Page 16 of The Way Home (Pathfinders Lake Romance #5)

His face fell, making me immediately regret my choice of words.

I was too wound up to fix it right then, so I offered an apologetic smile and left.

Once my feet hit the dirt at the bottom of the steps, I took off.

Pushing into the ground, I ran, following the same path we'd taken the other day.

Only this time, I chose the one that led to the public beach area.

It was about a half mile longer, but the beach itself would allow me plenty of room to run, and running along the coarse sandy beach would work different muscles.

Feet pounding, legs burning, sweat dripping.

The harder I worked, the more I felt my nerves about the interview fall away.

There wasn't room to think about it when the ache of my muscles was all I could focus on.

I pushed myself until I lost count of how many laps I'd run around the beach.

Slowing into a jog, I let my heart rate come back down.

My thighs cried for me to stop, but I knew I needed a cool down.

Doing a hard stop after such an intense workout was never a good idea, no matter how much my body wanted me to simply collapse onto the sand.

The endorphins released during the run helped me feel more confident about my interview.

They had all been smiling when it was done, and they seemed genuine.

Maybe they were being polite, but it didn't feel fake.

The run had helped bring a lot of clarity in that aspect, but they did nothing to calm the intense need I felt.

Since I refused to get caught jerking off alone on a beach in public, I decided to head back to the cabin to take care of my other problem.

Jogging at a much more casual pace on the return path, my legs ached in such a way it tethered me to what I was doing.

I was one stray thought away from making the job ten times more uncomfortable.

Running with a stiffy bouncing all over wasn't the kind of pain I wanted right now.

I focused on each step, on the rhythmic sound of my shoes hitting the dirt.

My pulse was no longer beating in my ears with the unruly pace I'd set before, so I tried to concentrate on the sounds of the woods. On anything but Riley.

By the time I stood at the steps to the cabin, a few hours had passed.

I'd had time to reflect and time to get out of my head for a while.

When the door opened, creaking loudly, Riley stood there, arms folded over his chest in the way he did when he was trying to shield himself.

The devastated look on his face made me remember how short I'd been with him before my run.

There was some truth in what I'd said. Riley had been the one to say he hated running, but it came out a lot harsher than I meant it to.

Riley stepped back to let me in. “I, uh, made some grilled cheese. It's nothing fancy, and it's probably cold by now, but I can warm it if you're hungry.”

I sucked on my teeth, not really sure what to say to him. “Not right now, but thanks.”

As I walked past him, he grabbed me, but immediately let go. Riley spoke in a hushed tone. “Are you… mad at me? I'm sorry I freaked out this morning, I didn't mean to upset you.”

The hurt in his voice was more than I could bear.

I stepped closer to him and placed my hand on his cheek.

Without thinking, I pecked a quick kiss on his lips.

He drew a sharp breath and stared at me.

I offered another wistful smile. “I'm not mad at you.

I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed.

You didn't upset me this morning. I really appreciate what you did for me, and I'm sorry for being an asshole and shutting you down when I left for my run. It wasn't about you.”

Riley stared at my lips but slowly nodded. “Okay. So… we're okay?”

I widened my smile. “Yeah, darling, we're okay. I’m just not in a position to hang out right now, because, quite frankly, I'm really fucking horny.”

His green eyes rounded, and that flash of hunger I thought I'd seen this morning returned. “Oh. Right. Well… I'll let you get to it, then. Let me know if you, uh, need anything.”

I snorted, “Nice of you to offer.” I gave him a wink and sauntered off, already chubbing up as I thought of what he could do to help.

“Wait! Shit! That's not what I meant.”

Looking over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of his pinked cheeks and laughed. “No take-backs!”

Feeling slightly relieved to have patched things up with Riley, I wasted no time stripping and getting in the shower.

I had been planning to dig through my toys and see what kind of combination I could come up with to really get me worked up, but I was a total sweaty mess after my grueling run, and all things considered, I was already fairly worked up.

It got me wondering about Riley, though.

What kind of treasures might he have packed in his suitcase?

What did he like as an adult? When we were dating, everything was new to both of us, so we took turns topping.

We figured out pretty quickly that Riley preferred bottoming, which was no problem for me.

I loved it all, still do. Vers for the win.

Was it the same for him still? Would he bend his tall frame over and open himself up to me?

Or would he envelop me and press deep inside?

Reaching around, I teased a finger over my hole, making my cock jump.

I really wished I had stopped to grab some lube and a plug at the very least. I pushed in slightly, letting a groan roll through me.

I couldn't bear the tease any longer. I'd have time for some penetrative play later, but right now my cock was screaming for attention and who was I to deny him?

My fingers wrapped around my shaft and with the first squeeze, I grunted out in pleasure. As I began to stroke myself, the bathroom door opened, and I froze, cursing internally.

“Riley?” My voice was thick with need. Riley being here had me picturing him stepping into the shower, which made me ache even more, and I slid my hand along my dick.

“Yeah?” Riley's voice came from near the bathroom counter.

“What are you doing?” I practically growled out because having him here was sending all my senses into overdrive.

Riley was quiet for a moment before he answered, “I, uh, I'm not really sure.”

“Well, stay, or go, but I'm not stopping, I need this too badly.” My blood was boiling beneath my skin hearing his voice while my hand pumped over my cock.

Surprisingly, the sound of the door never came.

