A North Carolina Autumn - Chapter 69: Chapter 69

"What time is your meeting?" I ask Rylie before sitting on the couch, pulling my laptop towards me.
"In 10 minutes." Rylie answers from the kitchen.
"Okay. Do you want me to go into a different room?"
"No, I would actually prefer sitting next to you. It's good for my anxiety."
"Oh," I giggle, knowing she rarely has much anxiety in general. "Is that so?"
"Yes. Plus, I don't have to turn my camera on, so they won't even know you're there." Rylie grins, joining me in the living room with her laptop. With her work trip to Florida coming up next week, her boss wanted to do a video meeting with a few of his colleagues in Florida that they would be working with for a couple of days.
"What time do we need to leave for laser tag?" I ask before focusing back on the pictures I'm editing.
"Sam and the others said to meet at 9:00pm, so we should leave by 8:00."
"Perfect, that leaves plenty of time for a nap." I grin. Sam had invited all of the Salty Christians to a sort of party for New Years Eve that consisted of all night laser tag, and endless food. The food is apparently his favorite part. Since the location is closer to the city, Sydnee, Alyssa and Josh wouldn't be able to make it work, but I'm excited to see everyone else.
"A nap sounds amazing right now." Rylie says wistfully. "But I still have to pack."
I struggle to keep my face from dropping as I remember once again that in just a few days, she'll be leaving for a week. "I'll help you pack, because I really wanna nap with you." I grin before kissing her cheek.
"Sounds like a deal to me." Rylie returns my smile before turning her attention back to her computer as the meeting starts. I try to focus on my editing for a few minutes, but give up when Rylie's meeting becomes more interesting.
I watch as pictures of Florida pop up on her screen, and a man begins explaining what each day of their trip will hold. As the meeting goes on, I can't help but admire the way Rylie effortlessly engages herself in the conversation. My eyebrows raise slightly in surprise when she moves a hand to my thigh, tracing the fabric of my sweats with her fingers. Two specific fingers.
When I meet her eyes a moment later, I watch as they darken slightly seconds before she shifts, uncrossing her legs. The movement catches my attention, and I swallow hard before meeting Rylie's heat filled gaze once more. She smirks as I raise an eyebrow, as if challenging me.
She can't want... I narrow my eyes as I watch Ry. During her meeting?
As if reading my mind, Rylie's smirk grows before she quietly moves her laptop to her knees, spreading her legs just slightly. Just enough. The movement confirms my thoughts, and I pull my lip between my teeth as I study her.
I lean closer to her, brushing my lips lightly against her ear. "You're going to have to be really quiet."
"I know." She whispers back breathlessly.
"I'm not going to make it easy." I continue, slipping my hand to the waistband of her shorts.
"I know." Rylie whispers again before taking my hand and sliding it between her legs.
Fuck... I bite my lip again, careful not to make a sound. Wanting to keep my word, I leave my hand over her shorts, teasing her. I move my eyes back to her face, curiously watching her expression. She closes her eyes, holding her breath as I slowly move my hand.
"Breathe, baby." I whisper into her ear before slipping my hand beneath her shorts. Rylie takes a sharp breath in as my fingers make contact. Her head drops back onto the couch as she clenches her fists, struggling to keep quiet.
"Fuck," She gasps, so quietly that I almost don't hear. But I do hear it, and I'm surprised at the effect it has on me. While that word coming from Rylie's mouth usually had quite an effect on the throbbing between my own legs, the way she says it now seems to amplify that by ten. The way she gasps it, the heat and desire dripping from her voice, it's enough to leave me nearly breathless.
My eyes snap to the computer as Rylie's name is called. "Do you have any preferences for that, Rylie?"
Without missing a beat, Rylie responds, her voice calm and steady. "Everything sounds perfect to me." While her voice is calm, I feel quite a bit of satisfaction when I turn back to find that her body and expression are the complete opposite of calm. She bites her lip as she watches me, her chest moving quickly as she breathes.
"Faster." Rylie pleads as the meeting continues. I do as she asks, adding more pressure as I feel her begin to tighten. She covers her mouth with one hand as she comes, grabbing my arm with her other, dropping her head back onto the couch again as her pleasure takes over.
