Yes, of course. I’d be happy to.” He smiled, understanding why I had asked for the lesson. “I was actually thinking of suggesting a weekly class be added to the timetable at the gym. What do you think?”

I smiled broadly. I thought it was an excellent idea.

We made our way back to the cars pumped full of adrenalin.

“We should all grab something to eat tonight and have a few drinks again,” Cooper said casually as he pulled his singlet back on.

Riley and I exchanged glances.

“Not tonight, mate. I’m taking Tara out, just the two of us.”

“But you can’t leave me to eat Spock’s cooking. She burns toast!”

Kelli’s hand came flying out and connected with Cooper’s stomach before any of us realised she was moving.

“Tara has taught me a few things, actually. I can now cook toast
and
boil water,” she replied sarcastically.

Biting my lip, I attempted to stifle my laugh. It didn’t go unnoticed, as Riley’s eyes turned from laughing to smouldering in an instant. Noticing the change in mood, I looked away, a little flushed by how quickly he could be distracted.

Cooper came over and gave me a big sweaty bear hug. Riley then stepped in to take his place as Cooper turned his attention to Kelli, wrapping her in his arms.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Riley said, placing his hands on my cheeks.

“Okay,” I replied eagerly, stepping closer until our bodies were almost touching.

He leaned in and kissed my forehead gently then my lips, just a prolonged peck. I felt a little pang of disappointment. I wanted to be kissed.

The corner of his mouth twitched as he read the expression on my face. “Is this better?” he asked softly, then leaned in again for a full, no-holds-barred kiss that rocked me to my toes. He slid one hand down my side and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in closer so our bodies were pressed together, before finally pulling away … breathless.

“Much better,” I managed, barely audible.

“Good. I aim to please.” His voice cracked as he spoke and I smiled, knowing that the kiss had affected him too.

T
RYING TO
decide what to wear was still a sticking point for me and as a result, I stood in front of the open wardrobe doors for a full fifteen minutes before pulling something out. I loved my skinny black pants with the ankle zips; they were comfortable. But I needed something to knock his socks off. I decided to team them with a red cross-over top that showed maybe a little too much cleavage, and my favourite wedge sandals.

Walking from my freshly-painted off-white bedroom, to my freshly-painted bathroom, I had a huge grin on my face. The guys had done a fantastic job during the day while I had been at work. If not for the colour change, I would never have known they had been there.
Well I guess they are Special Forces
,
they are trained to infiltrate and leave without anyone knowing.

I examined my reflection in the mirror, then just to be certain I took a photo of myself and sent it to Kelli for her expert opinion. Thirty seconds later my phone rang.

“You look hot, just push those puppies up a bit more,” she joked.

“If they were out any further they’d have their own identities.”

“Well it’s a good thing you’re wearing pants, anyway.” Her voice was hushed, and I had to listen hard to hear her. “Because if you thought Riley looked hot last night, just wait until you see him tonight. You’re going to need all the help you can get to keep your panties on.”

“What if I don’t want to keep them on?” I asked playfully.

“Tara!” Kelli squealed. “Do you want to keep them on?”

I laughed. “I think I do … no, I do … I’m sure I do, it’s too soon. It’s just when he’s around, all rational thought goes out the window and my hormones take over.”

“Well, in all seriousness, you have to be comfortable with the pace things are moving, so don’t feel pressured into doing anything just because he’s leaving in a couple of days.”

I didn’t think he would try to pressure me anyway, but I made a firm decision as I studied my reflection in the mirror, that tonight was not the night.

Riley arrived right on time and although I was expecting him, my stomach still had butterflies when the door buzzer sounded. I let him up and waited at the door for him to climb the stairs.

Once again, Kelli was right; he looked awesome.

He was wearing a fitted short-sleeve blue button-down shirt that showed off his incredible biceps and matched the colour of his eyes, making them seem even more intensely blue. I followed the line of his body down over the tight black jeans that hung low on his hips, and showed off to perfection what I had previously discovered was an amazingly tight butt, and boots. They looked like the same boots I had seen before, only tonight they had been cleaned and polished. He was clean shaven and his skin positively glowed.

All in all, I think he was the most breathtakingly gorgeous man I had ever seen.

He smiled his crooked half-smile, sapphire-blue eyes shining as he leaned in to greet me with a kiss.

“You look … Wow …” He trailed off, holding out my hands and drinking me in, his eyes stopping on my cleavage for a little too long before continuing down the length of me.

I blushed terribly; maybe I did need to push the puppies down a bit. But as I looked at the expression on his face my embarrassment turned to delight. He was clearly trying to hold it together.