The Beauty of Us (Fusion #4)

“We don’t have to eat here,” Riley says the next evening when we arrive at Seduction. We’re here at my request. I wanted to come by to say good-bye to the girls.

“Eating Mia’s food never sucks,” I reply, and kiss Riley’s hand. “I’d like to stick around.”

She smiles widely and leads me into the bar first, where we find Addie with her husband, Kat, and Cami all at the bar.

“Look who’s finally come out of their sex cave,” Kat says with a smirk. “Does the sunlight burn?”

“Ha ha,” Riley says, and then busts up laughing. “Okay, that’s funny.”

“I wanted to come in to see you all,” I say, and sit in the stool next to Riley.

“You leave tomorrow afternoon?” Addie asks.

“I do.” Riley’s hand searches for mine. I link our fingers and squeeze. “So I figured we’d better come in so I can eat a Mia meal and say good-bye.”

“How are you guys holding up?” Cami asks.

“It’s not like he’s dying,” Riley says, rolling her eyes. She says the words with conviction, but I know she’s trying to convince herself at the same time. “Or going off to war. He’ll be back soon, and I’ll visit him.”

“Good,” Kat says with a nod. “That’s an excellent attitude.”

“What are you guys doing here?” Mia asks as she joins us. “If you say you’re saying good-bye, I’ll throat-punch you.”

“You know, I’ve discovered that Mia is the most violent of all of your friends,” I say to Riley, who simply laughs.

“I’m surprised it took you this long to figure that out.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I saw it early on, but she just keeps fueling my theory.”

“What can I get you guys from the kitchen?” Mia asks with a wink.

Riley and I both place an order, and Mia excuses herself to go make us something delicious.

“Are you playing tonight?” Riley asks Jake.

“Yep, I’m going on now,” he says with a smile. “Stick around for it.”

“Absolutely,” she replies enthusiastically. “It’s been a while.”

We move to a table in the main restaurant, near the small stage that Jake’s sitting on, his guitar in hand, and for the next hour, we eat a delicious meal and listen to him. I look around the room and smile with pride. What these women have done here is magnificent. I’ve been in restaurants all over the world, and this is in my top five favorites.

They’ve done what they set out to do. It’s sexy and fun and romantic.

“Are you okay?” Riley asks, catching my gaze.

“I’m fantastic,” I reply, and kiss her hand. “You?”

“I’m good too,” she says with a nod and a forced smile. She’s been doing that a lot over the past few days as Sunday draws closer. I know she’s dreading my departure as much as I am, and she’s trying to be brave for both of us.

I also know she’ll break down eventually, whether it’s in front of me or not. I hate that this is hurting us both. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.

But, like her nana told me last week, we don’t get to control who we fall in love with.

I thought I’d been in love before. I was married, for fuck sake.

But I’ve never felt like this before.

Mia brings us a huge molten lava cake with ice cream and two spoons. “Calories don’t count when you’re sad.” She winks and leaves.

“I don’t look sad,” Riley says to me. “Trust me, I’m working really hard at not looking sad.”

“You don’t,” I agree, and kiss her cheek. “You look beautiful, as always. But Mia knows you well, and she knows that you probably are sad.”

“Well, it’s bad form to tell a person that you know that they’re sad.”

“I didn’t follow that,” I say with a laugh, and take a bite of the hot cake. “Good God, this is ridiculous.”

“It’s my favorite,” Riley says with a grin. “It’s so fucking good.”

“I want to strip you naked and fuck you when your mouth is dirty,” I reply calmly, and take another bite. Riley’s gaze whips to mine and her cheeks flush.

“I wonder what you’re really thinking,” she says, and takes a sip of water. “It’s a good thing Jake’s singing loudly, otherwise every person in here would have heard you.”

“I don’t care.” I hold my spoon up to her mouth, offering her a bite, which she takes. “I’m not shy about how I feel about you, Riley. It’s not a secret.”

“Now that we’re not working together,” she says.

“It wasn’t a secret before. And we may end up working together again. I have a few ideas to pitch to my boss involving Mia and the whole restaurant.”

“You haven’t told me this,” she says in surprise.

“I don’t want to get into details until I know whether it’s going to happen,” I reply, and lean in to lick a bit of chocolate off the side of her mouth. “Working together doesn’t have much bearing on my feelings for you. I’m in love with you.”

“Well, pretty much everything you just said made me wet,” she says, surprising the shit out of me. “So, there’s that.”

“There’s that,” I repeat with a laugh. “I think we’ll be leaving after dessert.”

“Thank the baby Jesus.”





Chapter Fifteen





Riley


There is a soccer ball in my stomach.

He’s not awake yet, and I don’t want him to wake up and see me like this. I thought that I’d had plenty of time to get used to the idea that he was leaving, but I didn’t get used to it.

I didn’t get used to it at all.

We have exactly four hours left together before he has to go to the airport and turn in his rental car before his flight. Four hours to touch him, smell him, hear his voice, and feel his warmth.

I scoot closer to him carefully, still not ready for him to wake up. If he’s asleep, it’s not this day yet.

I had no idea it was possible to have so much anxiety over a man. And I think it’s ridiculously torturous that I finally fell in love with an incredible man just to have him have to leave me.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

He stirs next to me and reaches out, wrapping his arm around my waist. His arms are sexy.

All of him is sexy.

I’m so smitten it’s almost sickening.

And I don’t want to stop.

“You’re overthinking,” he whispers in my ear. “Stop that.”

“Can’t,” I reply, hoping he can’t hear the tremble in my voice. I’m going to stay strong and not break down until after he leaves. I’ll let myself have a good cry then. In the meantime, I need to stay positive and encouraging, and I need to be our biggest cheerleader.

“Do you want breakfast?” His voice isn’t as rough as it usually is when he first wakes up, which tells me that he’s been awake for a while too.

“I can’t eat.”

He sighs and buries his face in my neck. “We have to eat, sweetheart.”

“I will.” I swallow hard and drag my fingertips lightly up and down his arm. “I’ll stress-eat later.”

“I’m going to get in the shower,” he says. “And then I’m going to pack my things really quick so that’s out of the way.”

I nod, not able to actually form a response that sounds like anything other than Don’t go! Stay here with me! Fuck your life in L.A.

But that’s not fair.

He kisses my cheek and rolls away, walking naked into the bathroom.