And if we happened to come home married…
Well, then her dad would just have to suck it up and accept our relationship once and for all. He sure as fuck hadn’t accepted that we were dating. When I saw him at the clubhouse or at MC events, all he did was glare at me. If I tried to speak to him, all I got was cold silence. River spoke to him on the phone once or twice a week, but she’d been avoiding his calls more and more lately because he acted more and more like a dick every time they talked.
She’d have to see him on Saturday at her graduation, and I thought that was why she was dreading it so much.
Finally, the door opened, and River walked out with just her purse in her hand. As soon as she was close enough, I reached out and grabbed her hip with one hand, pulling her up against me and kissing her. She made a little mewling noise deep in her throat, kissing me back. She had a doctor’s appointment the next day, her second follow-up since her surgery, and I was praying we got the green light for sex.
But if we didn’t and she needed more time to heal, I would gladly suffer my aching blue balls until her doctor thought she was ready.
When I lifted my head, we were both struggling to breathe, and a tiny smile teased at her lips. “Hi,” she murmured, looking up at me through her lashes. “Long time no see, handsome.”
I stroked my thumb over her plump bottom lip. “You good?”
She lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. “Just tired.”
“Hey, little cousin.” Kingston drew her attention to him. “How was your last day of classes?”
“Boring,” she told him with a twist of her lips. “This entire week was pointless if you ask me. But attendance was mandatory if we want to walk at graduation the day after tomorrow.” She let me take her slight weight for a moment, as if she didn’t have the energy to hold herself up. “I really don’t even know why I want to walk.”
“Because it will make your parents happy,” Kingston told her. “It was the only reason I did it last year.”
“Yeah,” she muttered, her eyes darkening. “My parents.”
I tipped her chin up with my index finger so I could kiss her again. This one was slower, less demanding, to take her mind off her dad and pull her out of her head. When I lifted my head, she looked up at me dazedly. “Hi,” I said with a grin. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Definitely,” she breathed, then cleared her throat. “I have to stop by the store. I need to make sure the new assistant we hired is helping Mila get the displays set up correctly.”
“I can help with any heavy lifting,” Kingston offered.
“You just want to check out the new hire,” she said with a mock glare at her cousin.
“Guilty,” he said with a smirk. “But I’m free labor. Can you really afford to turn that down right now, sweetheart?”
“You got me there,” she grumbled. “Fine. I would really appreciate it. If you don’t mind?”
“You know I’d do anything for you,” he said with a wink.
As she climbed on behind me, I sent him a chin lift, thanking him for helping her. It also put me a little more at ease, knowing he would be at the store with her and Mila. Lyric was right next door, but if something were to happen, it could take my brother-in-law time to get to the girls should they need assistance in any way.
I’d been trying to stay with them when River went in right after school, but she knew my schedule too well and always made me go to work so I didn’t have to cancel on one of my clients. With the local college having released the week before, I wouldn’t be nearly as busy for the next few months after this weekend, which was why she didn’t want me to piss off any of the clientele and lose business.
River put on the helmet I gave her then got comfortable. She pressed the front of her body against mine, her arms going around my waist and her hands settling right above the bulge in my jeans, causing me to groan at how good she felt against me. I covered her hands, stroking my thumbs over her petal-soft skin for a moment before starting my bike. I felt her press her face to the center of my back as we pulled onto the road in the direction of her store.
While I drove, her hands teased lower, torturing me. I was in agony by the time I pulled into the parking lot behind the building. When I helped her off, she had a mischievous look on her face, and that sight alone was worth the ache in my balls. I was just thankful she didn’t have that haunted look in her eyes anymore.
Still holding her hand, I tugged her closer. “Be good. Don’t work too hard. I have appointments all evening, but if you need me, call.”
She took off her helmet and handed it to me. “I’ll be over as soon as I take care of a few things here.”
“Get Kingston to drive you home to get your car.” I swatted her on her ass with my hand, causing her to mewl and press even closer against me. I dropped a kiss on her lips when she pouted up at me. “Soon, baby,” I promised. “If we get the green light tomorrow…”
“Oh, we’re going to get the green light.” She touched her lips to my ear. “And then I’m going to ride you all night long.”
“Christ, woman,” I growled. “Go to work before I do something that might hurt you.”
Her eyes brightened. “Is my man at his breaking point?”
“Getting closer by the second,” I muttered, stealing another kiss. “I love you.”