15. Riggs

FIFTEEN

RIGGS

I don't fall back asleep after making Monroe come. Instead, I lie there holding her, enjoying the feel of her in my arms while my mind goes a million miles a second, replaying every detail of what just happened.

I honestly didn't expect her to say yes to my offer. She was so hell-bent on me not touching her unless we were in front of the team that I figured she'd tell me to fuck off and hightail it out of my room. So, when she nodded her head, giving me consent to rub her sweet little pussy, I took it.

I wish I could say my intentions were completely pure, but that would be a lie. Ever since that kiss at the charity event, I haven't been able to get her out of my head. The urge to do it again has been almost unbearable, and it's taken all my self-control not to try every time we're alone. It was a lot easier to forget how explosive the sex was when I didn't have to see her every day, but now that she's here, I can feel the feral beast inside me gnawing at the bars of his enclosure.

I can usually keep that part of myself at bay, but with her? It's just different . Especially this morning, when she was weak and helpless, melting into me while I took care of her. I'm walking a fine line doing shit like this, but I can't stop. She fucking owns me right now, even if I don't want her to. I just want to continue with the original plan and get back to the single life I love so much.

But do I really love it, or is it just a great defense against women who don't like me for who I am, rather than what I do?

I shake the thought from my head, focusing on the slow, shallow breaths that tell me she's fast asleep in my arms again. I catch sight of the clock on the bedside table and know that I'm down to a few minutes before I have to get up for work, so I gently press my lips to the back of her head, inhaling her scent like a did several times throughout the night. This time, though, instead of just lingering for a moment before backing away, I allow myself to kiss her hair. An incoherent sigh falls from her lips when I do, and it makes my whole body hum.

Fuck.

I've never dealt with feelings like these before. Normally, I find a random woman who's in agreement with our adventures being completely physical, so we can get each other off and I can move on with my life. Not exchanging personal details is generally a dream situation for me. Monroe is the only person I've ever attempted to get to know, but she was an anomaly, refusing to give me more than just a quick fuck before she took off, thinking she'd never have to see me again.

That shit hurt more than I cared to admit. So, when I saw her later that morning and heard the anger in her words, I pushed back.

"You're a little early!" my sister said, pulling out of my embrace. But my eyes were already locked onto the same blue ones that I had been looking into the night before. I couldn't believe she was in front of me.

I woke up that morning in my hotel bed, rolling to the side in an attempt to get back inside the goddess that had consumed my dreams. I could feel my morning wood rubbing against the cool sheet, and before I even had a chance to form any type of lucid thoughts, my body was already aching for her.

But when I reached out to where she had been lying as we both passed out from exhaustion hours earlier, she was gone.

My eyes shot open and I sat up, inhaling deeply. Her scent still permeated the air, so I knew she couldn't have been gone long. I quickly got out of bed, raced to my suitcase, got dressed and grabbed my rental car keys before heading out the door. I ran to the elevator, pushing the button rapidly like a madman, but it took forever to arrive at my floor while precious minutes ticked by, separating me from her. By the time I got down to the lobby, it was bustling with people who were going about their day as though the woman of my goddamn dreams hadn't just slipped out the door while they watched.

I knew I couldn't go back to my room when I could still smell her there, so I left. I got into my car and drove to see my sister in Hope Harbor, giving the housekeeping staff time to wash away all the reminders of what was easily the best night of my life.

But there I was at Praya, staring at the very last person I expected to see.

"I, uhhh…" I trailed off, trying to get my shit together. "I woke up before my alarm. Just wanted to get a jump on the day."

Grace smiled, completely unaware of the shitstorm that was brewing in the air as we stood there. "Well,"—she turned her body, inviting the other woman into our interaction—"this is Monroe. It's her first day at the boutique! "

I stepped forward, noticing the way her fists were clenched at her sides as I approached. "Nice to meet you, Monroe ," I said, letting her name roll off my tongue while extending my hand out for her to shake. "Riggs Valentine."

She looked down at my offering, hesitating for a moment before finally reaching out and sliding her warm palm into mine. Neither of us blinked as electricity shot straight through my body at the contact, and I wondered if she felt it too.

"Oh!" my sister said, causing us both to look her way as she pulled her phone from her back pocket and checked the screen. She smiled and a blush crept over her sun-kissed cheeks. "It's Cash," she told us, speaking of her douchebag boyfriend, who I only tolerated because he made her so happy. "I have to take this." And with that, she walked into the back room, leaving me alone with Monroe.

