Page 14 of Dangerous Love

Avery smirked before flipping him the bird. “Fuck off, mate. I’m as hot as I was at your age.”

I missed this.“All right. All right, gentlemen. I’ll try the damn dress on.” I smacked Avery on the shoulder. “But you are paying for our ice creams.”

“Deal.” Avery kissed the top of my head before he glanced around the room. He sighed, relief smoothing the lines on his forehead when all the staff waved and exited the kitchen, the place left spotless during our exchange. “Do you need a ride home?”

To be honest, now that I was here, I wanted more of this weird feeling tingling through me. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt…good. “No, it’s okay. I have my car. I’ll be right behind you.”

Riley got up from his chair and placed it back against the wall. “I might stay a bit longer. I have my gear to pack up. I’ll lock up if you’d like?”

Avery saluted him. “Sure. As long as you don’t need any help?”

Riley nodded as they shook hands, and after squeezing me tight once more, my brother took off, leaving us in the emptied space.

After a minute of awkward silence, Riley motioned towards the back, and I followed. “Do you have much to pack?” I asked as we made our way to the new club area. It was eerily dark. Not one soul remained, and within a couple of strides, Riley and I stared at his music gear already packed against the makeshift stage. I arched an eyebrow. “What exactly do you need to pack?”

He huffed and raised his hands in the air. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. The guys must have put it away for me. I had no idea.”

I chuckled. “Well, they’re nice.” I pointed to the back wall. “Your guitar’s still there though.”

A grin morphed his features. He took the couple of steps between us and the instrument and grabbed it. “Everyone knows not to touch my guitar. She’s like my sacred woman.”

I flinched, slight jealousy pinching me. In all honesty, I’d never considered that Riley could have a girl. Even worse, a steady one at that. Given that my experience with guys had been a couple of drunken one-night stands, it had never crossed my mind. “I bet your girlfriend would love to hear that.” I tried to keep my tone light, but inside, my belly churned.

Riley shook his head. “Si, if I had a girlfriend, that would have been the first thing I told you.”

I shrugged. “You don’t have to tell me anything. It’s none of my—”

In one swift move, Riley’s hand held mine, and he leaned forward until his mouth touched my ear. “Shhh. Stop talking, Sienna.”

A strange feeling gripped me, and I gasped, my thoughts racing as fast as my heartbeat. Goosebumps crawled over my skin, and I closed my eyes as I settled under the smooth spell of his voice. “Can you just hold me for a minute?” I whispered against him. “Please?” Shame filled me for asking. I was weak. I hated myself for it, but right here, so close to him, I needed to feel his safety at least one more time.

Without a word, the guitar was propped against the wall by his feet, and strong arms enveloped me. Riley’s body encased mine like I was his own crystallized butterfly, until all I could feel was his breath against my neck. His tone trembled as he whispered, “I’d hold you forever if I could.”

I gripped him tighter, my throat burning. I fought the tears from spilling over, but as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, I lost the battle with my emotions. A sob shook me, and my fingers dug into his back. “I missed you so much.”

He pulled me into a close hug. “I missed you too. So damn much. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about this whole fucking mess. If we lived in another universe, you know I’d be with you in a heartbeat.”

“Riley…” There was so much I wanted to say, and yet, I knew better than to say it. Instead, I took a deep breath, my walls climbing back up. “It won’t change anything, will it?”

He kissed my forehead, and with his thumb, he dried the tears from my cheeks. He gave me a tender smile, one that didn’t reach his beautiful brown eyes. There was a darkness to his features. A sadness I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He took a breath and let it out slowly.

Then he murmured, “No, and it’s not because I don’t love you, Sienna Curtis.”

CHAPTER8

Riley

The car purred like a satisfied lover as I waited for Sienna to come out of her house. She’d texted and said she was almost ready, but that was ten minutes ago. Since then, no Sienna in sight. Or in text.

Maybe your little declaration from last night freaked her out, you moron.I didn’t know what came over me, but there was no freaking universe where I could have denied her comfort when she needed it. Having her in my arms again felt so right. And yet, so wrong at the same time.

Avery would have had an aneurism if he knew the tight rope I was walking with his sister, and that was nothing compared to what my father could do if he discovered Sienna was back in my life. She was my Achilles’ heel and the one thing Hal Cooper didn’t need to have in his repertoire of gang-related ammunition.

The slamming of the door dragged me out of my daze, and as soon as Sienna came into my line of vision, my pulse quickened. She dashed towards the car, little black heels slowing her stride, a white jacket covering her black shorts, and a purple tank top hugging her waist. She’d tied her hair up in a ponytail. It bounced with every step as she stumbled into the car, her breath ragged.

“Sorry, I rushed but Grace had a thousand instructions.” She shut the door behind her. “I’ve already forgotten half of them.”

My lips curled at how amazingly good she was at being both super smart and super avoidant, all in one go. “Don’t stress. She emailed them to me early this morning.”

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