Tentatively, I reach for him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I knew you would care.” His voice is so low, I have to strain to hear him. “I’m no one, and you were bound to notice eventually. I didn’t expect it to feel like this.”
Fuck tentatively. It’s not getting through to him, and holding back isn’t my style, anyway. Grabbing his shoulder, I turn him to face me. “I’m telling you what I saw because you deserve to know, but you’ve never been no one. Not when you were my enemy, and certainly not now.”
“Then what am I?” he demands. “If I’m not your enemy, what space is left for me? Malach is your first love; Luca is your best friend; Alistair challenges you; Ciprian makes you laugh—there’s nothing I could offer you, and weboth know it.”
“You’re making it sound transactional,” I argue. “Yes, they give me those things, but they give me more than that, too. And you... You’re my opposite, but when you look at me, I feel seen.”
“Everything about me is a lie?—”
“Who cares?” I snap. “Because I don’t anymore. Seriously, Riven, who gives a flying fuck about lies and truth? If we’re willing to show up for each other, that’s all that matters. All I want, all I’ve ever wanted, is someone who stays. Someone who sticks around for the hard parts.
“I want someone who understands my organizational frenzies, but calls me out when my honesty gets too mean. I’m don’t want easy or neat. Our pieces don’t have to fit; we can make them fit.”
My eyes burn, and I shake my head, frustrated with myself for getting emotional.What am I doing right now?I promised myself I wouldn’t beg him to be with me.
He meets my eyes reluctantly. “But you said it didn’t change anything.”
Is Riven... sulking?I blink and look him over, replaying what he said a few times in my head. I’ve heard him angry, I’ve heard him amused, I’ve heard him scared, and I’ve heard him bored, but I’ve never heard him sulky before. It’soddly endearing.
“Yeah, I said us sleeping together changed nothing, because this isn’t the Stone Age. You didn’t steal my virtue, and I don’t need a white knight on a whiter horse to ride in and save the day for me.”
He frowns. “I’m unfamiliar with this terminology.”
Gods, give me patience.“I didn’t say it changed nothing because I didn’t want you anymore. I was saying you weren’t obligated to die for me because we fucked.”
I’m explaining things well, so why is he glowering at me?
“Darling, I’ve been ready to die for you since the night I sliced my hand open and stood between you and Crag. I thought that was obvious.”
“I don’t want you to die for me, Riven.” I shift my weight.
He inches closer to me, and his sulky stare turns predatory. He’s radiating danger right now, and my nipples are too tight. I want him to touch me.Why isn’t he touching me?
He narrows his eyes. “Why are you squirming?”
“Because you’re sexy when you’re mad at me.” I run my fingers across his chest. “Is it because I stole your virtue?” I chuckle, but the sound gets cut off when Riven crashes into me.
His kiss is hot, drugging, and impossible to resist. When he growls into my mouth, I moan, tracing his lips with my tongue. “You taste like him,” he complains.
“Then do something about it,” I taunt. There’s zero chance I’ll stop kissing Malach, and Riven knows that, but the edge of his jealousy is hot. Maybe the guys have a point about the friendly competition thing. If I end up with more orgasms, why would I complain?
I reach between us and unbutton my pants.
Riven smiles against my mouth. “Do you need something, darling?” Oh, he’s cocky, but if he thinks I’ll make it that easy for him, he couldn’t be more wrong.
I shake my head and slip my hand into my underwear. “I can take it from here. I didn’t realize you were tired.”
His hiss is music to my ears, and I shudder as he grabs my wrist and sucks my fingers into his mouth. “Mine,” he says.
I shrug. “You can’t take all the credit. Some of that belongs to Malach.”
And that’s a step too far, because the next thing I know, I’m on the floor with my back pinned to the carpet, staring at the legs of a perfectly good bed.
Riven yanks my jeans over my hips, tears my underwear off, and buries his face between my legs. He devours me like he’s trying to prove a point. I don’t care what it is as long as he doesn’t stop.
My fingers sink into his hair, and I barely resist the urge to steer. Riven knows what he’s doing, and I’m enjoying the loss of control.
