I Hope You Find Me (28 page)

A flash of Ana’s bright red top caught the
edge of my vision as she swept past, her arms linked with Connor’s
while he spun her around us. Connor locked eyes with me as he
turned around the room, and I could see the want, the desire in his
eyes. And the hurt. Suddenly he dipped Ana and she squealed with
delight. The song had ended.

The music changed to the soft piano and
swinging beat of Michael Bublé’s
Feeling Good
. I stepped
back from Jacks and he smiled at me. Kris laughed and I looked over
to see Skip dragging her clumsily around the dance floor. Matt cut
in on Connor and Ana without saying a word, and she leaned her hips
into him, grinding along. He said something into her ear and she
threw her head back with delight. Jacks leaned into me again but
stopped when a hand tapped him on the shoulder.

Fin grinned as he tipped his head at us and
said, “Mind if I step in?”

I smiled shyly, and nodded an okay at Jacks,
who stepped back hesitantly.

Fin slid into place, one hand in mine, the
other lightly around my waist and I followed his lead away from
Jacks. When the drums and cymbals started he pulled me into him,
and spun me out, twisting our hands effortlessly. When we came back
together we were both smiling and laughing. We danced around the
others, his hand on my back, the room whirling around us in a
colorful blur, my body feeling light and slightly fuzzy from the
wine. Fin had me on my toes as he held me against him, swaying to
the close of the song. When he dipped me low at the end, the room
clapped around us and Fin held my hand up and bent forward, in a
bow. Still laughing, I stood awkwardly next to him as we moved away
from the dance area as One Republic came on.

I flopped down onto the couch, and Fin handed
me my wine glass. After finishing what was left, I said, “That was
fun.”

He nodded and took my glass, and walked
between Ana and Matt, and Kris who seemed excited to be dancing
with Connor. I saw him refill my glass from the far side of the
room and weave back through the happy dancers to the couch. He
returned my glass and I sipped eagerly, while he set the bottle on
the fireplace mantle. When he plopped down next to me again, I sat
quietly beside him while we watched the others, trying to ignore
the heat radiating between our touching thighs and the curve of his
side as it fit into mine.

When
Rock That Body
came on, I
squealed at the same time as Kris, and jumped up, swinging my hips
as I rushed to the center of the room to join her. We danced next
to each other, arms in the air, our shoulders and thighs bumping
together, alternating between singing and giggling. Ana slid in
next to us and dipped to the beat, her hands roaming her body.
Someone lifted my glass from my hand and Kris and I jumped in
unison, spinning, and belting the words of the song out. At one
point, the three of us were holding hands, moving together fluidly
and when Ana slid seductively down my back the men broke out into
joyous cries.

For two more dance songs, the three of us
frolicked, twisted and swayed around each other. When Florence And
The Machines drifted out from the speakers, I was grateful for a
break, and the men groaned in protest when Ana, Kris and I broke
apart for water and eventually collapsed on the couches. Ana sent a
saucy smile my way and I laughed at Kris.
Punching In A
Dream
by The Naked And Famous was playing as I rested my head
on the cushions. For the first time, I considered Ana might not be
so bad after-all.

***

Connor couldn’t keep his eyes on her without
his vision doubling. He stood off to the side of the room, next to
Jacks, with his arms limply at his sides, his thumbs tucked into
his pockets, watching Fin’s fancy foot work glide Riley around the
room. Jacks tapped his upper arm and held out a beer, and he took
it with a nod. He knew Jacks was just as irritated to see Riley
dancing with another man, but it was obvious neither was going to
complain about it to the other. So they watched her twirl around
the room and return to the couch with Fin. He couldn’t handle
seeing him brush the hair back from her face or her playfully smack
at his arm when he made a joke, so he asked Kris to dance.

When a club song came on and the girls
started dancing together it was hard if not inconceivable for each
of the men not to stare. He moved slowly away from the girls and
jumped when Fin clapped his shoulder. He refused the urge to shrug
him off and watched Ana and Riley instead. Ana was sexy, in a
sleazy way. There was something too needy about her that turned him
off immediately. Kris was still a kid but it was obvious as he
glanced at the others, that some of the men, mainly Matt and his
friends, didn’t look at her like one. Riley though, she was in a
world of her own. It was impossible to not want her.

