She wets her lips.

“Yes.”

“Now, I’m hearing you say you weren’t anticipating me and the shit that went down between us, and darlin’, I feel that. `Cause I sure as fuck was not anticipating you. That doesn’t mean we should let go of something we’re both wanting more of just `cause it’s tripping us up a little.”

“I’m just not sure,” Riley says quietly. Her eyes dance between mine.

“You’re not sure or you’re just nervous `cause this is new and you haven’t had new in a while, and possibly haven’t had it this fucking good,” I press, needing her to clarify.

After a breath, Riley responds. “I’m just nervous,” she whispers.

I smirk, saying, “That’s good, babe. Nervous is good. I can work with that.”

“But what about Reed? I don’t think this is the right time to lay this on him.”

I can’t argue with that. She has a point.

Not sure how that conversation is going to go down anyway, if it’s a conversation I need to be having, and with the timing of things—Reed getting married in the next couple of hours—it doesn’t feel right dropping the news now. He’s got enough going on.

“Then we wait,” I suggest after thinking it through. “Get back to Ruxton and if this is still something we’re both feeling, we handle it then.”

I watch Riley stare up at me. Then, when seconds pass and she hasn’t agreed to my plan or said differently, I give her a little nudge.

I uncross my arms, drop my hands to her waist and bend down, sliding my lips over hers and speaking slowly.

“Tell me a secret, babe.”

She smiles. I feel it twist across her mouth.

“I like you,” she whispers.

“I like you too, darlin’.”

Her smile stretches into a grin.

“Are you good on what I just said?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Good. Now hurry up and kiss me before your brother comes looking for my ass.”

Heeding my warning and without hesitation, Riley throws her arms around my neck, stands taller on her toes, tilts her head and seals her lips against mine. I move my hands to her back where her shirt is revealing skin. She’s smooth and warm and I hold tight, sliding to her hips as I dip my tongue inside her mouth, flicking and stroking it against hers.

She tastes like her juice, sweet with a bite, a little sour.

She tastes fucking good. Smells good too. And her skin . . . fuck me. Her skin is so damn soft. I want to stay here and touch her for hours.

I break the kiss instead.

“I gotta go,” I share, knowing I’m pushing time.

She drops her arms and steps back.

Turning my head after opening the door, I give her a look that conveys I’m going to be getting more of that mouth later, and she reads it.

I watch heat burn across her freckles before I slip out and close the door behind me.

Suit on and barefoot, standing next to Luke who's beside Ben, taking the spot as best man next to Reed, I watch as two good friends of mine come together and exchange vows.

The girls are all crying five minutes in, except Beth. She's holding strong and practically tackles Reed to the sand when she's told she can kiss him.

That’s some funny shit to watch.

And knowing all eyes are on that scene happening and not glued to where I'm going to be looking, I do just that and look, taking in Riley as she stands across from me.

Blue dress showing shoulders and sun-kissed skin, stopping a few inches above her knees. Flowers in her hand and ones pinned in her hair, and bare feet toeing the sand. Her eyes are lined black and her lips are shiny, plump and peach colored, and when she feels my gaze she gives me hers back, lasting all of a second.

A second I'll take.

Then she looks away, doing this while fighting a smile.

Later that night, Riley sneaks into my room after dark. She’s flushed and breathing heavy like she ran to get here, and she’s still barefoot but her hair is down now, big, loose curls and windblown messy.

I dive my hands into it the second I get her pinned beneath me on the bed.

“You’re lucky Reed was so preoccupied with Beth tonight. He could’ve seen you,” Riley warns around her moan as I suck and kiss down the line of her throat.

“He could’ve seen me doing what?”

She must be referring to all the looking I did during the reception.

Big crowd. Lots of commotion.

I took my chances.

“Well, you were touching me a good bit.”

“We were dancing.”

“I know, but still.”

“Babe, honest? I didn’t care at that point if he saw me or not,” I admit, burying my face in her neck and inhaling.

She smells like sun and beach and smoke from the lit tiki torches.

“You wanted to dance. We were dancing.”

Riley giggles. “Thank you for that, by the way. I’m sure it got a little annoying.”

Her fingers move out of my hair when I lean away to look at her. “Why would it get annoying?”

“I hit you up for every slow song.”

“And?”

“There were a lot of slow songs.”

“I gotta ask again, babe. And?”

She bites shyly at her lip. “Um, I don’t know. Don’t most guys get annoyed with that stuff?”

“With what stuff? Spending time with a gorgeous girl while doing an activity where it’s encouraged I keep my hands on her? Nope. Sorry. That will never annoy me.”