Page 4 of A Lesson in Deceit (Mystic Riegan Duet #1)

I had secondhand embarrassment from how corny it was.

River gave me a confused look. “Why would I do that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems like a place you take someone if you are trying to impress them.”

“So, what if I am?”

“I prefer to be impressed by conversation, not sophisticated restaurants.”

He leaned back in his chair, his crisp button down pulling against his defined chest. “I’ll have you know I happen to really like the food here, and they make a really good Sex on the Beach, which I know is your favorite.

” I opened my mouth to remind him of my age, but he waved his hand.

“Don’t worry, put your fake ID away, gorgeous.

It’s fine. My conversation is pretty on par, so I’d like to learn about you authentically.

No mind reading.” He leveled his gaze at me.

The way he refused to look anywhere else had me wanting to rub my thighs together from the heat that rushed between my legs.

I crossed my legs, getting more settled in my chair. I picked up the menu, flipping it open and holding it up to my face, only letting my eyes peek over the top. “Impress me.”

Two hours and too much pasta later, I was laughing so hard I had to hold my stomach.

I had learned so much about this man, and he had eagerly asked so many questions about me.

Every topic from my family to my friends, all the way to what I wanted to do after high school was discussed.

He just nodded when I told him about community college, letting me know that that’s exactly what his best friend, Grayson, did before he got a scholarship and transferred to Mystic Riegan.

He talked about growing up in Berkley and eventually moving to San Francisco at a young age with his brother.

River told me the whole story about how immensely freaked out he was the first time his power emerged.

I had giggled, considering that hearing people in your head was probably something no one is prepared for.

He admitted that he hadn’t always used it with the best intentions, and I appreciated his honesty.

He spoke vaguely about his brother and even less about his own parents.

It felt like a delicate subject so I wasn’t going to push.

The waitress set our dessert down, smiling at each of us before leaving us alone again. I grabbed one of the forks, digging into the chocolate cake, when I realized that River was staring at me.

“What?”

He licked his lips and smiled. “Nothing. I’m just having a really good time.”

“You don’t miss being able to read my mind?”

“Not in the slightest. I kind of like not being able to know how you’ll respond. It’s kind of a rush. Bit of a turn on.”

My cheeks started to fill with heat and I suddenly became very interested in the cake in front of us, picking some of it up and placing it in my mouth.

He picked up his own fork, sliding it around the chocolate sauce underneath. “There is something I do need to tell you.”

“Is this where everything goes downhill?” I asked, swallowing down my piece of cake.

He shook his head laughing. “No, gorgeous. Well, I hope not.”

I nodded, absentmindedly, not really knowing what else to do.

“I’m pansexual. Is that a problem?”

I blinked and blinked again. I wasn’t upset. If this was who he was, I was more than fine with that. I did want to clarify something, so I could fully understand. “Okay. Remind me what that is again?”

He stuck a piece of cake in his mouth, swallowing it before answering me. “Sex and gender aren’t something I consider when it comes to my attraction. I just like you for you.”

I tapped my fork against the plate, considering his statement. “People have a problem with that?”

River let out a hmph as he ate another piece of cake, letting me know that it had likely been a problem for others in the past.

“You’ll have to do better than that to make me dislike you.” I smirked at him as I pointed my fork in his direction.

“Are you trying to turn me on even more with that fucking smirk of yours?” He tilted his head, the studs in his ears glittering from the light on the wall near us.

I took in a breath, nearly choking on nothing but fucking air. “Can I ask a personal question?”

“I’m an open book.”

I pressed my lips together, pulling my napkin from my lap and placing it on the table.

“I’m just curious. Have you been with both men and women or…

? Totally fine if you have, but I’m going to have that one on my mind for the rest of the night if I don’t ask it now.

” I heard myself rambling and willed my tongue to stop working. “Or you can tell me to fuck off.”

River’s deep laugh eased the tension in my shoulders. He placed his hand under his chin as if he was utterly enthralled by me. “Yes Riley, I have.”

I mirrored his hand placement. “Cool. Well, I haven’t. Man or woman. Is that a problem?”

A stunned look clouded his facial features for only a moment before he rallied. “No, not at all.”

I felt River tuck his fingers into my athletic shorts and start to shimmy them down. I placed my hands over his, stopping him.

