How We Found Us | ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Seven

My eyes opened to the sun beaming through our window. I yawned and stretched until I realized the hand in a place it shouldn't be. Riley was curled up beside me, as he had been the five previous night's we shared the bed on the cruise. It wasn't like there was enough space for there to be distance between us. This morning, however, he was a little too close for comfort. His left hand sat firmly around one of my breasts. His breath steamed the back of my neck with every soft snore.

"Riley," I said.

He didn't move. I elbowed him gently and he grunted, wiggling closer. His hand squeezed and my eyes widened. One of his legs moved until it was over mine, locking us at the knees. Another grunt disrupted his snores, but still he didn't wake.

I clicked my tongue against the top of my mouth.

"Riley!" I shouted, elbowing him again, this time harder in the ribs.

He moaned and mumbled but I couldn't make out what he said.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked.

"Huh?" I could tell from the state of his voice he wasn't truly awake. His hand squeezed again as he shifted his body. The leg slid off mine, freeing me from his cage. It didn't, however, release the hand cupping my chest or the poke against my backside. Getting mad at Riley for something he couldn't physically control wasn't an option. That didn't mean I was letting him off the hook for practically molesting me in his sleep.

"Are you comfortable? Do you need a mint, perhaps? Or maybe a cold shower?"

"Wha?"

I turned my head to try to look at him. His eyes were open, but droopy. He blinked and smacked his lips. I jolted my head toward his hand. Wrinkles creased his brow as I continued to nod toward the groping. When his hand popped away from my chest, he flexed it. I turned around to face him, smiling.

Riley's skin wasn't the lightest I'd ever seen, but it also wasn't dark. So when he blushed, it covered his entire face. I suspected that had to do with the Irish genes he shared with his mom. Riley rolled on his back, but that was even worse.

"Good morning, Little Riley."

He didn't say a word as he grabbed his pillow and threw it against his pelvis, hiding his rude morning passenger. It was too amusing teasing him over a perfectly natural function. Our first morning together I pretended it was simply because he was in bed with me and secretly lusting for my body. By the end of the trip, I was wondering if I'd have any jokes left. Riley closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

"You can take the shower first this time," I said. "I'm going up to the pool anyway so no point in showering now."

Riley nodded and sat up. He leaned forward in the bed, still releasing his slow, deep breaths. The muscles in his back were tense as he pressed his hands against the mattress. I debated on touching his back, offering him some kind of reassurance it was actually okay. But I suspected that wouldn't help any. He was genuinely embarrassed at waking up to groping me. I slid off the bed and grabbed my bikini from where it hung off an open drawer to dry from the last time I used it. Riley still hadn't moved. He was leaning forward with his eyes closed.

Quietly, I slid into the bathroom and slipped into the swimsuit, grabbing my towel off the shower before I left the bathroom. Riley still hadn't moved. At first, I was uncomfortable around Riley wearing nothing but my bikini, but that awkwardness had worn off. There was nothing I needed to hide. Not from Riley. Plus we still had several days together on the cruise and given that he'd be poolside at the same time as me, it was silly to hide myself simply because of the thin material that made up my bright orange bikini.