Songbird (Songbird, #1) Page 15

  They would then have to make it back to shore and navigate their way through a tropical rainforest and into the desert, then onto their designated completion point. All this was to take no longer than three weeks.

  From the landscape they were describing, I guessed they were being dropped somewhere up north near Darwin, but the location had to remain undisclosed.

  “What happens at the end of the three weeks?” I asked, trying to sound casual. “Do you get time off?”

  Riley smiled down at me, knowing where I was heading with the question. “It takes a few days to recuperate as it’s quite taxing on the body; they usually give us a week off, but I was thinking of taking two to fully recover.” He looked down at me out the corner of his eye with a sly smile. “I usually spend the first few days eating peanut butter sandwiches and drinking bottles of Gatorade. Sure would be nice to have someone to look after me.”

  “I guess I could manage that,” I said cheekily, relieved that we now had plans that stretched further than eleven pm that evening.

  He squeezed me close. “You didn’t think I would leave without knowing I was going to see you again, did you?”

  I shook my head, then remembering the tickets to Fiji Riley had bid on at the ball said excitedly, “We could go to Fiji when you get back. Use the auction tickets.”

  Now I had something to focus on while Riley was away; booking our flights and confirming accommodation availability.

  Not to mention working out extra hard at the gym to get my body into tiptop bikini shape.

  We said goodbye to Kelli and Cooper when we reached the apartment, and they said they would be back at ten pm to drive us to the airport, which only gave us just over an hour together.

  First port of call was the shower. I took great pleasure in the time it took for Riley to lather the soap over every inch of my body, running his hands teasingly over my breasts to my hips, and up and down my back. He shampooed and conditioned my hair, then massaged my scalp with his strong hands. The feeling was bliss.

  Then it was my turn to explore Riley’s incredible body. I ran my hands over his chest, tracing the contour of his muscles with my fingers, then down his washboard abdomen. He closed his eyes and sighed as I continued down, gently stroking him with my soapy hands. I washed his hair and afforded him the same lengthy scalp massage he had given me, eliciting more soft sighs as I worked over his head then down his neck to his shoulders.

  We finally turned off the water and dried each other off before wrapping the towels around us. Then we headed into the bedroom to get dressed.

  Riley was sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing up at me suggestively, and I had an overwhelming urge to do something we had not yet done, so I knelt down in front of him and opened his towel. I looked up at him and a slow, sexy smile spread over his gorgeous face as he leaned back a little, allowing me full access.

  I kissed his lips softly, then his cheek, and lightly bit his jaw as I made my way to his throat and chest. I flicked his chest with my tongue and kissed each definition of his abdomen, until I reached my desired destination, slowly kissing and circling my tongue around the tip of him before taking him into my mouth.

  He groaned softly and gently rested his hand on my head as I established my rhythm, then, remembering something my old friend Jessica had mentioned was her “secret weapon”, I lightly grazed my teeth up the length of him.

  He inhaled sharply through clenched teeth and I looked up at him through my eyelashes, trying to gauge if it was a good sound or a bad one, but the look on his face eased my mind.

  “Do it again,” he whispered as he watched me fixedly.

  I kept his eyes locked with mine and slowly repeated the action. He groaned approvingly, and I gave him a little wink.

  “God, where did you come from?” he whispered under his breath.

  I continued varying the rhythm and occasionally grazing him with my teeth, each time heightening his pleasure and prompting a reaction that made my own body respond, until he was at the brink.

  “Babe, I’m gonna …” he said breathlessly, the words running out but giving me the opportunity to control how we finished. I kept going, wanting to give him the greatest pleasure. His body then shuddered as a wave of relief washed over him.

  He took a few moments to compose himself and then picked me up, lifting me easily onto his lap.

  “You truly are gifted,” he said with a wicked grin and I smiled innocently, while making a mental note to thank my old friend Jessica, if I ever saw her again.

