Mismatched

Ch. 23

I woke up wrapped in Riley's arms, his breath tickling the back of my neck, and he had this cute, soft snore.

I was warm, and tried to shift the blanket slightly without waking him, but Riley stirred. He gripped me tighter as he came to consciousness. He hummed, pressing his lips into my neck and it sent chills up my body.

"Good morning," he mumbled against my skin, squeezing me as he did.

"Morning," I replied, turning in his arms so we were facing each other.

"Woah, no," Riley laughed, pulling back slightly and turning my face away. "I like you much more with your morning breath facing that way."

"You're one to talk," I scowled. Riley smiled, gripping my chin between his fingers and pulling me back to him to place a soft kiss on my lips.

"At least I don't snore," I grumbled and Riley laughed in response.

"Yeah, but I'm worth it," he said.

"I'll be the judge of that."

"And what's the verdict, Judge?"

I tapped my fingers against his bare arm, pretending to think really deeply about it. "The jury is still deliberating," I teased.

"Then I supposed I still have a case to make," Riley said, suggestively, his breath on my ear. He trailed his fingers up and down my bare back, sending shivers of pleasure through my body.

I tilted my head back and Riley kissed my neck, which he had quickly learned was my weakness. His hand moved to my bare chest, and Riley kissed down my neck as his hand trailed down my body.

Lower, lower, lower.

"How am I doing so far?" Riley asked, his lips were on my collarbone and his hand at the waistband of my boxers. He pulled back just enough that I could see the intensity in his eyes.

"You're making a compelling argument," I said, my voice breathless.

Riley came up for a kiss. It was hungry and passionate, capturing my lips in his. He deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing mine. I tugged on his hair harder than I meant to, and he moaned in response.

"Allow me to present Exhibit A."

***

"A recharge day?" Riley asked with a laugh, finding the irony in the current situation. He was pulling on his clothes while I was still laid out in the bed.

"You're hilarious," I deadpanned.

Riley had to get to work, and he had been curious why I hadn't been running off to work this morning. I told him the factory was closed as a part of a corporate recharge day initiative, to support mental health and wellbeing. I was starting to get concerned about how easy the lies were coming to me.

I could have just left Riley's and pretended to go to my imaginary job, but truthfully, I didn't want to leave.

Riley pulled a sweater over his head and tried to straighten his hair back out. It was still wet from his shower. Even though he worked from home, Riley liked the structure of getting ready in the morning. It was unsurprising to me that Riley lacked the ability to relax.

"So, what's on the agenda for your recharge day?"

I propped my head up on my hand, and pretended to contemplate it.

"The usual. A few naps, contemplate world domination, irritate you," I joked.

"Well, you're off to a great start," Riley teased and I pouted in response.