Chapter 20

Reign

The library has never appealed to me for studying. I always prefer the quietness of my own room. My girl, however, loves her libraries. If it wasn't for me, she'd sneak off here every evening after practice or all weekend. I've been incredible for her social life here at All Saints Academy by forcing her to socialize. Riley does not need to study as hard as she does; she has a genius brain. It's like she thinks she has something to prove to everyone and she doesn't. She doesn't owe them anything. In the end she wants to visit the library and I tag along just to get more time with her and give her snacks from the bag I brought with me so she doesn't forget to eat.

I glance at her with her hair down, a highlighter behind her ear and a pen gripped tightly in her fingers, while her eyes are closed, lips moving, memorizing something on the page of her book. I can't help but smile at her. When those brown eyes open, I catch her gaze.

"What?" She scoffs and prods me gently with her elbow. "Shouldn't you be studying? You have a make-up test to take tomorrow."

I missed one day of school, thanks to a follow up appointment with the doctor I had after injuring my leg. I wasn't even going to go, but Coach insisted, especially after he realized it was the same leg I broke when I was eleven. There was nothing to worry about. After ice and a weekend of rest, I'm better and moving around again, both on and off the ice.

"I am studying," I tell her, dragging my pencil through her hair and pushing it back behind her ear.

"You're watching me not your pages," she retorts, her eyes challenging even with a sweet smile on her face.

"Didn't say I was studying my textbook, babe. You're way more interesting."

The blush that climbs her cheeks and darkens her eyes makes my dick twitch. I could watch her all day. Riley is a vision on the ice, and in her comfort zone. But there is something about study-mode-Riley that makes me stop and stare. And to think, I could have been studying like this the last three years. I'll never forgive myself for messing that up. I refuse to miss it in the future either.

"Michigan has a library bigger than this. I heard they even have a section full of nonfiction and romance books."

Her eyes light up a second before she catches my lips twitching. "Funny. You almost had me."

"Maybe if you went there, that could be something you tried to make happen. If not, I happen to know there is in fact a romance book shop just a few blocks from campus. It's called Never Ending, I think."

Her brow rises. "Sounds like you've been doing your research."

"I had to find ways to make the trip more interesting for my girl when we visit campus over break. I thought we could take an afternoon to check out the surrounding coffee shops, restaurants and the bookstore. There's also a hangout place with some pool tables," I tell her, trying to make it sound casual. In truth I've scoped out possibly everything that could sway her into believing that it will be the best decision for her to be there. I just need to get her there. Immerse her in the environment and show her how good it can be.

"We could start the morning at the Dancing Bean, they have your lavender shit. Then I'll walk you to your classes. We can meet up for lunch with our friends or alone, I'm not one to turn down an afternoon quickie before afternoon classes. Then we head to the arenas, keep it business on the ice, and end our nights at the apartment with dinner and you can read whatever book you picked up from that shop. Except on the weekends. Then I vote we check out the pool hall or the library that I heard all about."

Riley's eyes are huge and she's speechless. I might have broken her brain with the daydream I created for us, but I need her to understand how serious I am about her. About us being together.

"Did you just come up with all of that right now?"

I shrug. "Maybe. Does it sound like a life you can see yourself living?"

She casts her eyes down, her finger rubbing against her thumb. "It sounds like a dream."

"It could be more than a dream," I push, when she starts to put her pen and highlighter down. "We'll check it out this winter. For all I know the pool hall could suck." This at least earns me a chuckle from her, even as she's getting up and pushing her seat in.

"I need another book," she whispers and takes off into the stacks.

The area is mostly quiet and no one has passed by our station in hours. I know Riley is making all her excuses right now in her head and I can't take it. She needs to think about us and us going to college together. There is no world where I will let her be away from me again.

Getting up from my chair, I follow her down the aisle she went in. Riley didn't get far and I find her right away, staring at the rows of books, completely zoned out. I slide my hands along her waist, and squeeze.

"Ah!" She jumps in my hold, only it isn't surprise or even a smile on her face but one of pain and agony.

"What's wrong?" I narrow my gaze, assessing her.

"Nothing." She shimmies out of my grasp and tugs at the end of her sweater.

"Did that hurt?" I reach for her again, wanting to see the area I grabbed, praying I didn't seriously injure her.

Riley steps out of reach of my hold. "No. I'm fine. Let's just get back."