  “Now, what can I do for you?” Riley asked seductively as he unwrapped my towel. I looked over his shoulder at the clock; we were being picked up in ten minutes, so I knew there was no time.

  “Nothing,” I replied. “I didn’t do it to get something in return.”

  “You know I’ll be gone for three weeks,” he said with raised eyebrows, trying to tempt me.

  “Babe, I’ve had more sex in the last twenty-four hours than I’ve had in the last six months, and more orgasms then I’ve had in my entire life. I think I’ll be okay for the next three weeks. Besides, I’m still a little bit sore from last night.”

  He frowned at me, looking concerned, and I shook my head. “It’s a good sore. Besides, we need to get dressed.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?” he said, pouting adorably.

  “I would be more than happy to tie you to the bed and hold you hostage indefinitely.”

  He chuckled. “You know if you did that, the army would send in the troops to rescue me.”

  The thought of Riley’s army buddies busting down the door, only to find him naked and tied to the bed made me laugh. “I’m sure the guys would get a lot of mileage out of that!”

  “Babe, if they saw you like this,” he said, tracing a finger between my breasts and down my stomach, “they would be volunteering to take my place.”

  Riley’s phone beeped.

  We’re on our way. Get out of bed and get dressed, we can’t be late. C

  Riley sighed, throwing his phone down on the bed and standing to get dressed. Watching his graceful movements, I wondered how I was ever going to get through the next three weeks before seeing him again.

  WE DROVE in virtual silence to the airport, each of us lost in our own private thoughts. Even Cooper only half-heartedly teased Riley and me before giving up on the idea.

  At the gate there was a mixed crowd of people; military, partners and holiday-makers. It was easy to tell the difference.

  The holiday-makers mostly had backpacks and were dressed in shorts and flip-flops, with scruffy hair or whiskers.

  The military, on the other hand, while dressed casually, were clean-shaven, and looked neat. I glanced around; it wasn’t just how they looked, it was how they carried themselves. They looked both relaxed and alert, if that were even possible, as if they were ready to spring into action at any time.

  I looked up at Riley, his arm still around me; we had only broken contact when we had to, like when going through the security checks. Other than that, we were stuck together like glue.

  His eyes were sad but he attempted a smile. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, fine,” I lied. “You?”

  “Never better.” His mouth twitched and he exhaled deeply. “Come here.” Then he wrapped me in his arms.

  Burying my face into his shoulder for a moment, I inhaled his scent. I would need to remember it to help get me through the next few weeks. I turned my head so my cheek was now pressed to his shoulder, observing the crowd a little more. How could they all look so happy—laughing and joking with each other? Were they so used to saying goodbye that it didn’t affect them anymore?

  An announcement came over the speaker, calling Riley’s flight, and passengers started presenting their boarding passes to the ground crew. I instinctively tightened my grip around Riley’s waist; if I didn’t let him go he couldn’t leave, right?

  He leaned down, his lips finding my forehead, before whispering, “
I have to go, babe, but I’ll be back, I promise. You couldn’t keep me away if you tried.”

  “I know.”

  Oh shit, the tears were stinging my eyes already, and I had told myself that I would not cry until after he had left. I inhaled and then exhaled slowly. A steadying breath would help; or at least, it couldn’t hurt.

  He tilted my head up so I was looking into his eyes. “I’m coming back,” he said earnestly. “I’ll be here in three weeks, on the first.”

  I nodded. I didn’t want to risk speaking. I didn’t know if I even could at this point, without turning into a blubbering mess.

  He closed his eyes and kissed my forehead again, then my nose, and finally my lips. I closed my own eyes and savoured the taste of him. I needed to remember this, all of it: his arms around me, the rise and fall of his chest, the sound of his heartbeat, the look in his eyes whenever he looked at me, and the sound of his voice. But right now, it was the tenderness of his kiss that was consuming me.

  The last boarding call was made and we reluctantly had to separate. I said a quick goodbye to Cooper, and he hugged me, lifting my feet off the ground. “Thanks, Fox.”

