after nine songs i say, "okay musical genius, last one. all or nothing." then flickering my eyes at him, i hike my skirt up just enough for him to catch a glimpse of what lies beneath and ask, "you in?" he has managed to guess every single song within three seconds, so why not distract him a little, knock him off his game.

i hear a sharp intake of breath as his head slightly turns in my direction. "i'm always in," he mutters with a huge smirk on his face.

looking through the songs on my playlist, and knowing there is not a single one he won't know, i decide to just have some fun. turning up the volume, i let adelitas way blare through the car, knowing full well there is no intro or musical chorus. dirty little thing starts to play, and i let the first two lines flow before looking at his grinning face. on the third line of the lyrics, i don't turn the music off, but rather start singing along. reaching over to his leg, i run my hand up the inside of his thigh as i continue singing about how i like it when he looks at me and before i finish the first chorus, he joins in and we both sing about not being able to say no.

by the third chorus, the song is still thumping but we aren't playing name that tune anymore. reaching over, i take his sunglasses off so i can see his eyes. he immediately places his hand back on my leg. this time his fingers dart quickly to the bare spot between my hose and my garter belt. my body starts to ache with need from deep within my core. his touch does this to me every time.

placing my hand on top of his, i give it a little squeeze and in a voice somewhere between playful and seductive, i quip, "you won, you know."

with a full-blown blinding smile that makes my heart skip a beat and my lips tingle, he cocks his head and glances over at me. "i know," he snickers.

as he picks up my hand and brings it to his mouth, he kisses each of my knuckles while asking, "what do i win?"

smiling widely, i remove my hand from his mouth, place it back on his thigh, and lean over the center console to suck on the sweet spot behind his ear before answering him. "anything you want."

i stay close to him, inhaling his fresh scent, rubbing my nose along his unshaven jaw. funny, i never liked it when ben didn't shave, but i love the feel of river's slight stubble against my soft skin.

as i lean back, i notice him dragging his tongue over his lower lip. i let out a deep moan and sigh.

cocking his head, his lips form a slow sexy smile as he raises his eyebrows. "anything?"

"anything," i promise.

laughing huskily, he glances down at my hand on his lap and raises his eyebrows.

i raise one eyebrow in return. "really?" i ask, but not really questioning what i know he wants as his prize.

"you wouldn't," he says looking down at my hand again as i begin to slide my palm up his leg to the button on his jeans, slipping my fingertips inside his waistband.

his breathing picks up and he groans when he feels my touch. "dahlia, i'm only kidding."

i glance at him from under my lashes. leaning forward, i whisper in his ear, "you might want to pull off the road as soon as you can."

his gaze falls to his lap again as i successfully unbutton his jeans and begin pulling down his zipper. "dahlia, really i wasn't serious."

"river you don't know me well enough yet. i never back away from a challenge or from paying up."

leaning his head back, he seems to be thinking about something. "we'll be home in less than thirty minutes," he manages under heavy breaths.

continuing to unzip his jeans, i am now kissing his neck, his jawline, and the outer edge of his ear. "your choice."

questioningly, almost unable to speak, he mutters, "my choice what?"

"you won. you told me what you want. i'm not backing down. so pull over."

noticing his tight grip on the wheel and the look in his eyes, i know he wants this, but doesn't want to admit it.

"dahlia?" he questions.

i finish unzipping his pants and tug at the opening of his boxers, freeing his erection before i teasingly say, "pull over. i'm not asking you to get off the road because i need to use the bathroom."

i begin to sketch the outline of his ear with my tongue before biting on his earlobe. then i come out with, "on the road, or off the road? that is your choice! but the when is now." i am physically and verbally making my intentions known, making him unmistakably aware that this is going to take place sooner, not later. i am not waiting until we get to his house.

"fuc . . . he starts to say, obviously opting for my suggestion as he quickly moves from the innermost left lane to outermost right lane, exiting the highway at the first available opportunity.

before beginning my descent, i glance up at him. his eyes are slightly hooded, his back is pushed against the seat, and his eyes are overflowing with desire. surprising myself again with what i am about to do, what i never liked to do before, i can only grin. however, deciding that his state of mind right now might hinder his driving, i opt to wait for him to safely park the car before finding my way down to his lap.

i don't waiver my seduction in the slightest though. i reach back and unbuckle my seat belt as river pulls into an underground garage to an office building, obviously closed on sundays. as he pulls into a parking space in the center of the lot, he unbuckles his seat belt, pushes his seat back, and grabs for my face.

