Chapter 27
The plane landed with a hard thump.
“Honey, we’re home,” Gray said with a smile and a stretch.
Riley strained to look past him and out the tiny window of the plane. They’d agreed to use whatever money they had on them. A bit embarrassed to admit just how little cash she carried, considering her privileged station in life, she’d hurried to the closest ATM and grabbed a wad of dead presidents, because a voice inside her head told her it was probably necessary. Ultimately, she was glad she did, because while the airfare was rather affordable, it was still money out of their pockets.
Finances aside, telling her parents was the hardest part of all of it. No surprise they were furious, but she was a grown woman and felt entitled to do whatever she wanted, with or without Mommy’s and Daddy’s permission. She really didn’t care how they felt about it. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.
Still, it did all seem quite insane, certainly different. She had never been so spontaneous or free-willed before. When she went on her short resort vacation with Lorna and Megan, her two friends who promptly deserted her to go hang out on a rapper’s yacht in Miami, she had no idea that she’d soon meet a bartender who would change her life, become the love of her life. Now, just a few short weeks later, she was running away with him. It’s like something out of a cheesy romance novel, she silently joked with herself as they prepared to depart the plane. Ironic that she hadn’t like Gray at first, because he seemed like the consummate jerk, but she came to realize there was a great, wonderful guy under all that arrogant, boy-toy swagger of his. Sure, he was a little wild, but he was also giving, caring, and very protective, the kind of guy who could steal a kiss and her heart all at once. He’d certainly stolen hers. Not only that, but he’d rescued her, given her the courage and a reason to flee her robotic life of doing nothing but what was expected of her. Gray had turned her into a real rebel, and she loved that as much as she loved him.
The passengers surged toward the door, and the young lovers waited till the crowd thinned out before they disembarked. They were traveling light, with only a small bag of clothing Riley had bought to tide her over for a while, as well as a suitcase Gray had packed when he flew to New York, when he thought he might have to stay there to be close to her.
The airport was tiny, dank, and smelly, but they couldn’t help but smile and laugh as they made their way out into the hot sun.
“Where to?” Riley asked, squinting in the bright light.
“To a hotel…for now,” Gray said, wiping his sweaty brow, and his hungry eyes beneath it told her everything else she needed to know.
They walked through the crowded streets. Everything appeared so exotic, stunning, and lovely. Riley was as thrilled and excited as she was scared. Happy to be reunited with Gray, she let the fear melt away in the midst of that joy. Her nerves were on edge from starting a new journey in an uncertain destination, but she wouldn’t have traded that chance for the world.
They found a ratty hotel near the beach and reserved a room for the night. As they climbed the stairs, Gray said, “First thing tomorrow, we need to find a place to live.”
“Deal.”
The room smelled dank and on the cheap side, with furnishings that looked like they came from a half-off sale at Goodwill, but Riley really didn’t care. All she cared about was Gray.
She dropped her bag and turned to face him, he slammed the thin door, locked it, and headed toward her with an expression of unmasked, naked desire all over his face. Their mouths met, and his tongue parted her lips and found hers. His hands went to her hair, and he ran his fingers through the thick, silken strands, loosening it from the careless knot Riley had fumbled it into when they first boarded the flight out of La Guardia.
Riley pressed against him and felt his erection grow as he thrusted his hips urgently against hers. Their kiss grew more passionate with each passing second, and Riley lost her breath as his hands slid below her shirt, riding along her heated skin. She broke the kiss long enough to say with a gasp, “I-I can’t believe we did it!”
Gray’s eyes were lit with a wicked gleam that sent her heart racing. He captured her mouth again and thrusted his tongue deep in her mouth. “We did!”
Her fingers found his skin and explored it. She reveled in him, in the smell and taste and heat of him against her body.
Gray’s hands slid around her body, his fingers squeezing hard and loosening again as he cupped her buttocks and pulled her even closer. His hardness pressed against her lower belly, nearly rendering her insane with desire.
Her fingers were clumsy, but his remained sure as the two hurriedly undressed each other, too hot and needy to do anything more than strip down so they could touch each other in places their clothes would not allow them to find.
They fell onto bed, his hands still madly exploring her body. His fingers skimmed across her waist and breasts, then over her belly and up again, to her nipples. He moved lower, his tongue and teeth and lips sending delicious shivers all the way through her body.
Too excited to wait, Riley took control and rolled him over, so she could pepper a trail of kisses down his hard, muscular physique. Her tongue found his cock and rolled around it as his masculine scent wafted to her nostrils. Gray hissed out a breath as she took him down her throat, pulling and sucking hard. Her tongue wandered over his flesh, and she bobbed her head, moving her hand around his shaft to keep him from impaling her on that thick ridge of hot meat.
“Shit…” Gray’s single exclamation was followed by his hands tangling in her hair and lifting her toward him.
Riley crawled upward, and he moved her onto her back, then pinned her to the thin, musty mattress. He drove deep, and her legs wrapped around him. His hips banged into hers, and her body arched toward him in a frenzied attempt. She couldn’t get enough of him. She didn’t she ever would.
Gray slid in and out of her, his pace fast and rough. Riley felt the build, like a wave inside of her, trying to reach the shore. Her nails raked his back, and her teeth met his shoulder as she let a cry for more escape. Sensation spiraled through her till it morphed into a blossoming heat that seemed to melt into liquid as she came.
He came just as hard. He dug his fingers deep into the pillows behind her, and his face buried into the space between her shoulder and chin. Her name repeated off his lips again and again.
They lay there, tangled together. The sweat on their bodies cooled and dried, and he rolled away from her. He lay on his back, gasping for breath as it eventually slowed and he regained his senses.
Riley turned to him. “Gray, we’re crazy, aren’t we? I mean, we’ve totally lost our minds. I mean, what’re we doing here?”
“Each other, apparently,” he said with a laugh that reverberated around the room. “But yeah, we’re as crazy as hell, in the best way possible. Whatever happens from here on out, it’s gonna be amazing, Riley. I just know it.”
“It’ll be like our own endless summer.”
As she stroked his chest, he took each finger and kissed it gently. “Yes,” he said softly, “our perfect, endless summer.”