The Butterfly Effect Part 6

This time, I take my time, caressing her body. Kissing every inch, I can feel her yearning for me. I don't think all the s.e.x in the world would be enough to make me completely satisfied; she makes me insatiable.

"You're definitely going to be sore tomorrow, that I can promise you."

"It'll be worth it, though."

Felix pads into the living room and lies down by the couch but not looking at us. He meows a few times and then falls asleep. Riley and I are quiet while I take my time with her. Eventually, she's had enough and straddles me, reminding me of the last time she was on top of me. I can already feel myself getting hard again, and I lightly stroke her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She leans her head back and moans.

"I hope winter break never ends."

Chapter Eight.

RILEY.

Nathan traces my b.u.t.terfly tattoo with his finger. "When'd you get this done?"

"I got it a few years ago," I say lazily while we lie in his bed.

My body is sore from all the s.e.x. He wasn't lying about doing it on every surface. I'll definitely have trouble walking tomorrow. I snuggle into the nook of his arm, as he wraps it around me. My head rests on his chest, as I lightly trace my fingers over his stomach and chest.

"Just so you know, I don't want you just for s.e.x. Even though the last few days have been amazing, I enjoy talking to you and getting to know you."

I lean my head up to look at him. "I know. Same here. I know there are some things you don't know about me, some things I can't tell you. But one day, when I can, I'll tell you more."

"I want to know everything about you. Everyone has some secrets in their closest. And I don't expect you to tell me every single detail. At least not right now."

"Yeah. I feel the same way. I want to know everything, what you dislike, what you like, and what you're pa.s.sionate about. Right now, I just want to enjoy this moment." I smile.

Here I am with Nathan, in his bed, having a serious conversation, and talking to him almost feels too easy, like a dream almost. Something just clicks between us. It's hard to explain. He may be older and a h.e.l.l of a lot wiser, but still he captivates me at the most unexpected moments, and he has a little bit of a naughty side, which I like.

Leaning my head on his shoulder, I stare at his bare chest, the quietness engulfing us while the moonlight s.h.i.+nes in the room. "Are you real?" I whisper.

"I'm real, baby," he grabs my hand and kisses my fingers. "This is real."

The morning light breaks through the curtains, causing me to blink a few times. Looking to my left, that side of the bed is empty. Winter break is over and I'm not sure where the time went. All I know is that I have enjoyed all this time with Nathan, getting to know him and his little quirks. It's hard to believe four weeks have pa.s.sed by so quickly and Bea will be home any day now. Real life is about to get, well, real. And the next few weeks could really test Nathan and me. I stretch my stiff body, while Felix cuddles next to me.

Even though I can't tell anyone about us, I think we can get through it. We'll have to meet secretly, and make sure no one notices. The past few weeks have been absolute bliss. Too bad I just couldn't live in my Nathan bubble forever, without any repercussions. I'll have to keep it a secret from my own best friend and that alone hurts my heart, but she'll understand because she is just like me. I know she'll be happy for me, and she'll be shocked once I'm allowed to tell her. But four years of college is a long time. So we'll see.

Nathan appears in the doorway with a tray of food. I slowly drink him in, committing everything about him to memory, because this day won't last forever.

"Good morning. You looked deep in thought there," he says, sliding in bed next to me, pulling the tray of food on his lap.

"I was thinking about winter break being over and Bea being home soon, and how we'll have to be more careful now."

"Yeah, I know. Did you really appear at my door three weeks ago?"

"I did. I was scared to death, but I needed to know and see how you felt. Thank G.o.d you reciprocated." I pop a piece of bacon in my mouth.

"I wanted you from the moment I saw you. But being a professor, your professor, makes it more difficult. But I said f.u.c.k it and jumped in." He smirks.

"I'm so glad you jumped in." I lean over to kiss him deeply and pa.s.sionately. My heart feels like it's about to burst because my feelings are becoming stronger with each pa.s.sing day and I feel like I won't be able to breathe without him consuming me. Even my b.u.t.terfly tattoo is getting brighter and brighter the closer Nathan and I become. This is my destiny. He is my destiny.

I push the tray away, setting it on the end table, and I straddle him. "I'm keeping this, just so you know," I say of his t-s.h.i.+rt I'm wearing.

"It looks better on you, anyway." He grins. His hand grips the back of my neck, pulling me forward, his lips crash hard against mine.

His hand grips the s.h.i.+rt and he flips it over my head, my hair becoming wild. Leaning down, I cup his face with both hands, kissing him feverishly. He cups my b.r.e.a.s.t.s with both hands and ma.s.sages them, his thumb roaming over my hard nipples.

I take his hands in mine, pulling my face away from his. "I know we have to keep on the down low, but do you think we can go out? Somewhere out of the area, somewhere where I can dance. I want to go dancing."