"shit, what are you doing to me?" he pants.

before letting him kiss me, i taunt, "nothing yet," but i know he's not really referring to what i am doing to him at this moment. i know this because i often want to ask the same thing of him. he has undone me so completely, and i think he feels the same way about me.

capturing my mouth, he passionately kisses me until i am breathless, but i am not waivered. moving away from his soft lips, i start to trail open-mouthed kisses down his neck, over the outside of his t-shirt down his hard, taut chest. stopping to lift his t-shirt, i find his soft skin and continue with my kisses over his finely chiseled abdominal muscles, down his deep v, finally reaching my destination.

his legs tremble slightly as my tongue darts to his very tip, circling it before running it down one side to his base and back up. he has his hands lightly gripping my head, and i can hear his erratic breathing. i clench his base with one hand, and he groans loudly as i slide my mouth over his length, moving slowly, up and down. letting go of my head, he grabs my other hand and starts to suck hard on my thumb.

passion is bubbling over inside me as i take him in my mouth as far as i can. when his tip hits the very back of my throat, i keep it there moving just slightly back and forth, but this time with my teeth, not my lips. my tongue continues to lick circles wherever it lands and when it rounds his base, i feel him shudder.

his body's reaction, his groans, his heavy breathing, they're all stoking the fire already blazing in my body. i want to make him feel good, the same way he has made me feel the past few days, so i suck harder and faster. he releases my hand and i bring it to my other one, completely wrapping it around his base.

he runs a hand down my back in a vain attempt to try to reach the hem of my skirt. however, the angle of my body and the position of my legs are not in the least bit accommodating to his wandering ways. it does not allow him free access to my sex and since this is for him, about him, i don't move my body.

giving up, his hands move to grip my hair as he begins to move my head to the writhing of his body beneath me. i follow, taking him all the way in and pulling him out as i bare my teeth gently against his long, hard length. his body stiffens at first before relaxing and i am sure he's going to lose control.

groaning loudly, he takes his right hand and slides it back and forth across my back, muttering my name. he exposes the skin between my sweater and skirt and runs his fingernails across it while his left hand continues to tangle in my hair, still guiding me to the motion he prefers.

his breath quickens as i rock my head up and down to his own beat. his right hand now slips under the waistband of my skirt and his fingers splay, and grab my ass, causing an ache to build between my legs. i can feel myself getting wetter; this extremely sensual act is not only turning him on, but me as well.

hearing him suck in a few quick breaths through his teeth, he groans and i know he's close to coming. i can already read his signs. when i flick my tongue across his tip, circling it, sucking it, he hisses, "fuck," and i moan loudly. he lets go of my head and grabs the door, his other hand still rubbing back and forth across the soft skin of my backside.

he's nearly panting when i hear him mutter, "yes." then as his body stills, his stomach muscles clench and his warm fluid pulses out of him. i can taste the salty sweetness of it flowing down the back of my throat as i swallow.

raising my head, i can't help but grin at him. his eyes are still closed, but his face is full of contentment. as he opens his eyes, his breathing slowly returns to normal. i lick my lips, still able to taste him, and his eyes widen. he starts to say something, but i don't let him speak as i crush my mouth to his.

when he has thoroughly kissed me, he pulls his lips away and presses his forehead to mine. his warm breath brushes my cheeks as he speaks. "i have to say, i really enjoy playing games with you . . ."

sliding his lips across the side of my face, he presses his mouth against my ear. as shivers ravage my body he continues, " . . . more than any other games i remember playing with anyone. ever."

pulling back, he kisses me on the nose and chuckles; "i'm going to have to come up with a really great grand prize for you when you actually win one of these days."

i lean my head back against the headrest as i raise an eyebrow. when i look into his beautiful green eyes, i beam, "maybe i've just been letting you win. i have mad game playing skills you haven't even seen yet."

leaning back and stretching his legs out forward to zip his pants back up, he shakes his head and grins devilishly while reaching over to brush his finger over my lips. "i can't wait for you to unleash your mad skills."

i give him a quick wink before i buckle my seatbelt. "in due time. now let's go check out this new house of yours."

chapter seventeen

home

hold on to me as we go

as we go down this new path

we have each other

and when we get there

it will be clear that we are home.

as we pull up to a very affluent neighborhood in the hollywood hills, i am a little surprised at the grandeur of the scene. there is a large iron gate and multiple guards carrying guns that are quite noticeable at their waists. i don't see any lane designated for the residents to just pull through using either gate openers or bar codes on their windows.

we stop in front of the glass booth and a young, skinny blonde-haired woman in a uniform approaches the car. river nods his head and greets her. giving her very little information, he flashes his sexy dimples and pearly whites. we are immediately waved through. obviously, this guard already knows who he is.

scrutinizing the area, i notice a bunch of young women all dressed the same. they are camped outside the gate. i hadn't noticed them when we drove in, but i do now because they are yelling and holding up various signs. one has the words 'autograph for a kiss?' on it. another sign is scribed 'i trade fair'. interesting. pointing over at the flirtatious girls shaking their signs in the air along with other body parts, i remark, "are they your groupies or just groupies in general?"

he glances over to where i'm looking and says, "in general i assume. i'm really not sure. i've never paid attention."

pulling away from the guardhouse, he points to the doppelganger group of girls and wryly says, "but they're basically the reason i moved into a gated place."

"oh right. you don't like fans."