She moves to walk around me, but this time I stop her by grasping the upper part of her arm. "Babe, you screamed bloody murder. Now you look uncomfortable. Let me see where I touched you."

"It's fine. It's just a little tender from the game." She shakes her head and tries to paint on a fake ass smile. Instinctually I reach forward and grasp her throat. Riley's eyes widen when my finger presses on her pulse point behind her hair and I find it racing.

"You're lying."

"Reign, it's not a big deal, okay. I got a little banged up, but I'm fine." Her hand lands on mine, calmingly like I'm going to lose my shit at any moment.

I think back to that night and try to remember. After being taken down and leaving the ice, I spent time with the trainers and a medic, assessing the injury and talking about a plan. On the bus ride home, there was chaos and everyone asking me questions and checking on me, fielding calls from my parents that I was okay, that I barely paid attention. I do remember one of the guys having his phone with a video and talking about how brutal the girls' game had been.

"Show me."

Her face pales and I feel a hot coil of anger tightening in my chest. Riley is tough. It's one of the things I've always admired about her. Her ability to challenge me and give back as good as she gets. I'm an idiot for not realizing sooner how much her attitude turned me on and made me like her. Except I wasn't supposed to like her and all my actions came out backward.

"I promise, it doesn't hurt bad." Her voice is soothing while my rage quietly stokes inside me.

She startles when my hands fist the bottom of her sweater, intent on seeing the damage myself. Her hands land on mine and fear plays over her features as I yank the material up.

"Reign!"

"Show me. Or I'll strip you right here in the library and look myself." I get in her face, backing her up against the row of books.

I feel when her resistance slips. Riley turns her head to the side and her hands let go of mine. With her permission, I raise the material so it sits below her bra line. The angry purple marks and welts still look fresh, even after multiple days. Riley has been walking around and taking care of me while she herself was injured and should have been resting.

"Who?" I demand to know, my hand cupping her jaw and forcing her to look at me.

"Reign, please."

"Who do I need to destroy? Tell me." I let her sweater fall back down, slowly caging her in against the stacks.

"You can't even remember the names of the girls whose hearts you toyed with?" She glares at me, her hands sliding between us and pushing me back. "One of your admirers was on the team and they all took it very personally that you said I was yours."

The fuck. I don't even know who it would be. "Which girl?"

"Are you serious? How many are there, Reign? Do I have to endure this at every game because all these girls are so hung up on you?" She almost yells and steps into me.

I want to shield her from bumping into me too hard so she doesn't aggravate her side any more. "They mean nothing to me. You think I honestly care what any of those girls say or think? I've never given them the impression that there would be more." She scoffs and wraps her arms around herself.

"You expect me to believe that? I've always heard the rumors. And don't forget, because I certainly haven't been able to with all these sheep at All Saints reminding me that you don't do girlfriends."

My lips twitch. She might be pissed, but she's also slightly jealous. "Since I was nine there has never been another girl for me." This time when I reach out to her, she willingly steps into my arms. My hands land on her waist, keeping her close. "Do you want to be my girlfriend, Riles?"

Her head tips back with a ruthless smile. "Fuck. No."

My heart slams in my rib cage and my fingers tighten on her. She's mine. "Why not?"

"Because there's already an X on me. And I do not want to only be known as Reign Thorn's girlfriend."

"Fine." I shrug. "Then I'll be known as Riley Conrad's boyfriend."

"Ridiculous," she mutters and moves around me, heading back toward our table.

I don't like how this has ended. She can't get away from me. The need to remind her that she's mine is strong. Catching up to her, I turn her in my arms, careful of her injury, my hand sliding into her hair and lifting her lips to mine. Riley's hands grip my arms, but she kisses me back. Both of us treat this kiss like a battle of wills, hungry, demanding that the other gives in. My hands run over her neck, carefully down her body to grasp her hands in mine. Gently, my fingers dig in the side of her leggings and pull them down to her knees.

"Reign," she gasps my name against my lips. Fuck, I want her already. Sliding my hand around her front, I grasp her pussy in my hand and bite on her lip. Riley whimpers into my mouth and I chase the sound with my tongue. Very deliberately, I move my lips along her jaw.

