Page 22 of Forever Always

He started off slow and light. Tiny, innocent pecks. But when I didn’t back up or freak out, Ri got more confident. He rested his hands against my chest for balance and to find a rhythm. At first, I didn’t move. My brain was still trying to process Riley’s lips on mine. But then I relaxed. This was Riley. Who else but him should I experience this with? I ran my hands up and down his arms as he became more aggressive, his tongue pushed in between my parted lips.

I opened up for him. It only seemed right to let him have everything he wanted. I moaned into his mouth.

“Fuck, Becks.” Riley pushed at my chest and I lay down. He straddled my lap. “Is this okay?”

Why did it mean so much that he’d asked me that? I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the overload of emotions. “Y-yes.”

“I’m just kissin’ you, Becks. Nothin’ more. Please tell me to stop if you need me to.”

I just nodded, unable to say any words. I was so fuckin’ overwhelmed. Riley started to kiss me again. How could something so innocent feel so dirty? His hips brushed along my stomach, and since he was only wearing those threadbare gray sweats he loved so much, I could feel just how turned on he was.

My heart started to pound in my chest. I wasn’t hard. Would Riley realize that? Would he think it meant I didn’t want him? That I wasn’t enjoying this? Was I enjoying this?

Riley climbed off me. “It’s okay, Becks. We can just cuddle.”

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.”

“Nothin’. I pushed too far. You just said yesterday you needed time, then you told me somethin’ major. It’s been a lot. Just cuddle with me?”

Tears began to spring to my eyes as I pulled him close and kissed the top of his head. “Thank you, butterfly. You’re fuckin’ perfect.”

Ri snorted. “Not even close.”

“Well, you’re perfect for me.”

“That’s the only thing that matters. You’re perfect for me too, Becks. Even if you don’t believe it. I’ll keep tellin’ you though.”

I grinned. “We do have forever, right?”

I felt Riley’s shoulders lift in half a laugh. “Always.”

CHAPTER 8

BECKETT

“What’s up with you, man?” Jay asked me, side-eyeing me like I was crazy.

Which, honestly, was fair. I’d been jumpy and off all day. Shortly after Ri and I had finished talking and started to doze back off, I’d gotten a call from Jay. His mom was missing. He had gotten a call from one of the bars she always hung at that she was out of control. By the time he’d gotten there, she was gone, and he called me, worried.

Ri had taken a double shift at the gas station, since he insisted on doing most of the work toward saving for tuition. I didn’t have a shift at the factory today, so I went with Jay and Riley went to work.

But I was distracted, and after an hour of checking the 24-hour dumps designed just for people like Lydia Parks and Michael Cooks, I was getting antsy thinking about everything.

“Nothin’. Sorry, just tried. Should we check some of the shelters? Your mom goes there sometimes, right?”

Jay narrowed his eyes at me but nodded. “Yeah. Alright. Better than having to go into another shithole like this.”

We continued to walk down the street, but after I checked my phone again, Jay stopped us.

“Okay, what the fuck happened? Did you and Riley get in a fight?”

I frowned. “Why would you say that?”

“Cause you’re checkin’ your phone even more than usual. You’re always obsessed with checkin’ up on him, but this is extra, even for you.”

I ran a hand through my hair as I shoved my phone in my pocket with extra emphasis. “We didn’t get in a fight . . .”

“But something did happen.”

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