Page 23 of A Midnight Romance

Lux

W e arrive back at Thompson Manor a little more than an hour later. The three of us ride in silence up the elevator. Then, with a quick wave from Sebastian, he heads down his wing, leaving River and me alone to walk to my room.

“It’s been a rough night.” He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his pants as if nervous. We remain standing in the quiet space as a palpable energy passes between us. “I hope you’re able to get some sleep.”

“Yeah. Th-thanks again for tonight,” I stumble over my words as I awkwardly slip by him to stand with my back against the door.

He smiles. “Okay. Well, I’ll see you later.”

I nod. My heart beats against my ribcage while the words I want to say are on the tip of my tongue. I don’t want the night to be over. The desire to be back in his arms again is strong, but not enough for me to say anything.

“Good night.”

I watch River’s dark frame disappear down the hallway until it’s out of view.

My eyes roll with embarrassment about how I barely know how to act around him. We’ve had all these intimate moments so why did that moment between us feel like an awkward first date?

Is it because we both want more ?

Nothing is stopping us from giving in to whatever it is we both seem to be feeling—because it’s simply us alone.

I take a quick shower, hoping to shake off the adrenaline and the feelings toward River. But now I find myself standing in front of my bed, staring down at the red velvet comforter, unable to settle. I can’t simply go to sleep and pretend I didn’t kill a man or the fact that I have no remorse.

I can’t decipher what’s right and wrong, and the only other person who understands how I feel is on the opposite side of his gigantic home. I’m anxious to be near him again.

Without any more thought, I get myself dressed and walk right out of the door heading for River’s bedroom. It doesn’t take long before my nerves make me regret coming. But before I can change my mind, I knock.

“Lux? Is everything okay?” He answers the door with only a towel wrapped around his waist. The light in his dimly lit room casts shadows over him. I can’t make out the details of his tattoos, but I can see they expand across his shoulders and back.

My eyes roam over his bare chest, drinking in every divot and curve, before I finally meet his gaze, I manage to say, “Yes.”

“Do you need something?” His focus on me is heated, and I can’t help but catch a slight reddening of his cheeks.

“I, uh—”

“Yes?”

I lick my lips, letting my eyes drift downward and imagine where the trail of hair leads, causing heat to pool in my panties. “I-I didn’t want to be alone. And you’re the only person who understands what we just went through. ”

“I do. Do you want to come in?” Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, he pushes the door open further with the other.

“Sure.” Ducking under his outstretched arm, I walk into River’s bedroom.

It’s exactly how I picture it with dark colors and an oversized king bed.

My eyes scan the room, seeing a large television hanging on the far wall, 360-degree windows covered in thick black curtains, and two leather chairs with a small table in the middle in the corner.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Standing in the middle of the room with my palms sweaty, I’m not sure what to do with myself. “No.”

His eyes soften. “I know how you’re feeling. It will pass.”

“I guess I just don’t want to be alone.”

River takes a few steps toward me, eating the distance between us. “You’re not alone.”

“Can I stay here until I fall asleep?” I ask, bypassing the fear of vulnerability.

River slowly closes the distance between us, then a gentle hand comes up to rest on my face. “You can stay here as long as you want.”

I lean into his touch immediately feeling a relief, but my eyes fall back to his bare chest. “Thank you.”

“I hope you know I’m always here for you, Lux,” he whispers and a breeze carrying the scent of Irish Spring hits my nostrils.

Closing my eyes to enjoy the sensation of his warm palm against my skin, I inadvertently let my hands move to his waist, but jerk them away when I finally realize what I’m doing.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

He’s quiet for a moment before saying, “You can touch me if you want to. ”

I don’t respond, and instead hook my fingers under the hem of the towel and give it a quick tug, pulling him into me. I’m too shy to verbalize what I want, and it’s easier to show him. Bringing a hesitant hand up to his chest, I let my fingertips run across his warm skin, and he inhales sharply.

“What if I want to do more than just touch you?”

Suddenly, River’s mouth is on mine, seizing my breath with his soft and gentle lips. His hands coil around my long hair as he urges me deeper into his kiss. Our tongues tangle in each other, and a tight moan escapes from my lips.

River tastes like every depraved thought I’ve ever had and it’s utterly thrilling.

His hands slide up the back of my silk nightshirt, until he lifts it over my head. The cool air from the ceiling fan hits my nipples, making them harden.

River breaks our kiss and draws his head back to stare at me. His eyes roam around my bare chest taking in every inch as he pulls off my panties. “You’re perfect.”

A blush creeps up my neck and I smile up at him. “So are you.”

Both of his hands are on my cheeks, he runs his thumb across my bottom lip, then leans down to kiss me again.

My arms wrap around his waist.

“Take it off,” he gently commands.

My heart skips a beat when I hear his words and eagerly I slip my fingers under the cotton.