He watched her blonde, wavy hair dance about
her shoulders, her long bangs tumbling into her eyes as her hips
swayed seductively from side to side, and felt the desire for her
more than ever. He leaned into the couch and loosely crossed his
arms and stared, unblinking, at the curve of her breasts. His head
spun from drinking all day but he didn’t take his eyes off her,
couldn’t. And once, he was sure she met his gaze, and held it...a
flirty smile on her face, a twinkle in her dark blue eyes. And then
she turned away, and Ana was behind her, sliding down her backside.
Most of the guys hollered but he kept his eyes on Riley. Always on
Riley.

***

God, I needed water. I wandered over to the
tables, but found none, so I followed the wall with my fingers
brushing along the wood paneling, mostly to keep myself from
appearing tipsy. And I was. The music drowned all sounds around me
and filled my ears like a flood. I found the kitchen doorway and
slipped inside, not bothering to turn on the light. I would drink
from the tap if I had to.

My hands fumbled through the cupboards until
I found a small glass. I gripped it carefully and squinted in the
dark at the faucet as I pushed it on. Explosions of laughter
erupted from the room next door and I smiled, glad that no one
missed me yet.

I was concentrating so hard on filling the
glass that I didn’t hear the soft footsteps close in behind me. I
turned the water off and started raising my arm when a hand slid
around my waist. The water sloshed down my wrist and I gasped as I
spun around. Even in the dark, I could make out the pale glow of
Connor’s blue eyes. His face was an inch from mine and his hand
went down my side, resting firmly on my hip.

“My god, Connor! You scared me!” I chuckled
softly. Water trickled from my wrist, down my arm.

The group laughed loudly again and I looked
over Connor’s shoulder at the open door. He took the glass from my
hand and set it down behind me. I smelled the breezy scent of his
cologne, mixed with a subtle undertone of Corona. The metal counter
top behind me felt cold, even through my jeans, but my skin flushed
and heat radiated through me when Connor’s left hand darted under
my top and grazed my ribs. His palm slid between my shoulder blades
and moved beneath my bra strap, slowly sliding forward, back along
my ribs to my breast. A shudder ran up my back when his fingers
brushed against my nipple, and he kept his hand there, moving
gently inside my bra as the other trailed down my abdomen, inside
my jeans. I gasped in surprise as his fingers slid inside my cotton
underwear and very slowly began to move up and down.

Connor’s mouth started on my collarbone, and
his tongue hungrily traced the curves of my throat up to my
jaw.

“
Riley.
” He whispered passionately
beside my ear before nibbling on it.

I bit down on my lower lip to keep a moan
from escaping as his hand firmly cupped my breast. He pressed his
hips into me as his mouth found mine, and our tongues twisted
together furiously. I felt the bulge of his crotch push against me
and I silently cursed the belt he wore, restricting easy access.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as his long and slender fingers
rhythmically moved faster and faster between my legs, matching the
beat of my racing heart.

I gripped his back and arched against him,
feeling the muscles in my stomach tighten and my thighs begin to
quiver. With a fistful of his shirt in one hand, and my other
holding onto his neck, I let the waves of an intense orgasm
completely consume me, shaking my insides to the core. Connor
crushed his mouth into mine as I moaned his name loudly.

When his hands slid out from under my
clothes, he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me until I
was breathless and I was certain he could hear the knocking of my
heart as it wildly banged against my ribcage. Every sense I had was
heightened...the sultry, salty smell of his skin and the lemongrass
scented cleaner on the counter behind me made the back of my throat
tingle. The multi-tonal laughs coming from the next room and the
slow and steady drip of the leaky faucet echoed in my ears. The
sweet flavor of Connor’s mouth made me hungry to taste all of him,
and the softness of his wavy hair tickled my skin when he kissed
me. Every nerve ending I had was exposed and throbbing
deliciously.

