Page 26 of Flyboy's Nightingale
Riley just nods her head. Leaning forward, I place a kiss on her forehead, heat floods my system shooting straight to my cock, which becomes instantly rock hard. Riley leans away from me, searching my face. Her eyes trace over my eyes, down my nose, and stop on my lips. She licks her lips and her eyes heat. I run my hand up her arm, cupping the back of her neck, massaging it softly.
“Riley, I really want to kiss you right now,” I confess, leaning closer to her.
“I wouldn’t say no to that.” She laughs softly, running her hands up my thighs as she leans further into me.
“Baby, I need you to say no. You aren’t in the right headspace for what’ll happen if we were to kiss.” Disappointment flashes in her eyes before she pulls away, folding in on herself.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m not like the girls who normally warm your bed. I know thinking you wanted me was stupid.” Her gaze looks beyond shattered. “I just thought when you brought me in here that you would. Just forget it. You go shower, and I won't bother you with this anymore.”
“Is that really what you think this is about?” I’m trying to clarify that I understand what she's trying to say. “You think that I’m asking you to say no because I don’t want you?”
“Flyboy, let’s just not do this. I can’t handle any more embarrassment today.” Her sadness wraps around her like a cloak trying to hide her away.
Tipping her chin up so that I can look into her astonishingly expressive eyes, I state, “I would give up the ability to walk to be with you.” I swallow hard, trying to find the words to tell this woman I was coming to see her when I was hit without her pulling the guilt of that day onto herself.
“Riley, the night of the accident, I left the wedding because I decided to finally get off my fucking hands, and fight for the one point of sunshine in my life.” Her eyes go impossibly wider with every word.
“What do you mean? Are you saying this is all my fault?” she wonders, looking me up and down.
“No, not at all! You stubborn, amazing, selfless woman, that isn’t what I’m saying. What I’m saying, is that I want you in every way that a man can want a woman. I want to know what’s going on in your life. I want to know what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Why you’re so scared to come into this clubhouse and spend time with my family? Riley, don’t you understand, I want it all with you,” I reply, laying it all on the table.
Before she can say anything, I close my lips onto hers. My hand that has never left the back of her neck, fists in her hair, bringing her closer to me so I can deepen the kiss. I lick the seam of her lips, trying to encourage her to open her mouth to me. Riley opens up for me, meeting my tongue with hers. The kiss lasts for so long that my head starts to spin from loss of breath.
Pulling back, I grin, taking in the beautiful woman in front of me, admiring the blush that spreads from the top of her head, down across her cheeks, leading down into her shirt, making me wish I could see exactly how far the blush goes.
“Fuck, you’re so fucking gorgeous.” I place a quick kiss on her lips before rolling back from her.
“I don’t know about gorgeous but, thank you.” The blush on her face deepens just a few shades darker.
“Alright, I’m going to go take a shower. Then we’re going to lay here and rest. Avery kicked my ass in P.T. today, and I’m fucking beat.” I smile trying to ease her.
“That sounds like the perfect plan. Where is your remote so I can get it all set up?” she asks sweetly, looking around.
“It’s right there on the bedside table next to the clock. That sounds perfect.” I try to turn my wheelchair running into shit all over the floor.
Riley laughs as she stands from her place on the bed. She comes over to me, picking up the items that are in my way before guiding my chair into my bathroom that is also a god forsaken mess. Fuck, what the hell has happened to me? I wonder as I stand from my chair, looking at the man in front of me. My hair and beard are both overgrown and shaggy, all the muscle tone that I built up over my years in the military is gone. Riley comes up behind me, refusing to look directly at me before turning, and starting the shower.
“I’ll help you into the shower to be sure that you don’t fall,” she says, sounding all business, like she would when we worked in the E.R. together.
“Having my own in-home nurse could be very convenient,” I joke as I pull my shirt over my head.
“Could’ve had this the whole time had you not been such a fucking prick,” she grouches as she continues getting the shower ready.
Shame rains down over me like a hurricane. The touch of her hands across the scars on my back tingle, causing me to jerk in response. Riley starts to pull away but I reach out, placing her hands back on my skin.
“You healed so much better than we thought you would. In no time, they’ll be nearly gone,” Riley tells me, then she hesitates for just a second, and asks, “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can always ask me anything.” I tip her face up to look at me. “The only time I won’t tell you something is when it’s club business. You have to understand that club business is just that, business between club members, and no one else.”
Her eyes are open, and I could read everything in them until the moment I mentioned club business. Why would talking about club business cause her to close down like a house party when the police show up? I decide that I’m going to dig information out of her later, but first, I’m going to shower and clean up this fucking beard.
“Thank you, for being honest with me. Why don’t you get in the shower and I’ll have everything ready when you get out?” she asks, chattering absentmindedly as she continues cleaning up the bathroom.
“Riley, what is it? What aren’t you telling anyone?” I inquire.
“Flyboy, there is nothing to tell. I came to this town to start over, determined to never be involved with anything other than my job. Now, I’m standing in a bedroom in a clubhouse, just trying to make sure that you don’t fall on your ass while you shower.” She throws her hands up before turning to leave the bathroom.
I watch the spot where she was just standing, stunned by her outburst. Patting my pockets in search of my phone, growling in frustration when I don’t find it, I make a mental note to text Razor and ask him to dig into Riley to see if I can figure out why the hell she is so set on hiding everything from me. If she won’t tell me what’s going on with her, I’ll just have to find out that information for myself. I start to push my pants down when the fucking brace from my hip to my ankle stops me.