He stayed. Riley stayed, knowing what I was doing.

It made me so fucking hot. I stroked myself harder, faster, and soon, it wasn't only my ragged breaths echoing around the bathroom, but his, too.

Holy shit! Was Riley jerking it in the same room?

I was tempted to pull back the curtain to see him, but maybe having something between us, blocking the view of each other, helped embolden him to stay, and I sure as hell wasn't going to disrupt this.

I kept a rigorous pace until the tension burst with an explosion.

“Ngh! Fuuuck!” I came with a loud moan and slowed my stroking. My vision went blurry, and I had to hold myself up.

“Uh, uh, uh.” I listened as Riley grunted, making such delicious sounds. A crash sounded, and he panted through erratic breaths, “Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.”

A wide grin stretched my lips as I listened to him recover and clean up whatever he knocked over. I stayed quiet under the water—well, as quiet as I could—worried it would make him panic in his post-orgasmic state.

The sink turned on, and I could hear him washing his hands.

A moment later, the door opened and shut, leaving me alone to finish up.

The whole thing had been a little weird, but damn, if it wasn't mind-blowingly hot.

A smirk remained as I turned off the water and got out.

Riley continued to surprise the hell out of me, and now I got to add the sound of him to my mental playlist. It wasn't something I'd ever forget, although I hoped it would turn into a full album and not just a single.

After putting on some pajama pants, I headed to the kitchen.

I was sure Riley would be tucked away in his bedroom afraid to face me and what happened in the bathroom, but there he was sitting at the table, swirling a spoon around a mug of soup.

Across from him sat a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich and a mug of soup for me.

When he heard me enter, he looked up, biting his lip. “Hey. I figured you might be hungry.”

“Yeah, thanks. I definitely worked up an appetite.”

Riley's cheeks went bright red, and I had to fight the smile that tried to stretch my lips.

He coughed and looked back down at his mini tomato whirlpool.

When I took the seat across from him, he glanced up at me.

“Sorry if the sandwich is a little soggy, I put it in the microwave to warm it back up.”

“It looks perfect, thank you.” I picked up one of the halves, dipped it in my soup, and took a big bite. “See? Soggy is just fine.”

Riley gave me a grateful smile and lifted his head slightly. His cheeks were still a lovely shade of pink when he asked, “So… your interview? How did it go? Was it bad? Is that why you were upset?”

A loud laugh barked out of me. He was just going to sit there and pretend like we didn't just get off together, but that was fine. At least he was talking to me and not hiding or catching the next flight back to the West Coast.

“In retrospect, I think it went well. I just got myself really worked up and in my head about it.

It's hard to be this close to something and have it all depend on how you answer a few questions in front of a panel of people.

Playing under the stadium lights with a big crowd was ten times easier than being under the microscope and feeling scrutinized for every um or hesitation.

That's what the run was about. I was trying to clear my head and gain some clarity.

Sometimes I do the best thinking when I can't think at all.”

Riley gave me a half-smile. “Yeah, I understand that. I mean not about the running, because I will never understand wanting to run. It's the same, though, when I try to focus on something I know, something factual and true, and not whatever my brain is trying to tell me.”

“Like your firework dust?” I suggested as I took another soupy bite of sandwich.

His half-smile grew a little wider. “Yeah, like that. I'm sorry you got stressed out over it. If it helps… there's nothing you can do about it now.”

I snorted. “I'm not sure it does.”

“I just mean, it's done, and worrying and stressing over it won't change anything on their end, but it will only make it harder on you in the waiting.”

Pointing the last corner of my sandwich at him, I said, “That's actually a fair point.”

“It's easier to say than do. Believe me, I'm pretty great at worrying, too. If it was an Olympic sport, I'd be on the podium.”

“I knew there was an athlete in there somewhere,” I said with a tease.

We both shared a smile, and it felt… really nice.

If I had known that a little dual rub out action was all it took to get him talking to me, I might have suggested it earlier.

Although it had to be his idea. I knew if I pushed him sooner than he was ready he would clam up again.

“Thanks for the soup and grilled cheese. It was perfect.”

“Yeah. Sure. I mean, I'm no cook, like you, but at least I can put cheese and bread together and open a can.” Riley shrugged.

“You open a can so good, darling,” I winked as I stood with my plate and mug, making the color that finally faded from his cheeks rise to the surface again.

We ended up watching a movie after we cleaned up, something to keep my mind off things, and maybe his, too. It was a light comedy, which was exactly what we both seemed to need. Riley sat on one side of the couch, and I leaned against the other arm with my legs tucked up.

Halfway through the movie, I stretched out until my foot bumped against Riley's leg.

He didn't flinch or pull away so I left it there.

After a few minutes, I decided to test things a little and stretched further, putting my feet in his lap.

He didn't try to move away from me or push my legs off him, so I left them, feeling even more triumphant. We had come a long way since last week.

I wasn’t totally sure if he was simply tolerating it, but then his hand hovered over my shin for a moment before finally resting on my leg.

I sighed happily and relaxed into the couch.

Riley's thumb brushed lightly against my leg, sending warm shivers through me.

The simple touch was everything. It was something he was choosing to do, which made it so much sweeter.

I didn't draw attention to it and neither did he. We simply existed, connected, as we watched the movie. When it was over, we put on another movie, and Riley's hand stayed on my leg the entire time.