Songbird (Songbird, #1) (23 page)

He stopped, processing what I had just said.

Taking the opportunity to bridge the gap further, I took his face in my hands. “Don’t apologise. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

I turned to Stephen, who had managed to sit up on the ground. He was wiping the blood from his face with a monogrammed handkerchief.

I looked down at him and for the first time, saw him for what he really was: a weak, pitiful excuse for a human being. He had been more than happy to push a girl around, but when his opponent was someone of equal size his true colours had shown through.

“Stephen, I want you to go, and never contact me again.”

He looked at me through swollen eyes, but this time the look was a little more wary. I stepped closer to him, furious that he had ruined our evening with his presence.

“Do you understand?” I barked at him.

“That’s fine,” he sneered. “You were never good enough.”

A sense of self-belief washed over me. “That’s where you’re wrong. I was too good for you.”

I took hold of Riley’s hand again and led him inside.

We went straight into the bathroom to wash the blood from Riley’s face and hands. His uniform was also splattered with blood, and I doubted even a good dry cleaner would be able to get it out. I started to tentatively unbutton his jacket; he let me without complaint or assistance, so I continued a bit more purposefully.

His tie and shirt collar were stained, so they needed to come off too. I undid his tie without either of us saying a word, and then started on his shirt.

I looked up into his eyes—they were watching me intensely as I unbuttoned his shirt and gently ran my hands across his chiselled chest, before slipping the material off over his amazingly broad shoulders.

I looked at his pants; they were dirty from where he had been kneeling over Stephen so they had to go too. I started to unbuckle his belt and then stopped, realising what I was actually doing.

I tenderly touched his cheek. “Are you okay?” I asked softly.

He hadn’t said much since we had come inside, and I was starting to worry that perhaps there was something seriously wrong.

He slowly nodded, and took my hand from his cheek, placing it on his chest. His heart was beating at a million miles an hour. It was only then that I noticed his breathing had increased, and his lips were slightly parted.

He gave me a half-smile, his eyes intense, and whispered huskily, “Keep going.”

I stood frozen for a moment, taking in the passion in his eyes, the rise and fall of his chest under my hand, and then he slowly guided my hand down, sliding it over the peaks and valleys of his abdomen and back to his belt.

He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear and ran the back of his knuckles lovingly down my cheek to my jaw. His thumb brushed lightly over my lips, then his fingers ran down my neck, igniting my skin as they travelled.

My breathing now matched his as his hand continued its journey down across my bare shoulder to my arm. I flinched again under his touch, and he looked more carefully at my arm. It was scratched from the rose bush that I had fallen into.

He examined my other arm. The bruise was already beginning to show from Stephen’s tight grip. “Fucking prick,” he muttered under his breath. “Where else are you hurt, Tara?”

I lifted my now torn dress. Damn, I loved that dress, but the seam had split from the impact of my fall. I looked down at my thigh and then lifted the hem a little higher to uncover my hip. Both were red, with deep purple bruising starting to appear.

Riley gracefully dropped to his knees so his face was level with my wounded skin. He ran his fingers caressingly over the bruising, then kissed my thigh lightly before moving up to my hip, covering the entire injured area with tender, soft kisses.

I whimpered softly and held onto the sink for balance. Despite the bruising, Riley’s kisses and the image of him shirtless and on his knees in front of me far outweighed any pain I was feeling. I dropped my hand to his head, running my fingers through his hair as his kisses continued, igniting my core.

His hands ran up the inside of my thigh, so my leg was held a willing prisoner between his hands and lips, a soft groan escaped me and his eyes flickered up to meet mine, the desire obvious.

He rose slowly in front of me, his lips grazing my cheek as he whispered, “We should get you some ice for your injuries.” Then he started for the door before turning back to add, “I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”

My breath hitched in my throat and my heart skipped a beat. I stood motionless for a moment before dropping my torn, dirty dress on the bathroom floor. Wearing only a red lace thong and matching strapless bra, I headed for the bedroom.

Riley returned with an ice pack and I lay on the bed on my side so that the offending area could be attended to. He stretched out beside me, facing me with his head resting in his hand, and gently placed the ice on my bruise.

I flinched. “Ah, it’s cold,” I complained.

He chuckled and looked at me. “It’s ice, Tara; it’s supposed to be cold.”

Smarty pants.
I playfully smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t give me grief; it’s been a long, turbulent night and I’m injured.” I pouted, then looking down at his filthy pants, I indicated toward them. “And you’re putting dirt on my clean bed.”

“I can fix that,” he said with a glint in his eyes and proceeded to stand, and slowly and deliberately remove his pants. I bit my bottom lip; his desire was all too evident now that he was just in his boxer shorts.

He stood there for a few moments allowing me to take in every contour of his delectable body, before hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his boxer shorts and dropping them to the ground.

“Better?” he asked, with an enticing grin on his face.

My eyes widened, and I nodded as I hungrily took in his amazing body, all the way up to his beautiful face.

“Good. I aim to please.”

My eyes flicked back down and I swallowed hard. If size were any indication then I was sure he would please. Holy Moley!

