TIGERLILLY- THE BRAVO BOYS [book two]

Chapter FIFTY THREE

Frankie Xiao

....later that evening....

"Mmmh, so, don't be mad at me, baby--" River mumbles a smooth sleepy hum as he runs his fingers up and down my spine, soothing me where we lay entangled and exhausted, the sweat of our passion drying sticky on my skin as it cools.. "I gotta go out again tonight.".

"Nooo!" I whine in exaggerated misery.. "Why? Where are you going?"

"I got bills to pay.. Even more of 'em now that Amberley is goin' into rehab.. I gotta work, Frankie.." He groans reluctantly as he sits up to playfully pull the sheets off me, making a wicked attempt to sneak a peek at my nakedness beneath. "O'course I'd rather stay here n' work on you.. Mmh, just look at ya, ye' wee saucy minx.."

He makes a mischievous growling sound but I am too disheartened to fall for his teasing.. I smack his wandering hands away and protest in disappointment.. "But you were gone all day!"

The Tiger smiles tiredly in consolation.. "Ain't no rest for the wicked.."

"Who is wicked? You?" I shake my head with a sarcastic giggle.. "Never!"

He shrugs a heavy set shoulder.. "Sometimes wickedness is called for.. But never when it comes to ye', My Sweetling.. For ye' I will aim to be virtuous.. Even when I fail, ye' will know that I tried my damndest to do the right thing.."

"I understand.. Sometimes right is wrong.." I turn my eyes away, unable to argue against his honesty.. Sometimes the wrong thing is what is right, sometimes we must do things that we aren't proud of, even if we don't want to admit it.. After my discussion with Father Fei today, I am in no position to place judgements upon River's virtue, because I have been wicked too.. "What time will you come home?"

He lifts his sleek black cell-phone from the bedside table to check the time before placing it back down.. "I dunno- If I leave soon maybe I can make it back before midnight.. If I'm lucky.."

I roll over on the bouncy bed to pet his cheek, running my fingertips over the spiked stubble that shades his chiseled jawline.. "At least let me feed you before you leave.. Are you hungry?"

He folds his hands behind his head and leans back against the fluffy pillows to smirk at me.. "I'm bloody starvin'!"

River watches me with green eyes, deep as a forest and intent as a ravenous beast of prey.. I clamber clumsily over the top of him to dangle precariously from the edge of the bed, reaching out to collect his shirt from the floor before I pull it on over my head.. "Oh good! Me too!"

....

A few minutes later, I rummage through the refrigerator to take a bowl of rice from the bottom shelf and the plate of marinating chicken from the second before I move towards the stove to fry them both..

Soft thudding footsteps pad across the kitchen tiles towards me and a pair of strong arms encircle me from behind.. Calloused hands dote over my shoulders and The Tiger leans in close to me to kiss a ticklish trail down my neck as I cook.. "Mmmh--ye' smell delicious.."

I giggle, leaning back against his chiseled chest and into his embrace.. "Me? Noooo silly Tiger, that's the chicken!"

"O'Aye, that smells pretty good too!" The vibration of his laugh rumbles through me to weaken my knees.. "But it's you I wanna eat.. Mmm-Mmm!"

Can I really give this up to go home?

I know that River says what we have is forever and that he will still be mine.. And once we are married there will be nothing that can come between us.. But until then, I can't shake the creeping sense of dread that lingers at the back of my mind..
More than that, I can't imagine not spending every single day with Lovey and curling up in bed every night with my Tiger..