"You're going to have to be quiet, babe. Remember, we're in a library." That's the last warning I give her before I sink to my knees in front of my girl, placing a kiss on the top of each of her thighs. She rubs them together as I press another kiss to the top of her sex. I hear her intake of breath and one of her hands slides into my hair, fisting the strands.

"Hang on, Riles. We aren't done until you come at least two times on my tongue and again on my dick."

I don't give her another warning before capturing her thighs in my hands and licking her slippery little slit. Riley's head falls back against the shelf and thrusts her lower body further into me. That's all the invitation I need. Soft, sweet, and delicious. I can't get enough of thrusting my tongue inside her, licking her, and listening to the little noises she makes, biting her lip to keep quiet. Her hips writhe harder with each brush of my tongue on her clit. I do this again and again until she lets a moan escape before coming and grinding her pussy all over my lips and jaw.

"That's one," I count, my eyes quickly meeting her lust-filled ones. This time I use my fingers, gently thrusting them inside her, enjoying the way her wet heat grips them.

"Reign, I need you to fuck me, please."

I laugh against her skin, pressing kisses and sucking on the tender flesh inside her thighs. "I will, babe. But first you need to come again on my tongue. I want your taste to linger in my mouth all night."

"Oh, god." Her head rolls to the side and her body jolts as I nip at her already sensitive clit. The fingers she has in my hair, spread out over my head, pushing my face further into her. Riley is never shy about taking what she wants from me, and I love it. I want to give her all her pleasure and be the only one responsible for making her feel good. It's messed up but seeing her virginal blood on my cock did something to me. It rocked me to the core, knowing I was her first, the only one to ever be inside her. I didn't care about the mess or the stain. I wish I never had to wash it off my dick at all. It was sexy. A little smear of red staining my skin and proclaiming her mine.

Quickly, I dig my hand into my pocket and pull out my small pocket knife. Using my teeth and lips on her clit, I nip slightly and at the same time make a small cut inside her thigh, up high, close to her mound. Her hand slaps over her mouth to contain her groan when she comes again.

"Two. What a good girl," I praise her, capturing her eyes with mine. I let my obsession and loyalty to her shine through. Her chest heaves from breathing hard and trying to contain herself.

"I need more," she whispers, her hand pulling at my shirt, trying to get me to stand.

I chuckle. "So eager for me to fill your pussy, my little puck slut?"

"Fuck me, please," she begs and I can't wait any longer to be inside her.

My fingers move to my jeans, unbuttoning the button and sliding them down far enough to get my dick out. With one hand I lift her leg and wrap it around my waist, while using the other to drag the head of my cock through the blood on her thigh from my cut. I watch as the purplish skin turns pinkish as her blood rubs in. My chest expands at the sight. It's fucking perfect. Addicting. I need inside her, to make her mine. Using my other hand, I line myself up with her entrance and shove forward into her welcoming heat.

Fire races down my spine while her silky, hot skin grips onto my cock, greedily sucking it in as far as it can go. She moans in pleasure, her hips meeting mine thrust for thrust. She feels incredible. "Fuck, Riley. I need you to be mine. I don't care what anyone says. Be my girlfriend."

My lips brush hers, kissing her until black dots cloud my vision. I would consume her if I could. Take her breath into my lungs and breathe only her forever. I pull back just enough to hold her gaze. I'm about to say more when I feel her inner muscles clamp around my shaft, her climax rolling through her. It's enough to send my own spiraling and I shove deeper inside her, letting my release go.

"Okay." Her voice is soft and slightly hoarse; I almost don't think I hear her right.

Gently, I lower her feet to the ground and tuck my dick back in before helping her shimmy her underwear and leggings back on. "Okay, okay?"

Riley smirks and walks away quickly. I follow her to the table where she grabs her backpack.

"Where are you going?" I take her hand in mine, wondering if I screwed this up somehow.

"We can't stay here after that. I need to get cleaned up."

"But you agreed. You said okay."

She stops and laces her fingers with mine. "This stays between us, okay. I don't need any more issues with your admirers. At least give them the illusion there's a chance."

I scoff, pulling her in and kissing her forehead. "They never stood a chance, babe. None of them were you."

Her cheeks turn pink, but I can tell from the way her lips clamp closed that she has no words. Taking her hand in mine, I lead us out of the library and to my car. I drive us right to my place and order a pizza. We should celebrate after all. Reign Thorn does do girlfriends, but only if they're Riley Conrad.