Chapter Thirty-Two

Lena

"There's nothing more left to say but good night." I plant a kiss on Lizzie's forehead after pulling the covers up to her chin.

"Good night, Aunt Lena."

I leave her bed and walk towards the door.

"How long are you staying here at our house?" Lizzie asks suddenly.

I shrug.

Even after my conversation with my father, I still have a lot to think about, which is why I'm still here. I'm still waiting for clarity and maybe for a sign about what I should do next. Frankly, I don't know when I'll get it.

"Good night," I say again as I blow her another kiss. "Sweet dreams."

She yawns before turning on her side and closing her eyes.

I turn off the light, leave the room and head downstairs. I'm only halfway down, though, when I hear Ollie shouting.

"Lena!" She stands at the bottom of the stairs. "Come quick!"

I give her a puzzled look. "What?"

"Just come!"

She climbs up the steps, pulls my arms and drags me all the way to the living room. She points to the TV screen, which currently has Riley's face on it.

So Riley's on TV, huh? But what's new? Even before, he was already on TV a lot. And now that he's a businessman, it's not surprising that he makes TV appearances.

But then I hear him talking and it's not about swimming or business. It's about me.

"Lena is a good woman, maybe the best I've known," Riley says. "She didn't trick me into marrying her and she's not after my money or fame. And yes, she's carrying my child, so I suggest you all leave her alone. In fact, if I hear you say one more lie about her or bother her anymore, I'll have to make you pay for it one way or another. And trust me, the price won't be cheap."

I cover my mouth as I let out a gasp.

He finally decided to speak up and tell the media to leave me alone. He even threatened them.

He does care about me! He still does.

More than his words, though, what fills me with hope is the sight of the golden band still on his finger, which makes me remember the things my father said.

Maybe, just maybe, we can still work this out.

I run to the guest room.

"Lena?" Ollie follows me. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to pack my things," I tell her. "And I'm going home to my husband."

~

When I arrive, Riley has just finished his late night swim. He's in his bedroom, still in his robe and his swim trunks. When he sees me, his eyes grow wide in disbelief.

"Lena? Why are you here?"

"I saw that interview you gave on TV," I tell him as I take off my scarf. "The one where you told everyone they were wrong about me."

He looks away. "Oh."

"And you know what? At the airport, someone recognized me and simply congratulated me for my pregnancy," I add. "She said she never believed those lies."

"That's good."

But he doesn't seem to be smiling.

"Anyway, I just had to come back after seeing that. I just had to let you know your message reached me."

He finally turns to me, but with furrowed eyebrows. "My message?"

"That you care about me and that you are willing to do your part to make this marriage work."

"Oh." Riley looks away again.

Why? Why doesn't he seem happy to see me?

"I've already signed the divorce papers, though. Jeremiah will--"

"It doesn't matter," I cut him off. "I didn't sign them before and I won't now."

His eyebrows arch. "You won't?"

"No." I shake my head. "Because I have a message for you, too."

I take a step closer to him.

"I love you, Riley." I lift the hand that's still wearing my wedding ring. "I always have and always will. And yes, I'm not that strong a person. Or that smart. And maybe I'm not the woman you're supposed to be with, not the woman who will make the best wife for you. But I'm not going anywhere."

I stand right in front of him and touch his cheek. "I'm never giving up on you."

Once again, his eyes grow wide. I stand on the tips of my toes to brush my lips against his parted ones. But he doesn't kiss me back. Instead, his fingers wrap around my wrist.

"But I thought you were already in love with someone else."

I shake my head again. "You're the first man I fell in love with, Riley Boyle McAllister. How could I love someone else when you already have my heart?"

Riley drops my hand. "But I can't promise you the rumors will end. There might be new ones. Other people may try to tear us apart."

"Who cares? As long as you and our child are by my side, the rest of the world can go to hell."

"I'm still going to be busy."

"I'm going to make sure we have time for each other," I promise him.

"I can't guarantee things will get easier."

"No one ever said they were going to be easy."

I don't know why he's arguing with me so much, but I'm not going to let him win.

His gaze sinks to the floor. "I might... end up hurting you again. Somehow, I can't keep calm around you. You drive me mad in many ways. What if I break you?"

I lift his chin and look into his eyes. "You can't break me, Riley. And if you do, you'll just have to put me back together again."

I place my hand against his cheek as I press my lips against his. For a moment, they remain still. Then they press back against mine as his hands grip my waist and pull me close.

My heart leaps. I've won. I've won him over.

One of Riley's hands goes to the back of my head as he deepens the kiss. His fingers tug at my hair as his tongue entwines with mine. I slip my hands beneath his robe and run my fingers over the firm muscles of his chest. My thumb brushes over his nipple.

Heat courses through my veins like a rushing river. Desire flutters restlessly in my chest and my heart begins to pound. My breasts swell. When he squeezes one of them through my clothes, I gasp into his mouth. Then I step back.

I wriggle out of my plaid jumper dress and it pools at my feet. I kick it aside along with my canvas shoes. Then I pull my pink turtleneck shirt over my head. I undo my ponytail as well and my hair tumbles past my shoulders.

Riley steps forward and touches the skin between my neck and shoulder.

"It's healed?"

I nod. "All wounds heal, Riley, if we give them time."

