Page 17 of Crush & Byte (Grim Road MC #9)

Byte

With only the two of us in the loft, the space seemed to shrink, closing in as the storm clouds gathered outside.

River sat cross-legged on the bed, her eyes following me as I lit the oil lamp on the nightstand.

The warm glow painted her features in amber and shadow, softening the edges of her expression as she watched me with that curious, open gaze.

River wasn’t meant to be alone. She needed people to surround her, to feed her bubbly personality with laughter and love.

I perched awkwardly on the edge of the mattress, not wanting to presume anything. My fingers tapped a nervous rhythm against my thigh as I searched for the right words to start this conversation.

“You don’t have to sit way over there,” River said softly, patting the empty space beside her. “I won’t bite.” A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Unless you want me to.”

Her attempt at humor eased something in my chest. I chuckled, the sound unexpectedly genuine. “Careful what you offer, honey. I might take you up on it.”

The rain intensified, drumming against the roof in a chaotic pattern that matched my heartbeat. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the room through the window, followed seconds later by a low rumble of thunder. River’s face was all the more lovely in the silvery blue lightning flashes.

“Storm’s getting closer,” I observed, still hesitating to move closer.

River tilted her head, studying me. “Are you afraid of me, Byte?”

“Terrified,” I admitted, the honesty slipping out before I could catch it.

Her eyes widened slightly, my honesty apparently not what she’d been expecting. “Why?”

I sighed, finally giving in and shifting to sit beside her, my back against the headboard. “Because you matter. More than I expected. More than makes sense after knowing you for such a short time.”

She nodded slowly, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. The oversized sleep shirt she wore rode up slightly, revealing a glimpse of smooth thigh that I forced myself not to stare at.

“Will you answer any question I ask?” Her voice was quiet, almost lost beneath another crack of thunder. “Honestly?”

“Yes.” The answer came without hesitation. “Anything.”

River took a deep breath, her gaze dropping to the quilt bunched between us. She picked at a loose thread, winding it around her finger before looking up at me again. “Is any of this real?”

The vulnerability in her voice hit me like a physical blow. I turned to face her fully, shifting until we were eye to eye. “What do you mean, honey?”

“This… adventure. You and Crush. What you said earlier about wanting me. Both of you.” She swallowed hard, the movement visible in her throat. “Is it real? Or is it just some game you’re playing with your grandmother? Some elaborate fantasy that falls apart once we leave these mountains?”

I didn’t answer immediately, taking time to consider my words carefully. Outside, the wind screamed against the cabin walls, but inside our little bubble of lamplight, everything felt still, suspended between one heartbeat and the next.

Before I answered, I slid down to lie on the bed, my head propped on the pillow. I held out my hand to her. “Lie down with me. Please?”

She hesitated only a second before uncurling herself and stretching out beside me. I mirrored her position, turning on my side to face her. Our faces were inches apart on the pillow, close enough that I could count the freckles dusting her nose, close enough to feel her breath on my skin.

“It’s real, River,” I said, my voice low and steady.

“More real than anything I’ve felt in a long fuckin’ time.

Maggie may have orchestrated our meeting, but what’s happening between us?

That’s all us.” I fought the urge to reach out and touch her, to trace the delicate curve of her cheekbone with my fingertips.

“I can’t speak for Crush, though God knows I usually do, but I know he feels it too. ”

Her eyes searched mine, looking for something. A lie, maybe, or a truth she could believe in. “How can you be so sure? About me, I mean? It’s been days, not months or years.”

“I don’t know, River.” There was no use lying to her. That way would end this before it even started. “I can’t answer that question any better than ‘I don’t know.’ I’m just sure.”

She smiled slightly, recognition flickering in her eyes. “You’ve used that line before.”

“Doesn’t make it less true.” I risked reaching out then, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead.

My fingers lingered, tracing the shell of her ear, then down to the soft skin of her neck.

I felt her pulse jump beneath my touch. “I’ve never been good at reading people, River.

Emotions confuse me. But with you…” I shook my head, struggling to put the feeling into words.

“With you, it’s clear. Simple. I just know.

