Falling Up

53. Ambush

The hours passed by. It was hard to tell the time with no sunlight to judge the passing of the day or moonlight to pass the growing night. It could have been one hour or it could have been ten. What she did know was that she was getting cold, sitting on the floor in her white and pink lace lingerie. She wanted desperately to pull off the black collar that was strapped around her neck, but to do so would cause the tiny amount of clothing she had on to fall off. A shiver went down her arms as goosebumps rose to the surface.

"You must be cold," said Kain as he unbuttoned his long sleeve white linen shirt. Before she knew it, he slipped it over his chest, revealing his toned body and washboard abs, which stretched and flexed to Riley's delight. He took it off and placed it over Riley's shoulders.

"You don't have to..."

"I want to," replied Kain, lifting Riley up off the floor and placing her in his lap, away from the cold that was setting into her numb and tingling legs.

She revelled in the warmth of Kain's body as she leaned back into him, soaking up as much heat as she could. Even the death stares of Jason from across the room didn't break her resolve to sit on Kain's lap, even though she could feel the piercing anger radiating from him. Jason would just have to get over it, thought Riley, as her head lulled back onto Kain's shoulder.

Jason had been keeping his distance from her since she arrived and she could tell his anger was nowhere near under control. But he was trying. The way he clenched and unclenched his fists against his pants told her that he was trying not to completely lose his shit over this. And she was thankful for that. It was exhausting enough just being here without having to deal with Jason's temper.

She tried hard to keep her eyes open as the heaviness set in upon her eyelids, forcing them downward. She blinked and shook her head trying to keep the sleepiness at bay. When she shook her head for the third time, she resorted to a different tactic to keep herself awake and alert in preparation for the fight ahead.

Riley had been wanting to ask Kain a question for a while now, but she had been too scared to even broach the subject. Even the thought of asking caused her heart rate to spike, but she was really curious about the answer.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Kain paused, the gentle stroking of her arm coming to a stop. "Of course."

"Why me?" asked Riley, unsure of why she was even asking, but somehow it was the first thing that blurted out of her mouth. "I mean, you can have a pick of pretty much anyone you want."

Kain laughed. "I'm pretty sure I don't have a pick of anyone I want, Riley. If that's what you think, then you think too highly of me."

"You know what I mean," she said, playfully nudging him in the side. "Maggie is... and I'm..." Riley paused, looking down at the scars on her arms. The scars that Maggie and other beautiful girls like her didn't have. She was covered in them and it was hard sometimes for her to see past them.

"Maggie is a pain in my butt," said Kain, letting out a chuckle. "Look. I know I didn't give off a good first impression and I'm sorry I couldn't see past your scars from the beginning. But the more I'm around you, the more I see of you. And you're so much more than just your scars, " he continued, turning her to the side in his lap before lifting her chin to meet his eyes. "You're beautiful, smart, and fiercely independent. You see the world with such wonder and light in your eyes and it's fascinating to me. Hypnotic in a way. I can't stop thinking about you."

Riley blushed hard as he continued to stare into her eyes. He tilted her chin further, pulling her to him as he leant down to meet her lips. His hot breath cascaded over her lips and they parted, eager to meet her lips with his.