Lie To Me

Lie To Me-Chapter 119

With his hands teasing down my back, Harry's fingers dipped beneath the waistband of my shorts, sending shivers and goosebumps up my spine.

"You know what would be a good idea?"

I giggled at the look of challenge in his eyes. "What?"

"We should go swimming."

Swimming?!?

Of all the things I'd expected to hear, that was very low on my list... "Uh... You do know it's dark outside, right? It's late too."

That damn adorable dimple emerged as his smile tilted, "Yes, I know that."

"And we have to get up early for our...visitor tomorrow..."

"All the more reason for us to go swimming tonight. This may be one of the few times we'll get to enjoy the pool without company."

A little confused as to why he suddenly wanted to go swimming when my mind had been firmly planted on...other activities, I pulled away from him, covering my exposed skin almost immediately. "Okay... I'll go get my suit on."

I took a single step before Harry's arms surrounded me, pulling me back against his chest, his hair teasing my shoulder as he leaned in to press a kiss to my neck.

"You don't need to do all that. It's just us, Riley..."

I froze on the spot, my breath catching in my throat. Surely he didn't mean... But, a slight pressure against the crease of my buttocks confirmed that he did in fact mean for us to go skinny dipping. And it seemed he was quite excited at the thought.

"But, Harry... Your neighbors!"

Turning me around to face him yet again, Harry leaned in to claim my mouth, his teeth gently grazing my bottom lip as he pulled away far too soon.

"It's late Riley... And like you said... It's dark..."

Oh my...

His eyes darkened as he spoke, and even my subconscious was eagerly shedding her clothes, ready to jump in without me.

Did I realize the stupidity of giving in to my more basic desires right now? Did I know that this wasn't going to do any good for my insecurity of the strength of our relationship, the honesty of his desire, the completeness of his love? Well, yes.

But, no matter how much I should have stopped him, no matter how much I knew that I would probably end up regretting this decision, I nodded my head, wrapping my arms around his shoulders for another chaste kiss.

"Okay, let's do it."

Harry ran back behind one of his overstuffed chairs, and I couldn't help but laugh as he popped up over the side, his eyes smiling triumphantly as he held two nicely folded towels over his head. Apparently this had been his plan all along.

The first one he tossed over his shoulder, the tan color on his skin becoming more pronounced against the white of the towel. Coming back to me, he wrapped the second one around my torso, ensuring it would be long enough to cover me until we'd made it out to the pool.

And then he helped me remove my shorts. The last strip of actual clothing protecting my heated skin from the air surrounding us. He was gentle, teasing in the way his fingers brushed against my stomach, my thighs, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I love you, Riley..."

A little whine from the kitchen interrupted my response, and I lifted my head. "We should take Max with us."

"What?" Still bent down in front of me, the disappointment was etched on his face.

I smiled down at him. God, how I loved this man... Even when he was pouting like a little boy, I still loved him with everything inside me. "I don't mean take him swimming with us. But, he's been cooped up in that pen all afternoon, and evening, and now he's stuck back in there again. We should take him out with us, let him play in the yard while we're swimming." I gave my best pout right back to him. "Please?"

With a groan of defeat, he stood, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. "Okay, my love. One silly puppy tag-along coming up."

Harry made his way toward the kitchen, and I turned around, walking the few feet that stood between me and the lush backyard. The lights were on in the pool, bathing everything in a shimmering glow. It was beautiful. Everything about Harry's home was beautiful. Everything about Harry was beautiful. Except me...

Pulling the towel tighter, I took a deep breath. I knew I needed to let go of the thoughts weighing so heavily on my mind, but I was struggling. I couldn't help but wonder when the realization would hit him, when he'd finally stop telling himself that I was the one, when he'd finally realize that he wanted something much better than what I had to offer...

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Startled, I spun around to face him, the concern in his eyes a contrast to the happy puppy wiggling in his arms.

And I lied my ass off...

"No real thoughts to pay for." I gave him the best smile I could manage. "I was just waiting for my boys."

Coming forward, he wrapped an arm around me and led us all outside, completely oblivious to the war still raging between my head and my heart...

(Harry's POV)

I set Max down in the grass, smiling as he ran around enjoying the bliss of being outside in the fresh air, and turned back to Riley.

Something was off... She was acting fine, like everything was okay, but I knew her well enough to know better. She was being too quiet, almost to the point of being timid, and although I could understand her behaving that way in certain situations, given how nervous she got around new people, this was never how she acted when it was just the two of us.

Maybe she was nervous about tomorrow. Bree would be coming to stay, and given all the drama surrounding THAT situation, it was easy to understand her being worried about it.

But deep down I knew... This had nothing to do with Bree. This was all my fault. With Ari, and everything that had happened today, starting with my glorious meltdown this morning...the seed of doubt had been firmly planted in Riley's brain. I could feel it when she looked at me, and it broke my heart.

I loved her. So much it was almost painful. But I couldn't just tell her and expect her to believe it. I had to show her. I had to prove that not one woman in my past could even compare to the angel standing in front of me...