Always With You - A Best Friends To Lovers Novel

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Bowie

His hands felt good on my skin. He tightened his grip on my bottom, then moved his hand up to my waist again. His lips were soft and warm against my skin, and the way he nibbled and sucked on it made me feel warm inside. My heart was beating fast, and I tried to tell myself that we couldn't go further than this. We had to stop, but if he kept his hand on my waist, and didn't move his thumb along the underside of my boob again, I would let him continue for a little while longer.

I ran my hand into his hair, fisting it, and tugging on the ends. I moved my hips against him, feeling his hardness between my legs. He growled, letting me know just how much he was struggling to not go too far. But as he moved his hand up, almost covering my breast, the front door to the apartment slammed shut.

"Shit," I heard Whitley say, and I immediately pushed River away, sitting up in bed, and rubbing my eyes. I heard a sigh escape him, and he turned on his back while looking up at the ceiling. His hand moved to his shorts, adjusting himself before sitting up himself.

"I'll check on her," I said, getting out of bed and avoiding eye-contact with him. I knew my face was red, and I felt a little embarrassed about what happened seconds ago.

"Has she been out all night?" he asked, and I shrugged. "Probably. I haven't heard her come in last night." I kept my gaze straight ahead, then reached the door and left my bedroom.

"Hey," I said to Whitley as she made her way to the kitchen. "Are you okay?" I asked, following her.

She turned to look at me with a tired grin. "Never been better," she announced with a croaky voice, grabbing a cup out of the cupboard, and pressing the button on the coffee machine.

"Have you been up all night?" I asked, wondering how much alcohol was still in her system.

"I slept a few hours before coming here. I was at Ruben's. That guy is crazy," she grinned, and I couldn't help but chuckle. "Glad you had fun," I told her, grabbing a cup for myself.

"Your date didn't go as planned, huh? I was hoping to see Ford standing there in his shorts instead of River," Whitley said, and I turned to look at River, who was standing by the kitchen door, his arms crossed over his chest.

I quickly glanced away, feeling my cheeks heat up once again. "Ford's a dick. Tried to force Bowie to kiss him," he said, walking over to us and reaching his hand over my head to get the third and last cup in our kitchen.

Whitley frowned, leaning against the kitchen counter with a shake of her head. "And I thought he had potential to start dating you. Shame," she mumbled. "Sorry that happened to you," she added.

I shrugged, unable to contain myself. "I had a great night nonetheless." River was making me nervous again.

"I bet," Whitley grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at River. He chuckled, then leaned against the counter on the other side of me. "Not what you think, Whit," he told her.

That topic was quickly off the table, with Whitley telling the whole story about what she and Ruben did all night. It was a crazy story, but I wouldn't expect anything else from Whitley. She loved adventures, and nothing could ever stop her from having a good time with a guy she had just met.

We drank our coffees and watched some early morning cartoons, then Whitley decided to head to bed and get some hours of sleep before we'd head out to get some groceries. It was only River and me again, and although I still felt a little awkward from what happened in bed earlier, I needed him close.

I leaned my head against his shoulder, holding my empty cup in my hands. River's hand moved to my thigh, squeezing it softly. We spent about an hour in silence, and then River decided to go home around nine.

"Whitley and I will be at the 81 tonight. You and Aiden should come too," I suggested, standing in only my shirt and panties by the door, looking up at River who was now fully clothed and ready to leave.

"Sounds good. Text me when you get there," he said with a smile. I nodded, and he leaned in to kiss my forehead.

"Don't worry too much, Bow," he whispered before leaving. That was easier said than done. I had a deep frown between my eyebrows, and I couldn't get rid of it if what happened this morning was still stuck on my brain with superglue.

Neither of us was going to address the fact that we were all over each other, and that River's hand touched parts of my body he never touched. Our friendship was turning into something different. And the easiest way to not start discussions or a fight was to simply ignore what happened.

***

That same evening, Whitley and I were sitting at a booth at the bar, waiting for our drinks to come. I stuck to the good old Coke, while Whitley got a beer after trying to convince the waiter that she was twenty-one.

Surprisingly enough, Whitley didn't have a fake ID. Yet. I was sure that would be taken care of soon.

"Oh, boy," Whitley said, nodding to the bar. "Ford's here," she pointed out, and I turned to look at him, standing at the bar and talking to a guy I didn't know. Before I could look away, Ford's eyes met mine and if I weren't mistaken, they looked sad.

I managed to turn my head, tugging a strand of hair behind my ear, and taking a sip of my Coke. "He might be a dick...but he is incredibly handsome."

I shrugged, thinking that looks weren't a good enough reason to make me interested in a guy. Whitley nudged my foot under the table, and I looked up at her with a questioning look. She nodded to the side, and as I turned my head, Ford was approaching out table.

"Shit," I mumbled, clearing my throat, and straightening my back to prepare for the worst.

"Hey, Bowie," Ford said. His voice was shaky, and I wondered if that was just a way of messing with me again.

"Hi," I replied. I was polite, although he did mess up last night.

"I, uh..." he seemed nervous, and I waited for him to continue talking. "I'm sorry for calling you a...slut. Dylan told me that you and River are only friends. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, and I'm sorry for pushing you to do things you didn't want to. I made a huge mistake, and I wish I could turn back time to show you that I'm not as big of an asshole as you think I am."

His words surprised me, but I was unsure of how to respond. A smile tugged on my lips, but it never met my eyes. "It's okay. Up until that moment I enjoyed talking to you. I forgive you," I said.

"Thanks. Any chance of buying you a drink? I really wanna make it up to you. I was an idiot. I guess I was a little frustrated that you didn't want to kiss me," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. If he got that frustrated from me not wanting to kiss him after our first date, then I could only imagine how he would react if I pushed him away for not wanting to have sex. But I had to cut him some slack. He had some balls for saying all that while Whitley was listening.

"We just ordered," I explained, then pointed to the entrance where River and Aiden just came through. "And I'm not sure you want to stay here when River arrives. He's pissed at you." There's no need to lie about that. And even if I forgave Ford, I knew River wouldn't.

Ford turned his head, then sighed and looked back down at me. "Again...I'm sorry. I'll see you around." With that, he left our table just in time.

I gave Whitley a warning glare, telling her not to say anything about what just happened. She motioned with her hand to zip her lips and throw the key away. I knew I could always count on her.