Riley moved his hands to her face, covering her ears as he worked his mouth from one side of her lips to the other. She wanted to protest, but the instant she opened her mouth, his tongue was there, boldly claiming the right to taste, to possess any part of her that he wished. The few times Riley had kissed her in this manner, he'd gently stroked the inside of her mouth. Now he used his tongue ruthlessly, sweeping it in and out from between her lips, plunging, probing, swirling it over her own, over and over until she was so weak she would have slumped to the floor without his support.
"No more," she said forcefully, pushing against him, needing to be free. Free of the warm, delicious sensations he was capable of making her feel. Free of the endless hours of worry and regret. Free of the past that clung like tentacles around her heart.
Riley's breathing was labored as he buried his face in the curve of her neck, kissing her there while his hands roved at will down her back and over her buttocks.
Again, Hannah made the effort to free herself. "You're drunk!"
She felt his smile against the hollow of her throat. "You mean it took you this long to figure it out?" he asked with a weary laugh. "You really are an innocent, aren't you?"
"May I remind you I was an innocent until I met you!" she cried, backing away from him. In his present mood, he might drag her into his bed and have his way with her and not even realize what he was doing.
"Don't look so worried," he said with a slurred laugh, reaching for her. "You're safe. Even if I wanted to make love to you, I'm so drunk, I doubt I could do anything about it." He laughed once more, but there was no humor in the sound. No humor and no amusement.
With some effort she managed to untangle his arms from her. In her eagerness to right the wrong she'd committed against him, she hadn't even noticed his condition.
"I'm not your precious Jerry," he said with a sneer. "But you can pretend. That's what you did that night in Seattle, isn't it? Pretend I was him." He waved his index finger back and forth in front of her face. "You didn't think I'd figure it out, did you?"
"Stop it," she cried, tears blurring her eyes.
"Well, go ahead and pretend all you want, my sweet. I don't mind playing a few pretending games myself. But ask yourself this, who shall I pretend you are? Judy, perhaps?"
Hannah felt sick to her stomach, nauseous and dizzy both at once. Unable to listen to another word, she turned and rushed into the bedroom, slamming the door. Not sure if she could trust him to leave her alone, she shoved the chair across the carpet and propped it under the handle.
He must have heard her efforts because he paused outside her door and gave a slurred, sick-sounding laugh. "Don't worry, my sweet. You're safe for tonight."