The Beginning of Us (304 page)

Riley - Babe...you busy????

Riley - Char call me when you see this, need to see you!!!

Oh no, what the hell is going on? Riley barely ever texts or calls me during the day. What has happened to have him reaching out to me like this?

Rather than texting him, I quickly call his cell.

Shit it went straight to voicemail. He must be out with the team and a client. I leave him a message and hang up.

I figure I may as well call Derrick and see when he is free this week for dinner.

"Hey Charlie." He says when answering the phone.

"Hey Derrick." I reply.

"Um, yes. That damn punk Riley has stolen you all for himself and now I never get to talk to my second favorite Taylor girl."

"See right there is your problem Derrick. To you I’ll always be your second, but to Riley I am his number one." I tell him with a giggle.

"Yea yea, you got me there. So what's up?" He asks

"Well Mama and Daddy want to have the three of us over for dinner sometime this week and I wanted to know when you are free."

"That sounds good to me. Let me check the calendar and see what I have going on this week. Yea just as I thought, completely free." Derrick says with a loud laugh.

"Great, how about if I tell them Friday night." I say.

"Good plan, see you Friday Char." He says and disconnects the line.

Well got that task done and out of the way. I need to run over to the deli and grab something to eat quickly. I hop back out of the Jeep, not needing to drive anywhere and head over to Tony's Deli.

On my way back to the office building my phone chimes and it’s Riley.

"Hey, I was hoping to hear back from you while I was still on lunch. What's going on babe?"

"Sorry didn't mean to freak you out or anything, I just got some news today and I needed you." He says with a bit of desperation to his voice.

"You needed me?" I ask in a whisper.

"Yea babe, I do. Are you free tonight? Can I come over after work?" He asks.

Shit there goes the idea of not seeing each other tonight!

"Of course! Just come over after work, we'll figure dinner and everything out once you get here." I tell him.

"Thanks babe, I really needed to hear your voice. Got to run, the guys are ready to head back out. See you tonight."

"Bye!" I tell him before hanging up.

I feel like a puddle of goo right at this moment. His desperate need for me has me feeling, god it makes me feel amazing...he needs me!

RILEY

Today has been a bit of a blur. After hearing the news of Roger leaving for another company and the chance I will come in contact with Keith again I am ready to go home.

I do my best to keep my mind busy with our first of two clients and the discussion among the team. The past few jobs we’ve been looking at are typical size jobs that will have our crews busy for a few months, but first the clients need to accept our bids. 

The last client isn't too far away from our main building. We meet with a few men who share with us their ideas and plans for the new building. The guys and I each look over our areas of expertise and head back to the truck to go to headquarters. We discuss our individual department costs, labors, and length of time it will take to complete the work. It’s my turn to construct the final details and take it up to Bryce.

I make my way up to Bryce's office, glad that the day is almost over. I can't wait to head over to Char's apartment and just relax the rest of the night with her in my arms. The feel of her against my body gives me such a sense of freedom, as if she and I are the only ones on the planet at that given moment.

Once I am off the elevator I can see that Bryce's door is open so I make my way right into his office.

"Hi there Riley, how did today go for the team?" He asks quite directly.

"Good stuff Bryce, both jobs are simple enough that it shouldn't take our crews more than four to six months to complete the work." I tell him with sincere confidence.

"That is stellar news!"

"Here are the two final bid details for both jobs. Let me know if you see anything was left out and I will fix it before sending it out tomorrow."

"So you think you want to take on the job son?"

"I am leading towards it; just want to have tonight to digest it all. I am heading over to Char's after I leave here and I want to talk something through with her. She seems to help me keep things in better perspective." I tell him, not completely sure if saying I am going to his daughter's place was a good idea.

"Good thinking Riley. Sleep on it and let me know what you decide. Teresa said you, Char, and Derrick will be coming over for dinner Friday night. Maybe by then it can be a celebration dinner. No pressure!" He says with a wink.

I laugh at his forwardness and head out of the office waving him good-bye.

I make my way out to the Durango and hear my text message alert go off. I reach for my phone and can see I have a message from Char.

Char - Stop and get Manny on the way. I am making grilled chicken caesar salad for dinner, hope that is okay. xoxoxo

This woman is amazing, she is even thinking of Manny. Oh god poor Manny, he must think I have abandoned him to Derrick. I quick send her a reply.

Riley - I am passing second and about to steal third baby!!! See you soon.

I pull into the parking lot of Char's apartment and Manny hasn't stopped licking my face. The boy is really happy to see me, I feel bad for neglecting him for the past few days. After dinner I will see if Char wants to take him for a nice long walk with me. He will love that.

Manny and I make our way to Char's door and rather than ring the bell or knock on the door I try the knob. It's unlocked so I let us in.

"Babe?"

"In the kitchen Riley." She says.

I hurry my way in to find her and immediately pull her into my arms. I’ve never needed another human being as much as I needed Char today.

"God I missed you today." I tell her while peppering kisses along her jaw line.

"I missed you too Riley! Do you want to talk about it or eat first?" She asks while rubbing her hands up and down my back.

"Let's eat and then if it’s okay with you I want to take Manny for a nice long walk."

"Sounds perfect, sit and I will bring over your salad." She tells me in a firm tone.

My demanding girl, god I love it.

