Stay with Ria and Connor

RIA

We headed back to the parking lot, Connor quickly recovering from his fall thanks to the tender kisses I kept administering all over his body.

We reclined in the bed of his truck, and I cuddled up against Connor's chest, using his body heat to stay warm as we both stared up at the stars.

The back of his truck wasn't exactly the most comfortable place on earth-cold, rough metal beneath a decidedly unpleasant layer of gravel-but at that moment there was nowhere I'd have rather been.

It felt so odd to be out on a date with someone other than my husband, almost like I'd woken up to find myself living on another planet; some parallel universe where nothing was quite the same. Like that weird episode of Star Trek where everyone had the goatees.

Connor held me tight in his arms, and the steely scent of his cologne hit my nostrils.

"This is nice," I sighed. "Peaceful."

Connor laughed, "'Peaceful' isn't exactly the word I would use to describe our day today. 'Sexy as hell,' maybe. 'Frustrating,' 'crazy,' 'confusing' - and let's not forget 'painful.'"

He rubbed the lump that had formed on his elbow after his spectacular ice skating wipeout.

"Not that I'm complaining, mind you," he quickly added.

I twisted around in his arms and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"You seem nervous," I said.

"I'm just hoping Shane doesn't hate me for touching you the way I did earlier tonight. And Tracy... she and I JUST got back together yesterday! What if the four of us all playing around like this screws that up?"

"Tracy loves you, Connor. She's not gonna lose you a second time."

He sighed and looked at me with his sad, hungry puppy eyes. "I want you so, so bad, Ria. So bad that it hurts to look at you sometimes. Like, actually, physically hurts."

"Blue balls?" I teased.

He frowned. "I'm being serious. And no, it's way worse than just 'blue balls.' It feels like I just took a punch to the stomach. My mouth gets all dry. My throat gets tight..."

"Connor-"

"Besides Tracy, you and Shane are the only family I've got. I don't want to be the guy who fucks up your marriage."

I hugged him reassuringly. "Shane already knows how I feel about you, Connor. Nobody's cheating, nobody's lying, and nobody's got their head buried in the sand. We're all scared, but honestly? The alternative scares me more."

"What do you mean, the alternative?"

"I mean the alternative where you and I spend the rest of our lives pretending like there's nothing going on between us. Like I don't have to fight the urge to rip your clothes off your body every time you say hello. Like it's all just some harmless flirting and winking between two good friends. I'm terrified to think I might go my whole life, never..."

Connor swallowed, his mouth dry. "Never what?"

In reply, I slowly lowered my hand to his lap-felt the firm outline of his erection-and squeezed.

Something in Connor snapped. He kissed me hard on the mouth, pinning me beneath the weight of his muscular body.

The gravel in the truck bed scratched at my back, but I ignored it, grinding up against Connor. His strong hands snuck up beneath my shirt and squeezed firmly around my breasts, pinching my nipples through my bra.

I gasped, reflexively throwing my head back from the sudden shot of intense pleasure.

"Ria..." he moaned, pulling me even closer. I licked the side of his neck. "I can't take it anymore. I need you. I need all of you!"

My palm rubbed away at his crotch, through the fabric of his jeans. Connor's face looked almost pained from the sensation...