"You left," I said quietly, hoping for an explanation as to why she didn't wake me or say goodbye.

"You lied," she shot back.

My eyes went wide. "I—" I cut myself off, because I didn't lie, but I also didn't tell the truth.

She scoffed, pushing her hands through her hair, the scent of my cologne probably still lingering from the way I had wrapped it around my fist. The motion exposed her neck, where a clear bite mark was still very visible against her creamy skin. My dick hardened slightly at the reminder of how she let me fuck her in a way that I've only ever dreamed of doing.

"It doesn't matter," she spit. "All I wanted was a night of fun, anyway. So, thanks for that, but how about we forget it ever happened?"

I flinched at her request but recovered by barking a sarcastic laugh. "Great idea, Mayhem. I really appreciate you letting me off the hook. I thought for sure you'd be one of those needy girls the morning after, but I took my chances because you suck cock like a fucking porn star."

As soon as the words were out, I wanted to take them back. I knew I shouldn't have degraded her like that, but being rejected was not something I had much experience with, and I reacted before my brain could sort through the emotions.

"Sorry about that! Where were we?" Grace said cheerfully as she bounced back into the room, cutting off the heated interaction before I could do any more damage than I already had.

Every time I've seen Monroe since, her hatred toward me seemed to get more and more intense, so I matched her energy. She didn't want me anyway, so what was the point of trying to fix things? But now that we're here, living together, and I can feel her soft body pressed to mine, I realize how fucking stupid I was. Even if she didn't want anything else from me, we wasted two whole years fighting when we could've at least been friends. Just knowing how she's helping me by pretending to be my girlfriend, I can tell that she's loyal to a goddamn fault, and when she says she'll do something, she puts her entire heart and soul into it.

"Riggs," she moans, backing her ass into my body. I watch as her thighs rub together, soft whimpers coming from her lips as she shifts onto her back, then turns toward me.

"Yeah, sweet thing?" I say quietly, but she doesn't answer. "Monroe?" She breathes slowly and steadily as I wait for a response, still completely asleep.

Is she dreaming? About me?

Holy fucking shit.

"Mmmm…" she hums, and I clench my jaw tightly as she slings a leg over mine so that my thigh is pressed ag ainst her warm center. I'm trying to figure out a way to get out of this without waking her, but when she begins grinding her hips, I abandon that plan—because like hell I'm leaving. She's obviously needy, and the orgasms helped her earlier, so letting her get herself off on me is the nice thing to do. Right?

Fuck. I know I shouldn't. This is wrong.

"Riggs," she mumbles again, and my morality flies out the fucking window as I surrender, staying as still as I can while she rides my thigh. My arm is draped over her waist, where it has been all night, but I pull back slightly so that she can move more freely.

"There you go, Mayhem," I say so quietly, that even if she were awake, she could barely hear me. "Grind that hot pussy on me. Make that little clit nice and tingly." I'm playing with fire here, but I can't fucking stop myself from talking her through it. If she hears me and wakes up, I know she'll cut my balls off. Yet, I continue.

"Fuck, baby," I whisper as her breathing becomes more labored, her orgasm clearly building as she rides. "If you were awake, I'd pull that tampon out and push my thick fingers so deep in your tight cunt, you'd come all over my hand."

The thought has me lightheaded, and I have to count backwards from ten just to regain control of myself. I need this to be over. I shift my thigh just barely, applying more pressure to her clit as she stills, her body trembling as she finally falls over the edge of her orgasm. A guttural moan leaves her lips as it crests, and I watch in wonder while she comes against my leg.

She's fucking beautiful.

Eventually, the pleasure ebbs away and she relaxes back into the pillow with a sigh. She's still fast asleep, so I wait another couple of minutes before I slip out from under her, pulling the thin blanket over her body. I immediately turn with my back facing her in case she wakes up. I can't really explain away the steel rod that's straining against my briefs right now.

I tiptoe into the bathroom and take a cold-as-fuck shower because, while I just lost my grasp on right versus wrong out there, I'm not that much of a piece of shit that I'd rub one out two minutes after Monroe unconsciously fucked my thigh.

I move as fast as I can, washing my body while the freezing water makes my dick deflate. After drying off and wrapping the towel around my waist, I quietly make my way to the closet, where I get dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a black Fury t-shirt. Then I quickly slip on my slides, grab my duffle bag and sling it over my shoulder.

Thankfully, she's still out cold as I pass back through the room. I look down at her one last time before reluctantly heading out the door with a secret that I'm positive I'll be thinking about for the rest of my fucking life.