He stares into my eyes. "Dancing?"

"Yes, I want to go dancing then come back here and make love before reality starts."

"If you want to go dancing, then we shall go dancing."

"Really? Wow, I'm so happy right now. I'm kind of getting cabin fever and feel the need to burn some energy."

"I'm usually not one for clubs, but I'm glad you're taking me," I say to Nathan as he pulls into the parking lot. We drove almost an hour out of town just so I could come here.

We've gone out once or twice, but it's been way out of town, so we don't run into any one and it's easier when most of the students are home for winter break. But going out any place is still risky no matter how far you go.

Nathan and I have had long talks about our future and what could happen if we get caught. But he says it's worth the risk, and he may be looking at other teaching positions so we can be together out in the open. It would make things easier.

We stand in line for about ten minutes before the bouncer lets us in. The music is pounding, the walls vibrating, and my heart kicking up to match the beat. We find a private booth just for us, and he orders us drinks, and the waiter doesn't even card me. Once the shots are placed in front of us, Nathan flashes me a wink and we do the shots. Grabbing his hand, I pull him onto the dance floor with me. The music is fast and we dance to the beat, and we both laugh, having fun. Turning my back toward his chest, I move my body against his, his hands skimming the sides of my body. He takes my hand and flings my body away and pulls me against him again. I throw my head back, giggling.

Separating my body from his and facing him, I continue to dance to the beat of the music. No one else exists except for the music, him, and me. Surprisingly, Nathan can dance. The song changes, causing the tempo to change, but it's still a fast beat song and I can feel my breathing becoming heavy, and my body sweaty.

Before I know it, the place is closing and the time I spent dancing pa.s.sed way too quickly. Nathan ushers me out into the cold brisk air and helps me into the car. "Thanks for taking me dancing." I smile and wipe my hair away from my face.

"Anytime. You looked s.e.xy on the dance floor. Now we're going home to finish what we started this morning." He raises an eyebrow at me.

I smile.

The hour long drive home doesn't take as long, since traffic is merely non-existent. The antic.i.p.ation of Nathan ravis.h.i.+ng me is all I can think about, his lips on mine and his hands all over my body. In this moment I feel powerful and feeling like continuing dancing, but maybe a different type. Inside the house, he pulls me to him, my body flush against his and he kisses me. I give him that one little morsel before I pull away and lead him to the living room. I push him down on the couch, and find his stereo and turn it on, but not loud. His eyes remain locked on me as I change the music.

The Jennifer Lopez song is the perfect mixture of what I need to convey to him. I remain standing, positioning myself in front of him. And I start to sway my hips, whip my hair to the side. I dance to the beat of Never Satisfied, my movements calculated to the beat. I roam my hands over my body, and my hands reach the b.u.t.ton of my tight jeans as I slowly move them downward, kicking them to the side. I turn so my back is to him and I move my a.s.s, doing a wave motion with my body.

Thankfully, I have a background in dancing; it paid off after all, even though this is nothing close to what I'm used to doing. But my body moves fluidly.

I turn to face him and his eyes are hooded, filled with hunger and l.u.s.t. My juices are flowing as I move my hips to one side than the other. Nathan moves forward, his hands griping my hips. His fingers graze my skin as he moves his hands upward. He grips my s.h.i.+rt and stands, flinging it off over my head. His eyes never leave mine, and I've never seen such hunger in someone. He presses his body firmly against me, one arm wrapped around my waist, and he dips me down one side, pulling me back up on the other side of him. The pa.s.sion between us is undeniable. I've never experienced this before. So powerful. He nuzzles my neck while his hands grip mine, our bodies swaying together like we're one.

His lips move up to kiss mine as his hands unlatch from mine, and he places his palms on my cheeks. He takes his time savoring me as we stand. In one swift move, he carries me up the stairs, my arms around his neck. Thankfully we make it up to the room in one piece. I'll admit, I'm no small girl. His arm muscles bulge. In the bedroom, he lays me down on the bed and he flings his clothes off and then unhooks my bra. Lying down, he takes his time from my mouth, to my neck, to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, paying attention to both. My back arches as he moves down, placing light kisses down my stomach. He grips my panties on each side and pulls them down, leaving them wherever they end up.

He flips me over so I'm on top of him, my hair splayed around us as I lean forward to kiss him. Leaning back, I settle around his length and a gasp escapes my lips. Rocking my hips against him, everything that's happened today has led up to this, the buildup, the antic.i.p.ation of feeling whole again. Yes, he makes me feel whole. I no longer feel lost. He's mine and I'm his, and I can't think of anything better than that. I kiss him feverishly as the climax begins and he says those words that I've longed to her.

