I definitely tried not to think about the hardness of River’s body under mine earlier. The man was basically zero percent body fat, and his thighs were like fucking rocks. He was strong and broad, and being in his arms had felt like the most natural thing in the world. Climbing out of his lap had been so damn hard, but embarrassment was a powerful motivator.
The next three months were going to kill me. I had no idea what I was going to do after that, though. The guys had been great—attentive, sweet, and so damn helpful with Huey. They’d been nothing short of amazing. The reason I couldn’t live here after three months had nothing to do with them, and everything to do with me and the fact I was stupidly attracted to them.
I was going to ruin everything, and the one who’d suffer was Huey. He didn’t know it yet, but he’d suffered enough. Maybe I’d find a place here in Ann Arbor. What did I actually have back in Tucson? Just a few friends, Chloe and her family.
I needed to call Chlo. She’d know what to do. But even as I thought it, I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford an apartment in Ann Arbor, let alone a house. Even if I sold my family home.
With a sigh, I turned off the shower and stepped out. Wrapping a fluffy towel bigger than a blanket around my body, I opened the ensuite door to check on Huey.
Unsurprisingly, he was sound asleep. But it was the man sitting on my bed that made me freeze.
Rigby was in dress pants that were stretched to their maximum capacity, and a blue button-down shirt. And he was looking at me with concern etched across his face. “I just wanted to check on you,” he said, his voice rough, but his eyes never dropping below my chin. “River was freaked out when he left the players’ meeting.”
Swallowing hard, I tightened the towel around my chest. That made his eyes flicker to my chest for a second. “I’m fine. Another day, another emotional crisis.” I gave him a self-deprecating grin and moved to my walk-in closet. It was huge, and I walked to the back, grabbing my underwear and pulling them on under my towel.
Then I dropped it and grabbed my bra. My nipples decided it was time for high beam, knowing I was mostly naked and Rigby was right out there, on the bed.
“Do you want me to go?” he called, and I bit my lip. Had we reached this stage of our friendship? No. But part of me didn’t care.
“No, it’s okay,” I called back. I reached behind me and tried to fasten my bra, but my hands felt shaky.
“Need help?”
I froze. I saw the reflection of Rigby in the large mirror at the end of the closet, leaning against the door jamb. I met his eyes, and there was no doubting the lust I saw there. He wanted me as much as I wanted him; I knew it in my soul. Well, somewhere distinctly lower knew it too.
So instead of saying anything, I just nodded. He ate up the distance between us in two long strides. I held the cups to my breasts as his long fingers deftly worked the hooks and loops of my basic bitch bra. Dammit, I should have put on my fancy underwear. Something lace. Not this old lady bra. Too late now, though.
I watched him in the mirror as he finished his task, then brushed his fingers down my spine reverently. My skin felt ten times more sensitive to his touch as he traced them down to the small of my back before lifting them away.
He looked up and met my eyes in the mirror, and his expression stole my breath. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Nova.” He lifted his hand again, and I watched in the mirror as it landed on my hip. He paused, as if waiting for me to move away, not realizing that I couldn’t move my legs because my knees were weak.
He traced his hand up the curve of my hip slowly, like he was memorizing the sensation. Those huge hands wrapped around my ribs. His thumb brushed the underside of my boob but missed my aching nipple.
“Baby, I’d really like to kiss you,” he said softly, his body now so close to mine that I could feel his warmth. “Can I kiss you?”
Obviously, the answer was yes. I wanted him to do more than kiss me. I wanted him to lie me on the floor of this huge closet and fuck me into oblivion. But it was a bad idea. I knew that.
My head nodded of its own accord. Rigby spun me quickly in his arms, and I gasped at the sudden movement. He took full advantage of my parted lips, swooping down to capture them in a kiss that I’d remember until the end of time.
I clutched his shirt as his mouth dominated mine, the press of his lips against mine firm and powerful, like he was consuming both my kiss and me. It was heady. It was erotic. All I could do was hold on for dear life. He continued to devour my mouth, his tongue tangling with mine, tasting me.
Finally, when I was gasping for air, he pulled back. His hooded eyes bounced from my swollen lips to my eyes that felt like they were open far too wide. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you in that courtroom. That mouth begs to be kissed.” His hands slid from where they were clutching my lower back, up until they reached my shoulder blades. His face moved into a frown. “Are you okay?”
I just blinked up at his concerned face. “I… Damn.”
He grinned, and any coherent thought I’d been mustering disappeared. “I’m taking that as a compliment.” His head dipped down, and he brushed another soft kiss across my lips. “I came up here to tell you we're going to Muss and Julieta’s house for dinner.”
“Oh. Okay.” Yep, apparently I was malfunctioning. Jesus, I needed to get laid. If a kiss could render me mostly mute, I was obviously out of practice.
I had a brief flash of Rigby above me, looking into my eyes as he filled me with…Argh. Stop, brain, stop.My cheeks flushed, and Rigby gave me another one of those crooked grins.
“I’ll let you get dressed.” He let me go, but his fingers trailed across my skin as he dropped them. He winked as he turned, striding to the door with a cocky swagger. He stopped in the doorway. “Hey, Nova?”
“Yes?” I breathed.
“I can’t wait to kiss you again.” Then he was gone.
Holy fuck, my body was on fire.Iwas on fire. I was not going to survive Rigby Engman. I really needed another cold shower, but instead, I pulled out a dress from my wardrobe. I had to get my shit under control. But every time I thought about Rigby’s kiss, my body flushed again.