Part 17 (2/2)
If he was going to make that kind of effort, he needed to know she'd reciprocate in kind.
”What do you want me to say? I should have told you, and I didn't.”
”Because you have trust issues.” And here, he'd thought those issues were all his.
She blinked in surprise. ”I suppose I do.”
Part of him understood, as he was still working through his own. Another part wanted her to know she belonged to him. That she could come to him with anything, would come to him first, and know he'd give her everything she needed.
Him.
No one else.
TWELVE.
Ian stood with Riley in his living room, the night sky sparkling with stars visible through the large windows. Her revelations about her childhood had humbled him. She was stronger than he'd given her credit for, her relations.h.i.+p with his half brother something he understood much better now.
But that understanding didn't calm his racing heart. And he couldn't help the irrational fear that Alex would always come first for her. Irrational because she hadn't decided to tell Alex about her father before Ian. The timing of the other man's phone call had dictated that choice. And irrational because his jealousy over what she'd told Alex, and when, was based on the insecurities of the child Ian had been, not the man he was now. At least, that's how he should be viewing things.
His mother had begged him to let the past go. If there was ever a time to do that, it was now. The question was whether he could.
”Ian?” Riley asked in a soft voice.
He turned toward her.
She stood in her bare feet, her hair tumbling over her shoulders, her eyes wide and more vulnerable than he'd ever seen them.
She reached for his arm. ”I'm sorry I kept you in the dark.”
”I know.”
”So you're not angry?”
He shook his head. ”No, angry wouldn't be the word I'd use.”
”Hurt?” she asked.
”I was.” He pulled his tie off and held it in one hand. The desire to drag her into the bedroom and tether her to his headboard was strong.
She bit her lower lip. ”And now you're not?”
”Now I understand you better. Which was all I ever wanted. To understand what bound you and Alex beyond basic friends.h.i.+p.”
She swallowed hard, the soft lines of her throat moving up and down. ”And now that you know?”
He walked over to her. ”Now, you and I are going to come to an understanding.”
”I don't want to lose you,” she said before he could elaborate.
”That's not what I want either.” In fact, he wanted her bound to his bed, where he'd know she belonged to him, he thought, winding the tie around one hand.
But then he wouldn't know she was there willingly. Olivia's words came back to him. His sisters and his mother all put up with his over-the-top behavior because they were related. They had to, as Olivia had so kindly pointed out. But she was right. If Ian wanted Riley to trust in him enough to come to him first, he needed to extend that same faith.
That didn't come easily to him at all.
”So what now?” she asked.
Now he proved to her he was worthy of any leap of faith he wanted her to make. ”I can handle your friends.h.i.+p with Alex. It's an important part of who you are, and I wouldn't ask you to give that up.”
She blinked, her eyes filling with tears. ”Thank you.”
”But...you either trust me or you don't. You either instinctively come to me first or there is no us. On that, I can't compromise.” And he didn't know if she could give in on this point that meant everything to him.
”Done.”
He blinked.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly, sealing her lips against his. Stunned, he couldn't move. h.e.l.l, he wasn't sure he'd even heard her correctly.
She tipped her head and looked into his eyes. ”First, last, always, Ian.”
He let the tie drop to the floor and released a long, relieved breath.
”Mine,” he said, lifting her beneath her arms so she could jump up and wrap her legs around him and hold on as he walked them into the bedroom.
He slid her to the floor by the side of the bed. ”Turn around,” he said in a gruff voice he barely recognized.
She did as he asked, lifting her hair out of the way. He unzipped the gown, sliding the garment off one shoulder and letting the material pool at her feet. The s.e.xy, strapless bra came next, and he kissed the marks left by the confining material, sliding his tongue over her soft skin, working his way down one vertebra at a time.
She trembled but remained in place as his lips. .h.i.t the sweet spot at the base of her spine, just above the silken thong that settled between her cheeks. He squeezed each round globe, kissing her there, too, before gliding the panties down her long legs.
He rose and splayed his hand across her stomach, his fingertips dipping downward, toward her s.e.x. ”Mine,” he said once more before spinning her back to face him.
Her eyes were dilated, her cheeks flushed, and she'd pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth.
”You make me want,” she whispered. ”You make me believe.”
She didn't need to explain. She did the same thing for him.
Before Riley, he didn't believe in romance, relations.h.i.+ps, women, or love. He shuddered at the word that danced around his head, tempting him with something he'd long since thought impossible. Yet she was here, by choice. Not running when she knew exactly how demanding he could be.
He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her, taking his time, stroking her lips with his tongue and reveling in her sweet taste. Not demanding anything she didn't willingly give. Instead, he was kissing her as if they had all the time in the world.
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