Page 26 of Fumbling for Perfection

“You have. You made me forget about all the stress I’m dealing with, if only for a few hours.”

I can make her forget all night if she’ll let me. Hoping my hands are warmer, I slide them to her jaw and cup her face, lifting it to mine. I place a soft, chaste kiss on her lips, nothing like the kisses we shared before, and release her before my dick takes control of the rest of my body.

“Anytime, Riley. I enjoy spending time with you, whether it’s eating, walking, or...” I quirk my lip, letting her fill in the blank. Praying she fills it in for me.

I watch as she swallows and clears her throat. “It’s, um, getting cold out.”

Hoping I hide my disappointment, I drop my hands from her face and take a small step back. “Can I call an Uber for you?”

“I, uh.” She twists her hands together in front of her and takes a deep breath. “I was wondering if I could, um...warm up in your hotel room.”

Fuck. Yeah.My dick, my heart, my smile, they’re all about to explode. Instead, I play it cool. “Sure.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

RILEY

As soon as Walker opens the door to his hotel room, all nerves vanish. It’s funny. I’d think now is when they’d go into overtime, but we’ve done this before. Only, this time, I actually know the man.

He’s not as intimidating as he was the first night we met. A gorgeous man asking me back to his room for a one-night stand.

Now we’re...friends. Or at least acquaintances. He’s sweet and kind and funny. And he reads.Swoon.I want to ask if he wears reading glasses, becauseOh! My! God!I can picture him sitting up in bed wearing nothing but a thin sheet draped across his thighs, his muscular, naked chest tan against the white bedding, a pair of glasses perched on his nose and a book in his lap.

I was absolutely freaked out when he showed up at Boston Strong yesterday. It’s not like anyone there knows about my personal life and the drastic changes that are about to happen, but I didn’t want to introduce a random hook up either.

However, now that we’ve spent an evening dining, walking, and talking, Walker is no longer a random hook up. He’s a man who is as sweet as he is sexy. He listens as well as he speaks. He holds my hand and kisses my knuckles, and he knows how to fuck me against a wall until I feel like I’m going to be split open.

“You okay?” he asks from behind, setting his phone and key card on the dresser.

“Yeah.”

“Would you like a drink? The minibar selection isn’t great, but there might be something you’d like.” He opens a cabinet and shows me a row of small bottles.

I shake my head. “I have to head into work early.”

“I have a morning flight too.”

I try to ignore the disappointment in my chest. No, not disappointment. If Walker was a local, I wouldn’t be here. We only work because, after tonight, I’ll probably never see him again. Ishouldn’tsee him again. Wanting to enjoy every final moment I have with this most perfect man, who thinksI’mperfection, I unzip my vest and drape it over the desk chair.

“Is it okay if I stay a while?” I don’t want to be presumptuous, but he’s a guy. Granted, he hasn’t asked to have another one-night stand. Or would this be called a two-night stand?

“Riley.” He steps into my space and cups my face in his big, strong hands. “You can stay as long as you’d like.”

I shouldn’t feel guilty, but what I’m doing is wrong, even if Jackson said it’s okay. He wants me to sow my wild oats, but my oats aren’t wild. I’m not this woman. The one who can have sex with strangers.

Fine. Walker isn’t a stranger anymore but...I’m engaged. We have an open relationship, and there’s no jealousy on either end, but still. I’m not anopen relationshipkind of woman.

“Riley?” Walker tilts his head down, studying my face. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“Oh, I’m quite comfortable with you. That’s kind of the problem.” What if Walker isn’t the random hookup kind of guy either? What if he wants us to have a long-distance relationship? He put my number in his phone. Hell, he called me Perfection. What if he wants something more?

“I’m not following.”

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and step out of his hold. “I want tonight to happen, Walker. You have no idea how badly I want it to happen, but I can’t. I’m at a place in my life where I don’t have the time or ability for...for anything more. I’m not sure what you’re looking for, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I want exactly what you want, Riley.”

“But—”

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