Page 61 of Rivals

“Reign.” She slaps my back, kicking her legs. My hand swats her ass cheek and it feels amazing to have my hands on her body. I walk quickly to the back area where her bedroom is and close the door behind us before setting her back on her feet.

“I miss you,” I tell her, cupping her face and pressing my lips to hers. My hands slide through her silky hair, over her shoulders and down her back, holding her body to mine. She feels like perfection in my arms. “I hate that I put doubt about us in your mind. You asked me if I would do it again, and I can’t lie to you, babe. I will always protect you. I didn’t enjoy being with her, all I could picture was how satisfying it would be once she figures out she was played and falls on her face for thinking she could touch what was mine. I won’t hurt you in that way ever again. You mean more than anything to me, Riles.”

“Reign, I miss you too. I don’t know what to do or to think anymore. I feel like a mess.” She swallows, her voice full of emotion.

I lean my forehead against hers. “You aren’t a mess. You’re perfect. I tried really hard to give you space—

“No, you didn’t.” She laughs. “You’ve been acting like we’re together while I’m ignoring you.”

“You broke up, babe, not me. I’ve been waiting for you to give me another chance.” I lay my hand on her chest, over her heart. “Please tell me I’ve still got you, Riles.”

“Yes,” she whispers, her lips butterfly soft against my lips when she talks. My insides still light up, shivers running down my back. My hands fist in her hair and on her sweater.

“Tell me what I want to hear.” I stare into her eyes, my soul demanding to hear hers. I can see the emotion in them, a trace of uncertainty, but it’s there. It was being suppressed by fear the entire time. “I love you, Riley. So much that I’ll wait as long as it takes, and remind you every day how much you mean to me.”

She reaches forward and covers my mouth with her hand. Her dark eyes shine brightly, and there’s only a small quiver in her lips. “I love you too.”

I don’t hesitate, chasing her words with my lips and swallowing them down. She sighs into my mouth, pulling on my shirt, trying to get closer. I kiss her for as long as I can, knowing our time alone is limited with her dad coming back inside soon and that ride to the airport we still have to take. It takes great effort to pull myself away, and when I do, we’re both breathing hard, unable to separate.

“I want you,” she whispers, her words nearly undoing me.

I brush her hair back from her face. “As much as I want to be inside you right now, we have to be to the airport in thirty minutes.”

Her eyes widen in alarm. “Thirty!”

I nod and glance at my phone. “Okay, thirty-two.”

“You really meant it when you came here and said we’re leaving.” She laughs while grabbing her suitcase from the closet. I watch while she throws some clothes in, casually keeping an eye on what she’s bringing.

“In my mind you were always going with me, Riles. It’s why I gave myself plenty of time coming over here.”

“Yeah, okay, smart guy. And what if I still refused.” She stops packing and turns to me, arms crossing over her chest.

I pick up her next stack of clothes and set them in the suitcase. “You’d let me go to Michigan alone?”

Riley rolls her eyes and sighs. “No. With my luck you’d come back and I would have a whole new crowd of women to deal with.”

“Exactly. It’s just better that you come with me now, so they see I’m already taken.”

“So modest,” she fires back, her eyes narrowed. I can’t help the stupid grin on my face. I missed this. I missed her smiles and her attitude, the way she gives me shit right back.

“You’re amazing, Riley Conrad,” I tell her, my words laced with love and awe.

Her mouth opens and closes, her cheeks turning pink. “Here, you can take this to the car while I get my carry-on ready.”

I kiss her one last time before grabbing her suitcase and heading out to the waiting car. Mr. Conrad is outside and I can tell when he sighs in relief that I have her bag and also that I came out without my clothes out of place. He looks even more relieved when Riley joins us, and she’s wearing the same outfit, her hair completely unruffled.

I watch them hug and he says something to her that has her nodding her head and glancing at me. I would bet it has something to do with keeping an open mind about the college, but I’m not going to say anything just yet. She’s in the car with me and willingly getting on the plane. The rest will have to wait until we land.

Reign

It is mid-day when our flight lands and we get our belongings. Like I told her, the minute we land, my parents take off to have their own fun. My mom gives Riley a hug and winks at me before whisking my father away. He just gives me a stern look that reads “don’t fuck this up.” I have no plans to. For the first time in years, he and I are on the same page with the same goal. I just need Michigan to make their move.

“What’s first on the agenda?” Riley asks as we drive away in our rental car.

“Let’s go to the hotel first and drop off our bags. We can freshen up then head over to the school,” I tell her. Riley smiles and nods, but I can read her anxiousness with every twist of her hands. It gives me hope that she doesn’t want to say goodbye to me at the end of the year. I have to hold onto that; I’ll take any fucking sign I can.

My mom was playing it cheeky when she got us two separate rooms. Riley bursts out laughing until I take her bag with mine and bring them both to my room. Then her eyes just do that soft, doe expression and I have us out of there in under ten minutes or else we won’t be leaving. As much as I want to fuck her sweet pussy right now, I have a bigger game plan that needs to be play out. I need Riley to fall in love with this campus. The best way to get to her is showing her the magical library first.

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