A Dash of Desire (Spiced Life #2) (10 page)

Tristan chuckled. A flush still rode high on his cheeks, making his light blue eyes stand out, and Riley’s stomach growl. “You can’t take it back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Riley said, unable to stop the childish grumble. “I’ll be there.” Wickedness goosed her, the way it always did, causing her to add, “Just remember, every time you catch my eye from that pulpit, I’m picturing you naked.” She allowed her gaze to slip down his body before meeting his stare once more. “And it’s fucking delicious.”

Tristan faked a cry. “You’re so evil.”

“Stay,” she offered one final time, praying he’d accept. Her roots stung as Tristan buried his fingers in her hair and hauled her forward. His mouth slammed down on hers. Their kiss was almost violent. When Tristan pulled away, his nostrils flared, fascinating Riley.

“Nine,” he repeated, before heading for the door.

Riley had a hard time forcing her knees to work. She found herself staring at the door for way longer than necessary after he left. Even after Riley checked all the locks and pushed her bedroom door closed, she hadn’t completely recovered. No one else had ever gotten to her the way Tristan did. She’d agreed to go to church for fuck’s sake. But man oh man, the expression on his face when she’d finally given in, wow, it had been totally worth it.

Riley slipped out of her clothes and into a ribbed tank top and fresh panties before climbing into bed. Her mind held its grip on Tristan’s expression. Their kiss lingered on her lips. She swore she could still feel his erection pressing between them. Her channel pulsed. She needed him inside her. Without thought, her palm brushed over her hip. Her fingers dipped below the edge of her panties, skimming her mound. She hesitated. What would Tristan do if he were still there? Would he watch as she stroked her wet folds, bringing herself to completion? Surely he had some inner kink. Her nether lips parted beneath the pressure of her fingertips. The floor creaked. Riley froze. Her mind raced as her gaze shot to the door.

Moving slowly, she shifted to her knees without taking her eyes off the wood surface separating her from the sound. If anyone came near it, she’d see the shadow in the crack below the door. This was the exact reason why she never turned off the hall light. Riley’s lungs burned from holding her breath. Her eyes stung and then watered from the effort it took to keep from blinking. Fuck. The chain was undone. Did that mean she forgotten the deadbolt as well? She couldn’t remember. Tristan had her wound so tight, she couldn’t think straight. It was going to be the death of her—literally. Silence rang in her ears as Riley strained to hear every noise.

Before she could lose her nerve, Riley leaped from the bed and threw the deadbolt. Her hands shook and her heart raced as she slid the chain into place as well. From there she turned on every light and lamp in her room as well as the adjoining bathroom. The white walls reflected the beams, making every corner as bright as possible.

Her closet came next. She had to search it. It didn’t matter that she’d removed the door. She’d been lax. Her clothes hung too closely together, giving him a place to hide. She couldn’t have that. Riley yanked the hangers from the pole, tossing them onto the floor and leaving enough space so she could see every inch. Even once she was positive there was no way anyone could stay hidden inside her room, Riley’s panic didn’t fade. She could feel the eyes upon her. Something was out of place. She just couldn’t decide what it was. Taking a deep breath, she turned in a slow circle, eyeing the entire room. Fear was making her slow witted. It was there but she couldn’t see it. Her gaze landed on the door once more. Had she locked the back door after Tristan left? For the life of her, she couldn’t remember. She had to know. If she didn’t check, there was no way she’d be able to relax.

Finding a pair of workout shorts, she pulled them on before creeping closer to the door. At the last second, she dropped down to her hands and knees. With her cheek pressed to the floor, she could see the hallway through the crack. It was empty. Brushing off her knees, she came back to her feet. With two deep breaths for strength, she undid the locks. She braced herself as she turned the knob. Poised between her room and the hallway, Riley froze, listening for any movement inside the house. The hum of the air conditioner was the only sound she heard. After a minute, when nothing bad happened and no strange noises reached her ears, Riley moved to the living room. There was nothing out of place. She checked every window and door, breathing a sigh of relief when she found everything secure. Riley swiped at her eyes. Holy fuck. She needed coffee. There wasn’t a chance in hell she was getting any sleep now. She couldn’t risk it. Not to mention, an eerie feeling still lingered in the air, but Riley tried shrugging it off.