The meeting starts wrapping up as Rylie comes back down, and she kisses me once quickly before focusing back on her screen the few moments before it ends. She finally closes her laptop and sets it on the coffee table before leaning back and pulling me into her arms. "I love you." She breathes into my hair, her voice soft.
"I love you, Ry." I reply just as softly as I take her hand, playing with her fingers. "And I love that I got to put this here." I add, moving my fingers to her ring.
"Me too," Rylie giggles. "Since I'd spent so long telling myself I'd never get married, I never let myself consider the type of ring I'd want. But you somehow found the perfect ring. I can't imagine a more beautiful ring."
I smile as Rylie finishes, feeling proud. "I didn't know what to look for, but I knew it had to be perfect, because that's what you deserve. But nothing can top my ring." I say, moving my hand slightly until the ring on my finger is visible next to Rylie's.
"I did find a pretty good one, didn't I?" Rylie jokes smugly, making me laugh.
"You did. I'll never get over how beautiful it is."
"I'll never get over how beautiful you are." Rylie's voice softens again, and I look up to see her smiling.
"God, what did I do to deserve you?" I whisper, my voice full of emotion.
"No, that's my line." Rylie teases. "I don't know what I did to deserve you. I was certain I didn't deserve love at all and that I'd die alone, so imagine my surprise when I met you and somehow got you to fall in love with me?"
"I've said this once and I'll say it again and again, there's so much about you that made it impossible not to fall in love with you. You are kind, selfless, thoughtful, genuine, forgiving and unbelievably loving. The list goes on and on. Anyone that gets to experience even a brief moment of your love is incredibly lucky. I'm beyond blessed that you and your love are all mine."
"I absolutely love when you call me yours. Everything you're saying applies to you, but triple it." Rylie grins. "I'm just thankful that I managed to seduce you before anyone else got the chance."
I giggle, feeling a blush rise in my face. "I couldn't have said it better myself. I can't even explain the jealousy I feel at the thought of you being anyone else's..." I trail off, scowling.
"Baby," Rylie laughs, using her fingers to pull the corners of my mouth up. "Don't think about that. I'm yours and only yours." She promises before pressing her lips to mine, effectively wiping the rest of the scowl from my face.
"I should go pack." Rylie groans as she plays with my hair. We'd gotten a bit distracted with a little make out session and couldn't seem to find the energy to get up. I'd rested my head on her chest afterwards, listening to the steady beat of her heart, and stopping isn't something I want to do.
"Do you have to?" I pout, snuggling closer.
"I still have time to back out if you want me to stay." Rylie says this lightly, but I can hear the slight hint of worry in her voice.
Of course I want you to stay. "No, I'm teasing." I push my thoughts aside and reply in what I hope is a reassuring voice. "I'll help you pack."
"Okay!" Rylie grins before jumping up from the couch and heading into our bedroom.
Before I can follow, my phone vibrates, signaling a text message. One glance at the message is all I need, and I groan in annoyance.
Unknown- You haven't been responding to my messages.
Me- I wonder why! I type back sarcastically. It's getting rather annoying. Just give it up and leave me alone, you're wasting your time."
The reply is instant. Unknown- I don't think I am, though. This is very important, but you think it's a game.
Me- Your idea of important must be very different from mine. Anything to do with Gabe is far from important. He's dead, and you should consider leaving him in the past where he belongs.
Unknown- If only it were that easy, Aspen. Even if I wanted to, I'll never be able to leave him in the past. I see him every single day. His eyes, his smile, his face, I can't get away from him.
Me- Why's that?" I send the text after a moment of hesitation. I am genuinely curious to hear if this person has an actual reason, despite my annoyance at them not leaving me alone.
Unknown- You'll find out soon enough.
I roll my eyes, letting out a frustrated breath. Me- Sure. I'm tired of this, so I'm blocking you once again. Hope you can move on one day.
Unknown- Wait. The reply comes through not a second later, and I pause. Don't block me. You and I have unfinished business. I don't care how impatient you are but you're going to follow my rules.
Me- Or what?
Unknown- Or you'll find out how it feels to lose the love of your life.