Among the Echoes(32)

And instead of the smile I was hoping for in return, she quickly steps away.





"Sweet mother of Italian food. That was amazing," Riley says, rubbing her flat stomach. "You have to give me the name of this place."

Dinner was a hit. Listening to Riley moaning to herself with every bite was pretty much excruciating. Thank God there was a table between us, because I’m not sure how else I would have been able to hide my hard-on. It wasn’t just her moans that sent blood sprinting toward my cock. The way she leaned forward to eat the pasta gave me a generous view of her cleavage. I tried not to stare, but Jesus f*cking Christ. Thankfully she never caught my glances. Or at least I don’t think she did.

The conversation flowed easily between us, and the woman who panicked when she heard the knock at the door quickly faded away. After our brief moment of closeness, Riley has unfortunately kept her distance. It sucks, but I’ll change things soon enough. One touch was enough to hook me.

"It’s my favorite, " I reply, placing my napkin on the table.

"I can’t remember the last time I had food that good."

"You didn’t even taste the gnocchi either. It’s unbelievable."

"Well I was going to taste the gnocchi, but by the time I unfolded my napkin you were already licking the bowl."

"Oh shut up. I offered you a bite at least twice."

"Yes, but something in your eye made me believe you would have literally snapped at my hand if I’d tried to snag a piece."

I bust out laughing, but she remains humorously silent. Only the hint of a smile gives away her attempt at being serious.

"So how do you feel now?"

"Stuffed."

"No, I mean after what I taught you tonight. Do you feel a little better?"

Her smile immediately falls and her shoulders tense. "Oh, um… Yeah. I think I do."

"Why don’t you come back tomorrow? We can go over some more stuff." I reach across the table and casually touch her hand. It’s meant to be encouraging, but she still pulls away.

"Yeah, I don’t know about tomorrow. But…um, maybe later this week. When do you have to give the mats back?" she asks, standing to clear the table.

"I have them on indefinite loan." I take the plates from her hands.

"Oh. Well. Sure. I’ll look at my calendar. Let me take care of those before I leave."

"No. I’ve got it. A beautiful woman recently taught me a trick about letting them soak." I wink, and her eyes go wide at my compliment.

She tries to change the subject, but as always, her smile is obvious. "I should go. It’s getting late."

"You sure you don’t want to stay and watch Vision Quest? We never finished it the other night."

"Nah. Tonight isn’t a Vision Quest night. Sixteen Candles, maybe. But definitely not Vision Quest." She giggles to herself. Just as I begin to ask what she is laughing about, she looks up at me with the most amazing twinkle of truth in her eyes. "Thanks for tonight, Adam. I had a lot of fun."

I don’t know how to respond without pulling her against me and kissing her roughly. However, I need to touch her. I reach out and gently stroke her forearm. She doesn’t back away and her eyes hold my gaze.

"Riley," I whisper, taking a step closer.

Her eyes heat, but she doesn’t respond. I take her silence as my signal to continue. I carefully grab her hip, pulling her toward me. She sways, but her feet don’t budge. I take it upon myself to close the distance between us. She sucks in a shaky breath as she rests her hands on my chest. We continue staring until, finally, her eyes flash to my mouth.

I can’t take this anymore.

I slowly lean in, giving her every opportunity to back away, but she remains still and unmoving. Her tongue darts out to dampen her lips, and that’s my cue. I brush my lips over hers, but at the last second, she turns her head and buries her face in my chest.

"I’m sorry," she whispers. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

"Don’t be sorry. It’s okay." I run my hands reassuringly over her back.

"I need to go. Like now." She pulls away and darts out the door.

"Riley, wait!" I follow. "It’s not a big deal!" I tell her back as she sprints inside her apartment, closing the door behind her. "Come on, Riley." I knock, but she doesn’t respond. "Damn it," I mutter to myself.