  “What for?” I asked, frowning.

  “Putting a smile on this bloke’s face,” he said, indicating to Riley.

  “I’m the one who should be thanking you for bringing him with you.” It had without a doubt changed my life.

  I hugged Riley again, just one last time as the ground crew waited impatiently for the stragglers to board. I could already feel my bottom lip beginning to tremble, and I didn’t want to break down so I bit it, hard.

  He looked at my face, at my eyes as the tears welled. “I will see you soon,” he said definitely, looking me straight in the eye.

  I nodded and one stray tear escaped, betraying my last attempt to hold it together.

  He went to hug me again but the ground crew were tired of waiting and one of them approached, advising us that if the boys wanted to make the flight they needed to board—now.

  I watched as Riley presented his boarding pass. I watched as he walked down the gangway and as he looked back over his shoulder one last time before turning the corner out of sight. Then my breath hitched, and I began to sob into my hands.

  Kelli was beside me, and put her arm around my shoulders. “Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee before we leave.”

  “Okay,” I mumbled, looking around. No wonder everyone had looked so happy; they were all boarding the plane. The only other person left was a middle-aged woman, wiping a solitary tear from her cheek.

  It was the longest drive back home as I tried my best not to break down every time I thought of Riley. Kelli watched me tentatively out the corner of her eye whenever she thought I wasn’t looking.

  Finally, she said, “You’ll be fine. He’ll be back in a few weeks, and you have that awesome trip to Fiji to look forward to.”

  I knew she was right, but at that very point in time, three weeks might as well have been three years.

  “How do you just get on with things? You seem fine,” I asked, wanting to know her secret.

  “Life goes on: it just has to. You can’t put your life on hold waiting for them to come back. You do what you need to do every day, and they have to fit into your life when they’re here.”

  Yes, life would have to go on. What choice did we have?

  I would meet Kelli at the gym in the morning for our self-defence class. We would go to work as per normal, and we would call into Songbirds tomorrow night with Jason to see Marcus—same as usual.

  Opening the door of the apartment, the silence hit me like a brick. I was alone again.

  I went through the motions of getting ready for bed on autopilot. Luckily it was late in the evening, but I doubted I would be sleeping very much tonight. It was ridiculous to think that this time last week I didn’t even know the guy, and was perfectly happy on my own, and now I couldn’t see any part of my life without Riley Hammond in it.

  My phone beeped with a new message just as I had finished brushing my teeth.

  Hey babe. Just got home, miss you already. R xxxx :(

  Smiling, I tried to convince myself I could do this.

  Hey yourself. Miss you too. Apartment very empty, bed very cold without you.

  Then as a last second addition, I added,

  Stay safe on your drop. T xxxx :( :(

  Crawling into bed, I noticed the iPod on the side table; Riley must have left it there for me this evening before we went to the airport. Maybe if I listened to some music it would help me sleep. I started scrolling through the playlists, and that’s when I noticed a new one, entitled Tara & Riley. I opened it excitedly, curious to see what Riley had saved. It contained all of our songs, from the karaoke songs we had sung at Songbirds, to the classical pieces we had discussed, plus a few others. He must have gone through every song on the iPod and saved any that reminded him of me or us.

  Yes, life would go on, and I would be waiting here when Riley returned.

  Lying back, I stared at the ceiling, bracing myself. I was ready for the famine to begin.

  “So has your friend gone home?” Marcus asked as Kelli, Jason and I sat down around a table at Songbirds. It was a Monday night, and the bar was only half full at best.

  “My boyfriend, you mean,” I said with a grin.

  Marcus frowned. “Yeah, whatever.” Then headed back to the bar, obviously not that interested in my love life.

  Jason, on the other hand, was much more enthusiastic, and clapped his hands together playfully. “Do tell, little miss. I want all the juicy details!”

  I filled Jason in on the events of the last couple of days. I hadn’t seen him since he had helped Kelli and me get ready for the ball, so he had missed the drama of Patrick and Stephen.