Being with Tristan made her forget. The last thing she needed was to forget. Her routine kept her safe…and sane. Some things were too important to let slide.

As the coffee brewed, Riley stood at the sink and stared into the darkness. After a few minutes, she gave into temptation and turned on the floodlights as well as the porch light. She needed to know no one was out there…watching. When that didn’t completely dispel her paranoia she turned on the TV in the kitchen and the volume up as high it would go. Billy had allowed her craziness with the spare bedroom, accepting Riley’s excuses about needing her bedroom a certain way to sleep. She’d spouted some bullshit about too much light and earthquakes in California to explain the missing closet door and covered windows. Most likely, Billy wasn’t fooled, but she’d let it go. Unfortunately, she’d staunchly refused to allow Riley’s insanity to spill into the rest of her home.

Riley downed three cups of coffee before she worked up the nerve to head back to her bedroom. The thought of her aunt witnessing one of her breakdowns reminded her she needed to clean up the mess she’d made in her panic before Billy got home.

Too late, Riley realized what was out of place. There was no paper lining her windows. The clothes she’d left in a pile where now neatly hung in the closet. For a moment, she simply stared at the empty space upon the carpet before slowly lifting her chin, allowing her gaze to land upon the bed. She knew what she would find. It was back on its frame. She wondered if the extra locks were already gone from her door. No alarms would sound other than the ones going off inside her head.

The bedroom door closed behind her. Riley didn’t turn. It was unnecessary. The scent of Graham’s expensive cologne hung in the air, coating her taste buds and making her muscles tense even before his lips touched her bare shoulder.

“The room was a mess,” he said against her skin. Graham’s arms encircled her waist, drawing her back into his embrace. She didn’t struggle. There was no point. “I set it to rights. Even though you won’t be staying here long, you should always have the best.” A tremble began in the pit of her stomach, but Riley refused to allow it to surface. Graham thrived on the weakness of others. She’d survived this long by showing none. One of Graham’s arms tightened at Riley’s waist, holding her in place as he dug around in his pocket at her back. Her lungs refused to work until his phone appeared in front of her. She was only slightly disappointed when she realized he wasn’t going to kill her…yet.

Resting his chin on her shoulder, he scrolled through his pictures. He didn’t need to threaten her not to move. The images of her in several different locations and on various days since she’d arrived in Christiana held her captive. Somewhere deep inside, she’d known he was there—watching. Graham scrolled backward, starting with today and ending before she’d left California until settling on a picture of the two of them. Her eyes were closed. His bare shoulder supported Riley’s head. He was staring down at her with such passion even as he snapped a shot of them in their bedroom mirror. Riley remembered that night. It wasn’t one she’d likely forget. He’d spent six solid weeks at home with her. Things had been almost normal. That night, in Graham’s arms, she’d come scarily close to loving him.

“I love the expression on your face in this one.”

Riley took note of her flushed cheeks and parted lips. Damn. He’d captured her in the throes of release. Almost as if he’d been waiting, calculating. She wanted to shove the phone away from her.

“I stare at this picture all the time. Sometimes, I even consider deleting it.”

“Why?” It was all Riley could push past her dry throat.

“Why do I stare at it or why do I consider deleting it?” Riley didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Graham moved closer, making sure she felt his erection. “I stare at it because I’m addicted. I can’t delete it because I’m addicted.”

Her nose stung. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes. She’d never be free. Graham would never let her go. Her mind rebelled at the thought. Before she could think better of it, Riley hit the trash icon, deleting the picture. A low chuckle caressed her ear.

“There’s my passionate girl. A warrior.” His warm breath fanned across her cheek as he spoke. “Lucky for you, it’s saved to my digital locker and several other places,” he added, taking away the last wisps of her hope. “Surely, you didn’t think I’d risk something so precious to me. You should know how careful I am with my possessions.”

