Page 40 of Played

Looking down, she saw the little red marks from roughhousing with him in the bed. “What’s wrong with you? These will fade away by the morning. Plus, I love having your marks on me.”

“I shouldn’t have… I’m gonna run you a bath so you can soak for a while.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he walked towards the bathroom. Riot refused to let her shut down on him. Just because he was a bastard did not mean he cared any less. Turning on the water, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was a damn fool for treating her like she hadn’t mattered for days on end. River was all that mattered to him. If only he could get her to believe him. To trust him.

“You and the whole ‘get in the tub’...” She was a grown woman. She did not have to listen to him. “Go to hell, Riot. Just because I let you…” River watched him come further into the room raw emotion on his face.

“What did you say?” He continued to stalk towards her with one simple intention … her. “Is that all that’s between us…fucking? Is that all it is to you? Is it!?” he asked, raising his voice.

“I didn’t say that. You did,” she whispered, lowering her head. Why couldn’t she just let him have his way for once without making things tense. Because it was Riot, and she was afraid of him leaving her again. There was so much more that needed talking about.

Pissed and tired of River starting argument after argument with him to keep him at arm’s length, he had finally reached his limit. He thought they had turned a corner. Seemed they hadn’t. If he wanted her in the fucking tub, she would be getting in the tub. Maybe he hadn’t worded it right. “You will soak in a hot tub to relax your muscles.”

“You’re not all that, Riot. I don’t need to soak in a tub.” She was about to laugh when he stormed from the bathroom. Riot forced her back until he pinned her against the window. “I told you to get your sweet ass in that damn tub.”

“I’m not a child and you will not treat me like one.”

Scooping her up, he stalked back to the bathroom with her pounding on his chest, demanding he let her down. Oh he was gonna let her down. “When you act like a brat, you get treated like a brat.” Riot dumped her in the tub.

River had been shocked when Riot scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom, but when he dumped her in the tub, she let loose a string of profanities. “You asshole, I should pull your ass in here!”

“I guess we’re lucky this tub is big enough for the two of us.” He smirked.

River laughed as Riot lowered himself into the tub and leaned his back against the wall, pulling her against him. “What’s wrong with us? What kind of couple in their right minds fight like this?”

“Sweetheart, we fought all the time when we were together. Did you forget that little detail?” They had always argued. She was stubborn and refused to listen to him, and he was overly dominant towards her, wanting to take care of her in every way. They pushed and pulled at each other like a game of tug a war, neither ever winning. Everything had been a compromise in some way.

Running her fingers over Riot’s calf, she thought about how beautiful he was. They stayed like that for a long while. The only sound was the random drip from the faucet hitting the water. River had never been more afraid than when she thought she would lose Riot years ago. In a way, shehadlost him. She didn’t want to miss another chance of feeling him wrapped around her. She wanted the chance he was offering. “Riot?”

“Hmmm.”

“Would you let me stay with you tonight?” Fear crept in as she waited one second, two… she had never feared being alone, why tonight was different was yet another thing she would worry about, but later much later.

“Where else would I want you to be?” When she went to speak, he stopped her. “Please do not spoil this moment, River.”

She stayed silent, letting the quiet lay softly between them.

After some time, the water had gone cold. The silence had taken on an uncomfortable feeling. River eased out of the tub while Riot grabbed her a towel. “You don’t trust me.” He said what she felt, and it hurt more hearing it come from his lips than it did running circles in her head. “I’m getting there. Working on myself first.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m learning that I have to trust myself first, before I can trust anyone else.” She waited for Riot to take her in his arms and tell her it would be all right.

He didn’t this time. He left her standing by herself.

Grabbing the pizza box, she climbed into the bed. “Are you gonna eat or just stare at me?”

“It’s probably cold by now.”

“Good thing I like cold pizza.”

Settling on the bed next to River, he toyed with her damp hair as she picked apart a slice of pizza, knowing the questions were coming.

“Where have you been spending your time?”

He was tired of the mistrust between them. “I was in a meeting with Pennzoil to get you a sponsorship today. Yesterday I met with one of the merchandising companies looking for sponsorship.” It was time to come clean with some of the things he kept from her, things that humiliated him. Made him feel less of a man. “Remember when we use to go out and get smashed at the clubs?”

“Yep, you were useless afterward.”

“Whiskey dick all the way.” River laughed, which eased him a little. When he had gotten out of the hospital, his folks wanted him to move home with them. They wanted to hire nurses and therapists, and Riot wanted to be left alone to wallow in self-pity. As far as he knew, River left him. He held up his hand, stopping her from protesting. He needed to get it out. Laurel was the one there, she “picked up the pieces.” Within weeks of leaving the hospital, he had become strung out on pain pills, pissed at River for abandoning him.

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