He was nibbling softly on my ear again and
tugging on a strand of my hair when the kitchen light flickered on.
We both jumped but Connor didn’t pull away from me. I peered over
his shoulder to see Winchester standing in the doorway.

“There you are.” He cleared his throat
loudly, and shifted on his feet. From across the room I couldn’t be
sure, but it looked like he was trying hard not to smile.

Without turning around to face him, Connor
said, “We’ll be right out. Just getting something to drink.” He
smiled down at me with a mischievous glint in his eye, and trailed
a single finger between my cleavage and my midsection lurched in
response.

When he pulled away, I went up on my tip-toes
and said softly into his ear, “Finish this later?”

“Hell yes.” He said loudly.

He kissed me once more lightly on the lips
before winking and walking away. I could hear him talking with
Winchester in the other room, so I turned around and gripped the
edge of the sink, grinning girlishly from ear to ear. After
smoothing my clothes and hair back into place, I gulped the glass
of water I had gotten from the tap in one large swallow. I splashed
cold water on my cheeks to cool the flush I felt radiating through
my skin before I refilled the glass, and took it back with me into
the main room.

The group was huddled together, with an end
table between the two couches, and Skip was arm wrestling Matt. His
hand wavered before slamming Matt’s down onto the table and the
room erupted in cheers. Connor was standing near Winchester,
leaning on the side of the couch. I overheard Winchester say that
Skip had won 3-0 against Fin, Bobby and Matt. I laughed and looked
around the room, and my eyes met Fin’s.

He was watching me with curiosity, and
glanced sharply at Connor. When his gaze met mine again a knowing
look settled into his expression. He slowly blinked at me and
quickly looked away. I was sure he couldn’t know exactly what took
place between Connor and I in the kitchen, but it was obvious he
realized something happened. I brought my palm to my hot cheeks to
cool them, and hoped that no one else noticed the flush that I was
sure covered my entire body.

Matt stood up and shook his arm with a sullen
look on his face and Fin said flatly, “Connor should go next.”

Connor glanced at him and then flexed his
hands. “Nah, I’m good. Feeling a little tired actually.” He avoided
looking directly at me but I blushed anyway.

I noticed Kris had tucked herself into the
corner of one of the couches. Her head rested on a faded
forest-green cushion, a droopy look in her eyes. Kris. I had
forgotten that she was sleeping in Connor’s old room. A laugh
threatened to explode from me as I realized the irony of the
situation. There I was, sitting there dreaming about the night I
could have with Connor, when a teenager would be sleeping in the
next room. I thought to myself…how bad would it be if I left the
dog in her room, and snuck Connor into the cabin after she fell
asleep?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Something insanely bright was glowing behind
my eyelids. I squeezed them shut even tighter, to no avail; the
creamy yellowish color penetrated through my closed eyes like
radioactive honey. I was face down lying on my left cheek, with an
arm tucked under my head, another folded in front of me. I opened
one eye gingerly and let the wash of sunlight fill my vision while
I blinked, momentarily unaware of what I was looking at. As my
vision cleared, I saw the round outline of a man's head and in the
background the early morning sun glared through an open window.

Unruly dark curls that flipped up at the base
of his neck were glistening in the dawn. I blinked again, and
shifted my head so that I could get a level view of the man
sleeping on his stomach next to me. The sheets were messily pulled
up his back, resting in an uneven bunch just below his shoulder
blades. His lean arms were raised above him and tucked under his
pillow. I could feel the heat of one of his legs pushed up against
my knee. As I blinked at him, flashes of the night before flipped
through my memory...and I smiled. I closed my eyes and remembered
the feel of his hands and mouth as they explored every inch of my
body, slowly, seductively…and the hard feel of him inside me as we
pushed against each other; we had fit together perfectly.

With my eyes open again, I raised a hand to
his face and carefully pushed back a long strand of wavy hair that
was partially obscuring my view of his face. His long, dark lashes
fluttered softly against his cheeks, but he didn't wake.