Everything inside me is settled like it never has been. ”

The lamp flickered as another gust of wind rattled the cabin. River’s gaze never left mine, even as shadows danced across her face. My palm itched to cup her cheek, to slide down her shoulder, to explore every inch of her. But I held back, terrified of pushing too hard, too fast.

“I want to believe you,” she whispered.

“All I can do is tell you what I intend to do, then follow through. You’ll give me your trust. Me and Crush.”

For a long moment, she just looked at me, her eyes reflecting the lamplight. Then, so slowly I could have counted heartbeats between movements, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine.

The kiss was tentative, a question rather than a statement.

Her lips were soft, slightly parted, her kiss sweet as honey.

I remained perfectly still, letting her lead, letting her decide how far this would go.

When she didn’t pull away, I responded, moving my mouth against hers with gentle pressure.

She made a small sound in the back of her throat, half sigh, half moan, and I melted for her. My hand found her face, cupping her cheek as gently as I could, deepening the kiss. Her lips parted farther, inviting me in, and I accepted, tasting her with slow, deliberate strokes of my tongue.

River’s hand fisted in my T-shirt, pulling me closer.

The heat of her palm burned through the thin cotton, searing my skin.

I threaded my fingers through her hair, cradling the back of her head as I angled my mouth against hers.

There was a promise of everything good I’d ever wanted in my life. I just had to not fuck it up.

Her tentative kiss changed from gentle to hungry. I traced the line of her jaw with my thumb, then down her neck to the delicate hollow at the base of her throat. She arched slightly, pressing into my touch.

River braced herself on my chest. She opened her mouth and thrust her tongue against mine with energetic flicks. The longer she kissed me, the more she whimpered. And wiggled against me. I could practically feel the heat from her pussy next to my thigh.

I let my touch drift lower, skimming over her collarbone, down to the swell of her breast through her shirt. When my thumb brushed across her nipple through the thin fabric, she gasped against my mouth, her body arching toward mine.

“Byte.” She sucked in a breath, breaking the kiss to look at me with wide, dark eyes.

“Too much?” I asked, ready to pull back if she needed space.

She shook her head, a smile spreading across her kiss-swollen lips. “Not enough.”

The storm raged outside, thunder cracking overhead as rain lashed against the windows.

But inside, in the circle of lamplight with River’s body warm against mine, I’d never felt more centered, more certain.

For the first time in my life, I wasn’t overthinking.

I was simply feeling. Her skin under my fingertips, her breath against my cheek, her heart beating in time with mine -- all of it was like a drug I had to have more of.

“This is real, River,” I whispered to her as I swept my tongue inside her mouth once more. “And I’ll be Goddamned if I ever let go.”

I slid my hand down her side, tracing the curve of her waist, her hip, learning her body.

River’s breath caught again as I skimmed my fingers over sensitive skin at the hem of her shirt.

I paused there, watching her face in the flickering lightning for any sign of hesitation or doubt.

Finding none, only the flush of desire coloring her cheeks, I leaned in to capture her lips again, drinking in the small sounds of pleasure she made against my mouth.

“Tell me what you want,” I murmured against her lips, my thumb tracing slow circles at her hipbone. “Tell me what feels good.”

“Everything,” she whispered, her voice breaking on the word. “Everything you’re doing feels good.”

I grazed my touch beneath her shirt, touching the bare skin of her torso with more than my fingers for the first time.

She was warm, impossibly soft. I traced the curve of her stomach, feeling the muscles tense under my touch.

“Is this okay?” I asked, hovering at the boundary I wasn’t sure I should cross.

“Yes,” she breathed, arching slightly to press into my hand. “Please, don’t stop. I’ll tell you if I don’t want you going somewhere. I promise.”

Her words gave me the encouragement I needed to explore her slowly, reverently without fear of scaring her. I slid my palm up her ribcage until I reached the underside of her breast. Her breathing quickened, little whimpers escaping her lips each time my thumb brushed sensitive skin.

River guided my hand upward, placing my palm directly over her breast. The weight of it filled my hand perfectly, her nipple hardening against my palm. I groaned, the sound vibrating against her skin where my mouth pressed to her collarbone.