“My door is wide open.”

He looked over his shoulder, then let his face fall into my neck. “I’m sure your mom won’t hear a thing.”

I batted him away, sliding out from underneath him and standing on the side of my bed.

We’d had sex exactly one time in my bedroom, and I was paranoid the whole time that finishing—at least on my end—was more work than I would have liked.

I’d been less nervous when I’d lost my virginity to him.

It was also probably my subconscious remembering when my mom found my birth control pills and the conversation it led to.

The minute we’d started having sex I’d tried both elixirs and the pill.

While elixirs lasted longer, they tasted like absolute shit, so I’d stuck to the pill ever since.

“Neither one of my parents love the fact that you hang out in my room constantly.”

“We can always just close the door.”

“Yeah, we both know my mom would come in here and lecture me on how while I am in college that I still live under her roof and don’t pay rent so I can do this one thing for her. Cue ‘the mom glare’ to both of us as she leaves the door open and walks away.”

My boyfriend laughed. “See I thought all those times we had dinner and all those outings we did together to get to know me better basically gave me the okay to spend alone time with their daughter.” He stuck his tongue behind his front teeth.

“They probably think you’ll corrupt me.”

River moved off my bed, causing me to step back so he could stand in front of me. He was tall, about six-foot, but he always strained himself to get down to my five-foot five level. “Pretty sure we are way past that.” He leaned down to kiss me and I felt his erection through his pants.

A knock at the front door made us both jump.

I pulled away from him, walking over so I could lean against my door frame.

We had two windows on either side of our front door, and I could make out blue and red lights flashing outside.

I heard my mom open the door, muffled voices and then I figured she had stepped outside when all I heard was silence.

I felt a presence at my back. I looked up to see River looking down the steps towards the windows.

His eyes were a little narrowed and looked as if he was lost in thought.

I knew he was using his powers, and I had no desire to tell him to stop.

A sharp cry pierced my ears, causing me to look over at my front door and then I heard a thud as if something had landed against it.

River stepped away from me and when I peeked over at him, his mouth was slightly open, his eyes darting from left to right.

He looked like he was in shock. I looked from my front door to my boyfriend, not really understanding what just transpired.

I took a step closer to him, reaching out to grab his forearm.

“River, what’s going on?”

His usually excited green eyes didn’t have their shine I recognized. “Riley, I don’t know how to…”

The front door opened and the sound of sniffling and choked sobs filled my ears. I watched my mom slowly close the door behind her, her hunched shoulders shaking with every single cry she let out.

“You should talk to your mom.” River nodded towards the stairs, leaning back against my door frame.

I didn’t think twice before I took the stairs two at a time and grabbed my mom’s shoulders. It took her a moment to focus on me when she looked up as if she was seeing me for the first time. I looked over at the windows as the blue and red lights disappeared.

“Mom, what’s wrong? What’s happening?”

I tried to steady her when I noticed her whole body was shaking. She sucked in breath after breath, her tears streaming down her face.

“Mom, talk to me. You’re scaring me,” I pleaded, using my fingers to tuck her dark curls behind her ears and hold her face up so that she was forced to look at me for longer than a minute.

We looked so much alike, from our dark eyes and umber skin to the way our bottom lip was just a tad bit fuller than the top.

They were simple things, but right now I noticed it all.

“R-Riley,” she stuttered my name, as if it took so much out of her just to say it.

“Mom, why don’t we sit down?” I tried to pull her towards the kitchen, but she wouldn’t budge.

“Riley, I- I don’t…. they said…” She looked down at her hands as if they had the answers.

My voice started to shake. “They said what?”

Fresh tears formed in her eyes again. “Your dad. They said…” she hiccupped, “they found him at the school.”

I shook my head, not understanding.

“They couldn’t do anything. He’s g-gone. Your dad is gone. He’s dead.” She fell against my body, wrapping her arms around me for leverage. I instinctively held her back, my body feeling stiff.

There were a million questions I wanted to ask, but words couldn’t find their way out of my mouth.

I didn’t care what I did for my fucking birthday or that I needed to consider whether I was going to continue community college or transfer out.

None of that mattered, it all seemed too trivial to even consider.

I just held my mom as tight as I could. And even though it felt like she had no strength to do anything but cry, she squeezed me back.