“Oh, no? I have it on video, want me to send it to you? Or I can post it on Facebook?”
“River Ray, so help me God, I will kill you dead,” I tell him disgruntled.
“Calm down goddess, I am just teasing you,” he replies, amusement apparent in his voice. “I would never post it.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Good. It’ll be easier kissing you without that phone in the way.”
I turn around and my gaze drops upon his smirking face. My heart skips a beat and then decides to run a marathon inside my chest cavity. Any trace of annoyance disappears the very second I take a load of those dimples. Damn it, they get me every time. But there is no way I am letting him know that.
“You think that I am letting you kiss me after that?” I challenge.
He takes a step forward, his eyes flicker to my mouth. A small shiver rolls along my spine when I see the hunger in those dark windows to his soul. If I really had any intention of denying him, this moment right there would have destroyed my resolve. He takes another step closer, as he rakes a hand through his unruly mane of raven locks. I feel like prey in the grasp of a predator—but oh what a willing prey I am…
“I think,” he purrs. “That I might be able to persuade you.”
No fucking doubt about that. I think to myself.
Our eyes lock and the blood that is flowing through my veins heats up.
“You think so, huh?” I hum.
River closes the distance between us and pulls me into his arms. One hand sliding across the nape of my neck to grip my hair, as the other simultaneously slides to the small of my back and pulls me against him.
“It’s a fact,” he growls, before his mouth crashes onto mine.
I melt into him, give myself over to the kiss. Tongues are dancing, teeth are clashing and lips are being bruised. My ability to make rational decisions is fading fast. As the lust rises, so does the fog in my brain. Before I even know what is happening, my legs are firmly wrapped around his waist, and I am propped up against the wall. My hands are furiously raking through his hair, and I am overwhelmed with the need to feel him even closer. Things are heating up and fast.
“River Ray. Step back, and drop the hot lady in your arms.”
We both freeze when we hear the sound of Raeva’s voice boom through the room. River pulls back and gently lowers me to the ground while muttering some colorful language under his breath.
“I’d say get a room, but we have to go!” Raeva says as she rolls her eyes.
“Ever heard of knocking, sis?” he grumbles as he turns to face her.
“Sorry to cramp your style little brother, but we have places to go, people to see.”
“Yup, and we are already running late. And, from the looks of it, we were about to be really late,” Jill adds with a snicker.
It’s only now that I realize that all the girls have filed into my studio and I can feel myself flush with embarrassment as I look upon their amused faces.
“Sorry River, I am going to have to steal my sister,” Mikaela says as she steps forwards and drapes an arm around my shoulder pulling me toward her. “My last weekend as a single lady is upon us, and she is our fearless leader,” she adds with a wink.
Undeterred by our audience, River moves towards me and plants another kiss on my lips.
“Have fun, Goddess,” he mutters against my lips. “But not too much.”
“Don’t you know what they say?” I yell over my shoulder as I am being dragged from the room. “Whatever happens in Nashvegas stays in Nashvegas.”
I can’t help the smirk on my face as I see the look on his face.
2
Phoenix
The flight to Nashville takes about two and a half hours and quite literally flies by. And not just because of the comfort of flying private—there is nothing like being able to bypass the hustle and bustle of a crowded airport security with the ease of private terminals— but having all the girls here combined with cocktails and all our joyous spirits, we have so much fun that it seems that we have blinked twice when the pilot announces that we are descending into Nashville. There are several places in the United States that are infamous for bachelorette parties. The most notorious, of course, being Las Vegas. But it seemed so cliché, and it was important to me for this event to be anything but. Besides, Mik is a huge country music fan, so I thought to myself; Why not take her to the country music capital of the world?