He lay back down while I held the ice on my bruising. He seemed to feel at ease being completely naked, but I was finding it difficult to stop staring at his body.

This was it. This was the moment that I had fantasised about during my every waking moment, and I suddenly felt very exposed as his eyes darkened and he took in my scantily-clad body, lingering longer on the red lingerie.

“Lucky I didn’t know you were wearing this under your dress tonight. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands off you,” he commented seductively, then looked back into my eyes. “I think we’re finished with the ice.”

My heart was racing as he moved closer, his lips softly caressing my cheek before moving to my ear and nibbling my earlobe. His kisses continued down my neck and across my collarbone, just lightly grazing my skin and setting it alight. I closed my eyes and sighed softly, then moved my head to one side to give him maximum access. It felt heavenly.

His tongue flicked lightly up my throat until he found my parted lips. He kissed them chastely once before pulling back and gazing deep into my eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked huskily.

I nodded, and my eyes shot back down the length of his body, then back up to his eyes. I could see the smile behind them again as he sensed my apprehension.

“We can take it slow, okay?” he said, trying to ease my nervousness.

Barely able to breathe, let alone speak, I nodded once more, and then, reaching up, took hold of the back of his neck and pulled his beautiful lips back down to mine.

Our kissing became more vigorous, our tongues dancing around each other as our lips pressed ever more firmly together.

Riley’s hand travelled down my body, over my breasts, then ran down my side to settle on my hip for a moment. “Let me know if I touch anywhere that hurts,” he said breathlessly, not wanting to hurt my battered body.

At that point I was feeling no pain whatsoever, the electricity from his touch overriding the memory of what had happened earlier.

He unfastened my bra as his mouth continued its dance with mine before working a line of kisses down my throat to my breasts. He teased one erect nipple with his fingers, while the other enjoyed the benefit of his expert tongue and lips, as he gently tugged on it with his sheathed teeth. I let out a soft moan as the sensation became more intense. He continued the trail down my body, setting my skin on fire with his tender touch, kissing and licking as he went, until he settled between my thighs.

He traced feather-light kisses along the edge of my thong, then sat back on his heels for a moment, hooked his thumbs under the thin red lace and slid them down. He ran his hands down the inside of my thighs, opening my legs a little wider and completely exposing my core. I could see the rise and fall of his chest quicken. His tongue subconsciously licked his bottom lip before he resumed his position.

His tongue flicked and lips sensuously kissed their way down one thigh then back up again, before making the journey down and back up the other thigh. My body was moving involuntarily as each delicious movement made me ache for more.

Then he reached the apex once more and commenced kissing and licking my most private area.

“You taste so good,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire.

The sensation was almost too much, and I groaned loudly as Riley watched me, gauging my body’s reactions to determine what evoked the most pleasure as he tried different things. He inserted one finger, and then a second while continuing the onslaught with his mouth. The sensation inside as well as outside was sending my body into overdrive, and I lifted my hips off the bed to heighten the intensity even more. I could feel my entire body beginning to tense and I ran my fingers through Riley’s hair, fisting it tight, not wanting him to stop. With one final flick of his tongue my body tensed and then … released. It was too much, too intense, but I wanted more.

He lifted his face and kissed my hips tenderly once again, then slowly followed the trail back up my stomach. I wanted him to move quicker; I wanted him inside me, and I tried to pull him towards me, but he just raised his eyes to meet mine.

“Patience,” he murmured as he caressed my nipples once again.

He finally positioned himself above me, and then slowly entered me. The feeling was exquisite as he pushed himself tentatively inside, but then he stopped, resting his head on my shoulder while he took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” he asked hoarsely. He looked into my eyes, a forced restraint clearly etched on his face.

“Yes. Don’t stop,” I whispered, wrapping my legs around his hips and pulling him in deeper. I heard him swallow loudly as he tried to reel the feeling back in. He kissed my shoulder softly, and then, having taken a moment to ensure I was all right, started moving.

He pushed himself deeper still, and I consciously had to force myself to relax to accommodate him. He had completely filled me, and then some. I’d never felt anything like it. He kissed me softly on the lips and checked once again that I was okay. I smiled at him and nodded, telling him I was better than okay. Then I kissed his jaw, his neck and his throat, before finding his lips again.

When he was finally certain that I wasn’t going to break, he relaxed and started moving more vigorously. He varied his speed, and he varied his depth, and he had me on the brink many times before sliding one arm under my hips and lifting them to vary the sensation yet again. My body was his as he skilfully coaxed it to the point of no return. When I couldn’t take any more, he plunged deep inside me, and was rewarded with his own release.

We lay in silence for a moment, wrapped around each other while our breathing returned to normal and our heart rates slowed.

“I know it’s a cliché,” I said cheekily, “but seriously, is that what I’ve been missing out on all these years?”

Riley chuckled. “I think we’ve both been missing out. You’re amazing.”

It’s funny how a few words can turn your life upside-down. It seems that was another thing that Stephen was wrong about.

He kissed me softly one last time, and rolled onto his side. Then, wrapped together, legs entwined, he stroked my hair lovingly as we drifted off to sleep.