And then suddenly he entered me. But my body was familiar with him and it felt…right.
Garrett gripped my hips and pulled almost all of the way out before he surged forward again, pushing us both up the length of the bed.
“Ahh!” I cried out, digging my nails into the flesh of his back.
He threw his head back and let out a deep, guttural groan as he began to pound into me. Our movements were totally in tune. He was just as desperate for me as I was for him.
“Riley, my God, Riley,” Garrett said over and over again as he pushed as deep into me as he could go.
My body pulsated with each stroke and I knew the second my body exploded around him that I was lost. Somehow, someway, Garrett Bellows had gotten underneath my skin. I wasn’t sure how to adjust to the new feeling of having him there.
“Look at me, please,” Garrett begged, kissing my mouth, but then pulling back so he could watch me as he came inside my body. His hand came up to caress my cheek, his thumb rubbing circles across my skin. His eyes never left mine as he surged forth one final time and I could feel him let go. I could feel his release, his total possession. His shoulders tensed and then he collapsed on top of me, his breath heavy on my neck.
“Don’t take this away again, Riley,” he said softly into the thick of my hair and all I could do was hold him as we came down from the high.
I wanted to promise him that I wouldn’t. That this was the start of something new, something great for the both of us. But I knew how easy it was to promise things before our realities changed it all. And despite how much I wanted to say those words, I promise, I knew I’d never be able to keep them.
So I stayed quiet and tried to ignore the disquiet that had taken root deep in my bones.
We weren’t even recovered from our post coital bliss when my phone started to ring. I untangled myself from Garrett to grab it. I saw that it was my mother and I instantly froze.
All of the warm, glowing fuzzies I had felt only moments earlier evaporated in an instant. “Hello?” I said after answering, cringing at how out of breath I sounded.
“Ri, hey, it’s Gavin,” my brother said into the phone. Why in the world was he calling me from Mom’s cell?
“Where’s Mom? What happened?” I asked, sitting up and covering myself with a sheet. Garrett sat upright beside me, taking my hand in his.
“She’s not doing too well right now. You need to get down here right away. It’s Dad,” Gavin broke off and I could hear his muffled sob and that made all the blood drain from my face.
I pulled away from Garrett and swung my legs over the side of the bed. With the phone still pressed to my ear, I bent down to retrieve my discarded clothing. Working one handed, I pulled my panties and jeans back on. My hands were trembling so badly, I dropped my shirt several times and finally Garrett took it from me and had me sit back down.
“What about Dad? Gavin just tell me what the hell happened!” I demanded, feeling the rising hysteria in the back of my throat.
“He was doing fine. His doctor’s were feeling confident that he would be okay. But then he had another heart attack,” my brother’s voice wobbled and I knew what was coming. I just knew that this phone call was to tell me I’d never see my father again.
“He’s gone, isn’t he,” I stated rather than asked.
Gavin was outright crying and I don’t think I had ever heard him sound so emotional about anything. He rarely became enthused or worked up. But I could hear him losing it over the phone and it was terrifying.
“He’s gone, Ri. He’s gone,” my brother cried.