Keeping the North

Chapter 15

I'm standing halfway up the dark wood staircase, fingers stretched over the wooden bannister as my heart pounds in my chest.

I'm giddy. Excitable. Nervous.

My head is ready to burst.

I hear him before I see him.

"A god damn fucking palace!" The deep voice sends warm shivers through my body. And then he ducks through the doorway, instantly spotting me. A grin spreads across his face and he opens his tattooed arms up, away from his body.

It's all the encouragement I need. I sprint down the remaining stairs, my bare feet pounding against the wood before I jump, landing on his chest, my head falling beside his neck, legs in the air.

Riley laughs, a loud, cocky guffaw that I've missed dearly, and his hands curl around my back, holding me in place.

"Anyone would think you've missed me, my little truck driver," Riley murmurs against my ear.

"Just shut up," I mutter, burying my head in the crook of his neck and inhaling the familiar pine trees and spice scent.

"Whatever you say," he replies softly. Slowly, he lowers me back onto my feet, keeping one hand at the base of my spine while the other lifts to caress my cheek as I pull back and look up at him. His eyes are twinkling. "I told you that you could do it." His eyes leave mine for mere seconds, taking in the grand hallway around us. "And now look where we are. I'm in awe." He grins. "I'll do whatever you say from this moment on, Kay-Kay."

"Don't call me that," I reply.

His smirk widens, but then the amusement falls from his expression. "Okay."

I blink at him. "Okay?"

Riley nods, his hand twirling a strand of my blond hair. "Didn't I just say—"

"I didn't think you meant it," I retort. My fingers play with the hair at the base of his neck.

He smiles. "It's alright. I've had over a month to think of new nicknames—"

I launch myself onto my tiptoes, crushing my lips to his in an almost bruising way. His grip tightens on my back, his lips parting, allowing me to devour him in a way that I've been craving since the second he gave me my very first taste.

I'm drowning in all things Riley, my hands trailing down his muscular chest, his hand intertwining into my hair, tugging it backwards and leaving me open to his wicked whims. His lips trail along my jawline and I suck in a breath, eyes fluttering closed as I relish the desire that saturates my veins.

"Kayla," he murmurs before his lips return to mine, far more forcefully than before, as though he's scared I'm going to disappear. My hands clutch at his biceps. "Kayla. Kayla."

He's talking too much.

"Kayla!"

He sounds feminine.