He looks at me tenderly as he cradles my jaw. The warmth in his eyes makes my stomach flip and sends my skin into a fever. Then he crushes my mouth beneath his--a passionate kiss that steals my breath just like the one last time. Except this time, I can tell he's not hurting. This time, it's just hunger.

And he's not the only one who's hungry.

I tug at the sash of his robe and push it off him. My hands cup his firm buttocks through the cold, slippery fabric of his swim trunks before moving to the front. The bulge in his crotch throbs against my palm.

I begin stroking him through the trunks. His palms slip beneath my bra and rub against my aching nipples. I shiver.

He plays with my nipples. I stroke his clothed cock and feel it swell against my hand. When his fingers slip past the garter of my underwear and brush against my curls, I give another shiver. I peel his trunks and wrap my fingers around his cock.

It's wet and warm just like I am. I run my thumb over the leaking tip and he makes a sound low in his throat. His thumb finds my clit and my knees quiver. I break the kiss to gasp for air.

Riley continues to stroke me and I do the same to him while gripping his arm with my other hand so I won't fall. I don't trust myself to keep standing as pleasure spreads throughout my body from his skilled fingertips. In fact, I can feel myself melting into his touch. Moans spill from my lips.

Then he stops. He takes off my bra and leads me to the bed. I take off my soaked panties and throw them aside before lying down. He takes off his swim trunks before climbing on top of me.

Again, his mouth captures mine and steals my breath, but only for a moment. Then his lips move to suck on my neck, to reverently kiss that spot that he bruised before, to suck on one of my breasts and then plant a kiss on the valley in between them. From there, his lips start a trail down to my belly button, where he plants a longer, more reverent kiss. It sends a flurry of joy into my chest.

When Riley lifts his head to meet my gaze, that joy almost bursts. His eyes are brimming with his sincere apology, with his thanks that I came back, with a plea for me to stay by his side.

I lift my hand to touch his cheek. "I love you."

And the words he whispers back after kissing my palm send my heart into a frenzy.

"I love you, Lena."

We kiss again, more tenderly this time. Then he grips my thighs. Before he can part them, though, I turn around so that I'm on my hands and knees.

"Are you sure?" Riley asks.

I hear the concern in his voice.

I nod. "I think this is better for the baby."

Besides, last time, even though he was rough, I have to admit that I still felt pleasure from this position. And I want to feel it again.

Come to think of it, this was how he took me the first time in that pool.

His hands find my hips once more. His cock enters me slowly, too slowly, and I push back. He chuckles.

"Impatient?"

"I just missed you," I say as I glance over his shoulder.

He swells inside me and I let out a moan as the rest of him enters me. Then I gasp at this wonderful sensation of being filled.

Riley is the only one who can fill me, who can complete me in this way.

He begins moving slowly and my body rocks. My knees dig into the mattress. My hands clutch the sheets. My hair falls like a veil over my cheeks. My breasts sway beneath me.

He grabs them as he keeps moving. I throw my head back and moan. Then he reaches between my legs and strokes my nub. My arms give way and my elbows hit the bed. My head crashes between them and I muffle my moans against the sheets.

It's too much. The combination of his skillful fingers teasing me and his cock plunging in and out of me at the same time is too much. My head begins to spin.

I'm on the brink of falling over when Riley suddenly withdraws both. He quickly turns me around and grips my thighs once more before pushing his cock back inside me with one thrust. Then he begins to ram into me.

I place my hands over my head and clutch the sheets as I thrash in maddening pleasure. I throw my head back and let out a cry as I fall off the peak.

I can't tell if my body is still rocking from his thrusts or my head is just spinning, but the next thing I know, I feel a gush of warmth. I open my eyes and see him above me. I reach up to pull his face to mine and kiss him as I give him a squeeze.

He pulls out and lies down beside me. Then he wraps his arms around me.

"I love you," he repeats hoarsely.

"I love you," I say back to him.

Riley pulls away and strokes my cheek. "So you didn't sign the papers, huh?"

"I didn't even get them yet," I answer.

He nods. "Right. I only signed them earlier today."

His eyes narrow at me.

"So you saw me on TV and you rushed back here?"

"Yup. I flew. It still seems safe for now."

He touches my belly as he looks at it. I place my hand over his.

"How could I not after seeing how handsome you were on TV?"

Riley chuckles.

"Or hearing you defending me, protecting me." I take his hand and entwine my fingers with his. "Or seeing that you were still wearing our wedding ring, just like I was."

He gives me a puzzled look. "But you didn't have it at the inn."

"I take it off when I take a shower, and you know, what with this pregnancy brain, I tend to forget things sometimes."

"I see."

"But maybe I won't ever take it off again. That way, I'll never forget about it or lose it. I'll wear this until I die."

Riley plants a kiss on my forehead. "Don't you go dying on me, though."

I nod. "So what made you decide to finally appear on TV?"

"I thought I'd clear your name so you could live a peaceful life after we get divorced."

"Oh."

"And also, Dan just happened to call."

My eyebrows arch. "Danny Thurman?"

Riley nods. "Actually, the network wanted an interview with both of us, something like a follow-up to that show we did. But I said I'd just seize the opportunity to say some things that needed saying. He didn't mind."

"So we're not going to get that interview anymore?" I ask him. "Because you know, I don't think I'd mind. And I want the world to see that we're happy together. But only if you like, of course."

Riley smiles as he strokes my cheek. "Why not?"