Because she wouldn’t let it.
I emptied my head of that shit and hit Riley with a pointed look. “Well, for one, she hates me. And second, the chick’s fucking feral.”
Her mouth and eyes shot wide before she reached out and slapped my arm. I grinned and rubbed over the spot.
“Come on. You know what she’s like. It’s goddamn warfare. And her mouth’s her best weapon. I’m not sure my ego could survive it.”
“Whatever.” Ri shook her head, then pointed a finger at me. “You’d be lucky to have her, though, Le. She puts on this tough act, but she’s the most loyal person I know. She doesn’t let just anyone in, but when she does, she loves deeply. Think about that.”
Her words resonated, even as she held up her palms in defeat, silently agreeing to drop the subject. My eyes stayed on her while the sentiment rattled around my brain, taking root.
What the fuck does it matter, anyway? She’s leaving.
I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. “So, you’re leaving soon?”
Riley’s face fell. “Yeah. Day after tomorrow.”
I narrowed my gaze, quietly scrutinizing her. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” Her voice was little more than a breath, and a curtain of wavy hair fell forward to veil her face as she dipped her head.
Stepping closer, I leaned in and grazed her cheekbone with my lips. “I’m gonna miss you, Ri.”
Her head tilted back up, those big green eyes welling, and I pulled back. “Me, too, Leon.”
Dejection hit for a split second, and I pushed a hand through my hair. “Okay, enough of this mushy shit.” I moved to the door, pausing with a brow quirked and finger pointed before walking through it. “You better not fucking forget me, Wiley Riley.”
She tilted her head and offered a soft smile. “Don’t think I could if I tried, Leon Bradshaw.”
I closed the door to the image of that smile and stalked back to Ren’s, dipping my head in the door, and yelling that I’d be back in ten.
Then I got in my truck and drove across town with no clue what the fuck I was even doing. I eased off the gas and slowed to a crawl as a tall blonde strutted down the familiar driveway in a denim dress that displayed her killer body to perfection. Lissa’s long, toned legs ate up the sidewalk, and my chest expanded on a prolonged intake of breath.
She was always good to look at—my throbbing dick would never let me say otherwise—but right now; I wanted to get out of the truck and get my hands on her. I wanted to touch her and see if she’d react the way she had at Danny’s place, or when I had her pressed up against her car. I wanted to feel the warmth of her skin under my palms, watch her pulse flutter, hear her breath catch in her throat…
I’d played that kiss over in my head more times than I could count.
I’d miss Riley when she left, but I might just miss Lissa more. There was absolutely nothing rational about it. Not counting the ten minutes my lips were on hers, the girl had chewed me out every chance she got for the past ten years. Yet the thought of not seeing her for months, maybe even years? It just didn’t fucking sit right with me anymore. I didn’t fucking like it.
I thrust two hands through my hair and dropped my head back against the rest.
She doesn’t want you, Pretty Boy. She never liked you. Christ, she barely tolerated you.
She’d made that abundantly clear.
But I couldn’t take my gaze from her. Her steps slowed as she neared her car, and she slipped a hand into her pocket to retrieve her phone. She peered down at the screen, then brought it to her ear, and then… she smiled.
A huge, beaming, unguarded fucking smile that transformed her entire face.
My chest puffed out.
I couldn’t think of a time I’d ever seen her smile like that. My fingers strummed the steering wheel distractedly while my eyes stayed glued to her face and my heartbeat sounded in my ears.
I sat there, long after she’d lowered herself into her car and drove away, and all I could think was that she should do that more often…
When she smiled like that, Alissa Bedford was fucking breathtaking.
FOURTEEN