I delve into River’s resume, and watch everything he’s been in, from a guest stint on a kid’s show when he was seventeen, to his latest release, where he plays a mercenary on the run from the law. Yeah, it’s a lot of surface-level action stuff, but he’s capable of adding a depth and vulnerability to his characters that you don’t often see in the kinds of projects he chooses, and I think that’ll suit him well when he tries to branch out.
We talk on the phone almost every night, because both of us suffer from insomnia. A few times I’ve woken up to him snoring on the other end of the line. During our chats I’ve learned that he wanted to be an astronaut when he was a kid, and that it was a dream of his father’s that’s driving him to audition for a role in a biopic about John Glenn. I learn that he loves pickles, and is allergic to avocados. I mourn his loss by eating enough guacamole for the two of us when we order Mexican for movie night one Saturday.
When the party for the release of his cologne campaign rolls around, I call Keith to see if he can have the company send over a promo kit. They’re happy to oblige, and not only do I get physical pictures of River’s photo shoot, but I also get a bottle of the cologne.
I spray it on one of my jackets like a creep, just to see if I get the same kind of comfort that I do from River, and sadly…it’s just not the same. It’s mixed with something uniquely him that I crave, and the realization of that is troubling to say the least.
He picks me up for the party in his truck, and knocks on my door like the gentleman he is. He’s in a more casual suit tonight, slacks and jacket, shirt that’s unbuttoned on the color and no tie. I’m wearing a flirty little red dress I picked up at a sample sale.
“Wow,” I say, stepping onto the porch as Gigi goes absolutely nuts behind me. “That suit looks like it was made for you.”
He grins, and with this look? It’s sexy as hell. “As a matter of fact, it was.”
He scoops up my puppy and gives her a few scratches behind the ear, then I put her back inside and close the door behind me. When I turn around, I nearly run into a wall of River. He’s so close that I could take a step forward and climb him like a tree.
The idea is definitely tempting.
“Hey,” he says, all rumbly and low. His hands cup my shoulders, then his fingers blaze a trail of goosebumps down my arms. He squeezes my hands and says, “You look beautiful.”
I’m caught in between thanking him and dragging him back inside, but he makes the decision for me when he leads me toward the truck.
It’s about a foot off the ground, and I’m so short he has to help me up into it. He takes my hand and rests his palm on the exposed skin at the small of my back to steady me as I climb up.
The heat from his touch feels like a brand.
Since River and I have done this once before and we know each other a little better now than we did a couple of weeks ago, our walk down this red carpet is a little more practiced than it was the last time. It’s a lot less hectic, thankfully, since this event is much more low-key than the last one. So much more low-key that we’re publicist free tonight, and it’s just the two of us.
We take a relaxed walk down the carpet, talking to reporters with well-practiced answers. River holds me close and it feels normal, it feels right, even. I’ve come to welcome the warmth of his skin on mine. We take a few pictures together, and a couple alone. We run into Emmy from Entertainment Now!, who snags me as I’m getting ready to walk off the red carpet.
“You’re here with your new guy tonight, Skye,” she says, hamming it up for the camera as River’s fingers curl around my waist. “What’s it like to see this campaign come to fruition, especially since he not only modeled for it but had a hand in formulating the fragrance, too?”
“I’m really proud of him, honestly. I know he worked hard on the fragrance and the campaign, and it’s good to be here celebrating the fruits of his labor. I think River looks handsome no matter what he wears, so the pictures are definitely winners for me. I have a few stashed at home.”
Her eyebrows raise. “You do?”
“Definitely. Although I’m also lucky enough to have the real thing. And the cologne is wonderful, ladies. When it comes out on the fifteenth, make sure to go out and get some. It smells amazing, and makes it really hard for me to keep my hands off this guy.”
Emmy thanks us, and as we’re walking away, River leans down and whispers, “You can’t keep your hands off me, huh?”
I laugh and wrap my arm around his waist. Partly for show, but mostly because I want to. “Whenever I manage to do it, it’s with great difficulty.”
“Good to know.”
We walk into the party, which is full of bright lights and thumping bass. There’s a DJ in the corner, and some people mingling, some filling the dance floor. It’s River’s night, so I just follow his lead, and we flit from group to group for about an hour or so, and get separated when a director I worked with a couple of years ago flags me over. Once we’re finished chatting, I go looking for River and my attention gets pulled to some commotion at the back of the bar.
A small-ish group of people is huddled around in the corner, cell phones out. When I get close enough to see