“Hope springs eternal,” Riley said, and showing a bravery she was far from feeling, she stepped out of his hold. The room reversed as the back of her head made contact with the wall. As hard as Riley tired, she couldn’t draw air into her lungs after the impact knocked the wind out of her. In spite of Riley’s inability to breathe, she couldn’t look away as Graham’s face came within inches of hers. The muscles in his jaw flexed, and his eyes hardened. Concentrating on their amber depths, she finally managed a small gasp. His gaze moved to her mouth at the sound. When his palm touched her cheek, Riley couldn’t contain her flinch. Graham smirked. His thumb brushed her bottom lip.

“I could kill you right now, Riley. Nobody would miss you.”

“Do it,” she taunted, unable to keep from doing so. “I’d rather be dead than live another day like this.” His weight leaned into her, cutting off her oxygen along with her dare. It was almost odd the thoughts she experienced as the room darkened at the edges. There wasn’t a single dark hair out of place on Graham’s head. It was true what they said. The devil did indeed come in a beautiful package, bearing gifts along with the promise of suffering.

***

Tristan’s gaze slid to the empty spot at his grandmother’s side for the hundredth time during his sermon. He couldn’t decide if he was angry, worried, or disappointed. A little of all three emotions ate at him. The hour ticked by slower than any he could remember. If anything he said made sense, he wouldn’t know it. His mind remained firmly locked on Riley or the lack thereof for the entire service. He was almost certain he snarled at an elderly couple who lingered too long afterward. The second he was able to break free, Tristan tried her cell. When it went straight to voicemail, he tried the house. He drew the line at calling Billy’s cell phone. Surely if anything had happened, Billy would’ve called. After all, she called about everything else.

By three o’clock, Tristan had settled on anger. Riley was so set in her ways, she couldn’t give him an inch. It wasn’t as if he’d asked her to change in any way. He just wanted her at his side. When evening service came to a close, Tristan was back to waffling again. Billy hadn’t called with any terrible news, but neither had she shown up to church. It was rare, even when the hospital had her working her tail off, for her to miss a morning and evening sermon. After trying Riley’s phone once more without success, he gave into temptation and called Billy. She answered on the second ring. At her tired sounding hello, Tristan drew a steadying breath.

“Hello Mrs. Upchurch. We missed you at services today.” Well didn’t that sound all stalkerish? He toned it down. “Not that God won’t understand.” Tristan covered his eyes. He was such an idiot. A very uncomfortable idiot.

“Oh, Brother Tristan.” She sounded distracted. “I’m sorry about that. It was a long day.”

He waved away her apology as if she could see it. It seemed it was going to be a day of dumbassery that wouldn’t stop giving. He stuffed his free hand in his pocket to keep from doing it again. “Don’t worry over it at all. I was only worried about you. I know you’ve been pulling a lot of double shifts. That’s the sort of thing that can wear you down.”

She chuckled sounding more like herself. He bit back a sigh of relief. “No need to worry. Riley makes sure I’m fed and sufficiently fussed over.”

Since she’d opened the door, Tristan jumped through it with both feet. “Speaking of Riley, is she around?” Billy cleared her throat, sounding on edge again and making Tristan nervous.

“Um. Last I saw, she was headed out toward Hunter’s place.”

Huh. Wasn’t that some shit? He knew the two had become fast friends and spent a lot of time together, but still. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“Not a clue. She only left here about twenty minutes ago and she was on foot, so I couldn’t even venture a guess.” Tristan sort of wanted to put his fist through the wall, but he held it inside.

“Well, I’m grateful you’re okay. Don’t work too hard, and seriously, don’t worry over missing church. I was just…”

“Missing Riley,” Billy interjected, helping him out. In spite of his anger, Tristan released a low laugh. “Hmm, I imagine if you head out now, you could probably bump right into her.”

“Maybe so,” Tristan agreed, grateful she didn’t rub salt in his damaged pride. “I think I’ll do that.”

“Have a nice night, Brother Daniels. I promise I’ll try to do better next week.” Billy disconnected the call while her laughter still rang through the line. He wasn’t too worried about it. It was worth it to finally know Riley was okay and where he could find her. Crazy or not, he was about to bump into her in the middle of the woods. God help him.