We eat the delicious food Char has once again made for us and we chat a little bit about our day. I do my best to steer away from any discussion of the job or the family drama for now. I would rather wait till later to break it all out to her. I just want to enjoy her and the way she makes me feel when I am with her.

It isn't just the touch of her hands on my body it’s the way her heart and soul dig deep into mine. This girl is mine and she is meant to be mine forever. I know I am falling hard for her and I can only hope she is following me along on this ride.

Chapter 26

CHAR

Seeing Riley like this has me quiet anxious to know what the hell happened today. I don't want to push him to tell me anything, but the suspense is starting to kill me.

We take Manny for a nice long walk around the area. By the time we are back in front of my apartment, he looks absolutely spent. I grab a comforter and bowl of water so that Manny can feel at home in my apartment.

"Thanks for letting Manny come here with me." Riley says with a smile.

"He is a cute pooch and since he is yours he is more than welcome here anytime you are with me."

Riley sits down on the couch and I can tell he has something on his mind. He starts to fidget with his hands and stands while pacing behind the couch.

"So your dad offered me a new job today. Roger has left Taylor & Sons for another contracting company down south."

"Riley this is amazing, congratulations!!" I say with enthusiasm."What did you tell him? Are you going to take the position as general contractor?" I ask watching him move to the couch and sit down next to me.

I know this will mean the world to Riley, it’s a huge goal for him to become a GC, but it will also mean a little bit of travel for him too.

"I told him I’m willing, I just needed some time to think about it. Plus I told him I wanted to talk to you too." He says while grabbing my hand and rubbing little circles along my palm.

"Why do you want to talk it through with me? This is your life Riley. Anything you want to do that will help yourself advance I am all for it."

"Like I told you before Char, I care about you a lot. I am not saying we are going to ride off into the sunset today, but I want to make sure that we will be in this thing together. I wasn't kidding when I said I am getting ready to steal third base baby. I am falling in love with you and I am falling hard and fast."

He takes my face in his big palms and pulls me closer to him. He kisses me softly and I can start to feel the buildup of passion rocketing through our bodies. This man is falling in love with me and I can't help but fall for him too.

Our feelings for one another are coming together so fast, but one thing is for sure, I am not scared to fall in love with Riley.

Slowly we pull ourselves away from one another and I stare into his gorgeous hazel eyes. I can see he feels strongly for me and I can feel the tingling sensation radiate from his touch onto my own.

"Riley you came into my life when love was the last thing I was looking for, but I thank god everyday that you did."

I kiss him again with all that I am and all that I have. The taste of Riley consumes me and I never want to leave his arms. Slowly he begins to pull at the hem of my dress and in one quick movement I am standing in front of him in a black lace bra and panty. He moves back just enough to look over the image in front of him and takes in a deep breath.

"You are one beautiful woman Char and you are all mine." He says with eyes of pure lust.

He picks me up and carries me back into my bedroom, laying me gently onto my bed.

"You know you’re not so bad yourself, but if you could kindly take off that shirt and slacks I can be a better judge of that body." I say with a sexy giggle.

"Anything for you." He replies and disrobes himself so that he is completely naked standing in front of me.

"Holy hell, yes you are one fine ass specimen of a man." I tell him almost breathless.

I am in awe of him; I want nothing more than to have him inside me right now. No barriers, nothing between us...just him and me.

"Riley, make love to me. Please!"

He reaches toward the floor and into his pants to grab at his wallet. I stop him.

"Wait! Don't, I want it to just be us, nothing else. Is that okay?" I ask almost embarrassed that it isn't right to be asking such a thing of him.

"I'm on the pill, have been for years." I tell him hoping that he will drop the wallet and come back to me.

He does just that. He tosses his wallet on the floor and climbs back on the bed and carries himself directly over my body. He bends his head down so that he can grab my bottom lip between his teeth. The feel of his mouth on mine and the smell of his minty breath have me breathing heavy. I can barely stand the anticipation of him being so close to me. I can feel myself getting wet at just the thought of him being inside me bare.

He deepens the kiss and our tongues dance to a rhythm made only for us. He plants kisses along my jaw line and down to my chest. He grabs both of my breasts in each of his hands and begins to rub at my nipples until I am aching for more. I need him to release the pent up feelings I have for him in this moment. He takes a nipple into his mouth and licks it, sucks it, and bites it until I let out a moan.

"Riley, please!" I shout.

His mouth moves into a wide grin and he asks, "Please what baby, what do you want me to do to you?"

"Damn it Riley, I want you inside of me now." I say once again breathless from the way he makes my body feel.

"Ok baby, as you wish."

He brings his face back up to mine so that we are looking into each other's eyes.

"I am going to take this nice and slow Char, you did ask me to make love to you and that is exactly what I plan to do."

"Ok!" I whisper.

He takes his fingers and lightly traces a trail of my wetness from my sacred place leading to his target. He moves his fingers in just the right spots to get my body ready and with no warning slides himself deeply into me. 

The feel of him entering my body with nothing between us is indescribable. I’ve never had sex with a man without protection. The feel of Riley touching me like this is the best experience I could ever ask for to share with him.

He begins to slowly ease in and out, in and out, in and out. I lift my hips and move into a steady cadence with him. Our bodies are so in sync with each other. I don't even have to think about what movements I need to make. We are both covered in a film of sweat and the slickness of our bodies is guiding us to move at a faster pace.