  We chatted animatedly for about an hour before I looked around and noticed an old baby grand piano pushed into the far corner. My heart skipped a beat.

  “Marcus,” I called to him, and he came over. “Where did that come from?” I asked, pointing in the direction of the piano.

  “Oh, that old lemon. I’ve just paid out a fortune to get it restored and tuned.”

  “So it works?” I asked, hopefully.

  “Well, I don’t know for sure, seeing as I don’t play. I was thinking though, that maybe on the quieter nights during the week, Songbirds could be a piano bar, so the customers could just have a quiet drink and a chat while someone played in the background.”

  I walked over to the piano and lifted the lid. I ran my fingers lightly across the keys, then sat down, and pressing a bit heavier, did a run up the keys. It sounded to be in perfect condition.

  Marcus called out, “Hey, do you play?” I nodded in reply. “Why don’t you try it out then, and tell me if I’ve completely wasted my money?”

  Having played at the ball for the first time in nearly two years, my passion had been rekindled. Before my break from playing, I had practiced for hours every day. I didn’t need sheet music for the pieces I knew; I could hear the notes in my head, and just let my fingers do the rest.

  Closing my eyes, I thought of one of the songs Riley had saved on the iPod, ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele. I rested my hands at middle C and began to play. The music flowed through me, then without thinking, I started singing along.

  When I finished, I looked over at our table. Jason and Marcus were sitting there, mouths open, dumbstruck. Kelli was sitting there with a smug grin on her face; she had heard me play at the ball.

  Cassie, the new bartender, called out from behind the bar, “Do you know any Alicia Keys?”

  I smiled; I had learnt a couple, so I rummaged through my mental filing cabinet and pulled out ‘If I Ain’t Got You’.

  When I had finished, a few patrons sitting at the tables clapped, and I laughed. I had forgotten they were even there.

  “I guess I know who I can get to play here on a Monday and Tuesday night,” Marcus said with a huge dimpled grin, as I headed back over to the table. �
�If you’re interested, of course.”

  “Absolutely!”

  As soon as I got home, I called Riley to tell him the exciting news. I knew he wouldn’t answer the phone and it would go straight to voicemail. Kelli had already warned me that when they were on a training exercise, there was absolutely no contact whatsoever. But I wanted him to know that I had been thinking about him, and he was the first person I wanted to tell my good news.

  I then sat down and started working out my set list. Marcus had suggested more Alicia Keys and Adele, and maybe some Norah Jones. That was a good start, and I was more than happy to have another project to focus on to help fill my time until Riley came back to me.

  THE THREE weeks went by surprisingly faster than I had expected. It only felt like three months instead of the expected three years, as I bounced from the gym to the office to Songbirds most days.

  I had even seen Mr Hotbod a couple of times at the gym. We never spoke again, mainly because I tried to keep my distance, but Kelli and I agreed there was no harm in the occasional flirty smile.

  He had tried to approach me the first time I saw him after he had opened the door for me, with a wide easy smile, like we were old friends. But I was with Riley now, and it just felt wrong, so I had scurried away like an idiot.

  I knew that if he wasn’t so attractive—oh, who was I kidding, if he didn’t look like sex on a stick—I would have quite easily chatted to him. But every time I laid eyes on him, my stomach did that nervous somersault thing and my cheeks grew hot. He could see it happening too, and he seemed to find great pleasure in watching me squirm, always grinning at me charmingly, or giving me a wink.

  In between everything else that was going on, I met with Marcus regularly over takeout Chinese food, and a bottle of wine at his house to discuss the set list. Not that we discussed the set list for any great length of time. He always seemed to divert the conversation away from work, instead wanting to know about my interests, and life growing up.

  He laughed at all my silly jokes, and complimented me on my appearance every time we met. He was also a good listener, and seemed keen to be a shoulder to lean on as I confided in him my insecurities at managing a long-distance relationship, advising me to take it slow and keep my options open.