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“Is it my turn yet?” he asks.
I scoff.The audacity…
“Don’t do this here.” My voice is low and my eyes are hard, but he just grins, making my heart do little flips. I hate this reaction to his smile. I hate the way my body lights up when he’s close.
“All I want is a dance,” he pleads with wide, innocent eyes. I don’t buy it for a second.
Luca squeezes my arms lightly and I look to him for help. He smiles sympathetically. “It’s okay Nor, one dance won't kill you.”
Frowning, I grumble, “Might kill him, though.”
River and Luca roll their eyes simultaneously. There’s no scenario here that ends with me getting my way. So, I suck it up and release Luca. River grins before taking me in his arms. I shiver all over at just his simple touch. He’s a bastard, but he's a sexy bastard and he knows it. He’s also a sexy bastard who I’ve been pining after for the better part of a decade.
“You look beautiful,” he murmurs in my ear, his breath washing over my earlobe and making me shiver.
“Don’t try to butter me up. The only reason I’m letting you touch me right now is because I don’t want to cause a scene,” I lie.
Smiling, his hands travel lower until they're tracing small circles over my waist. I fight to keep my reactions hidden. His touch feels so right and it makes me angry for feeling that way. I shouldn’t be feeling anything for someone who spoke to me the way he did—someone who taunts me and insults me, all the while making me crave him until it hurts.
“I’m here to beg your forgiveness,” he says. I look up at him, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. He just blinks at me, without a hint of playfulness now. “I’m being serious. The second you drove away I realized what a fucking ass I was, and I’m fucking sorry. I had no right to say those things…”
“You’re right, you didn’t!” I snap. “I came to make sure you were okay with what you saw, but all you did was make me feel like I was in the wrong. You made me feel guilty for something I shouldn't have. I can’t keep doing this with you, Riv. I can’t let you manipulate my emotions just because you change your mind every two seconds.”
We keep dancing, our words hushed so that we don't cause a scene around all these people, but if someone were to pay close attention, it would be easy to tell something was wrong.
River lets me say what I want to say and takes it all with stoicism that only breaks when I look into his eyes and see the man beneath breaking. Something I've noticed about River over the years I've known him, is that he doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve the way Luca does. River hides behind false bravado and all of his confidence, but underneath all of that is a vulnerable man.
River holds me tighter against him, as if he’s afraid I'm going to slip away. “I blamed you for my own problems and you didn’t deserve that, and I’m literally begging you for just one more chance.” We twirl around the dance floor, but I can feel us slowing down. He brushes a curl off of my cheek and tucks it behind my ear gently. “I’m so in love with you, Nora. So in love it makes me physically ill to be away from you. I’m a fucking dumbass, and I mess up and say things I don’t mean. I just want that chance to show you how I can love you.”
My heart is racing, hammering in my chest until it hurts. I know in my soul that he’s baring his to me right now, and even though my head is screaming at me to be careful, I know in my heart that River means every word coming out of his mouth.
I consider my options. I can tell him no, and that his chances with me have come and gone. I can walk away right now and let that be the end of it. But that would mean spending countless years watching as River moves on from me, knowing that it would tear me apart from the inside.
Or, I could take the other option and give him the chance he’s begging for. I could open up my heart one more time and see if he handles it with care. Words can’t even describe how much I want to pick option two, but I'm scared. I’m so fucking scared…and so, I tell him that.
His thumb strokes my cheek gently. “I know you are. And if I'm being honest, so am I. I'm scared of watching you walk back out of my life forever. I’m terrified of what my life would look like without you in it. I can’t make you choose this, but what I can do is promise you that I’m all in. You, me, Jax, and Luca. I’m all fucking in if you’ll have me.”
Nora
My eyes are closed, and I’m getting nervous. It's not that I don't trust the guys...I do, but I still want to cheat and take a peek. We’ve been in the car for five minutes, but I already feel us slowing down. Gravel crunches under the wheels.
I decided to say yes to River and give him his chance. There’s simply no other option that I can live with. He and Luca promptly stole me away from the reception, and shoved me into Luca’s car, placing a tie around my eyes like a blindfold.
My mind runs through a million possibilities, but none of them really scare me. I’d seen the look in River’s eyes when we were dancing. Something’s shifted, I just don’t know what yet.
A strong hand snakes up my thigh causing them to clench with need. Again, I want to open my eyes, but I keep them shut tight, just like they asked me to. The car stops and so does the music as the hand leaves my thigh.
Two car doors slam before I feel a gust of wind on my face as mine opens. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I let one of them help me out into the chilly night. His arm wraps around my middle, leading me swiftly until I hear a bang on what sounds like a metal door.
It takes a few seconds, but soon, the door is opening and warm air wraps around me when I’m ushered inside. The smell of floor polish and a running heater hit my nose, my senses coming alive and recognizing the space immediately. My eyes fly open as I rip off the blindfold, and my jaw practically hits the polished wooden floor of Landy’s studio...no,mystudio.
A large white banner hangs on the far side wall with big blue letters reading out ‘Welcome Home Nora.’ Strung up around the ceiling and along the floor-to-ceiling mirrors are small, yellow fairy lights, making the whole room glow warmly. Being back here sends a quick jolt of grief through me, but it’s replaced almost immediately by surprise and relief as Jax steps into view. His long hair is brushed out softly, and his dark-gray suit jacket is open with his tie missing and the top few buttons undone.
Jax’s cheeky grin puts me at ease and I toss him his tie. Hands snake over my shoulders—warm and comforting. The scent of the breezy ocean hovers around me as River leans down and brings his lips to my ear. “It’s all yours now, baby,” he whispers. I shiver all over. “You haven’t danced in weeks, and that just won’t do.”
Jax and Luca stand side by side now with wide grins on their devilishly handsome faces. “There’s no reason to be afraid of a building,” Jax says. “Landy wanted you to make this your home, so we thought we’d give you a head start.”
It’s only now that I hear soft music playing in the background. Luca steps up to me, bending down and placing a small kiss on my forehead. “River has a surprise for you.” His eyes flicker up behind me and Rivers's hands tighten on my shoulders.
