“Except for me,” Riley says, raising his eyebrow. “Well, I guess I'm not really a Beaumont anymore, am I? I'm something new. Do you want to know my original last name?”
Riley has never told me that. “What is it?”
“Johnson. I know. Common. Riley Johnson. Perhaps the Johnson coven is here to stay in Moon's Peak?”
Riley Johnson. His first name. His human name. I roll the syllables around in my head. “I like it,” I say, staring into his copper and brown eyes.
Something has happened since he took his father's blood. He's overcome his weakness. No longer does he feel tied to the coven who turned him. Riley is his own person with his own identity now.
“Well, since this Martin guy is a no-show, what do we do now?” Riley asks, lifting a lazy eyebrow. He flicks his gaze to the beach and my heart rises. “I doubt the Beaumonts will be out since they didn't get their drink last night.”
Maybe that's the reason our mystery guy hasn't showed up here. But whatever. Riley turns his lips up into a smile and sends a good shudder up my spine. He licks his lips as Lily continues to immerse herself in the computer.
It's safe.
That's what he's trying to communicate.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask.
He rises. “Lily, do you think you'll be fine in here for a while?”
She smells of coffee and I can hear her quickened heartbeat when I tune in. “I'll just order another cappuccino. This is a busy place and I'll be another couple of hours.” Lily looks between me and Riley and shoots me a grin. “Nobody's going to try anything in here.”
She's right. I link my hand with Riley's. Is he seriously ready?
We exit the cafe quickly and make our way down a busy sidewalk. The air today has warmed, coming off the ocean, and it's almost good enough to remove our jackets. The clouds are thick, but free of rain, and Riley and I are both sated and in a good mood.
We make our way down to the beach in silence, as if we want to save all of our energy. The ocean is calm today, with no bodies visible, and I smile at the kids throwing fries at the seagulls.
“There must be a quiet place on this beach,” Riley hisses in my ear. His voice is a low rumble that sends another good shudder up my spine.
I lean against him. “Why don't we walk up that way?” I nod toward the large rocks and boulders.
Riley grins. “Good idea.”
We leave the people behind, walking down the public beach. Houses look down on us, but soon, only trees grow up along the shore, leaving us a narrow strip of sand and gravel to walk along. But the water is calm, and the sand is dry. It's just us and the wild out here, and my senses confirm it. We're alone.
“Riley, it's good to get away,” I say, eyeing a flock of birds overhead. The breeze is soothing on my skin, and I take off my jacket and tie it around my waist.
“I agree. Olivia, we don't know what's going to happen anymore. It could be anything,” Riley says, letting me rest my head on his upper arm as we walk. “We need to enjoy our lives. Right after the Beaumonts turned me, I thought I had forever, you know? And that made life dull. It was just rules, rules, rules. But now that we have a time limit, I want to experience it all, you know?” He stops and kisses me on the temple.
Yes. He's ready. His eagerness hangs between his words, and in the way he puts his free hand around my waist. Riley forgives me for everything. We're both standing on our own.
And he's right.
We might not even be alive in less than a month.
My heart thumps with anticipation. I eye the coast for a spot, any spot, where we can be safe and comfortable. “We need this,” I say. “I need this. Look. Over there.” Too excited to hold back, I pull away from Riley only to take his hand.
I pull him into the shade of a large pine, and up here, we're blocked from the wind. The tree forms a green dome over us, blocking us from the view of anyone who might wander down the beach, not that anyone is close.
We're safe right now, and that's all that matters.
Riley tickles my sides.
We collapse on the bed of pine needles, laughing, and I lay on my side, facing Riley. We're matched.
I smile.
And he matches me.
My horrific power fades into the background. There is no need for that now. It's just me and Riley.
I don't need to manipulate him to stay with me. I won't end up alone. And if I did, he wouldn't be worth it and I wouldn't be worth it, either.
I roll onto Riley, kissing him and trailing down his neck, and he helps me peel away my tied jacket and then my shirt, working with graceful hands that pause in all the right places. I rip away his hoodie and toss it to the side, and I slide my palms under his tight gray tee and lift it away, exposing the peaks and valleys of his torso. I run my hand down the front of his chest, down his perfect, smooth skin that shines in the pale light.
Then, with a grin, he seizes me and rolls me over.
We kiss, helping each other with the rest of our clothes, removing every barrier between us. My heart races faster and faster as we run our hands over each other, exploring, taking in every landmark and the electricity it brings.
Riley hangs above me, a glimmer of sweat on his temples. “Tell me you need this. Right now.”
I gasp, almost painful from anticipation. “I need this.”
And with a single graceful motion, Riley joins us, sweeping me away
