Page 66 of Let It Be Me
24
SARAH
“Iknow it’s late, but I have a surprise waiting for us,” my voice is giddy as I tell Riley and I’m barely able to hold in my excitement.
His face is lit up from the glow of the dashboard and I see a smile lift his cheeks. “Well it’s clearly not you sitting on my bed wrapped with a bow.”
I lightly hit his thigh. “Perv.”
“What? It’s Christmas time. The time to unwrap all of the presents.” He states his case as he pulls into the parking garage and whips into his spot.
“Play your cards right and that might be a present for you.” I unbuckle my seatbelt and hop out before Riley can stop me.
With Riley no longer my client, I’ve never felt more balanced in all areas of my life. Mason officially announced his retirement, Nate is visiting family in Virginia, and the soccer player I was working with decided he no longer liked my direct approach with his image so we parted ways. It was no skin off my back as I managed to sign on two more football players and one of Nate’s teammates. I meet with thembefore the end of the year to discuss their goals and what they want their personal brand to reflect.
“Oh are we making lists?” Riley asks when he finally steps out of the car. He snags his bag from the backseat and we head over to the elevator bank.
“No,” I draw out and push the button to go up. We have no wait and head straight into the elevator car. “Besides, I wouldn’t even know what to ask for. I buy all of my own things.”
“Hmm,” Riley starts and I rest my body on his and look up at him. His eyes are darker in the elevator, but that’s what I love about them. “I’ll have to do some serious re-con.”
I narrow my eyes at him and push off when the elevator opens. Riley’s “re-con” involves texting my best friends and getting their input. Jokes on all of them because none of them will have a clue as to what to get me. Although, I’ll never turn down a pair of shoes.
Riley moves around me to open the door and swats me on the butt as I pass. I go right to the bedroom because the surprise is in here.
The sound of Riley’s bag hitting the floor with a thud signals he’s saying hi to the girls. Pixie is still coming around to me being around while Sasha usually hangs off my body anytime I’m here.
“Blue, I know it’s late, but–what is this?” He asks when he gets to the threshold.
I’m standing by the bed with my arms pointing to the bed.
“You got us matching jammies?”
“Mm hmm. Baby, you’re freakishly tall and muscular, so I had a tough time tracking down a matching set.”
Riley wastes no time and pulls off his sweatshirt while I eye his tattooed and rippling torso appreciatively. Hissweatshirt hits me in the face and his chuckle is muffled. I’ll never stop appreciating his physique for as long as we’re together.
Our matching pajama set in question is a navy blue color with gingerbread houses, candy canes, presents, snowmen, and basically everything Christmas print all over. Riley pulls on the solid blue henley, which I’ve come to find that he favors over any other type of shirt so his excitement is palpable when he puts the shirt on.
I’m not shy about changing in front of Riley. But anytime I take something off my body, he takes everything else off and we end up in bed.
“Are you going to change?” Riley asks as he slides his jeans down his legs.
“Yep. When you leave the bedroom.”
“I can control myself.” He states as he also slips his boxers off and I meet his eyes. The devilish grin is telling.
I cross my arms and pop my hip to the side. He’s so full of shit and he knows it. His pants slide up his legs and they fit perfectly.
“Okay, princess, I’m going to the living room.” Riley holds his hands up in surrender and walks backwards to the living room.
I wait until I hear his shit talking to Pixie about how it’s me who can’t control themselves. Shaking my head, I peel off my arena layers and decide to rinse off before heading back out there. I’m brushing my hair out when I hear Riley complain that I’m taking too long.
“Do you know how hard it is to see you skating across the ice and then having to wait for you to finish your post-game talks and then shower?” I point out to him and I look into the bedroom to see him spread eagle on the bed.
With my Christmas pajamas on, I turn the bathroom light off and crawl over him on the bed. His hands landheavy on my hips and his eyes land on my face. It’s definitely love I see reflected back at me. And I realize that it no longer scares me. Love with Riley is an adventure that I’m not afraid to take.
His position shifts suddenly when he stands up and carries me to the living room. My legs wrap around his waist and his hands lock under my butt. I place a kiss on the side of his head before he’s dropping down onto the couch withThe Santa Clausealready cued up.
