I stare at her, trying to figure that one out and coming up short.

I focus on what I can understand.

“All right. So Mia knows,” I offer, watching Riley nod her head. “And you took off `cause you don’t want your brother knowing about us. That right?”

She does that wide-eyed blink again, not speaking.

“Babe,” I prompt.

“There’s an us?” she asks, leaning closer and looking shocked. “I . . . I wasn’t, I mean, I just,” she stammers, takes a deep breath, huffs it out, then attempts this again. “I had no idea you wanted to be an anything.”

“You forgetting what all I said last night about not being done with you?”

“I wasn’t expecting it,” she answers quickly.

“You weren’t expecting what, Riley?”

“You.”

My brows reach my hairline. Something heavy presses on my chest.

Riley slides her hand down her arm and twists her fingers nervously together, looks away as if collecting her thoughts, does that, then meets my gaze again.

“I just got out of a really long relationship. Like, just got out of it. And I came here not thinking something like this would happen. I didn’t think it would ever happen. Not with you. Then it did and you said you weren’t done with me yet and I—”

“That’s not what I said,” I interrupt.

Riley tilts her head, asking, “Huh?”

I feel my mouth twitch.

Fuck, she’s damn cute right now. I’d rather just kiss her than explain but I want her knowing this and I don’t want there being any confusion about it.

Ever.

I step closer, keeping my arms tight across my chest. “I never said yet, darlin’,” I begin, watching her lips part. “I said I wasn’t done with you and that I wasn’t anywhere near being done with you, but hear me, Riley, I never said yet. Fucked up thing to say and I wouldn’t say it, especially not to a sweet girl like you. If some asshole gives you a deadline to make you aware shit’ll be wrapping up for the two of you and he already knows it, drop him. No man deserves you if he’s already thinking of an out. Do you understand?”

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.