Strange Aeons [Book 1]

20. Rollin' on the River [part III]

The whole evening became a haze of wine and chatter over the most mundane topics, things she would never have thought he could be interested in. He listened to her a lot, asked questions, he even laughed. It had been ages since she had seen him so relaxed. It was a dreamy evening.

And like all dreams, it was getting to its end. They walked slowly; the spring air was chilly but not uncomfortable.

«We should definitely do it more often.» he said when they arrived in front of her door.

«Ye usually have other things to do in the evening.» she pointed out.

He looked her in the eyes with the same, strange intensity of before. She forgot how to swallow. Again.

«I wish I hadn't.» he said, softly. Then, he put a hand on her bare shoulder. She wasn't a fan of romantic novels, with all that bullshit about electricity and stuff, but she did feel a jolt of something radiating from his hand, straight to her stomach. «Maybe, I can forget I have.»

And then, just like that, he kissed her.

One moment she was there, in front of him, her ears flooded with the sound of blood rushing through her veins, the moment after she was entangled in the warmest embrace, her lips opening eagerly under the pressure of his tongue.

They launched into the elevator, and for twelve floors their bodies were never more than a breath apart.

They entered her room, closed the door, and she started unbuttoning his shirt, while he slowly started to rise up her dress. She was desperately trying not to think, not to anything, just feeling, and nothing more, hushing the thoughts and everything else in the deepest black-holes of her brain.

Then, as his hands were caressing her bare skin under the cloth, he broke the kiss to take a deep breath, his eyes firmly entangled in hers, with a strange, adrenaline light in them. With a soft sigh, she put both her hands around his face, as if she wanted to picture his perfection in that moment.

He smiled.

With a debonair, dashing smile.

Under her fingers, she felt his skin move.

Before her terrified eyes, slowly but inevitably, Garaham's face changed.

«I told you.» whispered River's softer voice. «You didn't know what you were missing.»

The scream pierced the quiet Boston air.

«Stay away from me!»

She let him go and pushed him away, trying to cover her panties and legs back with the dress. He, with his shirt opened and the disquieting mix of River's head over Garaham's body, raised his hands, smiling with a chuckle.

«Hey! Calm down! Let me... Banshee, come on! You can't be mad!»

«I'll show you mad, you arsehole!»

«You said it yourself, you'd be all over me if you could!»

«And what part of "if I could" escaped yer English comprehension?» she growled.

«We fought together, we talked, we clearly have fun together, has it not been a nice evening?»

«I thought I was with the Chief!»

«Oh please! If you had been with Garaham you wouldn't have had a quarter of the fun you had with me!» he scoffed and then got incredibly serious, all of a sudden. «He's boring and spends all of his meals frowning into the dish because he always dislikes something. If he speaks, he talks about what he would have done better if he was in charge of anything, from public transportation to barbecue. Plus, he's the last person on Earth who'd ever consider a relationship outside of his marriage and, to be honest, I'm tired of seeing you pining after someone you clearly can't have. So, here I am. I'm not relationship material, and that's clear, but at least I could give you the dream you have been wanting for ten years.»

She was about to duck under her bed to look for her shotgun when she, suddenly, froze. River remained still, just like you'd do when a bear is threatening to maul you. For some moments, time just seemed to stand still while her head started pounding with something quite unexpected. A voice that she never really let out often.

He's right, you know? You will never have Garaham. You've been waiting for so long. And you don't even have to stop. You could still pine after him tomorrow but tonight... tonight you could live the dream. Or a decent theatre version of it.

She couldn't deny that River's touch had stirred up feelings and sensations she didn't even remember she could crave so much. She was a human being, after all, and a neglected one. She had stubbornly devoted herself to a battle she had lost from the start in a game she wasn't even really playing.

Well, she couldn't control her heart.

But she could control everything else.

«You'd really do this for me?» she raised an eyebrow.

«Oh, well, I'd be doing this for me too. I'm not used to hearing a "no" when sex is involved, and I'll admit there's a whole lot of wounded pride in this offer. But I think we've become kinda friends in the last period and I like you, especially after tonight, I had a great time. So... it's a win-win situation, isn't it? Why end the evening on a sour note, when we could have even more fun?»

He shrugged and looked at her. She looked at him, at that eerie mix of brothers, and smoothed the creases out of her dress, taking a long, thoughtful breath. She moved some steps towards him and put a hand on his chest. It was just like she had always imagined his chest.

«Turn back.» she didn't even feel the air leave her lungs, let alone pass through her lips, but River, apparently, heard it loud and clear. His debonair smile remained, as his features went back to form the most perfect copy of Garaham's. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, there she was. Right back into the dream.

But this time, a dream she chose to have.

By the time he thrust her against the wall, their clothes were all over the place. She wrapped herself around him, with the hunger of ten years of abstinence waiting for a fantasy that was coming true. The warmth of his skin, the touch of his hands, that seemed to perfectly know what to do, as the rest of his body did, to give her pleasure with every movement. She completely disconnected her brain, giving in to feelings only. She suffocated her moans against his neck, lost in the frantic rhythm of their entangled bodies. The wall, the desk, the wardrobe, the floor. Just by the fifth time they reached the bed, putting it to a heavy test. His tongue had marked every inch of her skin, while her hands had felt every detail of his body as if she wanted to learn it by heart. She had been lost in a haze of pure bliss and pleasure. Every movement he made, everything he touched of her, it was simply perfection.

When they finally laid down, side by side, over the tangled sheets, she was out of breath, cramping, sore, and it felt like heaven. All the questions, the morality, the thoughts, it was all drowned by the shivers of pleasure crawling under her skin. It had been incredible, like in books and movies.

Still on cloud nine, she turned to look at him, lying beside her, on his back, his arm under her head, taking in deep breaths, finally spent himself.

She smiled.

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So, guys!
I'm excited because this - and the next - are very important chapters (and two of my personal favourites I have to admit). I truly can't wait to hear what you have to tell us about them. To be fair, I'm even a bit anxious because, well, we kind of go all out here.

Also, be ready, because this cliffhanger won't last long: Friday there's a new chapter coming!
Xmas is getting near!
Have the best of weeks, and, as always, thank you for your undying love and support for our story and efforts!

Lots of love,
Daniel
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