"I love you, Riley. I f.u.c.king love you," he says against my lips as he comes down from the high we were just on.

"I love you, too, Nathan."

"Say it again," he tells me.

I smile. "I love you."

Chapter Nine.

RILEY.

I stand at the door, ready to leave with my bag in my hand.

"Do you really have to leave?" Nathan asks the following day.

"I do. Bea should be home any time now and I don't want to risk any one seeing me coming from here. But you have my number and I have yours. Don't worry, I know to delete your messages as soon as I read them, and we'll use them only if necessary. I'll sneak over when I can."

He kisses me, a long pa.s.sionate kiss. I pull away to catch my breath, because he steals it away with every kiss.

"Thanks for the last few weeks. I'm so glad you came knocking on my door that night." He leans in to kiss me, a peck this time.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon," I say, turning the door k.n.o.b.

It's so early in the morning, that it seems like nothing else exists. I walk across the quiet street to my apartment. The farther I walk, the farther my heart sinks down and the loneliness sets in. I hate the loneliness part about this whole thing, about finding the one. It happens when you're away from the one you love, but it's not insufferable, it's tolerable. My best friend is coming home and I can't wait to catch up with her. I try to focus on that.

Closing the door behind me, I move upstairs, putting away some clothes, and I decide to take a hot shower to settle my body. The shower steams around me as I replay the last three weeks in my mind, and the three words he spoke last night. I smile to myself.

Out of the shower, I dry off and pull on a pair of dark jeans and a sweats.h.i.+rt and pull my hair back into the ponytail.

"Riley! I'm home!" I hear Bea shout.

Filled with excitement, I race downstairs and crash right into her and hug her tight. She laughs. Pulling back, I bend down and take her bag and we make our way up to her room. She trails behind me and I pull her bag onto her bed, and I sit cross legged on it.

"I'm so glad you're back. How was your trip?"

She smiles, opening her bag and pulling her folded clothes out. "It was great. I missed my family. Mom was disappointed I haven't found the one yet, but I told her to take it easy on me. She says I'm here just running wild. Whatever. What about you? You're practically glowing."

I grin. "I found the one. The one I'm meant to be with."

"Riley that's amazing." She bends down and hugs me. "Who is he? Tell me about him," she begs.

"That's the thing. I can't tell you. At least not yet."

"I don't understand. I thought once you found the one, you can be out and open about it."

"Normally, that's true, but this is, well, complicated. I promise I will tell; I just can't right now. Trust me; it's more complicated than it should be. Trust me."

"Oh, I trust you. I just don't understand why it has to be a secret, but I'll respect you and I won't question it. So did you do it?"

I grin. "We did. It was amazing, more amazing than I ever imagined. We spent most of winter break together; inseparable. Look at my b.u.t.terfly." I pull my s.h.i.+rt down and show her my shoulder. She steps up close and runs her hand over it.

"Riley, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and the colors are exquisite. I'm so happy for you, I truly am." She hugs me. "It will only get more beautiful, too."

"I'm sorry your mom gave you a hard time. You'll find the one. I know you will."

She gives me a weak smile. "You know how I feel about it. Part of me just doesn't care, and part of me does. Maybe I'm just a lost cause."

"Don't say that, Bea. You'll find him, I promise."

Making a promise I wasn't sure would come true wasn't the best thing to do. But she's my best friend and I can't lose her, not like this. She's meant for someone. We just don't know who.

"Okay, if you say so."

"Well, I say so. Hey, if I'm gone late at night or any weird hours, don't freak out. It'll be because I'm out with him."

"So him being a secret has more to do with him than you?" she asks.

"Yes, there is a reason. I can't tell you, though. Okay? So tell me, how did the rest of your trip go?"

Bea and I decided to have a girls' night in. She's tired from all the travel, so we stayed in and ordered Chinese to gorge on. We are having a movie marathon, but she seems distracted, like she's contemplating whether to find the one or not. I know the risk she is taking if she doesn't look for him. I'll lose her, and I'm not prepared for that. She's like a sister to me. I have to put it in our faith's hands and hope for the best. Lazing around is exactly what I need, after the last few weeks I've had, and school starting back up tomorrow. I wish I could have remained in Nathan's arms for the rest of eternity. Not only is he easy on the eyes, he's easy to talk to, and it feels like I've known him forever.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I excuse myself to the bathroom. I swipe the screen across and see a text from Nathan.

Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Have a good evening. I'll be thinking of you. I have to go to a meeting with all the other professors, so I won't be home until late. Hope I can see you.

I smile. I miss you already. See you tomorrow. Riley.

I lock my screen and meet Bea back in her room, where we were lounging on her bed watching TV.

"Was that lover boy?"