Bound to You

Chapter 23: Ignited

"If he gets up, we’ll all get up. It’ll be anarchy!” Darcy half-smiled as John Bender’s sarcastic smirk flashed across the Lynch’s large flatscreen. The Breakfast Clubwas one of her absolute favorite movies; it could always cheer her up when she was having a bad day. More like a bad couple of days in this case. She felt a frown begin to dampen the smile on her face as Riker drifted his way back into her thoughts. His recent behavior simply made no sense. At least his hatred of her when she’d first moved in had a reason, albeit a dumb one: he hadn’t wanted her in the house. But that was before he knew her.Before they had become friends. Before… She quickly shook the thoughts away. Everything going on with Riker, coupled with her ongoing worries about Sean, had only worsened the anxious pit that had taken up residence in her stomach. She felt the pounding headache from earlier slowly returning as every concern from the past month played over and over in her mind. The contract, Sean & his threats, Riker… Oh, Riker. Every time he’d touched her. Every near kiss. The memories swirled together into a dark pool of misery and pain. The joy she’d felt before from all of the times Riker’s lips had nearly touched hers was now cancelled out by his seemingly unprovoked hatred. The stress, the fear, the frustration were all pounding against her temples like a drum. She tossed one of the throw pillows off onto the floor as she got to her feet. Stormie kept a bottle of over-the-counter sleeping pills buried in the back of the kitchen cabinets for ‘emergencies’; primarily those giddy nights before trips when no one in the house could sleep. She was certain Stormie wouldn’t mind her digging into them, especially if she knew the circumstances surrounding the necessity. But she didn’t. No one did. Darcy quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind as she stepped into the kitchen. She stopped short when she noticed a familiar head of blonde hair poked into the refrigerator. Riker. An involuntary flutter ran through her stomach. He was still dressed in his outfit from the radio show they’d done earlier that day, a pair of slim fitting skinny jeans and one of his usual button up shirts. He had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his muscled forearms. He whirled around quickly when he heard her step into the room. His expression instantly changed to one of surprise. “D-Darcy.” He stuttered quickly, clearly flustered. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he anxiously passed the soda bottle he was holding from one hand to the other. “Uh…hey.” He said innocently. Darcy felt a surge of anger flow through her. He had practically pretended she hadn’t existed for the past week. How could he be so nonchalant now? “Hey?” she repeated slowly. She took a small step towards him. “You’ve been ignoring me for over a week now, and all you can say is ‘hey’?” She questioned angrily. Riker opened and closed his mouth quickly, desperately searching for the right words. “Um…how are you?” He tried again. She closed the distance between them and punched him roughly in the arm. “Pretty crappy, actually. My best friend has been acting like I don’t exist. How do you think I’m doing?” she snapped. A look of annoyance briefly flashed across his face. “You know I don’t answer to you, right? I don’t have to explain what I do or don’t do.” He retorted bitterly. Darcy felt a pang in her chest as his harsh words cut through her like a knife. She could feel tears involuntarily spring into her eyes. “Well. I guess now I know how you feel.” She said quietly, silently willing her tears to stay hidden away behind her eyelids where they belonged. Riker’s expression immediately softened. “Darcy, no. It’s not like that-” “Then what is it like, Riker? Please, explain it to me! Because lately I really don’t know what’s going on.” She cried. Riker groaned in frustration as he tugged roughly on the ends of his blonde hair. “I-” he started. He quickly shook his head and turned around to leave. “Forget it, I can’t.” He muttered as he headed towards the staircase. Darcy shook her head stubbornly and took another step in the direction he was leaving. “Riker-” “Darcy, I love you!” He cried finally, whirling back around to face her. She immediately stopped moving towards him. A faint flush rose to her cheeks as she stayed frozen in place. “What?” she asked quietly, her voice barely audible. Riker sighed as he moved back to where she stood. “I love you. Okay?” he repeated, more gently than before. She shook her head confusedly as Riker kept his eyes trained on the detailed kitchen floor tiles. “B-but…why… What?” she questioned again. Riker shook his head. “Darcy, I’ve wanted you ever since the day we met. Even back then, when I was so hateful towards you, deep down you intrigued me. You challenged me. You’re…different. And then once I actually got to know you… I think I’ve been in love with you ever since that first night on the roof. But