Always With You - A Best Friends To Lovers Novel

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

River

I pulled Bowie's leg on top of mine, letting her wrap her arm around my stomach and cuddling up to my chest. I wished her date had gone differently. For a second, I thought she and Ford would become a thing, but I was now planning a way to show Ford just how much I hated it when someone messed with my Bowie.

On one side, I was hoping for her to move on from whatever was happening between us. We couldn't move into a direction we both would regret later but on the other side...I was so fucking glad it didn't work out with her and that idiot.

"He changed from one second to the other. It was going well up until that moment," she whispered, and I ran my hands through her hair to calm her down. There was a hint of sadness in her voice, which made my heart ache.

"I know. He's used to other things. I'm glad you didn't give in to him just to please him." A reason why I loved her so much. She respected herself, which only made her more special than she already was. She knew her values and she took her time to think about the thinks she was unsure about. If she were as careless as Whitley, or any girl I had ever slept with, she'd be one of many.

Bowie sighed, her fingertips softly caressing my side. "I don't ever wanna date again." I could tell she was pouting, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her statement.

"I'm sure there's one guy out there who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated," I said, and I felt a small sting in my heart.

"But I have you," she whispered, turning her head to nestle it into the side of my neck. I smiled, massaging her scalp with my fingers. "Yeah, you do. But what we have is different."

We were silent again, and I moved her leg up more so it would lay on my hips, not on my crotch. Bowie's breathing evened, and I knew she was about to fall asleep. I turned my head to kiss the top of hers, then hugged her tighter against my body.

"River?"

"Yes, baby," I mumbled against her hair.

"Do you remember that night we set up a tent in the backyard and laid outside on the grass, staring up at the stars and moon for hours?" she asked, and I smiled at the memory.

"'Course I remember," I told her. Bowie moved in my arms, getting some distance between us. I turned to the side, looking into her eyes in the dark. The moon and the streetlights illuminated her face, showing off her beautiful features.

I smiled, cupping her cheek with my hand, and brushing my thumb over her freckled skin. "That night I told you your freckles remind me of the stars," I said, and she nodded with a tired smile.

"That night you also told me you had never loved someone before the way you loved me."

"I remember that," I told her, keeping my voice low like hers. I was only fifteen at the time, but I knew my heart had never felt the same after meeting her for the first time when I was ten.

She studied my face, reaching up to take my hand in hers. She interlocked her fingers with mine, laying our hands between us. "Has that love ever changed?"

I wasn't sure where she was going with that, but if there was one thing that had never stopped growing inside of me, it was the love I had for this girl. "I owe so much to you, Bow. And to Marilyn and Darryl. There's nothing that could ever change that, no matter what's going on in our lives." I stopped for a second, looking at our hands tightly clasped together.

"Don't ever doubt my love for you, Bowie."

She kept her eyes on mine for a moment, then nodded and moved closer to kiss my cheek. She let go of my hand and cuddled up to me again like before. "I love you too. Always."

***

It was still early, but I couldn't fall back asleep. I had woken up several times, watching Bowie before falling back asleep again. This time, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get myself to sleep for another hour or two.

Bowie was all wrapped up in my arms, her legs tangled with mine, and one of her hand buried deep into my hair. I hadn't cut it in a while, but I knew Bowie liked it when it was slightly longer.

I rubbed her back underneath the shirt she was wearing, unable to hold myself back from touching her soft skin. Not only did the color of her skin remind me of a white peach, but the smell of her hair and body did too.

How did I get so lucky?

With my left, I reached down to adjust my shorts, then pushed one of her legs up to cover my hips again. Her thigh had rubbed against my hardness a few times already.

No matter how hard I tried, there was always a voice in my head telling me to get closer to Bowie. My boner didn't just come from sleeping, but also from Bowie's breasts pressing against my chest, and the warmth between her legs touching my thighs.

I couldn't help myself any longer, so I moved closer to her, cupping her jaw, and tilting her head to the side. My lips brushed along her neck, then I nibbled on her skin while my other hand pressed her body tighter against mine. I was being careful not to wake her, but then...I didn't care if she did. I needed a taste, just like that night at the frat party while we were dancing.

A small moan escaped her, and her hand gripped my hair tighter. "Riv," she mumbled. I continued to plant kisses all over her neck, and I moved my hand from her hip to her bottom.

"Riv...I'm sleeping." But instead of pushing me away, she arched her back to push against my hand, making me cup one of her perfectly rounded cheeks in my hand. Fuck, that's nice, I thought.

I should stop myself. But this was heaven, and I didn't want to leave that place just yet.