Page 58 of Riff

And, suddenly, all my uncertainty about it disappeared as he set me down.

So my hands moved up his chest, went to his neck, and I moved up on my toes, then sealed my lips to him.

Because nothing felt more right in that moment.

I thought it would just be a quick, enthusiastic peck, just showing him that there was interest.

I didn’t expect to melt into it, into him, loving the firm, yet gentle way he held me as he tilted my head back, deepening the kiss.

Tingles spread across my chest, then through my body, until every inch of me felt like it was vibrating. Not just with desire, though that was growing in an unexpectedly intense, but somewhat nerve-racking way, but it was also just undiluted joy.

Joy.

God, I didn’t remember the last time I felt such a flood of it.

Sure, there had been glimpses of it here and there. The first time I got my body twisted in a hard asana, when a guided meditation, for a moment, took all the pain and fear away, when we were all gathered around a Christmas tree opening presents, and a bunch of times Riff and I went out to explore.

But this, this felt like sunlight was beaming through my body, lighting me, and warming me up.

By the time we broke apart, Colter and Raff were gone, disappeared into the clubhouse, giving us privacy.

“Heya, darlin’,” Riff said, giving me that familiar, lazy smile, but his eyes were burning. “I missed you,” he said, making my heart feel all gooey.

“I missed you too,” I told him. I meant it down to my bones. “How was the, ah, trip?” I asked, enjoying the way his hands were absentmindedly rubbing across my lower back.

“Too long,” he told me. “What have you been up to?”

“Everyone has been keeping me busy,” I admitted. “I took a class with Nyx. And I had a personal yoga lesson at the gym.”

“Good for you, V. That’s awesome.”

“We should probably go inside,” I said, realizing I hadn’t even bothered to put my coat on in my excitement, and the cold was starting to slice into me.

“Yeah,” he agreed, sliding his arm around my hips, and walking me inside.

“Oh! Coach and I built a window ledge for Vernon. You want to see it?” I asked as we moved inside, finding the men in the kitchen talking in low voices to Slash.

“Absolutely,” he agreed, leading me up into our shared room.

He oohed and ahhed over the ledge for a moment as Vernon hopped onto it to show off its stability.

“You’re freezing,” Riff said as a little shiver racked my system.

He led me over to the bed, pushing me onto it, and pulling up all my blankets to create my little cocoon.

“Sit with me?” I asked, and the way his shoulders relaxed suggested he’d been waiting for that invitation.

He toed out of his shoes and moved around the bed to climb in with me. Wanting him closer, I slipped him under the covers with me, then scooted in at his side, resting my head on his chest like I’d been craving since he’d left.

“I haven’t slept well without you here,” I admitted as his hands automatically went to my hair.

“I’d much rather share a room with you than my brother,” he told me. “He kicked me out for an entire night.”

“Why?”

“He had… company,” he told me as his fingers went from sifting through my hair to rubbing gentle circles across my scalp.

“Oh,” I said, stomach twisting at the idea of Riff kicking out Raff to have company another night.

---