with the contract, and your relationship with Ross-” “Riker.” Darcy said quietly, cutting him off. “Riker, Ross and I aren’t real. You know that.” She said gently. Riker nodded silently. “I know. But the fans think you are. We can’t go there, Darcy. We can’t. As much as I want to.” He finally turned his gaze towards her. The passion burning in his brown eyes sent chills down her spine. “You don’t know how badly I’ve wanted to kiss you, Darcy. For so long.” He paused momentarily. “You don’t know how badly I want to kiss you right now.” He finished quietly. Darcy shrugged  as she began moving in his direction. “Then do it.” She said simply. Riker shook his head once again. “Darcy, we can’t. The contract. Ross. It’d be too complicated. We can’t…” He trailed off when he realized how close she’d gotten. She took another step closer and brought her face up to his. Her lips were barely an inch away from his own. “Kiss me.” She breathed. Her breath lightly brushed against his cheeks. He shook his head weakly, barely resisting the urge to lean forward and allow his lips to meet hers. “I can’t.” He said quietly. Darcy frowned disappointedly and took a step backwards. “Goodnight, Riker.” As she turned away to leave she heard him let out an exasperated groan. Seconds later she felt his fingers lock tightly around her wrist. “Come here.” He growled. He tugged gruffly on her arm, whirling her back around to face him. Her breath hitched in her throat as his eyes, burning with desire, drew closer. She felt his lips roughly meet hers with an urgency and passion she’d never felt before. The electric current that’d been present between them so many times before seemed to explode, sending shock waves throughout her entire body. The sparks that’d been lacking with Ross, she found with his brother. Her senses were on overdrive. Each touch felt more heightened, more explosive. She’d become more aware of every sensation. The way his lips felt, soft and warm, as they moved against hers. The way his hands felt rested against the small of her back, his fingertips touching the bit of exposed skin between her t-shirt and the hem of her shorts. The mere contact of his hands against her bare flesh sent goose bumps all over her body. She wound her arms more tightly around his neck, pulling herself impossibly closer to him. In that moment she didn’t care who might come downstairs and see the two of them, wrapped tightly in each other’s embrace. She didn’t care about Sean, the contract, or anything else. She only cared about Riker, and the way it felt to have his arms around her. She moved her hands slowly up the back of his neck. Her fingers worked their way into his blonde hair, tangling themselves at the roots. He let out a low, barely audible moan against her lips. She felt his hands move from her back to her hips before continuing up the length of her body. His fingertips left a blazing trail as they moved upwards to cup her face tightly in his hands. She allowed her hands to leave his hair and move down his back, delicately tracing the contours of his spine as they went. She began to feel breathless as his lips started to move more urgently beneath her own, but she had no intentions of breaking away. She tugged gently on the hem of his shirt, using it to pull him even closer to her. Riker, seeming to sense that his shirt was becoming an unwanted obstacle, reached up and carefully undid the first button. Darcy’s hands roamed slowly up his chest until she reached the next, gently moving his fingers out of the way as she took over. Once the final button was undone she tugged roughly on the sleeves, freeing his arms from the material. The button-up fell haphazardly to the floor, long forgotten. Darcy felt Riker rest his hands on her hips as he pushed her back against the wall. She could hear his breathing growing heavier as he deepened the kiss. His hands rested against the wall on either side of her, his tall figure towering over her much smaller frame. Her hands gently found his bare skin, tracing light patterns onto his muscled chest. She felt his tongue graze her lower lip as her hands found their way to his hair once more. She tugged on it more roughly than before, not wanting even a fragment of space between them. They had become one, moving in perfect synchronicity with each other. Although they had never really touched before she found that she could already read him perfectly, seemingly knowing what movements he would make before he did. She could feel her breathing becoming ragged, tired. Riker’s lips had slowed as well, trying to match the pace of hers. After allowing his lips to linger against hers for an impossibly long moment he finally pulled away slightly, just enough to look down into her eyes. She had never seen his own eyes shine so brightly. She was sure the pure happiness of his gaze was reflected in her own. He didn’t speak, and neither did she. There was no need for words. Without uttering a single spoken word, they both knew. The spark had been ignited.