With a slight tug on the corner, the towel piles at our feet.

Then to my utter shock the entire universe goes blurry as I watch him retrieve my panties that just fell to the floor, and bring them up to his face and breathe in.

“Mmm,” he moans .

Oh my god.

But quickly, my eyes find a row of silver balls that line both sides of his shaft. “Um, you’re—”

“Pierced?”

“Yes.” I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s fascinating, yet erotic.

After a subtle chuckle, his commanding touch finds the elastic band of my matching pajama shorts. He lowers them, sliding them off until they hit the ground.

“I’ve wanted this for so long.” His pupils dilate as he smooths over my entire body. With all ambitions pushed aside, I let myself become empowered by how I’ve caused his length to grow significantly.

I blush.

River’s hands move from my hair, sliding down my back, to grip the cheeks of my ass. In one smooth movement, he hoists me up wrapping my legs around his waist. “Take me to your bed.”

“Say no more,” he replies. Then a small bite on my bottom lip sends a shockwave through me before River lowers me onto a platform bed.

The black sheets are soft on my skin as my body sinks into them. I scoot myself further, keeping my stare trained on his sculpted body. A light buzz travels up the spine in anticipation of what we’re about to do.

“Now”—he palms the bed, bringing his lips to mine—“open up for me.”

Thunder pounds inside my chest as my heartbeat quickens. I mirror his movements, lying back into the thick down comforter, spreading my legs opening for him.

With one purposeful thrust, he enters me and forces a grunt from my throat. It steals my breath—in the best way.

“Oh, River.” The bottom half of my body trembling on contact. Hitting every spot possible, he rolls in deeper .

“You’re so wet.”

My back arches, rising me to my elbows, with overwhelming pleasure but also disbelief this is happening.

I’m allowing the mysterious masked man who rescued me from that cabin a couple weeks ago—the same one who I’m confident became my stalker and who I’m now figuring out might be a serial killer himself—to sleep with me.

I’m giving in to him and, every nightmare I’ve had is turning into a dream including the depraved ones.

I squeeze my eyes shut. The intensity is too much for me to form a coherent thought or acknowledge. River continues to roll his hips into me, keeping his movement slow and deep.

“You’re doing so good.” His voice is kind and smooth, causing me to loosen even more.

“Okay. This feels so intense.”

“It’s the piercings.” He smiles, proud of himself.

With each thrust, my breathing becomes more labored. Struggling to catch a full gulp of air, I try to focus on the tray ceilings above us. But it does nothing to dull the fierce sensations.

“Look at us.” River nuzzles my cheek with his nose, gesturing for me to glance down.

My eyelids fly open, curious to see what our two bodies look like molded into one. He pushes his hard length into me, then withdraws it, as if he belongs there.

“Goddamn, that’s hot,” I purr.

His mouth meets the sensitive skin on my neck. “You take me so well, Lux.”

Melting into his praise, I rock into his core, already approaching my climax. A short whimper escapes my lips as River moves his mouth to mine with a deep all-encompassing kiss which creates spots behind my closed eyes.

His movements pick up pace, but remain in rhythm with mine. “Come for me, Lux.”

Vibrating as I reach my peak, my chest and face tingle, and I can only respond with a “Mm-hmm.”

“Oh fuck.” His hands are suddenly at the sides of my face, cupping my cheeks as his lower body stiffens, followed by an echoing grunt that pulls an orgasm from me.

Spots fill my vision in the surrounding space.

I gasp for breath. My hands claw into the skin on his shoulder blades.

And just like that with our mouths connected, we both finish together.

Something I have never experienced before. It’s intimate and fucking raw.

“You’re all mine,” River whispers into my collarbone between soft kisses. He holds himself up and bends elbows on either side of my head. From his rough nature and what I’ve witnessed with the murder of Richard and Nolen, he is surprisingly tender.

“I think I have been for a while.” I glide my fingertips along the grooves of his back. “My life has been turned upside for what feels like forever now. But you’ve become a bright light in all this darkness.”

River lifts his head, his dark eyes lowering as they meet mine. “I wouldn’t consider myself any sort of light, but for you I will be anything you want me to be.”

“You are unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” I say.

“I’ll gladly take that compliment.”

“And I’m grateful you opened up to me about your involvement with Andrew. ”

River rolls off me and onto his side. With his head resting in his hand, I curl into him and bury my face into his hard muscular chest. I breathe in the scent of leather with a subtle sweetness.

“I would never let anything happen to you and that’s why I hid so much from you.”

“It might be hard for me, but I understand.”

River leans in and kisses the tip of my nose. “How about we hop in the shower, then have breakfast together?”

I pull my eyes away to hide my feelings, but fail miserably, because they’re written all over my face. “I would love that.”

River lifts me off the bed, startling me in the best way.

I laugh. What did I get myself into?